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Category Archives: advanced stuff colour physics 101 Download my colour physics FAQ e-book for the Kindle here. Also available as a physical book from Amazon. • What is colour? • How does colour vision work? • Why is the sky blue? • What is the colour spectrum? The answers to these and many other related questions about colour physics are each provided in a short and easy-to-understand form. Will delight and entertain colour professionals and curious members of the public. accurate colour on a smartphone or tablet Electronic displays can vary in their characteristics. Although almost all are based on RGB, in fact the RGB primaries in the display can vary greatly from one manufacturer to another. Colour management is the process of making adjustments to an image so that colour fidelity will be preserved. In conventional displays – desktops and laptops – the way this is achieved is through ICC colour profiles. Colour profiles store information about the colours on a particular device that are produced by RGB values on that device. So to make a display profile you normally need to display some colours on the screen and measure the CIE XYZ values of those colours; you then have the RGB values you used and the XYZ values that resulted. The profiling software can use these corresponding RGB and XYZ values to build a colour profile so that the colour management engine knows how to adjust the RGB values of an image so that the colours are displayed properly. Building a profile often requires specialist colour measurement equipment – though this can often be quite inexpensive now. If you are using your desktop or laptop display and you have never built a profile then you are probably using the default profile that was provided when your display was shipped. The default profile will ensure some level of colour fidelity but particular settings (such as the colour temperature or the gamma) may not be adequately accounted for. If you want accurate colour then you should learn about colour profiling. It all sounds simple except for the fact that ICC colour profiles are not supported by iOS or Android operating systems on mobile devices. I find this really surprising but that’s how it is for now. Maybe it will be different in the future. This means that ensuring colour fidelity on a smartphone or tablet is not so straight forward. So what can you do? Well, there are two commercial solutions to this problem that I am aware of. They are X-rite’s ColorTrue and Datacolor’s SpyderGallery. ColorTrue and SpyderGallery are apps that will use a colour profile and provide good colour fidelity. These are great solutions. Perhaps the only drawback is that the colour correction only applies to images that are viewed from within the app. Having said that, they allow your standard photo album photos to be accessed – but the correction would not apply, for example, to images viewed using your web browser. This is why a proper system implemented at the level of the operating system would be better, in my opinion. There are two alternatives. The first would be to implement your own colour correction and modify the images offline before sending them to the device. This would not suit everyone – the average consumer who just wanted to look at their photos for example. But it is what I typically do here in the lab if I want to display some accurate colour images on a tablet. But if you were a company and you wanted to display images of some products for example – it might be a reasonable approach. It has the advantage that the colour correction will work when viewed in any app on the device because the colour correction has been applied at the image level rather than the app level. But it does mean you need to do this separately for each device and keep track of which images are paired to each device. This is ok if you have one or a small number of devices but maybe not so good if you have hundreds of devices. The second alternative would be to build your own app. If you want to do things with your images that you cannot do in ColorTrue or SpyderGallery or if you have lots of devices and you can’t be bothered to manually convert the images for each device, then you could install your own app that implements a colour profile and then does whatever else you want it to do. Incomplete pair comparison One of my big academic interests is scaling perceptual phenomena. That is, we take some physical stimuli (for example, a set of sounds of varying intensity/volume) and then we want to know how loud they are perceived to be by people. This allows us to build a relationship between the physical stimulus (in this case intensity) and the perceptual stimulus (in this case loudness). The same idea could be used to scale largeness, smallness, colourfulness, whiteness, lightness, heaviness, sweetness etc. It’s not always a -ness. But it usually is. There are a great many techniques to scale perception. You can just ask people, for example, to assign a number. For example, you play a sound and ask them to rate how loud it is on a scale, say, from 0 to 100. This is called Magnitude Estimation (ME). It’s a perfectly good technique but it has limitations and one of these is that it can be quite difficult for the participant. And, say, the first stimulus seems really loud and they assign it a loudness of 90; then it turns out that all the subsequent stimuli are louder – then all their estimations will be squeezed in the 90-100 range, which is not ideal. Consequently, in the ME technique we often have so-called anchors – that is, example stimuli at each end of the scale. An alternative technique is called paired comparison (PC). In this we might have, for example, five stimuli A, B, C, D and E and we present them in pairs and ask the participants which one is louder (or whiter or yellower etc.). The total number of paired comparisons is 10 in this case which is quite manageable. From the results of these paired comparisons it is possible to estimate a scale value for each of the stimuli where the scale value will be an interval scale of loudness (or whiteness or yellowness, etc.). This is a really nice technique and there are quite a few papers that claim that PC is more reliable than ME, for example. However, when the number of stimuli is large the number of pair comparisons becomes huge and the the task is not practicable. When this happens it is possible to undertake so-called incomplete pair comparison where we only present some of the possible pairs to the participants. The question is, however, what proportion of the pairs should be present for the PC experiment to be reliable? This was the question that Yuan Li and I asked each other during her doctoral research. We undertook a large-scale simulation of a PC experiment. I won’t go into the details here. The method and results have just been published in the Journal of Imaging Science and Technology (JIST). You can see the paper here. However, I show below the key table from the research which I think might be of interest to other people who are undertaking, or planning to undertake, an incomplete PC experiment. This table shows the number of stimuli that are being compared along the top. Down the left-hand side are the number of observers taking part. The figure in the corresponding row and column shows the per cent of pair comparisons that need to be carried out to get robust results that would be similar to those you would get if you did the full PC experiment. So, for example, if you 20 samples and 15 participants then you need to half of the possible comparisons. For 20 samples there are 190 comparisons so you would need to 95 of them (which could be selected randomly). I should point out that there is a caveat that needs to be considered. This work is only valid if the observers can be considered to be stochastically identical. If we ask people to rate samples for loudness, or whiteness, or heaviness, for example, I think this assumption is justified. However, if we were asking people to scale how beautiful people’s face were, for example, – an experiment reminiscent of the early facebook experiment by Mark Zuckerberg – then observers could differ wildly in their judgements. One participant may rate as most beautiful a face that another participant rates as the least beautiful. Because of the assumptions that we made in our modelling we cannot predict the proportion of pair comparisons that would be needed in a case like this. We are thinking about it though. On CIE colour-matching functions We normally represent this matching with an equation: The dangers of Likert scale data Imagine that you want to compare two products A and B and you ask the opinions of 100 users via a survey. The table below shows a summary of the survey and the responses. The numbers under product A and product B show the number of people who gave each of the responses on the left-hand side. This is known as a Likert scale and this post will give some thoughts on how to analyse these data. The first thing that is worth mentioning is that there is a simple form of analysis that is relatively uncontentious. This is to say that 60% of people were very satisfied or quite satisfied with product A whereas only 45% of people were similarly very satisfied or quite satisfied with product B. On the one hand this is simple. However, can we use this analysis to say that product A is better than product B? Note one problem straight away, which is that 20% of people are very dissatisfied or quite dissatisfied with product A whereas only 15% of people were similarly very dissatisfied or quite dissatisfied with product B. It seems that product A tends to polarise opinion and it is not clear what conclusions can be drawn. However, quite often we assign numbers to the categories (such as 5 = very satisfied, 4 = quite satisfied, 3 = neutral, 2 = quite dissatisfied, and 1 = very dissatisfied) and when this is done we can produce a number for each participant’s response; we can then average this to produce the mean values shown in the figure above. According to this we can say that on average the response to product A is 3.6 and to product B is 3.5. Can we now use these numbers to make the following two statements? (1) that product A is better than product B (since 3.6 is bigger than 3.5) and that (2) both products A and B are well received by the participants (since 3.6 and 3.5 are both bigger than 3). What I want to do in this post is discuss the validity of these statements by considering several aspects of Likert scales. Is it valid to average the numbers? There is a long-running dispute about whether it is valid to average the scores to produce the mean values as in the table above. To explore this we need to introduce two types of data. The first type are called ordinal data. This is the order in which things are. The Likert scale presented in the table above strictly produces ordinal or rank data. Imagine that three people, Alan, Brian and Clive run a race in which Alan wins, Brian is second, and Clive is third. Knowing the order in which they finished is fine, but it doesn’t tell us whether Alan finished well ahead of the other two or whether, for example, Alan and Brian were involved in a close finish with Clive a long way behind. If, however, we know how many seconds they took to complete the race (Alan = 40 seconds, Brian = 41 seconds, and Clive = 52 seconds) we now know much more information about the race. It turned out that Clive was a long way behind the other two. The race times, in seconds, are called interval data. With interval data the differences between the numbers are meaningful whereas with ordinal (rank) data they are not. The problem with a Likert scale is that the scale [of very satisfied, quite satisfied, neutral, quite dissatisfied, very dissatisfied, for example] produces ordinal data. We know that very satisfied is better than quite satisfied and quite satisfied is better than neutral, but is the difference between very satisfied and quite satisfied the same as the difference between quite satisfied and neutral? Why am I worrying about this? Because when we assign numbers to the scale (the 1-5 numbers) and then average the responses we are implicitly making the assumption that the scale items are evenly spaced. We are treating the ordinal data as interval data. How can we be sure that the participants treated the scale in this way? Would it have made a difference if we had used satisfied and dissatisfied instead of quite satisfied and quite dissatisfied respectively? So it would seem that is wrong to calculate means from Likert scales. If you click here you will see a post from a PhD student (Achilleas Kostoulas) at the University of Manchester who states categorically that it is wrong to compute means from Likert scale data. I choose this example because it is simply and elegantly explained not because I necessarily agree entirely with his view. It is also worth reading the article by Elaine Allen and Christopher Seaman in Quality Progress (2007) who also take the view that Likert scale data should not be treated as interval data. Interestingly they also suggest some other techniques that don’t suffer from the ‘ordinal-data’ problem; for example, using slider bars to get a response on a continuous scale. However, before you give up detailed analyses of Likert scale data I would urge you to read the paper by Susan Jamieson called Likert scales: how to (ab)use them in Medical Education (2004: 38, 1212-1218). Although Susan is also broadly speaking against treating Likert scale data as interval data she does present the other side of the argument. In another paper, in Advances in Health Sciences Education, Norman (2010, 15 (5), 625-632) argues that the concerns about Likert scales are not serious and we should happily use means and other parametric statistics. How much bigger do two averages need to be for an effect? In the table at the start of this article product A and B receive scores of 3.6 and 3.5 respectively. The paragraphs above explain that calculating these means may not be valid. However, assuming that we do calculate means in this way, how different would the mean scores for product A and B need to be for us to conclude that A was better than B? I have come across students (normally in vivas) who would simply state that A is better than B because 3.6 > 3.5. To those students I then would say, would you still take that view if instead of 3.6 and 3.5 it was 3.51 and 3.5? What if it is 3.50001 and 3.5? Would they still maintain that A is better than B? It is clear that we need to consider variance and noise and carry out a proper statistical test to conclude whether 3.6 is significantly greater than 3.5. The test is called a student t-test and anyone can be taught to perform one using Microsoft Excel in a matter of minutes. In the example at the start of this article it turns out that there is no statistically significant difference. We cannot conclude that product A is received better than product B. However, can we conclude that both products are received favourably? Again, we need a statistical test. It turns out that in this case, both 3.6 and 3.5 are statistically greater than 3 and we can at least conclude that products A and B are received favourably. However, there is the caveat that this assumes that we can treat the Likert scale data as interval data in the first place. Other considerations An interesting question is whether we should use 5-point scales at all. Would we get different results if we used a 7-, 9- or 11-point scale? I have found one website that suggests that a 7-point scale is better than a 5-point scale but not by much. A paper by Dawes in International Journal of Market Research (2008: 55 (1)) looked at 5-, 7- and 10-point scales and concluded that the results from a 10-point scale would be different from a 5- or 7-point scale (after suitable normalisation). Although odd-number scales (with a neutral point) are almost always used. A paper by Garland (Marketing Bulletin, 1991: 2, 66-70) suggest that using a four-point scale (and removing the neutral point) might remove the social desirabiity bias that comes from respondents wanting to please the interviewer. I am not sure what current thinking is on this matter though and I would normally use odd-number scales. I am not providing any definitive views on these points but rather raising awareness of issues. If you want to use a Likert scale then these are issues you need to familiarise yourself with. My view I will confess to having treated Likert scale data as interval data and carrying out parametric statistics (these are statistics that use statistical parameters such as standard deviations). However, deep down I know it is wrong. I am coming to the view that the best thing is not to use a Likert scale at all. I think people often use this sort of scale because it seems simple. There are ways to statistically analyse data like these and I would refer readers to categorical judgement which is a well-used psychophysical technique. My colleague Ronnier Luo at Leeds University has used this technique extensively for decades. However, it is far from simple to analyse the results. I think there are better ways of obtaining information. I think use sliders bars and allowing users to indicate using the slider bar their view between two extremes (e.g. between very satisfied and very dissatisfied) is probably better and I will encourage my students to use this technique in the future. MRes Colour Communication colour communication Colour Semiotics – a personal view Colour Harmony Colour Preference Colour Forecasting Colour Semiotics Westland S and Mohammadzadeh M (2012),
Chapter 1 Synopsis of chapter 1 Tess of the d'Urbervilles opens with Tess's father returning from market, somewhat the worse for wear after drinking. He is overtaken by Parson Tringham, a clergyman who has taken an interest in the ancient families of the area and their fortunes over the centuries. He addresses Mr Durbeyfield as Sir John. It turns out that he has discovered the Durbeyfields are really descended from an aristocratic family dating back to William the Conqueror's time, the D'Urbervilles. They are buried in a church in the south of the county. The news goes to Durbeyfield's head. He orders a horse and carriage to take him home, with food and drink to go with it. The chapter closes with him waiting for the carriage, sitting by the roadside. Commentary on chapter 1 William the Conqueror: French Norman king who invaded England in 1066. He gave great estates to his Norman followers in exchange for their allegiance. Battle Abbey roll: Lists of William's knights who fought with him at the Battle of Hastings, and their estates. Battle Abbey is near the actual battle site in Sussex. Pipe rolls: Lists of revenues derived from these estates kept by the Exchequer. King Stephen; King John; Edward the Second: descendants of William who reigned 1135-54; 1199-1216; and 1307-27 respectively. Knight HospitallerKnights Hospitallers: A religious order of knights, which was founded in the twelfth century (during the time of the Crusades to the Holy Land), in order to care for and protect Christian pilgrims. They are also known as the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. Oliver Cromwell; Charles the Second: Cromwell was Lord Protector (1653-58) after the English Civil War. Charles II (1660-1685) regained the throne after Cromwell's death. Knights of the Royal Oak: The knights who fought with Charles II at the Battle of Worcester (1650). Charles II had an award made, and a list of intended recipients, but since it was thought not to be politically prudent at the time, they never received the honour. ‘how are the mighty fallen': from 2 Samuel 1:19-25. David laments the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. The quotation is repeated in ch 54. It is important in reading the novel to keep a list of the various times and seasons, as they are carefully patterned and sometimes used symbolically. Here, the time is late May, although Hardy gives no idea of the year. Shaston: Shaftesbury, Dorset. This town is mentioned frequently. One of its features is that it is a hill town, and the market town for the north-east part of the county. Marlott: Marnhull, some six miles to the south-west of Shaftsbury. Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor: Blackmoor Vale has a dog-leg shape, running north-south, then partly turning west-east round Marnhull. Hardy is careful to give alternative names to many actual places. South-Wessex: Dorset Kingsbere-sub-Greenhill: Bere Regis, in the southern part of Dorset. Sherton, Millpond, Lullstead, Wellbridge: Hardy's own names for the various other estates the family once owned in the area. Purbeck-marble: Purbeck is in south-east Dorset. Its marble is some of the finest in the world. The Pure Drop; Rolliver's: see ch 4 for notes on the village pubs. antiquary: or antiquarian. A local historian. black-pot: black pudding, a sausage made mainly of blood and suet chitterlings: small intestines of pig club-walking: see ch 2 Effigy, photo by Evelyn Simak, available through Creative Commonseffigies: in some churches, there are to be found marble or stone figures of those buried underneath genealogist: someone who traces family trees (see antiquary) haggler: a market trader hereditary: some titles are passed down from father to son, such as the title of Baronet. lamb's fry: a fry of sheep's organs. lustre: fame, nobility mendacious: lying, untruthful parson: vicar, clergyman. The title is mainly used in country parishes only. pedigrees: aristocratic family lines skellingtons: skeletons switch: flexible rod or cane vamp: tramp, walk wold: old Investigating chapter 1 • First chapters are always very important and need studying closely. • What are your first impressions of the characters in ch 1? • What events might be anticipated? • What is the effect of the Bible quotation? • Hardy maybe thinking of some of his own forbears as having done well here, for example, Captain Hardy who was with Lord Nelson at Nelson's death. • How does Tess's father react to the news of his more famous ancestors? • What does this chapter tell us about the English class system and nineteenth century class consciousness? • How does the chapter lead us in to the story? • Think in terms of plot, setting and character. Related material Scan and go Scan on your mobile for direct link.
Definition of Theory Definition of Theory Seeing similarities and differences is a fundamental cognitive process (Gentner & Markman, 1994; Medin, Goldstone, & Markman, 1995). As an instructional strategy, it includes various activities that help learners see patterns and make connections. Students compare things that are similar and contrast things that express differences. In doing so, they classify and identify features or characteristics of a group of objects or ideas, and then develop a scheme to organize those objects. Metaphors are an effective tool in deepening the understanding between two ideas by exploring the underlying structure between the two. Finally, analogies provide another way to identify similarities and make comparisons. Each approach helps the brain process new information, recall it, and learn by overlaying a known pattern onto an unknown one to find similarities and differences. Looking for similarities and differences prompts the learner to consider, "What do I already know that will help me learn this new idea?" This fosters relationships and connections to new understanding. (Northwest Regional Educational Library) • Results of employing these strategies can help boost student achievement from 31 to 46 percentile points (Stone, 1983; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986; Ross, 1988). • Students benefit by having similarities and differences pointed out by the teacher in an explicit manner. This can include rich discussion and inquiry that allows students to focus on the relationship or bridge to the new ideas (Chen, Yanowitz & Daehler, 1996; Gholson, Smither, Buhrman, & Duncan, 1997; Newby, Ertmer, & Stepich, 1995; Solomon, 1995). • Students also benefit by being asked to construct their own strategies for comparing similarities and differences (Chen, 1996; Flick, 1992; Mason, 1994, 1995; Mason & Sorzio, 1996). • Combining this strategy with the method of using nonlinguistic representation enhances student achievement significantly (Chen, 1999; Cole & McLeod, 1999; Glynn & Takahashi, 1998; Lin, 1996). Students benefit by direct instruction and open-ended experiences in identifying similarities and differences. Teachers can increase learning potential with research-based strategies, such as: • Point out similarities and differences. Present students with similarities and differences explicitly when this helps them reach a learning goal. As a result of the teacher's instruction, students recognize similarities and differences in order to understand something specific. • Allow students to explore similarities and differences on their own. When the learning goal is to engage students in divergent thinking, ask them to identify similarities and differences on their own. • Have students create graphic organizers. Help students to create or use graphic or symbolic representations of similarities and differences, classification systems, comparisons, and analogies. Suggestions include: Venn diagrams, comparison tables or charts, hierarchical taxonomies, and linked maps. • Teach students to recognize the different forms. Help students recognize when they are classifying, comparing, or creating analogies or metaphors. • Help students recognize that language is rich with metaphor. As students encounter metaphors in reading or speaking, generate a class list. Metaphors provide a source of history, generate literary references, and suggest new ways for students to express ideas. (Northwest Regional Educational Library) Northwest Regional Educational Library. Focus on Effectiveness Research-Based Strategies. 2005. Web. 29 June 2010.
lundi, 21 mars 2016 A Brief Case for Universal Nationalism A Brief Case for Universal Nationalism I would like to briefly make the case for universal nationalism, a political ideology defined here as the belief that every nation should have a society and a state of its own. Put more simply still: Every people should have its own country; every people should rule itself, rather than be dictated by outsiders. I believe universal nationalism encapsulates many of the principles which would allow all human beings to live in a more peaceful, prosperous, and progressive world. I base this upon two premises: • The desirability of the nation-state, that is to say of homogeneity and a common ethnic identity within societies. • The desirability of human (bio)diversity, that is to say of ethnic, cultural, political, economic, and other differences between societies. Perhaps the most fundamental fact supporting the idea of universal nationalism is the reality of ethnocentrism. Human beings are inherently tribal and, with good reason, have evolved over hundreds of thousands if not millions of years to be so. In the modern era, with its mass communications and mass politics, this tribalism becomes fixated on the ethnic group. Whereas individuals in a society should all identify with each other as much as possible, as this is a prerequisite for the solidarity on which the public good always rests, we tend to find that identification fractures along ethnic lines. This leads to a negative reason for universal nationalism: The multiculturalists’ persistent failure to create a truly cohesive and harmonious multiethnic society. It matters not whether the ethnic differences are based on language (Belgium, Canada), religion (Iraq, Syria), or race (the United States, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa . . .).[1] In each case, the lack of a common identity leads to a perpetual tribalization of politics. These problems are sometimes peaceful managed, but they quite often lead to horrific and otherwise unnecessary ethnic civil wars. In any case, the problems are intractable. People on average are simply not as willing to submit to authority, pay taxes, or give their life in war for another group, as they would for their own group. In a word: There is no solidarity This lack of solidarity tends to be worsened by the fact that ethnic groups tend to have different levels of educational and socio-economic performance. Ethnic pride is one of the most powerful emotions in the world, and the sight of another ethnic group doing better than one’s own inevitably leads to enormous amounts of ill-feeling. The less well-performing group will be underrepresented in the countries’ influential institutions and circles (e.g. politics, media, academia, law, corporations, the oligarchy . . .) and will tend to accuse of the better-performing group of ethnic nepotism or of biasing its use of power in its own interests, i.e. “racism.” Conversely, a better-performing ethnic group tends to resent the less well-performing ones for being a relative drag on society, committing more crimes and requiring more policing, dragging down school performance, providing less in taxes, and generally requiring more resources from the public purse in the form of welfare. These dynamics largely account for the endless conflicts and tensions between Jews, East Asians (e.g. Overseas Chinese), white gentiles, browns, and blacks whenever these groups inhabit the same countries. Different ethnic groups also tend to have different preferences. Living in the same society and under the same government, each is not free to pursue them, but must accommodate ill-fitting common decisions, either decided unilaterally by one group or through awkward inter-ethnic compromises. The result of all this is that multiethnic societies are, invariably, unions of resentment and mutual recriminations. Multiethnic societies are sometimes inevitable and must be peacefully be managed, but one should not pretend that these are either optimal or desirable. Mirroring the intractable problems of the multiethnic society, there are positive reasons for universal nationalism. In short, in the nation-state man’s tribal instinct no longer tears the society apart, but brings it together. Instead of ethnic fragmentation and conflict, ethnocentrism in the nation-state turns the entire society into one extended family. This tends to both be emotionally compelling – hence the power of political nationalism throughout the modern era[2] – and to enable societies in which individuals are more willing to sacrifice for the public good, whether in the form of respecting public authority and the law, paying taxes, or defending against foreign aggression. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the powerful “cuddle hormone” oxytocin tends to promote both altruism (self-sacrifice) and ethnocentrism (in-group identity and preference), which makes perfect evolutionary sense.[3] The nation-state, like a family, is both a preexisting biological and cultural reality, and a project to be carefully cultivated over the generations. In the ideal nation-state, common national identification is developed through the elimination of sub-national particularisms, either by assimilation to a common ethnic group or by minorities’ gaining independence in their own nation-states. In the modern era, the European nation-state was found to be such a powerful form of socio-political organization that it was emulated throughout the world. Belief in the desirability of the nation-state was sharply weakened by the excesses of the world wars. But the nation-state is only a tool, a powerful but double-edged sword, and cannot be blamed for being misused. In any event, a nation-state bien compris would recognize kinship with closely-related nations and logically organize to defend common interests. Even after the Second World War, the liberal-conservative Jewish intellectual Raymond Aron, for one, continued to consider the nation-state to be “the political masterpiece.” Few would argue that Europeans’ relative abandonment of the nation-state – such as the creation of African and Islamic ghettos in the cities or the building of a flawed currency union – have improved their well-being or influence in the world. Finally, the domestic homogeneity of the nation-state is desirable because it is the only way of guaranteeing humanity’s international diversity. Human beings, contra an evil Judeo-Christian doctrine, are not separate from the animal kingdom and the rest of Nature, but an integral part of it. Humanity, like any species, is subject to the same Darwinian rules of natural selection and struggle. It may survive and prosper and achieve higher forms of consciousness, or it may go extinct. Perhaps the best guarantee to ensure humanity’s maximal survivability is diversity, true diversity. True human diversity would be biological, cultural, political, economic, and otherwise. The globalists argue that all political regimes, across the world, that are different from their own “liberal-democratic” ideals should be destroyed and that all countries should be integrated into a single hyper-consumerist global capitalist economic system. Thus, the Earth is being consumed to fill our bellies, but she cannot sustain all Third World countries achieving Western standards of living, the rainforests being destroyed and hundreds of millions of years of accumulated fossil-fuels being consumed for our vulgar pleasures. The globalists also argue that – at least concerning Western countries – that ethnic homogeneity should be destroyed, that America should be “globalized” into a raza cósmica and that Europe should be Afro-Islamized. They call this “diversity.” But the equation of ethnic heterogeneity with “diversity” is very misleading insofar as, actually – notwithstanding their genetic or linguistic differences, or an intractable tendency towards self-segregation and the formation of subcultures – different ethnic gorups in a given society must anyway must submit to a common political and ideological model to live together. Is the elimination of European ethnicities and identity, and the subjugation of the entire world to a single “liberal-democratic” ideology and capitalist economic system, really “diverse”? I posit the contrary: Subjugating all of humanity to a single economic and ideological model means putting all our eggs in one basket. If it is seriously flawed, as it surely is or will occasionally be, that means we would all suffer from its failures and risk extinction. Instead, humanity really should be biologically, culturally, politically, and economically diverse. Thus, with every new era, each society will evolve and react somewhat differently. While one may stagnate or even collapse, others may survive and prosper. The innovations of one part of humanity – the Japanese, say – can be adopted and adapted to other parts. Would the elimination of Japan’s uniqueness through Africanization or Islamization really benefit the rest of humanity, or even Africa and the Islamic World? Most would think not. And the same is true of Europe and Europeans. We can ask simply: Would, as is currently proposed, the decline and steady disappearance ethnic Europeans really benefit the Third World? Given the lack of innovation of Latin America, Africa, and the Islamic World, this seems hard to believe. And certainly, few would argue that Haiti or Zimbabwe have benefited much from white extinction in those countries. I believe Europeans, like any group, should take their own side. But many of our people, partly due to their in-born generosity and partly due to a misleading education, are insensitive to arguments of self-interest. For them the good must be couched exclusively in universal terms. These people are disturbed by the growing inequality and social fragmentation evident throughout the Western world yet are powerless to understand why this happening or articulate a valid response. For them, I answer: Nationhood is a supreme moral good necessary to a solidary and harmonious society, and therefore all nations, particularly our dear European nations, should be preserved and cultivated. 1. The nearest thing I have found to an exception to this rule is Swizterland, a very successful country in which the diversity between Protestants and Catholics, and between German-, French-, Italian-, and Romansh-speakers appears to pose few problems. Scholars have proposed that one reason Switzerland is so peaceful is because these groups, while united in a fairly weak federal state (with central government spending of just 10% of GDP), are sharply separated in their own largely self-ruling cantons. One should also not neglect that Switzerland’s ethnic diversity has in fact led to tensions and conflict throughout its history and required very peculiar, in some respects stifling and fragile, political structures. Véronique Greenwood, “Scientists Who Model Ethnic Violence Find that in Switzerland, Separate is Key to Peace,” Discover blog, October 12, 2011. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/12/scie... [2] 2. Indeed, nationalism is probably the single-most-powerful and most-exploited political sentiment in modern history, including by political movements who might be theoretically opposed to it. For instance, the twentieth-century revolutionary Chinese and Vietnamese communist movements and the various “anti-racist” anti-colonial movements, were quite obviously motivated and empowered by ethnocentric sentiment against overbearing foreign powers. 3. Carsten De Dreu et al, “The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Regulates Parochial Altruism in Intergroup Conflict Among Humans,” Science, June 2010. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5984/1408 [3] “Oxytocin increases social altruism,” Science Daily, November 26, 2015. URL to article: http://www.counter-currents.com/2016/03/a-brief-case-for-universal-nationalism/ URLs in this post: [1] Image: http://www.counter-currents.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/StillLifeGlobe.jpg [2] http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/12/scientists-who-model-ethnic-violence-find-that-in-switzerland-separation-is-key-to-peace/: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/12/scientists-who-model-ethnic-violence-find-that-in-switzerland-separation-is-key-to-peace/#.VukeofkrKM8 [3] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5984/1408: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5984/1408 Les commentaires sont fermés.
Fainting First Aid The material on this page is detailed information about the mechanisms of and treatment for patients of fainting. This information is additional information for candidates and will not be covered in this level of detail in any first aid course offered through the workplace approved or Winnipeg First Aid. To learn basic treatment and recognition of fainting take a first aid course through Winnipeg First Aid. Taking care of family and friend’s demands perseverance, devotion and know-how. Whether the individual you take care of is mature or much younger, it is best to actually ready yourself for situations they will likely experience no matter whether it is actually likely for their age category. To illustrate, fainting is caused with a sudden loss of blood towards the head. What causes the reduction in flow of blood is a number of causes but notably affects those who are expectant, had been given striking not so good news, anguish or was non-moving for an extended length of time. If you do ever notice anyone fainting, arrange the patient in the 3 quarter position when you are watching their respiration and circulation. It is advisable to only contact emergency medical services if the victim doesn’t awaken or the person indicates the signs of a truly serious situation including traumas, breathlessness or paler skin color. Studies show people greater than 65 years in age are prone to fainting along with signs and symptoms include things like although not limited to ringing ears, profuse sweating, confusion and stress, queasiness or weakness. From the organic capacity, there are three reasons most of us pass out. From the neurocardiogenic perspective, people faint when a physiological and / or mental action has resulted in blood to reduce with its flow into the head. From the occupational perspective a predominantly physical activity that the body was not able to cope with has prompted an individual to faint for example a physically demanding exercise. For the Orthostatic outlook, the individual stood up too rapidly which disrupted the circulation of blood into the head. If you want to protect yourself from fainting, there are a few steps one ought to look at employing to one’s own daily lives. These types of simple actions will minimize the possibility of fainting. Staying hydrated extensively each day will assist in keeping you from fainting and various other sicknesses. When we outline adequately hydrated, we imply water and non glucose type vegetables and fruit. Sugary sodas and alcoholic drinks do not ever count plus the less one consumes such beverages then the even better a person’s overall health shall be. Another hint to avoid fainting is always to ensure that your head relaxed. While many disciplines are not able to avoid this (for example , health care providers, paramedics, etc) then strive to budget for a specific length of time to rest and enable your head to recoup. Giving your body enough rest permits your body and head to recover energy levels and make up a stronger natural immunity. For everybody who is a lot more aware thanks to increased rest, you might be unlikely to injure your own self or end up getting drained and risk the chance of fainting. More significant lengths of sleep enable the entire body to recover tissues and bodily organs whilst converting memories towards long lasting ones inside of the brain. If you do not experience the minimum REM rest, your performance in essential motor abilities and equilibrium will probably be less than if you achieved the required rapid eye movement uninterrupted sleep. Numerous studies have shown also suggested that people who do not obtain the required uninterrupted sleep will go through anxiety and stress. The evolution of fainting has quite a few triggers stemming out of fear, painfulness or panic. The human body’s Vagas nerve will direct circulation of blood to intestinal tracts and abdomen as a good precaution safeguard to assist you to ‘extend life’ and definitely will minimize blood flow to limbs including feet, hands and head. This happens typically among seniors and teenagers as the older people carry diminished blood circulation and teenagers have disproportionate dimensions and physiological characteristics. In evolutionary terminology, it may well have worked to play dead.
How Often to Use Insecticides on a Peach Tree? Their vulnerability to pests and diseases make peaches difficult to grow organically. Favorites because of their beautiful spring blooms and sweet, juicy fruit, peach trees provide you with a delightful harvest year after year. Peach trees are vulnerable to several pests, some of which may require insecticides when their numbers become too high. Natural Controls Many peach pests attack stressed or weakened peach trees, rather than feeding on strong, healthy trees. Because of this, maintaining the tree's health should be the first step in controlling various pests. Along with the health of the tree, natural predators typically keep many of the common pests at a manageable level. Spiders, lacewings, assassin bugs, big-eyed bugs, predator mites and parasitic wasps are among the top predators. Using insecticides can greatly reduce the healthy population of any given predator. Dormant Season The dormant season is the best time to apply insecticides because the threat to natural, beneficial predators is greatly reduced, but many pests may need additional control throughout the year. The dormant season is late fall through early spring, when the tree is dormant. Scale, aphids and psylla insects are all best controlled during the dormant season. These pests overwinter on or around the tree. Dormant oils, also called insecticidal oils or superior oils, kill soft-bodied pests, including aphids, scale insects, thrips and spider mites. Three applications are typically enough: one at leaf fall, one at full dormancy and one at bud swell. Bloom Time and Summer Unfortunately, dormant oils will not control peach twig borers or leafrollers. Applying environmentally safer insecticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis, diflubenzuron or methoxyfenozide at bloom time will effectively take care of the larvae of these two serious pests. Some pests are more active and easily controlled during the growing season. The summer is also among the worst times to spray insecticides due to the impact on the population of natural predators. Spraying Schedule There is no right or wrong time for all gardens due to the differences in various pests in different areas. Populations of pests will also vary from location to location. Each insecticidal product you need will have a detailed label along with spraying instructions and intervals. Ideally, you should spray insecticides as infrequently as you can while still controlling the pests on your peach trees. Photo Credits • Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a Correction
Aug 20, 2013 Know Your Ingredients: The building blocks of Baked Goods When it comes to making food, I've found that there tend to be three potential peaks of interest. There is interest in cooking, interest in baking, and interest in ignoring the whole thing and getting take out. For the sake of a shorter post today, we're going to leave the third category to their own devices. There is definitely a divide between cooks and bakers though. Many people can do both, but they usually will have a strong preference. I know several people who love to cook who are intimidated by baking. One an item goes into the oven, you can no longer tweak it and fiddle with it. It is completely transformed in the oven with some form of magic. And if the magic fails, there is no salvaging the result. Baking is chemistry. And I think we could get more kids excited about chemistry if we taught it that way. Whether it's a cookie, cake, pie, bread, souffle or muffins, there is a balance between things that strengthen and toughen, and things that soften and tenderize. Flour, egg whites, and milk solids are some of the most common proteins that make up the tougheners. Fats such as butter, shortening, and oil are tenderizers, along with egg yolks, sugar, and leaveners (such as yeast, baking powder, and baking soda). Why is this balance important? Well, a baked good made only with tougheners would have the texture of something approximating a brick. A baked good with no tougheners in it wouldn't hold together, and would end up nothing but goop. But a well balanced baked good will be like a well built building. Enough structure to keep it solid, but with plenty of open space and windows. Of course the combination of baking and building reminds me of this scene from Charlie and the Chocolate factory (If you don't remember the scene, I put the clip to the right). What we're looking for is a balance between flaky and tender. Something that is structurally sound, but is also fun to eat. No broken teeth, no strained jaw, no disturbing and unexpected textures. It's all well and good to say that we need a balance, but what is it, and how can I find it? That's the real question, right? First of all, it is really helpful to use a scale, because the ratios that we want to use are weight based, not volume based. There can be a significant difference in the amount of flour that is in 1 cup, depending on how it is measured, who measured it, etc. So measuring by weight is a much better way to go. Shirley Corriher, in Bakewise, walks through how to make a poundcake using only ratios. If you want a taste of her writing before trying to track down a giant tome (although the giant tome is TOTALLY WORTH IT), you can check out an article that she wrote on this topic here. Michael Ruhlman also has a book entitled Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. I must admit, I have not had a chance to check out his book yet. However, there is also an app called Ratio, which provides the ratio of 28 different applications, from bread and pasta dough to cake batter, to stock and roux. The app I have found rather useful, and has me intrigued to check out the book. The image from the recipe itself. With that said, this is the first of a set of posts on zucchini bread. I started writing it as one single post, and realized that it would be way too long, and way too much information to put in one post. With the torrent on squash that I get from my CSA, I decided to make some zuchhini bread. I have very few stand by recipes, and zucchini bread has never been a complicated application. So I went online to find a nice, simple recipe that I could mindlessly throw together. This recipe from Paula Deen looked like it would fit the bill nicely (and surprisingly for a Paula Deen recipe, it has no butter in it at all!). I mixed up the batter, doing a little bit of a double take on the amount of sugar, but following the recipe exactly, up until the point of adding nuts, which I don't do. I put my pans in the oven, having noticed that the batter looked a bit thin. Then, as the bread began to bake, I watched in horror as my precious air bubbles were popping on the surface of the loaves. When I saw those air bubbles popping, I was really afraid that this meant that my recipe was over-leavened, and that my zucchini bread was going to be dense and chewy. Luckily, it came out ok. Very sweet, but ok. It took a long time to finish baking, and the resulting loaves felt a little greasy on the sides and on the bottom, but the general flavor profile was still quite tasty. Question 1. Were the problems with the loaf due to my error, or flaws in the recipe? Question 2. If it's the recipe, can it be fixed? How? Question 3. By just using ratios, can we make more than one successful recipe? If not, how would those changes affect the finished product? Hopefully this will help show that looking carefully at a recipe isn't that scary, and will help teach you how to look at a recipe that failed. If it does, it's not necessarily your fault. No comments: Post a Comment
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Disabling Vista’s User Account Control User Account Control (UAC) is a feature in Windows Vista that can help prevent unauthorized changes to your computer. UAC does this by asking you for permission or an administrator‌ password before performing actions that could potentially affect your computer's operation or that change settings that affect other users. UAC will alert you with one of the following messages: Windows needs your permission to continue A Windows function or program that can affect other users of this computer needs your permission to start. Make sure to ensure that it's a function or program you want to run. A program needs your permission to continue This will happen when a program that's not part of Windows needs your permission to start. It has a valid digital signature indicating its name and its publisher, which helps to ensure that the program is what it claims to be. Make sure that this is a program that you intended to run. An unidentified program wants access to your computer This is caused by a program that your administrator has specifically blocked from running on your computer is trying to run. To run this program, you must have an administrator unblock it. The main reason to use UAC is to prevent malware and spyware from installing or making changes to your computer without your permission. This comes in handy when you have users who may go to inappropriate websites or download software from the Internet that may be of risk to their computer. If you trust your users or if its just you that will be using your computer and you are confident that you will not be installing anything you shouldn’t then you can turn this feature off. 1. Here is how you turn the User Account Control feature off. 2. Open User Accounts from Control Panel. 3. Click on turn User Account Control on or off. 4. Uncheck the box that says Use User Account Control to help protect your computer. 5. Click Ok. You may have to enter administrator credentials depending on who you are logged in as. 6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect. No comments:
Home > Error Bars > Error Bars Standard Deviation Overlap Error Bars Standard Deviation Overlap Anmelden 67 0 Dieses Video gefällt dir nicht? In the example plot, we have two 95% confidence intervals which overlap. Looking at whether the error bars overlap, therefore, lets you compare the difference between the mean with the precision of those means. Dan Hogan 2.648 Aufrufe 5:26 Mean and Standard Deviation Graphs - Dauer: 11:19 Dan Rott 163.477 Aufrufe 11:19 Creating Line of Best Fit and Error Bars in Excel - Dauer: 6:00 check over here Intern. Thank you. #7 Tony Jeremiah August 1, 2008 Perhaps a poll asking CogDaily readers: (a) how many want error bars; (b) how many don't; and (c) how many don't care may The authors explain their conclusion by noting that they ran an analysis of various factors and their effect on homosexuality. A p-value (or a result or whatever) itself is neither significant nor non-significant. http://www.graphpad.com/support/faqid/1362/ Error Bars Standard Deviation Excel But the error bars are usually graphed (and calculated) individually for each treatment group, without regard to multiple comparisons. Useful rule of thumb: If two 95% CI error bars do not overlap, and the sample sizes are nearly equal, the difference is statistically significant with a P value much less Many researches wrongly think that it would be a good idea to simply compare this p-value to 0.05 and decide to reject the null hypothesis when this is the case. Less than 5% of all red blood cell counts are more than 2 SD from the mean, so if the count in question is more than 2 SD from the mean, I have some question and please be patient. 1. (p-value for the hypothesis that the expected difference between the samples is 0 ) do you mean that if the P = By convention, if P < 0.05 you say the result is statistically significant, and if P < 0.01 you say the result is highly significant and you can be more confident Am. Error Bars Standard Deviation Vs Standard Error A subtle but really important difference #3 FhnuZoag July 31, 2008 Possibly http://www.jstor.org/pss/2983411 is interesting? #4 The Nerd July 31, 2008 I say that the only way people (including researchers) are About two thirds of the data points will lie within the region of mean ± 1 SD, and ∼95% of the data points will be within 2 SD of the mean.It Error Bars Standard Deviation Divided By 2 Please check back soon. For now, we'll just assume that no overlap = a true difference between the treatments.) So, in order to show that Fish2Whale really is better than the competitors, NOT ONLY does http://www.graphpad.com/support/faqid/1362/ We could calculate the means, SDs, and SEs of the replicate measurements, but these would not permit us to answer the central question of whether gene deletion affects tail length, because Error bars in experimental biology. Error Bars Standard Deviation Or Standard Error Of The Mean To assess statistical significance, you must take into account sample size as well as variability. Williams, and F. If the samples were larger with the same means and same standard deviations, the P value would be much smaller. Error Bars Standard Deviation Divided By 2 Unfortunately, owing to the weight of existing convention, all three types of bars will continue to be used. http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v10/n10/full/nmeth.2659.html With multiple comparisons following ANOVA, the signfiicance level usually applies to the entire family of comparisons. Error Bars Standard Deviation Excel In many disciplines, standard error is much more commonly used. Error Bars Standard Deviation Or Confidence Interval If that 95% CI does not include 0, there is a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between E1 and E2.Rule 8: in the case of repeated measurements on the same Thanks for correcting me. 🙂 #20 Freiddie September 7, 2008 Um… It says "Standard Error of the Mean"? check my blog We suggest eight simple rules to assist with effective use and interpretation of error bars.What are error bars for?Journals that publish science—knowledge gained through repeated observation or experiment—don't just present new The data points are shown as dots to emphasize the different values of n (from 3 to 30). Combining that relation with rule 6 for SE bars gives the rules for 95% CIs, which are illustrated in Fig. 6. Error Bars Standard Deviation Excel Mac Similarly, as you repeat an experiment more and more times, the SD of your results will tend to more and more closely approximate the true standard deviation (σ) that you would Scientists routinely judge whether a significant difference exists simply by eye, making use of plots like this one: Imagine the two plotted points indicate the estimated time until recovery from some The hunting of the snark An agony in 8 fits. http://stevenstolman.com/error-bars/error-bars-standard-deviation.html So standard "error" is just standard deviation, eh? The more different the sample means are (given the variance of the data does not increase) the smaller the p-value gets, approaching 0 when the mean difference approaches infinity. 2. Error Bars With Standard Deviation Excel 2010 In these cases (e.g., n = 3), it is better to show individual data values. Error message. This sounds promising. Standard error gives smaller bars, so the reviewers like them more. For example, if you wished to see if a red blood cell count was normal, you could see whether it was within 2 SD of the mean of the population as Y Error Bars Overlapping confidence intervals or standard error intervals: what do they mean in terms of statistical significance?. For the n = 3 case, SE = 12.0/√3 = 6.93, and this is the length of each arm of the SE bars shown.Figure 4.Inferential error bars. Statistical reform in psychology: Is anything changing? Examples are based on sample means of 0 and 1 (n = 10). have a peek at these guys It is a common and serious error to conclude “no effect exists” just because P is greater than 0.05. Range and standard deviation (SD) are used for descriptive error bars because they show how the data are spread (Fig. 1). sample 1 Average 43.4 std 0.52 confidence.T 0.83 sample2 : Average 45.88 std.v 0.24 conf.t 0.39 using confidence 95 % and alpha 0.05 and as I understand I can pick any of It's worthless. Fidler. 2004. Well, as a rule of thumb, if the SE error bars for the 2 treatments do not overlap, then you have shown that the treatment made a difference. (This is not Only one figure2 used bars based on the 95% CI. New comments have been temporarily disabled. Knowing whether SD error bars overlap or not does not let you conclude whether difference between the means is statistically significant or not. Note that p is not the mean difference. The bars on the left of each column show range, and the bars ...Descriptive error bars can also be used to see whether a single result fits within the normal range. This can be shown by inferential error bars such as standard error (SE, sometimes referred to as the standard error of the mean, SEM) or a confidence interval (CI). Carroll, L. 1876.
