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Medical Terminology
Comprising 15 comprehensive and interactive lessons, this course has been developed to help you get under the skin of commonly used medical terminology across a wide range of disciplines including biology, cardiology, psychology and many more. You will be guided through each speciality step-by-step and learn how seemingly complicated medical jargon is built up from word roots, prefixes and suffixes, so this language becomes second nature to you.
Course Duration: 35 Hours
CPD Points: 35
Module 1 Overview of the medical specialities, introduction to word units
Module 2 Structure of the body, cells tissues, organs and systems
Module 3 Orthopaedics
Module 4 Cardiology
Module 5 The Respiratory System
Module 6 Female Reproduction
Module 7 Male Reproduction
Module 8 Urology
Module 9 Gastroenterology
Module 10 The Lymphatic System and Immunology
Module 11 Dermatology
Module 12 Neurology
Module 13 Psychiatry and Psychology
Module 14 Ophthalmology and ENT
Module 15 Prescription and drug abbreviations. Consolidation of the course
Those who wish to gain medical terminology knowledge and progress to take the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Medical Terminology exam.
To provide information on how medical terms are built up by the use of word roots, prefixes and suffixes. To provide students with a thorough grounding in the correct construction, spelling and usage of medical terminology.
Some experience in using Microsoft Word
ITA (Individual Training Account) funding may be available for this course subject to eligibility. Please contact us for more information.
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< BACKWalter Tull’s Scrapbook Michaela Morgan AUTHOR >
AGES: 10-12
AGES: 7-10
His leadership and courage in the trenches of the First World War won him a recommendation for a Military Cross that was never awarded because of his skin colour.
His story takes the reader from his childhood in an orphanage, through his footballing years, to his eventual tragic death, aged 29, on the Somme. His legacy lives on.
Add Your Stories |
Despite a lot of interest and research in the
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al., 1987) and business unit outcomes. Leaders are not just what they think
they are. They are also what their followers perceive them as. While focusing
on the characteristics of an effective leader, collecting self-perceptions of
one’s own leadership behavior gives us one perspective on the issue. Collective
perceptions of followers and superiors also help us to understand the dynamics
of leadership in a comprehensive manner. TL is a process whereby ordinary
people can bring forth the best in themselves and others too. TL exhibits four
types of behaviors, that is, behavioral charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual
stimulation, and individualized consideration. Charisma arouses strong follower
emotions and leader identification by the follower (Dvir et al., 2002). It has
been found that the TL enhances followers’ development.
Relational identification occurs when people
adopt attitudes and behaviors to be associated with a satisfying, self-defining
relationship with another person or group. The personalized relationship
between transformational leader and followers’ create an environment in which
the followers’ feel happy to work with their leader (Dasborough &
Ashkanasy, 2002). Teamwork is a joint action by two or more people, in which
each person contributes with different skills and expresses his or her
order to achieve common goals. This does not mean that the individual is no
goes beyond individual accomplishments. The most effective teamwork is produced
when all the individuals involved harmonize their contributions and work
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Book tails
BLOG book man
Did you know … books were never designed to stand on their tails. According to Douglas Firth from Biblio Folio; “As more and more books were produced in the 13th and 14th centuries, storage problems caused a change from laying books on their back covers to standing them on their tails. This is now normal but little consideration has ever been given to the engineering modifications needed. A medieval binding will stand up for some time before the text block collapes due to its over engineered structure, but a modern dictionary, atlas etc with all its ‘binding refinements’ certainly will not. Ironically medieval bindings were stored lying down and modern bindings are stored standing!” |
The Greatest Inventions From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniaairport_transferbarbathtubbusiness_facilitieschild_activitieschildcareconnecting_roomcribsfree_wifigymhot_tubinternetkitchennon_smokingpetpoolresturantski_in_outski_shuttleski_storagesmoking_areaspastar
The Greatest Inventions From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Forbes Field | Public Domain / WikiCommons
Forbes Field | Public Domain / WikiCommons
Pittsburgh may be best known for its contributions to the steel industry, but it’s famous for plenty of other reasons too. From Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine to the first gas station, movie theater, and smiley face emoticon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has had more than its fair share of discoveries.
Polio Vaccine
In the 1940s and ’50s, polio was a dreaded disease. Indeed, polls showed that people feared it as much as nuclear war. So, medical researcher/virologist Jonas Salk set out to find a cure. After seven years of research at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, Salk and his team discovered the first successful vaccine for polio. The news broke on April 12, 1955, and the world rushed to vaccinate—all the while hailing Salk as a miracle worker.
First Commercial Radio Broadcast
On November 2, 1920, KDKA in Pittsburgh went on air with the first-ever commercial radio broadcast. The content was significant because it featured the results of the Warren G. Harding-James M. Cox presidential election—providing the information before people could read about it in the newspaper the next day. That was just the beginning for KDKA. They continued broadcasting on a regular basis, and they’re still in business today.
Drive-in Gas Station
Every time you pull up to a gas pump, you’re one of the daily 40 million people filling their tanks. Today’s gas stations—many with convenience stores—are everywhere. But there was a time when driving into a gas station was a revolutionary experience. And it started in December of 1913, at the Gulf Refining Co. on the corner of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. The price per gallon on that monumental day was 27 cents.
Ferris Wheel
The first Ferris wheel might have been built in Chicago, but it was invented in Pittsburgh by engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. He sketched the idea on a restaurant napkin and showed it to some of his skeptical engineer friends. Undaunted, Ferris used his own money for the blueprints, and then he formed a joint stock company to attract the necessary wealthy investors. Over 100,000 parts went into his initial build, including two engines, a 20,000-pound sprocket chain, and at its core, a 90,000-pound axle. The monstrosity was 264 feet (80 meters) tall and held more than 2,000 passengers.
Original Ferris wheel © C.D. Arnold / WikiCommons
Movie Theater
In 1905, two Pittsburghers—John P. Harris and Harry Davis—opened a storefront on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh. They called it the Nickelodeon and charged five cents for people to watch The Great Train Robbery, a 10-minute movie starring George Barnes. The theater consisted of about a hundred chairs and a piano facing a framed screen. Within a few months, there were more than a dozen of these theaters in Pittsburgh, and two years later, there were thousands of them across the country.
Baseball stadium
Baseball is a time-honored pastime dating back to 1846 when Abner Doubleday invented the game in Cooperstown, New York. But it wasn’t until 1909 that the world watched it in a stadium setting. The Pittsburgh Pirates opened that season in a new ballpark, Forbes Field, in the Oakland neighborhood just east of the city. The stadium was the first all-steel-and-concrete ballpark in the U.S. and featured a three-tier grandstand, luxury suites, ramps, elevators—and one of the most beautiful exteriors of any ballpark ever built.
Retractable dome roof
Not to be outdone by Forbes Field, the city of Pittsburgh also ushered in another first among sports stadiums: a retractable roof on the local Civic Arena. The 17,000-seat arena was originally built for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in 1961, but it also hosted college basketball and ice hockey events until 1967 when the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins formed and called it their home for the next 43 years. The idea for a roof that would open and close came from local businessman Edgar J. Kaufmann.
Mr. Yuk
In order to keep youngsters from swallowing poisonous substances, a colorful character named Mr. Yuk was created at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Pediatrician Richard Moriarty came up with the idea because he felt a skull and crossbones wasn’t really appropriate for kids. Plus, the local baseball team, the Pirates, were using the Jolly Roger in their logo. After a focus group of children convened, the determining decision was a neon green sticker with a face that represented what one child referred to as “yucky.” Thus, Mr. Yuk was born.
Smiley emoticon
Before the days of emojis, computer scientist Scott Fahlman, a research professor at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, had the idea of adding emotion and fun to everyday emails, chats, and newsgroup posts. So, in 1982, the then-34-year-old Fahlman invented the emoticon, a sideways smiley face. The idea took off and evolved into the wide variety of emojis (and animated emojis) practically everyone enjoys today in text messages, social media, and more. |
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Article Example
ଅବଦୁସ ସଲାମ Electroweak theory, Goldstone boson, Grand Unified Theory, Higgs mechanism, Magnetic photon, Neutral current, Pati–Salam model, Quantum mechanics, Pakistan atomic research program, Pakistan space program, Preon, Standard Model, Strong gravity, Superfield, W and Z bosons, ପାଇଁ ସେ ଜଣାଶୁଣା ।
କଣିକା ପଦାର୍ଥ ବିଜ୍ଞାନ The current state of the classification of all elementary particles is explained by the Standard Model. It describes the strong, weak, and electromagnetic fundamental interactions, using mediating gauge bosons. The species of gauge bosons are the gluons, , and bosons, and the photons. The Standard Model also contains 24 fundamental particles, (12 particles and their associated anti-particles), which are the constituents of all matter. Finally, the Standard Model also predicted the existence of a type of boson known as the Higgs boson. Early in the morning on 4 July 2012, physicists with the Large Hadron Collider at CERN announced they have found a new particle that behaves similarly to what is expected from the Higgs boson.
କଣିକା ପଦାର୍ଥ ବିଜ୍ଞାନ କଣିକା ପଦାର୍ଥ ବିଜ୍ଞାନ (), ପଦାର୍ଥ ବିଜ୍ଞାନର ଏକ ଶାଖା ଅଟେ । ଏଥିରେ ବସ୍ତୁ (matter) ଓ ବିକିରଣ (radiation)କୁ ସଂଗଠିତ କରୁଥିବା କଣିକା ଗୁଡ଼ିକର ପ୍ରକୃତି ଉପରେ ଅଧ୍ୟୟନ କରାଯାଏ । In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics. Although the word "particle" can be used in reference to many objects (e.g. a proton, a gas particle, or even household dust), the term "particle physics" usually refers to the study of "smallest" particles and the fundamental fields that must be defined in order to explain the observed particles. These cannot be defined by a combination of other fundamental fields. The current set of fundamental fields and their dynamics are summarized in a theory called the ଆଦର୍ଶ ମାନଦଣ୍ଡ, therefore particle physics is largely the study of the Standard Model's particle content and its possible extensions, with the recent finding of Higgs boson. |
Prime destination for succulent lovers
Peperomia rubella
Scientific Name
Peperomia rubella Hook. & Arn. ex C.DC.
Scientific Classification
Family: Piperaceae
Genus: Peperomia
Peperomia rubella is a small, beautiful plant with fleshy, elliptical leaves generally arranged in clusters of 4. It features prominently scarlet red stems and leaf undersides. The top of the leaves are green with a unique pattern. It will grow upright until about 4 inches (20 cm), where it will then fall to sprawl out as a vine. It produces greenish-white, panicle-like flower spikes in summer.