The Award Winning Newspaper of Mercy College The Impact Filed under Impact Now Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot Email This Story Print Friendly College students make up one of the largest groups of drug abusers nationwide. Young people ages eighteen to twenty-four are already at a heightened risk of addiction. While attending college may be seem to be all about peace and harmony, there is something that many students use daily, proudly and secretly across campuses – legal and illegal drugs. Statistics state that about 31 percent of American college students abuse drugs, and more young people are constantly dying of drug overdoses than those who died in car accidents and making drug abuse the third leading cause of accidental death. In the U.S., one person dies every 19 minutes from a drug overdose, and overdoses involving marijuana, heroin and cocaine now kill more Americans than those involving prescriptions or medicinal drugs. While there is no universal healthy definition for those using marijuana, most drugs have brutal effects in an individual’s body. They can alter a person’s thinking and judgment, leading to health risks, including addiction, alter their behaviors and can cause infectious disease. Most drugs could potentially harm a human being if drugs are use for the wrong purposes, which then qualifies these individuals as a social stigma, involving their purpose and desire of success. Marijuana is a big issue that the U.S. faces everyday. Many Americans smoke marijuana, expectedly teens, who usually try it first as a gateway drug. What is Marijuana? Marijuana is refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Its use is widespread among young people. Although using marijuana it seems as something evil, immoral and constantly associated with low-income people with low levels in education, there is another side to the usage. The use of this substance among college students can be attributed to a number of factors, namely stress. As students are facing the high demands of coursework, part-time jobs, internships, social obligations and more, many turn to drugs as a way to scape the pressures and demands by society. Another is course work load. More students than ever are taking stimulants, such as marijuana, to help them stay relax and maintain them awake long enough to study or complete assignments by their due dates. Curiosity is another. College students are exploring many new aspects of their lives in personal and professional realms. It’s not uncommon for that self-exploration to dip into drug experimentation. Peer pressure is another factor. College students who are surrounded by other people experimenting the use of drugs are more likely to try these substances for themselves. Percentage of College Students Abusing Drugs Society’s perception of drugs happens to play a big part in the struggles of these college students. Those who use drugs find it difficult to relate their issues to their parents not only because the parents have in most of the no idea that his or her daughter/son is making these types of substances, but in some cases they are using drugs because their parents are using them as well. Meet Kirsten Calli. Calli is a 21 year-old senior majoring in Radio and TV production at Mercy College. Calli admits that the most difficult challenge for her is not being able to use marijuana freely, not only because she has never feel the support of her family, but because the things people can say about her just because she is using drugs. “I started to smoke weed when I came to school. A group of friends smoked weed and they said I should tried. It was a lot of fun, so I just tried. So I been smoking weed ever since. Im not addicted to weed so I can stop at anytime, I choose to smoke weed.” As her last year at Mercy is coming to an end, Calli reflected on the difference between peer pressure and using drugs as a choice, like in her case. Often, like Calli, first-time smokers college students are usually tempted by others to start using marijuana for the simple fact that they are using it as well. However, there are cases when they do it just because of curiosity. We are aware that marijuana is a widespread drug among the young people. Why is because they have friends that is welling to smoke and want to fit in. A marijuana high is one of the most unpredictable of all drug intoxication effects, despite the fact that it is often considered to be a “soft” drug. It maybe considered to be a soft drug, but getting high is another story. When people are stoned on marijuana, the experience is strongly affected by factors that have little to do with the drug, and are actually due to the sensitivity of the person taking the drug to their surroundings and their feelings about the people they are with. Meet Christopher Taylor, a music major who is in his final year at Mercy College. Taylor has always used drugs since he was eighteen years old and do it just to get the relax feeling. As the youngest of five, despite the lack of motivation surrounding him to stop using drugs, Taylor reminds himself by being the bigger person and knowing his own limits. He explained, “I am going to stop eventually, little by little. I really don’t smoke that much and as time progresses I will stop.” Effects of marijuana on mood and mental state takes a tool on a person body, feeling, emotions, and much more. Marijuana users will typically attempt to control the emotional stimulation they are exposed to while stoned, but this is not always possible. The effects of marijuana on the ability to relax are rather contradictory. While many who become dependent on marijuana do so for the drug’s initial relaxation effects, the rebound effect typically results in a higher level of anxiety in marijuana users. Smoking marijuana can bring upon anxiety were a person can feel like they are going crazy at one point. Taylor’s sister introduce him to the world of marijuana and he knows that it could damage his body, however despite knowing this, he continues to do so. Few who use marijuana realize the effects it has on the brain. When a person smokes marijuana, THC quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream. THC means tetrahydrocannabinol. The blood from the body carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. When people feel high they have the feeling of altered senses, altered sense of time, changes in mood, impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and problem-solving, and impaired memory. But there are also long term effects of smoking marijuana. Smoking drugs may reduce thinking, memory, brain development and learning functions which affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. This long term effect can be fatal. Dr. Cynthia Lewis, a health specialist at Bronx Care, is giving the pros and cons of using marijuana as well as the consequences that long term smokers can face. Here is a visual of the cons of marijuana and how it does affects every organ in the body. Despite the odds that drugs can cause to the human body, Lewis says that is also a good way to release stress and people need it in a daily basis to handle and scape from their problems. Take ourselves for example. Meet Us. We are both seniors at Mercy College and I (Miguel) had done drugs in the past because of peer pressure, because I didn’t know better or just because seeking a scape from daily problems. I (Jose) knew a friend that told me that I should trying smoking marijuana that I would fall in love with it. Once he said that to me, it got me to think about the things it makes me feel. Expectedly about him and how he started to smoke marijuana. I could imagine the first time he tried marijuana – I believe he fell in love with marijuana and is not able to stop. The first time I was introduce to marijuana it was through my brother at the age of thirteen. I didn’t know better and I started to used because plenty of people in the same room were doing it to.. So why not join,right? At the beginning, I used to love the effect care-less it provokes on me, and for me to do not care about something is very hard for I am a very caring person. Like most individuals, we use drugs to release our problems, as today I can say that i was never addicted to drugs and I just do it when friends invite me to. I never do it by myself. I work part-time to be able to pay for bills and support myself. And by saying this the fact that I smoke weed do not diminished my values and principals as a human being. At least I am mature and have no taboos of talking to issues like this, I am not embarrassing and certainly I am not afraid. I have friends whose parents have accepted their lifestyle in every aspects, including the use of stimulant substance. The majority of people who use drugs do not know their limits or how to control themselves, and that is when it gets into an issue,specially for innocent ones. Like in this video. “Babies who are born addicted to drugs.” Let’s change that. If you need help with drugs: 45, 2739 Third Ave, Bronx, NY 10451 Phone:(718) 838-1016 Open Mon-Friday · 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Leave a Comment You must be logged in to post a comment. Navigate Right Navigate Left • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot Top Columns Impact Wins Four Awards At NYPA; Simas Wins First Place • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot • Top Columns Protesting Election Outcome • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot TILT- The Impact List Takeover 8 Misconceptions People Have About Country Music • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot Mercy Urges Students To Express Their Voices In Climate Survey • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot TILT- The Impact List Takeover • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot Cashing Out On Coachella • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot Top Columns Impact Wins Four Awards At NYPA; Simas Wins First Place • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot • Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot Homework Is a Form of Child Slavery The Award Winning Newspaper of Mercy College Students Share Stories On Why They Tried Pot
Time remaining : 1.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: No bicycles being pushed No entry No vehicles Roundabout ahead 2.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: No through road Telephone kiosk Road closed Car park ahead 3.) Large vehicles should be given lots of room when you are following because this: Allows you to corner more quickly Means it is less likely you will have a collision Allows the driver to see you in the mirrors Helps you to keep out of the wind 4.) You are driving in heavy rain. Your steering suddenly becomes very light. What should you do? Steer towards the side of the road Apply gentle acceleration Brake firmly to reduce speed Ease off the accelerator 5.) Which of the following vehicles will use blue flashing beacons? A vehicle with a trailer Road works vehicle An invalid carriage Blood transfusion 6.) Objects hanging from your interior mirror may: Restrict your view Help your concentration Provide entertainment Improve your driving 7.) What is the best time to make the regular tyre pressure checks? After driving over speed bumps After travelling at high speed When tyres are hot When tyres are cold 8.) If you consider the vehicle behind you is following too close, what should you do? Flash your brake lights on and off Accelerate away to increase the gap Apply your brakes suddenly Increase the gap between your vehicle and the one in front by slowing down very gently 9.) You are driving at 70mph in normal weather. How much stopping distance should you allow? You decide, using your experience 60 metres (197 feet) 73 metres (240 feet) 96 metres (315 feet) 10.) A policeman orders your car to stop. He finds you have a faulty tyre. Who is responsible? You, the driver Whoever services the car The previous owner Whoever issued the current MOT 11.) Road surfaces are frequently painted with place names. Why? So you know where youre going To warn you of oncoming traffic To enable you to change lanes early To prevent you changing lanes 12.) You are driving past parked cars. You notice a wheel of bicycle sticking between them. What should you do? Accelerate past quickly and sound your horn Brake sharply and flash your headlights Slow down and wave the cyclist across Slow down and be prepared to stop for a cyclist 13.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: Pedestrians in road ahead Pedestrian crossing No pedestrians Accompany all children 14.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: Narrow vehicles only No large vehicles No vehicles over width shown No vehicles over 7.5 tonnes 15.) When you overtake ONE of these vehicles, you should allow some vehicles extra room. Which? Police Car Emergency vehicles Road-sweeping vehicles 16.) You are driving on a wet motorway with surface spray. You should: Use your hazard flashers Use your rear fog lights Use dipped headlights Drive in any lane with no traffic 17.) A motorcyclist is overtaking a high-sided vehicle on a very windy day. What is the best thing you can do? Overtake the motorcyclist immediately Keep well back Change lanes Keep close to the motorcyclist 18.) When snow is falling heavily you should: Use your rear fog lights Not drive unless you have a mobile phone Drive only when your journey is short Not drive unless it is essential 19.) Sometimes it is necessary to pass high-sided vehicles in windy weather. What should you do? Increase your speed Be wary of a sudden gust Drive alongside very closely Overtake at the very last minute 20.) You arrive at the scene of a motorcycle accident. The rider is conscious but in shock. You must make sure that: The rider is put in the recovery position The riders helmet is not removed The rider is moved to the side of the road The riders helmet is removed 21.) A slip road on a motorway has reflective studs. What colour are they? 22.) Overloading your vehicle can seriously affect the: Battery life Journey time 23.) Which vehicle might have trouble getting around a roundabout? Sports car Old car Estate car Long vehicle 24.) When towing a caravan, what is the safest type of rear view mirror to use? Ordinary door mirrors Ordinary interior mirror Extended-arm side mirror Interior wide-angle-view mirror 25.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: No entry No vehicles No entry for vehicular traffic Coach parking 26.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: Gated road ahead Level crossing with gate Cattle grid with gate No through road 27.) On a three-lane motorway, the right-hand lane is: For coaches only An overtaking lane The right-turn lane An acceleration lane 28.) An adult driver must be how old to supervise a learner? 18 years old Doesn't matter, as long as he/she has been driving for 5 years 20 years old 21 years old 29.) When you are not sure that it's safe to reverse your vehicle you should: Use your horn Reverse slowly Rev your engine Get out and check 30.) Unfortunately, after an accident you find a small child requiring mouth to mouth resuscitation. How should you breathe? 31.) As a car driver, which lane are you NOT allowed to use? Crawler lane Overtaking lane Acceleration lane Bus lane 32.) What is a suitable restraint for a passenger under 3 years of age? A child seat An adult holding a child An adult seat belt A carry cot fixed to the seat with a belt 33.) You have just bought a second-hand vehicle. When should you tell the licensing authority of change of ownership? When an MOT is due After 28 days Only when you insure it 34.) Crosswinds can cause a problem. Who is LEAST likely to be affected? Towed caravans High-sided vehicles 35.) What does a sign with brown background show? Primary roads Tourist directions Minor routes Motorway routes 36.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: Ahead only One way street Dual carriageway Traffic both ways 37.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: National speed limit applies End of speed limit Travel at any speed No entry 38.) A fog fortunately lifts while you are still driving. What must you remember to do? Switch off the fog lights Reduce your speed Switch off the demister Look in the rear view mirror 39.) When parking on the left facing uphill the front wheels should be: Turned to the left Turned to the right Parallel to the kerb It's not important 40.) You are most likely to lose concentration when driving if you: Switch on the heated rear window Look at the door mirrors Use a mobile phone Listen to the radio 41.) You should normally be using which lane on a three-lane motorway? The one with the least traffic 42.) Who is especially in danger if you cannot see as you reverse your car? Other drivers Traffic wardens 43.) Unmarked crossroads give priority to whom? The larger vehicle No one has priority The faster vehicle The other vehicle 44.) At puffin crossings which light will not show to a driver? Flashing amber Steady amber 45.) Turning right in busy traffic, of course you signal with the indicator. What else can you do? Sound the horn Give an arm signal Flash your headlights Move as far right as you can before turning 46.) A cover note is a document issued before you receive your: Registration document Driving license Insurance certificate MOT certificate 47.) Driving without an MOT certificate could invalidate you're: Driving licence Road tax disc Vehicle registration document 48.) A basic rule when on motorways is: Overtake on the side that is clearest Try to keep above 50mph to prevent congestion Use the lane that has least traffic Keep to the left lane unless overtaking 49.) The meaning of the sign illustrated on the right is: Staggered junction Left turn only 50.) What does the sign on the right mean? Sharp deviation of route to left Sharp temporary deviation of route to left Brake before turning No left turn
Religion According Only available on StudyMode • Download(s) : 276 • Published : October 8, 1999 Open Document Text Preview According to the dictionary "religion is the service and worship of God or the supernatural."1 I challenge that definition. It is true that all religions do involve the worship of some supernatural force, however, it is also true that no religion in history has ever stopped at that. For a more complete definition of the word religion we also have to examine two other aspects. How has it affected man over the centuries? And what is the true motivation of its leadership? Some would have you believe that it has brought peace and harmony to the world and that its leaders are motivated by the service of their god. I suggest that a more accurate definition of word would be as follows. Religion, a feudal system of government which uses fear, hate and sometimes lies to control and manipulate people for the betterment of a select group of individuals. To better illustrate this point let's look at just three of the countless examples that human history has to offer. The Inquisition, "judicial institution, established by the papacy in the Middle Ages, charged with seeking out, trying, and sentencing people guilty of heresy."2 Heretics were considered enemies of the state. The penalty for heresy was torture and death. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, "Jesus was taken to Golgotha and nailed to a cross, the Roman punishment for political offenders and criminals."2 The Crusades, "The name Crusade (from Latin, "Cross") was also applied, to the wars against pagan peoples, Christian heretics, and political foes of the papacy."2 All three examples illustrate how man has used God to justify his greed and quest for power. When the leadership was challenged, it used devine decree to justify the murder and torture of the innocent. We are expected to believe that a non-physical being order the religious leadership to acquire riches and land, often at the demise of the poor and helpless. The misuse of God isn't limited to the... tracking img
user7026854 user7026854 - 8 months ago 25 Java Question Java - I need to print this string of characters to a string I can use out of loop I have been buried in this assignment for 2 days chasing down rabbit holes for possible solutions. I am beginner Java, so I am sure this shouldn't be as difficult as I am making it. I trying to program the infamous Java Bean Machine... My professor want the Class Path to return a String Variable that only holds "R" "L" . to represent the path of the dropped ball. Each ball should have its own Path... I can get the path... but I can not get the path to print in a string outside of the for/if statement. Here are his instructions... in case you can see if I am interpreting this incorrectly. Please help!! Thank you in advance for sifting through this.... my code so far ****** i have updated the code to reflect the suggestions.. Thank you... ************* New problem is it repeats the series of letters in a line... I only need a string of 6 char ....(LRLLRL) public class Path { StringBuilder myPath; public Path() { myPath = new StringBuilder(); void moveRight() { void moveLeft() { public void fallLevels(int levels) { levels = 6; for (int i = 0; i < (levels); i++) { if (Math.random() < 0.5) { } else { public String getPath() { return myPath.toString(); **Thank you all.. this class now returns the correct string for one ball...*********** here is my code so far for multiple balls... I can get a long continuous string of 6 character sequences... I need each sequence to be a searchable string...I am not sure if I need to alter the Path class or if its something in the simulateGame() method. I think I can take it after this hump... Thank you again.... public class BeanMachine { int numberOfLevels; int[] ballsInBins; Path thePath = new Path(); public BeanMachine(int numberOfLevels) { this.numberOfLevels = 6; ballsInBins = new int[this.numberOfLevels + 1]; // this.numberOfLevels + public void simulateGame(int number) { //looping through each ball for (int i = 0; i < numberOfLevels -1; i++) { * this isn't the entire code for this class... I have to get this method correct to continue.... Problem with your code: if (Math.random() < 0.5) { loop = this.myPath = "R"; } else { loop = this.myPath ="L"; Change this to: if (Math.random() < 0.5) { loop = this.myPath + "R"; } else { loop = this.myPath + "L"; Just added ** to highlight where there is wrong in your code
April 24, 2014 by Bob Yirka Samples of the datasets in the experiments. From left to right: LFW, Multi-PIE, MORPH, Web Images, and Life Photos. Credit: arXiv:1404.3840 [cs.CV] People are better at recognizing faces than computers—everyone knows that. Not so well known is that computers are slowing catching up—the work by a pair of researchers in China, is proof of that. In their paper Chaochao Lu and Xiaoou Tang note that they have fine-tuned an algorithm used for distinguishing between faces in photographs, but note that the real breakthrough came in the training. In order for a to figure out if the people shown in two different photographs are the same person, the computer has to have a much broader dataset to draw on. People get better at recognizing faces the more often they see them—scientists aren't sure why this is exactly, but it clearly has something to do with adding more data as a person is seen from more angles, in different light, using different expressions, while wearing makeup or not, etc. The same thing is true for a computer. In order to discern if two photos show the same person, the computer has to have seen that person before in multiple environments—to allow that to happen, the researchers exposed their system (using the Discriminative Gaussian Process Latent Variable Model), which they call GaussianFace, to multiple datasets, such as the Multi-PIE database or Life Photos. Both offer multiple pictures of the same person to allow for not just better comparison capabilities for those in those datasets, but for getting smarter in general regarding how to match in other datasets. The approach used by the research duo obviously worked as they report a success rate of 98.52 percent on the LFW, compared to an average of 97.53 percent for humans—the first time a computer has ever beaten the human average. The LFW is a database with a of 13,000 headshots of famous people and has become a standard benchmark for testing facial recognition using a computer. Beating humans on the LFW is a truly remarkable achievement, of course, but, as the researchers note, it is just one benchmark. Computer technology still has a long way to go before matching the abilities of humans in generalized surroundings. Explore further: Dogs recognize familiar faces from images More information: Surpassing Human-Level Face Verification Performance on LFW with GaussianFace, arXiv:1404.3840 [cs.CV] Face verification remains a challenging problem in very complex conditions with large variations such as pose, illumination, expression, and occlusions. This problem is exacerbated when we rely unrealistically on a single training data source, which is often insufficient to cover the intrinsically complex face variations. This paper proposes a principled multi-task learning approach based on Discriminative Gaussian Process Latent Variable Model, named GaussianFace, to enrich the diversity of training data. In comparison to existing methods, our model exploits additional data from multiple source-domains to improve the generalization performance of face verification in an unknown target-domain. Importantly, our model can adapt automatically to complex data distributions, and therefore can well capture complex face variations inherent in multiple sources. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model in learning from diverse data sources and generalize to unseen domain. Specifically, the accuracy of our algorithm achieves an impressive accuracy rate of 98.52% on the well-known and challenging Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW) benchmark. For the first time, the human-level performance in face verification (97.53%) on LFW is surpassed. add to favorites email to friend print save as pdf
What ingredient is inside of nail polish makes Styrofoam dissolve? 1 Answer kandi125's profile pic kandi125 \| High School Teacher \| eNotes Newbie Posted on What ingredient inside nail polish causes Styrofoam to dissolve? Acetone - Some nail polish removers, paint thinners and household cleaning supplies contain an organic solvent known as acetone. Acetone has a high degree of solvency. This simply means that many substances easily dissolve in it. According to toxtown.nlm.nih.gov, acetone is an organic solvent which is used to dissolve other substances, fats, styrofoam, paint and varnishes. How does this ingredient inside nail polish make Styrofoam dissolve? Styrofoam is made from commercially manufactured petroleum refined to form liquid hydrocarbon, polystyrene, which is also used to make plastic bottles. But when carbon dioxide is bubbled through polystyrene it becomes foam-like and is used to make styrofoam. When acetone is added to styrofoam, the air between the styrofoam molecules allows acetone to slide in between the polymer chains of styrofoam and separate them, releasing the air. After the air between the polymer chains of styrofoam is released, the styrofoam softens and becomes a blob of polystyrene.
Did i do that artifact1 Published on • Be the first to comment • Be the first to like this No Downloads Total views On SlideShare From Embeds Number of Embeds Embeds 0 No embeds No notes for slide Did i do that artifact1 1. 1. Structure• Free nerve ending: a form of peripheral ending of sensory nerve fibers in which the terminal filaments end freely in the tissue. Synonyms: terminationes nervorum liberae (40)• Root Hair Plexuses: free nerve endings associated with hair follicle - very sensitive to touch which moves the hair (41)• Merkel Disks: Merkels disks are located in the epidermis, where they are precisely aligned with the papillae that lie beneath the dermal ridges. They account for about 25% of the mechanoreceptors of the hand and are particularly dense in the fingertips, lips, and external genitalia. (42)• Meissner Corpuscle: enclosed in connective tissue capsule, just below epidermis in hairless areas of skin such as lips, finger tips, nipples, external genitalia, palms of hands and soles of feet - fine touch and pressure (41)• Pacinian Corpuscles: enclosed in multilayered connective tissue capsule, in deeper skin and tendons, sensitive to deep pressure and high pressure vibrations (41)• Muscle Spindles: small sensory organs that are enclosed within a capsule. They are found throughout the body of a muscle, in parallel with typical muscle fibers. There are several small, specialized muscle fibers known as intrafusal fibers. (43)• Golgi tendon Organs: are in series with muscle fibers, located in the tendons that attach muscle to bone. The sensory dendrites of the Golgi tendon organ afferent are interwoven with collagen fibrils in the tendon. (43) 2. 2. 44 3. 3. SMELLSmell (give diagram of nose indicating receptors)Describe each(1) smell, also called Olfaction, the detection and identification by sensory organs ofairborne chemicals. The concept of smell, as it applies to humans, becomes less distinctwhen invertebrates and lower vertebrates (fish and amphibians) are considered, becausemany lower animals detect chemicals in the environment by means of receptors invarious locations on the body, and no invertebrate possesses a chemoreceptive structureresembling the vertebrate nasal cavity. For this reason, many authorities prefer to regardsmell as distance chemoreception and taste as contact chemoreception.Left Rightreceptor receptorbulb bulb (20) 4. 4. Smell diagram! (7) 5. 5. Olfactory receptorsolfactory receptor, also calledsmell receptor, of binding odourmolecules that plays a central rolein the sense of smell (olfaction). Interrestrial vertebrates, includinghumans, the receptors are locatedon olfactory receptor cells, whichare present in very large numbers(millions) and are clustered withina small area in the back of thenasal cavity, forming an olfactoryepithelium. (2) (20) OLFACTORY RECEPTOR BULB 6. 6. Olfactory pathways Olfactory OLFACTORY straie RECEPTOR (yellow) BULB (blue) (20) The sense of smell can create a powerful and long lasting memories. These memories couples with unique sensory inputs especially ordor, often persist from early child hood to death. New car, baby, kitchen and people odors are all olfactory triggers that often bring back memories of events that have occurred from the past. There is a huge relationship between the olfactory and gustatory pathways because our sense of smell and taste are closely related. (8) 7. 7. Com paring human and canine olfaction(5)Taste bud organ located on the tongue in terrestrial vertebrates thatfunctions in the perception of taste. In fish, taste buds occur on the lips, theflanks, and the caudal (tail) fins of some species and on the barbells ofcatfish. In most animals, including humans, taste buds are most prevalent onsmall pegs of epithelium on the tongue called papillae The taste receptorcells of other animals can often be characterized in ways similar to those ofhumans, because all animals have the same basic needs in selecting food.(4) 8. 8. Neural pathwayThe gustatory sensations or taste are closely associated with olfaction. Tastereceptors are located inside structures called taste buds that line the surfaceof the tongue, and are found on the soft palate, pharynx, and larynx.Nervous impulses generated in the anterior two thirds of the tongue travelover the facial nerve where they are generated from the posterior one thirdare conducted by fibers of the glossopharynegal.(10) (9) 9. 9. Taste (20) Taste buds: bitter, sweet, papillaeh sour, saltyThe taste buds are embedded in the epithelium of the tongue and makecontact with the outside environment through a taste pore.Taste Buds are small organs located on the tongue interrestrial vertebrates that functions in the perception of tasteTaste buds are composed of groups of between 50 and 150 columnar taste receptorcells bundled together like a cluster of bananas. The taste receptor cells within a budare arranged such that their tips form a small taste pore, and through this poreextend microvilli from the taste cells. The microvilli of the taste cells bear tastereceptors. 10. 10. (51) 11. 11. The Mechanism of Hearing When one hears a sound or someone speaking, then an image comes to mind that is called the cartilaginous tissue, or the pinna. The pinna directs the sound energy into the ear canal. The eternal meatus is about one inch in length and is closed at the inner end near the ear drum; it forms a passage way in which sound energy may be transmitted into the inner reaches of the ear. (30) (45) 12. 12. Neuronal pathway of Hearing Cochlear N. to the brain stem interneurons to multi-neuron pathway to the thalamus then to the auditory cortex The Organ of Corti with its sound-sensitive hair cells and basilar membrane are important parts of the sound transducing system for hearing. Mechanical vibrations of the basilar membrane generate membrane potentials in the hair cells which produce impulse patterns in the cochlear portion of the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII). (53) 13. 13. (49) 14. 14. Vestibule and semicircular canals The vestibule has a round open space that accesses various passageways, it is the central structure within the inner ear. The outer wall of the vestibule contains the oval and round windows (which are the connection sites between the middle and inner ear). Internally, the vestibule contains two membranous sacs, the utricle and the saccule, which are lined with tiny hair cells. (47) The semicircular canals have three bony tubes that form loops. Each tube ends in a bulge, or ampulla, containing sensors that detect the movement of fluid in the loop—which depends on your body’s movement. Similar receptors called maculae detect how upright you are. Your brain uses these signals to correct your balance. (48) The vestibular system serves the bodily functions of balance and equilibrium. It accomplishes this by assessing head and body movement and position in space, generating a neural code representing this information, and distributing this code to appropriate sites located throughout the central nervous system. Vestibular function is largely reflex and unconscious in nature. (46) 15. 15. Having a sense of balance is… The semicircular canals are three pretzel-like curved tubes arranged at angles roughly perpendicular to each other, with the two vestibular sacs located at their base. Both the canals and sacs contain fluid and tiny hair cells, which act as receptors. When a persons head moves, the fluid disturbs the hair cells, which stimulate a branch of the auditory nerve, signaling the brain to make adjustments in the eyes and body. A movement at any given angle will have its primary effect on one of the three canals. Overstimulation from extreme movements will produce dizziness and nausea. (32) 16. 16. Dynamic Equilibrium… The special sense which interprets balance when one is moving, or at least the head is moving; the semicircular canals contain the receptors for dynamic equilibrium; within each semicircular canal is a complex mechanoreceptor called a crista ampullaris which contains the mechanoreceptors (Hair cells) for dynamic equilibrium; when the perilymph in one of the semicircular canals moves, the hair cells in the crista ampullaris are stimulated to send nerve impulses to the brain; this advises the brain of whether or not a person has their balance during body movements or if their body is in motion, such as moving their head side-to-side.(50) 17. 17. Cavities and humors of the eye• Humors- is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eyeball of humans and other vertebrates. It is often referred to as the vitreous body or simply "the vitreous".• Cavities of the eye- the anterior cavity is actually divided into two subcategories.• the anterior chamber ( from iris to cornea)• the posterior chamber ( from iris to lens) 18. 18. Muscles of the eyeSince only the fovea provides sharp distinct vision, the eye must move tofollow a target. It must be precise and fast. This is seen in scenarios likereading, wherein the reader must shift gaze constantly, or following a smallobject like a golf ball, in which the extraocular muscles must lead the eye tofollow the head movements. Although under voluntary control, mostmovement is done without thinking, such as those based on head or otherbody movement, or movement of objects in the area. Researchers still havesome work in order to find the parallel nature of the environment-based(involuntary) and voluntary control 19. 19. accessory structuresThe site of accessory structures ofthe eye are as follows: eyebrows,eyelashes, eyelids, conjunctiva,and lacrimal apparatus. 20. 20. PhotopigmentsThe photopigments that absorb light all have asimilar structure, which consists of a proteincalled an opsin and a small attached moleculeknown as the chromophore. The chromophoreabsorbs photons of light, using a mechanism thatinvolves a change in its configuration. Invertebrate rods the chromophore is retinal, thealdehyde of vitamin A1 21. 21. Retinal imageformation of focused images on thephotoreceptors of the retina depends on therefraction (bending) of light by the cornea and thelens . The corna is responsible for most of thenecessary refraction, a contribution easilyappreciated by considering the hazy out-of-focusimages experienced when swimming underwater.Water, unlike air, has a refractive index close tothat of the cornea; as a result, immersion in watervirtually eliminates the refraction that normallyoccurs at the air/cornea interface. 22. 22. Rods & conesRods are responsible for vision at low light levels (scotopic vision). They donot mediate color vision, and have a low spatial acuity.Cones are active at higher light levels (photopic vision), are capable of colorvision and are responsible for high spatial acuity. The central fovea ispopulated exclusively by cones. There are 3 types of cones which we willrefer to as the short-wavelength sensitive cones, the middle-wavelengthsensitive cones and the long-wavelength sensitive cones or S-cone, M-cones, and L-cones for short 23. 23. QuestionsWhy dont deer see Hunters who wear Bright orange?Deer have no red-sensitive cone cells in their eyes, so they cant tell red ororange from green and brown.What is the difference between "nearsighted" and "farsighted"? How areeach of these corrected?There are several differences between being nearsighted and beingfarsighted, as these are two different vision problems. Nearsightedness iscalled myopia, and farsightedness is known as hyperopia. The mainbiological difference in the two is that in myopia, the images seen arefocused in front of the retina, rather than directly on the retina. Inhyperopia, the images are focused behind the retina, rather than on top ofit. You can fix these problems by simply getting eye glasses
Genealogy of the First Gods Origin of the Titans and Gods The genealogy of the gods is complicated. There was not one uniform story all the ancient Greeks and Romans believed. One poet could directly contradict another. Parts of stories don't make sense, seemingly happening in reverse order or contradicting something else that was just said. You shouldn't throw up your hands in despair, though. Familiarity with the genealogy doesn't mean your branches always go in one direction or that your tree looks like the one your neighbor prunes. However, since the ancient Greeks traced their ancestry and that of their heroes to the deities, you should have at least a passing acquaintance with the lineages. Further back in mythological time than even the gods and goddesses are their ancestors, the primordial powers. Other pages in this series look at some of the genealogical relationships among the primordial powers and their other descendants (Chaos and Its Descendants, Titans' Descendants, and Descendants of the Sea). This page shows the generations referred to in the mythological genealogies. Generation 0 - Chaos, Gaia, Eros, and Tartaros In the beginning were primordial forces. Accounts differ as to how many, but Chaos was probably the first. The Ginnungagap of Norse mythology is similar to Chaos, a sort of nothingness, black hole, or chaotic, swirling disorder or state of conflict. Gaia, the Earth, came next. Eros and Tartaros may also have sprung into existence at about the same time. This is not a numbered generation because these forces were not generated, born, created, or otherwise produced. Either they were always there or they materialized, but the idea of generation involves some sort of creation, so the forces of Chaos, the earth (Gaia), love (Eros), and Tartaros come before the first generation. Generation 1 The earth (Gaia/Gaea) was the great mother, a creator. Gaia created and then mated with the heavens (Ouranos) and the sea (Pontos). She also produced but did not mate with the mountains. Generation 2 From Gaia's union with the heavens (Ouranos/Uranus [Caelus]) came the Hecatonchires (hundred-handers; by name, Kottos, Briareos, and Gyes), the three cyclops/cyclopes (Brontes, Sterope, and Arges), and the Titans 1. (Kronos [Cronus], 2. Rheia [Rhea], 3. Kreios [Crius], 4. Koios [Coeus], 5. Phoibe [Phoebe], 6. Okeanos [Oceanus], 7. Tethys, 8. Hyperion, 9. Theia [Thea], 10. Iapetos [Iapetus], 11. Mnemosyne, and 12. Themis). Generation 3 From the Titan pair Kronos and his sister, Rhea came the first Olympian gods (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia). Other titans like Prometheus are also of this generation and cousins of these early Olympians. Generation 4 From the mating of Zeus and Hera came • Ares, • the cup-bearer Hebe, • Hephaestus, and • the goddess of childbirth Eileithuia. There are other, conflicting genealogies. For instance, Eros is also called the son of Iris, instead of the more conventional Aphrodite, or the primeval and uncreated force Eros; Hephaestus may have been born to Hera without aid of a male. [See table in illustration.] In case it is not completely clear in this table where brothers marry sisters, Kronos (Cronos), Rheia (Rhea), Kreios, Koios, Phoibe (Phoebe), Okeanos (Oceanos), Tethys, Hyperion, Theia, Iapetos, Mnemosyne, and Themis are all offspring of Ouranos and Gaia. Likewise, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia are all offspring of Kronos and Rheia. Sources: Timothy Gantz: Early Greek Myth Hesiod Theogony, translated by Norman O. Brown Myth in Daily Life \| What Is Myth? \| Myths vs. Legends \| Gods in the Heroic Age - Bible vs. Biblos \| Creation Stories \| Uranus' Revenge \| Titanomachy \| Olympian Gods and Goddesses \| Five Ages of Man \| Philemon and Baucis \| Prometheus \| Trojan War \| Bulfinch Mythology \| Myths and Legends \| Golden Fleece and the Tanglewood Tales, by Nathaniel Hawthorne Next: > Descendants of the Titans > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
Object composition is a concept older than object oriented programming itself. Let us start off with a well understood example of how to represent a rectangle on a Cartesian plane: struct point { int x; int y; } ; struct rectangle { point tl; /* top left corner / point br; / bottom right corner */ } Here the rectangle object is a composition of two point objects and tl &.. Read More
What’s Ashtanga Yoga? Ashtanga yoga, nicknamed “power yoga,” consists of a series of postures linked together in a continuous flow. Each pose glides into a counter pose. Another crucial element is breath; breathe through your nose in rhythm with the poses. Ashtanga means eight limbs, in reference to the eight aspects of the yoga practice: 1. yama: restraint or abstinence 2. niyama: observance 3. asana: (physical) postures (also called hatha yoga) 4. pranayama: breath control 5. pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses 6. dharana: concentration 7. dhyana: meditation 8. samadhi: bliss, superconciousness Power yoga uses specific flowing poses (asanas) to incorporate a bit of each of the eight aspects into the physical yoga practice. Power yoga makes you sweat! This entry was posted in Archives. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a Reply
spelt sourdough and how stretching builds strength Spelt (Triticum spelta) is one of the oldest varieties of wheat still available today. At nearly 9000 years old, this grain has changed relatively little throughout history. It fell out of use in the past hundred years because its thick husk made it difficult to harvest with modern farming equipment. But because of its low gluten content, it is building in popularity among those who react negatively to common wheat (Triticum aestivum). The increasing availability of spelt is perhaps one of the most positive aspects of the gluten-free fad. It is similar in flavor to a white whole wheat, though slightly more nutty and complex. The low gluten content makes it difficult to make bread entirely out of spelt. I’ve found that a 2-1 ratio of all-purpose to spelt flour is about the maximum amount of spelt I can use to make a well-structured loaf of bread. This recipe follows a very similar process to the whole wheat sourdough from two weeks ago, using a preferment to develop the flavor of the spelt before adding in all-purpose flour for the final dough. It does, however, require more focus on stretching and folding to develop proper structure. High hydration (very wet) dough can’t be kneaded like a typical yeasted dough. The difference in texture between a high-hydration naturally leavened dough and a commercially yeasted dough is perhaps the most difficult aspect for a baker to overcome when beginning to work with sourdough. Stretching and folding is a technique used with dough too wet to knead. Once the dough is mixed and left to autolyse for 20-30 minutes, a handful of the dough can be picked up and stretched then folded over. The autolyse helps to soften the starches and unravel the gluten strands, turning the dough from a sloppy batter into a mass with enough structure to hold together as it is stretched. The process of folding interlocks the amino acids into one another to create the gluten net. As this process is repeated, you will feel the dough build in strength. All-wheat dough has enough gluten that only a few stretch-and-folds are necessary during the fermentation process. When working with spelt, however, stretch-and-folds are vital to the structure of the loaf. The lower gluten content requires more work to build the strength and tension in the dough. The spelt also benefits from a slightly higher baking temperature. Again, the lower ratio of gluten limits the tension that can help the loaf hold its shape. Thus a good oven spring is important to avoiding a shallow, dense loaf. spelt sourdough 1/2 cup starter 1/2 cup water 3/4 cup spelt flour 3/4 cup water 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1. 6-8 hours after feeding your starter, mix 1/2 cup of the starter with 1/2 cup of water and the spelt flour. Let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours. 2. Add the rest of the water, all-purpose flour, and salt, and mix together until it forms a shaggy dough. Let sit for 30 minutes. 3. While the dough is still in the mixing bowl, stretch and fold the dough in half. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat. Do this 10 times to thoroughly mix the dough and build the strength of the gluten. 4. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let sit 6-8 hours. 5. Flour your counter or table, turn the dough out of the bowl, and pre-shape into a round (refer back to these videos for guidance in shaping and pre-shaping). Let rest for 10 minutes. 6. Shape your dough into a tight round, again referring to the videos for guidance. 7. Place the shaped round into banneton or in a bowl with a well-floured towel. Let sit for 2-3 hours at room temperature. 8. Place your baking sheet in the oven and pre-heat to 475°F. 9. Take the sheet out of the oven, turn the loaf onto the hot pan. Score the top of the loaf to allow the steam to escape. Brush the loaf water, or spray the loaf and the oven with water to create steam and return the pan to the oven. Lower the heat to 450°F. 10. Bake for 30-40 minutes. If using a Dutch oven, remove the lid after 25 minutes to allow a nice crust to form. 11. Remove from the oven and let cool before eating! As you bake today, pray for the areas of your life that might require a bit more stretching in order to build sufficient strength. Thank God for the people and experiences in your life who help stretch and strengthen you and for the beauty that is to come out of the process, as difficult as it might be.
dimanche 6 mars 2016 Dear Avaazers, A shocking new study says that by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. What we're doing to our planet is just obscene. It might shake our faith in humanity. But then you hear about Terry, Christina, and Chris -- 3 friends who read about the plastic problem and the Great Pacific garbage patch -- a vast semi-dissolved island of waste twice the size of France. They were disgusted, and invented a simple solution -- the SeaVax, a solar-powered ship that can suck up to 22 million kgs of plastic a year! Just a small number of these ships could clean up the entire Pacific garbage patch in just 10 years!! It's a beautiful example of people rising to a great challenge of our time. But it's just begun, and it needs our help. The first SeaVax model has been built, but needs funding to scale it up to the awesome task of the world's greatest clean-up. For just the price of a meal or a cup of coffee, we can turn this story from one of obscenity to inspiration. Pitch in to help make the SeaVax dream a reality, and scale-up other ambitious projects to rid our oceans of plastic: The discomfort such pollution causes us humans is nothing next to the damage it’s doing to our precious oceanic ecosystems. Dolphins, whales, fish, every living thing is affected -- particularly as the plastic degrades into tinier pieces that clog airways, mouths, and gills. The SeaVax is a big vision, a solar-powered, self-driving ship that sucks up plastic but has special sensors to protect marine life. And it’s big ideas like this and others like it that we need. If we scale them up, we can help them get traction and show even greater results -- and then our community can push governments to take action to take these ideas to scale. The Avaaz movement is uniquely able to help here - there's no larger global community able to crowdfund. It's on us to help these inventors' dream become a reality, to help other great projects find the light of day, and to give the entire world hope. For the price of an average meal out, you can help clean up 170,000 pieces of plastic! -- click to pitch in: Of course, in addition to cleaning up our oceans, we have to stop dumping so much waste into them. Starting with these funds, our community could: • Push governments to limit or ban plastic -- like San Francisco recently did with plastic water bottles. Avaaz has campaigned for and won some of the largest ocean preserves in history, in the Chagos islands of the Indian Ocean, and in the American Pacific. We've also worked to ban plastic bags in some cities. Let's make the inspiring story of the SeaVax the beginning of a wave of global people power to reach a comprehensive solution to this scourge of our oceans. Out of our disgust at the Pacific garbage patch, let’s help an inspiring new world of commitment and love for our oceans be born. With hope and gratitude for this amazing community, Ricken and the whole Avaaz team Solar-powered vacuum could suck up 24,000 tons of ocean plastic every year (Eco Watch) By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans, study says (Washington Post) Plastic oceans: What do we know? (BBC) Full scale of plastic in the world's oceans revealed for first time (The Guardian) Avaaz.org is a 42-million-person global campaign network Aucun commentaire: Enregistrer un commentaire
Candida vaginitis Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia. Related to Candida vaginitis: Yeast infection, Candida albicans 1. inflammation of any sheathlike structure. 2. inflammation of the vagina; called also colpitis. Etiology. Inflammation of the vaginal mucosa is invariably related to a disturbance in normal vaginal physiology. A healthy vagina depends on (1) normal estrogen secretion to maintain a thick squamous epithelium containing glycogen and (2) chemical reactions beginning with the glycogen thus available. The glycogen stimulates the growth of lactobacilli, which are beneficial normal vaginal flora that metabolize glycogen to form lactic acid. The lactic acid maintains vaginal acidity at a pH of 4.0 to 4.5. Tampons, condoms, neglected diaphragms, and irritating douches or deodorant sprays can upset the vagina's environmental balance and produce abnormal vaginal discharge. Hyperglycemia and antibiotics can also disturb this balance. However, infectious agents are the most common cause of vaginitis; these include Trichomonas and Candida. (See also bacterial vaginosis.) Characteristics of these types of vaginitis and medical treatment and nursing intervention are summarized in the accompanying table. Patient Education. Patients with infectious vaginitis need to know the purpose and importance of diagnostic testing and examination to verify a diagnosis, the specific type of infection or infections thus identified, and changes that may need to be made in their sexual activity to avoid reinfection. Sexual intercourse is avoided while active symptoms are present. Concurrent treatment of the partner is often necessary to avoid cyclic reinfection of one another. Condoms are encouraged because they can provide both the man and woman with some protection against sexually transmitted diseases. In regard to prescribed treatment, the patient should be instructed to take all of the medication exactly as prescribed; a follow-up examination and testing may be necessary. If the woman has a cervical Pap smear done while she has vaginitis, there may be an abnormal test result. adhesive vaginitis atrophic vaginitis with ulceration and exfoliation of the mucosa result in adhesions of the membranes; opposite surfaces may adhere to each other, causing obliteration of the vaginal canal. Called also senile vaginitis. atrophic vaginitis vaginitis occurring in postmenopausal women, associated with estrogen deficiency. The two most common types are senile vulvovaginitis and adhesive vaginitis. Candida vaginitis (candidal vaginitis) vulvovaginal candidiasis. desquamative inflammatory vaginitis a form resembling atrophic vaginitis but affecting women with normal estrogen levels. emphysematous vaginitis inflammation of the vagina and adjacent cervix, characterized by numerous asymptomatic, gas-filled cystlike lesions. senile vaginitis adhesive vaginitis. Candida vaginitis, Candida vulvovaginitis References in periodicals archive ? The trial involved 42 women with a history of Candida vaginitis and unexplained polysomatic symptoms. Candida biofilm communities may explain why certain people respond to antifungals and diet without evidence of thrush, Candida vaginitis, or other forms of Candida overgrowth.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Making Middle Earth When I wrote earlier about the Norse creation story, as told by Snorri Sturluson in his Edda, I described how the god Odin and his brothers fashioned the world out of the body of the frost giant Ymir: His flesh was the soil, his blood the sea. His bones and teeth became stones and scree. His hair were trees, his skull was the sky, his brain, clouds. From his eyebrows they made Middle Earth, which they peopled with men, crafting the first man and woman from driftwood they found on the seashore. From his eyebrows? Notice how quickly I skipped over that. Middle Earth is clearly the place where men and women live. Elsewhere Snorri says the earth (or the world, depending on the translator) is round. Now whether you think of it as “round” as a disc (as some scholars still do, in spite of the overwhelming evidence that medieval people knew the world was a sphere [link to Flat Earth blog]) or “round” as an apple (as the Norse did in Snorri’s day, according to the 13th-century encyclopedia called The King’s Mirror), it’s still hard to imagine the world we live in as being made from eyebrows. So what is Snorri’s “Middle Earth”? Kevin Wanner of the University of Western Michigan has a brilliant answer. Wanner was one of the scholars who most influenced my understanding of Snorri Sturluson as a writer. Somehow I missed his 2009 article, “Off-Center: Considering Directional Valances in Norse Cosmography,” when I was working on my biography of Snorri, Song of the Vikings. Admittedly, the part that’s snagged my interest now is not Wanner’s main argument. It’s the definition of the Old Norse word Miðgarðr, which I’ve always seen translated into the Tolkienish Middle Earth. As Wanner notes, forms of this word appear in many northern languages. In Old English, for example, middangeard is clearly the Latin mundus, the world as a whole. But Old Norse writers (Snorri included) usually use the word heimr to refer to the world as a whole. So what really is Miðgarðr? The first part, mið, isn’t contested. It means “middle.” But garðr, Wanner points out, has two meanings. One is the cognate “yard,” in the sense of an enclosure. The second is “fence” or “fortification.” Writes Wanner, “As incredible as it may seem in light of the typical understanding and use of the term among scholars, there is not one occurrence of ‘Miðgarðr’ in Snorri’s Edda or eddic poetry in which the second element of the name unambiguously carries the sense of yard or enclosure.” There are many cases, on the other hand, of garðr meaning a fortification. Instead of “Middle Earth,” Wanner concludes, Miðgarðr might just mean “fence down the middle.” Go back to those giant eyebrows—which Wanner explains could instead be eyelashes. In either case, think of two arcs of hair. Bushy eyebrows. Spiky eyelashes. A fence of giant hair. It makes perfect sense if you add another part that I skipped over when retelling Snorri’s creation story: the reason why Odin and his brothers made Miðgarðr. The gods had already given lands on the shore of the sea to the giants, Snorri writes. Then, because of the “hostility of the giants,” they made Miðgarðr—the fence down the middle—to protect the people they were about to fashion from driftwood. Now whether this fence was an arc, a circle, or a wiggly line I’ll leave it to Wanner to convince you. His paper was published in Speculum (2009): 36-72. 1. The fence down the middle is an interesting idea. Still, I can't help but think of Andy Rooney's eyebrows.
View Cart G Clef Flower Wreath 018 • Click on picture to enlarge. The G CLEF is a sign placed at the beginning of the music staff to indicate the pitches of the notes. Without a clef sign, notes on a staff have no meaning. It is the key that leads to being able to read the music. The F clef is also called the treble clef, and some even call it the "right" clef because it usually indicates what the right hand is doing in piano music (but not always...). When drawing this clef, one starts with the bottom curve curling around the second line of the staff, which indicates the G above middle C. G Clef #018
2:13 pm ephesus history, ephesus map, church of ephesus, ephesus paul, ephesus bible, ephesus tours, ephesus pronunciation, council of ephesus Ephesus, which was established as a port used to be the largest shopping center. He played a major role in ancient times with its strategic location. Ephesus is located in a fertile valley.Ephesus, once the commercial center of the ancient world, a religious center of early Christianity, and today is an important tourist center Ephesus in Turkey.The ancient city of Ephesus in Selcuk, a small town 30 km from Kusadasi.The ruins of Ephesus, have a special meaning and value among the many sites of archaeological interest. This is due to its inestimable artistic patrimony, its titanic heritage of history and culture, and the inexhaustible beauty and charm of its archaeological site. The original site of ancient Ephesus was probably founded in the Aegean coast on the shores of this sea which is now located 8 km. away from the archaeological excavations. Over the centuries, in fact, placed in the rubble of the plain “Kucuk Menderes” has enlarged the alluvial plain surrounding the archaeological zone, leaving behind, in fact, on the shores of the Aegean. In Roman times it was situated on the northern slopes of the hills and Coressus Pion and south of the Cayster (Kucuk Menderes) River, the sediment that has formed a fertile plain but has caused the coast to go beyond the west . In Roman times a sea channel was maintained with difficulty to a good port west of Pion. At the end of the Byzantine period, this channel had become useless, and the coast by the mid-20th century was three miles farther west. Ephesus, Corinth, unlike the old, about 1000 years ago, when Paul arrived in the summer of AD 52. Athens, founded a colony in the 10 century BC, its historical roots are shrouded in myth. For a short time was under the supervision of King Croesus, Lydia, and up to Cyrus, the Persian king, defeated him in 547 BC. The Persians controlled city about 200 years until it was conquered by Alexander in 334 BC. Then it became a Greek city about 200 years before Roman bought all of the province of Asia Attaloksen III, 133 BC, the king, who gave Stoa in Athens. Lydia effect produced mixed culture of Ephesus, the Greek side, the Asians, more than anywhere else in the East greek. Successor of Alexander, Lysimachus (c. 290 BC), the walled city and parts of “the wall is still visible. The city in cooperation with Mithridates VI, king of Pontus, in his rebellion in Rome 88-85 BC. An accident more was a day of slaughter of 80 000 Roma in Asia. Ephesus paid a heavy price, in collaboration with other Greek cities, including Rome retaliated back to supremacy in the East. The city was also formally welcomed Antony and Cleopatra 32-31 BC, during the winter on the way September 31 Actium loss However, immediately after the reign of Augustus (27 BC), Ephesus entered an era of prominence and prosperity, which lasted until the second century AD. Augustus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and has received the coveted title, “First and largest city in Asia.” Imperial sponsorship includes the construction of aqueducts, paved streets, and expansion of agora. During the Augustan era Ephesus was the largest mall in Asia, in fact, the third largest city of the Empire, after Rome and Alexandria, with a population of about 200,000. The location was one of the many reasons for business growth. El Camino Real, built by the Persians to run from Ephesus to Susa, the Persian capital, is a gateway to and from the inside. The Romans used landmarks in the city as the origin for measuring distances in Asia. Ephesus prospered halfway to the late second century AD, but the incompetence and cruelty of a growing number of Roman emperors in the final centuries of the second and third that led to their decline. Ephesus was also affected by the unrest in the eastern border of the Empire “in the third century, murders, pogroms against Christians, and the intervention of the Goths in southern Russia. Invaders Gothic badly damaged the city and the Temple Artemis, which has never been restored to its former glory. Strong earthquakes in the fourth and seventh centuries led to the partial abandonment of the city. Third Ecumenical Council held in Ephesus in 431 AD, and Justin Martyr, the first Christian philosopher, was changed there. Not the Goths, not the slime of the river, but earthquakes and malaria-carrying mosquitoes Ephesus finally finished somewhere between 6 and 10 century. The place was completely abandoned after the 14th century. According to the book of Acts (18:19-21), Paul’s first visit was only one step on the road to Antioch, Syria. Acts of the Apostles ‘version’, he returned overland to Ephesus and Antioch, visited the churches he had established in Galatia and Phrygia on the road (18:23, 19:1). After returning to Ephesus, Paul calmed down, and carried out his ministry here in over two years (19:10). Some scholars think that Paul may have been transferred directly to Corinth, Ephesus, and to create a society without returning to Antioch. Which, Ephesus was the center of his missionary work at least 27 months, maybe 3 years (20.31). With Ephesus as their base of operations, Paul and his team spread the Christian gospel in the cities and adjacent areas of Asia. His choice of Ephesus made sense because he was big, cosmopolitan, multicultural, and political center, economic and religious meeting place for people, goods and ideas around the Mediterranean. Such diversity of culture, religion and ethnic origin was not nice, but a product of cultural conflict, animosity and ethnic hatred simmering. The story of Paul in Ephesus in Acts 19:01 to 20:01 tell. Acts says that he went first to the synagogue, but has not yet arrived at Ephesus, the synagogue remains. From there he moved to the hall of Tyrannus by his ministry of preaching and healing. Paul urged his listeners to join a new community, stripped of their ethnicity, and built on the sacrifice and mutual support. Of the nearly three years, data Acts only two incidents highlight what Paul met at Ephesus. The city was known as a center of magic and miracles, and the first story is to move the Jewish exorcists who tried to heal the name of Jesus as Paul did, but could not (Acts 19:13-16). Be converted, burned in their works the magic arts magicians. (19:19). The second incident was a riot in the theater of protest motivated by goldsmiths against Paul. According to Acts, Paul was a success (“the word of God grew mightily and prevailed” – Acts 19:20), which has threatened the livelihood of the artisans who have memories of money and the Temple of Artemis sold to foreign tourists and pilgrims . Most Greek and Egyptian pantheons were in Ephesus, but Artemis was the patron goddess. Researchers disagree about what that means, but the merger seems to have been Greek virgin goddess Artemis of chastity, and an ancient mother goddess. A source said that the religion of the goddess was not characterized by the base of sensual or focus on sexuality and fertility, but internationally recognized as a religion whose prime minister called on both the need for social and personal pietism Ephesians. Ephesus Museum Ephesus Photos Synagogues Ephesus Library of Celsus, Ephesus
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Four Reasons Why a Library Makerspace Makes Perfect Sense "Making in the library is about offering students opportunities to move from simply being users and consumers to being creators, by providing them with the spaces, tools, and resources they need." - Laura Fleming Under what conditions does your best learning occur? Many folks, myself included, say their best learning happens when they create something previously non-existent. Where are the places in your school where learning happens, not through instruction and a prescribed curriculum, but through inquiry and exploration? Where is the central hub of your school learning community? A maker space may be just the thing for breathing relevancy and energy into your school library, or media center. According to Nick Provenzano, aka "The Nerdy Teacher," these are the four essential reasons why a media center makerspace makes sense; space, furniture, supervision, and access. • School media centers provide open, flexible space. Collaboration, interaction, and hands-on engagement need space for versatility and movement. Visible, transparent learning will ignite curiosity and interest from teachers and students. • Tables and chairs that offer flexibility and comfort send signals that the media center is an inviting space for freedom, creativity, and innovation. To create unique areas, look for furniture that slides or rolls. Oversized pillows and carpet squares provide spaces for students to sit comfortably while making. Writable surfaces and Lego walls provide opportunities for visible, design thinking. • The library staff provides watchful eyes to help students feel safe and supported. Much like the shifting role of the classroom teacher, library personnel should be asking driving questions instead of providing answers. Making is a personal, participatory adventure that doesn't require regimented guidance. • Extended hours and almost limitless availability mean more time for creativity and innovation. It strikes a special chord when students become so engrossed in their making that they lose track of time and don't want to leave. An inviting, engaging makerspace will significantly alter the media center climate. Ultimately, the library makerspace will impact a school-wide learning culture. Makerspaces provide the conditions for some of our best learning. For many schools, the library provides the best fit for accessible, participatory learning. I've shared four important reasons for hosting a makerspace in your school library. Of course, there are more. I invite you to turn this post into a discussion by sharing your thoughts on media center maker spaces in the comments section. References and Resources Fleming, Laura. Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a SAGE, 2015. Provenzano, Nicholas. Your Starter Guide to Makerspaces. United States: Blend Education, 2016. "Why Personalized Learning Should Start in School Libraries." ESchool News. 02 Feb. 2017. Web. 22 Feb. 2017. Photo credit: DigitalsKennedy, Pixabay CC0 Public Domain 1 comment: Academic Papers said... This is true that school media centers provide open, flexible space. Collaboration, interaction, and hands-on engagement need space for versatility and movement. So students should be engaged in different activities to learn better.
Climate Refugees in the USA Día de los Muertos and Our Deadly US Immigration Policy They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is worth thousands of lives. At the US-Mexico border in the past 10 years thousands of immigrants, many of whom are climate migrants, have lost their lives. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead in English, is a Mexican holiday where family members and friends gather to remember those who have passed. While many gather today donning their altars with calaveras (sugar skulls) and the favorite food and drinks of their loves ones, this artist /activist calls on us to remember those who may be outside of our family and have lost their lives. The Huffington Post and New York Times reported this summer that while the total number of immigrants crossing into the United States through the Mexican border have decreased, the number of deaths annually has not. Despite the U.S. Border and Customs Patrol officials intentions of increasing security in part to prevent these deaths, many human rights groups explain that this is part of the root cause of the crisis. As quoted in HuffPo: “We never thought that we’d be in the business of helping to identify remains like in a war zone, and here we are,” said Isabel Garcia, co-chair and founder of the Tucson-based Coalición de Derechos Humanos. Since the economic collapse in 2005, the number of immigrants crossing over to the United States has dropped significantly. In the five year span between 2007 and 2011 there was a drop of about 62%. But the number of migrants losing their lives remains about the same, 398 people reported dead in 2007 compared to 368 in 2011. In the past decade, thousands of men, women and children migrating for better lives have died at the US border. “The more we have militarized the border,” Garcia explains, “the more walls we put, [the] more technology, [the] more agents we put, people who find that they’ve got to cross — whether because they’re starving and, more and more right now, because they’ve got to come back and reunite with their families — they’re going further and further out into the more dangerous areas. That’s why we continue to see, at least ratio wise, an increase in the deaths.” As Garcia explains, there are intersecting factors that account for the increase in percentage of deaths, including a more militarized presence at the border, a President deporting record number of undocumented immigrants from the US, and the ever increasing devastation of climate change on local environments and economies across Latin America. But it is important that we understand not only the statistics, but also the stories of these brave and desperate individuals. The NYT shared some of the stories of those who have lost their lives in the dangerous trip to the United States: “Consider the all-too-typical story of Josue Ernesto Oliva-Serrano. A Honduran illegal [undocumented] immigrant living in Oklahoma with his American wife and their two children, Mr. Serrano was deported last year following his involvement in a minor traffic accident. (An illegal [undocumented] immigrant does not automatically become a United States citizen when he marries an American.) In September, he perished in Arizona in a desperate attempt to be reunited with his family. He had paid a coyote, or smuggler, to take him from Honduras to the United States-Mexico border, where he joined up with a group of roughly 20 other migrants to enter the United States through the desolate and searing terrain of the Tohono O’odham American Indian reservation in southern Arizona. So this Día de los Muertos please remember not only the 100+ people who have lost their lives because of Hurricane Sandy, but also the hundreds that die every year leaving their dried up farmland and devastated communities for a better future. One more clear reason why we need comprehensive immigration reform and climate change legislation here in the United States. Hurricane Sandy aka Frankenstorm in Images Here are some photos and a video from Cuba. Hurricane Sandy in Cuba / source: Hurricane Sandy in Cuba / source: Click here for Guardian video of damages in Cuba Photo and Video from Haiti Hurricane Sandy in Haiti / source: Photos and Video from Dominican Republic Hurricane Sandy in the Dominican Republic / source: Hurricane Sandy in the Dominican Republic / source: Hurricane Sandy in the Dominican Republic / source: Read the entire post here:,0,2029431.story Frankenstorm, Climate Change and the Ability to Adapt Kiribati and 100,000 climate migrants Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) is an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean and currently home to 100,000 people. It is part of a division of Pacific islands known as Micronesia and has 33 coral island divided up into three groups: Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands. Several people from Kiribati have been in the news recently, because of the direct impact that climate change is going to have on the existence of these islands and their people. As the arctic melts and sea levels begin to rise, the islands themselves will be washed away. The threats the communities face include access to land, water and food. The President is currently working to develop opportunities for people to migrate and find new homes. But as David Lambourne, Kiribati Attorney General, explains the existence of a people is at stake. “No culture wants to basically abandon ship and be spread to the four winds. Because I think everybody accepts that there is no way we could as a community retain our sense of identity. No country is going to accept 100,000 Kiribatis to come and set up a new country somewhere else.” Watch this 5 minute documentary, where both President Anote Tong and Attorney General Lambourne in Kiribati explain the challenge that they and their people are facing today: Climate change might meant the end of the Kiribati people. We need to accelerate the adaptation efforts for communities like those in Kiribati who are already facing the impacts of climate change. What is Climate Justice? The climate movement is perhaps of the youngest mass movements today. Some claim it was born in September 2006, while having a long history and deep roots in the struggle for environmental justice. Those in the climate movement are working to stop the most devastating impacts of climate change and re-balance the world in an ecologically sustainable way. Climate justice provides a framework that many in the climate movement have embraced as the best ways to organize and build a mass movement–one that considers both the social and environmental impacts of our work. As opposed to crafting my own definition of climate justice, I am going to borrow from a compilation of definitions beautifully woven together by Hilary Moore and Joshua Kahn Russell in Organizing Cools the Planet. Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative Demanding Climate Justice section of Hoodwinked in the Hothouse (published by Rising Tide North America) Global Justice Ecology Project Indigenous Environmental Network Four Principles for Climate Justice: “Industrialized society must redefine its relationship with the sacredness of Mother Earth 1. Leave Fossil Fuels in the Ground 2. Demand Real and Effective Solutions 3. Industrialized – Developed Countries Take Responsibility 4. Living in a Good Way on Mother Earth Movie: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Drag the edges to resize the window. Code Editor Web Browser Great! We created a new controller named Pages. How did we do this? 1. The rails generate controller Pages command generated a new controller named Pages. This created a file named app/controllers/pages_controller.rb. 2. Inside the new Pages controller, we added a method called home. Methods in Rails controllers are also referred to as controller actions, so here we added the home action to the Pages controller. Report a Bug
Aphidius colemani Colemani are a parasitic wasp that attacks several species of aphids. Used mostly in greenhouses producing vegetables and ornamentals. Adult wasps are black 2-3 mm long with long antennae and narrow mid drifts. Adult females lay eggs from their abdomen by quickly curling their abdomen and puncturing an aphid simultaneously with their ovipositor. The egg, once inside the aphid, will hatch into a larva and consume the aphid. The larvae then pupates (spins a cocoon) inside the dead aphid. The mummified aphid swells into a characteristic round, golden brown mummy. The emerging adult will cut a symmetrical hole at the bottom end to escape from the mummified aphid.After injecting the aphid with an egg it takes about a week for the mummy to form and then another week for the adult to appear. Each female can lay more than 100 eggs. LIFESPAN: Egg to adult takes about 2 weeks. Adults live for 10 days. RELEASE INSTRUCTIONS: Once you have made it home with your Aphidius you MUST use them immediately. Aphidius cannot be stored. Preventative release is 1-5 wasps per sq. ft. every 1-2 weeks. Curative release is 5 wasps per sq. ft. WEEKLY for at least 3 weeks. Aphidius colemani come in a container of 500 pupae each. Some adults may have emerged during transit. Sex ratio 65% female. Pesticides and even wetting agents and spreader-stickers may adversely affect survival. 500 100 sq. ft. 1,000 200 sq. ft. 5,000 1,000 sq. ft.
New warmist nightmare: Earthquakes causing methane leaks Climate News Network reports: And here’s another shuddering twist to the horror story that is climate change: even earthquakes may play a role. Large quantities of methane may have escaped during a violent earthquake that shook the floor of the Arabian Sea in 1945, according to German and Swiss researchers. David Fischer of the University of Bremen and colleagues from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven and the ETH in Zurich explored the region in a research ship in 2007, and began to examine cores of sediment from the seabed. Read more… 5 thoughts on “New warmist nightmare: Earthquakes causing methane leaks” 1. I’m sure earthquakes release some methane. Methane is a normal component of the atmosphere. As a climate forcer, it’s more powerful than CO2 and less than water vapor. All the evidence seems to say that leaking methane is a trivial element in climate, like human CO2. As we’ve said before, though, maybe it’s a good precaution to capture that leaking CH4 and convert it to CO2 and H20. Might as well put it under a boiler and make electricity while you’re doing it. 2. Agreed. When you burn the methane, you can heat your home or generate electricity while simultaneously producing CO2 and H2O, both of which sustain life on Earth. Sounds like a win/win to me! 3. Algore is working on a powerpoint show as we speak, demonizing “Big Magma” and setting up a new Trade Exchange for lava credits. He invented hydrothermal power generation, you know. Comments are closed.
Igor Stravinsky’s “In Memoriam Dylan Thomas” as an Avant-garde Music - Essay Example Only on StudentShare Author : corrine00 Igor Stravinsky is a 20th century musician renowned for diverting from the classical music genre of the time towards the avant-garde music style… Extract of sample Though some of Stravinsky’s compositions were critically regarded by the public, their failure to appeal to a large audience qualifies them to be classified as avant-garde. With his 1953-1954 popular composition, In Memoriam Dylan Thomas among other famous compositions, Stravinsky’s musical philosophy was that music was nothing more than notes while music composition is more of an expression of logic than one’s passion. Despite his lack of appeal to the audience, Stravinsky was highly regarded by his fellow musicians as one of the leading musical composers of his time. This paper seeks to demonstrate that Igor Stravinsky’s In Memoriam Dylan Thomas qualifies to be categorized as avant-garde music rather than “old guard”/traditional music. Characteristic features of avant-garde music Avant-garde music is not easily definable since the rules applied in its composition, arrangement and performance are required to differentiate it from the classical music. It is generally believed that avant-garde music exhibits a deviation from the mainstream music. As indicated by Pinson, avant-garde musicians can be distinguished by their freedom to choose a musical style that is different from the mainstream, as well as their ability and vision to create and organize music outside the limits of the traditional style (146). Avant-garde music is also defined by its originality and innovativeness as opposed to its popularity and appeal to the audience (Pinson 146). Additionally, avant-garde musicians are believed to have a different identity from that of the traditional musicians, which enables them to incorporate the metaphysical into their style of composition to generate an innovative piece (Pinson 146). ... Download paper Related Essays The music of Stravinsky. Due to the University’s closure following a bloody Sunday, he could not take his final exams and could only receive a diploma. As a result he chose to consntrate in music and was taught private lessons on music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov who almost acted like his second father. Stravisky got married to Katerina Nossenko, his cousin and despite the Orthordox church’s opposition on such marriages, they finaly managed to tie the not on January 23, 1906. Thye gave birth to four kids that is Fyodor born in 1907, Ludmilla born in 1908, Soulima(1910) and Maria Milena(1913) according to Straus… 7 pages (1757 words) Old Guard or Avant-garde My first favorite symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich is symphony No 7 which is commonly known as Leningrad. Shostakovich composed this masterpiece in 1941 and it was intended for the extremist Russian government. Shostakovich completed this song at the height of World War I and, therefore, his focus was on the issues happening to the society. Due to the rapidly changing lifestyles, Shostakovich was forced to adopt a musical style that would withstand changes in the society. The symphony can, therefore, be considered as avant-grade music. This consideration is based on the style and the issue… 7 pages (1757 words) Old Guard and Avant-garde John Cage professed radicalism in his compositions through his early years. John Cage had several interests in his pursuit of artistic life. For instance, it is worthy to note that Cage enrolled in a creative writing institution. He later drops out of the same while explaining that the institution utilized few texts in writing. The incident of the creative writing institution was a manifestation of someone who easily got dissatisfied with repeating others’ ideas. At the same time, he respected their creations. In addition, Cage began piano lessons in his childhood days while never declaring… 6 pages (1506 words) Old Guard or Avant Garde It builds on the concept whether certain music set a different pace or keeps on track with the previous songs. In addition, the analysis gets basis on the concept whether music followed a trend of a given period. In this scenario, it is indispensable to exploit examples of famous composers who experienced an influence in their times. In the analysis, it is essential to ensure that the music posses detectable and noticeable compositions. This paper takes into consideration of two kinds of music by different artists that posse the qualities examined. Minimalism, a song by John Adams is one of… “Old Guard” vs. “Avant-Garde” Well, until today, there has been an increasing number of different versions of descriptions on what music is and what it is not. However, there has not been a single universally acknowledged definition of music as it is a wide realm of art that is hard to limit within a sentence to encapsulate everything that it is. Well, to be able to understand music in its entirety, it is best to revisit its history. First of all, to give you the most general definition of music, it is an artistic form of auditory communication that incorporates instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous… 4 pages (1004 words) Music in Brazil 8 pages (2008 words) Igor Stravinsky Ironically, Stravinsky’s father wanted him to be a lawyer instead of a musician, but Stravinsky was bored with law study (Venezia 11). Stravinsky was always more interested in music. While at law school, Stravinsky met Vladimir Rimsky-Korsakov whose father was the very famous composer, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Stravinsky would eventually begin to work with Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov who would eventually teach him about composition. After a vast career in composing different musical scores, Stravinsky died of heart failure in 1971 (Henahan). 2. Biographical Information Stravinsky was born on… 7 pages (1757 words)
Ebola and Civil Liberties The following statement can be attributed to Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union: The government’s response to Ebola needs to be driven by sound medical science, not fear. It is absolutely crucial that we treat those exposed to this disease with compassion and dignity, and the minimum amount of coercion that public health officials recommend—especially when it comes to brave doctors and nurses who have put their own lives at risk to help contain the epidemic. This is not only a matter of respecting civil liberties—it is a vital part of any effective response to the disease. Public health experts say that measures like mandatory quarantine of people exhibiting no symptoms of Ebola will deter genuinely sick people who fear quarantine from seeking treatment, while also discouraging caregivers and first responders from helping sick patients who need their assistance. The ACLU recognizes that when a threat to public health becomes serious enough, it may be necessary to infringe on people’s rights, but those infringements should be based on medical necessity, not politics.” Design by bf5man from openclipart.org Design by bf5man from openclipart.org
Sounding like something straight out of science fiction, DARPA recently announced grants to fund research and development of implantable brain-stimulation chips aimed to relieve, or even cure, mental disorders. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency thinks big, and it has the money, i.e., our tax dollars, to back it up. Decades ago, DARPA brought us the internet. In comparison, revolutionizing psychiatry ought to be a walk in the park — right? Find a need and fill it: “Current approaches — surgery, medications, and psychotherapy — can often help to alleviate the worst effects of illnesses such as major depression and post-traumatic stress, but they are imprecise and not universally effective.” You can say that again. So DARPA created a program called SUBNETS (Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies) “to generate the knowledge and technology required to deliver relief to patients with otherwise intractable neuropsychological illness.” SUBNETS aims to create an “implanted, closed-loop diagnostic and therapeutic system for treating, and possibly even curing, neuropsychological illness.” In other words, computer chips in the brain. SUBNETS will pursue the capability to record and model how these systems function in both normal and abnormal conditions, among volunteers seeking treatment for unrelated neurologic disorders and impaired clinical research participants. SUBNETS will then use these models to determine safe and effective therapeutic stimulation methodologies. These models will be adapted onto next-generation, closed-loop neural stimulators that exceed currently developed capacities for simultaneous stimulation and recording, with the goal of providing investigators and clinicians an unprecedented ability to record, analyze, and stimulate multiple brain regions for therapeutic purposes. SUBNETS is hedging its bets. With an overall budget of $70 million, it is funding both a diagnosis-based arm, in the manner of the DSM5 of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), as well as a “trans-diagnostic” approach, in the manner of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) of the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH). The ideological rift between the APA and NIMH last year was awkward and impolitic; fortunately, SUBNETS has the resources to avoid choosing sides. A research team at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) will receive up to $26 million to study diagnostic groups, specifically post-traumatic stress, major depression, borderline personality, general anxiety, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse and addiction, and fibromyalgia/chronic pain. Another team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will receive up to $30 million to tackle trans-diagnostic traits, such as increased anxiety, impaired recall, or inappropriate reactions to stimuli. Both groups will include public and private partnerships, including with device manufacturers MedtronicDraper Laboratory, and the start-up Cortera Neurotechnologies. What to make of this? Well, it’s certainly ambitious. As I read it, the effort relies on several unproven premises. First, that psychiatric diagnoses, as currently construed, can be differentiated by monitoring activity in specific brain pathways. This has been tried before without success, and it isn’t clear that sensor technology was the reason. An alternative model would suggest that mental states are an emergent property of widely integrated brain states. If so, chips implanted in specific areas could no more capture this complexity than carefully listening to the trombone section could capture a symphony. Another assumption is that carefully focused electrical stimulation can treat a variety of mental disorders. The efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat depression provides some support for this idea. In contrast, typical comparisons to deep brain stimulation to treat seizures and severe obsessive-compulsive symptoms only go so far. Analogous stimulators may quell a panic state or chronic pain. It is less clear how complex interpersonal patterns, such as those seen in borderline personality or substance abuse, could respond to this type of intervention. Of course, we shall see. A central tenet of SUBNETS is that implanted technology can promote healthy (or curative) neural plasticity. Plasticity is a popular concept at the moment, highlighting the fact that brain wiring is not static, as was previously assumed. “Neurons that fire together wire together” — that is, synaptic connections change dynamically in response to input, i.e., life experience. This property underlies the hope that implanted stimulators may change the activity of neural pathways in a permanent way, “firing” the pathway together to make it “wire” together, and allowing the device eventually to be removed. Again, we shall see. Of course, there are many stumbling blocks ahead. Implanting brain chips is no small matter, and this approach is unlikely to be used in the foreseeable future for anything short of the most severe, treatment-resistant disorders. Initial public commentary immediately honed in on the “military mind control” aspect of the project, with visions of soldier drones being controlled on the battlefield via implanted chips. The potential abuse of such technology is manifest and terrifying, and careful controls and standards are needed to assure freedom, not to mention safety. At the most mundane level, the technology will only work if the science behind it is sound, and that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, if even a portion of the SUBNETS agenda comes to pass, it would represent a monumental leap for psychiatric treatment. ©2014 Steven Reidbord MD. All rights reserved. You are reading Sacramento Street Psychiatry Psychodynamically Informed Clinical Work It doesn't take a psychoanalyst to notice patients' personalities. Diagnosing Donald Trump Diagnostic language adds weight to our disapproval. A Christmas 2016 Fable A familiar Christmas tale with a moral for our times.
Saturday, March 31, 2012 17th Century Garden Design for Women by Deborah Swift William Lawson is credited with making gardening popular for women, with his book, A New Orchard and Garden which was printed together with the first horticultural book written solely for women, The Country Housewife's Garden. Beautifully illustrated with charming woodcuts, it tells the 17th century woman everything she needs to know to have a productive and visually attractive garden. The concept of a "pretty" garden would have been an anathema to most women of the 17th century, as gardens were primarily about producing food and herbs, unless you were very wealthy, in which case the gardening was left to your servants. The 17-century author of The English Housewife, Gervase Markham, claimed the “complete woman” had Guess that did not leave much time for planting pretty flowers! Because kitchen gardens were about supplying the table, and as much ground as possible was covered with edible plants, every garden was different, planted according to the whims of the women of the household. William Lawson's book for the country housewife was designed to be read in conjunction with his New Orchard and Garden, thus giving women access to the idea of garden design, in print, for the very first time. William Lawson lived from 1553 to1635 and was the vicar of Ormesby, a country parish in Yorkshire. No doubt his gardening passion led him to be so long-lived for an age where most people did not reach fifty. Gardening was a national passion in the 16th and 17th centuries, as more species came from abroad, and an interest in subjects concentrating on the useful qualities and medical virtues of plants became popular. But the war against garden pests was just as hard then as now - he calls them the 'whole Army of mischiefs' and says that 'Good things have most enemies' . The enemies in his Yorkshire Garden were apparently deer and moles. Lawson's garden plan included long walkways, a maze, and even a bowling alley.The illustration below depicts the overall plan. Its rectangular shape is split into six sections over three terraces, with flights of stairs and paths to go from one to the other. Its design demonstrates the vogue in the 16th and 17th century for symmetry and patterns. In the top left square he planned to have topiary, signified by the man with the sword and a horse. A river runs at the top and bottom of the garden where he says 'you might sit in your mount and angle a peckled trout, sleighty eel or some other daintie fish'. In The Lady's Slipper, Alice Ibbetson is an obsessive gardener - a pioneer if you like, testing out the knowledge handed down from her father who was a plantsman much like William Lawson. She finds relaxation in communing with nature. Her maid, Ella, featured in The Gilded Lily, would try to avoid garden work if at all possible. Her sights are set on becoming a fine lady, just like Alice Ibbetson, and leaving manual labour behind for good. More information from my blogs Thanks for reading! Child’s Play ...or is it? Political meaning in 18th Century nursery rhymes (part one) Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses, And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again! Humpty Dumpty sate [sic] on a wall, Humpti Dumpti [sic] had a great fall; Threescore men and threescore more, Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before. The Grand old Duke of York The Grand old Duke of York He had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill And he marched them down again. When they were up, they were up And when they were down, they were down And when they were only halfway up They were neither up nor down. Who killed Cock Robin? "Who killed Cock Robin?" "Who saw him die?" "Who caught his blood?" "Who'll make the shroud?" "Who'll dig his grave?" "Who'll be the parson?" "Who'll be the clerk?" "Who'll carry the link?" "Who'll be chief mourner?" "Who'll carry the coffin?" "Who'll bear the pall? "Who'll sing a psalm?" "Who'll toll the bell?" When they heard the bell toll for poor Cock Robin. Cock Robin The Grand Old Duke of York The Real Meaning of Nursery Rhymes Thursday, March 29, 2012 Elegant Extracts: Nifty News is Made! By Lady A~, Authoress of 'The Bath Novels of Lady A~' It has been conjectured that the tabloid craze we know today was begun in the English Regency. Cartoon satirists had a field day, razoring into the Monarchy and politicians alike. Salacious, tasty, tacky & terrible tidbits were a driving force behind rampant reader interest and, as the following excerpts from papers dating from as early as 1802 reveal, it seems nifty news was always hot gossip! "A woman at Hopkin's town, in America, lately cut her husband's throat with a razor, while he lay asleep, and then alarmed the neighbourhood, asserting that he had committed the horrid act himself. Surgical assistance was procured, and the wound sewed up; the man obtaining little strength, declared, in the most solemn manner, that it was his wife who did it. She was committed to prison, and since acknowledged, that an attachment she formed for another man, induced her to kill her husband, in order to marry her lover." "A discovery was made in Lincoln-Inn, on Saturday night, which is likely to excite much attention in Westminster-Hall. A Lady of distinction, it seems, either forgetting herself, or her way home, strayed with a Learned Gentleman into his Chambers, and did not become sensible of her mistake till three o'clock on Sunday morning!" (Bravo!) "A London paper of last week has informed the public that a loaded pistol was fired inadvertently against a young woman, in Manchester; the ball struck against her breast, but having a silk handkerchief on, it did no other injury than producing a violent contusion. Since this, the experiment has been tried on a dog, it is added, covered with a silk handkerchief, near Liverpool, and without any other effect than bruising that part which the ball struck. This is a new and wonderful quality of silk handkerchiefs, and most certainly will enhance their value greatly with those who have any faith in the experiment." (I'm not sure the hound would con-cur!) "At Clerkenwell Sessions, on Monday last, Joseph Naples was indicted for stealing dead bodies from the Spa Fields burial ground, of which ground the prisoner was the grave digger; and also for stealing the caps, pillows, shrouds, nails, screws, and coffin-plates belonging thereto, and the coffins wherein they had been buried." (A most comprehensive pilferer!) "The following singular occurrence lately took place at Harrowgate. A servant had been riding a small stallion poney [sic], the property of a physician at Manchester, and on alighting, slackly retained the rein while he stood with his back towards him. The poney directly seized the man, threw him to the ground, knelt on him, and in the most vengeful manner, worried him to death. The mangled corpse was rescued with difficulty by the devouring beast." "The company at Ramsgate are now enjoying a new species of entertainment. A young lady exhibits her expertness in swimming, and great numbers of persons resort to the shore to witness her manoevures. She dives, floats, and ducks and produces her fair form in such a variety of attitudes, as cannot fail to astonish the wondering spectators of both sexes." (Heyday, no bathing machine!) "The French are making the greatest and most unremitting exertions to seduce our manufacturers and artificers over to France, and we are afraid that in many instances they have been successful. They are also anxious to procure models of machinery; we therefore hope that the greatest vigilance will be used at the different ports to put a stop to a practice, the consequences of which may be so destructive." (For shame! Outsourcing--even then.) "A family were this week robbed of all their wearing and household linen by a girl, who pretending to have come from the washerwoman, who she said wanted to soap-in a night earlier than usual, obtained the whole wash. The appearance of the real laundress at her usual hour discovered the fraud. The same attempt was made the same evening at a lady's house in the Vineyards, but without effect." "A fine little boy, one day this week, being left alone in a house in Bristol Road, by some means caught his clothes on fire; his shrieks alarmed the neighbours, and the poor little innocent was dreadfully burnt; but being immediately conveyed to that noble institution the Casualty Hospital, and immediate and proper remedies resorted to, we are happy to hear he is now in a fair way to recovery. Parents are often highly reprehensible and deserve severe punishment for their negligent conduct, after the many awful warnings we have given them, in this idly leaving children exposed to the danger of being burnt to death." "LOST on Tuesday the 12th inst. A BROWN TERRIER DOG about 3 months old. Whoever will bring him to No 4 Chapel Row, Queen Square will receive ONE GUINEA reward. Whoever detains him after this notice will be prosecuted." (A fine reward by half!) "Whereas a Report having been circulated by me, tending to injure the character of Abednego Foster, of the Parish of Newton St Loe, Mason, and for which he has threatened to prosecute an action of law against me, but in consideration of me making a public acknowledgement, he has consented to drop all proceedings against me. Now I do hereby acknowledge the said report to be totally false and malicious, and humbly ask pardon for the same - As witness by my hand. The mark of Hannah Hewitt Witness Simon Minty" (Well confessed in contrition H.H.!) & to close, a most painful petition... "To the Affluent and Humane is most humbly submitted the Case of BETTY SUMSION, No 10. Princes-Street, Queen Square, a Widow with five children, two unable to get their bread, who from sickness, is reduced to the utmost distress, and in hourly danger of losing her few remaining necessaries in distress for rent. She therefore earnestly implores Assistance from the Charitable and Humane. The smallest Donations will be thankfully received at any of the Libraries, at the Pump Room, and by Mr Cromwell. She returns her grateful thanks to those Ladies and Gentlemen who have already contributed to her assistance." Imagery courtesy Wikimedia Commons Extracts taken from papers between 1802-1803, as variously compiled by Judy Boyd of Jane Austen's Regency World. Wry remarks in parenthesis: Lady A~ , authoress of TBNLA's Merits and Mercenaries Purchase & Possess Merits and Mercenaries Follow our tidings & tattle of frothy facts & fiction upon 'Ye Bath Corner Blogge'! Now debuting in a Georgian nook near you! Wednesday, March 28, 2012 The West Africa Squadron by Tess St. John When I began working on my second historical novel, CHANCE FOR FREEDOM, I wanted my naval officer hero to do something noble. In doing research, I found a quite honorable group of men who were a part of The West Africa Squadron--a part of the Royal Navy used for shutting down the slave trade routes on the seas. Tall Ship Rigging A noble and right cause, but as I learned, what the squadron faced was an immensely difficult task. It would take decades to stop the slave trading. The squadron was put together after the Slave Trade Act of 1807 was implemented by British Parliament. The British didn't actively slave-trade at the time, but illegal traders continued to smuggle enslaved people to the British West Indies. The slave ships would leave Britain (London, Liverpool, Bristol) for West Africa with cloth, guns, and other goods. On the African coast, these goods would be traded for men, women, and children either captured by slave traders or purchased from African chiefs. (While doing my research, I was dumbfounded to learn that some of the people enslaved were prisoners of war. In Africa there was so much turmoil and strife between tribes, they were constantly at war. The tribes would sell their POWs to European slave-traders.) Ships would sail up and down the coast trading their wares for slaves until their ships were full. (Conditions on the slave boats were dire with many dying.) Then they would sail to the West Indies where the slaves were auctioned. With the money made from the auctions, the slave-traders would purchase sugar, coffee, and tobacco to bring back to Britain to sell. Commodore Sir George Ralph Collier was the first officer to run The West Africa Squadron. He was given orders to use any means to prevent the continuance of trafficking slaves. But he was only given six ships to patrol over 3,000 miles of the West African Coast--a near impossible task. In 1819 the Royal Navy captured a slave trading post and turned it into the first British colony in West Africa, which later became known as Sierra Leone. Many of the rescued slaves settled in the town, free from the fear of being enslaved again. If the squadron intercepted and captured a ship that had slaves aboard, the ship owners were penalized by a fine and their ship captured. This caused many of the slavers to throw slaves overboard when they were in fear of being captured. (When I read this, my heart absolutely broke. My hero will have to save some of these, if only he could have back then.) The sailors aboard the naval ships had a hard life. Not only were the days long and tedious, like looking for a needle in a haystack, their health was at great risk too. The deaths from malaria and yellow fever were high among the men. The squadron was a huge financial undertaking for the British government. (But I think we'll all agree, a noble cause indeed.) Between 1808 and 1860 The West Africa Squadron captured 1600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans. And although my book is not about slavery, I hope when it is finished I have given respect to the men who helped stop such a heinous crime on humanity. You can learn more at: The Abolition Project You can find out more about Tess and her books at Giveaway! The Companion of Lady Holmeshire This week's giveaway is The Companion of Lady Holmeshire, by Debra Brown. To read about the book, please visit HERE. You will be prompted to return to this post to enter the drawing by commenting below. Please be sure to leave your contact information! Tuesday, March 27, 2012 The Elizabethan Gardening Craze by M.M. Bennetts We tend to associate the Tudors with lots of things--most of them of the bloody, messy, power-struggle variety. Which is not necessarily an inaccurate picture. But it's only a fragment of the tapestry that was 16th century England. Because what we don't necessarily consider when thinking about the Tudors is that they--for all their many wives and/or courtiers falling in and out of favour--gave England something it had not had for centuries: domestic peace and tranquillity. Yes, there were the uprisings against Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, and there was Northumberland's attempt to seize power and the crown with an army (which famously melted away) from Mary...but for the most part the country was rebellion-free and troop-free. And this long period of peace gave rise to all sorts of growth. There were fewer than 3 million people living in England in 1500. But that figure had nearly doubled by 1650, to 5.25 million. Then too, in 1520, the Church owned roughly 1/6 of the kingdom. By 1558 when Elizabeth ascended the throne--roughly twenty years after the Dissolution of the Monasteries--3/4 of that land had been sold off, primarily into the hands of the gentry and increasingly monied middle class. And this substantial change in land ownership brought with it equally substantial shifts in political, cultural and economic power within the kingdom. So rather than the conversation between husband and wife that went something like, "I see York is getting resty. I think we really should build another defensive tower and a moat..." the conversation now could go something like, "Hmn, I fancy having a garden over on the south side of the house. With a rose pergola. What about you?" And this shift in attitude was most particularly true of the second half of the century, during the reign of Elizabeth I. For just as this forty-five year period of domestic tranquillity saw a flowering of the arts, of music and literature, so too, gardening. And it wasn't just gardening for the aristocratic few. For in this latter half of the 16th century the English really came into their own as gardeners and plant collectors. It was, without question, the first English gardening craze. (It's been going on ever since.) They had the disposable income, they had the time, they weren't worried about marauding armies, they had the estates, and their international trade and exploration was bringing back seeds and cuttings from the farthest reaches of the globe, daily expanding the already wide variety of plants available. And within this culture of burgeoning energy and self-confidence, the garden becomes a symbol of the nation's flowering under Elizabeth's stewardship. Flowers were everywhere in her reign. They were her symbols. And this was the time too that the garden began to take on a distinctly modern flavour. Whereas initially, most gardens and plant collecting had been directed toward the herbal and medicinal arts, now flowers were valued for pleasure's sake alone--for their intrinsic beauty, for their scents, for their rarity...and the pleasure garden became an element of Elizabethan status. Always the gardens of the period were walled or enclosed in some way--by walls, hedges, fences or even moats--and generally built off the house, often accessible only from the family's main room or parlour. Enclosing the space ensured a measure of protection from wild animals (hungry deer) or thieves, but it also protected the plants from prevailing winds and provide a warmer microclimate. Then too, in plans of Elizabethan manor houses, one will occasionally find several unconnected walled gardens leading off from the different rooms in the house--some for pleasure, others for the medicinal herbs or vegetables, still others with their walls covered in espaliered apples, figs and pear... Also, Elizabethan gardens were always laid out formally, geometrically designed and as often as not symmetrically, with knot gardens being the most common feature of the late 16th century garden. Indeed, one could rightly call the knot garden a very English passion. (They were little known in France or Italy.) Knots (yes, the name is taken from the knots one makes with string or rope) were made up of square or rectangular patterns created by the use of one of more different types of plant, usually clipped box or santolina. The lines of the knot were interlaced so that they appeared to weave in and out of each other, with greater or lesser complexity. Often, the beds were then filled with sand or grass or gravel of different colours to emphasise the overall pattern of the knot--especially when viewed from an overlooking window or gallery. Sometimes too the enclosed beds contained flowers--clove pinks were a favourite choice. From the outset of this Elizabethan horticultural boom, London was the centre of taste and innovation. For as well as being the centre of all financial and economic activity, London's citizens had the education, knowledge and the European contacts to indulge in this growing demand for garden innovation and exotica. (Middle class London houses of the period had attached gardens.) It was from London's nurserymen, and via their contacts in Vienna, Italy, France and the Netherlands, that the population ordered their seeds and cuttings. In 1604, if one wanted a pair of garden shears, one ordered them from London. The wealthy Banbury family traded in seeds and plants at Tothill Street in Westminster from probably 1550 to 1650... And the newly discovered species continued to pour in from all over the globe. African marigolds from Mexico, apples and pear and apricot trees from France and the Netherlands. Clematis viticella from Italy. Oriental planes from Persia. By the 1570s, there were tulips, daffodils and hyacinths from Turkey--arriving via the circuitous route of Vienna and the Brabant. All of which expanded the already large variety of imported plants and seeds available: Madonna lilies, lupins, snowdrops, cyclamen, hollyhocks, lily of the valley, peonies, ranunculi, anemones, polyanthus... The list was enormous and is quite unlike the monochromatic green palette to which we imagine Elizabethan gardeners were limited. Yet perhaps the most surprising of the horticultural innovations of the period was the demand for fruit and vegetables--given that contemporary medicine was adamant in proclaiming that eating vegetables was dangerous and resulted in melancholia and bodily flatulence. As early as the previous century, there had been those who'd praised the virtues of veg. But just as the list of available flowers grew yearly, so too did the list of vegetables available for cultivation--artichokes, cucumbers, lettuce, parsnip, endive, leek, cress, cabbage, rocket, turnips... Fruit-growing too had long been popular and even the poorest in the land had had access to apples. For those with more money, figs, pears, plums and cherries were a regular part of the diet. But the gardeners of this period now consciously seek out better cultivars and a greater variety. Sir John Thynne, when obsessing about his garden at Longleat, wrote to his steward to "send me word how my cherry stones, abrycocks, and plum stones that I brought out of France do grow." Equally, Sir Phillip Sidney ordered cherry and quince trees from Brabant for his orchard at Penshurst. Robert Cecil, the first Earl of Salisbury, (a passionate gardener and plant collector) sent John Tradescant the Elder to travel in the Netherlands and France to buy fruit trees for Hatfield. (Interestingly too, it's here that one can see the Elizabethan concept of gender differentiation--the flower and kitchen gardens are the province of the women; the orchards are for men. John Tradescant the Elder was paid £50 per annum for the job of laying out the garden at Hatfield House; the Earl of Leicester paid his head gardener £20 per annum; yet weeders--who were always female--were paid threepence a day.) Into this market of enthusiastic and energetic gardeners and plant-collectors, jobbing writer and journalist (and sometime astrologer) Thomas Hill launched the first gardening book ever written. Before his work, there had been herballs, yes. But they were nothing like The Gardener's Labyrinth, first published in 1577, which he wrote under the pseudonym of Didymus Mountaine. For The Gardener's Labyrinth was the first practical hands-on how-to gardening manual, and every page is suffused with the infectious pleasure Hill obviously took in gardening himself. The book was a runaway best-seller and a new edition was published the following year, with four more editions published over the next 75 years. And while Hill borrowed heavily (some might think annoyingly) from classical writers like Pliny, Palladius and Cato, and he cobbled together bits that he'd obviously garnered from other sources, and even though he often strayed into astrology or his theory that the germination of seeds is governed, like the tides, by the phases of the moon and his pest control remedies read like witches' brew. Still, at the same time, in his work, there is this genuine love of getting his hands into the soil, there are diagrams for laying out a knot, there's his advice on how to blanch vegetables, on keeping the beds well-dunged, advice on how to water, how to build a rose arch or how to lay a fast-growing rosemary hedge, how to ensure a regular supply of fresh herbs, all of which still hold true today... And all of it was written in this engaging conversational tone--quite unlike that used by his contemporaries--it's the voice of a practicing down-to-earth garden writer--a Geoff Hamilton, an Alan Titchmarsh or the much-missed Jim Wilson. It was Hill too who summed up the gardening spirit of the age: "The life of man in this world is but thraldom, when the Sences are not pleased and what rarer object can there be on earth...than a beautifull and Odoriferous Garden plot Artificially composed, where he may read and contemplate on the wonderfull works of the great Creator, in Plants and Flowers; for if he observeth with a judicial eye, and serious judgement their variety of Colours, Sents, Beauty, Shapes, Interlacings, Enamilling, Mixture, Turnings, Windings, Embossments, Operations and Vertues, it is most admirable to behold and mediate upon the same." Monday, March 26, 2012 Amelia Stewart, Lady Castlereagh, the Marchioness of Londonderry by Lauren Gilbert Born February 20, 1772, Lady Amelia Anne Hobart was the daughter of John Hobart, second Earl of Buckinghamshire and his wife, Caroline Conolly. Amelia, who also became known as Emily, was the only surviving child of that marriage (her father was married previously, and remarried after Caroline’s death). Although her place of birth is not clear, it seems possible she was born at Blickling, in Norfolk. John Hobart was a nobleman, and had served in Parliament, as Ambassador to Russia and as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Her mother’s father was the nephew and heir of William Conolly who was a wealthy Irish landowner and a Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. Caroline’s mother was a daughter of the first Earl of Stafford, and her brother was married to a daughter of Charles Lennox, the second Duke of Richmond. It is clear to see that Amelia had connections to status, wealth, and political power on both sides of her family. Amelia married Robert Stewart June 9, 1794 at St. George’s, Hanover Square, London. Robert made his debut in the English Parliament in 1795. Robert’s father became Marquise of Londonderry in 1796, giving Robert the honorary title of Viscount Castlereagh. At this point, Amelia became Lady Castlereagh. Subsequently his political career took off, and he held several offices, finally becoming Foreign Secretary in 1812. It is thought that Amelia’s election to the position of Lady Patroness of Almack’s occurred sometime after Lord Castlereagh became foreign secretary. As one of the Lady Patronesses, Amelia became known as a stickler for propriety, and is credited with establishing the rule that closed the doors of Almack’s at exactly 11:00 pm. Supposedly, she caused the Duke of Wellington to be turned away for arriving a few minutes after the hour. She is also credited with introducing a dance, the quadrille, to London. She was one of the older lady patronesses, and was described by Captain Gronow as tres grande dame. Her social and political assets made her very useful to her husband, making it possible for their home to be a meeting place for his political party. Amelia accompanied Robert to the Congress at Vienna in 1814. They lived in a twenty-two-room suite in an elegant neighborhood, where they entertained lavishly. She apparently enjoyed Vienna a great deal. She was Robert’s hostess for many entertainments and lavish soirees. At one point, the Tsar of Russia, wanting to call on Lord Castlereagh (which would have been a breach of etiquette), officially visited Amelia herself, which allowed him access to Lord Castlereagh for a private conversation. Obviously, Amelia was a useful political hostess for her husband, who ultimately concluded the alliance with France and Austria in 1815. Amelia and Robert were, by all accounts, a loving couple. Unfortunately, they had no children of their own. In 1821, Robert became the second Marquis of Londonderry. He was suffering a great deal from the strains of political life (having been thrust into huge responsibilities and several unpopular positions, knowing himself to be publically hated), which in turn led to significant health issues. Robert was suffering from mental as well as physical disorders and finally, despite the efforts of Amelia and others around him to protect him (including hiding his razors), he committed suicide at his home August 12, 1822. After an inquest determined that he had committed suicide while insane, Amelia was able to bury him in Westminster Abbey August 20, 1822. She died in London February 12, 1829, and was buried in the cloisers of the Abbey February 20, 1829. King, David. VIENNA 1814 How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna. New York: Harmony Books, 2008. The Jane Austen Center. The Patronesses of Almack's: The Arbiters of London Respectibility, by Laura Boyle. Posted 7/17/2011. Viewed 2/29/2012 The Lady Amelia Anne Hobart. Viewed 3/2/2012. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Amelia Stewart, Viscountess Castlereagh.,_Viscountess_Castlereagh Viewed 3/2/2012. Westminster Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh.,-viscount-castlereagh Viewed 3/2/2012. The Romantic Query Letter and The Happy-Ever-After. The Patronesses of Almack's. Viewed 3/2/2012. NNDB. Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh. Viewed 3/25/2012. By Lauren Gilbert, author of HEYERWOOD: A Novel. Sunday, March 25, 2012 A (possible) page from the London Gazette: September 1331 by Anne O'Brien Cheapside Drama Queen in near-death disaster ... Noble Edward England’s Glory Our Radiant Queen ... The Nation’s Relief Edward’s Fury Our Queen’s Bravery The Show goes on! Anne O’Brien Author of Virgin Widow and Devil’s Consort/Queen Defiant. Saturday, March 24, 2012 Edward 2nd Duke of York - part one by Brian Wainwright Edward was born sometime in 1373, the eldest child of Edmund of Langley, Earl of Cambridge, fourth surviving son of King Edward III, and his wife Isabella of Castile. Edmund was by some way the least rich of his brothers, of whom he was the only one not to marry an heiress. Isabella was the younger sister of Constance of Castile, who had married Edmund's brother, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster as his second wife. Constance claimed to be the rightful heiress to the throne of Castile, a claim which her husband was to pursue, unsuccessfully, over the next few years. Edmund and Isabella were merely pawns in this game, and were in fact required to renounce any rights in Castile. It was a very poor deal for the Earl of Cambridge, but he seems to have been an amiable cove without the excessive and distasteful ambition of most of his family. Edward is sometimes known to historians as 'Edward of Norwich' although there is no evidence he was born there or had any connection with it. As his father was created Duke of York in 1385, it is more appropriate to refer to him as Edward of York. He was knighted at the coronation of his first cousin, King Richard II, when only four years old. It was not long before young Edward became involved in English diplomatic manoeuvres. In 1381, he was taken by his parents to Portugal, Edmund having been placed at the head of an English expeditionary force which was intended, with the aid of Portuguese allies, to attack Castile. Edward was 'married' to the Princess Beatriz of Portugal, and if his father had not made such a mess of the expedition Edward might eventually have become King of Portugal, because Beatriz was her father's heiress. Instead, with Edmund's army in a state of near-mutiny, her father had second thoughts and married her to the son of his enemy, the King of Castile. He also paid to send Edmund of Langley, his wife, son, and attendant unruly army back home. Back in England the York family were to receive increasing favour from Richard II, not least because they were loyal to a fault and gave him far less trouble than his other relatives. Edward was created a Knight of the Garter in 1387 (just when Richard was starting to have serious political difficulties) and was the made Earl of Rutland in 1390 (once Richard was back in full control of his affairs.) By late 1391 he was also Lord Admiral of England, one of the great offices of state, despite the fact that he was not yet of full age. Much more was to come... Friday, March 23, 2012 Writing Period Pieces is Very Hard Work by Michael Vorhis Although I haven't written anything specifically set in old English history, I've read plenty and I enjoy writing works that weave into themselves historical realities of other cultures and times. For example, my own mystery-suspense thriller ARCHANGEL has to reconcile the realities of rural life a third of a century ago, Native American culture, Asian martial ethic, Catholic Church policies and practices, and accurately interpreted biblical fables, all into a tale that must ring true. It's not easy because many of the elements of our lives today can be so easily thought of as "staples" of daily living, even though a few short years ago that may not have been the case. The obvious snares are things like electronics and modes of transport, of course, and we're on the lookout for those as we put a story together. You can hardly have the renegade Geronimo pause to answer his Android phone. But what of the little things? How far back in time can a character kick a tire? I don't believe that kicking them as a symbolic means of assessing value goes back quite as far as tires themselves. I remember living in Italy back in the late '80s for a little over a year; it never occurred to me until I went to the grocery store to hunt for it that having a quick snack of a peanut butter sandwich wasn't really going to be possible. And no one at that time in that entire small city had ever heard of anything like a laundromat. These were elements of American life so common it never occurred to me they were not universal. Same with writing stories set in English history. Errors abound in the literary world, especially if you include screenplays. The Robin Hood film starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett a few years back had them all planting corn through the night by tossing the precious seed kernels out like grass is sown. But there are major problems with that: First, it's an excellent way to feed whole flocks of birds and scores of rodents, and to lose virtually all your seed, and more importantly, the English back then didn't have corn to begin with. Corn, or "maise," is a New World species of plant. It wasn't fed to horses or eaten by people in Europe until well after America was discovered. Robin of Locksley planting corn is about as believable as King Arthur riding a kangaroo into battle. Same with tomatoes and pumpkins: New World species. The next time you read a book or see a film depicting these vegetables in Ye Olde Englishe village farmer's market, you know you're in the hands of a writer who didn't do his or her homework. Equestrian tack is another commonly overlooked area, and we'll often see modern bridle bits and saddle designs on Roman or Persian or Egyptian army steeds. Same with clothing--we don't even think of lacing on discrete items like leggings nowadays, but such articles were worn for purpose at one time. What about other small things we tend to take for granted? Hardware forever evolves with materials science, and because of that provides us ample opportunity to make story-telling mistakes. Can your character hang a cherished portrait on a nail before nails were in use? Can an iron hinge creak when most hinges were still leather? Can that wisp of hair cling to a fence's barbed wire before wire was ever barbed? When did screwdrivers hit the human scene? Or zippers, or pocket watches, or panes of glass, or soup ladles, or even round buttons? And what of those tiny setting spars that bind a stone to an heirloom ring? We'll never catch them all, but the trick is to catch enough that not one of our readers catches any. Some readers are astute, even peculiar--there was a famous review recently wherein an author's book was rubbished simply because he'd described the instrument panel of the Air Force version of a fighter jet, when the story had the plane belonging to the Naval Air Corps. Same plane, mind you, just a different gauge layout. The reviewer was clearly doing his dirty rating deed just so he could show off that he knew something no one else knew...but although that was plain to anyone who read the review, he still dragged the rating average well below what it probably deserved. In the reader's mind, to be published is to be an authority. And they hold us to that rigid standard. There's a status associated with being a published author, but we have to earn it by wearing that authoritative mantle well. One of the most difficult areas to excel in is language itself--especially dialog. We must write dialog so that modern readers will understand the nuance. But words themselves evolve. Sure, we avoid obvious colloquialisms such as "to the max" and "you bet your a(r)se," but what of phrases like "no doubt about it" or "swift kick" or "who would have thought" or "now or never" or "best in class" or "Tally Ho"? Personally I'd be leery of such wording, unless I saw it used in literature actually written at the time. I know that reading Dickens lends a completely different feel to the pace and tempo of English, as compared to what we hear today. Note that the following example isn't related to English Period literature per se, but in my own debut novel I needed a huge mining truck, and my characters wrote it in (well, most people would say I wrote it in, although I know better), and then afterward I went off to figure out exactly what it was called--brand, model number, nickname--only to discover that it didn't generally exist in 1976. I researched for days, finally coming up with something that I think was called "the Titan," which was huge and would suit my purposes perfectly, and with triumphant excitement I proceeded to write that specific truck in...and then thankfully took one more look. Wouldn't you know it? Despite the plethora of photos and lore surrounding it, there was only one Titan ever built, and it never left its home mine somewhere in Canada! I had to settle for the next biggest thing, and go back and redesign the entire town so that the dimensions of that smaller breed of truck--the one that was generally in use at the time--would work right for that particular street when the critical scene came. It just illustrates the need to be sure of every little thing, even though we may think we have it nailed. Debra Brown revives life in Olde Englande (and I guess I should have checked that seemingly historical spelling first, to make certain it's authentic!) with characters I like, plot line that has enough complexity for my tastes, and language skill. Her writing feels true to the period, to me anyway. (And I love the way her next novel, "For The Skylark," begins.) Writing any period piece requires the same kind of diligence, almost regardless of the period. If it's very recent (such as the 1980's) we can take most details from memory and need only worry about specifics such as sports figure names, political events, car models, and other highly transitory elements. Likewise, if we go back in time far enough (stone age Druids, or whatever), we can rely on the fact that there's not much other literature to contradict us, and we can hope there may be fewer experts to offend. And writing about English culture at least allows us to consume a lot of other material (which might be difficult if we were writing about a period in Yugoslavian history, or anywhere the mother tongue is not our forte). And then there is an antithetical point of view to the whole "research every little thing" mantra. And it's a very valid one. It's a school of thought that says a writer should research, yes, but don't forget to get on with the story. Don't get so hung up on authenticity that the book is never finished or the flavor is lost. This wise premise involves the recognition that for fiction, the author-reader relationship is a partner arrangement--a consensual marriage, if you will. The author's job is to do a skilled job of crafting reality and packaging it in falsehood; the reader's job is to WANT to believe it. Unless that second role is played properly, no fiction can deliver anything worthwhile to the reader's mind or heart. Readers incapable of holding up their end of the partnership, of WANTING to overlook little things (like a Naval Air Corps jet with an Air Force instrument panel) so that they can absorb the heart of the tale, are cheated. By themselves. I do love English culture--the intrepid, discovering nature of the Brits, the tension between Normans and Saxons, the ubiquitous capacity for cataclysmic, history-changing turbulence, the highly defined concept of Honor--and I actually promote their moral strength ethics in my own works, and seek to endow my own heroes--even the comic ones--with those traits. My debut novel ARCHANGEL is set not in England but in western USA, and I know that's because I love the Great American West so much and wanted to begin my own literature legacy there (where, like in England, Honor and moral strength were called upon to shape history)...but that's not to say I won't produce an epic tale of the English at some point. The English are enigmatic, enduring and heroic to a fault, and so as a people they collectively make a wonderful character for spellbinding literature. Michael Vorhis Author of ARCHANGEL (mystery-suspense thriller) Free Flight Publishing Barnes & Noble and Barnes & Noble Books Inc. Thursday, March 22, 2012 The Hole in the Wall by David Wilkin Breaking this down for you. The Dance Figures: The first part of the dance: The second part of the dance: Kate Van Winkle Keller and Genevieve Shimer The Playford Ball, 1994 He is published by Regency Assembly Press You also may follow Mr. Wilkin on Twitter at @DWWilkin Wednesday, March 21, 2012 The Birth of "Bloody Mary" By Nancy Bilyeau How that reputation evolved over the centuries is very interesting. UK cover/Orion US cover/S&S The Lady Mary Tudor is a character in The Crown and The Chalice, a series of historical thrillers published by Simon & Schuster and now on sale in North America, the United Kingdom and Germany. The Chalice is available for $1.99 on amazon and Barnes & Noble for the month of February. The third and final book in the trilogy, The Tapestry, will be published March 24th. For more information, go to
Thursday, May 22, 2008 What is the Difference Between ART & CRAFT? An excerpt from Wiki.Answers "The concept of craft is historically associated with the production of useful objects and art well, at least since the 18th century with useless ones. The craftsmans teapot or vase should normally be able to hold tea or flowers, while the artists work is typically without utilitarian function. In fact, if an object is made demonstrably useless if, to cite a famous example, you take a teacup and line it entirely with animal fur it has to be considered as a work of art, because there is nothing else left to consider it as. The crafts tend to produce things which are useful for various human purposes, and though they may be pretty or pleasing in any number of ways, craft objects tend to exhibit their prettiness around a purpose external to the object itself. To this extent, the crafts arent arts, according to a idea which found fullest expression in the aesthetics of the great Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant. Works of art, Kant said, are intrinsically final: they appeal purely at the level of the imagination and arent good for any practical utility, except and Ill return to this except the cultivation of the human spirit." My comment: I can accept the definiton of a craft as being utilitarian. I still question the idea that craft is not art. An excerpt from "A craft is usually a cookie-cutter or close-ended activity. The craft activity is based on a formula or recipe and all participants follow the same directions and end up with roughly the same result every time. An art activity is more open-ended. So for example, in a drawing project all participants may start with the same materials of paper and pencils and maybe they are asked to create drawings that represent their family. The results of this project will create many different drawings and therefore many different solutions to the same problem. While the end result may not always be considered art, the possibility of creating an original drawing that transcends it's parameters and materials is always possible, and that, to me, is the definition of art." My comment: I feel this is a very loose opinion and I don't think it puts any clarifcation on the question asked. An excerpt from The Getty "I think knowing the difference between art and craft is what matters. Craft follows directions with a specific outcome or product, often somewhat copied from an example or sample. Art has more emphasis on process and the result of exploring and experimenting with materials. " My comment: To me this is saying if a utilitarian object is made from a 'mould' then it is a craft, whereas if you have added your own touch it is then considered art. An excerpt from Yahoo! Answers (jaipurjo) "An accepted distinction is that craft produces an object that is valued for it's practical use, while art is valued for it's creativity and imaginative content. This is not to say that in craft there can not be art! A master craftsman can produce a piece that is not only functionally sound but combines imaginative and creative forms and is able to give pleasure on both levels. " My comment: I think this definition says it all - that it cannot be defined! Is this Art or Craft? Liv'nGood Jewelry said... So, being useful makes it not art? I don't buy that. The gargoyles on Notre Dame are very artistic, but they're ultimately drain spouts. I say art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For instance, the bead you had on this post is most definitely art! Glass and Splinters said... I couldn't agree with you more! The reason I researched this subject was after receiving an email in reply to an equiry for a 'call for submissions' for an exhibition of 'all media' , where I sent a piece of my wearable art for their consideration. The reply I received- "sorry we don't accept crafts". I was at a loss at how they defined this (and still am), especially when they were accepting all media.