Photo via
How to Grow and Care
Peperomias are not particularly hard plants to grow and their small size and delicate leaves make them perfect for desktops and dish gardens. They will rarely overtake their neighbors or shade them out. In short, they are perfectly mannered and attractive little plants. The biggest problems are usually related to watering. They like steadily moist soil, but can be very sensitive to overwatering. Overwatered Peperomia tend to wilt or have raised, scab-like protrusions on their leaves. Don't be alarmed if your plant loses a few bottom leaves, but massive leaf-drop is usually due to a temperature change or fertilizer problem. Lastly, Peperomia are susceptible to mealybugs, so keep an eye out for cottony white masses on the stems or undersides of leaves. These plants thrives when slightly pot-bound, so don't over pot them.
Repot plants in spring, especially to refresh the existing soil, but place either back into the same size container after root-pruning or go up only one pot size. The largest Peperomia remain relatively small, so they will never grow into large specimen plants. Most species can be relatively easily propagated from leaf cuttings.
Learn more at How to Grow and Care for Peperomia.
Peperomia rubella is endemic to Jamaica.
Photo Gallery
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The 'Emotet'malware has been infecting computers for years, but one security firm is warning that it is currently on the rise and your banking credentials could be at risk.
In a fresh advisory, cybersecurity researchers from SophosLabs said they had witnessed a significant surge in Emotet cases recently. The firm described the malware as a type of "worm that takes advantage of weak administrator passwords to spread across a network".
Its purpose is simple: to drop banking malware onto a target's computer and use crafty techniques to steal usernames and passwords relating to bank accounts.
It typically spreads via email spam and phishing, a common tactic used by hackers and cybercriminals.
"Emotet is a Trojan although it also contains the functionality necessary to be classified as a worm," said SophosLabs' researcher Tad Heppner in a blog post.
"The primary distinction is that a Trojan requires some degree of social engineering to trick a human into enabling the spread of the infection whereas a worm can spread to other systems without the aid of a user.
"Even though its core component is not directly a worm, it does have the potential to download and execute another component to spread itself to other systems."
The malware usually comes in the form of a malicious Microsoft Word file that, when opened, downloads Emotet from multiple internet domains hosting the software. According to Sophos, the attackers reacted to its detections by creating new URLs storing the malware.
It remains unclear what countries were targeted in the recent spike of infections, which are aimed at the Windows operating system. The cybersecurity firm also remained vague about the scope of the attacks, failing to provide concrete statistics on the number of victims.
Emotet was first highlighted as a banking Trojan threat by security firm Trend Micro back in 2014. Cybersecurity expert Joie Salvio wrote at the time: "What makes this malware, detected as Emotet, highly notable is that it 'sniffs' network activity to steal information."
Since then, of course, the world has encountered WannaCry which showed just how much damage a computer worm can cause if allowed to spread. One month later, June 2017, Fidelis Cybersecurity said the authors of Emotet would have paid close attention to the malware pandemic.
"The WannaCry and Petya campaigns have clearly demonstrated how inclusion of other techniques like credential dumpers and exploits can greatly accelerate propagation across enterprises," Fidelis experts noted in a blog post. "Crimeware authors have taken note," they added.
All in all, it means that users running Windows, and especially enterprises using the popular operating system (OS), need to be more careful than ever before about the threats caused by worm-like malware. According to SophosLabs, there are a number of key ways to stay protected:
• Stay on top of all patch releases and apply them quickly.
• If you receive a Word document by email and don't know the person who sent it, don't open it.
• Block macros in Office documents.
• Lock down file sharing across the network.
• Make sure users do not have default admin access.
• Enforce password best practices.
• Consider stricter email gateway settings. |
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The sad story of orthorexia
Orthorexia is an eating disorder that is slowly being recognised as a serious illness, despite the concept that it's a 'healthy' eating disorder. The behaviour surrounding food indicates a similar feeling of control that Anorexia exhibits, often hiding some underlying emotional issues.
The healthy eating disorder?
Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Overeating are types of disorders that many are familiar with. In recent years, Orthorexia, a new type of eating disorder has emerged. Until a few years ago, there were so few sufferers that doctors usually included them under the catch-all label of "Ednos" – eating disorders not otherwise recognized. Since, however, Orthorexia has taken up such a significant proportion of the Ednos group that experts suggest that be treated separately. The term Orthorexia was coined by Dr Stephen Bratman in 1997, to describe an eating disorder characterized by a fixation on, what the sufferer considers to be healthy food. Where the meaning of the Greek work Anorexia is; without appetite, Orthorexia means; correct appetite.
What is Orthorexia?
A person suffering from Orthorexia has developed an obsession with healthy food, frequently displaying symptoms consistent with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Typically eating disorders are escorted by a ritualistic component. For the Orthorexic this might manifest in the religious planning of a meal plan up to 24 hours in advance, despite rarely deriving any pleasure from the consumption of food While the focus for most eating disorders is on the quantity of food consumed, the person suffering from Orthorexia is obsessed with the quality of the food. The issues underlying orthorexia are often the same as anorexia and the two conditions can overlap. Both are characterized by a rigid black and white thinking style as expressed by the need to distinguish between what they call ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. For the anorexic foods are frequently labelled ‘good’ or ‘bad’ based on its calorific content. However, the Orthorexic’s refusal to touch any foods that have come into contact with pesticides, including sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods is just the start of their diet restrictions and what they in turn label as ‘bad’. Thus, whereas for the Anorexic the driving force is to not eat, for the Orthorexic the compulsion is to ‘eat right’. Crucially, while extreme Orthorexia may lead to symptoms resembling those of Anorexia, what separates these two eating disorders is the underlying intention.
What are the causes?
According to Bratman, the problem starts with the deluded belief that every aspect of our health, from what diseases we get, even our emotions, can be controlled by the quality of the food we consume. Paradoxically, once the illness progresses, health being the very thing that the sufferer seeks, becomes the thing that gets compromised.
Many clinicians describe eating disorders as an addiction to control, much the same way the alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. Similarly, Orthorexia, although a disease disguised as a virtue, is offering the sufferer a sense of control and superiority as a means to cope with underlying emotional issues. On the surface it may appear virtuous and ascetic to be striving for optimum health, and while this alone will not cause Orthorexia, what starts out an affectation can easily become an illness. Where the pursuit of healthy eating and the striving to be pure becomes an obsession putting strain on other important areas of life, does it become an illness. While Orthorexia was first described in 1997, the behaviors accompanying the illness have been known long before. No figures of the exact number of sufferers in the UK are available, but anecdotal evidence suggests that Orthorexia is becoming increasingly prevalent and that equal numbers of men and women are affected. With the frequent reporting of macrobiotic and raw food diets as promoted by a number of Hollywood celebrities it sadly seems reasonable to fear that these numbers will continue to increase.
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Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
• Understand the basic elements of playing in the style of Freddie Green.
• Learn how to play three-note major and dominant chord voicings.
• Apply these shapes to different styles such as Gypsy jazz and rockabilly.
This is my first offering in my lesson series called Orange Guitar. I thought I’d demonstrate an idea that is easy, but sounds evolved. My favorite! I’ve used these chord shapes in every musical style imaginable, and they continue to be the staple of rhythmic swing-based playing. Let’s call it the “Freddie Green Walk-Up.” I’ve employed this chord sequence as a musical and versatile approach to embellishing the potentially mundane sound of a one-chord vamp. Best of all, it’s easy and I think it sounds great.
First, let’s learn the first two starting chords shown in Fig. 1, G7 and G6. One important thing—make sure your fingers approach the chord at an angle or a slant. This will mute all the open strings without any effort or thought. If angling your hand is uncomfortable then make sure the guitar is not parallel with your body. The guitar neck should be pointing out a bit from your body. The plus side is your fretting arm has more room to move and is more relaxed. The minus might be losing some visual access to the fretboard. But give it a try, as this allows for a relaxed strumming technique you might not attain holding the back of the guitar firmly against your chest. Now that we are comfortable with G7 and G6, let’s learn the walk-up. You can start with either G6 or G7, depending on genre and mood. For a more "bluesy" feel use G7; for a more major sound, use G6.
You can see in Fig. 2 how the walk-up works over two measures of G7. We take the shape that appears on beat 2 of the first measure and move it up chromatically. Now, let’s transpose the walk-up from G6 to C6, and then D7 as shown in Fig. 3. Again, it helps to angle your fretting hand so it naturally and easily mutes all the unwanted open strings.
Remember, you can create many tonal variations through the placement of your picking hand. Notice that when you pick in the center of the guitar (above the soundhole on a standard acoustic), you create a rounder, mellower sound than if you pick by the bridge, where the sound becomes thinner and more metallic. Repositioning your picking hand is a technique that can be used to create dynamics and drastic changes in tone.
Next, here are some approaches for the walk-up that allow for genre hopping. The first is a Django-style swing feel using G6, C6, and D7 walk-ups. The strumming hand moves from your collarbone to your belt—it’s a large strum that might feel ostentatious or unnecessary. But it is necessary. Using a big motion, you can get a strong rhythmic punch that can drive a groove like a drummer.
Incidentally, this kind of rhythm style is based in the 4-string plectrum banjo, and it’s precedent comes from jazz-guitar pioneers like Eddie Lang and Carl Kress. For an overview of this era, I recommend the album Pioneers of Jazz Guitar, which features guitar greats Eddie Lang, Carl Kress, Lonnie Johnson, and more. This wonderfully satisfying era is where amplification and recording methods allowed players to put down their banjos and play the more dynamic 6-string guitar. In my opinion, this is a “must have” CD that anyone can enjoy.
Last but not least, let’s take an extreme genre hop and use the Freddie Green walk-up in Fig. 4—which might be how the great Merle Travis might have played it. Be sure you start slow and build up to a rapid-fire machine gun of peace-loving music. Attack the 6th string with a flatpick, the 3rd string with the middle finger, then the 4th string with the pick, and finish by striking the 3rd string with the middle finger.
You can use this when playing solo guitar or as a Scotty Moore-style rockabilly pattern. Again, start slow and adhere to the specific picking pattern I’ve suggested. If you take the extra five minutes to play it correctly, you’ll play it great the rest of your life!
|
BBC News
Page last updated at 13:52 GMT, Monday, 15 September 2008 14:52 UK
In defence of plastic
A pot of plastic biros
Plastic receives little recognition for its many uses in everyday life
Plastic has attracted a lot of bad press recently about its potentially damaging environmental implications. After the BBC's Chris Jeavans spent a month living without plastic, Susan Mossman explores the many inventions that rely on it.
By the time Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon in 1969 wearing a space suit largely made of plastics, the space race had spawned a generation of designers using plastics in innovative new ways - in furniture, interiors and in fashion.
These days plastic is so much a part of our everyday lives that it has become almost invisible. And when it is thrust into the spotlight, it's often for negative reasons.
Recently you could have been forgiven for thinking the humble plastic bag is the devil incarnate. But before they were invented in the early 1950s, who still remembers the days of impractical paper bags that dissolved in the rain?
The word "Bakelite" - invented in 1907 and the first truly synthetic plastic - has become a synonym for all early collectable plastics. They range from the semi-synthetics such as Celluloid, developed in the 19th Century, to the colourful thiourea and urea formaldehydes of the 1920s and 1930s, with names such as Bandalasta and Beetleware.