Three Stone Cooking Fire The traditional method of cooking in some third world countries is on a three stone cooking fire. It is the cheapest stove to produce, requiring only three suitable stones of the same height on which a cooking pot can be balanced over a fire. However, this cooking method also has many problems: * Smoke is vented into the home, instead of outdoors, causing health problems. According to the World Health Organization, "Every year, indoor air pollution is responsible for the death of 1.6 million people - that's one death every 20 seconds." * Fuel is wasted, as heat is allowed to escape into the open air. This requires more labor on the part of the user to gather fuel and results in faster deforestation (if wood is the fuel being used). * Only one cooking pot can be used at a time. * The use of an open fire creates a risk of burns and scalds. Especially when the stove is used indoors, cramped conditions make adults and particularly children susceptible to falling or stepping into the fire and receiving burns. Additionally, accidental spills of boiling water may result in scalding, and blowing on the fire to supply oxygen may discharge burning embers and cause eye injuries. Read about Improved stoves and other measures
University of Toronto researchers have made an incredible breakthrough in the treatment of serious burns. As part of the PrintAlive project, they have created a 3D printer that produces live bandaging that helps cells regenerate. Despite the fact that medicine is moving forward, so far many advances have been made in the field of burn treatment. There are ways to fight infections and shock, but treatment for burns itself is another matter. Treatment of deep burns is a very difficult matter because many layers of skin are destroyed. Its reconstruction requires not only the production of different types of cells, but also their proper arrangement, and each requires a unique chemical environment. Researchers working on the PrintAlive project, however, have managed to create a special 3D looper that can simultaneously apply two upper layers of skin. This creates a sort of live bandage that protects the wound while accelerating cell regeneration. This is only possible because the printer uses the patient’s cells as a building block, as well as a specially modified hydrogel. And how does the work of such a machine look like, you can watch this video. Related Articles
Saturday, April 24, 2010 Black Tea + Lemon = Orangish-Brown coloured Tea. WHY? Those of us who enjoy lemon tea, might have already observed this and if not, you can try it out today. Make black tea and squeeze in some lemon and observe how the color changes. This phenomenon is called Bathochromic Shift – which is the change in the ability of a liquid to absorb light of longer wavelengths(red light) caused by the substitution or changes in the molecules of the liquid. So something happens to the tea molecules when you add lemon, that changes its ability to absorb red light. (That’s my plain English definition). Why does it happen, let me see if I can keep the explanation simple and interesting. When tea leaves are picked they are green. Like all leaves, when you pluck them, they start to wilt because they lose water. This is the start of the natural oxidation process. To make our household regular tea, oxidation has to happen at a controlled and specific rate, plus its heated. Oxidation means that water is driven out of the leaf and the chlorophyll (the pigment that make it green) slowly breaks down by the action of the enzymes naturally present in the leaves. Oxidation of the leaves, creates a tannin called Thearubigins – that’s what gives the tea its brown colour and slightly bitter taste. Now when you add lemon juice to your tea, the citric acid in the lemon reacts with the tannin (thearubigins). The acid doesn’t allow the tannin to get ionized (ionization= converting a molecule to ions). This changes the nature of the liquid to absorb low frequency light. I hope I got it right. Enjoy the resulting brownish orange chemical solution. Heres what has to say: Adding a squeeze of lemon juice to black tea has the effect of clearing the liquid; it transforms it from a dark, nearly-opaque brown to a transparent orangey yellow in a matter of seconds. This is because the hydogen ions produced by the acid in the lemon juice suppress the ionisation of thearubigins (tannins), the polyphenols that otherwise give tea its brown colour, an effect known as the bathochromic shift - it's a fun chemistry demonstration as well as a tasty hot drink!* The reaction makes the thearubigins lose not just their brown colour but also their astringency, so strong black tea can be made drinkable this way - especially with the addition of a little sugar to take the edge off the bitterness. Unlike milky tea, lemon tea made this way remains tasty at any temperature, and many recipes for iced tea call for the addition of lemon. Incidentally, orange juice is also acid enough to remove most of black tea's astringency, as well as sweetening it; it sounds weird, but it's actually pretty good. Just to remind you of the chem lab days, I used to love titrations
Room 213 Promo 1 Promo 2 Promo 3 Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates required Powered by Blogger. 5 Ways to Keep Secondary Students on Task During Group Work Most kids love to do group work. Not only does it break up the routine of a typical class, but it also allows them to be more social, to chat with their friends. That last fact is why some teachers shy away from collaborative work: the classroom gets noisy and students get off task. Noise is not always a negative thing, however. In fact, noise can be an indication that a lot of learning and engagement is happening in your classroom. Imagine if all of your students were involved in an activity that required critical thinking, discussion and debate. There would have to be a certain level of noise, right? In fact, a steady din can be a sure sign of learning. I know, I'm talking about teenagers, most of whom love to socialize. I'm no fool - a lot of the time spent in groups is not focused and on task. It can be a struggle to make sure they do the work you want them to do. However, I believe so much in the power of collaboration that a little effort to make it work is very much worth it. Below you will find five strategies that work (most of the time) in my classroom: As a rookie teacher I made a lot of mistakes, and one of them was just sending my students off to do group work and expecting them to do it. It wasn't long before I learned that they needed more guidance. Now, before they ever work together in groups, I make it very clear what I expect. The first thing I tell them is that it's ok to chat and socialize -- as long as the task is complete. I point out that if they focus and get the job done, then they can relax for the remaining time. I also take the time to set the routine I'd like them to follow: pick up the desks when you move them so you don't disturb the class under us, appoint a group recorder to take down your answers, be sure to refer to your discussion starter bookmarks, etc. One strategy I've adopted that makes a huge difference is modelling what an effective discussion looks like. I carefully choose some volunteers to help me with this -- a few keeners and a few quieter students. I put them in a circle in front of the room, and I lead them in a discussion. If students aren't contributing, I'll ask them what they think. When someone gives an incomplete answer, I'll ask for elaboration. And, if I disagree with one of them, I will do so Free discussion starters for group work politely and tell them why. After a few rounds of this, I'll ask the class what they noticed: how did I act as an effective group member? They are always able to point out everything I tried to model. What is easy to see in others can be difficult to do on your own, however, so I give them each a copy of these "discussion starters" they can use it as a bookmark and refer to it when they get stuck. If you'd like to use these with your students, you can grab them for free here. They're editable, so you can tweak them to work with your students. We do a lot of small group discussion in my class when students are trying to figure out a complex text or issue. When we do so, I want them to follow a process that not only gets them thinking, but also requires all students to participate -- I don't want one or two dominating while the others sit back and let them do so. Also, if I'm not clear about what I want them to do, they won't be very focused. I've learned that I can prevent that by being very explicit in my instructions. I usually ask them to start with individual reflections, so everyone is engaged, and to share those ideas with a partner. After that, they engage as a whole group to complete whatever task I've given them. I've just recently formalized some of these instructions on "collaboration placemats." I loved putting them together and I know the kids will get a kick out of using them too. You can grab them out here. Collaborative placemats to guide student small group discussions It's hard to argue with this one: if students find the topic engaging, they are far more likely to focus. If you give them a hot topic to discuss like legalizing marijuana or gun control, they will probably have a heated discussion. But, let's be honest, analyzing lit together is not always high on their fun-things-to-do list. However, if you give them the skills they need to do the work and provide them with a task that's challenging - but not too difficult - they will usually engage. I've written about ways I scaffold the skills my kids need to be successful before - you can read about it here. I think this is THE most important thing you can do to ensure successful collaboration among students: it's crucial that you circulate among the groups, quietly listening and participating. Do so in a way that seems like you want to be part of the discussion, rather than evaluating it. If you hear something interesting, wait your turn and add in your two cents. If you want to steer them in a different direction, throw something out there that will shift their course: That's an interesting theory, but what about this? Have you thought about why character X did this? It's actually one of my favourite things to do, because not only can you help your students do better work, you can also get to know them better. So, that's what I do in Room 213 to get quality work out of my students when they work together. What about you? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks. Building Writing Stamina and Skills Our curriculum demands that our students write for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences. We also want them to write so they can think things through, find their voice, and express themselves. The more they write, the better they will become at all of these things; therefore, we need to work on their writing stamina, giving them lots of opportunity to flex their writing muscle. Bell ringers and writing prompts One of the challenges as an English teacher is to find time to do all of the things that we know work best for our students. We're constantly juggling reading and writing, skill building and enjoyment, research and critical thinking. We do this with one eye on the clock and the the other on the calendar, knowing too well that there's never enough time to do it all. I knew that I was not giving my kids enough time to write -- other than the assignments I gave them -- so I created a series of writing prompts to change that. Now, writing prompts are nothing new for me; it's what I added to them that made them a more effective tool for increasing skill AND stamina. Bell ringers and writing prompts Kids start with some pre-writing and then they do a quick-write. After they collect their initial ideas, they look back at what they wrote and reflect on ways to improve it. They are asked to look at ways to push their ideas further and to play with their diction and sentence structure. Some prompts have them experiment with different ways for leading into a piece of writing or using dialogue. I mix up the instructions so it's not repetitive, but each one challenges them to find ways to reflect and revise. Bell ringers and writing prompts The prompts are pretty versatile. You can use them as bell ringers: on Monday have them do the initial response. Then, on following days, have them do one revision at a time. Or, use them all at once for skill building activities, or as inspiration for your writing workshop. Regardless of how you make use of them in your classroom, your kids will have the opportunity to write more and improve their writing. Seems like a winning combination! Happy teaching. Lesson Ideas for High School English: Engaging Your Students in Literary Analysis and using scissors and crayons to do it Literary analysis is hard, and writing about it is even harder. I teach IB and Pre-IB and even these (mostly) keen and able students struggle to write effective analysis that flows from one idea to the next. I've written before about how I scaffold the steps they need to analyze . In that post, I wrote of the need to let kids learn a process and that it's ok for them to struggle. This semester, we've spent a lot of time focused on the both the process and the struggle and now it's time to get more serious about writing about lit. Today, I'd like to share with you the things I've been doing with my classes to teach them how to write good literary paragraphs and essays. I've learned over the years that good instruction is not enough. If I want my kids to learn to write a certain way, I need to give them a model shows them what I expect. This works even better when I find ways for them to interact with the model, beyond just reading it. This week, we were finishing up A Separate Peace. They had done some group presentations on the themes of the novel, and I wanted to wrap things up with a paragraph that analyzes character. They were instructed to choose one character-istic of Gene or Finny, and to illustrate multiple ways Knowles developed this characteristic. I wrote a sample literary paragraph; then, I blew each sentence of the paragraph up, and cut them into strips. Next, I clipped the strips together in random order. The students went into their usual groups and had to put the strips back into their proper order. It was the first time I'd ever done this, and I loved how it worked. The kids were having great conversations: this strip must come after that one because the transition refers back to that idea. I think this goes here because it develops the point made in that strip. I was so proud to hear them using the language and skills that I had taught them. For homework, I gave them another paragraph that modelled what I wanted them to do for their assignment on character and had them label the following: my assertion, plot used for context, plot used for evidence, analysis and transitions. Had I thought of it, I would have given them crayons to colour each of these things, but unfortunately I didn't have that brainwave until later. However, I did colour-code my answer key, which I projected on the screen for them when we went over their work. This approach is quite a departure from what I used to do in the early years of my teaching. I always used mentor texts, but they would be on a handout with the student instructions and we would just read through them together. Now, I make sure they have several opportunities to work with the model before they write. Last year, about this time, I wrote about using my To Kill a Mockingbird discussion stationsand I think it's time to write about them again -- and not just because that's what my class is doing! No, I want to tell you about them because I know that they are a really effective way to get the students engaged with the text. More importantly, the cards allow them to discuss many different issues associated with the text in a way that a few pre-reading writing prompts never could. Yesterday, as I floated around between groups, I heard students who were highly engaged in their discussions; I even had to tell a few to turn the volume down a bit, because they were so excited about their debate. The sweet thing is that they didn't even know they were discussing the novel. But, when they do have their first novel discussion today, they will be able to draw on the ideas they explored during these pre-reading stations. So, that's what's working in Room 213. Have you tried anything this week that you were excited about? Please share in the comments :) Happy teaching! Not Ready to Go Paperless? Start with Less Paper! Even if you'd love to go paperless, your school might not be there yet. Unless each student has access to technology all the time, you just can't make that environmental jump. However, while you're waiting and hoping for the day when your school does go paperless, there are several things you can do to use less of it in your classroom. 1. REDUCE the amount you use: This is pretty obvious, but how do you reduce when we need to give our students information, and they need to pass in their work? We do it by changing the way we give and receive information. Google Classroom is an amazing platform for both of these things, as it allows both teacher and student to post online, and you don't need to have devices for each student to make this work. Our school is far from paperless. We have some Chromebooks, but not enough for students to use them all of the time. Still, every day I post notes, instructions and/or homework on Classroom, and students can access the information on their computers at home. Before we had access to Google Classroom, I posted these things on my class website and it worked just as well. Blogger and Wordpress have lots of free, easy-to-use templates that will allow you to create a site for your students. Classroom and teacher websites have another added bonus: because students can access the information they need online, they will not be able to lose it. You'll save paper, and extra trips to the photocopier for those students that can never seem to find their handouts. (If you know that some of your students can't access technology at home, have some pages printed off and give them to these students as they go out the door, so as not to call attention to them). I also make ample use of Google Docs for assignments. Students submit their work to me and I give them feedback right on the document. I rarely take home a stack of paper assignments anymore. This is a good thing for the environment, but also for assessment. Google Docs allows me to give students a lot more feedback because I can type much faster than I can write. I can also have very direct "conversations" with them about their work with the comments. These conversations can happen via electronic exit tickets as well. Google Forms provides a slick and easy way to get feedback from your kids. There are also many digital lessons available now for students, including my favourite, 21st Activities for Any Text, a product that allows you to assess student knowledge of a text using social media templates -- all electronic with no paper needed. There are other ways to reduce paper use, even when you do need to print something for your students. Ask yourself: does each student need a copy? If you are just giving students instructions, project them on your screen or write them on the board. If you're doing group work, for example, one copy of instructions per group will do. Likewise, it may be possible, depending on the situation, that students sitting near each other could share a sheet of instruct-ions. You could also consider ways to condense the information. Set your handout up so you can cut it in half or create task cards (four/page) and cut your paper needs by a quarter! 2. REUSE paper as often as you can: One way to do this is to take handouts back in after the class has used them or at the end of a unit. This option requires a little organization, but if you get yourself some file folders or binders, you can have a collection of handouts that you can reuse every year. As an added bonus, this will save you the time you spend photocopying (and fixing the copier). Another way to reuse paper will result in a cleaner copying room: if you need to make a copy of a handout for your students, do it on the back of paper that's already been used. If your photocopy room is like mine, there's no shortage of wasted paper lying around. Just create a stack and copy your information on the back of the unused side. When you pass your handout to the students, tell them to make a big X over the backside, so they don't get confused. Those leftover sheets in the copy room are also perfect for cutting up and using as bookmarks. 3. RECYCLE paper and buy it back: Ok. It's probably hard to buy back the paper that you have actually recycled, but you can be part of the process. Make sure you have a recycling bin front and centre for you and your students, and make it a priority that everyone uses it. When you buy your own paper, buy packs that are recycled, and point it out to your students. They watch what we do and any time we can set a positive example for them, they notice. Watching us take care to use as little paper as possible will teach them an important lesson that goes way beyond the class-room. While I wholeheartedly believe that we need to reduce our use of paper (and other things), I also think that there are times when kids should write by hand. In fact, I believe it's necessary for their learning. If you'd like to find out more, you can read this blog post. Do you have any creative ways to reduce, reuse or recycle paper in your classroom? Please share with us in the comments! Celebrating Shakespeare Happy Teaching! Introducing Poetry Do your students scream with glee when you dive into poetry? I didn't think so. If your kids are like mine, they see poetry as a labyrinth they have to muddle their way through. At the very least, they think of it as pure drudgery. It doesn't have to be that way, especially if you begin your study with poetry that is more accessible to students, and use activities that are more engaging than scansion. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that analyzing Victorian and Romantic poetry isn't worthwhile; I'm just suggesting that you might want to lure them in with something else first. I like to start with Billy Collins' Introduction to Poetry. It's relatively easy for students to understand, yet it has a variety of poetic devices they can identify and discuss. Most importantly, the poem deals with the different ways that students and teachers approach poetry. Here's how I roll out the lesson: Ask students how do you feel about poetry? Discuss and record some of the words and phrases that they use on the board or a piece of chart paper. Ask students to write metaphors or similes that illustrate their feelings about the genre: Studying poetry is like... Poetry is... Give the students the poem and read it to them. After, ask them to read it again and identify the poetic devices used by Collins. Have them do a turn-and-talk to someone beside them to discuss what they've found. During the full class discussion that follows, direct the discussion to ensure they've identified the devices that Collins uses to create meaning. Essentially, in the first five stanzas he suggests that studying a poem should be an experience of exploration and discovery. He suggests that a reader may have to look at it in a different light and to listen to its sound. Or, like a mouse in a maze, the reader must figure out how to move through the structure of the puzzle in order to come out the other side. He also invites the reader into a poem, to feel his way until light can be shone on its darkness. Refreshingly, he says he wants his students to just skim "across the surface of the poem" and just enjoy it. Finally, the tone shifts in the last two stanzas, when the speaker reflects on his students' approach to poetry. For them, it's an experience of torture, for they want the poem to confess its secrets, without them actually getting inside it, to figure out what it means. After you're sure they understand the meaning and have discussed the effect of Collins' techniques, ask them if the ideas in the poem match their experience with studying poetry. If so, why? Is it how it should be? Have students write their own free verse poem that captures their feelings about studying poetry. Ask them to use some similes and metaphors to capture the ideas they want to get across to the reader. If they need a nudge, tell them to start with The teacher takes out a poem and... If you'd like some more engaging activities for poetry, you might like to check out my Poetry Games and Activities. And, when it's time to start analyzing, my Poetry Learning Stations break the process into manageable chunks and help students focus on the process of interpretation. It gets them moving too! Happy Teaching! Getting Your Teens to Actually Read This is a serious issue in secondary classrooms when the required reading is longer and can't be completed in class. There are not enough hours in the semester to get it all done as it is, and besides, kids read at such vastly different rates that some are finished long before others. It means that students just have to do some reading at home. But, we all know that creates another issue, because many will come unprepared to do the next day's work. It is a true conundrum. Strategies to motivate kids to readI wish I could tell you that I had the secret. I don't. I struggle with the same issues every day. I do, however, have a few strategies that can help. First of all, I start every semester with reading workshop. The best way to hook reluctant readers is to let them find a book that makes them want to read. And that's not necessarily To Kill a Mockingbird or Lord of the Flies. I still do a full class novel, but not until later in the semester, after the kids have had a chance to read books that they have chosen for themselves. My hope is that by then, they are more willing to read something that I've assigned, because they've learned to enjoy reading. Another thing I need to do to ensure that my students actually read is spend some time on their favourite Internet sites. You know the ones I mean: Sparknotes, Schmoop, E-notes. I've written about this before in my post about keeping kids off Sparksnotes, so you can read more detail there. Essentially, if I keep asking questions or using assessments that they can answer without reading, then I'm part of the problem. Text-Self and Text-Text questions are good for this. Find a poem or an article that relates to something in the text and have them show their knowledge of character or theme by making connections between the two. Or have them illustrate how a character is like them or someone they know. These things are a lot harder to "Google." In reality, though, I ask my students very few questions about the texts they read. Instead, I teach them how to take notes and require them to come to class with notes made on the night's assigned reading. I tell them ahead of time what they should be looking for and have them "start a page" for each element. For example, if we're reading Mockingbird, they will write Atticus, Scout, Jem, etc. at the top of a page. On the page entitled "Atticus", they will take notes to track his character. They do the same with themes or motifs that I tell them to track as they read. Strategies for critical thinking about textBut do I make sure they actually do this? During each class, the students will meet to discuss what they believe to be significant about each section. At the beginning of each class, I do a quick check to see who has their notes done. Those who didn't do the homework can't participate in the group discussions. I either send them to the library or cafeteria to finish, or leave them at their desks to do so. Basically, they can't just sit in the group and benefit from everyone else's work; they need to do it themselves. The first few times I do this, there will be a huge group of students who have to sit out. However, after they catch on that I mean business, the group quickly dwindles. It really works. Aside from this note-taking strategy, I have a lot of critical thinking exercises I do with the students that require them to actually read and understand the text. In the picture to the right, students are doing a write-around exercise that requires them to discuss the purpose of a chapter and to build on each other's ideas. I also like them to choose a title for a chapter or section and give a rationale for why they chose it. Each of these requires a deeper understanding of the reading, one that is hard to fake. And, when students come to class knowing that you're going to give them work that requires that kind of understanding, they are much more likely to do the work. Now, I'm no fool. I know that there are still kids who don't read and rely on the Internet or movies to do their thinking for them. But, you know what? There will always be those kids. Unfortunately, we won't get them all. I do find, though, that these strategies hook more of them into reading. Do you have any tried and true tips for ensuring that your kids read? Please share in the comments!
Satellite News Thumbnail Recent Post NASA Probe Sees Solar Wind Decline Super-Earth Atmosphere Kepler Discovers Pulverized Planet Dark Asteroids Scientists working for NASA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. have developed continually updating "movies" of satellite imagery that allows on-line, iPhone and iPad viewing of any cyclone's movement in the Hurricane Alleys of the Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-13 satellite captures visible and infrared images of the weather over the U.S. East coast. These images are overlaid on a true-color background map, and fed into small and medium-sized videos of the Gulf of Mexico and the nearby Atlantic Ocean for the last 3 days. The GOES-11 satellite provides similar coverage of the U.S. west coast and Eastern Pacific. The GOES satellites scan further into the oceans twice per hour, offering the opportunity to watch storm development in the swath called "Hurricane Alley," from Atlantic to Pacific. The bigger scans are used to make large-scale Hurricane Alley movies for the last three to five days, illustrating the life-cycle of subtropical storms, as some of them spin up to become hurricanes. The GOES satellites also scan the entire disk of the Earth every three hours. These are used to produce "full disk movies" from the last five days of satellite imagery data from GOES-13 in the Atlantic and GOES-11 in the eastern Pacific. With just eight frames per day, time flies by quickly as weather circulates across the Western Hemisphere. "We have recently changed the code for the up-to-date GOES movies, including the "Hurricane Alley" movies, that have links on the page," said Dr. Dennis Chesters of the NASA GOES Project at Goddard. "They are now all encoded with H264, the digital compression standard used by the cable TV industry." Dr. Chesters said that the NASA GOES Project also slightly resized the GOES movies, so that all of the movies have at least one dimension that is a sub-multiple of a standard HDTV dimension (720/1080). "This makes it easy for software that automatically fits movies to a screen to resize them without complicated interpolation," Dennis said. "So, the movies appear sharp and have snappy playback on small-screen devices. For instance, they work nicely on the popular iPads." As a hidden bonus, each of the four frames at the top of the page is linked to a "reference movie" that downloads a movie that is the right size for your device. This is a Quicktime-only feature that will work on all Apple computers and Windows PCs that have Quicktime installed. The "reference movie" will accommodate iPhones and iPads as well as Macs and PCs. It sends a highly compressed version if the device is using a slow G3 phone link, but sends a larger, less compressed version to bigger screens with faster connections. Leave a Reply
Attitude sickness treatmen Also known as Acute Mountain Sickness , occurs to most people due to lack of oxygen at high attitudes(over 3000m). The symptoms include headache ,dizziness, lethargy, loss of appetite ,nausea, breath--lessness and irritability. Most tourists to Tibet suffer the sickness upon arrival .It takes 2-3 days to recover from the sickness ,depending on individual case .Here are some tips to help better acclimation : Drink extra fluids Eat light ,high-carbohydrate meals for more energy Avoid alcohol or smoke Avoid sedatives Don’t push yourself for intense movement ,like running around or climbing up Avoid catching cold before-entering Tibet
Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary: The Hebrew word: חגג Source: http://www.abarim-publications.com/Dictionary/ht/ht-g-g.html Abarim Publications' online Biblical Hebrew Dictionary חגג חוג The two forms חגג (hgg) and חוג (hwg) are obviously related in form and meaning: The root-verb חגג (hagag) describes a gathering up of people in order to celebrate or hold a feast, specifically any of the three main pilgrimage feasts that Israel was to celebrate (Exodus 23:14-16). These feasts were huge affairs that caused the entire daily economy to cease for many days and pretty much the whole population to be on the move; this to the great delight of the Israelites but much to the chagrin and bewilderment of the various occupying forces (who had trouble enough with the Hebrew insistence on a whole day off per every seven). The three main feasts were: • The Feast of Unleavened Bread, better known as Pesah or Passover. This feast was held at the beginning of the agricultural year. • The Feast of the Ingathering of First Fruits. This feast was held at the beginning of the productive season. • The Feast of the Harvest, to be held when the harvest was done. Our verb may also denote festive behavior as if one was at a feast (1 Samuel 30:16). The Arabic equivalent means "to betake oneself to or towards an object of reverence" (says BDB Theological Dictionary) and this verb returns in the prescribed pilgrimage to Mecca: the Hadj. In Psalm 107:27 our verb is used in the meaning of to reel; to whirl around. Since the object of the verb is sailors in a storm, the connection to festive swirling may not seem very clear. Here at Abarim Publications we surmise that our verb deals with the same kind of circular and symbiotic dependency as does the verb זבח (zabah), meaning to sacrifice. The action of the verb then describes the transition from a large and slow circular motion to a concentrated, small and fast one; the large circular motion would constitute life in its daily symbiotic synchronicity, whereas the smaller, faster one would result from people gathered for their feast. This verb demonstrates that feasts and storms form virtually in the same way and for the same reason: to alleviate tension and release energy. Note that the verb חול (hul I), which means to whirl, reflects dancing as much as writhing in agony or shuddering in fear. This root yields one, maybe two derivatives: • The masculine noun חג (hag) means feast or festival gathering, with the same scope as the verb (Exodus 23:14, Judges 21:19, 1 Kings 12:32). • The feminine noun חגא (haga), meaning a reeling. It's a curious word which is spelled like the Aramaic equivalent of an unused Hebrew word חגה (haga); the feminine version of חג (hag). This noun is used only once, in Isaiah 19:17, and HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament declares "derivative from hagag unsure". But since Aramaic elements of the Bible are all late, it may reflect the modern usage that also appears in Psalm 107. The root-verb חוג (hug) means to draw round or make a circle, and appears to be closely related to the secondary (or perhaps primary) meaning of our previous verb. It occurs only in Job 26:10, where God is said to have drawn a circle on the surface of the waters. Many commentators take this to denote the horizon, but here at Abarim Publications we're pretty sure from the textual context and the relation to the previous verb that the hydrologic cycle is meant. Its derivations are: • The masculine noun חג (hug), meaning circle or circuit. It's used a mere three times, twice to denote the hydrologic cycle (Job 22:14, Proverbs 8:27) and once to describe the "cycle of the earth," which appears to denote the more fundamental thermodynamic cycle (Isaiah 40:22). • The feminine noun מחוגה (mehuga), meaning compass or an instrument for circle-drawing. It's used only once, in Isaiah 44:13. Associated Biblical names
A List Of Problem-Solution Essay Topics To Help You Write A Solid Paper The problem-solution essay is an assignment you usually encounter in anywhere early composition class to an undergraduate writing class in college. It has four basic components: 1) describing a problem vividly; 2) proposing a solution to the problem; 3) arguing that the solution is feasible, practical and workable; and 4) explaining why your solution is better than others. Sometimes students have a hard time writing a problem-solution paper because they can’t come up with a good topic that interests them. So here is a list of great topics that are sure to inspire a solid paper: • What are the best ways to help people who are victims of family abuse or violence? Consider the programs that exist for victims already and think of ways in which they can be improved, if at all? How can the community find ways to offer support? • What can we do to prevent people from dropping out of high school? Though fewer students are dropping out compared to a decade or two ago, the number of high school dropouts is still significantly high. What can be done? • How can we convince kids not to experiment with drugs? Do schools need more drug prevention funding? Do communities need mandatory programs? Or is this largely a problem that parents have to handle privately? • How can the U.S. deal with the growing problem of illegal immigration? The U.S. is constantly faced with a problem of illegal immigration with the largest populations of migrants coming from Spanish-speaking nations to the south of its borders and from Asian-speaking nations who cross oceans. What solutions exist and how does one put them into effect? • What can be done about the increase in gun violence on school grounds? No matter what the number of injuries or deaths are reported, gun violence in the school has a profoundly negative effect on the communities in which this type of violence occurs. So why aren’t more people involved in preventing these crimes? What can be done? • How can people help the homeless their communities? Some communities don’t have as large a homeless population as others, and so are harder to convince to lend a helping hand. Yet the homeless problem really does affect everyone, so what can be done to help this population and can support be far-reaching? • What are the best solutions to preventing deaths caused by drunk driving? Consider driving education, tougher laws and punishments, alcohol education and problems in infrastructure. Can you imagine others being in support or disapproval with your solution? © Dao5Conference.com. All rights reserved.
Being Orthodox 12: Courage.7.0103 As Christians in general, and as Coptic Orthodox Christians in particular, an important part of our heritage is the ancient Christian School of Alexandria, which flourished from the second to the fourth centuries and produced such giants of ancient Christian thought as Pantaenus, Clement of Alexandria, Athenagoras, Origen, Didymus the Blind and of course the great theologian-patriarchs, Pope Peter the Seal of Martyrs and philosopher-priest, Pope Athanasius the Apostolic and Pope Cyril the Pillar of Faith. Most historians regard this School as the cradle of Christian theology and philosophy, not just for the Copts, but for the whole Christian Church, East and West. That is no small legacy to inherit! But inheritance is not about boasting of past glories, it is about continuing the traditions that made that past glorious. And how can we continue that tradition if we are unacquainted with it? So to begin, I will offer some contemplations on the School of Alexandria, as it was in ancient times. What made the School of Alexandria so influential? My view is that truth has an inevitable power to it. Things that are true tend to eventually win out, while things that are false sooner or later collapse. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, Greek philosophers of two and half thousand years ago, are still studied carefully in universities today because they touched deep and timeless truths that remain forever relevant. The genius of the School of Alexandria lay in its courageous pursuit of truth, wherever that pursuit might lead, and using any and all tools that might help in that pursuit. Thus the Christian Alexandrian scholars studied not only theology and sacred texts, but all the natural sciences (as they were then), mathematics, geometry, rhetoric (the ancient art of arguing) and philosophy. They used every available tool in their world to conduct a pursuit of truth that was as all-encompassing as possible. This is reflected in their writings that often go far beyond the merely religious and present a worldview that covers every aspect of the world and human life. They were not afraid to engage with their non-Christian critics, pagan, gnostic or any other variety. They met them on their own turf, using the tools of philosophy to engage with the philosophers, history and literature to engage with the historian, and the natural world to engage with the ‘scientists’ of the day. They seem to have believed that all true knowledge must inevitably lead to the God of Truth, and found the fingerprints of that God even in the writings of the pagans themselves. In this they were following in the footsteps of St Paul, who was quite comfortable using pagan poetry and philosophy, and even their own theology, to bring the knowledge of the true God to them. I love this approach to Christianity, and prefer it greatly to the approach that feels the need to shut itself off from the world and hide, lest perhaps one’s faith be shaken by some uncomfortable truths out there. If our Christian faith is true, then it will ultimately stand against every challenge that is brought against it. And if it is false, then isn’t it better that we find that out rather than living a lie? This open-minded approach also means that the Christian does not have to box off different parts of her life to isolate them from each other. We do not have to quarantine ourselves from popular culture or from modern scientific theories, but instead we can find the grains of truth in that culture and knowledge that actually help us in our Christian walk. The ancient Christians not only used pagan philosophy and poetry, they also employed pagan temple hymns to express their love for the True God and recruited common folk songs to give tune to the liturgy. Today, some Christians have denounced children’s novels like the Harry Potter series, but this is in fact quite contrary to the spirit of the School of Alexandria and of St Paul. More in keeping with that spirit is to seek the messages within those books that teach and encourage Christian principles, such self-sacrificial love and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. “To the pure, all things are pure,” wrote St Paul (Titus 1:15), and the ancient Christians purified everything in the their world, ‘baptising’ it in order to use it to glorify God. This world ultimately belongs to God, and it is part of our mission as Christians to win it back for His kingdom by healing it, piece by little piece. In a similar way, the scientist does not have stop being a Christian in the laboratory, nor stop being a scientist at Church. The intelligent, educated young Christian in an Evangelical Protestant environment often faces a crisis of faith when they are exposed to some branches of modern science. For example, Young Earth Creationism in its modern incarnation is chiefly an Evangelical Protestant movement that is based on a very literal reading of the Bible, the kind of literal reading the Coptic Church usually denounces. It leads to Christians being forced to deny well-established and compelling scientific ideas (like the age of the universe being over 13 billion years old) and scrabbling to come up with ultimately unconvincing arguments in a vain effort to support a mistaken interpretation of Scripture. Falsehood supporting falsehood, and in the end, a disconnection with reality and truth. I think the ancient Fathers of the Church would have shuddered. Indeed, St Augustine, a Western Father, wrote this way back in the fifth century, long before modern science had even been invented, but his words ring a note of caution to us today. It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about the other elements of this world, about the motion of rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about the definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of the years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty, by reasoning or by experience even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, however, and greatly to be avoided, that he should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. (The Literal Interpretation of Genesis, 1,19,39) Young Earth Creationists object that there is an irreconcilable difference between the Bible-based faith and the conclusions of modern science. “I would rather trust the Word of God”, they boast confidently, “than trust the speculations of men!” That may be admirable loyalty, but it is misplaced, for it is not ‘the Word of God’ they are trusting but their own characteristic interpretation of the Word of God, and that is another thing altogether. In fact, so far as I can tell, there is never any disagreement between good theology and good science. Disagreements arise between bad theology (like YEC) and good science, or bad science and good theology. If we see Orthodox Christianity as being at least partly about a search for truth, then like the Alexandrian School, we have nothing to fear from science or any other valid branch of human knowledge and learning – they can only help us understand the God of Truth even better. In fact, I would venture to say that the currently held view of the vastness of the universe in both time and space, and the immensely complex and beautiful structures that fill it are far more suitable to an infinite God than the tiny little universe of either pre-scientific times or of YEC today. Science has allowed us to appreciate and glorify the majesty of God far more than any other time in history. The ancient Fathers, including those of Alexandria, certainly do not agree on every point. But I find this comforting, rather than troubling. They understood something that many Christians today fail to appreciate: that the world in which we live (and the world to come) are far greater and more complex than we puny humans can understand. This majestic complexity is what makes our search for truth such a fascinating adventure, a journey, as it were, to unravel the mysteries of reality that reflect the glory and wisdom of the God who is far beyond human understanding altogether. Our certainty is not the certainty of the fanatic who fears and resists facts that disagree with his worldview, but the certainty of the child secure in the undoubted love of her Father. So long as we live in this indomitable love, we bravely meet the world and take it as it is, rather than try to see it as we wish it to be. Thus the Orthodox have been in the habit of distinguishing between two types of statements made by the ancient Fathers. Dogma is that which makes up the core of the Christian faith and Gospel, things like the incarnation and divinity of Christ, His crucifixion and resurrection. Dogma is not negotiable. It is revealed to humanity by God and comprises the unmistakable foundation for all that exists. It is most succinctly laid out in the Creed of Orthodox Christianity. Upon dogma, no truly orthodox Father disagrees. Theolegoumena on the other hand, are statements of conjecture and exploration. They represent the courage of the ancient Fathers in seeking to push back the boundaries of human knowledge and to make sense of matters both secular and spiritual. Here we would be terribly surprised if we found that there was no disagreement, for these statements are reasonable inferences, educated guesses, with no guarantee of infallibility. The Fathers understood what today’s scientists understand all to well: the road to truth is often littered with mistakes along the way. But humility and devotion to finding that truth no matter how long it takes pay off in the long run. A Church that stifles or even outlaws such courageous reflection and speculation is certainly not following either the fearless devotion to truth of the Christian Gospel, nor the courageous tradition of inquiry of the School of Alexandria. What have we to fear if we sincerely seek truth? That is why you will find that even the most outrageous and improbable speculations of that great genius Origen were not condemned in his own lifetime (he was condemned, however, for disobeying his bishop, but that’s another story) but tolerated and even discussed openly, influencing many of our most respected Fathers such as St Basil of Caesarea, St Gregory the Theologian and St Gregory of Nyssa amongst others. His theolegoumena were only formally condemned centuries later when the Church had become intimately entwined with the state and the authority of the government was employed to squelch any belief out of the ordinary. But in the earlier centuries, error was not remedied with heavy-handed authority, but with truth: with open, frank and honest exploration and discussion, and with sincere prayer for divine guidance to truth. In Pope Peter the Seal of Martyrs we see a coming together of two types of courage. Not only was he a learned philosopher who, like the other Fathers, met the pagan philosophers on their own terms, but he ended his life as a martyr for Christ, in spite his high position, offering himself up to death with the prayer that his death might bring to an end the suffering of his flock under the persecution of Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century. Orthodox Christianity has a rich history of utter surrender to God, including the willingness to lay down one’s life for the One who lay down His life for all humanity. This too is part of our inheritance as Copts, that quite literally millions of our forebears made this ultimate sacrifice. And indeed, the martyrdoms continue until this day in a troubled Egypt undergoing sectarian violence. This is a courage deeply rooted in a faith based on truth and love. The Christian martyr would rather die than deny the truth or the Gospel or forsake the love of Christ. Even as she dies, she still loves the very people who doing the killing, in faithfulness to the example of Christ upon the cross. Examples abound of Christians loving their persecutors, both in the past and today. The Christian villagers who washed the feet of the soldiers on their way to killing other Christians converted a thoughtful young pagan to their religion of love, and he went on become St Pachomius, author of the first rule of monasticism. And on the walls of the burnt out shell of a Coptic Church in Egypt that was destroyed by fundamentalists recently, some anonymous Christian spray-painted the following words: “We still love you”. This is not weakness as many today would read it, but great strength, for Christian love fears nothing, not even death. These days, few of us are going to become literal martyrs. But that does not mean that the spirit and courage of the martyrs is alien to us. Ancient Orthodox Christianity developed a way of life that allows the person to live the principles of martyrdom in their daily life, a way of life that requires the same courage that characterized both the ancient School of Alexandria and the ancient martyrs. That shall be our next topic. VN:F [1.7.4_987] Rating: 7.0/10 (3 votes cast) VN:F [1.7.4_987] Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Unit Testing: MVC So I've talked about what MVC is and looked at MVC in Rich Client Applications. In those posts I mentioned that MVC was pretty helpful when it comes to unit testing. This is because, as I pointed out in Unit Testing and TDD, you can't test GUIs. Of course, you can if you really set your mind to it... But at this point I'm not convinced its worth the effort. So how does MVC help us Unit Test? Well, once you have a controller that manipulates a view, you can mock out the view and unit test the controller. So MVC gave us something in our GUI layer to test! Here's an example. Suppose you're creating an interface in which there are three combo boxes, each one is dependent on the one before it. So, when you select a value in the first, the second one gets populated with certain data. When you select a value in the second, the third one gets populated with certain data. Change the first one, the second one loses its value, gets filled with different data, and the third one loses its value and its data is cleared. Pretty simple little UI and not all that uncommon. So, the view is simple, it's three combo boxes. Lets ignore data binding to keep this example even simpler. So what does our view's interface look like? • ClearComboBox2Value • ClearComboBox3Value • SetComboBox2DataSource( data ) • SetComboBox3DataSource( data ) Now our controller can cause the view to change state by calling the methods on the view. How does the controller know when values have been changed on the view? This could be done in two ways. 1. Add events to the view that fire when the values of ComboBox1 and ComboBox2 change 2. Simply put methods on the controller to indicate the values have changed and have the view call the controller Personally I prefer the second approach. This approach makes it easier to test and easier to read the view's code. Also, it doesn't violate the dependency chain of MVC because the controller still doesn't depend directly on the view. The view depends on the controller, but that's OK. If you need to provide different controllers to the same view you can do this with Dependency Injection. So, if you're willing, lets go with the second approach. Now we have a view and a controller. Can we unit test the view? You can, but I'm not. Can we unit test the controller? YES! Why does this matter? Well, the controller now contains the actual behavioral logic of the form. By testing the controller we guarantee that that logic is correct. Now we just have to test that the view updates its state appropriately. You could do this manually by clicking around, or you could use a visual scripting framework to click around for you, or you could write code to click for you... I'm still just doing it manually. Again, no silver bullet, but we're 80-90% there (depending on how complicated the view is). The post on MVC in Windows Applications ended without an answer. However I think this post clarifies that the benefits of unit testing a controller likely out weigh the complexity that comes from MVC. Have you tried it? What do you think? Why not leave a comment? Josh always does! Is he really that much better than you? 1 comment: 1. Ill be honest i didn't read this post (yet) but i did see the last line and I completely support more discussion on this blog. Kevin knows he has readers so some of y'all need to post some feedback. We don't completely destroy you with our obviously superior intellect ;-)
Please find below my own action version of the story adapted for younger children: In preparation have cut out a large square, for a house, right angled triangle for a roof, smaller rectangle for a door and small square for a roof. Stick these indiscriminately on a wall, ask the children which is the large square and then stick in in a central position carry on doing the same until all the shapes are stuck together to form a house. Then into the story... There was once a man with a poorly body and legs that wouldn't work aaahhhhhh that's sad.... Show me your sad faces..well that is how this man felt because he couldn't walk or run or play tag or any of those exciting things... He would be lying down on a mat all day and needed his friends to pick him up and carry him if he wanted to go any where. Well one day this man's friend heard that Jesus was in town and that if Jesus wanted he could heal all sorts of people. Immediately they thought of their good friend stuck on the mat all day and decided they would do something to help him. They went to him as he lay there on his rectangular mat...a bit like the shape of that rectangle on the floor... And they each took a corner of the mat and lifted him up. Their friend said 'Hey! What are you doing?' and the friends said 'We are taking you to Jesus!' Now before I carry on lets look again at our shapes house, because you know the houses were Jesus lived didn't look this shape, with the pointed roof, they looked different. Let me show you... Take the triangle and put it on the side of the house and say to the children. The houses where Jesus lived had flat roofs and this triangle here (point to triangle) we can pretend is not a roof anymore but some steps up to the flat roof of the house. Well the friend heaved and carried their friend on the mat until they came to the flat roofed house where Jesus was stopping. Oh no! Show me your shocked face! The house was packed...everybody must have known that Jesus was there and they had all gone to hear what he had got to say and now the house was packed and there would be no way of getting their friend in through the door (point to the door of your shapes house) to see Jesus. What were they going to do? Point to the triangle stairs... Well one of the friends said 'Look the stairs...we get him up there and rip a hole in the roof and lower him down through the hole to Jesus!' What a brilliant idea! Show me your excited faces...because that is how this man's friends felt now...They carried their friend (pointing to the shapes house as you say) up the steps and onto the flat roof. The ripped the roof off and lowered their friend on the mat down through the hole, right in front of Jesus. Jesus looked at the man and said to him 'your sins are forgiven, get up, roll up your mat and walk.' Now it was the man on the mat's turn to be surprised! Everyone looked surprised as the man got up rolled up his mat and jumped and walked and looked extremely happy! Jesus had healed him! Show me your very happy faces and jump on the spot, just like the man who had been healed. Activity: Put masking tape shapes on the floor. Tell the children, just as the man in the story was so excited that Jesus had healed him and rolled up his bed and jumped and walked I think we should jump to the correct shape when I call it out. As you call out the shape the children 'jump' over to the shape. Songs: Wheels on the bus Tel: (01782) 522180 Shapes Theme/ The poorly man goes through the roof. sunday school, toddler groups, crafts games, lesson theme plans Pre-school theme: shapes Sunday School : The paralysed man Shapes collarge pictures. Print out the children's template sheet with the greyed out shape outlines. Then print out the shapes sheet and cut out shapes. The children then glue the correct shape onto the shapes outline until their picture is completed. Click on the thumbnail below to go to the pdf document. Story : The story of the healing of the paralysed man in Luke can be found in the Bible in the book of Luke ch 5 v 18 - 26 children, kids man through roof, shapes pdf shape 2 pdf see our regular kids activities Mow Cop Community Church Going to Session Plans
Lessons from aboriginal culture on public speaking AboriginesWhen you meet a traditional aboriginal person, the first thing that they will try to do is find a shared experience or common ground. Who do we know in common? Where have we both been? What have we both experienced? Tenuous links are fine, as long as they answer the big question: ‘how are we linked?’ Culturally, shared experiences are seen as vital to building rapport, not just within aboriginal culture, but cultures across the world too. Thousands of years of cultural development has led to one common outcome in cultures across the world – shared experiences always equal empathy, understanding and lay the groundwork for positive communication. What does this mean for us when speaking in public, or delivering presentations? Demonstrating that we have shared experience, that we are just like them, is key to building rapport with our audience and persuading them to believe our argument. Next time you are struggling to find a way to build rapport or persuade your audience, simply look for a story to tell that shows exactly what it is that you both have in common – thousands of years of human cultural development can’t be wrong! The following two tabs change content below. Leave a Reply
Palm Oil vs. Biodiversity As the human population continues to grow, the populations of many other species around the globe continue to decrease. Much of the global loss of biodiversity can be attributed to anthropogenic causes including hunting and fishing, pollution, and the introduction of exotic species into ecosystems. While some of the causes of biodiversity loss are indirect consequences of human activity, the growth of palm oil plantations around the world has had many direct impacts on animal populations around the globe. Figure 1: An example of the wide array of commonly consumed products that palm oil is used in. Photo Credit: For a variety of reasons, global use of palm oil has increased in recent decades. Due to a couple special properties, palm oil is extremely useful. Along with the products shown in the figure above, palm oil is additionally used in products such as baked goods and many household cleaning products. Due to how useful palm oil is, it has been estimated that global demand for the product will double by the end of the century. However, while its usefulness might be positive, the production of palm oil has many negative consequences that can cascade through ecosystems around the world. As palm oil is produced in over 20 countries around the globe, the ecological consequences are an international problem. While global palm oil production has been linked to global warming, with large atmospheric CO2 emissions, one of the largest impacts comes from palm oil productions link to habitat destruction. Figure 2: A forest recently cleared in order to make room for palm oil production. Photo Credit: As the oil palm tree can only grow in tropical areas, the places in which palm oil production can occur are limited. With this, much of palm oil production occurs on previously forested land, which in turn has led to much deforestation in tropical regions around the world. Deforestation for palm oil production not only releases large amounts of atmospheric CO2, as previously mentioned, but can also lead to ecological alterations such as erosion and water pollution. In addition to these, deforestation has been strongly linked to a global loss in biodiversity. Due to habitat loss, many already endangered species, such as Bornean orangutans and pygmy elephants,are being driven close to extinction. In addition to just habitat loss, palm oil production is threatening many species in a multitude of other ways. Research has found that palm oil production has increased the accessibility of many animals to poachers and hunters. This in turn has led to more and more animals losing their lives due to palm oil production. In addition to to over 50,000 orangutans having already been killed, palm oil production threatens populations of tigers, elephants,, monkeys, and many more. Figure 3: Orangutan found severely injured after habit destruction due to deforestation for palm oil production. Photo Credit: As there are many food options that don’t have palm oil as an ingredient, and scientists are continually finding new ways in which we could replace palm oil in our food, the time to act is now. While the global climate and biodiversity are being threatened in many ways, it is important that people start realizing that changes can be made that can help the other beings with whom we share our planet. As palm oil is by no means necessary, and there are other input and output of production options, there is no need to continue harming animals and ecosystems, but there is a need to say no to palm oil. Filed under Uncategorized 2 responses to “Palm Oil vs. Biodiversity 1. amyquandt Very powerful images. Do you know more about the history of palm oil? How long has it been used and why is its popularity and use growing so quickly? • The rise of palm oil has happened in part due to certain properties of the plant itself. Not only is the oil very versatile, giving it a high market value, the plant has an extremely high yield, making production of palm oil very valuable and profitable. The use of oil palm in human societies dates back to West African cultures, and there has even been evidence of its use in times of the Egyptian Empire. The expansion of the use of palm oil to the international market has been attributed to European Colonization and the British Industrial Revolution including and expansion of overseas trade. After WWII, increase in technology then led to a global rise in palm oil use, with the ability of using largely unhydrogenated oil as a major factor in this rise. An increase in the technologies allowing more efficient international trade has allowed the use of palm oil to increase all across the globe, and with its efficiency as a product, it is desired, so it is now greatly used across the world. Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
Diabetic dermopathy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Diabetic dermopathy (also known as "shin spots") is a type of skin lesion usually seen in people with diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by dull-red papules that progress to well-circumscribed, small, round, atrophic hyperpigmented skin lesions usually on the shins. It is the most common[1]:540[2]:681 of several diabetic skin conditions, being found in up to 30% of diabetics. Similar lesions can occasionally be found in non-diabetics usually following trauma or injury to the area; however, >4 lesions strongly suggests diabetes. The cause is unknown but is thought to be associated with diabetic neuropathy and vascular complications; because the lesions are more common on the shins, some suggest it represents an altered response to injury. It is seen more commonly in patients with longstanding diabetes and poor glucose control. See also[edit]
Light painting From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Light graffiti) Jump to: navigation, search Lightpainting inside an abandoned limestone quarry in France. Pure Energy and Neurotic Man, a light painting by Barbara Morgan, (1940) Light painting (also called light drawing) dates back to 1889 when Étienne-Jules Marey and Georges Demeny traced human motion in the first known light painting “Pathological Walk From in Front”.[1] The technique was used in Frank Gilbreth's work with his wife Lillian Moller Gilbreth in 1914, when the pair used small lights and the open shutter of a camera to track the motion of manufacturing and clerical workers. Man Ray, in his 1935 series "Space Writing," was the first known art photographer to use the technique. Photographer Barbara Morgan began making light paintings in 1940. During the 1970s and 80's Eric Staller [4] used this technology for numerous photo projects that were called "Light Drawings". Light paintings up to 1976 are classified as light drawings.[citation needed] In 1977 Dean Chamberlain gave birth to light painting (using handheld lights to selectively illuminate and/or color parts of the subject or scene) with his image "Polyethylene Bags On Chaise Longue" at The Rochester Institute of Technology. Dean Chamberlain was the first artist to dedicate his entire body of work to the light painting art form.[1] The artist photographer Jacques Pugin made several series of images with the light drawing technique in 1979.[5] Picasso and Mili's images should be regarded as some of the first light drawings. Now, with modern light painting, one uses more frequently choreography and performance to photograph and organize. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Steve Mann invented, designed, built, and used various wearable computers to visualize real-world phenomena such as sound waves, radio waves, and sight fields by light painting using computational photography.[7][8][9] [10] Since the 1980s, Vicki DaSilva has been working exclusively in light painting and light graffiti.[11] In 1980, Vicki DaSilva [12] started making deliberate text light graffiti works, the first being "Cash".[13] She continued these light graffiti photographs throughout the 1980s and eventually started using 4 foot fluorescent bulbs hooked up to pulley systems to create sheets of light. In the early 2000s she began making work with 8 foot fluorescent lamps, holding the lamp vertically and walking through spaces with it.[14][15] This artform enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 21st century, partly due to the increasing availability of dSLR cameras, advances in portable light sources such as LEDs, and also in part due to the advent of media sharing websites by which practitioners can exchange images and ideas. Example of a light painting made by moving the camera Light painting using handheld lights to selectively illuminate or colour parts of the subject or scene or to evenly light large architectural interiors has been used in professional photography since the 1930s as described by Leslie Walker[16] and Ansel Adams.[17] Light painting requires a slow shutter speed, usually at least a second in duration. Light painting can imitate characteristics of traditional painting; superimposition and transparency can easily be achieved by moving, adding or removing lights or subjects during or between exposures. A variety of light sources can be used, ranging from simple flashlights to dedicated devices like the Hosemaster, which uses a fiber optic light pen.[18] Other sources of light including candles, matches, fireworks, lighter flints, glowsticks, and Poi are also popular. The PixelStick offer users the ability to control their light source in order to create images from letters to pictures that they have imported. Some light painters make their own dedicated devices to create light trails over the photo background; this can include computer-controlled devices. This Arduino controlled LED array can render images that could not be made by drawing in the air with a single light source alone. Important artists[edit] See also[edit] 1. ^ a b 3. ^ Jäger, Gottfried; Reese, Beate; Krauss, Rolf H (2005), Concrete photography = Konkrete fotografie, Kerber Verlag, ISBN 978-3-936646-74-0 4. ^ Eric Staller - Light Drawings 5. ^ Light Painting historical article on the site of Light Painting World Alliance 6. ^ Metaveillance, IEEE CVPR 2016, pp. 1-10, open access 7. ^ Campus Canada, ISSN 0823-4531: p55, Feb-Mar 1985; pp58-59, Apr-May 1986; and p72, Sep-Oct 1986. 8. ^ Impulse, ISSN 0315-3649, Volume 12, Number 2, 1985 9. ^ Mann, S. (1997). Wearable computing: A first step toward personal imaging. IEEE Computer, 30(2), pp25-32. 10. ^ Godshaw, Reid (2016) "The Art and Science of Light Painting," The STEAM Journal: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 23. DOI: 10.5642/steam.20160202.23 Available at: 12. ^ Vicki DaSIlva 13. ^ Vicki DaSilva - Light Graffiti 14. ^ Vicki DaSilva - Light Painting - Interiors 15. ^ Vicki DaSilva - Light Painting - Exteriors 16. ^ Walker, Leslie C (1940), The technique of painting with light, The Nash-Jones publishing company, retrieved 17 March 2016 17. ^ Adams, Ansel; Baker, Robert; New York Graphic Society (1981), The negative (1st ed.), Little, Brown and Company, p. 174, ISBN 978-0-8212-1131-1 18. ^ Greenspun, Philip (January 2007). "Studio Photography". Retrieved 2007-09-26. External links[edit]
Defining health People talk about health all the time. Our society is obsessed with health: What foods are healthy, what exercises are healthy, etc. But, how do we define health? WHO (World Health Organization) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” So why is American culture so focused on physical health and not really health but what healthy should LOOK like? I listen to a lot of health & wellness podcasts. I read a lot of health & wellness blogs. I listen and I read because the podcasters supply valuable information on general and specific ways that what we eat and how we move contributes to how we feel. At the same time, many of these well intentioned folks also push the assumption that to be healthy one must be of a certain weight. Now, I do believe there is definitely a healthier way to eat And, I’m real sure we’ll talk about that later. Real food fuels our body, our minds, and our spirits. I believe processed food and genetically modified foods (GMOs) are killing us as a nation. If you want more information about GMOs take the time to explore . Additionally, exercise and movement is important for fitness, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that extreme athleticism is healthier than walking every day or simply sitting in the sun. Movement looks different for different people. Our physical health is only the biological aspect of our being. There is so much more to health than how are bodies look and feel. Often these are overlooked because they cannot be seen. They cannot be measured by the eyes of others. But just because they cannot be seen doesn’t mean they are not equally important. What we do for our mind and spirit nourish our being. How do you define health? What makes you healthy? Do you compare your health to that of others? Here’s to your whole health! Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
Uniforms of the Ages: Hungarians in Austrian Service The heavily multicultural Austrian Empire divided its army into two main nationalities: Germans and Hungarians. While the majority of these units were not actually of those nations, the Hungarian troops were some of the more elaborately dressed. Throughout Austria’s history, the Hungarians have retained the same core elements of their uniform, changing only when the uniform style did. The first appearance of specific “Hungarian” troops was around the reign of Maria Theresa and the War of Austrian Succession. There were Hungarian troops prior to this war, but the special uniforms were not adopted until then. Hungary had only been part of the Habsburg Empire since 1541. A large partition had separated it from Bohemia and placed it under the influence of Austria. Gyulay Regiment in the 7 Years War The most notable part of the Hungarian uniform was the gold braiding on the front of the pants in a knotted style. This “Hungarian knot” was a braided lace design that was notably used by Confederate officers in the US Civil War. For the Hungarians, this pattern was on both pant legs in a golden lace. Unlike “German” troops, the pants of these soldiers were a light blue while Germans wore white or gray. Image result for confederate officer uniforms Confederate General Braxton Bragg with a Hungarian knot The uniforms changed over time with style of warfare. Tricorne hats and long coats were soon replaced by helmets and higher pants during the Napoleonic Wars. The helmets were extremely cumbersome, and provided little protection to a soldier when he wore them. In 1809, Austrian troops swapped their helmets for the shako, which was used by almost all of the major world powers at that time. The Hungarian pattern, however, remained on the uniform. By the Napoleonic Wars, the trousers of Hungarian troops had been added to as well; a black and gold stripe ran down the side of the pants. Image result for austrian army hungarian regiments Hungarian Grenadiers Post-Napoleon, Hungarian troops played an even larger role in the Austrian Army. The ratio of German units to Hungarian units was almost even as the population increased. By the next reforms, Hungarian troops wore the new shorter shako and their coats were given gold lace around the facings. These uniforms would carry them through the Italian Wars of Independence and the Austro-Prussian War. The Hungarians achieved a dual monarchy in 1867, establishing the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Uniforms remained the same until 1908 when a new, modern uniform was introduced. The hechtgrau (pike-gray) uniform was more subtle than the white and light blue the Hungarians previously wore, but their knotted pattern still stayed on their pants. By 1918, the Empire fell after their defeat in the First World War, and the Hungarian uniform disappeared with it. Hungary used a drab coloured uniform after the fall of the Dual Monarchy, and discontinued any of the previous gold lace on their pants or coats. By the Second World War, the old uniform style was completely gone, and just as the Austrian Empire changed with age, the Royal Hungarian Army changed too. Gebirgsjäger: The Alpine Warriors of the German Army Related image Gebirgsjäger in the Russian mountains Image result for gebirgsjäger Gebirgsjäger cap badge Wargame Figures: The Mexican Adventure 1861-67 The Mexican Adventure 10 Amazing Facts about the Swiss Army 2. The Swiss Guard serve as the Vatican City’s Army. Related image The Swiss Guard Image result for swiss under napoleon A Swiss infantryman in the Napoleonic Wars Wargame Figures: Baden during the Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 Baden was one of the smaller German states to serve in the Franco-Prussian War. Their uniforms were very close to those of the Prussians. Here is the link if you would like to print any of these figures out: http://www.juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/BadenFrancoPrussianWar Uniforms of the Ages: Zouaves The Very Brief History of Italy 509 BCE- Roman Republic 27 BCE- Empire 476- Fall of Rome 756- Papal States 1176- Normans 1348- Black Death 14th Century- Renaissance begins 1494- Italian Wars 1559- Habsburgs 1796- Napoleon 1815- Risorgimento 1848- Garibaldi 1859- Battle of Solferino 1870- Italy 1915- First World War 1922- Mussolini 1943- No fascism 1992- Tangentopoli 2006- World Cup Winners
Log in Welcome to the Campaign for Integrated Sustainability Why Corn Ethanol is not the solution to our energy crises! Journal Info Our Myspace Account Why Corn Ethanol is not the solution to our energy crises! Previous Entry Share Next Entry - If all the corn in the US were used for ethanol production it would only displace 12% of the gasoline currently used according to the National Academy of Sciences'. - Ethanol typically requires more fossil fuels to make from corn than it produces as fuel. - Corn ethanol is not sustainable because frowing corn erodes the the soil 18 times faster than it can recover. (Contrast with Industrial Hemp which actually replenishes the soil and is "one of the fastest CO2-to-biomass conversion tools available, more efficient than agro-forestry per land use," source: Hemp Global Solutions.) - While it takes 18 gallons of water to make a gallon of gasoline from crude oil, it takes Over 12,000 gallons of water to make a gallon of enthanol from corn! - "The overall environmental impacts of ethanol and bio-diesel can very easily exceed those of petrol and mineral diesel" according to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). - "Ethanol is not a cheap source of energy; it is about three times as expensive as gasoline," source: www.farmecon.com. So naturally, follows the question, what is the solution to our energy crises? We prescribe energy efficiency and a move towards a conservation society, For example, at present fossil fuel power plants rarely achieve conservation efficiency greater than 40% and transmission losses on the US power grid are estimated at 7-9%, so almost half of all fossil fuel energy is lost before it is put to use. For this reason and many others it would be better to have smaller and more localised power stations, in these instances the steam produced could be reused to heat local homes and workplaces for no additional cost. To learn more about these and similar concepts please consult our earlier article Nuclear Energy vs. Conservation of Energy. Powered by LiveJournal.com
Ape-Language Studies - Part I This article was first published in Faith & Reason, 19:2, 3 (Fall 1993), pp. 221-263. Permission to print kindly granted by Christendom College Press, Christendom College, 134 Christendom Avenue, Front Royal, Virginia, 22630. By Dennis Bonnette, Ph.D. Originally published in 1993, this article was the basis for chapter five of my book, Origin of the Human Species, whose second edition appeared in 2003. My book explores questions raised by evolutionary theory – ultimately focusing on what we may confidently say about human origins, and showing that belief in Adam and Eve as the human race’s first parents remains reasonable, despite many modern evolutionists’ skepticism. This article serves the book’s overall aims by defending the uniqueness of man and of his essential superiority over lower animals, including other primates. The typical evolutionary mindset holds that man is merely a highly developed animal, different in complexity, but not in kind, from lower animals. Thus, the naturalistic mentality of many animal psychologists anticipates that subhuman primates will tend to approach human beings’ mental powers, manifested in part through alleged ape linguistic abilities. Thus, the contemporary obsession with ape-language studies, complete with claims that chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and certain other subhuman primates, have been taught to use various forms of sign language and can now understand the meanings of hundreds of words, form sentences, and communicate effectively with humans and even among themselves. These claims feed the inevitable conclusion that man himself no longer holds a preeminent place in the animal kingdom, that his is but one among many other species, and that continued belief that God made him in His image and gave him dominion over all lower creatures is simply an outdated religious myth. I examine subhuman linguistic claims in two steps: First, I show that even some evolutionist natural scientists, who have analyzed ape-language studies, conclude that apes have not yet mastered true language. In 1979, some researchers challenged ape-language claims by arguing that such behavior can be explained by non-linguistic mechanisms such as (1) simple imitation, (2) the Clever Hans effect, (3) the anthropomorphic fallacy, and (4) rapid non-syntactical signing to obtain immediate sensible rewards. Two of the most important claims – (1) that apes could combine signs creatively in novel sequences and (2) that they showed knowledge of syntactic structure – were said to be based merely upon anecdotal data, not upon acceptable scientific methodology. Second, I use philosophical analysis to demonstrate (1) why human intellective knowledge is needed to possess genuine language, and (2) why it will be forever impossible for subhuman primates to exhibit true linguistic ability. Materialist explanations of animal and human behavior miss the crucial distinction between sense and intellect. Animals possess sense knowledge alone, whereas man possesses both sense and intellective knowledge. Intellective knowledge is the hallmark of the human spiritual soul, and is not shared with our animal friends. Man exhibits intellective knowledge by (1) forming abstract concepts, (2) making judgments, and (3) reasoning from premises to conclusions in logical fashion. Subhuman animals’ sensory abilities, including imagination and sense memory, enable them to manipulate sensory data and use inborn natural signs to communicate instinctively, and even to be taught by man to use humanly-invented signs. Still, they do not understand the meanings their signs express, nor form judgments, much less engage in reasoning. The hallmark of all ape behavior, including trained language use, is its relentless focus on immediate sensory rewards, such as food, toys, sex, or interaction with other animals. Abstract goals, such as earning a diploma or getting a better job or serving God, mean nothing to apes and will not beget sign language responses. Proof of my claims here requires (1) showing that ape-language research data can be explained in terms of mere sense knowledge, and (2) showing that such behavior must be so explained by positive proof that apes lack intellect. The first task is achieved largely in terms of the abovementioned scientific criticisms and also by pointing out that computers, which actually understand nothing and are not even alive, can imitate human linguistic behavior simply by manipulating data. Apes, with relatively large brains and elaborate sense faculties, can also accomplish such impressive feats, but this need not mean that they possess true linguistic comprehension any more than computers do. The second task, to show that subhuman primates’ linguistic behavior must be read as mere sensory activity, requires positive demonstration that apes lack true intellect. Four formal effects demonstrate true intellect: (1) genuine speech, (2) true progress, (3) knowledge of relations, and (4) knowledge of immaterial objects. In their wild state, with no human influence, animals, including apes, (1) fail to develop true language, and (2) fail to make genuine progress. Even in a domesticated environment, they still (3) show no understanding of real relationships (such as cause and effect) -- merely learning to associate images, and (4) clearly fail to develop the sciences and religious beliefs typical of human abstract understanding. While details of this proof require reading the article itself, the conclusion is that subhuman primates and other animals fail all four tests of true intellective activity. Hence, man alone possesses true intellect. The radical difference between mere animals and true human beings is manifested acutely by the insurmountable distinction between the sense image and intellective concept. The image is always particular, concrete, imaginable, and has sense qualities, such as when we form the image of an individual human being or a particular triangle. But, the concept is always universal, abstract, unimaginable, and lacks all sense qualities, as when we understand the meaning of terms, such as “humanity” or “triangularity.” Human beings have both kinds of knowing, whereas brute animals are restricted to knowledge of images alone. Again, full details are in the article. We grasp fully the radical limitations of brute sense knowledge only when we compare it to man’s rich, expansive intellectual life which enables him to study all the sciences, to create exponential technological progress, to embrace transcendental religious belief systems, and even to reflect upon his own human nature so as to grasp its spiritual dimensions – destined to eternal life, and to the knowledge of and union with God Himself. These insights demonstrate that evolutionist claims about ape-language studies pose no threat whatever to human essential superiority. Man still has his God-given dominion over beasts – and always will. In great part this confusion has arisen because of the success of Darwinian evolution and its attendant reductionism in dominating for much of this century the academe of those natural sciences which deal with animal and human behaviour. Thus psychologists, zoologists, biologists, anthropologists, etc., tend to view human behaviour as nothing but an extension in degree, not in kind, of lower animal behaviour. Nowhere is this tendency more acutely seen than in the controversies arising out of contemporary ape-language studies. Dissent and Defense Chevalier-Skolnikoff also presents the following remarkable claims about ape behaviour: Deception, “lying,” and joking are all behaviours that logically are dependent upon mental combinations, or symbolization, and, like other stage 6 behaviours, they cannot be cued. As mentioned above, deception, lying, and joking all appear in stage 6 in nonsigning apes, and I have observed this kind of behaviour both nonlinguistically and in conjunction with signing in the gorilla Koko during this stage. Consequently, I have no reason to doubt, as some authors have, Patterson's reports that Koko tells lies and jokes. The Anthropomorphic Fallacy While this is scarcely a proper context in which to explore and critique the multiple data upon which Chevalier-Skolnikoff's judgments are formed, it must be noted that such judgments necessarily flow from an interpretation of the concrete details examined. And herein lies the greatest danger to the human researcher who attempts to “read” the animal subject. The Sebeoks put the matter thus: Investigators and experimenters, in turn, accommodate themselves to the expectations of their animal subjects, unwittingly entering into a subtle nonverbal communication with them while convincing themselves, on the basis of their own human rules of interpretation, that the apes' reactions are more humanlike than direct evidence warrants.6 In a word, what the Sebeoks describe is the infamous anthropomorphic fallacy, that is, the error of attributing human qualities to animals based upon our nearly irresistible temptation to put ourselves in the brute's place, and then, to view his actions in terms of our own human intellectual perspectives. The universality of this human tendency is such that even experts in animal behaviour frequently fail to avoid its pitfalls. Clearly, this sort of suspicion strikes at the heart of Koko's claimed performance of “deception, lying, joking, etc.” In this, though, as in all other instances of supposed lower primate “intentional” communication, the fundamental problem which remains is the influence of man in “programming” the training and responses of the animals, and then, man's tendency to anthropomorphize the interpretation of the results of this very influence. The results never seem quite as definitive to the sceptics as they do to the researchers who nearly live with the subjects they wish to “objectively” investigate. The inherent difficulty posed for those who would completely eliminate the Clever Hans effect is well-stated by the Sebeoks. Thus we see that the Sebeoks support Hediger's claim that total elimination of the Clever Hans effect would constitute an actual contradiction in terms—a goal entirely impossible of attainment. Escaping from Clever Hans The Uniqueness of Human Speech After extremely careful analysis of all the relevant data and arguments presented by the ape-language studies, Walker finally concludes that man's linguistic capabilities remain unique: Walker also concludes that—aside from their evident superiority in terms of the “sheer quantity” of associations learned—the apes' capabilities do not qualitatively exceed those of lower species, e.g., as when a dog responds to the arbitrary sign of a buzzer in order to obtain a piece of meat through the performance of some trained action: Finally, Walker eloquently describes the radical wall of separation which distinguishes man from all the lower primates—pointing in particular to man's unique possession of language in its proper meaning: Despite Walker's willingness here to defend the uniqueness of man, we note that he yet shares the tendency of most natural scientists to describe lower primates' associative imaginative acts while employing philosophically misapplied terms such as “mental,” “understand,” and “think.” In proper philosophical usage, such terms are strictly predicable of human intellectual activities. Their application to brute animals in this context serves only to confuse the intellectual with the sentient order. In other words, with all animals with which we try to enter into conversation we do not deal with primary animals but with anthropogenous animals, so-to-speak with artifacts, and we do not know how much of their behaviour may still be labelled as animal behaviour and how much, through the catalytic effect of man, has been manipulated into the animal. This is just what we would like to know. Within this lie the alpha and omega of practically all such animal experiments since Clever Hans.21 The Inferiority of Apes In contrast with the rather elevated dialogue about apes' supposed “mental” abilities, Hediger makes a fundamental observation designed to cut the Gordian knot of much of the controversy. Analogous to the old retort, “If you are so smart, why aren't you rich?,” Hediger's rather fatally apropos version runs essentially thus: “If apes are so intelligent, why can't they learn to clean their own cages?” If argument from authority has any force at all, it should be noted here that Heini Hediger is described by the Sebeoks as the “world's leading authority on human-animal communication... (and) ...former director of the Zurich zoo....”29 Small wonder the apes will neither philosophize nor clean their cages! Intellective Activity Whether “programmed” by instinct, as in the case of the spider, or by man, as in the case of the chimpanzee, each animal is simply playing out its proper role in accord with pre-programmed habits based upon recognition or association of sensibly similar conditions. Certainly, no ape or any other brute animal understands the means as means, the end as end, and the relation of means to end as such. The sense is ordered to the particular; only intellect understands the universal. Yet, the field of contest of ape-language studies is centred not only upon the first act of the intellect discussed above, but also upon the second and third acts of the intellect, i.e., upon judgment and reasoning. Thus Chevalier-Skolnikoff insists that the chimpanzee, Washoe, and the gorilla, Koko, exhibit true grammatical competence as, for example: “breakfast eat some cookie eat,” signed by Koko at 5 years 6 months and “please tickle more, come Roger tickle,” “you me go peek-a-boo,” and “you me go out hurry,” signed by Washoe at about 3 years 9 months. Besides providing new information, the structures of these phrases (like those of the novel compound names) imply that they are intentionally planned sequences.32 © Copyright 2017 Dennis Bonnette, PhD
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can. Waseca County, Minnesota Map of Minnesota highlighting Waseca County Location in the state of Minnesota Map of USA MN Minnesota's location in the U.S. Founded February 27, 1857 [1] Named for The Dakota word meaning "rich," a reference to the fertile soil in the area. Seat Waseca Largest city Waseca - Total - Land - Water 432.81 sq mi (1,121 km²) 423.25 sq mi (1,096 km²) 9.56 sq mi (25 km²), 2.21% - (2010) - Density 46/sq mi (18/km²) Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Waseca County Courthouse The Waseca County Courthouse in 2007 Waseca County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 19,136.[1] Its county seat is Waseca[2]. According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 432.81 square miles (1,121.0 km2), of which 423.25 square miles (1,096.2 km2) (or 97.79%) is land and 9.56 square miles (24.8 km2) (or 2.21%) is water.[3] The Le Sueur River flows through a part of the county. Major highwaysEdit Adjacent countiesEdit Historical populations Census Pop. 1860 2,601 1870 7,854 202.0% 1880 12,385 57.7% 1890 13,313 7.5% 1900 14,760 10.9% 1910 13,466 −8.8% 1920 14,133 5.0% 1930 14,412 2.0% 1940 15,186 5.4% 1950 14,957 −1.5% 1960 16,041 7.2% 1970 16,663 3.9% 1980 18,448 10.7% 1990 18,079 −2.0% 2000 19,526 8.0% 2010 19,136 −2.0% U.S. Decennial Census USA Waseca County, Minnesota age pyramid As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 19,526 people, 7,059 households, and 4,990 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 7,427 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.65% White, 2.26% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 2.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 47.6% were of German, 15.5% Norwegian, 7.4% Irish and 5.5% American ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 7,059 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 109.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,440, and the median income for a family was $50,081. Males had a median income of $34,380 versus $22,630 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,631. About 4.50% of families and 6.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Edit Cities Townships † Elysian is primarily in Le Sueur County, but a part extends into Waseca County. See alsoEdit External linksEdit Coordinates: 44°01′N 93°35′W / 44.02, -93.59 This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Waseca County, Minnesota. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. Ad blocker interference detected!
Saturday, December 17, 2011 Hydrotherapy means treatment with the use of water in any of its three states; solid (ice); liquid (running water); and gaseous (steam). The most useful state is the liquid state. Water has therapeutic value when its temperature differs from the body temperature, thus changing the physiological stability of the body. Normally, the body temperature is more or less 98F. Under normal atmospheric temperature and pressure, the healthy human body maintains uniform physiological functions. To preserve uniform functions, the body must continually make adjustments to its environment. When the weather is hot, there is an appreciable difference between the temperature of the environment and the body. The body adjusts to it by perspiring. Thus by means of evaporation, heat is released from the body. Experiments showed that when a great amount of heat is lost from the body, there are various effects in body functions. When body temperature is increased there are also effects as well. In hydrotherapy, the environment of the body is changed by means of water at various temperatures. The body’s response are directly proportional to eh extent of the environmental changes. For example, if a person is placed in a water tub bath at 102F, his pulse rate will increase thereby increasing blood circulation and body temperature. But when ice is applied, there is a sudden constriction of blood vessels resulting in a decreased circulation and slowing body functions are observed. No comments:
Map of dialects in Latvia Latvian spoken dialects: • Lībiskais dialect in the North (light blue area) • Latvian writing • Vidus dialect in the Centre (blue area) • Augšzemnieku dialect in the East (dark blue area) Latvijas Republika (Republic of Latvia), or just Latvija (Latvia) Latvian belongs to the Baltic language group and is similar to Lithuanian (although not mutually intelligible). Latvian was oppressed during the Soviet occupation. There are numerous loan words from German, Swedish and Russian. In the capital (Riga), virtually everything is trilingual: Latvian, Russian and English. Many speak Russian and English. Spoken Latvian Pronunciation of some letters differs according to the position within the word and the preceding letter. Nearly always the first syllable is stressed. Written Latvian Q, W, X and Y are not used in the Latvian alphabet, only in loan words and foreign words. Latvian Latin Alphabet There are 33 letters in the Latvian alphabet. It does use accents, see below: Full Latvian Alphabet a A ā Ā b B c C č Č d D e E ē Ē f F g G ģ Ģ h H i I ī Ī j J k K ķ Ķ l L ļ Ļ m M n N ņ Ņ o O p P r R s S š Š t T u U ū Ū v V z Z ž Ž Improvements to this page?
Friday, 4 March 2016 Custer: Defender of the Indians A certain ironic justice has ensured that when the Red Indians achieved a major victory in the defense of their homes, the opposing general's humiliation would be compounded by having the defeat named after him. Thus, their greatest victory, which left 632 white soldiers and up to 200 female camp followers dead, and mostly scalpless, on the ground, is known as St Clair's Defeat. If it is any consolation to General St Clair - who escaped alive and unharmed, but with eight bullet wounds in his hat and clothing - his débacle has been largely forgotten by his compatriots. Not so lucky was George Armstrong Custer. Not only was his own body included among the 258 dead near the Little Bighorn River, but his action has remained forever famous as Custer's Last Stand. In a way, this is a pity, for it has overshadowed all the other aspects of his life. For example, after fighting against the Cheyenne, he made peace with them, an action which led Chief Rock Forehead to tell him: "Now remember: if you ever fight against the Cheyenne again, the Everywhere Spirit will see it and hold you to account." (You are aware, no doubt, that there was a contingent of Cheyenne at the Little Bighorn? 'Nuff said.) During the Civil War his predilection for leading from the front resulted in eleven horses bing shot from under him. Dandy, glory hound, Don Quixote, Custer was a complex character, and one of those rare breed who regard war as a glorious adventure, and fear an inconvenient distraction. With such a background, it was not surprising that he recognized more than a passing similarity between himself and the coup-counting braves he was fighting. He once told a superior that he could easily have been an Indian himself, an if he were, he would have been one of those fighting for the freedom of the plains rather than the misery of the reservation. In particular, he objected to the manner in which they were handled on the reservations, with corrupt officials skimming off the money raised for their subsistence, and palming off rotten and mouldy handouts. This was no way to treat a gallant opponent when he was down! Besides, it was plain common sense that if you didn't want the Indians breaking loose from the reservations, keeping them well fed and provisioned would have to be the first step. Like his superiors, he wanted the Bureau of Indian Affairs removed from the Department of the Interior, where it had been since 1849, and back to the less corrupt War Department. He also had bones to pick with the corrupt and inept administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, whose advancement from military leader to national leader is virtually a textbook example of the Peter Principle that people tend to rise to their level of incompetence. While holidaying in the east during the winter of 1875/76 he fed "dirt" about the administration to anti-Grant journalists. Although his name was not cited, it did not take those in the know much to put two and two together. The House Committee on Expenditures under Representative Hiester Clymer had been investigating Secretary of War William Belknap with respect to corruption involving post traderships. Belknap resigned on March 2, but the more Clymer dug the more corruption he turned up. So, in March 1876, having just returned from his vacation, Custer received a telegram summoning him to give evidence before the Committee. Before he left, his wife warned him to "avoid politics". He was a national hero, celebrated in books and adventure stories, so the evidence he gave on 18 and 19 April was dynamite. He pulled no punches. He detailed corruption and misadministration from both personal experience and hearsay. He named names: the President's brother, Orvil Grant as well as Belknap. We might just step back a minute and compare Custer with Grant, who had served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War. About that, he stated in his memoirs that he considered it immoral at the time but "I had not moral courage enough to resign". In contrast, Custer's moral courage was obviously equal to his physical courage, for picking a public fight with his Commander-in-Chief is really not a good career move for a general. Grant relieved him of his command. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Custer was able to pull enough strings to get himself reinstated. Two months later he had his own date with destiny - and the Everywhere Spirit. References: Michael Rutter , 2005, Myths and Mysteries of the Old West, Globe Pequot Press. See also the Wikipedia entries for "George Armstrong Custer" and the "Traderpost Scandal". The reference to the Rock Forehead and the Everywhere Spirit was taken from the 2001 TV series by PBS entitled, The West, episode four. 1 comment: Baton Rouge dog trainers
Do more with LESS If you are like me, you have probably wondered why hitherto in CSS, we have not been able to use variables, functions and other general programming good practices given its verbose nature. Most developers that write CSS are familiar with programming principles and wouldn’t it be great if these could be applied to CSS? Well, we are in luck, say hello to LESS. What is LESS? LESS is a syntax or preprocessor that takes CSS and applies familiar programming principles such as variables, functions, mixins (more about this little number later) and nesting. What we get, is a smarter and dynamic language for writing CSS. You can take either the client-side or server-side approach when implementing LESS. When using the client-side approach, LESS is interpreted into regular CSS by way of JavaScript at runtime. The ability to declare variables for example, gives us a more efficient way of changing values after the fact. For instance, if we decide that we now want to change a color used on the site from cyan to hot pink, we do not have to scour the stylesheet for all the instances of cyan. All we need to do is change it at source i.e where the variable is declared. LESS also brings the benefits of utility functions to CSS, a much welcome addition. LESS derives its name from yes, you guessed it; the ability to write less CSS. How easy is it to get the ball rolling? Compared to the other preprocessors, compass/SASS and Stylus, both of which need Ruby installed on your machine, LESS is child’s play so to speak, when it comes to implementation for client-side usage. It takes nothing but a couple of steps to get up and running. Step 1 Create a .less file and link to it from the head section like so: <link type=”text/css” rel=”stylesheet/less” href=”main.less” /> Step 2 For client-side usage, head off to, download less.js and reference it from the head section. <script src=”js/less.js”></script> Important: It’s imperative that the stylesheet reference is placed above the Javascript script tag. And that’s it. You are now ready to start writing LESS. If you are however looking for some flexibility, you can configure certain aspects and functionality on the LESS global object. You can find out more about configuration in the documentation. For the server-side approach, it is highly recommended that you use npm. Node.js (a server-side JavaScript interpreter) provides a package manager(npm) that runs through the command-line tool. This is the best way to install and use LESS server-side. I am not going to get into details on the command-line approach, but if you are interested, there is a very good wiki on the subject on github. Now the syntax The LESS syntax/language is very similar to CSS. All LESS and other preprocessors do is add cool features to CSS. By way of example, I will demonstrate some of these features. LESS variables are prefixed with a @ sign and once declared can be referenced throughout the stylesheet. We can use variables for any CSS values e.g colors, text or numbers. This is an efficient way of storing values as we only have to change them in one place as opposed to regular CSS where one has to scan through the stylesheet for all instances of the value in question. border:1px @borderStyle @borderColor; here is the CSS after compilation: border:1px dashed #f0f; Mixins are akin to functions in that they are blocks of code that can be invoked anywhere within the stylesheet. They can accept arguments similar to functions in other programming languages – say, JavaScript. A very good use case scenario is vendor prefixes. In many cases we find ourselves repeating vendor prefixes for features that are not yet supported in some browsers. Using a mixin can make this more dynamic and efficient as I demonstrate below. div { .border-radius(10px); } Now whenever we want to add rounded corners to an element, we just call our new border radius mixin and pass in a value. Here is the compiled CSS; Imagine what we can do with this feature! For instance you could create a mixin with default values or pass your desired value at invocation. Here is another example; //create a mixin that accepts an optional background color .flag(@bgColor:”#cf0″){ background-color:@bgColor } //apply styles from the mixin above .highlight { .flag(); border:1px solid red; } //or pass in a different color .highlight2 { .flag(‘#333’); } Color functions Color functions are some of the built-in functions that come with LESS. They give us the ability to create variations of a single color. A good use case scenario is when you want to create gradients or hover colors. In the snippet below, I dynamically generate a link hover color using the darker color function; LESS color function a { color:@color; } a:hover { color:darken($color, 25%); //the hover link will compile to 25% darker than @color } Other color functions include; • lighten – lightens @color by a specified percentage • saturate – compiles to a more saturated color • desaturate – does the opposite of saturate • mix – returns a mix of two colors LESS has many more built functions that can do much more. Refer to the LESS documentation for more. If you are familiar with the CSS cascading principle, you will know that it leads to a lot of repetition. Say for example; #main { color:#f0f; } #main .first { color:#c0ffee; } #main a { text-decoration:none; } #main a:hover { tex-decoration:underline; } LESS alleviates this repetitiveness by introducing nesting. We can re-write the above code as follows; Nesting in LESS #main { &:hover{ text-decoration:underline; } Note the use of the ampasand(&) for pseudo classes. The same applies for element type selectors e.g p.warning Yes, you read right. In LESS you can perform operations on variables and color values. Lets do some simple operations in LESS; LESS Operations @width: 150px; @height: 50px; div { width:(@width + 5); //this will evaluate to 155px height:(@height 2); //this will evaluate to 100px LESS is picking up traction in the web development community primarily because, by adding useful features such as variables and functions, LESS saves time. Try it in your next project and you will not be disappointed. As I mentioned earlier, Compass/SASS and Stylus are the other CSS preprocessors at our disposal but I think LESS is by the far the easiest to work with. A word of caution: Compiling client-side has a performance overhead, especially on big projects. It’s recommended that you either use caching on compile server-side. Note: I should point out that I have used the term ‘compile’ loosely for emphasis. Strictly speaking JavaScript does not compile, it interprets. Useful resources PictureFill – A responsive images technique Responsive Images If your web application takes more than 3 seconds to load, you will soon get a call from the the latency police to explain yourself. Users expect snappy applications otherwise they will move on to the next website with better user experience. For businesses, you can not overstate the importance of fast applications as this could be the difference between success and failure. One of the reasons most web pages take a long time to load is the amount of requests made by the browser and the size of the files that need to be pre-loaded. Reducing the amount of requests, is at the core of improving user experience. Recently in my day job, I was assigned a task of creating a prototype to demonstrate responsive images. Fishing rod in hand I headed off fishing for some new techniques. There is no shortage of server and client side techniques but I settled for PictureFill. What is PictureFill? How does it work? An img element is created on the fly using JavaScript based on the source and media query specified within the picture element. This prevents unnecessary overheads that are otherwise incurred by pre-loading large files, especially on small or low speed devices. Implementation – Some code please! Head off to the Github code repository and download the code files. The code is very well documented and includes examples. I will nonetheless give a quick run down on the html markup. PictureFill HTML markup <picture data-picture data-alt="big pebbles"> <source data-src="img/pebbles_small.jpg"> <source data-src="img/pebbles_medium.jpg" data-media="(min-width: 400px)"> <source data-src="img/pebbles_large.jpg" data-media="(min-width: 800px)"> <source data-src="img/pebbles_extralarge.jpg" data-media="(min-width: 1000px)"> <!-- Fallback if no JS --> <img src="img/small.jpg" alt="big pebbles"> In the snippet above, I use the picture element to nest all the various image sources using, well the source element. Note that I also specify the screen resolutions using media queries passed as values for the data-media attribute. The beauty here is the ability to cater for as many screen resolutions as you want. For users with JavaScript disabled, we have a fallback image which is wrapped in noscript tags. This piece of code will not be executed by browsers running JavaScript. Well as usually, IE demands special treatment. Using IE conditional comments we can provide a one-size-for-all image for IE8 and below as Media Queries are not supported here. For example if I wanted to serve the medium image to IE8 and below, I can nest the following inside the picture element: <source data-src=”img/thumbs/pebbles_medium_thumb.jpg”></div> If you are understandably apprehensive about using the picture element as it’s still in draft status with the w3c, you can replace the picture and source tags with the div element. Remember however to make the switch in the JavaScript as well i.e replace all the picture instances with div. My take on standards is that; they do not really mean that much if the browsers do not implement the module in question. After all users are not concerned about whether the your code is legal or not. That’s not to say that we should totally disregard semantics and standards. Word is that a few browsers have began implementing the picture/source model. To many this might seem a very involved workaround to a problem that does not yet have a standardized solution, but until a fix comes along, this is a semantic workaround for the purist. As I mentioned earlier, there is no shortage of polyfills and workarounds in the web dev community, but this by far gets my vote. Useful resources • Adaptive Images – a server side responsive images technique • HiSRC – a jQuery plugin for responsive images • Senchia.IO – cloud based service for mobile development. Media Queries and responsive web design Media Queries Try viewing my site on a small device or resize your browser window, and you will notice that the page content ‘responds’ to the size of the viewport by readjusting the layout. How did you do that? you might ask. Well, I will tell you and no, I won’t have to kill you. Say hello to a fairly new paradigm that is responsive web design courtesy of Media Queries. What are Media Queries? As can be deduced from the name, Media Queries are a means of targeting media types by way of their characteristic features. So for example; you can define a media type e.g screen or projection and then specify a width, height, orientation or color. This gives us as developers a lot of leverage and enables us to easily and quickly optimise our web applications with minimal extra development and without resorting to ‘browser sniffing’. Let me demonstrate. Media queries demo @media screen and (max-width:600px){ #med-q-demo { In the very trivial example above, when the browser viewport is less than 600px (including the scroll bar), the media query fires the encapsulated CSS. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see the power put to our disposal. Go on, you know you want to see that hot pink background; resize your browser or view this page on a small screen device. Syntax and declaration Method 1 <link rel=”stylesheet” media=”only screen and (max-width:480px)” href=”small_screens.css” /> A BEST PRACTICE: Create a basic stylesheet for your mobile users first, then one for tablets and desktop users. Taking this approach means, you avoid loading large assets which affect load speeds and are bandwidth intensive on mobile devices. Then use Media Queries to load the appropriate stylesheet. I can hear you saying; but there is no support for Media Queries in IE8 and below! We can get around this by using conditional comments. This is a mobile first approach which is advocated by a growing number of web developers. Method 2 @import url(‘small_screens.css’) only screen and (max-width:480px) This is however considered an anti-pattern as the rest of your CSS will stop loading while the @import file loads, which might result in the user momentarily viewing the un-styled version of your page. Method 3 Embed the Media Queries in your stylesheet using the @media rule: @media only screen and (max-width:480px){ /– your CSS rules –/ } In cases where the application does not warrant a separate Media Queries stylesheet, you can add your query within your normal stylesheet. Method 4 We can also use JavaScript to work with Media Queries by tapping into window.matchMedia which returns a mediaQueryList object. This object has two properties: matches: returns a boolean on a query. media: serialised media query list. Here is the syntax: var smartPhones = window.mediaMatch(‘(max-width:480px)’).matches The simple code above will return true if the viewport size is 480px or less. NOTE: we use the only value to hide the rule from old browsers that do not support the syntax. This is ignored by browsers that support Media Queries. We can also use not to negate the Media Query. Media features Media features constitute any information about the host medium e.g width, height, orientation, pixel-ratio, and pixel-ratio. Most features require a value in the expression part of the Media Query which takes the following syntactical form: @media media and (feature:value) { CSS rules } Note that this does not always have to be the case. For instance you could just test for the presence of the feature; @media media and (feature){ CSS rules } Width and Height width and height refer to the width and height respectively of the rendering viewport including scroll bars on desktops. These two features can be prefixed with min- and max- as the non-prefixed variants will in most cases be too specific. A practical example would be if you wanted to add a background image for browser windows over a certain width, you would do something like this: min-width in action @media screen and (min-width:500px){ body { background-image: url(bg_img.png) repeat-x; } The Media Query in the above snippet tests for browser windows that are atleast 500px to apply the background image. In real world applications it’s recommended to limit the number images loaded on smartphones and tablets as they affect page load speeds and users’ bandwidth. The above technique lends itself to this. You could also use other techniques such as responsive images. Device-width and height This works exactly the same as the preceding example except the width is a reference to the device on which content is rendered as opposed to the browser window. As with the width feature above, device-width can be prefixed with min- and max-. This is especially useful for targeting smartphones and tablets. Let me demonstrate: #wrapper { width:600px; } #wrapper div { float:left; width:290px; margin:0 10px 0 0; } @media screen and (max-device-width:320px){ #wrapper { width:auto; } #wrapper div { float:none; width:auto; margin:0; } In the code above, we have a wrapper div with a fixed width that contains two divs with explicit widths. This is fine for desktops but is not ideal on small devices e.g iPhones because screen real estate comes at a premium. To solve this, we use a Media Query that tests for devices with a maximum width of 320px (iPhones fall in this category), and we apply rules to remove the floats and explicit width which forces our divs to stack. View demo. • Orientation : used to optimise pages based on whether the device is in a horizontal orientation (width greater than height) or vertical orientation (height greater than width). @media media and (orientation:value) { CSS rules } This Media Feature is best suited for controlling content display on handheld devices. • Aspect ratio : Tests width-to-height ratio@media media and (aspect-ratio:ratio) { CSS rules } You can test for more than one Media feature on a media type. Take an example where you wanted to test for tablets in a horizontal orientation. This is the syntax: @media only screen and (min-device-width:768px) and (max-device-width:1024px) and (orientation:horizontal) { CSS rules } In a nutshell Building responsive web applications is undoubtedly the future of web development. More people than ever before are viewing content on the go thanks to ever faster network speeds on tablets and smartphones. It is on this premise that as web developers we must move away from the mindset of building applications that only target a given resolution. What’s the fuss? Mordernizr was originated by Faruk Ateş but has since got some heavy weights on board such as Paul Irish, and Alex Sextion. Based on the principles of progressive enhancement and graceful degradation, Modernizr detects browser support for the latest web technologies specifically HTML5 and CSS3 features including opacity, canvas, box shadow, svg, HTML5 input types, local and webStorage, geolocation and much, much more. This aids the developer in enhancing their web applications by providing useful information on support of a given web technology without resorting to the generally bad practice of user-agent(UA) sniffing. Conversely, if a certain feature is not supported, Modernizr will enable the developer to target a particular browser by providing a ‘hook’ in the DOM. So how does it work? Modernizr adds a CSS class to the root of the htmlelement of your document. So for example if I were working with canvas, it would add a canvas class where this technology is supported and no-canvas where it isn’t. I can then deal with both scenarios accordingly. Saying that Modernizr is just a feature detection library is however selling it short. It can also be used to conditionally load scripts, build custom tests, and test media queries as I will demonstrate later. In the meantime here is a quick illustration of what Modernizr brings to the table. Applying canvas using feature detection No, that is not an image. In the trivial example above, we test for canvas support in the host browser before creating a canvas element and drawing a simple line. If you view this page in a browser that does not support canvas, you will get a friendly message encouraging you to upgrade your browser. In a real application, you might opt for a polyfill as a fallback solution for non-supporting browsers. So how do I use it? Modernizr is easy to use. Step 1: Get a copy of Modernizr Head off to and grab yourself a copy of the latest version of the Modernizr. You can download the full copy of the library, but chances are you only need a ‘diet’ version. In which case, the site provides a very handy tool that allows you to customize your download. Step 2: Add to page Script in hand, lets create a regular html document and add the Modernizr script to the page as we would any other script. Also add a ‘no-js‘ class to the html element. This will be replaced with ‘js‘ if Modernizr is running, but its also a cue to cases where JavaScript is not running and allows you to handle this scenario appropriately. Link to script <!DOCTYPE html> <html class="no-js"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <script src="js/mordernizr.js"></script> <title>Do you support flexbox</title> <h1>Flexbox support</h1> Voilà! We are good to go. A quick glance at DOM, we see a array of classes added to the html element and the ‘no-js‘ class replaced with ‘js‘. Of course if we only want to test support for a handful of properties/features then provides a tool for configuring your download. Step 3: have fun As of writing, canvas is not supported cross-browser so it makes a very good candidate. I will demonstrate both the CSS and JavaScript approaches. CSS approach .canvas #square{ /-- styles for #square element in browser with canvas suppport --/ .no-convas #square{ /-- styles for #square element in browser with no canvas support --/ In the above snippet, .canvas and .no-canvas CSS rules target element #square for canvas and non-canvas supporting browsers respectively. These classes are dynamically appended to the html element by Modernizr. In the JavaScript variant, all the classes are properties of the Modernizr object making it easy to test for feature/property support. JavaScript approach var el = $('#square'); //Set the background color based on canvas support Modernizr.canvas ? el.css({'backgroundColor':'#f0f'}) : el.css('backgroundColor':'#ccc'); Note: Modernizr.canvas or any other property on the Modernizr object returns a boolean (true or false). And there you have it. But we are not done yet, there is more. Load scripts conditionally Within Modernizr, is a small library called YepNope. This is fundamentally a resource loader that facilitates conditional loading of both JavaScript and CSS files. For example, if we wanted to load FlashCanvas (canvas polyfill) for browsers that do not support canvas, we would use Modernizr as follows: YepNope will load files asynchronously or in parallel which will make our applications perform better. Be sure to read more about Modernizr.load() as it has more tricks under its sleeve. Some of the useful properties include; • load: loads a script or file and, • complete: a callback function. Analogous to success in Ajax Testing media queries Modernizr provides a neat way of testing media queries using JavaScript. Say hello to This little bad boy takes a media query as an argument and will return a boolean. For example, if we want to improve user experience on a small device by removing certain page elements from small screens, we can do the following; if("screen and (max-width:480px)")){ //remove secondary navigation from small screens I hope I have managed to whet your appetite enough for you to give Modernizr a try. The library brings a lot to the table and I am sure you will at some point in your projects find it very useful. That said, tread carefully while using it especially when writing CSS. Think of a scenario where the user has turned off JavaScript (yes, people still do), or if the script does not load for one reason or another. Useful resources CSS3 Flexible Box model What is Flexbox? Applying Flexbox Applying Flexbox: elem { display:box } Practical illustration <!DOCTYPE html> <title>Flexible Box layout</title> <h3>Flexbox model</h3> <div id="container"> <div class="flex"></div> <div class="flex"></div> <div class="flex"></div> Implementation across browsers That said, the implementation of the Flexible Box Module is still inconsistent across browsers and has a working draft status. See table below provided by This however should not deter you from using some of the properties be it judiciously. Flexible Box model support Flexie CSS elem { -webkit-box-orient : horizontal; -moz-box-orient : horizontal; -ms-box-orient : horizontal; box-orient : horizontal Useful resources
Modern Farm Buildings An edited version of a presentation given by Graham Brooks in 2004 (Page created 20/04/17) The type of modern farm building shown above is probably the commonest type in Cumbria. Basically a concrete and steel structure, meaning that it can be very difficult to tell what its function is, unlike some of the early farm buildings where the function of the building has driven its design. Most are used to house cattle either dairy or beef during the winter months or for lambing sheep in. Occasionally they are used to house machinery, or to store food, and very rarely in Cumbria pigs and poultry which are being kept on a more extensive system. What drove the development of this type of building and the move away from the more traditional buildings? If we go back to the late 1950’s we see a time in agriculture when expansion was driven forward by the government to try and ensure that the country was self sufficient in those products that we were capable of producing ourselves. Traditional byres. If we look at dairy cattle in particular then the traditional type of winter housing in Cumbria was the byre. Each cow had its own bed within usually a two cow standing. Each cow was tied up by the neck with either a chain or a rope. On a slide to allow it to stand and lie at will. Originally the partitions were wood or occasionally stone but later precast concrete was the commonest. There was a feed trough in front and also a water bowl on a piped supply.. With the introduction of milking machines most of the byres had a vacuum line to which a milking unit could be attached to allow each cow to be milked twice daily. The main problem with this system is that it is very labour intensive. Each cow has to be fed individually and if you consider a dairy cow eats about 12kg of dry matter daily then that involves if we consider hay with a dry matter content of 50% putting 24kg of hay in front of each cow manually and if we start to consider silage which was starting to become more popular about this time with a dry matter of 25% then we are starting to talk about 48Kg of silage per cow to be moved daily. Most byres were designed with small doorways so tractor access was not available. Moreover – without being too graphic – if you are putting 40 plus kilos in at the front end a considerable amount needs to come out at the back end also. This again all needs manual moving. Loose housing. So by the end of the 1950’s we have a dairy industry being driven to expand by the government with a system that is very manual dependant and also a reducing labour force. Some of the more progressive farmers had decided that by putting the milking plant in a separate building i.e. a parlour they could milk a lot more cows at a lower capital cost as you did not need to put piping thorough all the buildings. This however meant that the cows needed to be free to move to the parlour so could no longer be fastened up. This also meant that if the cows were free to move then they could move to their feed rather than bringing it to them. So by the late 1950’s a few farmers had decided to loose house their cows in cattle courts and with silage pits they could access their own silage for feed. The two main problems with this system were loose housed cows will not lie down in nice neat lines like they do when tied up and therefore the relative floor area required by each cow is much greater so a relatively larger building is required. Also if they are being housed loose the requirements for straw to lie on also becomes much greater with a requirement of about 10 tons compared to 1 in a tie stall. Cumbria is not an arable county and so there is a problem loose housing cattle on straw it becomes expensive to buy in straw to allow it. Cubicles. A few people then decided to try and design a loose housed system but on the principles of the old byre where each cow had its own lying area. The first person recorded in the UK to try this system was a Mr. Howell Evans from Cheshire who designed this cubicle. Each cow has its own bed and is separated by a division from its neighbour. They are free to come and go as they wish and they only require a similar amount of bedding as the in the old byre system. At this time the Cumberland and Westmorland Farm Institute at Newton Rigg had decided to expand its dairy herd from 45 cows to 110. It had been housed in a 1842 long single row rambling building that had all the problems I have already alluded to with labour and it was requiring 2 men to look after the 45 cows. They decided to build a concrete structure 135ft by 50ft to house a new silage pit and a lean to structure along one side to house the cattle and a separate milking parlour. They had heard about the Cheshire cubicle system and went to view it. They were immediately impressed by it and altered the plans to incorporate cubicles into the cow housing. They did however alter the design of the cubicle to one that became known as the Newton Rigg cubicle.This has a concrete bed with a simplified division. Up until the late 1980’s this type of cubicle division was the commonest throughout the UK. Fame for Cumbria! However there were a few design faults with this type of cubicle when cow comfort is considered. The second leg does impinge on the hip bones of cows and can cause injury. The rail across can also impede cows getting up; for a cow to stand up it needs to lunge forward either in a straight line or to one side. So now we have a range of more modern cubicle divisions which allow cows to move and get up more freely. The cubicle provides ideal accommodation for the cow. It has its own space and can not be easily bullied by other cows. If correctly designed they keep the cow lying in the cubicle so that dung and urine falls into the passage behind. Cubicle systems rapidly became the commonest type of dairy cow housing in Cumbria. Some old byres were suitable for conversion to cubicle houses, some people used other building designs that were already present such as dutch barns. But in a lot of cases the last 40 years has seen the need to build new purpose built buildings. Construction methods. There are generally two types of cubicle style cow housing. The kennel type which is usually of wooden construction and the cubicles form part of the structure. Or the general purpose building which is then fitted out with cubicles. Some of the early buildings like the one at Newton Rigg used concrete for the main structures. But the majority now rely on a framework of steel to support the roof which is invariably some form of sheeting, usually cement. Metal sheeting usually gets too much condensation to be suitable for animal housing. So we have the basic structure made of steel, the verticals are usually bolted to the foundation pads, and we need to fill the walls. There are three types of construction that have been commonly used. The first is a block wall using large concrete blocks. For extra strength these can be built over reinforcing rods and the holes down the centre can be filled with concrete once the initial wall has set. The second type of wall is the poured wall. Steel and wood shuttering is fastened between the steel uprights, reinforcing mesh is placed in the centre, and concrete is then poured into the gap and allowed to set before the shuttering is moved onto the next section. The final system which is now becoming more common are the precast slabs of concrete which fit neatly between the uprights and can be easily lifted into place using farm machinery and are held there by small metal clips. A novel form of walling that is becoming popular is the use of old concrete railway sleepers slotted into the channels on the metal beams and cemented together. These have replaced the use of wooden sleepers Above the concrete walls the type of walling used tends to give some idea what the building is being used for. Solid walling such as sheeting usually suggests that the building is being used for storage either of machinery or food etc. If animals are being housed then some form of ventilation is required. This can take the form of Yorkshire boarding with a gap between each board to allow air to enter but stop the wind blowing straight in, or perforated sheeting can be used. Ventilation is very important in animal buildings of this type and it usually relies upon the stack effect. This is were the animals’ own body heat causes the hot air to rise and remove the moisture and take away any respiratory bugs from the animals. However when it gets to the roof it does have to have somewhere to go otherwise it simple cools and falls back down onto the animals rather than drawing fresh air in from outside the building. Therefore you will see large gaps in roofs in animal sheds in Cumbria. Usually the ridge is left open especially if it is over a feed passage, or another simple way is to groove the ridges on the sheets. This lets hot air out without allowing rain to enter. The beds of cubicles have been constructed out of a variety of material over the last forty years. They do need a heel step which has two functions. Firstly, very few cows will back up a step therefore they can not enter the cubicle backwards. You will occasionally see cows laid the wrong way round in cubicles but most of these have learned to turn round in the cubicle. Secondly it allows the removal of the dung and urine from the shed without it contaminating the beds. Compacted limestone, tyres and sand have all been tried for the beds of cubicles. But the commonest bed is now concrete onto which some form of rubber mat is fixed. These are then covered with a light covering of a bedding material – chopped straw, shredded newspaper or sawdust.The bedding material is usually determined by the slurry handling system present on the farm. Slurry. Slurry removal has been mechanised by the use of automatic scrappers which are either chain driven or hydraulic operated. They usually deposit the slurry through a series of slats into a underground channel system. Some sheds have a slurry chamber under the passageway that is covered with slats and the movement of animals along the passage forces the dung through the slats. Modern legal requirements mean that the storage capacity for slurry on the farm has to be very high and therefore either large lagoons or large steel holding tanks above ground are built. Silage. Silage is now the ubiquitous feed for cattle in Cumbria and it has led to its own types of building. Silage is basically a pickling process. The natural sugars present in the grass are allowed to be fermented into organic acids that then pickle the grass and prevent it from rotting. To ensure this occurs properly a wide variety of additives are added usually some form of bacteria that produce specific acids under anaerobic conditions. If the wrong acids are produced then you do get silage but it smells disgusting and is not palatable to cattle! In the 60’s there was a craze for putting silage into large concrete silos. It was then removed by a special machine that allowed it to be fed via a conveyor belt direct to the cattle. Alas not very successful. You still see earth bank silage clamps around although new ones are not now permitted due to the risk of pollution. The sides are sealed with new plastic sheeting each year. Nearly all silage clamps are now concrete lined and these are well sealed between the joints to prevent leakage. Most now also have a roof on to prevent rain leaching silage effluent from it. This leads to probably one of the most distinctive buildings on the farm due to its height. This is needed to allow a tractor to drive over the silage as it is put into the pit to compress it and exclude all the air. The milking parlour. Some people simple converted the old byre by placing milking points in the centre of each standing. The concrete partitions may have been extended with metal uprights to make it easier to confine the cow to the stall whilst milking. Most have built new systems: An abreast parlour looks similar to the old byre system and a lot of them are still in old converted byre systems They differ from conversions by having their own structure and usually gates on the front of each standing to allow cows to leave forwards rather than having to back off the high step to give a one way system for better cow management.. The herring bone parlour is where the cows stand down either side of the pit usually at an angle of between 45° to 90°. Modern parlours of this type are getting very long with anything up to 36 standings per side. They either have a set of milking units for each side or a single set of centrally mounted units that can be swung over to either side. Very big units have rotary parlours which are like a merry-go-round. The cows stand on a slow moving platform and it slowly rotates as the cow is milked and then it is let off. This cuts down on the amount of movement the cow man has to do as each cow is presented to him directly. Robotic milkers are also now available which are stationed in one part of the shed and the cow visits it and is milked as it wants. This reduces the man power required. In conclusion. So I would ask you if you go to a farm, do not just record the old buildings but please make a note of the modern buildings which are just as much a part of the farm’s history. Traditional farm buildings are often converted into houses which retains some of the original fabric on the original footprint. Some are preserved in such places as Beamish Museum. Modern buildings are simply demolished!