The more you use plastic in an intelligent and ethical way, the less often you kill animals to have the leather, the less often you kill trees to have wood
Philippe Starck
Early Bakelite radios, designed for the British Ekco Radio Company by significant designers such as Wells Coates and Misha Black, are now highly collectable and expensive.
Without plastics, we would return to the days of wearing entirely natural fabrics, which are good in so many ways but not suited for all applications.
The days of the knitted swimming suit - familiar to those who grew up in the 1940s and 1950s - are well and truly gone. Swimwear before the advent of synthetic, stretchy fibres such as Spandex was subject to sagging, bagging and becoming misshapen.
Laminated surfaces
Now synthetic fibres are engineered to extreme levels to suit higher performance specifications for use in top-of-the range sports wear.
Laminated plastic surfaces were a boon to the housewife of the 40s and 50s. Easy to clean and colourful, they transformed kitchens into light, attractive and hygienic areas.
The Ekco radio
The Bakelite Ekco radio is a design classic
They added glamour to 30s Hollywood films starring Ginger Rogers who danced in light, bright interiors. The impact of this approach was epitomised in 1941, when nine-year-old British actress Diana Dors commented: "I am going to be a film star, with a swimming pool and a cream telephone."
After World War II, a glut of polythene produced to insulate radar cables was transformed into consumer items such as washing-up bowls. Then Tupperware arrived - the ultimate re-useable, re-sealable polythene container.
In the late 40s the public became familiar with a new range of thermoplastic materials: polythene, nylon, PVC and polystyrene. These melted at high temperatures, unlike the earlier Bakelite and urea formaldehydes that, once moulded, were set into shape.
Consumers had to learn to understand how to use these new plastics, and early reported mishaps included the tale of a plastic colander which was placed over a hot saucepan and melted, unlike the metal colander it replaced.
Design icons
By the 60s, designers were using plastics in adventurous new ways to create design icons such as Eero Saarinen's Tulip chair - still in production and still desirable. Modern designers such as Ron Arad use plastics to produce surprising, highly functional and/or amusing furniture.
The post-modern French designer Philippe Starck has commented that "the more you use plastic in an intelligent and ethical way, the less often you kill animals to have the leather, the less often you kill trees to have wood".
1907 - Bakelite, first truly synthetic plastic, invented
1940s - Laminated plastic surfaces became an essential for housewives
1960s - Plastics were used by designers to create new-look furniture
2008 - The latest medical and electrical technology relies heavily on plastics
Plastics play a significant role in medical applications - including artificial polyester veins, silicone implants, and as containers for timed drug delivery into the body and PVC blood bags. These replaced the breakable glass vessels previously used for blood transfusions.
Plastic packaging frequently receives a bad press but is often designed to extend the shelf life of food and may reduce food wastage. New forms of more sustainable and increasingly biodegradable packaging are under development.
The artist Christo has taken the use of plastics as packaging to extreme levels by wrapping buildings - notably the Reichstag in Berlin and the Pont Neuf in Paris - and even landscapes in plastic sheeting.
The advent of plastics opened the door to mass production of cheap, attractive goods which democratised the ownership of consumer goods. The Bic biro was designed in 1950 to be a mass-produced cheap consumer item to be used and thrown away, as were disposable razors.
Expensive gadgets
Nowadays expensive gadgets such as state-of-the-art laptops, mobile phones and iPods have plastic casings but no-one considers them cheap, although they are produced in bulk and their environmentally-friendly disposal or reuse requires attention.
Electronic plastics are a rapidly developing new field, with products being developed such as OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes), bendy readable computer screens, plastic solar cells and plastic computer chips.
Many modern gadgets rely on plastic
Hi-tech engineering plastics are increasingly used in aerospace applications. Plastics composites are an important area of development. Smart plastics which alter in shape are being used in shape-changing aeroplanes, others can change colour with changes in temperature.
New plastics that change from liquid to solid on impact are finding applications in protective clothing and plastic products are being developed using the principles of nature - an area of research called biomimetics.
So plastic can be valuable and can be used for functions where it needs to last for a considerable length of time. Concepts of green design should now be applied to all new plastics products so that disposable items, such as plastic packaging and throwaway consumer items, biodegrade and do not fill landfill sites or litter the landscape or seas.
Dr Susan Mossman is curator of a special exhibition at The Science Museum entitled "Plasticity - 100 years of making plastics". It runs until January 1.
Below is a selection of your comments.
There are positive aspects to plastic use. As a Zero Waste enthusiast, I avoid plastic packaging waste, the main by-product of the Chain of Waste System, so damaging to the environment. Sustainable plastic, already in development, offers a better future.
John Costigane, Johnstone, Renfrewshire
Don't forget the most important use of plastics in the modern world - insulation on electrical wiring. Imagine if we didn't have that.
Sion Hughes, Northampton, UK
All this discussion about plastics in clothing and furniture etc is irrelevant. It needs to be clearly stated that ALL modern technology totally depends on plastics. Without them we would be stuck back in the Victorian era with every horror that entailed.
Brian Smith, Struan, Isle of Skye
"Before they [plastic bags] were invented in the early 1950s all we had was impractical paper bags that dissolved in the rain." I'm sure my grandma would speak up in defence of the string bag if she were to read this statement.
S. Smith, London
Before the advent of the polythene bag we didn't only have impractical paper bags; we had things called shopping bags that didn't fall apart when it rained.
Simon, Leicestershire
Dr Susan Mossman says: "Recently you could have been forgiven for thinking the humble plastic bag is the devil incarnate. But before they were invented in the early 1950s all we had was impractical paper bags that dissolved in the rain." Is this really true? I find it hard to believe that people did not use cloth bags at some point in history prior to the invention of paper and plastic bags.
Varsha Khodiyar, Surrey, UK
It's a wrap
01 Sep 08 | Magazine
In defence of plastic bags
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14 Aug 08 | Suffolk
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Do Amphibious Vehicles Exist?
Do Amphibious Vehicles Exist?
A vehicle that can move on both land and water sounds like something from a science fiction movie, right?
But did you know, they actually exist? And have done for many years.
In this article, we’ll trace the history of the amphibious vehicle and take a run down of the incredible, real-life amphibious vehicles that are available for use around the world today. Think of this as your Introduction to Amphibious Vehicles 101 class, and yes, we are excited to be your teachers.
What Is An Amphibious Vehicle?
This is obviously the first question that needs to be answered in a 101 class! Well, also known as an amphibian, an amphibious vehicle simply refers to a means of transportation that has the ability to move on both land and water, as well as, in some cases, the ability to travel underwater too.
You may be assuming (understandably, considering you don’t see these kinds of vehicles waiting at the lights next to you when you’re out driving on the road) that these kinds of vehicles are very limited in number. That maybe there are only one or two in the world. But, you’d be wrong. There are many different types of amphibious vehicles and they include ATVs, cars, buses, trucks, military vehicles, boats and hovercrafts.
So how did these kinds of vehicles come about and why were they created?
History Of Amphibious Vehicles
You may not be surprised to discover that, as with many innovations in technology, amphibious vehicles came about for the purpose of warfare. But have been adopted by those keen to see how far the technology can be taken and what other problems could be solved with amphibious vehicles.
Amphibious carriages were the earliest known form of amphibious vehicles – an invention that has often been credited to either the Neapolitan polymath Prince Raimondo Di Sangro of Sansevero in July 1770, or Samuel Bentha, whose design of 1781 was first built in June 1787.
Although disputed, the first self-propelled amphibious vehicle – a steam-powered wheeled dredging barge “Orukter Amphibolos” – is believed to have been designed and built by American inventor Oliver Evans in 1805.
It is however claimed that the vehicle may have been unable to successfully travel over land and water using its own steam.
In the Second World War, amphibious vehicles played a significant role, as both sides had amphibious military craft which they used in the transportation of troops and supplies. In 1905, T. Richmond built a three-wheeled amphibious petrol-powered carriage.
Since the 1920s, lots of amphibious driving has existed for various purposes including recreation and expedition.
In 2010, a Southern California-based company named “WaterCar” set the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Amphibious Vehicle with their prototype “l’The Python.’ On land, The Python reached top speeds of 204km/hr (127mph) and water speeds of 96km/hr (60mph; 52 knots).
Types Of Amphibious Vehicles
Depending on the particular type of vehicle you are looking for, there are a wide range of amphibious vehicles to choose from. These vehicles include:
● Amphibious Quad Jet Ski
Often regarded as the ultimate statement piece, the Amphibious Quad Jet Ski is particularly stable on the water as it uses a very stable platform and has lateral stability, hence it can be easily manoeuvered. Its hull is both lightweight and buoyant. Once on the road, the wheels are retracted upwards and sideways, allowing it to function just as an average four-wheeled quad bike would on land.
The Amphibious Quad Jet Ski can go as fast as 45mph as it is compact and light. Its aluminum, and stainless steel body allows for durability and water resistance.
● The WaterCar Panther
If you love speed, then this is the amphibious vehicle for you. The WaterCar 0
Panther is best for moving at high speeds on the water. Moving up to 44mph, the WaterCar Panther remains one of the fastest amphibious vehicles, combining visual design with functionality.
The WaterCar Panther is propelled the same way a watercraft is. A patented transfer facility allows a power shift from the engine to the panther pump jet. A hydraulic system also allows the vehicle to move on the water by retracting its wheel, thus letting it glide.
With a manual transmission gear with four speeds, the WaterCar Panther moves just like other four-wheeled vehicles. With an engine power of 300 horsepower, it can run up to 8-mph on regular roads and its 26-gallon gas tank allows it cover as far as 160 miles.
● The Terra Wind Amphibious RV
Thinking of taking a long road trip? Then you should consider getting the Terra Wind Amphibious RV as it functions just as any RV would, with the added advantage that it also moves on water. Its sleek exterior and spacious interior provide you with the same comfort a regular RV would.
These vehicles go as fast as 7 knots as watercraft, and they come with state-of-the-art navigation facilities such as GPS, a computer docking station and a moving map allowing you to keep track of your position. With modern facilities like a washing machine, a deck and a cooker, the Terra Wind Amphibious RV is specially designed to provide you with comfort throughout your trip.
● Aquada High-Speed Amphibious Vehicle
These vehicles are as functional as they are delicate. They are spacious and comfortable and they also happen to be one of the fastest amphibious cars available. The Aquada amphibious vehicle can go as fast as 100mph on land and 35mph on water. It takes barely four seconds for its transformation from land vehicle to watercraft.
Its V6 engine, pumped with 175 horsepower, allows it to move from 0 to 60mph. It also has a transformation button and automatic sensors that enable transformation on water.
While they might sound like a fable, amphibious vehicles capable of moving on land, water and underwater do exist. What’s even more exciting is that there are so many of them which you can choose from and our list of examples have only really scratched the surface. Their potential for future use is enormous and they look set to become vehicles for the future.