Ear Pinning New Jersey Ear PinningCosmetic surgery of the face also deals with issues other than those associated with aging. One procedure that shouldn’t be overlooked is called surgery ear pinning performed to correct protruding “Dumbo” ears. The problem develops in early childhood and can effect psychological development. Girls frequently wear their hair down to cover their large ears. The ear pinning surgical procedure, also known as otoplasty, can improve this condition, even in children, by reshaping the ears to protrude less. What is the Ear Pinning (Otolasty) procedure? An incision is placed behind the ear permitting access to the cartilage which is then folded and stitched back, providing a more natural contour, with less protrusion. After the ear pinning procedure, a bandage is worn for several days to help with healing. There may be some swelling after the procedure, but overall the ears show immediate improvement and the swelling disappears after several weeks. How old should someone be for Ear Pinning (Otoplasty) treatment? The best time to perform an otoplasty is when the ears have reached about 85% of their final size, which typically occurs around the age of 4-5 years. Anesthesia at this age is very safe. Children at the age of 4-5, particularly if they are aware that their ears are “different” , are very cooperative for surgery. Performing an ear pinning surgery during early childhood helps to improve self confidence and esteem. If there are any concerns about the “maturity” of a child, the surgery can be postponed to any age, even adulthood.* For more details and to find out if you are a candidate for ear pinning please contact us to schedule a consultation or call our office at 973-912-9120. You may also use our online consultation tool provided on this page. * = Results may vary [ FAQ’s ] Beverly Friedlander MD
Instrument Ranges, And Going Beyond Them Musical instruments have a range of notes that they can play. Synthesizers sometimes limit the range of notes you can play when using the sampled sound of a particular instrument. Other times, they don't. The same is true of soundfonts. Should we go beyond the range of the real instrument whose sound we are using, in playing music using the KeyMusician Keyboard? The answer has more to do with the attitudes of the listeners, than in what sounds good (or doesn't). In the end, you have to decide for yourself. The best answer for one person will be the wrong answer for another. I will attempt to explain. In showing the instrument to a friend, she was pleasantly surprised to find that a particular guitar sound included fret-noises, and she excitedly asked how I use them. She was surprised to find out that I don't use them, even though I could. It is a difference in attitudes. I explained that to me, fret noise is after all, noise. I am not trying to make people think I am playing a guitar – I'm not playing one. I'm trying to make music, and would just as soon leave out the noise. This answer makes sense to me, but probably not to her. In creating music, she would probably use the fret-noises, and that's okay. Everybody is different. The question of whether or not we should go beyond the range of the instrument whose sound we are using, has a similar answer. An instrument sound used in notes beyond the range of that instrument, doesn't sound like that instrument – it's something else. To me, if that beyond-range sound is a good sound, I'll use it. To other people, it's a big “No, no – don't do that!” sort of thing. Some of the people who would be upset with going beyond the instrument range, might insist on “acoustic instruments only”, and have nothing to do with our electronic instrument anyway. Which direction do you lean? Actually, there is one cut-and-dried case where you shouldn't go beyond the range of the instrument's sound. That is when we are composing music to be played by players of that instrument. If you're composing music to be played on the KeyMusician Keyboard, or a synthesizer, it doesn't matter. So, what are the ranges of the various musical instruments? There is a Wikipedia article on this, with a handy chart showing the ranges. To find the KeyMusician Keyboard notes that correspond to the chart of their article, be aware that the lowest note on the following screen-shot is C1, and the highest is the A just below C8 (A7). The article uses the following header to indicate notes of the entire MIDI range: Each C note in the keyboard diagram is one of the above “Cn” notes. The bottom C is C1, the next C up from it is C2, and the next is C3, and middle C (between the two clefs) is C4. It continues on upwards, with C5, C6, and C7. You can read the Wikipedia article by clicking on the link below, and then using your browser's back-button to return to this article. Instrument Ranges (Wikipedia) So having seen the ranges of the various instruments, which you can stay-within if you choose, I'm going to point out cases where I avoid going beyond the instrument ranges, and also cases where I actually prefer to go beyond those ranges, and the reasons why. In all of these examples, I'm assuming you have the Transpose button set to “0 (none)”, and that you are using the “KbdMap-Qwerty-Z.kbd” Keyboard Map. The Flute Sound With the key-signature set to C (or A-minor), I generally avoid going lower that the row above the home row. Perhaps an Alto Flute could use the A thru F keys. But anything lower than that doesn't sound good to me. I will use the right half of the top keyboard row, with the higher notes sounding like a Piccolo. The high note of the flute range is actually the “5” key. The French Horn Sound Although its actual range lets you use probably the entire row above the home-row, I generally don't go to the right of the “P” key. On the home row, it sounds fine down to about the “H” key, where it sounds more like a Trombone. On the bottom row, it sounds good (perhaps like a Tuba sound) going down all the way to the “Z” key. I make use of these very low notes (without having to change instruments) in the 'Big Finish' part of the audio demo below. Puccini – Nessun Dorma, from Turandot The Oboe Sound I generally don't use the Oboe sound below the row above the home-row. Going lower than that, it doesn't sound like a Bassoon – it's something else. On the high end, though it can go above high-C (the “=” key, it doesn't sound good on long, held-out notes above that key, though short notes are okay. The Trumpet Sound The Trumpet range is between the “D” key (of the home-row), and the “=” key (of the top row). Going to the right of the “D” key on the home-row, it doesn't sound like a realistic Trombone, though I may use it briefly in that range. But on the bottom row, is sounds fairly much like a Tuba. So with the amazing range of notes we can play simultaneously on the KeyMusician Keyboard, this can be fairly useful. A Brass Band Example Normally, to play the full range of brass instruments, you might choose the Brass Ensemble sound (61-Brass Section), but then you don't have the wonderful vibrato of the Trumpet for your higher notes. For the Trumpet sound, I prefer to use the sound-font from the “timgm6mb-soundfont” Debian package (on Linux), as opposed to the FluidR3_GM sound-font we distribute with the application. The Trumpet sound in the latter sound-font is good for short, fast notes. But the former sound-font has wonderful vibrato on held-out notes, and works better for slow, legato notes. By playing this wide-range of notes simultaneously (using a gamer keyboard with anti-ghosting), it gives you a big-band sound, and you don't have to use a MIDI router to feed the notes to different instruments (as in the Big-Band article). See what you think of how it sounds by clicking on the link below. Brass Ensemble Improvisation, Using Just The Trumpet Sound I hope this article adds to your understanding of music, and gives you new possibilities with the instrument! You can return to the newsletter index by clicking on the link below. Index Of All Newsletter Articles
The British Museum Kom i gang Introduction to Africa Humans first evolved in Africa, walking upright about five million years ago, and making the first tools about two and a half million years ago using the opposable thumb. The British Museum collection includes objects dating from this time, but also represents historic and contemporary societies across the continent. Begynn å lære
What is considered Simply Southern? In the United States of America, every region has something that is considered specific to that region. Most of the time, it isn’t as obvious as what that thing might be. However, in what is considered the South, people are very brazen when it comes to Southern culture, whether you live there or not. I myself am from the South, specifically the Southern part of Kentucky. I have noticed these trends of Southern culture all my life, I just never took too long to think about it. It wasn’t until later in life, when I was able to explore other regions, that people had this stereotype of what southerners are and how they present themselves. I read books that were set in the South, and was able to realize how much the South is different from other places. From our language to the food we eat, there are many things that are just coined as “Southern” traits, and are easily defined. Most of the time, when I talk to northerners, they wonder if we are all racist. This comes from our distinct past with slavery. They also see how we segregate ourselves accordingly, even though there are no laws stating that we have to do this. In books set in the South, like The Help by Kathryn Stockett and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, racial segregation is a common topic, especially during these times that they were set in. In The Help the lead antagonist, Miss Hilly, states in the beginning of the book, “ ‘All these houses they’re building without maid’s quarters? It’s just plain dangerous. Everybody knows they carry different kinds of diseases than we do.’ “ It is quite clear what people thought in the days before civil rights. The novels written in these times make it easier to assume that people in the South are racist. There are, however, people who are racist because that is how their family raised them to be. This correlates with the idea that where states where slavery was prominent, they still have a deeper form of racism today. Ya’ll think we talk funny? The most common trait that Southerners get mocked and picked at for is our accents, the most common word being “Ya’ll”. For the longest time, I thought everyone used “ya’ll” or “ain’t”. I didn’t know that it was a southern thing until I was talking to my sister’s boyfriend (who lives in Massachusetts). I had said, “Ya’ll need to quiet down before I holler for Mama!” He said, “Did you just say ya’ll and holler?” I told him that I had and he said “I didn’t know you actually those words down there. I thought it was just a stereotype.” There are many words in the South that are not used anywhere else, such as: • . Piddlin’ • Get a whippin’ • To hell in a handbasket • Spittin’ image And many, many more. There is no limit, as words are made up everyday. Some good eatin’! Another common thing related to the South is our food choice. We are most commonly related to our love for fried chicken and sweet tea. When my dad went to Memphis, Tennessee for a conference with his gaming pals, a girl from California who was part of his clan came too. They went to a very Southern place, with its classic foods. When the waitress came to take their orders, she said, with the thickest southern accent, “You want some sweet tea or RC Cola?” The Californian response was, “What is sweet tea or an RC Cola?’ I thought RC Cola was everywhere. Later that day, she was really thirsty and hot. My dad was used to this kind of humidity and asked her, “Have you had anything to drink all day?” She said, “Well, no.” He told her, “Our food here has way too much butter and salt for you not to be drinking anything. It is too hot here for you to be doing that!” It made me think of all of the foods that we have that are just ours. Another thing I can think of, is when my grandmother went to live in Minnesota, she was making gravy for dinner. The people she had over asked, “What’s that?” She said, “Gravy.” They had never seen gravy before, or even tasted it. It is mind-blowing to me, how these things can seem so common, yet not even common at all! There are many other things that could be considered as Southern, like our religion (Baptist), to our moral values. Among all the things that are considered Southern, I never thought they were. I just thought that it was a way of life, not a stereotype. It never occurred to me that others don’t do and use these types of things. When you look at the culture of others, it makes you open your eyes and see the simple things that seem so complex to others. I guess you could say, that we are simply Southern. 1 Comment Leave a Reply WordPress.com Logo Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
Beamatron is a new, augmented-reality concept that combines a projector and a Kinect camera on a pan-tilt moving head. The moving head is used to place the projected image almost anywhere in a room. Meanwhile, the depth camera enables the correct warping of the displayed image for the shape of the projection surface and for the projected graphics to react in physically appropriate ways. For example, a projected virtual car can be driven on the floor of the room but will bump into obstacles or run over ramps. As another application, we consider the ability to bring notifications and other graphics to the attention of the user by automatically placing the graphics within the user’s view. Microsoft LightSpace [ source ] Hoppala! Augmentation and Layar What is Layar? How does Layar’s Augmented Reality work? Have fun 😉 [ hoppala ] [ layar ] And again we are back with a cup of Augmented Reality (AR). This time it’s something very cool: a light bulb 😀 The LuminAR Lamp is an articulated robotic arm, designed to interface with the LuminAR Bulb. Both LuminAR form factors dynamically augment their environments with media and information, while seamlessly connecting with laptops, mobile phones, and other electronic devices. LuminAR transforms surfaces and objects into interactive spaces that blend digital media and information with the physical space. The project radically rethinks the design of traditional lighting objects, and explores how we can endow them with novel augmented-reality interfaces. LuminAR was created by Natan Linder and Pattie Maes from the Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab. Video produced by Paula Aguilera and Jonathan Wiliams.
In the under 3 year old age group, urinary tract infection is more common in uncircumcised boys. In an article published in CMAJ, the authors report studying 404 boys under 3 years old. All these children presented to a large emergency department with symptoms suggestive of urinary tract infection and had a catheter urine specimen sent for microbiological studies. Only 393 cultures were available and the 11 boys without available results were excluded. The majority (90%) of the remaining 393 children were circumcised. 80 had proven urinary infection, of which 30% of uncircumcised boys had positive cultures compared to only 4.8% of circumcised boys. This was a significant difference with an odds ratio of 0.07. The authors concluded that the risk for urinary tract infection is higher in uncircumcised vs circumcised boys younger than 3 years. They went on to report that in uncircumcised boys 3 years and younger, the odds of having a urinary tract infection is not affected by the visibility of the meatus.
Teens And ADD And ADHD – Teens And ODD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) There are two main diagnoses associated with children struggling in school today. They are ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), sometimes also referred to as Conduct Disorder. We will try to explain these so you may have a little better understanding of what they are and how they may be affecting your child. Many students are diagnosed with varying degrees of Attention Disorder, they are known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Most children with ADHD are inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive. In teenagers, the hyperactivity often quiets to a restlessness. For some, paying attention is their biggest problem. Others are mainly impulsive and hyperactive. The Food and Drug Administration has approved several stimulant medicines for treating ADHD: methylphenidate (Ritalin and generics), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine and generics), methamphetamine (Desoxyn), and an amphetamine-dextroamphetamine combination (Adderall). FDA recently restricted another approved stimulant, pemoline (Cylert), to secondary use, as it can cause liver failure. The drugs stimulate the central nervous system, but no one knows exactly how they work in treating ADHD. “Stimulants have been used to treat ADHD for over three decades,” says Nicholas Reuter, FDA associate director for international and domestic drug control affairs. “And the amount used has increased steadily during that period. Methylphenidate is the most widely used.” Not everyone with ADHD requires or responds to stimulant treatment. There are some Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder schools that have had success in working with such teens. They break the school day into smaller segments, and require the student to stay on task to receive privileges. There are several Utah Boarding Schools that are experiencing success with various methods of behavior modification. There are also Boarding Schools in Georgia that have had similar success in helping ADHD children. The Georgia Boarding School is a non-traditional type setting, a borderline wilderness program if you will. The students are required to work together, learning cooperation. The academics are also non-traditional. The children seem to move a little quicker through their studies than in a regular classroom setting. One problem with “problem” students is the struggle to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. About 30 percent of young people with ADHD aren’t diagnosed until middle school or later. These students are very bright. “The more intelligent you are, the better you cope–until stressors in the environment outpace your ability to cope. Maybe your disorder becomes a problem in high school when you have only lecture classes or in college when you have to do everything for yourself and go to class, too.” By the time someone with undiagnosed ADHD gets to middle school or high school, the main complaint is classroom underachievement rather than hyperactivity or distractibility. Some people shorten the name to ADD when it affects older people. “But you shouldn’t assume that everyone who is underachieving has ADHD.” Not everyone with attention difficulty has ADHD. For example, one 16-year-old girl had extreme difficulty concentrating. ADHD was suspected. Thorough examination, however, revealed the culprits were anxiety, depression and a sleep disorder, which are improving under a treatment plan that includes medication and counseling. Narrowing a diagnosis to ADHD requires more than a single visit to the doctor. Substantial detective work by the doctor involves talking not only to the patient, but also to the parents and to nurses and teachers at the patient’s various schools. One simple way to see if there may be signs of ADHD is to examine report cards from kindergarten on. “Teachers usually comment, ‘He would do so much better if he could only pay attention.’ One mother said of her son in high school, ‘One day in first grade, he came home without shoes. He didn’t know where he put them.’ Kids with this disorder lose their jackets, shoes. So he had symptoms early on.” There is no biological test for ADHD. Doctors base their diagnosis on guidelines set by the American Psychiatric Association. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD, is a diagnosis that is being given more and more in the last few years. Here are the typical characteristics of someone with ODD: There are two sets of problems associated with ODD, a tendency to purposefully bother and irritate others, and some aggressive behavior. Many time ODD may not be the only diagnosis. When coupled with ADD or ADHD the problem intensifies. ODD is typically not a singular diagnosis. Here are some indicators of ODD. If the person becomes negative, hostile, and has defiant behavior lasting at least six months, coupled with four or more of the following behaviors, chances are good Oppositional Defiant Disorder may be present. 1. Tends to lose temper, or fly off the handle regularly. 2. Argumentative with teachers, parents, anyone in a position of authority. 3. Deliberately works to annoy others. 4. Won’t accept responsibility for their actions, blames others. 5. Easily annoyed by others. 6. Has a lot of anger and resentment for those around them. 7. Displays vindictive and sometimes spiteful behavior. There are several Oppositional Boarding Schools around the country. We have several ODD Boarding Schools that may work for your teen. There is not an Oppositional Boarding School Directory that we know of, but many of the schools that work with defiant teens will take ODD students. Truancy, or Skipping School Truancy, or skipping school, is problematic is most school districts. In many cases, with little to no support at home, many children are allowed to skip school, or cut class. Even a concerned parent may not find out until weeks after the fact that their child has been skipping school or has been truant. The dilemma is that in many cases the student skipping school or reported truant is a difficult student to have in class. It is not a priority for the school or teacher to make sure he or she comes, as it is easier to do their job when the child is gone. Not always, but in some districts, the child may be allowed to pass on to the next grade or school to avoid having to deal with them for another year. Some states have decided to place responsibility for the truant teen on to their parents. There are stiff sentences, and fines, for parents of a teen determined to skip school. While this approach may work in some cases, if the teen is defiant to parental, school, and even legal authority, the only one to suffer is the parent. The parent then has to deal not only with the difficulties of a defiant teen but also with the legal system, as well as to their employer Because they are forced to take the time off work necessary to monitor their teen. Many parents have actually lost their jobs trying to keep their child in school. President Bill Clinton said, “Truancy is a warning signal that a child is in trouble and is often a gateway to crime. The difference between success and failure in life for our children is whether they’re learning on the streets or in the school where they belong. The street is not an acceptable alternative to the classroom.” Failing Schools In some instances the schools themselves are struggling. In a speech by President Bob Chase of the National Education Association, he indicated: The federal government should help schools before they fail and prevent any student from attending a failing school. The preventative solutions Chase offered address problems that lead to school failure head on. “As educators on the front lines of America’s classrooms, standing eyeball to eyeball with our students, we have firsthand knowledge about what ‘leaving no child behind’ requires,” said Chase. 1. Can anyone recommend a good boarding school for a young teenage girl with ODD? How does one know a good school from a bad one? Thank you. Leave a reply Patty Click here to cancel reply.
Project Critiques Review: Foreign-Born Population 1850-2010 Foreign-Born Population 1850-2010. Created and maintained by the Digital Scholarship Lab partnered with Stamen Design, Reviewed January 27, 2019-February 4, 2019. Utilizing U.S. census records and county boundaries from 1850 to 2010, supplied by the Minnesota Population Center and the Newberry Library, the project Foreign-Born Population 1850-2010aims to show that a significant percentage of America’s residents were born outside the country’s borders. In doing so, the ultimate goal of the Foreign-Born Population project is to argue that because so many of the country’s residents have been born elsewhere, it is essential that researchers, historians and the American people look beyond the country’s borders to fully understand the history and culture of the United States. The most striking feature of the Foreign-Born project is the high level of interaction that users have with the website. Creating an interactive world map that allows users to select geographic regions within and outside of the United States, the project’s designers have developed an interesting digital platform to show the numbers and percentages of foreign born individuals from their points of origin to where they settled in America. Visitors to the site are then able to select from the years 1850 to 2010, in decade-by-decade increments, to view the fluctuation in immigration patterns of populations from different countries moving to the United States. Due to the fast speed and ease of access in using the digital map, Foreign-Born does an excellent job in showcasing statistical data that supports the project’s main argument. It is exactly the map’s malleability to shift from one year and region to the next that makes the project much better suited on a digital platform than being shown in print. The impact of quickly tracking and visually seeing the fluctuations and percentages of foreign born residents, that is much faster with the click of a mouse than scouring data in an archive from one book to the next, makes a large impact in showcasing America as a melting pot. This speed and ease of access in using the census data also makes Foreign-Born an important asset to a wide array of users. The interactive map allows you to view census records and immigration trends from a country wide perspective all the way down to each, individual county, making it a valuable tool for historians conducting both macro and micro studies. With free access to the site, the project is also a valuable asset to the general public and students looking to learn more about U.S. culture and immigration. Although minor, there are a couple of things that visitors must be aware of while using the website. First, users must be careful to recognize that there are differences in how the census records were conducted from one decade to the next. For example, the census of 1960 included both individuals that were foreign born and their children under the same category. If users are not careful, then they might see this as a spike in foreign immigration for certain county’s, when immigration had actually declined from the previous decade. This change in census recording is indicated by the site, but is in relatively small print on the corner of the page. Users must also understand that to fully appreciate the cultural traditions brought to the United States from foreign born residents, one must go beyond the statistical analysis of census records. It is necessary to read about, interact with, and talk to people from different cultural backgrounds to fully comprehend U.S. culture and provide agency to the many different groups and people living in America. Moreover, it is integral to recognize that the cultural practices of foreign born residents can change. The culture and traditions of a group can evolve and be influenced by other cultures and new environments. The project designers do include a list of suggested reading on the ‘About this Map’ section of the site that is accessible on the top, left-hand side of the map. All-in-all Foreign-Born Population is an excellent interactive, digital project that easily showcases and proves through a statistical analysis of U.S. census records that American culture cannot be fully understood if one’s focus remains solely within the country’s geographic borders. Comments Off on Review: Foreign-Born Population 1850-2010
Skip to Main Content When a patient cannot ingest the necessary nutrients by eating food, either because of illness, injury, surgery, dysphagia, or changes in absorption, enteral nutrition (EN) can be used to fill the void. Enteral nutrition refers to the act of taking nutrients into the body through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In medical terms, we typically think of EN as supplying specialized nutrition support via tube feedings. Parenteral nutrition (see Chapter 33) provides nutrition intravenously, entirely bypassing the GI tract. In general, if the GI system is functional, it is preferable to use enteral nutrition rather than parenteral feedings.1 Enteral nutrition is used in various clinical situations. It may be used to provide nutrition acutely when a patient cannot ingest or absorb adequate nutrition from oral intake or to provide nutrition during periods of extended illness. In general, if an otherwise well-nourished patient cannot take food by mouth for 7 to 14 days, EN should be considered. Enteral nutrition may be the only means of energy intake, or may be used as a supplement to food when oral intake alone is insufficient. Enteral feedings are preferred to parenteral feedings (provision of nutrients through the venous system) for several reasons. Enteral feedings make use of a functional or partially functional gut; reducing the risk of gut atrophy. Enteral nutrition also reduces the risk of infection by removing the need for venous access, and it is also less costly than parenteral nutrition.2 The decision to initiate enteral nutrition therapy must be based on determination of risk to benefit. The potential benefit for the patient must outweigh the risks of tube placement as well as risk of complications. There are a variety of factors that must be considered when initiating EN in any patient. These issues are discussed below. Route of Administration Several considerations dictate the route of administration. The level of GI dysfunction and disease state determines where nutrients should enter the GI tract. Feeding should be initiated at the highest level of functional gut, consistent with the patient's disease. This will maximize the nutrient absorption as well as maintain the gut function at the highest level possible. Patients with gastroparesis or other motility disorders may benefit from tube placement in the jejunum or duodenum as opposed to the stomach. Another consideration is anticipated length of treatment; short-term therapy is typically achieved through use of a nasogastric, orogastric, nasoenteric, or oroenteric tube, but longer therapy usually requires percutaneous placement (Table 32-1).3 With nasogastric tubes, placement is often made at bedside. The feeding tube which is quite flexible and soft at room or body temperature becomes rigid when iced, easing placement. TABLE 32-1 Enteral Feeding Routes Pop-up div Successfully Displayed
Thursday, December 10, 2009 Adventures in creative problem-solving George Mason University economist Alex Tabbarok describes an MIT team's very clever prize-winning problem solving to the DARPA Network challenge last week. Earlier this week DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, moored ten, 8 ft red, weather balloons in undisclosed locations across the United States. The DARPA Network Challenge offered a prize of $40,000 to the person or group who first identified all the locations. The MIT Group which won the challenge used a clever pyramid incentive scheme. Each balloon was worth $4000. The person to identify the location earned $2000. The person who invited that person to join the MIT group got $1000, the person who invited the person who invited the person who located the balloon got $500 and so forth (any money not distributed in this way was given to charity.) The incentive scheme meant that contestants not only had an incentive to find balloons they had an incentive to find someone who could find balloons (or find someone who could find someone who could find balloons and so forth). Incredibly, the MIT team located all ten balloons in just under 9 hours! The challenge may seem frivolous but in fact is a great example of how prizes and network technologies can combine to collect and use highly dispersed information--a problem of very general interest and relevance. For those Albany Area Math Circle members working with middle school students, you can turn this news into an interesting math challenge. If you think about it, when the MIT team set up their prize-winning approach, they didn't know how long a chain of people it would take to find each balloon. It's possible that some of the chains could have hundreds or thousands of people in them. How did they know they'd have enough money to pay all the prizes they were offering? 1 comment: Sue VanHattum said... If I understand you correctly, they didn't save any of the money for themselves. I bet they could have still won in the same amount of time by using half those amounts. And then they'd have some of the prize money for themselves. I like that they didn't care about the money, just the glory.
WEBVTT 00:03.000 --> 00:13.480 An aurora as we see it on Jupiter or on the Earth is caused by charged particles, electrons, or protons crashing into the atmosphere. 00:13.500 --> 00:19.740 When those electrons come bombarding in, they excite the electrons inside the hydrogen atom, 00:19.760 --> 00:26.000 and UV light comes pouring out and that's what produces most of the aurora on Jupiter. 00:26.020 --> 00:30.730 This is very similar to the Northern Lights of the Earth; it's the same physical process. 00:30.750 --> 00:38.840 Deep inside the planet the hydrogen has been compressed so much that it loses its electrons and you have a conducting layer 00:38.860 --> 00:41.550 so people call this metallic hydrogen... 00:41.570 --> 00:47.070 And it's in that conducting shell that we think Jupiter generates its magnetic field... 00:47.090 --> 00:56.580 Now, one of the interesting things is that it's carrying with it electrons and protons that are spiraling round as they crash into the atmosphere 00:56.600 --> 00:58:100 at the north and at the south. 00:58.120 --> 01:04.130 And when they do that, they create what we call an Aurora because they're generating light 01:04.150 --> 01:08:140 It's quite a spectacular sight if you can see this Aurora going on. 01:08.160 --> 01:14.550 Its so bright that you don't have to be on the surface of the planet where this is happening you can look at it from the outside 01:14.570 --> 01:29.050 And Juno is equipped to look at the Aurora on the North and South poles of Jupiter and to study it in a way that has never been possible before.
Daily Wisdom 186: Proverbs 10 The tenth chapter of the Book of Proverbs begins the actual proverbs written or spoken by Solomon. The word proverb means “to set, or place side by side” or “by comparison.” Contrast is used throughout the proverbs to demonstrate the difference between wisdom and folly. What we read before this is Scripture, but not necessarily in proverbial form.