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Determinism, when associated with PLC’s, refers to the predictability of the response time of the system. One of the big arguments against using PC based systems is that they are “non-deterministic”. This is probably somewhat of a misapplied term, but it has stuck pretty well. This argument is routinely leveled against PC based systems by the manufacturers of PLC’s.
This same argument was used for many years by Allen Bradly against Ethernet networks -vs- their proprietary (and often very slow) networks, such as “Data Highway”.
I will readily acknowledge that “determinism” is a potential problem with PC based systems, and with Ethernet as a network for industrial controls. Poorly written software can make a PC based control system a complete disaster. The same can be said for PLC’s, but the PLC will probably still execute the poorly written program in a somewhat “deterministic” manner. So, the PLC doesn’t get the black eye for determinism that the PC does.
The dirty little secret of PLC’s is how difficult it is to write good code for a PLC. PLC programming lacks any real structure, and has few if any real guidelines for producing quality code. I would argue that “ladder logic” almost encourages bad programming. It is much easier to write bad PLC code than it is to write good PLC code (assuming there is such a thing as good PLC code.)
Let’s look at the Ethernet determinism argument. PLC vendors (Allen Bradley to name one) spoke out vocally for many years against using ethernet as a communication protocol in control systems. At the time they were bashing ethernet, they were selling network products based around very slow serial based solutions such as Data Highway. Many Data Highway implementations were running at top speeds of under 150k baud. Most were running in the 57k baud range. Ethernet was running at 10 megabaud rates at that time. Although data highway was slow, it was “deterministic”, according to AB. Ethernet was not. One can’t deny AB’s basic argument, but due to the raw speed (and cost) difference between the two networks, digging a little deeper seems appropriate.
Nominally, the 10 base T Ehternet network is about 200 times faster than a 57k data highway network. This means under optimal conditions, the network could transfer 200 times the information. We know that isn’t going to happen, but we also know that chances are the Ethernet network will outperform the data highway network on average. The issue becomes, how often, if ever, the variable latency of the faster network cause a transaction to arrive slower than the worst case data highway message. (and whether it matters.)
We have installed dozens of system using Ethernet based automation equipment running at 10 millisecond transaction times, and haven’t had problems with slow transactions becoming noticeable. That is not to say that we were pushing the network hard, but the point is that it is possible to get very reliable operation at 10ms scan rates from standard ethernet equipment in control systems.
Now that most network equipment is at least 100 base T, the argument becomes even less meaningful.
PC “Determinism”
The issue of determinism (non-determinism) in PC based controls is another discussion. There are timing issues with Windows based computers that can’t be avoided completely. However, the issues can be well understood, and dealt with very effectively in most cases. It is important to have a good idea of what latency is really tolerable in a control system. PLC manufacturers boast of highly deterministic systems, and that may be true. But, don’t get the idea that the scan rate of every PLC system out there is down in the milliseconds. (And don’t get the idea that it has to be.) I have seen SLC 500 systems running with scan rates of hundreds of milliseconds without causing noticeable problems in the overall picture. This is not to say that this performance level could be tolerated in all cases, but it is to say that tens of milliseconds or less scan rates are not necessary in all cases. There are many systems in the industrial automation world that are controllable with loop times that stretch into the tenths of seconds. I would further argue that in most control applications, there are times where seconds could lapse without response from the control system.
The point is, not all systems need extremely fast response one hundred percent of the time. So, if we want to use a PC as a control, we need to understand how to get the level of performance required by the application when the application needs it.
If PLC’s were equal in all ways to PC’s, and they had completely deterministic behavior 100% of the time, there would be no reason to consider PC’s as controls. But, PLC’s are not equal to PC’s in all ways. That is why we must evaluate whether the advantages offered by a PC offset the lack of determinism. To seriously consider a PC, we must have a high degree of certainty that the PC based solution will always respond in a way that real-time control is maintained in the application.
To make this determination, we must have a good understanding of what we can expect from a PC, and what level of timing we need in the application. As a rule of the thumb, I use 20 milliseconds as “real-time” to a human. I don’t have science to back this, but I do have a lot of experience to back it. If a control system responds to a human input within 20 milliseconds, most people don’t sense the latency. When the latency approaches 50 milliseconds, most people can sense it. It is not an annoying latency, but it is noticeable. When the latency starts to exceed 100 milliseconds, it becomes very noticeable, and can be annoying.
So, to satisfy the human response, I consider 20 milliseconds or better completely satisfactory. I also consider occasional latency of several tenths of seconds as acceptable in most cases.
The other piece of the equation has to be what level of performance is required to make the equipment function properly, and more importantly safely. This analysis can be more difficult, but we can infer that if a PLC would not be questioned as a solution, the answer is probably at least several tens of milliseconds is probably acceptable. (It is important to recognize when this is not fast enough, even when using a PLC as the control!)
If there is any kind of high speed motion that relies upon the control system to stop the motion before damage is done, further analysis should be done. (The design of the whole system should probably be questioned too!) In cases where light curtains are being used to protect people, it is important to completely understand how things are going to respond in the system. If the light curtains are being properly applied, all motion should be stopping due to hardware interlocking, and there should be assured safe distances in the design. (The point being, control system response time shouldn’t factor into safety in a properly designed system!)
With properly written software, it is not difficult to get consistent responses in the 10′s of milliseconds with a PC. It is also not difficult to keep maximum latency periods down in the tenths of seconds. So, with proper evaluation of the application, and with well written software, it is practical to consider PC’s as controls in many circumstances.
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Pre-adults mosquito in fish species feeding
Document Type: Primary Research paper
The inclusion of Culex stigmatosoma and Cx. quinquefasciatus pre-adults mosquito was analyzed as live food for fish with ornamental potential (angel fish Pterophyllum scalare and zebra fish Brachidanio rerio), native (Mexican mojarra Cichlasoma istlanum) and endemic (Balsas catfish Ictalurus balsanus). Mosquito’s characteristics are: high nutritional quality, movement, soft body, availability, abundance and acceptance, which position the pre-adults mosquito as a potential live food for fish species. The aim was analyzing the pre-adults mosquito efficacy in the feeding fish. The information analyzed show significant increases, depending on the species, in fish fed with pre-adults mosquito; increment in weight of 32.10 to 49.32 mg/day, specific growth rate of 1.96 to 3.25% body weight/day, spawning frequency every 14.40 to 28.0 days, eggs number from 506.45 to 1477.2 per spawn, offspring production from 212.71 to 1322.2, survival of larvae from 42.21% to 85.0%, and adults from 85.99% to 100%. However, and despite the good results, the cultivation of mosquitoes is not recommended, but recollection and inclusion as a live food in the diet for freshwater is recommended. |
INT 22H: Terminate Address
The INT 22H vector (0000:0088) contains the address that will receive
control when the executing program terminates via any of:
Standard program exits: INT 20H ◄superseded►
DOS fn 00H ◄superseded►
DOS fn 4cH (normal termination)
TSR (stay resident) exits: INT 27H ◄superseded►
DOS fn 31H (normal KEEP termination)
Do not invoke INT 22H or call its address directly.
In addition to normal program termination, the default INT 24H (Critical
Error) handler uses this vector when the user pressed A (to Abort) and the
default action of the INT 23H (Ctrl-Break) handler is to terminate the
program via this vector.
On program startup, the address at this vector is copied into the
pfTerminate field of the PSP. This PSP-local copy of the address is used
to terminate the program and is restored into the interrupt table;
therefore, changing the INT 22H vector has no effect on your program, but
will affect any child programs you EXEC.
Normal termination causes DOS to free all resources, including open files
and memory allocations. A lot of DOS internal stuff can get messed up if
you modify the pfTerminate field of the PSP or if you invoke INT 22H
See Also: Program Startup & Exit
DOS Functions |
New Caledonia facts for kids
Kids Encyclopedia Facts
0 Araucaria columnaris New Caledonia
Araucaria columnaris, New Caledonia
New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie; popular name: Le caillou) is a "sui generis collectivity" (in practice an overseas territory) of France, made up of a main island (Grande Terre) and several smaller islands. It is in the region of Melanesia in the southwest Pacific.
The currency is the CFP franc.
New Caledonia - S199828000484
New Caledonia from space
The mainland is divided in length by a central mountain range whose highest peaks are Mont Panié (1,629 metres (5,344 ft)) in the north and Mont Humboldt (1,618 m (5,308 ft)) in the southeast. The east coast is covered by a lush vegetation. The west coast, with its large savannahs and plains suitable for farming, is a drier area. Many ore-rich massifs are found along this coast.
The Diahot River is the longest river of New Caledonia, flowing for some 100 kilometres (62 mi). It has a catchment area of 620 km2 (240 sq mi) and opens north-westward into the Baie d'Harcourt, flowing towards the northern point of the island along the western escarpment of the Mount Panié. Most of the island is covered by wet evergreen forests, while savannahs dominate the lower elevations. The New Caledonian lagoon, with a total area of 24,000 square kilometres (9,300 sq mi) is one of the largest lagoons in the world. It is surrounded by the New Caledonia Barrier Reef.
The climate is tropical, with a hot and humid season from November to March with temperatures between 27 °C and 30 °C, and a cooler, dry season from June to August with temperatures between 20 °C and 23 °C, linked by two short interstices. The tropical climate is strongly moderated by the oceanic influence and the trade winds that attenuate humidity, which can be close to 80%. The average annual temperature is 23 °C, with historical extremes of 2.3 °C and 39.1 °C.
The rainfall records show that precipitation differs greatly within the island. The 3,000 millimetres (120 in) of rainfall recorded in Galarino are three times the average of the west coast. There are also dry periods, because of the effects of El Niño. Between December and April, tropical depressions and cyclones can cause winds to exceed a speed of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), with gusts of 250 kilometres per hour (160 mph) and very abundant rainfall. The last cyclone affecting New Caledonia was Cyclone Cook, in January 2017.
Landscape, south of New Caledonia
Landscape, south of New Caledonia
New Caledonia has many unique taxa, especially birds and plants. It has the richest diversity in the world per square kilometre. In its botany not only species but entire genera and even families are unique to the island, and survive nowhere else. The biodiversity is caused by Grande Terre's central mountain range, which has created a variety of niches, landforms and micro-climates where endemic species thrive.
Amborella trichopoda (3065968016) fragment
Amborella, the world's oldest living lineage of flowering plant
New Caledonia's fauna and flora derive from ancestral species isolated in the region when it broke away from Gondwana many tens of millions of years ago. Not only endemic species have evolved here, but entire genera and even families are unique to the islands.
More of tropical gymnosperm species are endemic to New Caledonia than to any similar region on Earth. Of the 44 indigenous species of gymnosperms, 43 are endemic, including the only known parasitic gymnosperm (Parasitaxus usta). Also, of the 35 known species of Araucaria, 13 are endemic to New Caledonia. New Caledonia also has the world's most divergent lineage of flowering plant, Amborella trichopoda, which is at, or near, the base of the clade of all flowering plants.
The kagu, an endemic flightless bird
New Caledonia is home to the New Caledonian crow, a bird noted for its tool-making abilities, which rival those of primates. These crows are renowned for their extraordinary intelligence and ability to fashion tools to solve problems, and make the most complex tools of any animal yet studied apart from humans.
There are 11 endemic fish species and 14 endemic species of decapod crustaceans in the rivers and lakes of New Caledonia. Some, such as Neogalaxias, exist only in small areas. The nautilus—considered a living fossil and related to the ammonites, which became extinct at the end of the Mesozoic era—occurs in Pacific waters around New Caledonia. There is a large diversity of marine fish in the surrounding waters, which are within the extents of the Coral Sea.
At the last census in 2014, New Caledonia had a population of 268,767. Of these, 17,436 live in the Loyalty Islands Province, 45,137 in the North Province, and 183,007 in the South Province.
Ethnic groups
Femmes kanak2
Kanak women
Rodéo cheval
The Kanak people, part of the Melanesian group, are indigenous to New Caledonia. Their social organization is traditionally based around clans, which identify as either "land" or "sea" clans, depending on their original location and the occupation of their ancestors. According to the 2009 census, the Kanak constitute 94% of the population in the Loyalty Islands Province, 74% in the North Province and 27% in the South Province. The Kanak tend to be of lower socio-economic status than the Europeans and other settlers.
Europeans first settled in New Caledonia when France established a penal colony on the archipelago. Once the prisoners had completed their sentences, they were given land to settle. According to the 2009 census, of the 71,721 Europeans in New Caledonia 32,354 were native-born, 33,551 were born in other parts of France, and 5,816 were born abroad. The Europeans are divided into several groups: the Caldoches are usually defined as those born in New Caledonia who have ancestral ties that span back to the early French settlers. They often settled in the rural areas of the western coast of Grande Terre, where many continue to run large cattle properties.
Foire chevaux
Caldoches, European people born in New Caledonia
Wood carving, especially of the houp (Montrouziera cauliflora), is a contemporary reflection of the beliefs of the traditional tribal society, and includes totems, masks, chambranles, or flèche faîtière, a kind of arrow that adorns the roofs of Kanak houses. Basketry is a craft widely practiced by tribal women, creating objects of daily use.
Images for kids
New Caledonia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia. |
Finger joint maquinaria para madera
Finger Joint line for wood
In the woodworking machinery sector, the Finger Joint assembly is the method of longitudinal joining of two pieces of solid wood or material derived from it, recognized as the most stable method. It is applied to produce very long pieces of wood or to cut knots or defects that reduce stability.
Finger Joint assemblies allow joining short wood pieces to get a longer one that could basically have and endless length. It is assembly made in the longitudinal direction with high resistance, which is then always stuck. Thanks to the continuous passage between both joined pieces, it has a high resistance to bending.
Finger Joint machine functionality
The main function of the joint type with Finger Joint machine is wood optimization and sanitation getting with this, a wood without knots and greater length and stability. In this way, these pieces can be joined together longitudinally to form a larger surface board or manufacturing laminated beams.
If you need advice about woodworking machinery, contact us. |
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Tired of being manipulated by fake news? This Northeastern researcher is creating the tools we need to fight against it.
Briony Swire-Thompson, a postdoctoral fellow, is on the frontline in the battle against misinformation. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
Misinformation. Propaganda. Fake news.
We are swimming in a sea of information that may or may not be true, yet this information provides the bedrock for our beliefs about politics, policy, education, health, science, and more.
“With the rise of social media, far more misinformation is getting to many more people,” said Briony Swire-Thompson, a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern, whose work focuses on why people believe in false information, and how corrective information can be presented in a way to make it most effective.
Whether we know the formal term or not, we all understand the concept of motivational reasoning—that people grant validity to information that supports their opinions while discounting information that contradicts those beliefs.
But Swire-Thompson’s early research established that there’s another factor at play—memory. To investigate this, she devised a study based on common beliefs that hold no emotional power for people. The goal was to eliminate motivational reasoning from the study.
Swire-Thompson was recently named by the prestigious Poynter Institute for Media Study as one of six academics nationwide who are “on the frontlines of fake news research.” She works in the lab of David Lazer, Distinguished Professor with joint appointments in the Department of Political Science and College of Computer and Information Science.
“I spent the first several weeks of my research finding these myths and determining whether they are true,” she said. “It was a blast.”
The study included myths such as “eating carrots improve your eyesight,”, “you can spot a liar by the way they move their eyes,” and “peeing on a jellyfish sting eliminates the pain.”
She had subjects rate their confidence in these statements on a scale from 0 to 10. She then provided corrective information from a reputable source and had the subjects rate the veracity of the statements a second time. She found that the majority of the subjects modified their opinion based on the corrective information.
But when those same subjects were tested one week later, their ratings had moved dramatically back toward their original opinion. This ‘re-believing’ was even stronger after three weeks.
“My conclusion is that corrective information is already at a disadvantage due to the limitations in our memory, and on top of that, we have our ideological biases to deal with,” she said.
The impact of ideological bias was the subject of a 2017 paper she published in Royal Society Open Science, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. This time she tested the impact of corrective information on a subject that involves strong ideological beliefs—misstatements made by Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“Corrective information is already at a disadvantage due to the limitations in our memory, and on top of that, we have our ideological biases to deal with.”
Briony Swire-Thompson behavioral psychologist
The experiment involved more than 2,000 subjects. A mixture of Trump supporters and non-supporters were asked to rate their confidence in eight statements that Trump made during the campaign—four of them true and four false. To further test the Trump phenomenon, half the respondents were told the statements were made by Trump and half were given the statements with no attribution.
As in the previous experiment, the subjects were asked to rate their confidence in each statement twice—upon first reading it, and either a) immediately after receiving reliable evidence that the statement was either true or false, or b) a week after receiving the corrective information. The following are a small sample of her findings:
• People of all political persuasions were willing to modify their beliefs based on corrective information from reliable sources. That was the good news, according to Briony-Thompson.
• However, as in her earlier study, subjects “re-believed” the false information when retested a week later. And this wasn’t limited to Trump supporters. When Democrats encountered true statements attributed to Trump, they assumed they were false. They adjusted this error based on the corrective information, but a week later, they were trending back toward their original belief that Trump’s accurate statements were untrue.
• Even when subjects acknowledged their candidate made untrue statements, it had virtually no impact on their voting intentions.
• When the statements were attributed to Trump, both supporters and non-supporters had more trouble separating fact from fiction a week after the initial test. Among those who received the statements unattributed, the confusion was much less pronounced.
Lessons and Questions
The field of correcting misinformation remains largely uncharted territory. In addition to publishing her own research, Swire-Thompson has written book chapters and articles that distill the available research on how to minimize the impact of misinformation. Here are a few examples:
• Provide factual alternatives
People are more likely to modify their belief if the corrective information includes an alternative explanation. In a study where subjects are initially led to believe a warehouse fire was caused by negligently stored gas canisters, subjects were more likely to accept (and remember) that this is incorrect if they are told the police have found evidence of arson.
Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
“Corrective information is much more effective when people can ‘switch out’ explanations,” said Swire-Thompson. “Just don’t say, ‘This is incorrect. ’ If you remove something, it’s important to fill the hole.”
• Repeat retractions
Since automatic memory equates familiarity with truth, it’s important that the corrective information be repeated as frequently, and with even greater clarity, than the myth.
• Tailor the correction to the audience
When incorrect information supports a person’s values and worldview, it’s essential that the corrective information be presented in an unthreatening manner. Numerous studies have shown that corrections can actually strengthen a person’s belief in misinformation because the correction challenges their world view and forces them into a defensive posture.
For example, when presenting information about climate change to conservatives, studies have shown that it’s effective to frame the correction as a business opportunity rather than lecturing people about society’s bad behavior.
• Activate strategic memory
Dual process theory asserts that there are two types of memory: automatic and strategic. Automatic memory is fast and effortless, but doesn’t include an accuracy filter. The perceived veracity of automatic memory is based exclusively on familiarity. If misinformation is repeated from multiple sources, automatic memory perceives it to be true. Therefore, when this type of memory is retrieved, there is often no recall of the correction.
“Memory doesn’t work like a whiteboard that can be erased,” said Swire-Thompson. “Invalidated information is not deleted.”
Strategic memory requires more effort to activate. The subject has to be motivated to put forth the effort. But because automatic memory often does not include corrections, activating strategic memory is essential to combat misinformation.
• Train informed consumers
One way to do this is to make healthy skepticism a fundamental element of school curriculum. Another way is to warn people in advance of receiving corrective information that they are likely to forget the correction. This helps them mentally tag the bogus information as false.
When it comes to controlling propaganda, misinformation, and fake news, we still have a long way to go, said Swire-Thompson.
“I want to keep digging in these areas. If we can understand the circumstances that allow people to update their beliefs, we can help science communicators become more effective.”
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Teacher Education
Document Type
Publication Date
Central Valley Foundation
The Long-Term English Learner Project is a partnership between Sanger and Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School Districts that aims to create large-scale systems change to improve outcomes for middle and high school Long-Term English Learners (LTELs). Karen Thompson and Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica have completed the third and final year of a three-year external documentation funded by the Central Valley Foundation (CVF). The LTEL Project began in 2014- 15 and was originally planned to last three years. CVF approved a one-year extension for the Project and external documentation, lasting through 2017-18.
The Long-Term English Learner Project builds on the previous District Partnership Project (DPP) between Sanger and Firebaugh that CVF funded beginning in 2011. The DPP had as its goal improving outcomes for all students in the two districts, especially English learners (ELs), through a district culture of continuous improvement. In recent years, educators and policymakers have expressed increasing concern about students who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for many years but remained classified as English learners. Recognizing the large number of Long-Term English Learners in their own districts, and wanting to leverage the structures and relationships developed through their previous collaboration, Sanger and Firebaugh proposed partnering specifically to improve outcomes for LTELs in their districts.
This final report describes findings from the LTEL project since its inception in 2014-15 but highlights long term impacts and lessons learned. Findings address the following documentation questions:
1. What are the activities and infrastructure of the Sanger and Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School Districts’ LTEL project?
2. What are the key successes and challenges of the partnership?
3. What is the academic and English language proficiency performance of English learners, specifically LTELs, at the partner districts?
The Sanger-Firebaugh Long-Term English Learner Project and this report are funded by the Central Valley Foundation.
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Comparing Social Media and Real-Life Communication: What is Better?
Essay on Communication
In the contemporary world obsessed with technologies, the nature of communication has changed significantly. It is no longer necessary to leave one’s apartment to meet friends or go to another country to speak to a business partner. The Internet offers a unique means of communication, which is flexible, fast, and accessible to everybody (Tardanico, 2012). However, some people question the value of virtual communication and argue that real-life relationships are much more humane, transparent, and fulfilling (Sarkar et al., 2015). In this essay, I argue that both means of communication have their pros and cons and that it is important to find a balance between the virtual reality and face-to-face contact.