Using Intensity to Increase Strength, Power, and Endurance Intensity: What Is It? What does it mean to say that something is “intense”? Intensification refers to increasing the amount of work done over time. For example, if you were working out at a gym where you could lift 100 pounds for 5 reps, but then had to do 50 pushups after your workout because there was no weight room equipment available, would you feel like your workout was intensifying or de-focusing? If so, you might want to change up your routine. On the other hand, if you are doing a workout with weights and you have to lift 200 pounds for 10 reps, would that make your workout intensifying or de-focusing? The difference between intensification and de-focusing is often overlooked when it comes to strength training. When most people think of intensity they tend to think of how much weight one lifts or how many repetitions they perform. However, what they may not realize is that intensity can refer to several things. One of those things is the mental state one enters into during a workout. When someone says their workouts are intense, they’re probably referring to two different aspects of intensity: 1) How hard you train; and 2) Your mindset while training. Most of the time when people talk about training intensely, they are usually referring to how hard they train. For example, someone who trains with higher volume and higher frequency is going to train less intensely (and with less weight) than someone who trains with lower volume and lower frequency. The less you work out, the less intense your workouts are going to be. De-focusing is a way of training that is less intense. When training in a focused manner, you are going to put more pressure on a particular muscle group. Someone who trains in a de-focused manner is going to emphasize the overloading of multiple body parts during a given workout. As such, this type of training is going to be less intense. De-focusing involves the use of compound or isolation exercises that target several major muscle groups, or training opposing muscle groups with different rep ranges. For example, if you were to bench press for a rep range of 3-5 and then do dumbbell flyes for 10-12 reps, you would be de-focused. Alternatively, a focused approach would involve training either bench or flyes for a higher number of reps. One reason why someone might prefer de-focused training is because it gives them more of a “pump”. The term “pump” refers to the feeling one gets when their muscles are engorged with blood. Some people believe that when you train a particular muscle group with higher reps your body is fooled into thinking that it needs more blood in that part of your body. As a result, it sends more blood to that region, which helps the person feel more pumped up. De-focused training is also beneficial for someone who wants to build endurance without adding more resistance. Someone who wants to have great endurance in say arm exercises, can perform multiple exercises that target the arms without having to add more weight. For example, they could do 3 sets of 10 push-ups, 3 sets of 10 hammer curls and 3 sets of 10 tricep extensions. This would allow them to work the muscles more without having to lift heavier weights, which would increase strength. Using Intensity to Increase Strength, Power, and Endurance - Image Someone who is looking to increase their strength would be better off focusing during their workouts. During a focused workout, one would perform a compound movement either for low reps or for a high amount of reps. For example, someone could do 5 sets of 3 bench presses for low reps. Alternatively, they could do 5 sets of 8 pull-ups for higher reps. It’s important to note that in this case, the exercises should be focused on the same muscle group (e.g. chest or back). Focusing is beneficial for someone who is looking to increase strength because it helps them achieve progressive overload. Progressive overload refers to the gradual increase in stress that you place on your body. In order to make a muscle stronger, you must place a burden on it that is greater than what it is used to dealing with. When you complete this process, your body responds by getting stronger so that it can handle future burdens of a similar nature. This is how muscles grow in response to the stress you place on them. As you can see, de-focused and focused training each have their benefits. While focused training is good for strength or endurance, someone who trains de-focused will be able to build endurance without having to increase the weight that they lift. However, someone who trains focused will be able to increase strength without having to increase the reps that they lift. Personally, I would recommend that a beginner or intermediate lifter focus on their workouts. Once you reach an advanced level, you’ll probably want to start implementing more de-focused training into your routine. Sources & references used in this article: Effects of different weight training exercise/rest intervals on strength, power, and high intensity exercise endurance by JM Robinson, MH Stone, RL Johnson… – … Journal of Strength & …, 1995 – Changes in selected biochemical, muscular strength, power, and endurance measures during deliberate overreaching and tapering in rugby league players by A Coutts, P Reaburn, TJ Piva… – International journal of …, 2007 – Changes evaluated in soccer-specific power endurance either with or without a 10-week, in-season, intermittent, high-intensity training protocol by J SIEGLER, S GASKILL, B RUBY – The Journal of Strength & …, 2003 – Effects of combined endurance and strength training on muscle strength, power and hypertrophy in 40–67‐year‐old men by L Karavirta, A Häkkinen, E Sillanpää… – … journal of medicine …, 2011 – Wiley Online Library Compatibility of high-intensity strength and endurance training on hormonal and skeletal muscle adaptations by WJ Kraemer, JF Patton, SE Gordon… – Journal of applied …, 1995 – Strength and endurance training prescription in healthy and frail elderly by EL Cadore, RS Pinto, M Bottaro, M Izquierdo – Aging and disease, 2014 – Moderate-intensity resistance exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure improves strength, endurance, heart rate variability, and forearm blood flow by SE Selig, MF Carey, DG Menzies, J Patterson… – Journal of cardiac …, 2004 – Elsevier Transference of kettlebell training to strength, power, and endurance by P Manocchia, DK Spierer, AKS Lufkin… – … Journal of Strength …, 2013 – Endurance training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a comparison of high versus moderate intensity by M Gimenez, E Servera, P Vergara, JR Bach… – Archives of physical …, 2000 – Elsevier
Where did Business Suits / Modern Suits come from? Business Suits, the Modern Suit or just the Suit. Too many questions to ask at once – where did it all start? Why are blazers the length they are? Why are most Business Suits, particularly in Finance hubs, generally encouraged to be either Navy, Black or Grey? Read on and we’ll walk through the answers. How it all started in the UK London became the leading fashion center in Europe as early as the 18th century since important new ideas kept coming from the British Isles. The English spent a great deal of time on their country estates, wheras the French aristocracy lived at the Royal Court. In typical English fashion, the pastime was fox hunting which has a unique clothing style. The knee-length coat proved to be a bit too long when trotting, so overtime it was cut shorter and shorter. The vest became shorter to match, and the trousers tighter. This new look was taken up throughout Europe: in France the English frock coat became the fraque, and in Germany the Frack, while la Grande Nation corrupted “riding coat” into redingote. Only at the end of the nineteenth century was the color finally driven out of the suit that evolved during the 18th century, and consisted of a frock coat, vest, and pants. City of London origins The city had the affects of coal throughout with black and grey. The green and brown colours of nature saw on country estates were reproduced in hunting and riding clothes. Unknown trendsetters who wanted to be able to wear comfortable riding jackets in the city as well came up with the idea of having them made of dark materials. It is this development we have to thank for the cut of the modern suit, with its short jacket. As a result, the modern man who finds a dark suit stiff and formal was in fact the dark version of a leisure outfit at the time. Development in to Business Suits In the 1920s men began wearing wide, straight-legged trousers with their suits. Younger men often wore even wider-legged trousers. Trousers also began to be worn cuffed shortly after World War I and this style persisted until World War II. They first began to be worn creased in the 1920s. Trousers were worn very highly waisted throughout the 1920s and this fashion remained in vogue until the 1940s. Single-breasted suits were in style throughout the 1920s and the double-breated suit was mainly worn by older more conservative men. Very fashionable men would often wear double-breasted waistcoats (with four buttons on each side) with single-breasted coats. Lapels on single-breasted suits were fashionably worn peaked and were often wide. In the early 1930s these styles continued and were often even further exaggerated. Reflecting the balance of wealth and larger trend toward simplification in the decades following the Second World War, the suit was standardized and streamlined. Suit coats were cut as straight as possible without any indication of a waistline. By the 1960s the lapel had become narrower than at any time prior. Cloth rationing during the war had forced significant changes in style, contributing to a large reduction in the popularity of cuts such as the double-breasted suit. In the ’70s, a snug-fitting suit coat became popular once again, also encouraging the return of the waistcoat. This new three-piece style became closely associated with culture, and was specifically popularized by the film Saturday Night Fever. Fashion brands such Haggar meanwhile started to introduce the concept of “suit separates”, a production innovation that reduced the need for excessive customization. Business Suits of today The ’80s saw a trend towards the simplification of the suit once again. The jacket became steadily looser men dropped the waistcoat. A few suit makers continued to make waistcoats, but these tended to be cut low and often had only four buttons. The waistline on the suit coat moved down again in the ’80s to a position well below the waist. By 1985-1986, three-piece suits were on the way out and making way for cut double-breasted and two-piece single-breasted suits. The late ’90s saw the return to popularity of the three-button two-piece suit. Which then went back out of fashion some time in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Today we seem to have standardised to the Business Suit below, but how long will it last? Nickson Shirt Model on zebra crossing wearing a blue slim fit shirt For the perfect combination with modern suits, check out our formal shirt range below or directly via this link nicksonshirts.com/shop Check out our related posts below: Leave a Reply
Heroine drug overdose deaths jump over 300% due to synthetic drug overdose Synthetic drugs are a class of drugs that mimic natural chemicals, such as opium, in a way that can result in serious side effects, such the death of the user. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in 2015 alone, the number of drug overdose fatalities spiked by nearly 300%. Many of the drugs being abused on the streets of the United States include fentanyl, a fentanyl analog, which can be found in the fentanyl-like chemical compound known as “heroin”. The fentanyl analogs fentanyl and hydromorphone are among the most popular synthetic drugs. These drugs are sometimes sold over the internet, but are often sold in the form of pills that look identical to heroin, which often have more powerful effects. Fentanyl is a fentanyl analogue found in many fentanyl analogues, including hydromoroquinolones. Hydromorphones are a synthetic drug that contains fentanyl. These are not the same drug, but have similar effects and have similar side effects. Drug overdose deaths are a leading cause of death for US adults, and the number is expected to rise even more as the opioid epidemic continues to worsen. In 2015, there were 1,099 drug overdose death cases in the US, according to the CDC. These figures are expected to continue to rise. The drug overdose epidemic has already led to an increase in drug use among teenagers, and drug overdose mortality rates have been rising since the drug epidemic began. The use of these drugs can have serious health consequences, including death. There are more than 2,000 drug overdose related deaths in the United Kingdom every year, according the Royal College of Physicians. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEa) estimates that in 2015, the US accounted for more than 3,000 deaths from synthetic drugs, which is a staggering number. Although the use of synthetic drugs has become more prevalent in the past few years, the increase in deaths and the increase of synthetic drug use have led to increased awareness, research, and education on the dangers of synthetic chemicals. If you or anyone you know needs help or is concerned about the use or abuse of synthetic substances, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Why Wires Come in Different Sizes? Jan 20, 2021 \| By Paramount Electricity runs our homes and thus, our lives. Our homes need a wide range of power options to run a variety of appliances, both big and small. That’s why proper electrical wiring installation is of great importance. This includes installation of properly sized wires for proper operation and electrical safety. Here are some points that will help you understand why wires come in different sizes. The purpose of any wire is to transmit power at a certain distance with the least amount of resistance. The more power and equipment you have, the larger the wire size needs to be. If too small wire size is used, the wire would deteriorate and its Insulation would melt because of the large amount of current flowing through it compared to rated capacity of the cable. The smaller the wire diameter, the higher the resistance there will be to the flow of energy. When you have high resistance, you generate heat that can turn into a fire hazard. Proper wire size is important for any electrical wire installation. The wire size represents the diameter of the wire conductor. The wire gauge refers to the current-carrying capacity of the wire or how much amperage the wire can withstand safely. When selecting the correct size of the wire, consider the wire area, the wire power, and what the wire would be used for. Proper sizing of cabling is most important for the reliability, consistency and safety of the system. The oversize cable is a waste of money and under-size can cause short circuit or fire. Also, you have to consider the type of cable (single-core, multi-core) whatever is suitable for your application. Last but not the least is the way you lay the cable. You must take into consideration that the cable is in trunking or on cable trays. Choose Paramount Cables for Convenience & Safety Paramount Cables can provide you with all wire sizing services and calculations with accuracy. Their technical experts will take care of all commercial and residential wire sizing as per the required standards. The technical professionals have a vast experience in the field of wire sizing and will not take much time to calculate the amperage and related wire size
What Is Artificial Intelligence Certification? Artificial Intelligence Certification evaluates a person's knowledge of the programming language in order to connect them with the best opportunities. The Artificial Intelligence certification is offered by different authorities, ranging from government agencies to commercial firms and organizations. The majority of certifications are gained by passing an online or offline exam conducted by the organizations. Each certification comes with its own set of advantages, such as international recognition, job chances, freelancing, and so on. As a result, Artificial Intelligence certification is an online exam that assesses a developer's abilities and knowledge in order to match them with appropriate opportunities. Learn More What is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence is intelligence displayed by robots, as opposed to natural intelligence produced by animals such as humans. The study of "intelligent agents," or systems that understand their surroundings and take actions that maximize their chances of achieving their goals, as defined by leading AI textbooks. Leading AI researchers, on the other hand, reject this definition, which utilizes the word "artificial intelligence" to refer to robots that mimic "cognitive" functions that humans associate with the human mind, such as "learning" and "problem solving." AI applications include advanced web search engines, recommendation systems, understanding human speech, self-driving automobiles, automated decision-making, and playing at the highest level in strategic game systems. The AI effect is a phenomenon that occurs when machines become more capable, and tasks that were once thought to require "intelligence" are increasingly removed from the AI idea. Optical character recognition, for example, is frequently overlooked in AI debates, despite the fact that it is a widely used technology. Artificial intelligence has gone through many phases of optimism, disappointment, and funding loss since its inception as an academic research in 1956, followed by new techniques, success, and renewed funding. AI research has experimented with and rejected a variety of approaches throughout the years, including brain mimicking, modeling human problem solving, formal logic, enormous knowledge libraries, and animal behavior imitation. In the first decades of the twenty-first century, highly mathematical statistical machine learning dominated the discipline, and this technique has proven highly successful, helping to tackle many tough problems in industry and academics. The numerous sub-fields of AI study are based on distinct goals and the use of specific approaches. Traditional AI research goals include reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, learning, natural language processing, sensing, and the ability to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence is one of the field's long-term aims (the capacity to solve any problem). To overcome these problems, AI researchers employ search and mathematical optimization, formal logic, artificial neural networks, and techniques based on statistics, probability, and economics. AI incorporates computer science, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and a variety of other fields. According to the field's founders, human intellect "can be so accurately stated that a machine may be developed to duplicate it." This prompts philosophical disputes concerning the mind and the ethics of creating human-like artificial intelligence. Myth, fiction, and philosophy have all attempted to address these issues since antiquity. In science fiction and futurology, AI has been portrayed as an existential threat to mankind due to its tremendous potential and strength. Best Platform for Artificial Intelligence Certification: Many platforms and certification bodies all over the world offer Artificial Intelligence Certification. Udemy, Edureka, VSkills, and a variety of other platforms are among the finest places to look for certifications. However, if you're looking for the greatest Artificial Intelligence Certification, Loopskill is the ideal place to go. Loopskill certification not only assists you in being certified, but also in locating the greatest career possibilities and outstanding work-from-home (freelancing) opportunities. Loopskill has clients from more than 100 countries and certified freelancers from more than 50 countries, making it a great place to join and get certified. You may also get money by referring people for Artificial Intelligence Certification or any other certification in website development, app development, MBA, Engineering, Cyber Security, Marketing, or other disciplines. Join the loopskill platform now at www.loopskill.com to begin your journey. Why should you take this Online Artificial Intelligence Certification? Loopskill's online Artificial Intelligence certification can help you become a qualified professional. You can take this exam and become an internationally certified Artificial Intelligence developer if you get a score of 70% or higher. This accreditation will benefit you in three ways: • You can show off your Artificial Intelligence certification to potential employers and set yourself apart from the competition. • Using the loopskill website or app, you may apply for fantastic employment; also, our partner firms will approach you directly for full-time or part-time possibilities based on your talents and requirements. • Loopskill is more than simply a place to get certified and find full-time work; as a certified developer, you can also undertake freelance work for clients all around the world. Clients will approach you requesting your assistance in developing a web or app based platform or for marketing, sales, security support. The loopskill’s online Artificial Intelligence certification was intended to assist people in discovering and realizing their maximum potential in order to connect them to the finest possibilities available throughout the world. Advantages & Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence: Human Error is Reduced Humans make mistakes from time to time, which is why the term "human error" was coined. Computers, on the other hand, do not make these errors if they are correctly programmed. Artificial intelligence makes choices based on previously obtained data and a set of algorithms. As a result, errors are decreased, and the prospect of achieving better precision and accuracy is increased. Instead of Humans, he takes risks: One of the most significant advantages of artificial intelligence is this. By constructing an AI Robot that can do the risky tasks for us, we can transcend many of humanity's risky limits. It can be utilized effectively in every type of natural or man-made disaster, whether it is going to Mars, defusing a bomb, exploring the deepest regions of the oceans, mining for coal and oil. Available around the clock: Without breaks, an average human will labor for 4–6 hours every day. Humans are created in such a way that they can take time off to replenish themselves and prepare for a new day at work, and they even have weekly off days to keep their professional and home lives separate. But, unlike humans, we can use AI to make machines work 24 hours a day, seven days a week with no breaks, and they don't get bored. Assisting in Repetitive Tasks: We will be doing a lot of repetitious labor in our day-to-day work, such as writing thank-you emails, double-checking documents for flaws, and so on. We can use artificial intelligence to efficiently automate these monotonous operations and even remove "boring" duties from humans' schedules, allowing them to be more creative. Assistive Technology: Digital assistants are used by some of the most modern enterprises to engage with people, reducing the requirement for human personnel. Many websites also use digital assistants to supply things that users seek. We can discuss what we're searching for with them. Some chatbots are created in such a way that it's difficult to tell whether we're talking to a bot or a human. Decisions are made more quickly: We can make computers make decisions and carry out activities faster than humans by combining AI with other technologies. While a human will consider numerous aspects, both emotionally and practically, before making a decision, an AI-powered machine will focus on what it has been designed to do and will produce results more quickly. Applications on a daily basis: Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and Google's OK Google are all commonplace in our daily lives, whether it's for finding a location, taking a selfie, making a phone call, or responding to an email. Every bright side has a negative counterpart. Artificial Intelligence, on the other hand, has several drawbacks. Let's take a look at a few of them. High Production Costs: Because AI is evolving on a daily basis, hardware and software must be upgraded on a regular basis to keep up with the latest requirements. Machines necessitate repair and maintenance, both of which incur significant expenditures. Because they are extremely complicated machinery, their construction necessitates exorbitant prices. Laziness in Humans: With its applications automating the majority of the job, AI is making humans lazy. Humans are prone to get addicted to these advancements, posing a threat to future generations. Human interference is growing less as AI replaces the majority of repetitive tasks and other tasks with robots, causing a big challenge in employment standards. Every company is attempting to replace minimum-qualified employees with AI robots that can perform similar tasks more efficiently. No Feelings: Machines are undeniably more efficient when it comes to working, but they cannot replace the human connection that binds a team together. Machines are unable to form bonds with humans, which is an important characteristic in team management. Lack of unconventional thinking: Machines can only accomplish the tasks for which they were created or programmed; anything else causes them to crash or produce irrelevant outputs, which can be a big distraction. Best Platform to find Artificial Intelligence Jobs? Finding a great Artificial Intelligence job is always a challenge because you can't just walk into any firm and ask for an interview, and you can't apply for every position that's available. As a result, loopskill is the ideal solution; all you have to do is take the Artificial Intelligence exam, and if you pass, you'll receive worldwide certification as well as a slew of excellent Artificial Intelligence job opportunities. Loopskill is dedicated to matching the best people with the best jobs. Indeed is also a fantastic place to look for the best Artificial Intelligence jobs. You will find a wide variety of job opportunities at Indeed. Employers should consider Indeed because it is consistently rated as one of the best job posting sites in the world. Every month, the site receives millions of candidates, and its parent company, Recruit Holdings, has recently expanded its network by purchasing smaller job boards. Employers prefer Indeed because their listings are seen by a large number of qualified candidates. Glassdoor is a popular job board that also serves as an effective tool for employer branding. This website is used by businesses to post job openings, create an appealing company profile, and respond to feedback from previous employees. As a result, you can use Glassdoor to search for and apply to the best Artificial Intelligence jobs posted by various companies. Despite its reputation as a professional social networking site, LinkedIn's broad reach makes it a valuable resource for recruiters. When it comes to finding the best Artificial Intelligence jobs, linkedin is one of the best platforms to use. LinkedIn Recruiter can help you connect with experienced people in a variety of industries in a more efficient and strategic way. Here's where you can learn more about LinkedIn Recruiter. Google Job Postings Google's big-brain AI is used in this new addition to the best online job sites. To find the best Artificial Intelligence jobs, simply go to Google jobs and you'll see job listings from all of the most popular websites and apps. Google can assist you in locating a list of job openings in your area that meet your requirements. Google is one of the best platforms for Artificial Intelligence jobs because you can find jobs from a variety of different platforms on one single platform, giving you a lot of options. CareerBuilder is a massive global job board with over 125 million candidate profiles and tens of thousands of employers. So if you haven't tried career builder yet, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. The authenticity of the companies is one of the most important factors that distinguishes this platform for job seekers. Because this platform is paid, only premium employers use it. Every day, millions of job seekers visit Job2Careers. As a result, it is one of the best websites for both employers and job seekers to post jobs and find Artificial Intelligence jobs. Job2Careers has Artificial Intelligence job listings from various countries all over the world. If you ask someone in the United States or India which job site they think is the best, they're likely to say "Monster." This well-known job board provides three pricing options to suit your hiring requirements. So, if you're looking for an Artificial Intelligence job, Monster is a good place to start. Nexxt, formerly "Beyond," has recently undergone a makeover and continues to be one of the best job boards. This job board may have one of the largest networks of partner job sites in the US, with diversity job boards (like DiversityWorkers.com), local employment boards (like Bostonjobsite.com), and international job boards (e.g. StepStone). Because of the large number of connections available, nexxt is a popular place to join and look for the best Artificial Intelligence jobs. Snagajob is a massive international job board that specializes in hourly work. There are job openings in a variety of industries, including hospitality and retail. Snagajob connects you with the right Artificial Intelligence job opportunity from thousands of employers all over the world. As a result, it is one of the best platforms to join and find online jobs. The platforms listed above are some of the most popular for finding the best Artificial Intelligence jobs all over the world. You can also use your local platforms, Facebook jobs, and other portals in addition to these platforms. Future of Artificial Intelligence? Artificial Intelligence is a diverse field with a promising future. The average Artificial Intelligence professional salary in the United States is $70,000, while the average Artificial Intelligence professional salary in India is around INR 50,000. Artificial Intelligence is one of those fields that have a lot of market exposure as well as good pay. There are millions of Artificial Intelligence job opportunities available, ranging from part-time to full-time, for various companies or individual clients. So, if you're looking for a career path with a brighter future, Artificial Intelligence is something you should consider. You can get free Artificial Intelligence training from YouTube or enrol in an Udemy or EDX course to become an expert in Artificial Intelligence. After you've learned everything, you can take the LoopSkill Artificial Intelligence certification exam and gain access to job and freelancing opportunities as well as becoming internationally certified. Contact Us Do you have any questions or need assistance in getting internationally certified? Platform URL Call/WhatsApp Us +91 9816685212 Become Internationally Certified Join The Platform Now This International Certification will help you to become Internationally Certified, to get Jobs, Freelancing & other opportunities. Become Certified Now
Career Planning is a very urgent yet a overwhelming task. This is a stage that is regularly skipped by the greater part of the general population in their expert lives. Planning your career means that you are not leaving things to risk but rather assuming responsibility for your vocation venture. This article will enable you to design your profession in a handy manner. Career Planning What is Career Planning? Career planning is a persistent procedure of setting your objectives and exploring ways to achieve them through self-evaluation, market research, and continuous learning. It is an important exercise to successfully manage your career. Advantages of Career Planning Career planning can help you in the accompanying ways: Figure out your goals: It ends up simpler to make sense of individual destinations and objectives through career planning. It is in every case better to pursue your objectives as opposed to working capriciously. Save Time and Money: Career arranging causes you abstain from pursuing a calling that does not line up with individual objectives and capacities. The prior you plan, the better it is. Make Confident Choices: Career arranging places you in the driver's seat in your vocation voyage and gives you a chance to settle on sure decisions for your future undertakings. Focus: You will probably decide a make way to pursue with the assistance of career planning. It causes you abstain from inclination lost and gives you a chance to concentrate on the correct angles. · Ventures for effective career planning 1. Self-evaluation The initial step to effectively design your profession is to comprehend your own advantages, qualities, shortcomings, and objectives. Start by asking yourself the accompanying inquiries – What do I appreciate doing? What persuades me? What am I great at? What are the things I am awful at? What sort of way of life do I need later on? What are my own objectives? What are my greatest accomplishments and disappointments? What capabilities and experience do I have? What would I like to be known for? There are different online devices that help you locate your very own advantages and what sort of employment will be reasonable for you. Vocation test - This test will give you a short outline of your character and the sort of work that you will fit into. Character test - This test gives you a far reaching rundown of your character. It is likewise utilized by spotters and guides over the world. Profession test - This test will enable you to make sense of what kind of conditions and occupations suit you the most. Invest some energy in self-reflection and record your long haul and transient vocation objectives. Consider the sort of work-life balance you need to accomplish. This is one of the most troublesome in career planning however it sets the establishment for the subsequent stages. 2. Statistical surveying Once you have discovered your own interests and strengths, it is time to figure out what is out there. Make a list of job profiles that align with your goals, interests, and strengths. Conduct a thorough research about market trends and read company reviews to get details about salary, work culture, growth opportunities, etc. Make a rundown of occupation jobs that you find fascinating and might want to seek after. Statistical surveying encourages you in settling on an educated choice about your vocation. When you answer these inquiries, you have your rundown prepared and the time has come to proceed onward to the following stage. 3. Distinguish the hole For all the attractive activity jobs that you have added to your rundown, record aptitudes, experience, and assets required for every last one of them. Recognize the hole between what you have and what you have to land these positions. These could be ability holes, experience holes, capability holes, and so forth. Converse with experts and get a thought regarding the capabilities, experience, and ability necessities. You can likewise secure position depictions for different jobs on the web. Author's Bio: I am Tripti and I have 5 years of experience in content writing as well as in digital marketing. I have worked with Accenture, Group M and Logicserve digital throughout my career and now I am working as a freelancer digital marketer.
The theme for this year’s Vigilance Awareness Week (2013) is ‘promoting good governance – positive contribution of vigilance’. The practice of observing the Vigilance Awareness Week by the CVC was introduced on 31st October 2000. This was an effort for creating awareness right across the spectrum of government of India organisation to begin with and the nation whole about supreme importance of ensuring that there is highest level of integrity in public life. Corruptionis lack of integrity.It could be lack of financial.moral or intellectual integrity.Corruption is anti economic development.a nti poo r.and antinational.It is anti good governance. This danger of corruption has been recogniosed globally.That is why the Unied Nation adopted tin the year 2003 the UN convention against Corruption. Before proceeding further, we should be clear about what is good governance. As I see,see it ,there are four characteristics of good governance. The first is the rule of law. As our Constitution spells out, all citizens have a fundamental right for equality before law and are entitled to equal protection of the law. The second important aspect of good governance is is, minimum if not zero corruption. Corruption as it involves lack of integrity, distorts the whole process of administering justice. There can be no good governance, without the rule of law and corruptiontherefore is anti good governance. The third aspect is that the good governance should create an environment where every individual in the society will be able to realise his or her full human potential. This means that there must be equal opportunities for self improvement and achievement for every citizen. The system of governance must not discriminate or deny opportunities to any citizen of the society. The fourth important aspect is total factor productivity. There should be no wastage of resources of any type, starting with human resources, time, financial or physica and material resources. If we apply the standards of good governance, it will be at once obvious that we do not have good governance in our country and particularly in the last five years i, we have been witnessing a very sharp and all round display of lack of good governance. in every sector of public life. From 2010 onwards, we have been witnessing in the media and public life, one huge scam after another, the 2G, CWG, Adarsh Society and finally the Coalgate and Choppergate show that there is no section of government or public life where lack of integrity and corruption is not dominant. The notorious publication of the Nira Radia tapes in connection with the 2G scam highlighted how practically every section of the society connected with governance especially the democratic process has been involved in corruption. The Nira Radia connections spread across politics, corporate sector, government and so on. The field of sports also, as highlighted by the IPL scam and the match fixing and spot fixing scam also involves a lot of high stakes and especially financial stakes. Corporate scandals in the stock market have virtually become a permanent feature ever since the liberalisation of the economy was launched by the government of India in 1991. If during the permit licence raj, if the issue of corruption was related to the middlemen or the liaison men, the scams involving the stock market manipulation and misuse have been the characteristic of the post liberalisation period. The word ‘vigilance’ represents alertness. There is a well known saying, ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty’. If we are not alert, we are likely to lose our liberty, which in turn also means we are going to lose good governance. We have already seen the connection between the four key aspects of good governance and how lack of integrity and corruption can have a negative impact on each one of them. In other words, corruption is anti good governance. While the theme of this year’s Vigilance Awareness Week highlights the positive side that Vigilance can contribute to good governance, it is ironic that today, the government in its effort to save whatever little is left of its reputation, finds fault with the very agencies which have been specially designed to fight corruption and ensure vigilance like the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India .The CAG is a constituitional authority especially set up to audit the government accounts and ensure the canons of financial propriety are observed. In fact, the main charge against the Central Vigilance Commission is this that the current government has been reduced to a state of policy paralysisbecause of the restrictions imposed by the CVC and the fault finding of the CAG. The government is not able to take key and important decisions having a bearing on attracting investments and ensuring economic development. because any decision can be criticised on the ground that it favours one party or another. In fact, I would highlight at this stage the need for observing what Norman Vincent Peale and Kenneth Blanchard in their book ‘The Power of Ethical Management’ say: How can we ensure that a decision is ethical? Peale and Blanchard recommended a three-point test. 1. Is the decision legal? If it is not legal, then it is not ethical. 2. Is the decision fair to all parties affected by the decision? If it is not fair to all but benefits only some of the parties involved in the transaction, it is not ethical. Then it goes against the basic principle not only of good governance but also good business. A good business is supposed to be a win-win exercise. There are no participants who do not get benefit and if there is going to a loss, all share equally. The major scams which were seen in the last 3-4 years of the current government of India always fail when we apply the test of fairness. Not all parties in a decision benefit to the same extent and some are more favoured. As the cynical comment goes in George Orwell’s sataire, the Animal Form, all animal’s are equal but some animals are more equal than others. 3. The third test is, will you be ashamed if the decision taken is made public and known to all ?. If so, then the decision is not ethical. In fact the basic requirement for fighting corruption is a willingness to reduce corruption. Many of the efforts made by different authorities today give an impression that there is no commitment of eliminating corruption but all pious overlies are uttered about which there is no controversy. It is very easy to articulate moral platitudes , but the real challenge is to practice them in real life. In fact the scams would not have happened, if all people involved had observed the three point test of ethics mentioned above. If the intentions of the powers that be are clear, then every problem can be tackled and we can in this country establish good governance which will be welcomed by all citizens. For example, let us take the case of all powerful black money in our system. The estimate of black money varies from as low as 50% to much higher so far as our economy is concerned. Different initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Finance and other authorities to tackle the issue of black money. In fact, government passed in 2003, the Anti-Money Laundering Bill and the government of India also is part of Anti money laundering convention. Nevertheless, our track record is very poor. There are shocking reports that $1.4 trillion have been salted away in the tax heavens by the Indian entrepreneurs and captains of industry. Falli Nariman, one of the finest legal brains in our country as a nominated Member of Rajya Sabha , has given an excellent suggestion in the floor of the House itself sometime back about how this $1.4 trillions of black money can be brought to India .He has suggested is that the government should issue an Ordinance which can be later made in to a law stating that all funds which are in the tax heavens in the name of Indian citizens will vest immediately with the government of India in an authority to be called the Custodian of Indian Citizens’ Accounts in tax heavens. This does not mean that unilaterally the government is nationalising and grabbing all the private funds of Indian citizens in tax heavens. In the ordinanance there will also be a provision that any citizen who can prove to the satisfaction of the Custodian that the money was legally earned and on which tax has been paid before it was deposited in the tax heaven account, will have the money returned to him and it will be his money for him to spend. All the others who are guilty and therefore feel like a thief who has been stung by a scorpion when they were indulging in the process of stealing. Will have to either come out in the open and confess that it is the illegal money of theirs they have deposited in the tax heaven accounts and those who have legitimate claim can get their funds back. There is no reason why this system can not work. But instead of implementing the simple suggestion like Falli Nariman, the government merely went about beating the bush by trying to bamboozle the nation and the Members of Parliament by talking about the importance of the double tax avoidance treaties and so on. Implementing Falli Nariman’s idea can be the beginning of the process of cleansing of public life. Elimination of black money will have a great impact in reducing the domestic prices and in the process bringing clear transparency and prosperity to our country. The main complaint of the executive is that the CVC’s initiative to check corruption cases act as a sort of a negative and demoralising effect so far as Indians are concerned. This is a specious argument. If the public servant is honest and he has no ulterior motive, he can take action as already provided in the law which also gives him the power to exercise discretion and take decisions. It is only when the decisions are compromised and are not fair, audit paragraphs arise and accountability will lead in many cases for the action to be taken against the officers concerned. The existence of the CVC or its instructions which are designed to check corruption therefore, can not be treated as a sort of a dampener and obstruction and excuse of policy paralysis. In short, the vigilance organisations like the CVC act as a watch dog on behalf of the government and the public at large to ensure that the public authorities entrusted with power and resources do not misuse them and thereby ensuring in this country a good governance prevails. We can, therefore, see a direct link between the organisation like CVC concerned with vigilance or the CAG concerned with the issue of observing the canons propriety and good governancein ensuring good governce of the nation. The present campaign by the authorities against the role played by the agencies like CVC and CAG only reflects the attitude of those who want to indulge in corruption, and find these agencies as a great bottle neck! Surely no thief will ever give good certificate to an efficient policeman! Add comment Security code
Why Does Inflation Cause Stock Prices to Decrease? With inflation, the prices of things generally increase. You would therefore expect the prices of stocks to rise as well. This is true during the latter stages of inflation, but initially equity prices may actually fall. Here’s why: The price of a stock includes a “discount” to its fair value due to the perceived risk involved. For example, say that a stock normally trades for about ten times its earnings (its price-earnings ratio, PE, is 10). This is the price that the market has set for the company, and like other things, the price may fluctuate a bit but over long periods of time the price will remain about the same. If earnings were expected to rise by ten percent in the next year, you might expect the stock to increase ten percent as well in expectation of the earnings increase so that the PE ratio would remain around 10. If the earnings increase were a certainty, this would happen, because ten times earnings is thought to be a fair price for the stock, assuming that everything else that could affect the stock price remained the same. There is uncertainty, however, in whether a company will actually meet those earnings. The greater the level of uncertainty, the lower the price will be compared to the fair price – i.e. the greater the discount. The stock in our example might trade at nine times future earnings, or at a PE ratio of 9, so that if they do make earnings the people purchasing the stock now will be rewarded with an increase in price to make up for the chance they are taking that the company will fall short on earnings. Inflation reduces the return you receive from holding a stock. If earnings increase by ten percent but the value of the dollar decreases by ten percent, there will be no reward for holding the stock. To compensate, the price people are willing to pay will need to drop so that they will be rewarded after the effects of inflation are felt. This is why stock prices may initially fall when inflation increases. After the initial fall, however, the price of equities will increase with the price of everything else. Businesses will pass the cost increases they see for materials and labor onto their customers who will pay for them with inflated dollars. The dollar value of the business will increase as the dollars become worth less, so the price of the company stock will increase. As usual, stocks are a long-term investment. Over long periods of time, the chances of doing well with a diversified set of stocks is almost ensured. Over short periods of time, however, there are several factors, including inflation, that can result in a loss. Please contact me via vtsioriginal@yahoo.com or leave a comment. 1. Right now the U.S. is “printing money” “QE infinity” or whatever you want to call it, but there is no doubt that they are expanding their money supply which is the definition on inflation. Even though the official inflation number isn’t that high, that is a product of the government stripping out any item that would show the real rate of inflation like food and gas. If the U.S. has inflation and the S&P 500 is at an all time high, how do you figure inflation causes stock prices to decrease? • It decreases stock prices at first when investors start to demand a better return for their investments, but then later it causes stock price to increase as the value of dollars declines, causing the number of them required to buy equities to increase. In the current case a lot of the decline occurred when the Fed started printing money, and later when the US debt was downgraded as a result of the money printing and rampant borrowing. If inflation picks up further, stocks will decline for a bit, but then follow inflation higher as they did last time. Comments appreciated! What are your thoughts? Questions? WordPress.com Logo Google photo Twitter picture Facebook photo Connecting to %s
How to wash hands with antisepsy in India article How do I wash my hands with antiseptic? The answer is with soap and water. Antiseptic is one of the most commonly used antibacterial agents used to treat the common cold, the flu and other diseases. Here are the tips on how to use it and the dos and don’ts of handwashing with it. What you need to know about handwashing:Antiseptic agents are commonly used in India for the common ailments. It is important to be aware that this is not a safe method to use for the hands. Antibacterial agents are usually used in very low concentrations. The concentration required for handwashing is usually lower than a teaspoon. Antisesters in India vary in strength and effectiveness. A teaspoon of soap is enough to wash a large number of hands. Antiseptics in India are widely used. In the city, they are widely available in grocery stores and shops. In rural areas, the supply is limited. Most of the antiseptic products in India contain chlorine. Antimalarial drugs in India include fluoroquinolones, triclosan, ciprofloxacin, carbapenems and aminoglycosides. They are used as the mainstay of the healthcare system in India. There are also a variety of hand disinfectants available for use. For instance, in India, you can buy toothpaste containing 1% antisep-lox, toothpaste with 0.5% antimalarial agents, and toothpaste for home use. It costs around Rs.50 to buy 1.5g of toothpaste and a packet of toothbrush. A bottle of toothpastes contains 20g of antiseps. There is also a generic brand for home usage. Antimalarial medications in India can be expensive. Antipovid-laxative antisefacients are available for around Rs 50. These are a special type of antimalarials which have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are available in a range of formulations and are effective at killing most viruses. They have been used as a primary treatment for acute and chronic infections. Antistatant and anticonvulsant antistatants have been available in India since 2002. These include: diazepam (Ranbaxy), diazepoxide (Moltrin), and diazepin (Effexor). Both are available by prescription for treating the common illnesses in India like the common flu, flu-like illness, and cough. They can be purchased by the pharmacist for around $1 to $2 a pill. Antibiotics in India have been known to be expensive and have been a source of frustration for many patients. Antimicrobial resistance has been a concern for the healthcare industry, particularly in rural India. This has resulted in a shortage of antibiotics for the patients. There have been many reports of patients getting diarrhoea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and even death when prescribed antibiotics are not effective. In India, there is a very high risk of antibiotic resistance. The main problem with the use of antismatic agents in India is the cost. Antisepsis is a popular hand washing technique that is used in hospitals and clinics. It requires a gentle cleansing of the hands with water and soap and then a second rinse with antistatic agents. In most hospitals, there are no washing stations available for hand washing. In some clinics, the staff is responsible for dispensing the disinfectant. The most common way to use an antisepsi hand wash is with hand washing with soap. This is not recommended for hospitals because it can be very expensive and not very effective. Antismatic hand washing is also not recommended in homes because the hands can be contaminated by the soap and the water. It can also be difficult to wash and sanitize the hands if they are contaminated by soap and other household cleaners. Hand washing with a hand sanitizer is recommended in most homes. Antismatic antibacterial handwashing has become an essential method of healthcare in India due to the cost and lack of available anti-antibacterial hand washing facilities. In addition to being an antisepitogenic method of hand washing in India it can also help reduce the incidence of hand infections. There has been some studies that have shown that antisepseses and antismaps are associated with lower rates of infection. These studies have been done in both rural and urban settings in India and have shown higher rates of infections in urban centres. Handwashing with a soap and antistack antibacterial agent has also been shown to reduce the frequency of bacterial skin infections, such as lice and fungal infections. The first step in handwashing antisephesis is to use soap and soap. You should wash your hands with soap
Elizabeth Lawrence: Literary and Horticultural Icon posted in: Biographies 2 Elizabeth Lawrence (1904-1985) is best known as an American garden writer—one of the finest of the 20th century. Through a highly informative yet conversational style of writing, she encouraged her readers to embrace diversity in their gardens by trying something new. Even though she often wrote of her own experiences in her two Southern gardens in North Carolina (Raleigh until 1948, and Charlotte from 1948 to 1984), her audience and correspondences spanned the entire country
The Complete Guide to Corporate Philanthropy and Corporate Giving Corporate Philanthropy is one of those terms that sounds much more complicated than it actually is. The Business Dictionary defines corporate philanthropy as: “The charitable donations of profits and resources given by corporations to nonprofit organizations. Corporate philanthropy generally consists of cash donations but can also be in the form of use of their facilities or volunteer time offered by the company’s employees.” There’s also corporate giving which is social/philanthropic initiatives companies provide to non-profit organizations to provide financial support or to help advocate a particular cause. As a fundraiser, you know what giving is all about, but you might have trouble getting to the point where a company is actually willing to hand over the check. However, if you have a better understanding of how corporate philanthropy and giving benefits the company instead of your cause, you will be in a better position to convince them to open up their wallets. Our complete guide to corporate philanthropy and corporate giving can help you build a fundraising strategy that will help you meet your fundraising goals and initiatives. Corporate Philanthropy Examples Corporate philanthropy is widespread and includes companies from all industries, sizes and sectors. Some of the worthiest of note include: • Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola has contributed millions of dollars each year since they first established a purpose-built company foundation in 1984. In hand with a pledge to donate 1 percent of their income annually, they have raised over $820 million since they first developed their philanthropy plan. Causes they support include global communities, education, the development of youth and clean drinking water. • Merck: While cash is important, supporting other areas can be just as helpful. Merck is a huge supporter of STEM development programs in an effort to promote sciences in education. They are also major supporters of environmental sustainability. They look for opportunities beyond cash such as donating water filtration devices following disasters. • Gilead Sciences: Although you might not recognize the name, this company is a leader when it comes to having a social conscience and they have championed causes such as HIV and hepatitis and assisting medical professionals in areas where medical products such as theirs are hard to come by. • Citigroup: This bank encourages its staff to participate in their charity efforts with a focus on helping underprivileged people have access to skill improving education to help them become employable. They also contribute to urban transformation projects providing job opportunities for workers. • Walmart: They are the second most charitable business in the world, assisting in areas that include sustainability, community advancement and economic development. • Goldman Sachs: This company has an internal foundation that partners with organizations that include the United Nations. Their grants support a wide variety of causes with a focus on the Syrian refugee crisis of late. • Alphabet: This is the holding company of Google, and their charitable efforts support cutting edge technology with strong support for research. Their employees are also heavily involved in their corporate philanthropy efforts. • Chevron: A major energy company, Chevron finds themselves up against environmentalists and therefore must rely heavily on their social responsibility efforts. They focus on economic development where they drill including areas in Africa as well as being huge supporters of STEM education closer to home. • Bank of America: For the past decade the Bank of America has initiated programs in support of community projects in hand with educational support for high school students. • ExxonMobil: This energy company focuses on supporting women’s economic initiatives as well as STEM education and malaria research. • Microsoft: The amount of cash this company has donated is staggering including over $1.2 billion of free software and hardware as well as 700,000 hours of volunteer hours. • JPMorgan Chase: Last but not least, JPMorgan Chase has committed to investing $1.75 billion by 2023 in the jobs and skills, small business expansion, financial health, and neighborhood revitalization sectors. As social responsibility initiatives increase, more and more corporate dollars, time and in-kind donations will become available. It is not limited to major corporations such as these, but will be seen at all levels of businesses right down to local mom and pop shops. This means opportunities exist for all sizes of nonprofits and a wide scope of causes. Pros and Cons of Corporate Philanthropy If you are trying to solicit corporate donations, you have to understand corporations see two sides to the “opportunity” you present. While you are focused on the benefits, corporations have to consider the pros and cons before committing including: • Positive workplace experience: There is a rise in workers seeking out companies that share their values. When a corporation can present a list of the philanthropic work they perform, it helps create a positive culture that can attract more talent. People feel they are doing something worthwhile and that they are part of a giving community. • Improved employee engagement: Collective participation in corporate philanthropy efforts creates motivation for workers who feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. Workers feel closer ties to the companies they work for and become more loyal which creates a happier more productive environment. • Improved public image: Corporate social responsibility is more important than ever. Companies that align themselves with nonprofits that will be perceived as worthy causes can help improve their public image with the people who count. It can help attract loyal customers who share the same values. • Improved consumer relationships: When customers know that part of the money they use to make a purchase will go to a worthy cause, it can create a more loyal customer base that increases repeat purchases. • Employee giving: Corporations who participate in philanthropy can also set up programs that encourage employee participation. Matching gift programs are a perfect example of shared giving opportunities. It is even more meaningful when employees can give to the charity of their choice with matched contributions from their employer. • Tax incentives: Corporations can use their donations as a tax break when they share monetary gifts. • Product purchase, product donated: Other incentives such as matching product purchases that are then donated to someone in need is an excellent marketing scheme that improves brand positioning while also offering an authentic way of giving back to the community. • Marketing opportunities: There is no denying corporations can gain from their philanthropy and use it as part of their marketing strategy. It draws attention to their social responsibility plan, creating a more positive image that can lead to brand loyalty. • Community protection: Companies can choose to support community causes that protect the most vulnerable people in the country. It can be on a very personal, local level or on a national level. • High costs: In some cases, companies that don’t plan well could find their contributions take away from money needed elsewhere. • Wrong alignments: Corporations might unwittingly find themselves aligned with causes that prove to be controversial and therefore detrimental to their image. • Ethical challenges: It is not uncommon for corporations to align themselves with charitable organizations that provide them leverage in their business operations. This is less than ethical and if discovered can lead to some challenges from a PR standpoint. • Gains are delayed: It takes time to see the gains and benefits of corporate philanthropy efforts that can become costly over time. • Commercialism: If not managed properly charity can come off more as commercialism making philanthropy look like something done for corporate gain. Consumers are wise to charity efforts that smack of insincerity and this will cause charity work to backfire. • Employee resentment: If corporations insist on employees participate with their charitable efforts, it could lead to resentment. This is even riskier if the charities in question are not widely supported, are looked at with suspicion due to potential conflicts or efforts lack sincerity. As well, if it comes down to constant pressure for employees to contribute to charities, this could cause resentment if they cannot afford to participate. For corporate philanthropy and corporate giving to be effective, it must come from a place of caring as well as from a company that has the finances to back it up. Thought must be given to including employees in the charitable efforts and help align giving with causes employees feel comfortable supporting. Time and money must be available to support charities both on behalf of the company and the staff they feel should be participating. The Benefits of Corporate Philanthropy for Nonprofits Corporate philanthropy provides support to nonprofits in the areas they need it most. While financial support is important, many nonprofits depend on volunteers to keep them operational. Although volunteers might be available in throngs, the skills brought to the charities are not always the skills required. Therefore, nonprofits require corporations to support them through monetary means in hand with things such as skilled volunteering, pro bono professional services, and grants to support their major projects or research efforts. The Benefits of Corporate Philanthropy for Businesses Corporate philanthropy provides an easy way for companies to improve their social responsibility plans and improve their public image. By aligning themselves with the right causes, they can create a positive socially responsible image that allows them to attract better talent, engage more customers and stimulate sales from a more loyal following of brand supporters. When employees are included in corporate philanthropy efforts, it adds more meaning to their work and helps them feel like they are involved in their community. Types of Corporate Philanthropy Corporations have many ways they can incorporate philanthropy into their business including: • Employee giving: Employees donate their own time or money towards agreed-upon causes through their employer. This often becomes an important element of a company’s corporate social responsibility plan. • Corporate Foundations: There are two basic ways corporate foundations can be set up: 1) A private foundation controlled by a corporation, or 2) As a public charity associated with a corporation. Private foundations are the most common and they are funded by the corporation’s money as well as managed by representatives of the corporation’s staff. • Corporate matching: Corporations match the charitable donations of their employees either for a charity of the employee’s choice or one of the charities the corporation supports. • Skilled volunteering: Skills-based volunteering leverages skills of individuals to help a nonprofit strengthen their profitability by having access to a higher level of talent than the people that volunteer or that they can afford to hire. • Employee grants: Employees can approach their employer to get money for nonprofits they support or volunteer with. • Corporate grants: Corporate foundations often provide grants to nonprofits to assist with projects, research, events, etc. • Pro bono services or In-Kind Donations: Pro bono services are professional services offered without a fee. In-kind donations are goods, products and services donated by a corporation instead of money. • Internal events and fundraising within the company: Corporations hold various events and fundraising drives within their company such as bake sales, contests, casual days, walkathons, fairs, etc. that staff can participate in. Targets can be set and, in some cases, departments might even compete against each other to see who can raise the most money. • Corporate day of giving/volunteering: This is along the same lines of internal events, but is limited to a certain day or days of the year. It can be raising funds, but also be a day when employees can volunteer such as helping to build homes, assisting in sorting food at a food bank, or serving meals at a homeless shelter. It is not uncommon for corporations to participate in corporate philanthropy a variety of ways to increase their effectiveness in raising funds. With the help of their employees, their efforts can become all the more successful, while also benefiting from the improvements in team morale, cooperation and productivity. 5 Steps to Securing Corporate Philanthropy from Companies If you’ve tried securing corporate philanthropy from companies by hitting up every company you can think of, chances are you failed miserably. While there are many companies of all sizes looking for ways to improve their corporate giving and community involvement, they tend to be quite selective in how they choose their charities and causes. If you don’t have an ”in” with a company, it becomes harder to successfully solicit donations. Therefore, your best bet is to use a strategy that will increase your odds of finding the funding you need. Here are five steps we find to be effective: 1. Set out your goals and a mission statement It’s not enough to simply state, “I need money.” First, you need to write down a mission statement that describes what your nonprofit wishes to achieve. All you need are three things in your statement: 1. Why you exist 2. Who you wish to help 3. How you will help So, if you are a homeless shelter your mission statement would be something like: We provide housing to homeless families in the community offering temporary shelter until they are able to get back on their feet. Once your mission statement is complete, you need to set some goals that will help you meet the needs of your mission statement. Your goals should be specific and relevant to your mission, measurable and attainable. Setting timelines for each goal also helps keep you focused and serves as a guide based on priorities, the simplest tasks, or both. 2. Understand your value proposition This is a biggie as no company is going to throw money or time your way if you can’t show them what you offer. It can be connecting in a more meaningful way with their ideal customer. Perhaps you are known for the work you do in the community. You might have past examples of publicity corporations received who have supported you. You might even have touching examples of individuals your charity has helped and whose stories they can share as part of their social responsibility efforts. Every cause has a value. Don’t forget the manner in which you are able to accept their donations. For example, if you offer a match the donation option, this might sound like an easy way for them to work with you. 3. List your assets Nonprofits are always after the big bucks, but you might have other areas where corporations can help. Remember the types of corporate philanthropy options. What else can corporations offer you that will be helpful? In-kind support, professional services, employee volunteer hours, food drives, clothing donations, etc. If you can show them how appreciative you are of anything they are willing to contribute, you can build meaningful, long-lasting relationships that can really blossom into something big. Could you use prizes for your next event? Are you putting on a show and could use some makeup, set materials or costumes? Are you a new nonprofit who could use help setting up your marketing or website? Do you need a lawyer or accountant’s advice? 4. Be smart about your partners Use your mission to make a list of prospective partners that will align with your cause. An example of an epic fail in choosing partners would be a partnership between a child health org and a candy company. Although kids and candy make sense, the goal of the child health advocacy org is to advocate for the health and development of children in underdeveloped countries. Candy, in most people’s minds, is unhealthy. A better example of a logical partnership would be Habitat for Humanity partnering with Lowe’s and Valspar. You can also consider local businesses in your community if you are a smaller nonprofit. Scale is important when choosing partners and often if you aim too high, larger corporations won’t have the time to consider you in their overall plan. Once you have your list you can find out the best person to speak to and approach them with an email, not soliciting their donation, but instead asking them for advice on a project you are working on. You can use the meeting time to determine their goals and see if you might make a good fit to help them meet those goals. You can review your campaign and ask their advice on how you might better your efforts. Then you can provide a proposal to outline why they might consider adding you to their corporate philanthropy efforts. 5. Present your assets If it seems you have a connection with the prospect, you can get ideas from them and see if they would be interested in considering a donation. Nothing is easier for a business than having a clearly set out campaign ready for their help. If you can present a campaign already underway, businesses can see where they can help without having to come up with answers on their own. Following your discovery meeting, you can present your assets with their needs and goals in mind. Show them what kind of recognition you can offer them such as: • Social media posts • Email appeals • Photos from your campaign efforts • Testimonials from beneficiaries of your charity • Testimonials from volunteers • Success stories about meeting your own goals and mission • Suggestions specific to their goals that your campaign can help them achieve • Press and publicity other donors have received due to their contributions It is not surprising a company might be hesitant to offer donations without you providing logical reasons you are a good choice for their contributions. When you can present your assets, in hand with a solid campaign they can get on board with, you are more likely to find companies open to assisting your cause. All nonprofits can benefit from finding alliances with corporations and companies looking for causes they wish to support. With the right funding and army of volunteers, your cause can be brought to the attention of the right people allowing you to increase your odds for success and financial sustainability. Financial assistance, volunteer hours, and products and services provide you with the means to meet your goals and the needs of the people you are trying to help. Chris now spends his time working with clients to value their assets and build strategies that drive sales. An accomplished speaker and international consultant, Chris has helped his clients raise millions in sponsorship dollars. Connect with Chris via: The Sponsorship Collective \| Twitter \| LinkedIn
Why Social Distancing is So Hard for Us “Be kind, be calm and be safe” – Dr. Bonnie Henry By now we have all realized that COVID-19 is in our lives to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. We aren’t looking at just a couple of weeks or months until things can go back to ‘normal’, but more likely another year or more until the world health authorities can develop and distribute a vaccine. Even then it may not be possible to go back to the ‘normal’ we had before we were forced to realize just how easily a disease can spread in our current society. The awareness of the danger, and at least some of the measures we have had to enact to manage it, are here to stay. So we’d better get used to them. Some of these measures are easier than others. Washing or sanitizing our hands, reducing travel, and staying home when you or a family member are sick. They are simple to do, are only mildly restrictive, or are short term inconveniences that are easy to put up with for the comfort of feeling safe. Others are more difficult, and have long term impacts on our lives. One of those is social distancing. The dictionary definition of social distancing is “the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or avoiding direct contact with people in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease”. It’s actual definition during this pandemic has become quite different. At this time in many areas of the world social distancing means staying home, only seeing the people in your household, and not going out for any reason. For some it includes going to work or the grocery store or for a walk, but wearing a mask and/or maintaining a 6-foot physical distance at all times while doing so. Even in areas where restrictions are slowly being loosened it means grad ceremonies, weddings, funerals, parties, concerts, and other events involving large gatherings of people are cancelled; some businesses like entertainment, community, or physical fitness based facilities are still shut down; and events with 50 or less people need to ensure physical distancing is enforced in order to be allowed. We are no longer able to spend time with the people we know in the ways we are used to, and our avenues for meeting new people have been severely limited. Human beings are social creatures. Belonging is important to all of us, and we define ourselves based on the relationships we have with others. Have you ever tried to introduce yourself to a new person without including a common connection to someone else? Whether it is a family member, a friend, a partner, a coworker, a professional, or even a casual acquaintance, in most cases we build connections with new people in our lives based on connections we have with existing ones. We use who we know like references on a resume whenever we are trying to start a new relationship or join a new community. Our existing connections need to be maintained in order to stay relevant, and to help us get to new connections in the future. Even the most introverted among us want to belong to something or someone, and no one wants to lose what we already have. The people in our lives help make us who we are. They bring us new input in the form of thoughts, feelings, or events, and we need that new input in order to grow as people. The conversations, emotions, and experiences we share with them provoke responses in each of us, and with each response we either confirm or learn something about ourselves. So what do we do when those webs of connection are gone, when we are limited to just the few people we live or work with, when the only way to maintain those other relationships is at a distance or through technology? When we can’t see or touch most people in person, when sharing thoughts and feelings becomes more work than we are accustomed to, and when we can’t rely on new experiences to bring us closer together? How do we hold onto the people we care about and continue to grow as people, when we really don’t know how long this new world we live in is going to last? There are no simple answers to these questions, it is something we will all need to figure out for ourselves. For some of us limiting our bubbles has been beneficial; it has allowed us to value the people already in our lives even more, to explore aspects of ourselves we hadn’t gotten to yet, and to learn ways to get the new experiences we crave within our own homes. For others of us it has brought unexpected feelings of isolation, loss, and fear that we are struggling to find ways to deal with. Regardless of where you are on this spectrum remember that there is no ‘wrong way’ to feel about this change, and that it won’t last forever. Things may not be exactly like they were before, but just like you the world will learn, adapt, and grow because of this new experience, and we will come out on the other side of it together. Author: The Happy Traveler Leave a Reply WordPress.com Logo Google photo Twitter picture Facebook photo Connecting to %s
Press "Enter" to skip to content Profiting From Parties: Entrepreneurial Teens Cash In Photo by Flickr user Rodrigo Della Favera Photo by Flickr user Rodrigo Della Favera By: Lilia ’15, Claudia ’15 and Sarane ’15 As soon as Adam* finds out that his parents are going to be out of town for the weekend, he decides to throw a party and begins to prepare for the night. He’ll need someone to bring speakers, someone to get alcohol and someone to create a Facebook group and invite people. He writes on the Facebook group that his parents can’t find out. Since Adam expects around 70 guests, he decides to charge admission to the party to defray the cost of alcohol and security. At the end of the night, he has made enough money to cover the cost of the preparations and provide him with some extra pocket money. According to the National Institutes of Health, during the 1980s, underage drinking was reduced to a very small percentage of the young adult population of the United States. Unfortunately, the percentage spiked again in 2012. During that same year, Century Council, a nonprofit organization that fights underage drinking in America, reported that 42% of American 12th graders admitted to drinking in the past 30 days. Additionally, it stated that 71% of underage drinking occurs at parties where parents are not present. Teens face major ramifications for throwing parties in their homes, especially if guests are engaged in underage drinking. By planning and hosting a party at his home, Adam stands to make money from charging admission, but he also puts himself and his parents at risk of serious legal action. What does the process of planning a successful and safe high school party involve? How do teens go about making a profit from the evening? What are the legal and social consequences of throwing these parties? Teenagers in Los Angeles undertake elaborate party-planning procedures because, as parties increase in size and rowdiness, they become more easily detectable by police. Students who plan parties deal with a variety of factors, including security, location, alcohol and guests. House parties are becoming popular among high school students because they are usually easier to plan than parties that take place at rented venues. When a student finds himself with an “open house,” meaning that the student’s parents will be absent for the night or weekend, he may talk to another friend to help organize the party. Blake, a senior at Harvard-Westlake School, said he often helps his friends plan parties. “People can trust that they will have a good time at one of my parties, so when their friends have an open house, or hear of kids trying to throw a party, they come to me or my friends because we can supply the people, the alcohol, the speakers, but most importantly, the hype,” Blake said. He added that security is an important aspect of keeping a party safe and controlled. Although pricey, at an average of $150 per security guard, security is needed to monitor a party and keep invited guests inside the party location, lowering the risk of the police responding to noise complaints. “Security and noise control [are] definitely essential for a good party that won’t get shut down. There was a party that got shut down in 17 minutes because there were too many kids wandering around with alcohol outside the house and on the street,” an anonymous partygoer said. In order to cover the cost of security guards, hosts often levy a cover charge on guests who either don’t know the hosts well or were not initially invited. Brian, a junior at Harvard-Westlake School, stated that a standard cover charge ranges from $5 to $15. Brian and Blake recently threw a New Year’s Eve party and donated 80% of the money they made from cover charges, totaling $800, to Cardiac Kids, a charity Brian started in 2011 to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease. The rest of the money was used to pay for security guards and other party provisions, such as party poppers and New Year’s hats. High school kids with fake IDs or older siblings of legal drinking age provided the alcohol for the party. Brian and Blake, along with two other hosts, agreed to charge $10 to those on the guest list and $20 or more for kids they didn’t know. Party hosts often make fake Facebook names in order to post details about parties without being identified by parents or teachers. Brian explained that the level of secrecy of the party often depends on the host’s parents. “Most of the time parents are not home because they are not okay with having kids drinking, so everything has to be kept a secret. Some kids have parents who allow drinking and partying, so the parents are present just in case the party gets shut down by the cops and they can take the blame for it,” he said. A Marlborough junior agreed that parents are usually not involved with the planning or financing of house parties. “Kids feel safer not telling their parents because if there is an emergency, like alcohol poisoning or something, the parents cannot be held legally responsible for a situation they had no knowledge of. Like it would be legally easier for a parent to deal with something he or she didn’t know about rather than admit to allowing alcohol and other illegal substances at a party at his or her own home,” she said. More and more high school students who host parties have taken to charging their guests cover charges to make a profit or to reimburse themselves for the cost of the preparation. Party hosts have a big incentive to charge entrance fees, as they will often spend anywhere from $100 to $400 on alcohol, food, security, and music in order to guarantee that their guests have a good time. According to Blake, cover charges often vary from guest to guest. “I know guys who will charge a flat rate for everyone, regardless of mtheir personal relationship with the person, and other people will let their friends pay less and charge people that they don’t know more,” Blake remarked. Brian affirmed that many people who host parties do so without the intention of making extra cash. “I would say the price of a party has no indication of the amount of fun you have. Sometimes the money goes to directly to something like security or venue and sometimes it doesn’t,” Jay, a senior at Harvard- Westlake School, said. Dylan, another Harvard-Westlake junior, added that many others, himself included, use cover charges to make major profits. Depending on how many people the location can hold, hosts can make up to $2,000 in one night before accounting for refreshments. “We make a good amount of money when we throw [parties]. The most I’ve ever made individually was $600, but collectively the biggest [party] made like $1500,” Dylan said. Although some teens are grossing hundreds of dollars for hosting events that sometimes involve underage drinking, some students, such as Katie ’14, find that making money off of parties somewhat defeats their purpose. “I think it’s frustrating that something that was once considered a social event is now considered a business venture,” Katie said. Whether a student charges an entrance fee or not, there are major legal implications to hosting an event that mixes minors with alcohol and drugs. Consequences for minors in possession of alcohol include a one year suspension of their drivers license, 24 to 32 hours of community service and fines up to $500, followed by a conviction that will show up on their permanent record. Additionally, parties often pose risks for the health and safety of the teens who attend them. In the past, teenagers obtained alcohol for parties mostly from older siblings, but according to a Harvard-Westlake junior who declined to give his name, teens can now easily find their own alcohol. “Everyone has fake IDs now, so getting alcohol just isn’t a problem,” he said. Buying alcohol is made even easier by the fact that stores aren’t often stringent about checking IDs. “When I’m given an ID, I usually don’t look at the photo at all…I just check the year of birth,” a bartender who works at Lucky Strikes Bowling in Hollywood said. Along with health problems, such as brain and liver damage, caused by underage drinking, intoxicated teenagers become more rambunctious and daring due to impaired judgment. According to Harvard-Westlake senior Jack Temko, teens who have been drinking can cause destruction to the house where a party is being held, which leads him to believe that charging for parties is acceptable. “[The hosts are] putting themselves in harm’s way to throw the party in the first place…They are putting down money for the venue, or are giving up their house and allowing [for] the possibility of things being broken or stolen or the house being totally trashed,” Temko said. He acknowledged that house parties, unlike those at rented venues, may give partygoers the option to stay overnight, but he added that many parents want their kids home at the end of the night, forcing many teenagers to resort to driving under the influence of alcohol. “People struggle to find rides home, and then they resort to drinking and driving,” Temko added. Century Council reported that in 2011, 22.4% of total driving fatalities involved underage, alcohol-impaired drivers. A party thrown after Harvard-Westlake’s 2010 semi-formal serves as an example of the dangers inherent in partying. Many sophomores, juniors and seniors, some of whom had attended the semi-formal, were invited to a party at a venue that occurred later that evening. According to Temko, the night began in a typical way but went downhill very quickly. According to Harvard-Westlake’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, six students were escorted to the hospital to be treated for alcohol poisoning, and a few were arrested. The school responded to the incident by subsequently cancelling semi-formal for two years. “I think that was one of the first times people started realizing that these parties were getting out of hand,” Harvard-Westlake student Mark* said. Katie said she believes that if each individual stays responsible and safe, parties will remain that way as well. However, she then admitted that, in reality, “nothing is really danger-free.”