The first and the most important aim of communication is to build relationships. People communicate to find friends, study, work, and entertain themselves. Social media perfectly fit for these purposes because it is a wonderful platform that unites people of different nationalities, ages, genders, social groups, etc. One can use social media websites to connect with friends, find a job, take educational courses, etc. It has never been so easy to write or call someone located far away, so communication via social media is fast and convenient. However, it is believed that excessive reliance on social media can lead to stress and inability to perceive people’s emotions (Pantic, 2014). From this perspective, face-to-face communication is more effective because it is based on real-life emotions and interaction that cannot occur in the virtual reality. It is easier to build relationships in real life because one can see other person’s emotions and perceive the slightest changes in the mood that cannot be conveyed through online communication.
Another aim of communication is to build a sense of belongingness to a community. Everybody wants to feel part of a group because it gives a feeling of security and stability. Social media help people construct their identities within a particular community. It is possible to choose friends you want to communicate with and maintain relationships with like-minded people. However, some scholars suggest that social media have undermined a sense of individuality because people tend to follow social trends instead of building their own identity (Jacobsen, 2016). They become faceless users whose interests and desires are hidden behind the carefully constructed images. As seen, social media have both advantages and disadvantages, so it is critically important to balance online communication and face-to-face interaction.
We provide this comparison essay sample for your reference and guidance in terms of producing your own academic works. It is correct in structure and properly formatted, which can assist you in understanding what a high-graded comparison essay should look like. However, if you still feel unsure in your own ability to handle such a task on your own, please refer to our writing experts for composition assistance. We are here for you to assist with any kinds of writing 24/7, so you can rely the task of writing on us and rest assured that everything will be completed on time and with flawless quality.
Jacobsen, M. H. (2016). The sociology of Zygmunt Bauman: Challenges and critique. London, the UK: Routledge.
Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychol Behav., 17(10), 652–657.
Sarkar, A., Agarwal, S., Ghosh, A., & Nath, A. (2015). Impacts of social networks: A comprehensive study on positive and negative effects on different age groups in a society. International Journal of Advance Research in Computer Science and Management Studies, 3(5), 177-190.
Tardanico, S. (2012). Is social media sabotaging real communication? The Forbes. Retrieved from |
This Is The Longest Period Without A Federal Minimum Wage Increase Since Law Enacted in 1938
Capitol Hill workers rally for a $15 minimum wage on November 5, 2015, in Washington, DC. (Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
• On Sunday, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour will set a record for the longest stretch without Congress raising it since it was enacted in 1938.
• The last time the minimum wage got a boost was July 24, 2009 — nearly 10 years ago.
• Since then, the cost of living has jumped 18%, eroding the buying power of that $7.25 an hour down to just $6.
• States and cities are responding by passing laws to boost local wages. Currently 31 states and 44 cities have enacted minimum wage levels higher than the $7.25 federal minimum wage.
On Sunday, June 16, the federal minimum wage will reach a new milestone: the date marks the longest period it has been fixed without a raise. As a result, its value has significantly diminished.
Since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced a national baseline pay after the Great Depression, it will have been nine years, 10 months and 23 days since Congress last increased it — a record. This decade of stagnation for low-income workers comes as the stock market soars and corporate profits are higher than ever, in an economy President Donald Trump constantly boasts as the “best it’s ever been.”
Despite the recovery, millions of workers across 21 states remain subject to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, which was set in July 2009 when the country was beginning to regain its footing from the Great Recession. Since then, America’s lowest-paid workers have lost about $3,000 a year when factoring in the rising cost of living, according to calculations from the Economic Policy Institute.
In 1964, the federal minimum wage was $1.25 an hour — half of what a typical employee earned. Today, the minimum wage is less than one-third of what the average non-managerial worker makes.
Left unadjusted for 10 years, the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has 35% less buying power than when the wage floor was $1.60 in 1969. Today, a person working full time on minimum wage can’t even afford the basics. Despite a strong economy, a study found that 40% of Americans would be unable to cover $400 for an unexpected emergency. And there isn’t a single city or town in the United States where someone can afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment working full-time 40 hours a week on a $7.25/hr wage.
In 2018, about 1.7 million people were working jobs at or below the federal minimum wage. Contrary to popular myth, the vast majority of them are adults, not teenagers. The average income for the bottom half of wage earners is just $16,000, according to economist Thomas Piketty.
This chart sums up the direct impact of congressional inaction on minimum wage earners’ paychecks:
Source: Economic Policy Institute
According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hr by 2024 would benefit nearly 40 million workers.
In fact, a $15 minimum would benefit nearly 24 million full-time workers, including over 11 million parents, about half of whom are single parents. The average age of impacted workers would be 35 years old, with a higher percentage of workers ages 55 and older receiving a raise than teenagers.
$6 in today’s money
Because of inflation, the minimum wage of $7.25 is worth about $6 today, said Judy Conti, government affairs director at the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for progressive labor policies. Some states have pushed through laws that preempt local governments from boosting their wages higher than $7.25 an hour, a June NELP report noted.
Living at or slightly above the minimum wage “is a really hard life,” she noted. “In the 21 states where there’s been no minimum wage increase, workers are falling farther and farther behind.”
It’s not only hard on low-wage workers but also hurts the economy, Conti added. “We are a consumer-driven economy, and when people don’t have any money to buy food, or to go out for even an inexpensive meal or buy new clothes, that hampers a community,” she said.
Even as the country has boomed and the economy recovered from the economic downturn in the late aughts, creating jobs and reducing the ranks of the unemployed, the economy has increasingly split between haves and have-nots. The richest Americans have only gotten wealthier, while nearly everyone else has gotten poorer.
While the top 1% have prospered significantly, enjoying outsized income gains, the country’s poor and near-poor haven’t shared in those gains. That has made it harder for low-wage workers to keep up, especially because the cost of living has jumped 18% since the last minimum wage hike.
Under the Trump administration, income inequality has gotten even worse. CEO and executive compensation has skyrocketed, while minimum wage workers in many states now need to work at least two full-time jobs to barely make a living.
To illustrate the magnitude of this vast income disparity: if the combined wealth of the United States was split equally among households, the country has enough money for every family to have nearly $800,000.
Raising the minimum wage is a popular policy
Most Americans support a higher minimum wage, and American voters want lawmakers to increase minimum pay. Poll after poll shows widespread support for raising the federal minimum pay rate, even among Republican voters. And a majority of voters want at least $15 an hour.
A Hill-HarrisX poll in January found 55% of registered voters back a baseline wage of $15 an hour, while an additional 27% said they would like to see it increased, but by a lesser amount.
But what they really want is for Congress to raise minimum pay in every state to $15 an hour. A McDonald’s employee from Illinois recently testified at a congressional hearing, urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would double the federal wage floor. The fact that more than 10 years have now passed since the last time lawmakers increased the rate puts renewed pressure on Congress to take action, and many say a $15 minimum wage is the most obvious solution to lift millions of families out of poverty.
Despite the lack of movement at the federal level, more than two dozen states and municipalities across the country have changed their laws to provide a higher baseline wage. Among the highest are states on the West and East coasts, such as Washington and Massachusetts, where the current minimum wage stands at $12 an hour.
Many of those successes stem from the efforts of the Fight for $15 movement, a nationwide campaign comprising labor activists and workers who’ve sought to build support for a $15-an-hour minimum wage. When it started in 2012, the group’s goal was viewed as wildly out of reach, but more lawmakers and corporations — including Amazon — have pledged support.
Fast-food workers across the country have done the most to make this happen: by protesting, striking, and even going to jail to raise lawmakers’ attention.
Within the past five years, as part of the Fight for $15 movement, they’ve transformed an improbable proposal into a popular policy — one that addresses, in part, the slow wage growth American workers are experiencing.
In fact, fast-food workers have been instrumental in pressuring states to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. So far, seven states have.
Fast-food workers urged state lawmakers in California to pass a $15 minimum wage bill, and in 2016 they did, making California the first state to do so. Then came Massachusetts, New York, District of Columbia, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. In May, Connecticut became the latest state to phase in a $15 minimum pay rate.
Now, for the first time, Democrats in Congress are pushing for a $15 minimum wage, too.
In January, House Democrats introduced the Raise the Wage Act, which would double the federal minimum wage by 2024. The law would also tie future changes to changes in median workers’ pay. So if middle-class wages go up — or down — so would the minimum wage.
The bill, which has more than 200 co-sponsors — all Democrats, would also phase out the lower minimum wage for tipped workers such as restaurant servers and valets, which has remained a paltry destitution wage of $2.13 an hour since 1996.
Business groups, meanwhile, are not happy about the Fight for $15 movement. Neither are their Republican allies in Congress, who have long pushed back against any effort to raise the federal minimum wage, claiming it would destroy small businesses and trigger massive job losses. Not one Republican has endorsed the bill.
Meanwhile, a few Democrats are torn on how much to raise wages. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) introduced an alternative bill in April, which would create different minimum wage levels depending on the regional cost of living. Only businesses in the most expensive areas of the country would be required to pay workers at least $15 an hour by 2024. So far, only 11 other House Democrats support the bill, and no Republicans are interested in it.
Critics argue that boosting the minimum wage will lead to job losses and higher costs for consumers, but that’s not borne out by states that have increased their minimum wages, Conti noted. For instance, the unemployment rate in Massachusetts has steadily declined in 2019, dipping to 2.9% in April, despite the state’s minimum wage increase to $12 from $11 an hour in January.
What the research says about raising the minimum wage
An argument often used against a minimum wage increase is that it would dampen job growth. This age-old canard has been disproven time and time again, with recent data showing that states that raised their minimum wage between 2013 and 2017 actually had higher job growth than states that didn’t.
The best way to evaluate the different conclusions is to analyze all the research findings together — what scientists call a “meta-analysis.” And most recent studies have concluded that increasing the minimum wage has a minimal impact on employment, or none at all.
For example, a 2016 study by economists at Michigan State University crunched data from 60 research studies on the minimum wage in the United States since 2001. They concluded that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage would likely reduce overall employment from 0.5 percent to 1.2 percent.
Another meta-analysis comes in a new research paper by economists at the University of Massachusetts, University College London, and the Economic Policy Institute. They studied data from 138 cities and states that raised the minimum pay between 1979 and 2016. The conclusion is that low-wage workers received a 7 percent pay bump after a minimum wage law went into effect, but there was little or no change in employment.
In a 2018 working paper, soon to be published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, economist Arindrajit Dube shows that raising the minimum wage significantly reduces the number of families living in poverty. For example, he concludes that a $12 minimum wage in 2017 would have lifted 6.2 million people out of poverty.
Traditionally, businesses and workers have been pitted against each other in the minimum wage debate. Businesses, for the most part, tend to dislike the idea of raising the minimum wage, since it would cut into their profits to pay workers more and could lead to some jobs losses. The US Chamber of Commerce, the US Business Council, and the Restaurant Association are just a few of the big industry groups that have lobbied aggressively against past attempts to raise the minimum wage.
This dynamic has shifted considerably over the past year, however, with major corporate employers like Amazon, McDonald’s and Walmart announcing their support for raising the federal wage floor.
But it’s not just large companies that are on board with a wage hike. More than 800 companies, most of which are small businesses, have joined Business for a Fair Minimum Wage in supporting a raise to $15 by 2024.
“The only thing I can focus on is my rent and to make sure I have money for groceries,” said Rita Blalock, a McDonald’s worker in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the federal minimum wage is in effect. She said she recently received a raise of 25 cents an hour to $8.50, her first raise in five years. “I may have $30 or $40 left over at the end of the month.”
Blalock, 54, said she started working at McDonald’s nine years ago for $8 an hour. But over that time, her costs have far exceeded her 50-cent pay increase. Gentrification forcefully pushed her out of her $400-per-month rooming house, which was in short walking distance from her job. She’s now paying $600 a month in rent and also needs bus fare to get to work.
“The Congress, the senators, everybody needs to get together, because they need to know people can’t really live on $7.25 or $8 an hour or anything like that,” she said.
“Minimum wage just needs to go up, period,” said Blalock. “People are working too hard. The world is growing, so people need to grow, and they need money to grow.”
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Why Farming Aren’t As Bad As You Think
The Major Benefits of Engaging in Agriculture
To start with, agriculture provides food for human beings. With food and cash crop farming human being will be able to get food substances to sustain them. Also, there are is also livestock farming which produces milk and meat for developing their organization. Another thing that you should know is that many other products can also help them such as eggs.
It is also beneficial it was providing means of subsistence. One sure thing is that most of the people depend on agriculture depend on agriculture such as farmers, carriers, buyers among many other individuals. Transportation company will also find their means of livelihood by delivering the produce to the market or factories. Besides, we also have other firms that supply equipment and materials that are used in agriculture such as Josh Tarter.
Apart from that, agriculture is essential in providing food security. You can bear me witness that without agriculture a large number of people can die of hunger. This is important since most the things that we survive on comes from agriculture either directly or indirectly. Unlike when there is agriculture, there will be enough food in the country for the people to eat.
Agriculture is also vital in providing employment opportunities. In agriculture, we have a large number of people that have been employed in the firms to offer workforce when crops are still in their early stages, and with this they will boost their living standards. Besides, it also provides employment opportunities for the people who will be responsible for transporting them produce to the market or industries for processing. Not only that but there are also other companies that use this product to make other useful products. You find that they will have to apply a helping hand to assist them in processing the produce. After which some of the people will also be in charge of selling the final products. These are important in providing means of livelihood to a large percentage of people. |
The differing conceptions of fiction held by Jewett and the domestic novelists can most reasonably be taken as provid...
Soroosh on September 7 at 11:48PM
Hey there, Can you please provide an explanation for the correct answer choice? Thank you.
1 Reply
on September 16 at 06:25PM
Hello @SorooshKosha
Let's discuss the two different conceptions of fiction.
The domestic novelists of the mid 19th century believed the purpose of fiction was to improve the religious and moral aspects of society. See line 33: "It was not uncommon for the same multipurpose book to be indistinguishably a novel, a child-rearing manual, and a tract on Christian duty."
Jewett's writing embodied a different view of fiction. In the "high-cultural" conception, fiction is seen as pure art with "value in and of itself" (line 39). Jewett did not believe her work needed to have a social impact, such as promoting good motherhood or religious values.
It is important to understand the distinction before turning to the answer choices. B, D, and E are easier to rule out.
B) The differing conceptions of fiction have nothing to do with urban vs. rural.
D) We know that Jewett and the domestic novelists focused on women, but the segment of the passage discussing views on fiction do not give us information about why they chose to write about women
E) There is nothing that suggests Jewett was unable to write about women and religion. Rather, she chose not to.
This brings us to A and C. I can see why A was a tempting answer. The difference between the two is small. It comes down to "Unwilling to feature children and religious themes" vs. "Not constrained to feature children and religion." Which of these do we have more evidence to support? We don't know much about if or why Jewett was unwilling to write about child-rearing and religion. What we do know, is that her conception of fiction meant that she didn't have to. This is why C is a better answer than A. |
The .45-70 Government: Bone-Crushing Performance From An Old School Lever-Action
Check out this article about the history, shortcomings, and recommended uses for the .45-70 Government.
Today I’ll be discussing a cartridge that, while popular in certain circles, does not get a lot of attention these days: .45-70 Government. The .45-70 delivers bone crushing power at close range, but is difficult to shoot accurately at longer ranges because its big, slow moving bullets have a very steep trajectory.
So, while the .45-70 is as American as apple pie, the .30-30 Winchester, the .30-06 Springfield, and the .45 Colt, only a relatively small percentage of dedicated hunters and shooters use it these days.
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.45-70 Government History
Designed in 1873 for use in the single-shot “Trapdoor” Springfield, the .45-70 (originally known as the .45-70-405) fired a 405 grain, .45 caliber bullet propelled by a powder charge of 70 grains of black powder. This original black powder load pushed a cast lead bullet at a velocity of about 1350 feet per second. With a muzzle energy of about 1600 foot pounds, this cartridge was one of the most powerful loads available at the time and was effectively used by the Army through the Indian Wars in the late 1800s. The U.S. Army continued to use this rifle and cartridge in limited numbers through the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
A .45-70 with a 350gr cast lead bullet compared to a 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester) cartridge.
.45-70 with a 350gr lead bullet compared to a 7.62x51mm
Due to excellent the reputation it earned while in use with the Army, the .45-70 quickly became popular among sportsmen in the United States. In response to significant demand for good rifles chambered in the cartridge, the major manufacturers began building rifles specifically for the .45-70. Soon, hunters had access to quality rifles and repeaters such as the Remington Rolling Block, the Remington-Keene, the Sharps 1874 “Buffalo Rifle,” the Winchester-Hotchkiss, Winchester Model 1885 “High Wall,” and the Winchester Model 1886. Even when using the relatively simple solid lead bullets available at the time, the .45-70 was an extremely potent load when used on whitetail deer and black bear and still effective on the larger, tougher, and sometimes more dangerous species like moose, grizzly bear, and bison.
Modern .45-70 Government Ammunition
Using modern, smokeless powder, most of the ammunition manufacturers currently produce a wide variety of loads of varying power for the .45-70. What load you should use depends on the rifle you intend to use it in. If you have an older rifle such as a vintage Trapdoor Springfield or a Winchester Model 1886, you should avoid modern ammunition (especially anything labeled “Magnum” or “+P”) and instead stick to low pressure loads that mimic the original performance characteristics of the round. However, most modern rifles, such as the Marlin Model 1895, the Ruger Number 1, or a converted Siamese Mauser, can handle increased pressures and there are several loads in production that have significantly improved the performance of the original load.
As just a small sample of these more modern loads that improve upon the original factory load, Federal Premium ammunition makes a load firing a 300gr Power-Shok at 1850 feet per second, generating a 2280 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. Hornady produces the “LEVERevolution”, which has a pointed, flexible, polymer tip which improves the ballistic coefficient of the normally flat tipped bullet. The 325 grain bullet has an advertised muzzle velocity of 2050 feet per second and a muzzle energy of 3032 foot pounds. Buffalo Bore produces one of the hottest .45-70 loads available with a 405 grain jacketed flat nose bullet propelled at 2000 feet per second for a tooth rattling 3597 foot pounds of muzzle energy.
For a more detailed discussion on .45-70 Government hunting ammunition, read this article:
Combined with modern bullet construction, these enhanced loads dramatically improve the performance of the .45-70 on virtually all game species when compared to the original black powder load. This allows the hunter to ethically take game at longer ranges and still consistently penetrate deep enough to reach the vitals of the animal for a quick and ethical kill.
.45-70 Government Shortcomings
While the .45-70 is a very accurate round, it is difficult to shoot at longer ranges because the slow velocity and low ballistic coefficient of the bullet, even when using modern bullets such as Hornady’s “LEVERevolution,” combine to produce a pretty steep trajectory. At ranges past about 200 yards, precise range estimation and applying the proper hold over become extremely important. For instance, using the ballistics of the original black powder .45-70 load, a bullet will drop nearly 50 inches between 350 and 400 yards! For this reason, long range shooters using cartridges like the .45-70, such as buffalo hunters back in the late 1800s, used “tang” or “ladder” iron sights with Vernier scales that allowed for very precise elevation adjustments. As long as he estimated the range correctly, a skilled marksman using a high quality rifle and sight could accurately hit targets out past 1,000 yards using the cartridge.
Due to these constraints, few modern hunters use the .45-70 at ranges past 200 yards. Fortunately, this cartridge excels at short ranges where the heavy, slow moving bullets deliver the bone crushing power and deep penetration necessary for hunting large, tough animals such as moose and grizzly bear. At the same time, the low velocity bullets do not produce large amounts of ruined, blood shot meat on thin skinned animals such as deer that high velocity cartridges do.
.45-70 Government Advantages
Another advantage of the .45-70 is that most of the rifles chambered for the cartridge are short barreled lever action rifles like the Marlin Model 1895 and the Henry .45-70. These rifles are often easy to carry, whether on foot or on horseback, and are quick to mount and fire. For these reasons, the .45-70 is an ideal cartridge for hunting deer, black bear, feral hogs, and other big game in thick woods or heavy cover where short range shots (>100 yards) are common.
300gr Nosler Partitions retrieved from a feral hog (L) and a Red Hartebeest (R).
300gr Nosler Partitions retrieved from a feral hog and a Red Hartebeest
In addition to use on North American game, the .45-70 can also be a very effective cartridge for an African Safari. While it would not be my first choice for the longer range shots that are sometimes encountered in areas like the Kalahari Desert or Serengeti Plain, the cartridge shines when taking shots in the thick bushy conditions often encountered in the Lowveld or Mopani Bush areas common in many parts of Africa. Using high quality soft point bullets, there is no plains game animal that I would hesitate to use the cartridge on at short range. Even very large animals like the eland should present no problems as long as a heavy for caliber, controlled expansion bullet is used and placed appropriately.
While I know it has been done before, I would be very cautious about using the .45-70 on thick skinned dangerous game like buffalo and elephant. For one thing, even when using very high pressure loads designed for modern rifles, the cartridge only produces between 3,000 and 3,600 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, which falls short of the legal minimum energy requirement of some countries for use on dangerous game. Additionally, at .204, .238, and .276 respectively, the 300, 350 and 405gr bullets most commonly used in .45-70 fall short of the commonly recommended minimum sectional density of .300 to reliably penetrate deep enough to reach the vitals on a buffalo or elephant.
For a more detailed discussion on hunting cape buffalo with the .45-70 Government, read this article:
Read This Before Hunting Cape Buffalo With The 45-70 Government
As a remnant from a bygone age in American history, there are few other cartridges that have as long and storied of a history as the .45-70. While it certainly has its limitations, the .45-70 Govt is still an extremely effective cartridge when used under the proper conditions. There are few modern cartridges that can match balance of power and portability that the .45-70 offers.