Innovative Martial Arts 15-1599 Dugald Rd Winnipeg, MB 11 Things to Build Confidence in Children October is National Bullying Prevention Month. And the choice of words matters. Prevention is different than awareness. Building awareness is not needed, we know how bullying works and how to deal with it. Bullying, is not an action. It’s not punching, or name calling, or social media. It’s a mentality. Bullying is intentional and repetitive, it’s about creating a power imbalance to make one person feel lesser with the “Bully” attempting to make themselves feel more powerful at the expense of the victim. The reason October is called a “prevention” month and not a “awareness” month is that bullying can be solved. We have the cure! The cure is building confidence in children. Confident children are bully-proof. Confident kids don’t become bullies. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view children are much less independent now than they where in previous generations. Their lives are more structured, more supervised and they are rarely without the presence of an adult. As a result anxiety levels can go up, confidence levels can go down and bullying levels increase. What kids need is independence, autonomy and a sense of being able to contribute. So here are some things that we feel every kid should learn: Swimming - Basic swimming skills should be something everyone learns. Cooking - The ability to feed yourself should be something everyone has. It can also help with dealing with picky eaters, giving them choice and being able to be a part of the process will lead to more willingness to try new things in many cases. Talk to Strangers - Simply going up to a till and making a purchase on their own, interacting with a cashier. Ordering their own food in a restaurant, little things can go along way. With Halloween coming up let them ring the bell, knock on the door and yell “Trick-or-Treat” and say thank you at every house. In one evening they can talk to a whole bunch of strangers. Take care of a pet - The act of taking care of a something, regardless of what it is (dog, cat, fish, hamster, etc) gives a sense of being needed and important to something else survival. Learn how to Lose - Kids need to lose, not just win. In life it’s how we handle our loses and how we deal with adversity that determines our success of failure. Whether it’s in sports, games or anything else… they need to lose as well as win. Basic First Aid - How to clean a scratch and put a band aid on if needed. But being able to treat their own minor bumps and scratches then carry on with what they where doing. Teach Someone - Even teaching someone to play a board game, teaching someone something shows them that they can know things others don’t and are able to transfer that knowledge. Learn Jiu-Jitsu / Wrestle - Wrestling, grappling, Jiu-Jitsu, whatever it is called is an important part of development, something we are now starting to see science to back the importance of. It's vigorous, free-form, whole-body, energetic, happy play. Kids learn decision-making skills, relieve stress, improve their ability to read social cues, and enhance their cardio-vascular health. Create a game - Board game, physical game, any sort of game. Understanding that games (and life) has a set of rules and success comes from playing within those rules. Rules are what make games work, and what makes them fun. Speak to a Group - Like a lot of things on the list this is something that can be really simple. Speaking to a group of friends to thank them for coming at a birthday party, but bonus points if it’s not just people they know. Make a Video - Youtube is here to stay, and they will hit an age where they probably want to be a youtuber. So let them make a video, (you can add privacy setting if you want), send it to family and friends and let them get some likes and views. And a small favour - What's something you do with, or have your child do to help them build confidence? Importance of Individual Accomplishment The Martial Arts come in all different types and philosophies. Everything from Boxing to Wrestling to Tai Chi to Jiu-Jitsu to Kung Fu. Some are used to put on shows, some are used for competition, some are used for health, and most are used for some combination of reasons. One thing they all have in common is a sense of individual accomplishment. The world today for kids is very different from the one 30 years ago. I grew up in a time without the internet, when "be home before the street lights come on" was a common rule... not something that would get CFS called on you by nosey neighbours. Now kids are much more scheduled and supervised. We walked to school alone in grade 1... now there are debates on whether kids should be doing that in grade 5. So it's no surprise that anxiety rates are on the rise. Confidence comes from learning to do things by yourself, accomplishing things by yourself, and solving problems by your self. Sometimes its possible to help a child too much, because if they had been allowed to fail a few times before getting it independently it would mean a lot more to them. Doing it for them just sends the message that they can't do it alone. In Jiu-Jitsu they have to do it alone. Yes, we teach them technique and strategy. We tell them what to do in different situations. But at the end of the day, when they are in a match it is them and the other person. They will win some, and they will lose just as much, usually more when they are starting out. Real confidence can't be achieved through any activity unless there is a real chance of failing. And the confidence gained after success follows a series of failures means a lot more. Jiu-Jitsu isn't easy. They will tap out a lot, everyone does. But through that adversity they will gain a sense of confidence and achievement that will stick for life. Kids can't even learn to walk without falling down many times. Sometimes we need to let them fall, and more importantly let them get up again by themselves. Will Jiu-Jitsu make my child aggressive? Tag, Dodgeball and other school yard games "Kids Need Something Like This Nowadays" "Kids Need Something Like This Nowadays" I've heard this line many times, and while I agree I suspect the reasons are a little different. Most of the time when I hear it the person means that the world has gotten more dangerous, and kids need to know how to protect themselves and have the confidence to do so. I'd agree to the second part, but the first is just not true. Statistics show police reported crime is the lowest it's been since the 1960's and has been on a downward trend for the last 25 years. The perception of crime has definitely increased though thanks to 24/7 news coverage and social media. 10 years ago if someones garage got broken into 8 blocks away you'd never hear about it, now every time someones unlocked car gets their change removed it's posted on Facebook neighbourhood watch groups. But the truth is we are safer then we have ever been. Unfortunately the result of the perception of danger has led to kids losing a lot of freedoms they once had. Walking to school without a parent in elementary school was once normal... now parent's discussion groups have people asking if 10 or 11 is too young to do so without worrying about someone calling CFS. Meanwhile anxiety rates and obesity rates in kids are on the rise. Which should come as no surprise as kids sense of independence is being pushed to older and older ages. So when you take a activity, such as MMA / Wrestling / Jiu-Jitsu / Kickboxing / etc. that teaches kids to be strong, to remain calm under pressure and that they can do things they didn't think they could... yes, I think they need something like this.
Bone vs Cartilage Bone vs Cartilage The main difference between bone and cartilage is that bone is a hard and rigid tissue, whereas the cartilage is a soft, elastic and flexible tissue. The cartilage is present in the ears, nose, and joints of... Most Searched in Electronics Most Searched in Cars and Transportation Most Searched in Sports Most Searched in Arts and Humanities Dwarfism vs Achondroplasia Wear vs Abrasion Nokia Lumia 920 vs Nokia Lumia 820 Faculty vs Staff
What Is a Product Line? A product line is a group of related products all marketed under a single brand name that is sold by the same company. Companies sell multiple product lines under their various brand names, seeking to distinguish them from each other for better usability for consumers. Companies often expand their offerings by adding to existing product lines because consumers are more likely to purchase products from brands with which they are already familiar. A company's blend of product lines is known as its product mix or product portfolio. Key Takeaways • A product line is a group of connected products marketed under a single brand name by the same company. • Firms sell multiple product lines under their various brand names, often differentiating by price, quality, country, or targeted demographic. • Businesses often expand their offerings by adding to existing product lines because consumers are more likely to buy products from brands they already know. • Product lines should be abandoned if they prove unprofitable, except in the case of a loss leader. • The full portfolio of product lines is a company's product mix. Product Line How Product Lines Work Product lines are created by companies as a marketing strategy to capture the sales of consumers who are already buying the brand. The operating principle is that consumers are more likely to respond positively to brands they know and love and will be willing to buy the new products based on their positive experiences with the brand in the past. For example, a cosmetic company that's already selling a high-priced product line of makeup (that might include foundation, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick) under one of its well-known brands might launch a product line under the same brand name but at a lower price point. Product lines can vary in quality, price, and target market. Companies use product lines to gauge trends, which helps them to determine which markets to target. The Evolution of Product Lines Companies add new items to their product lines, sometimes referred to as a product-line extension, to introduce brands to new customers. Consumers who have no interest in a company's sporting goods, for example, might be more interested in buying its product line of energy bars or sports beverages. Extending product lines allows companies to maximize their reach. The way that companies use product lines is evident in the auto industry. Auto manufacturers famously produce various product lines of vehicles to reach the widest possible range of consumers. For this reason, they produce lines of economy vehicles, environmentally-friendly vehicles, and luxury vehicles all under their leading brands. Some are marketed to families, some to individuals, and others to the young. Expanding product lines enables a company to target consumers who are either already buying the brand or are likely to buy the brand. Product Line vs. Product Mix A product line refers to a particular good or service that a company makes and markets to customers. A food company may extend a product line by adding various similar or related products (e.g., adding mesquite BBQ flavor to its existing potato chips line), and create a more diversified product family. The product family supplies various products under the same brand name that are similar but meet slightly different needs or tastes, potentially attracting more and different customers. If the company branches out and starts producing pretzels, this would be a different product line altogether, involving different ingredients, processes, and knowledge to make. It would also attract many of the same, but also different customers as its potato chips line. Pretzels, however, would not be in the same product line or family. Thus, adding pretzels expands the firm's product portfolio, also known as its product mix. The product mix is important to analyze since it can identify which market segments are experiencing what trends. Companies may thus re-brand or restructure underperforming and unprofitable products, while profitable lines may be tagged to include innovative or riskier new additions to that product family. Mature companies often have diversified product mixes. Internal product development and acquisitions contribute to its product portfolio size over time, and larger enterprises have the infrastructure to support the marketing of a broader offering. Geographic expansion can also augment a product portfolio, with products varying in popularity among cities or countries. Apple, Inc., for example, now has a product mix that includes its wildly popular iPhone devices (within which are various generations, versions, sizes, all at different price points), the iOS app store, its line of laptop & desktop computers, software development, music streaming service, Apple TV, and so on. Special Considerations Product lines allow companies to reach regions and socioeconomic groups, sometimes even worldwide. In some cases, such as the cosmetic industry, companies also launch product lines under their best-selling brands to capture sales from consumers of various ethnic or age groups. Multinational corporations, such as restaurants, often launch product lines specifically for the countries in which they operate, as is the case with fast-food restaurants operating in Asia. Unprofitable product lines may still be useful for a company. A loss leader strategy, for example, introduces new customers to a service or product in the hopes of building a customer base and securing future recurring revenue. The product loses money but is sold to attract new customers or sell additional products and services to those customers that are profitable in the future. Examples of Product Lines • Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) as a brand sells several highly recognized product lines including Windows, MS Office, and the Xbox. • Nike Inc. (NKE) has product lines for various sports, such as track and field, basketball, and soccer. The company's product lines include footwear, clothing, and equipment. • PepsiCo (PEP) owns, among many other lines globally, Frito Lay, Gatorade, Quaker Oats, and Tropicana. • The various product lines for Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) include coffee, ice cream, and drinkware. Note that some companies never diversify beyond a single product line. Instead, they focus their efforts on becoming a market leader in just one thing. Michelin, for instance, only produces tires. Crox only makes rubber-based footwear. Gorilla glue only makes adhesives. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Main Types of Product Lines? While a company's product lines will depend on the particular business segment or industry that it operates in, marketing and organizational scholars have identified four different classifications of product line based on what is needed to bring that line to market. These include: 1. New to world: a brand new product or invention, often after research & development investment. These can be highly risky but also highly rewarding if they take off. 2. New additions: these are new product lines added by a company to their production, but which are not necessarily new to the world. These arise as competitors enter the market. 3. Product revision: replacements or upgrades to existing products are the third category. An iPhone X is a wholly different product from an iPhone 4S. 4. Reposition: repositioning takes an existing product and begins marketing to a different audience for a completely different use-case. What Is Product Line Filling? Filling refers to adding more items to a product line family in order to address any perceived gaps in the potential customer base. For instance, adding larger sizes to a clothing line can accommodate people with bigger bodies. Having sizes that fit the vast majority of individuals would fill that product line along that dimension. What Is Product Line Pricing? Offering different versions of an otherwise same product or service at different price points can help fill a product line based on consumer spending preferences and affluence. Car manufacturers typically offer the same base model for a given year in different trim, ranging from a no-frills economy version to a decked-out luxury version with all the expensive add-ons. These price points will attract different consumers with different budgets. How Do You Create a Product Line? A company will develop a product line based on the type of business it is, its particular expertise, and its marketing strategy. Market testing, R&D, and advertising campaigns are all important to bring a product line to market. Unsuccessful product lines that are unprofitable should be abandoned in favor of viable ones.
A tiny fly that has taught scientists volumes about genes, heredity and humanity's place in the natural world yields its biggest secret today when 230 researchers from eight countries report that they have unraveled its entire genetic map. In a special issue of the journal Science, the researchers unveil striking findings about the genome of the fruit fly, including the discovery of new genes that may make it an ideal organism for understanding cancer and other diseases in people. Drosophila melanogaster, the second animal to have its genome fully described, is by far the most complex, having eyes, limbs, a nervous system and specialized organs. The work, which went better than any scientist involved had dared to hope, was done explicitly as a trial run for completion of the human genome, which now appears to be only months away. The fly map will serve as a guide to scientists as they search the human map for genes related to disease. The fly's gene map is full of surprises - so many they are setting off a scramble among laboratories around the world to exploit the new information. For instance, the fly appears to have genes similar to 68 percent of the human genes whose mutant forms are known to play a role in cancer. Scientists had already found some of those genes in the fly, but they had searched for others and failed to find them. The new discoveries raise the prospect of using the fly to help understand the normal function of the genes, a big step on the way to figuring out why mutations - defects - in the genes can lead to tumors. Overnight, the fruit fly is about to become a fast, powerful experimental system relevant to the large majority of human cancers. Much the same thing appears to be true of other classes of disease, including such neurological ailments as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. "The importance of it can't be stressed enough," said J. Craig Venter, president of Celera Genomics Corp. of Rockville and one of the scientists who wrote today's papers. "It means that basic discoveries relative to those diseases will happen now exponentially faster. I expect the Drosophila genome to be a catalytic event in science." Among the laboratories eager to exploit the fruit fly for cancer research is that of Francis Collins, who discovered the human gene with a mutant form that causes cystic fibrosis, a lung ailment. Collins is director of the federal government's National Human Genome Research Institute and leader of the international Human Genome Project. "This is a very exciting milestone in the history of biology," Collins said. "This animal has been the most powerful way for us to understand developmental biology for the last century." The fly has a scientific rival, a microscopic worm known as Caenorhabditis elegans that is studied in many laboratories. Until today, the worm was the most complex organism whose genome had been fully described. It actually has more genes than the fly, about 18,400 compared with 13,600, but is not as elaborate an organism. Humans have an estimated 100,000 genes. The papers are a triumph for academic researchers who have spent years working on the fruit fly genome and for scientists at Celera, an upstart biotechnology company that did not exist two years ago. Celera has become a magnet for criticism, enthusiasm and investor interest for declaring that it would, as a commercial venture, be first to complete the human genome, beating the Human Genome Project to that goal and doing it sometime this year. It picked Drosophila for a practice run and formed a collaboration with an academic consortium that was already working on the fly's genome. Copyright © 2021, Orlando Sentinel
Select Page Camera and Lens Selection Basics for Studio Beginners What you need to know about cameras and lenses to get started in your studio photography journey. You want to get into studio photography, but you don’t know what kind of equipment you need to get started. What camera can you use? What lens do you need to create the shot you want? How does your decision affect you in the studio? In this tutorial, Timothy Kou is going to answer all of those questions and more. He’ll talk you through some of the major differences between camera types, sensor sizes and focal lengths for studio photography. You’ll see different sensors and different lenses used in a real studio environment with practical applications. You will learn: How your choice in camera will affect how you function in the studio What the major differences are in sensor sizes and how that affects your shot What the difference is between standard, wide and telephoto focal lengths and how that will affect your shot 40% Off On Everything With Code “OCT2021” Sele Ends In: Register FREE for this online workshop with Alex Koloskov and Artem Pissarevskiy
Home » Photography 101 » Lighting » How Light Direction Affects Photography How Light Direction Affects Photography If you’re struggling to understand light direction and why it matters in photography, then you’ve come to the right place. Because in this article, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about lighting direction–so that you can confidently operate your camera in all sorts of lighting conditions. And you can come away with gorgeous photos. Let’s get started. What Is Directional Light? It’s important to know: Not all light has a direction. Some light is so soft and diffused that it doesn’t have any type of direction at all, which means that it casts essentially zero shadow and looks the same, no matter how you position your subject. Directional light, on the other hand, clearly comes from somewhere. It can come from behind your subject. Or in front of your subject. Or above your subject. Or any number of other places. But it has a direction, and is therefore called directional light. Note that directional light causes shadows, because your subject will be lit from one direction, and shaded from another. Also note that there’s really a directional light spectrum; light can be very directional (if it’s harsh), medium-level directional (if it’s directional, but softer so as to cast less shadow), slightly directional, and non-directional. Very briefly, let me point out that essentially all light that comes from flashes and strobes is directional. It has to be, because a flash isn’t big enough to cover your subject from every angle with soft, even lighting. Sunny days also offer directional light, because the sunlight comes from a particular point in the sky and lights the subject from one side only. Heavily overcast days, however, feature non-directional light. Because the light is deeply diffused by the clouds, which causes it to softly and evenly wrap around the subject. Related Lesson: How to Take Photos with the Sun Behind the Subject The Five Key Lighting Directions If you’re working with directional light, then there is an infinite of possible lighting directions. But there are just five essential lighting directions you need to know: • Frontlight • Sidelight • Backlight • Overhead light • Upward light Each of these lighting directions will give you a different result–and so it pays to understand each one of them, and how they’ll affect your photography. So let’s take a look at every lighting direction, starting with: Frontlight is the most common type of light for beginning photographers to use, because it does a good job of evenly lighting your subject without causing too many problems. Here’s an example of a frontlit shot: Generally speaking, frontlight will give you a well-lit subject, so it can be a good go-to when in a pinch. But frontlight also results in very flat images, because your subject doesn’t have any shadows that can be seen by your camera. Note: More shadows equals more three-dimensionality. And three-dimensional images are generally stronger than flat images. Frontlight is also a very strong type of lighting because it hits your subject directly. That’s part of the reason why bird photographers and wildlife photographers love frontlight; it keeps the light nice and bright, so they can capture sharp images! You can produce frontlight in a few different ways: Using an on-camera flash (either your built-in camera flash or a flash mounted to your camera hotshoe), or by shooting early or late in the day, when the sun is low in the sky. If you do shoot when the sun is low in the sky and you want frontlight, note that you’ll need to position yourself so that your shadow points toward your subject. And the more precisely your shadow arrows toward your subject, the flatter the frontlighting will be. If you’re a wildlife or a bird photographer, frontlight is invaluable. And if you’re a street photographer, frontlight can also work. But if you’re a landscape, architectural, or portrait photographer, I’d recommend staying away from frontlight. You’ll often want more three-dimensional images than frontlight can provide. Instead, I recommend you work with the next type of lighting: Sidelight refers to light that comes from off to the side of your subject. It looks like this: And sidelight, unlike frontlight, offers a lot of three-dimensionality. It illuminates one side of your subject while casting shadows on the other half, making for significant depth, which in turn creates drama. Now, sidelight is dramatic, but it can be a bit more difficult to find and work with. Because even minor adjustments to the position of your subject can radically change the effect of the sidelight. Facial features can go in and out of shadow, for instance, or you can end up with unwanted shadows in the worst places. Sidelight also comes with a tonal problem: Cameras struggle to capture scenes that include both very bright areas and very dark areas. And since sidelight illuminates one part of your subject while shrouding the other part in shadow, your images may turn out a bit more contrast-heavy and lacking in detail than you’d like. That said, landscape photographers love to use sidelight for realistic, three-dimensional scenics. They wait until the sun is low in the sky, and then capture lots of gorgeous images with beautiful background skies and sidelit foregrounds. Portrait photography is another genre that has heavily embraced sidelight. While it’s not as common to see a true sidelighting setup (also known as “split lighting”), you do often get lights positioned off to the side of the subject in order to add depth. Even genres where sidelight is less common, such as wildlife photography, still do a lot of great work with sidelight. Because while drama isn’t always good, it can make for stunningly moody images on occasion. Backlight comes from behind your subject. It’s the most versatile of the lighting directions, because you can use it for a bunch of different effects. For instance, you can create images with softly-lit subjects and bright backgrounds. Or images with stunning background bokeh. Or images with dramatic silhouettes. All thanks to the power of backlight. While backlit images tend to be the most noticeable when they’re taken in nature, thanks to the powerful sun, there are plenty of indoor photographers that shoot with backlight of some sort. Product photographers and portrait photographers, for instance, love using what’s known as a “rim light” to create a glow around the subject. You do have to be very careful when working with backlight, however. Backlight is versatile, but that also means that it’s easy to create the wrong look, by making your photo too dark or too bright. For instance, you might seek to get a nice portrait, but accidentally create a silhouette like this one: You’re also at risk for lens flare, which is caused by the sun aiming directly inside the lens: And while both of these effects can be very artistic, they’re often not what you want. Therefore, if you’re working with backlight, I recommend you carefully position the sun so that it’s blocked by your subject, or blocked by another object in the frame. That way, you can avoid lens flare I also recommend you take several test shots, and also check your LCD frequently. Don’t be afraid to use exposure compensation if necessary, because it’s important that you get the right exposure in camera! Overhead Light Pure overhead light comes from directly above your subject. And while it’s rare to find photographers using this, you do often encounter types of overhead light, both in the studio and in nature. Now, as a rule, photographers rarely shoot with overhead light. When the light comes from overhead, it creates unpleasant shadows that fall over your subject in unflattering ways. Plus, overhead light, in nature, comes when the sun is high in the sky, so the light is also very harsh. That’s not what portrait photographers are after, and it’s not what landscape photographers, wildlife photographers, and macro photographers want, either. Street photographers and architectural photographers often do like harsh light, for one big reason: It creates all sorts of interesting, dramatic, contrast-heavy shadows. That allows for very cool results, with lots of dark tones and light tones, all mixed together. In the studio, portrait and product photographers also use some forms of overhead lighting. You’ll often see portrait subjects lit from above and slightly behind, to better illuminate their hair (the “hairlight,” it’s called!). And portrait and product subjects are often lit from up and to the side, in order to create slight downward-moving shadows, which adds to the three-dimensionality. Upward Lighting Upward lighting is the final, and rarest, form of directional lighting in photography. As the name suggests, upward lighting comes from underneath your subject, and will upward-moving shadows. The classic example of upward lighting is from Halloween photos, where a child lights their face using a flashlight held under the chin. Not very flattering, right? And it’s rare to find upward lighting in nature, because the sun doesn’t come from below subjects. The rare exceptions are when a person is standing above a bright object, like lava or a fire, or when a person is lit by a reflective surface of some sort (such as white sand on a beach). But, while upward lighting isn’t very popular, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get featured. Portrait photographers sometimes light their subjects from below using a weaker light, while more strongly lighting the subject from above; this is called “clamshell lighting.” You see, the upward lighting helps remove some of the shadows caused by the high-up main clamshell light, which keeps the photo looking good. You can also use reflectors to generate some upward light and punch up shadows under a portrait subject’s chin. So don’t undervalue the power of upward light, because it certainly can make a difference! How Light Direction Affects Photography: Conclusion As you now know, light direction is a huge part of photography. After all, without light direction, there would be no dramatic sidelight, no flat frontlight, no gorgeous backlit silhouettes–nothing! But now that you know all about these types of lighting… …you’re well-equipped to create some beautiful masterpieces of your own! What is directional light? Directional light refers to light with a clear direction. In other words, it hits your subject from a particular angle. You can have directional light that hits your subject from above, from below, or from any side. What are common lighting directions? There are three very popular types of light: backlight, frontlight, and sidelight (where the light comes from behind the subject, from in front of the subject, and off to the side of the subject, respectively). But you can also shoot with upward light, where the light comes from underneath your subject, or with overhead light, where the light comes from above your subject. Note that you can mix lighting types for interesting results–for instance, you might use overhead light to create interesting shadows, but then put a reflector under your subject’s chin for a bit of upward light to cancel out dark areas. Is frontlight the best type of directional light? Not necessarily. Frontlight is nice in some situations (such as when you want a very evenly-illuminated wildlife subject), but it’s also very flat, which makes it a lot less interesting. Sidelight, on the other hand, tends to produce much more three-dimensional images. What is backlight? Backlight is where light comes from directly behind your subject. It’s very powerful, and it’s one of the best types of light for more dramatic images, but it’s also very difficult to work with. You have to be careful not to end up with a very dark subject and a very bright background (unless that’s what you’re going for, of course!). About The Author Leave a Comment Scroll to Top
What is Preeclampsia? Preeclampsia is related to increased blood pressure and protein in the mother’s urine (as a result of kidney problems). It affects the placenta and it can affect the mother’s kidney liver and brain. Preeclampsia is also a leading cause of foetal complications which include low birth weight, premature birth and stillbirth. There is no proven way to prevent preeclampsia and the only way to “cure” preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. Most women who develop signs of preeclampsia are closely monitored to lessen or avoid related problems. In recent years the incidence of preeclampsia had increased due partly to the increased numbers of multiple births and the rise in the numbers of older mothers. Even though high blood pressure and related disorders during pregnancy can be serious, most women who develop preeclampsia have successful pregnancies when they obtain early and regular prenatal care. Who is likely to develop Preeclampsia? You are more likely to develop preeclampsia than other pregnant women if you have one or more of the following conditions: • Chronic hypertension • If you developed high blood pressure or preeclampsia during a previous pregnancy • If you are obese prior to pregnancy • If you are pregnant with more than one baby • If you are over 40 years old • Your last pregnancy was more than 10 years before • If you have diabetes, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or scleroderma. What are the Symptoms of Preeclampsia? Preeclampsia sometimes develops without any symptoms. High blood pressure may develop slowly, but more commonly it has a sudden onset and this is usually the first sign of preeclampsia. Therefore monitoring your blood pressure is an important part of prenatal care. Other signs may include: • High level of protein in urine (potential kidney failure) and oliguria (passing a reduced volume of urine) • Severe headaches • Upper abdominal pain, usually under your ribs • Nausea or vomiting • Decreased levels of platelets in your blood • Impaired liver function • Shortness of breath caused by fluid in your lungs. Sudden weight gain and oedema(swelling) particularly in your face and hands often accompanies preeclampsia, but these symptoms may also occur in normal pregnancies so they are not considered reliable signs of preeclampsia.
首页 > VOA慢速英语 > 农业报道 > 【农业报道】改良种子帮非洲实现自给自足 Improved seeds help Africa achieve self-sufficiency 来源：慢速英语时间：2020-01-11 16:02:20 Large governmental organizations controlled the production of seeds in Africa for many years.Owners of small farms had to buy their seeds from these agencies.But now there is an effort to make seeds from other suppliers available to African farmers.The new,improved seeds might someday help Africa feed itself. Edward Mabaya grew up in Zimbabwe.There were ten children in his family.His father was a construction worker.His mother farmed their land.He says the small farm was very successful because his mother used different kinds of seeds. He says it was a time when many new kinds of seeds were coming into Zimbabwe.He said some farmers began to use them and increased their crop production.Mr.Mabaya said his parents used the money earned from those crops to send all their children to school. Mr.Mabaya is now a researcher at Cornell University in New York.He is working on a project that he hopes will give other small farmers the same chance his parents had. He leads The African Seed Access Index(TASAI),which researches Africa's seed industry.The organization was launched in March.It is a joint effort of Cornell University,a non-profit group called Market Matters,Inc.and the U.S.Department of Agriculture. 他领导研究非洲种子产业的非洲种子获取指数（TASAI）。该组织于三月成立。这是康奈尔大学（Cornell University）和美国农业部（U S.S.Department of Agriculture）共同努力的结果。 TASAI hopes to provide improved seeds to owners of small farms.Mr.Mabaya says Africa's seed industry is complex and can be inefficient.He says TASAI will try to identify areas of the industry that can be improved. Some private seed developers are operating in Africa but not many.And they have not worked to develop new seeds.Most farmers in Africa use the same seeds they have been planting for many years,unlike farmers in the Western world.The seeds have not been improved to resist disease or tolerate drought. George Bigirwa works at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa or AGRA.He says there are not enough improved seeds in Africa to supply the millions of farmers who need them. "I remember when before AGRA came in,in some countries like Burkina Faso,like Mali,even Ghana,there were no seed companies.At least today you have an average of about six to eight seed companies in place.However,looking at the amount of seed each company produces,that is still very little." He says improved seeds can help small farmers increase their production by six times. Mr.Mabaya says this difference can be enough to help farmers who are now growing just enough food to feed their families.He says instead they could grow crops to sell,as well.He says that could help them escape poverty. Mr.Mabaya says there is still much work to be done to fully develop Africa's seed industry.But he says if seed companies and farmers in Africa continue to use the same agricultural technology the rest of the world uses,Africa will someday be able to feed itself.
Climate Change Scenario Primer Submitted by Sam Woor \| published 27th Feb 2019 \| last updated 11th Jan 2021 interrelationships of climate scenarios Climate change and socioeconomic development are deeply intertwined. Social and economic activities are the main driver of climate change. In turn, climate change will have serious impacts on these activities, e.g., by rising sea levels and exposure to severe weather events. We can’t predict the future, but scenarios allow us to explore possible futures, the assumptions they depend upon, and the courses of action that could bring them about. This interactive primer explains what climate change scenarios are and how they are connected to socioeconomics, energy and land use, emissions, climate change and climate impacts. What follows below is a brief summary of each aspect of the Primer. Click below to explore the tool and access much more information and options for further reading. Explore the primer > This Climate Change Scenario Primer is part of the SENSES Toolkit, which aims to help you understand and communicate climate change scenarios. Explore an overview of the SENSES Toolkit for Climate Change Adaptation here! Find out more about the SENSES project and upcoming tools and publications on the SENSES Project website. What are Climate Change Scenarios? • Climate change scenarios are a powerful tool for understanding climate change, charting response strategies, and supporting climate policy making. • Climate change scenarios are not about predicting the future, but come in the form of projections of what can happen or pathways of how to reach certain goals. • Climate change scenarios are usually used in pairs or larger sets which determine their context and meaning. • Owing to the nature of climate change, scenario analysis is a common tool in climate change research and its various subfields. Broadly speaking, seven different types of scenarios can be identified: How are Socioeconomic Development and Climate Change connected? • Socioeconomic development and climate change are intricately linked, with social and economic activities determining energy and land use determining emissions determining climate forcing and climate change determining climate impacts which in turn affect socioeconomic developments. • Climate change response strategies fall into mitigation strategies to limit human impact on climate change and adaptation strategies to limit the climate change impact on humans. Mitigation and adaptation scenarios (often also called “pathways”) are used to analyse such response strategies. Integrated assessment models are an important tool to analyse our response to climate change. Socioeconomic Development • Socioeconomic scenarios provide a consistent set of assumptions about societal, technical, cultural and economic developments over the 21st century. • They typically centre around a general narrative about the world’s future augmented by projections of factors like population, economic activity, and urbanisation. • Socioeconomic scenarios in climate change research are increasingly based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) which represent five different futures with widely varying challenges to mitigation and adaptation. Example of SSPs from the Primer for education. Energy, Land Use and Emissions • Integrated assessment models (IAMs) are complex models of the energy-land-economy-climate system that use socioeconomic assumptions to produce energy, land use and emissions scenarios. • IAMs show that the widely varying socioeconomic futures described by the SSPs lead to large variations in energy, land use and emissions in baseline projections without climate policy interventions. • IAMs are used to derive both baseline projections (What can happen?) as well as pathways oriented to achieving mitigation goals (What should happen?) (Climate Change) Mitigation • Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) represent different emissions, concentration and radiative forcing projections leading to a large range of global warming levels, from continued warming rising above 4 °C by the year 2100 to limiting warming well below 2 °C as called for in the Paris Agreement. • When combined with the Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) they provide a powerful framework to explore the space of future mitigation pathways in terms of different levels of mitigation stringency and different assumptions about socioeconomic development. • The mitigation pathway literature developed by the application of integrated assessment modelling comprises a wide variety of mitigation pathways, including pathways with limited technology availability and delays in climate policy in addition to variations in mitigation targets and socioeconomic drivers. The figure above shows the energy demand and CO2 emissions developments that IAMs derived for the various combinations of SSPs and RCPs. A key instrument to reduce emissions is emissions pricing. Climate Change • Climate models are complex systems describing the physical world including its atmosphere, ocean, ice sheets and vegetation. The most comprehensive climate models are called Earth system models. • Climate models generate projections of future temperature and precipitation based on GHG concentration scenarios. Climate Impacts • There is a wide range of sectors considered in climate impact research including impacts related to agriculture, energy, and health. • Climate impact models use data from climate and socioeconomic scenarios to create impact scenarios. Simulation analyses of impact simulations for two sectors, floods, and crop failure. Climate data from three different global climate models (GFDL-ESM2M, MIROC5, and IPSL-CM5A-LR) were used to drive the impact models. The thick lines depict the median of the ensemble for all impact models considered. The shaded areas show the 20th to 80th percentile of that ensemble.
Covid Warfare Dry Hydrogen Peroxide Destroy COVID-19, Bacteria & other Viruses in shared air space What technology? “Continuous Infectious Microbial Reduction” Defence Systems are equipment that generate dry hydrogen peroxide gas to sanitize indoor air surfaces / objects / items. This Technology actively destroy viruses such as COVID-19, bacteria, germs, mold and other microbial threats. Active patent pending system creates safe dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) air gas molecules that destroy viruses, bacteria, mold, fungi and other harmful microbes in the air, on surfaces and in cracks. It creates .02ppm (0.02 parts per million) of DHP air gas made from oxygen and water vapor in the air. And also reduces toxic fumes and smoke. We sell, install and maintain ARES Air Quality Control Technology and Equipment as an integral part of a professional, clean and healthy Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQuIP). A walk through of a building currently utilizing ARES Equipment can be facilitated. The various components of the Program:
Andrew Carr blog Data science in esoteric programming languages First Plot in J When first learning a new language, I have a simple heuristic test I call time to first plot It is a silly test when you really think about it. I mean, in the limit, you could write a DSL where time to first plot is essentially the same amount of time it takes to load the interpreter or compile. But, its somewhat useful nonetheless. Let's get started with one of my favorite languages. J J is commonly used by bitflipping wizards in Code Golf or project euler. At first, this functional interpreted array processing languages looks like line noise. +/ ". "0 ": !1000x That simple line calculates the sum of the digits of 1000 factorial (which is 10539 for the curious). It does it in a fraction of a second, and with a low memory footprint. It's awesome. In the next several posts, we'll cover lots of J goodness, but for now, plotting. In J, its phenomenally easy to get started with plotting. load 'plot' plot i.10 We can also plot a cool sombrero function load 'trig' plot _4 4 100 ; _4 4 100 ; 'f' Now, as neat as that is, its not what I would call data science. What we really want to do is read in a csv of data. Which we do below and look at the {. head of the array which contains our column names. load 'csv' df =: readcsv './bike-sharing-demand/train.csv' {. df We then take the 5th column "temp" 5 {" df and peel off the label by de-heading the list }.. We convert to numeric data and plot the temperature. plot makenum }. 5 {"1 df In data science work, however, its often useful (and visually pleasing) to make basic scatter plots. That, unfortunately, is not quite as easy in J. You have to define a verb * =: 3: 0 and using the value passed to it y define various parameters for the plot. So, if you wanted to then plot the apparent temperature from the sixth column, you would first define a scatter plot verb plt_val =: 3 : 0 pd 'reset' pd 'pensize 1;type point' pd < y pd 'show' Which we then immediately apply in place of the plot function to the 6th column. (remember, J sentences read from right to left) In general, we see that plotting (and reading basic data files) is quite simple in J. The odd syntax takes some getting used to, but its lightning fast and sure to annoy your co-workers when they try to read your code. Edit: Nov 22, 2019 I figured out a better way to plot surfaces and scatter plots. If you simply use 'quick' plot semantics. 'pensize 5; type point' plot sin 0.2i.30 'surface' plot sin 0.2 i.30 30
Dark theme \| Light theme June 2, 2020 Clojure Goodness: Repeat Items In A Collection As Lazy Sequence With cycle The Clojure function cycle take a collections as argument and creates a lazy sequence by repeating the items in the collection. So if we pass a collection with the characters \a, \b and \c we get a lazy sequence of (\a \b \c \a \b \c ...). (ns mrhaki.core.cycle ;; The items in the collection are repeated ;; and return type is a lazy sequence. (is (= [0 1 0 1 0 1] (take 6 (cycle [0 1])))) (is (seq? (cycle [0 1]))) (is (= [\C \l \o \j \u \r \e \C \l \o \j \u \r \e] (take 14 (cycle "Clojure")))) ;; Useful for functions that want equally sized ;; collection arguments. (is (= {:a 0 :b 1 :c 0 :d 1} (zipmap [:a :b :c :d] (cycle [0 1])))) Written with Clojure 1.10.1.
U S Mail System Established Similarly, Royal Mail launched a “Print Your Own Postage” service in the UK that allows the general public to purchase IBI-like codes online and print them on address stickers or directly on envelopes, rather than using first class stamps. This was widely observed in the press, as the first time a consumer stamp does not show an image of the reigning monarch. It joins the existing subscription service “Smart Stamp”, which performed the same function but was aimed at commercial customers. A postal system is a system in which typically enclosed written documents in envelopes, as well as small packages of other things, are delivered to destinations around the world. In the early 1900s, underground pneumatic tube systems connected postal facilities within each of the six American cities. Buses filled with up to 500 letters were placed in the tubes and moved through the compressed air between the postal facilities at a speed of 30 mph. At first, communication was limited to the short distance a person could travel. In addition to the distance, communication was limited by the amount of time it took to receive a message from one place to another. For a long time, this was the most effective form of communication available. In the 19th century, there was an explosion in the way we communicate around the world. A man, Samuel Morse, who was working as a painter at the time, received a letter that his wife was seriously ill. She had already died in the time it took her to receive the letter and then return home. Driven by the inefficiency of hand-delivered letters, Morse worked hard to develop an electromagnetic telegraph system. More importantly, he also developed a communication system through this machine. The practice of communication by written documents transported from one person or place to another by an intermediary almost certainly dates back to the invention of writing. However, the development of formal postal systems took place much later. The first documented use of an organized messaging service for the distribution of written documents is in Egypt, where the pharaohs used emails to distribute their decrees in the territory of the state . The early modern communication revolution was the result of the first reliable communication infrastructure introduced in Central Europe in the early 16th century. In fact, postal systems were systems cutii postale bloc to divide the space to create reliable communication channels. Many religious orders had a private postal service, especially Cistercians associated more than 6,000 abbeys, monasteries, and churches. According to Tomshinsky, letters were mainly used to communicate short messages and notes, either for commercial, personal use or for the use of real people. Many countries use their postal systems, along with traditional correspondence, for new services that have little to do with the original forms of postal systems. Post offices are configured in areas with potentially low traffic to create a complete system. This brings a banking service with the post office to areas that many banks may not see. The letters were carried by friends, slaves, sea captains, and other travelers. The “post offices” were taverns, inns, and cafes where these letter messengers stop correspondence from recipients in the area. In the days of the paper chain mail, many lucky letters were transmitted anonymously, and people put messages under strangers’ windshield wipers or on residential buses. Some senders probably assumed anonymity under the mistaken belief that all chain letters were illegal. Newly established universities also had their private services, beginning from Bologna in 1158. Although electronic forms of communication are now largely taken from the handwritten letter, it still has a place close to our hearts. Pen Heaven’s research found that 64% of people would not sit for a year and write a single letter by hand. But despite this, 69% said receiving something handwritten through the post would mean more to them than a text message, tweet, or Facebook. Postmen, the first postmen in the history of the United States, traveled through a postal highway system that allowed the Constitution to create the federal government. Roads connected small post offices, where people would wait in long lines to collect their mail. Email is a method of sending virtually a letter and the recipient can receive it immediately in seconds or minutes. In the UK, the recipient paid for the letters before 1840 and the costs were determined by the distance from the sender to the recipient and the number of sheets of paper instead of a national flat rate with weight restrictions. Sir Rowland Hill reformed the postal system based on the concepts of penny and prepaid postage. In his proposal, Hill also asked for official pre-printed envelopes and self-adhesive stamps as alternative ways to make the sender pay shipping costs, at a time when prepaid was optional, leading to the invention of the seal, the Penny Black . Britain’s participation in the postal services of India began in the 18th century. Initially, the service was administered by the East India Company, which established post offices in Mumbai, Chennai, and Calcutta between 1764 and 1766.
COVID-19 Updates About Insomnia nsomnia is when a person has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. People with insomnia are tired during the day and may have difficulty with daytime activities as well as increased risk of accidents. Insomnia can be more prevalent in people with mood conditions such as anxiety and depression, in older people, and in people with other medical conditions such as asthma and COPD. Some medications as well as drinking caffeine or alcohol too close to bedtime can also cause symptoms of insomnia. Adopting good sleep hygiene practices such as the tips at the top of the page is recommended to help break the cycle of insomnia and get back to a normal sleeping pattern. Content adapted from: American Thoracic Society: Patient Resources. "Healthy Sleep in Adults," "Insomnia."
How Does Chameleon Glass Work? Chameleon Glass is one of the most popular materials for smoking pipes, bubblers, and bongs. It can be hand blown in any imaginable shape or size. While the color-changing properties of chameleon glass may seem like magic, there is actually some science behind it. How Does Chameleon Glass Work? To make chameleon glass, a metal alloy is vaporized onto the glass surface and then covered with another layer of glass. The metal alloy contains lightly colored ions, which are nearly invisible on perfectly clean glass. This being said, clean chameleon glass will look more translucent than regular glass. As the color-changing pipe, bubbler or bong gets used, resin build-up on the inside of the pipe will make the colors more visible. A piece with chameleon glass may appear to change colors as you move it around. The colors in the glass are not actually changing but appear to change based on the light passing through or reflecting off the glass. Chameleon Glass vs Regular Glass In terms of function, there is no difference between chameleon glass and regular glass. However, usually chameleon glass pieces are high quality whereas regular glass has varying levels of quality. The main difference is aesthetics. Chameleon glass looks pretty cool and it is fun watching a piece develop color over weeks or months. Arguably the coolest thing about chameleon glass is that every piece has a unique pattern. Since the color-containing metal alloy is not painted on, but vaporized into the glass, this guarantees that each piece will look at least a little different from any other. Also, you will be the first person to really see the colors as you use your chameleon glass pipe, bubbler or bong. Chameleon glass is kind of like the chia pet for smokers. Chameleon Glass Pipes, Bongs and Bubblers Chameleon glass is mostly used to blow pipes, bongs and bubblers. Because the color-changing properties of chameleon glass work off of resin buildup, this glass makes beautiful smoking devices. As a buyer of a chameleon glass pipe or bong, you will gain a unique piece with a beautiful pattern that develops over time. Chameleon glass can be blown into virtually any shape or size. From three-foot bongs to one hitters that fit in your palm, chameleon glass is a popular medium among many glassblowers that adds a bit of extra style to their art. Most chameleon glass pipes and bongs are high quality and can come with a slightly higher price tag than pieces made from regular glass but it is well worth the investment. How To Choose A Chameleon Glass Pipe Or Bong With so many chameleon glass pipes and bongs to choose from, it can be hard to know which one you should buy. First, there is the option of a bong, bubbler or pipe. Pipes are the simplest to use and are easy to transport. There are a wide variety of pipe styles from spoon pipes to steamroller pipes. A bubbler is a type of pipe that is basically a cross between a bong and a pipe. You can use it dry and it works just like a pipe, or fill a small water chamber for water filtration. If your main goal is to get massive rips, a classic bong is always a great choice. There can be a variety of quality among glassblowers so we recommend buying from some of our featured glass artists listed below. Another option is having a local glassblower custom make you a piece. Although this can be costly, and you may not be guaranteed quality. If you go this route, it is best to buy from a reputable glassblower. You can also find chameleon glass pipes and bongs in local head shops. If buying locally, to see what the piece may look like later, hold it up against a dark background and the colors will be more visible. Cool Glass Artists That Use Chameleon Glass While chameleon glass is often a sign of quality, this is not always the case. Here at, we stock pieces made from these high-end USA-blown glass companies: Cherry Glass – A small family-owned glass-blowing business, Cherry Glass operates out of Northern Minnesota. This small company is known for making beautiful pieces using organic material. Tedrow Glass Pipes – This small business focusing on scientifically-advanced works of art operates out of Columbus, Ohio. They make some of the coolest bubblers we have seen. Ohio Valley Glass – Founded in 2010 by glassblower Aaron Jewitt, OVG now has over a dozen local Ohio artists designing incredible pieces across all price ranges. How To Clean A Chameleon Glass Pipe Or Bong First, you will need a cleaner. You can find cleaners designed for glass pipes and bongs such as 420 Cleaner at local and online headshops. Another option is making your own glass pipe and bong cleaner. Isopropyl alcohol and salt makes a great substitute to a specialty product. The higher proof alcohol, the quicker it will remove resin. Also, kosher salt works better at breaking up resin than say table salt. To clean a small glass pipe, place the pipe in a ziplock bag filled with the solution and seal the bag. Shake it for 30-60 seconds or until it appears mostly clean. You can use a cleaning brush to remove any leftover resin. Rinse the pipe with warm water and let dry. To clean a bong downstem and bowl piece, follow the same steps as above. To clean a glass bong, pour the solution into the base of the bong with the downstem still in place. Make a whirlpool with the solution across the base of the bong by making circles with your arm like you are stirring a pot. After 30-60 seconds, pour it out. If the solution was really nasty and there is still some residue in your bong, repeat this process. Then rinse with warm water. You can use a disinfecting wipe to clean the mouthpiece. Written By: Nate C. Latest posts

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