To learn more about some more modern cartridges that are comparable to the .45-70 Govt in terms of power, but fit in an standard AR platform, read the article below:
The Lyman 50th Edition (p352-360) and Hornady 10th Edition (p754-761) reloading manuals were used as references for this article.
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19 thoughts on “The .45-70 Government: Bone-Crushing Performance From An Old School Lever-Action”
1. Thank You for this excellent article on the 45-70 cartridge. I would however like to point out that when handloading cast bullets ypu can obtain 525 to 535 grain bullets with a brinnel reading of 25. The latter bullet has a sectional density of .364 with the former being .357. Also Lyman gives a trapdoor load with this bullet over46.5 grains of Varget giving a muzzle velocity of 1520 fps with a C.U.P. of 18000. This load I am confident will take anything on this planet.
• Agree. A 525 grain Beartooth Piledriver started off at around 1,600fps or a little higher will do the trick on anything, if your placement is good.
• Though I appreciate your comments, I must respectfully disagree with your conclusions. While a 525-535gr bullet at 1,500-1,600 feet per second is indeed a potent load, in my experience, that’s not enough velocity for adequate and consistent penetration on buffalo or other thick skinned dangerous game. I’m sure that will do a number on a grizzly bear, but you’re just asking for trouble with that load on a Cape Buffalo or elephant.
2. That is why you use hotter rounds like the Grizzly Hunter Xtreme 45-70..325 Grains
Muzzle Velocity 2275 Feet Per Second
Muzzle Energy 3735 Foot Pounds
Why is everyone looking at slower rounds?
• Really hot loads like the Grizzly Hunter Xtreme are great for modern rifles, but they aren’t safe for use in older .45-70 rifles like the Trapdoor Springfield. This is something the ammunition companies have to keep in mind when loading up “run of the mill” .45-70 factory ammo.
3. I purchased an 1898 “Rod” Bayonet Springfield Trapdoor in the white a few years ago The bore is perfect. I use “Cowboy” rounds mostly, but somehow got a box of modern smokeless ammo from Aguila. I shot the whole box, with no discernable damage to the rifle or accuracy. The Springfield Trapdoor in 45.70 is one strong rifle.
4. John,
Wild West guns manufactures a take down gun called the WWG Co-Pilot which is a .457 cal.. It fires a 350 grain .458 caliber bullet at 2,250 feet per second. Are you still faced with the same challenges of penetration on big game such as Cape buffalo or elephants with this weapon?
5. I recently shot a150 lb. Hog quarteringin my direction at about 40 yds and she looked like she was hit by a freight train. I used a marlin 1895 with 325 grain hornady ftx.
6. I have a TC Pro hunter that I handload 45-70 using the Nosler Silvertip 300 grain in front of 50 grains of RL 7. This is my go to load for brush hunting bears and hogs. A reasonably well placed shot is potent enough to use a single shot, and gives me time to eject and load another if needed, which has been so far never.
7. No doubt the 45/70 is a great round with either store bought ammo or reloads, yet it has limitations. Knowing the limitations will keep you safe and plenty of meat in the freezer. I personally use 405 grain had loads and never had any issues dropping Russian boar, Bears, Elk under 100 yards. For anything further out I Bring the .300 win mag or .375 h&h. It’s all relative to what you are comfortable with.
• As a follow up. I was lucky in taking a 700 pound Russian boar with my 45/70. 405 grain hand loaded to 2100 FPS. The round went through one shoulder and stopped imbedded in the opposite shoulder dropping the boar in his tracks. Even though he managed to stand up again he just fell over with nothing left to fight with. Such a amazing round.
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Saffarid Dynasty: the breach in the territorial integrity of the universal caliphate
Saffarid Dynasty
Saffarid dynasty is named after its founder, Yaqub bin Laith Saffar. He was a coppersmith (Saffar) who was appointed the general of the Tahirid army, because of his braveries. This was a good opportunity for him to capture Sistan in the southeast of Iran and through several battles and conquests he expanded his territories in the east and in the west and announced Zaranj, in Sistan, as his capital.Yaqub also seized khorasan and toppled the Taherid dynasty. In the west he captured Fars and moved on to khouzestan and towards Damascus, the capital of the Abbasid dynasty; but he was defeated by the caliph’s troops and withdrew to Sistan. However, he always remained a vassal of the Abbasid caliphs.
After his death in 878, the Saffarids almost lost their power. Yaqub’s brother and successor, Amr Bin Laith Saffar, who was less a revolter than Yaqub, was granted some provinces to rule while completely under the control of the Abbasid Caliph; but later, in 900 CE, their territory was limited to Sistan as a result of a defeat in a battle against Amir Ismaiil Samani, the founder of Samanid dynasty. From then on, the Saffarids remained the vassals of other Iranian dynasties with little ruling power. |
Kingdom of Bulgaria
Last updated
Tsardom of Bulgaria
Царство България
Tsarstvo Bŭlgariya
Motto: "Unity makes strength"
Съединението прави силата
Sŭedinenieto pravi silata (transliteration)
Anthem: "Maritsa Rushes"
Шуми Марица (Bulgarian)
Shumi Maritsa (transliteration)
Royal anthem
"Anthem of His Majesty the Tsar"
Химн на Негово Величество Царя (Bulgarian)
Himn na Negovo Velichestvo Tsarya (transliteration)
Kingdom of Bulgaria (1942).svg
The Kingdom of Bulgaria in 1942
Capital Sofia
Common languages Bulgarian
Bulgarian Orthodoxy
Tsar (King)
Ferdinand I
Boris III
Simeon II
Chairman of the Council of Ministers
1908–1911 (first)
Aleksandar Malinov
1944–1946 (last)
Kimon Georgiev
Legislature National Assembly
5 October 1908
10 August 1913
27 November 1919
7 September 1940
9 September 1944
15 September 1946
190895,223 km2 (36,766 sq mi)
1946110,994 km2 (42,855 sq mi)
Currency lev
ISO 3166 code BG
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Principality of Bulgaria
People's Republic of Bulgaria Flag of Bulgaria (1948-1967).svg
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia Flag of Yugoslavia (1943-1946).svg
Today part ofFlag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria
Flag of Greece.svg Greece
Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia
Flag of North Macedonia.svg North Macedonia
The Kingdom of Bulgaria (Bulgarian : Царство България, Tsarstvo Bǎlgariya), also referred to as the Tsardom of Bulgaria and the Third Bulgarian Tsardom, was a constitutional monarchy in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, which was established on 5 October (O.S. 22 September) 1908, when the Bulgarian state was raised from a principality to a kingdom. Ferdinand I was crowned a Tsar at the Declaration of Independence, mainly because of his military plans and for seeking options for unification of all lands in the Balkans region with an ethnic Bulgarian majority (lands that had been seized from Bulgaria and given to the Ottoman Empire in the Treaty of Berlin).
The state was almost constantly at war throughout its existence, lending to its nickname as "the Balkan Prussia". For several years Bulgaria mobilized an army of more than 1 million people from its population of about 5 million and in the 1910s it engaged in three wars – the First and Second Balkan Wars, and the First World War. Following the First World War, the Bulgarian army was disbanded and forbidden to exist by the Allied Powers, and all plans for national unification of the Bulgarian lands failed. Less than two decades later Bulgaria once again went to war for national unification as part of the Second World War, and once again found itself on the losing side, until it switched sides to the Allies in 1944. In 1946, the monarchy was abolished, its final Tsar was sent into exile and the Kingdom was replaced by the People's Republic of Bulgaria.
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria at the proclamation of Bulgarian independence, 1908 Tzar Ferdinand at proclamation of Bulgarian-independence.jpg
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria at the proclamation of Bulgarian independence, 1908
Despite the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria (subject to Ottoman suzerainty) in 1878, and the subsequent Bulgarian control over Eastern Rumelia after 1885, there was still a substantial Bulgarian population in the Balkans living under Ottoman rule, particularly in Macedonia. To complicate matters, Serbia and Greece too made claims over parts of Macedonia, while Serbia, as a Slavic nation, also considered Macedonian Slavs as belonging to the Serbian nation. Thus began a three-sided struggle for control of these areas which lasted until World War I. In 1903, there was a Bulgarian insurrection in Ottoman Macedonia and war seemed likely.
In 1908, Ferdinand used the struggles among the Great Powers to declare Bulgaria an independent kingdom with himself as Tsar. He did this on 5 October (though celebrated on 22 September, as Bulgaria remained officially on the Julian Calendar until 1916) in the St Forty Martyrs Church in Veliko Tarnovo. Even before then, however, Bulgaria had only acknowledged the overlordship of the sultan in a formal way. Since 1878, Bulgaria had had its own constitution, flag and anthem, and conducted a separate foreign policy.
Ferdinand took the Bulgarian title "Tsar" in honor of the rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires. However, while previous Bulgarian "tsars" were reckoned as emperors, Ferdinand and his successors were called "king" outside Bulgaria. The Tarnovo Constitution was retained, with the word "tsar" replacing the word "prince."
The Balkan Wars
In 1911, the Nationalist Prime Minister Ivan Geshov set about forming an alliance with Greece and Serbia, and the three allies agreed to put aside their rivalries to plan a joint attack on the Ottomans.
Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and the Second Balkan War (1912-1913) Balkan Wars Boundaries.jpg
Areas where ethnic Bulgarians were the majority of the population (in light green) in 1912 Bulgarians in 1912.jpg
In February 1912 a secret treaty was signed between Bulgaria and Serbia, and in May 1912 a similar treaty was signed with Greece. Montenegro was also brought into the pact. The treaties provided for the partition of Macedonia and Thrace between the allies, although the lines of partition were left dangerously vague. After the Ottomans refused to implement reforms in the disputed areas, the First Balkan War broke out in October 1912. (See Balkan Wars for details.)
The allies had an astonishing success. The Bulgarian army inflicted several crushing defeats on the Ottoman forces and advanced threateningly against Constantinople, while the Serbs and the Greeks took control of Macedonia. The Ottomans sued for peace in December. Negotiations broke down, and fighting resumed in February 1913. The Ottomans lost Adrianople to a Bulgarian task force. A second armistice followed in March, with the Ottomans losing all their European possessions west of the Midia-Enos line, not far from Istanbul. Bulgaria gained possession of most of Thrace, including Adrianople and the Aegean port of Dedeagach (today Alexandroupoli). Bulgaria also gained a slice of Macedonia, north and east of Thessaloniki, but only some small areas along her western borders.
Bulgaria sustained the heaviest casualties of any of the allies, and on this basis felt entitled to the largest share of the spoils. The Serbs in particular did not see things this way, and refused to vacate any of the territory they had seized in northern Macedonia (that is, the territory roughly corresponding to the modern Republic of North Macedonia), stating that the Bulgarian army had failed to accomplish its pre-war goals at Adrianople (i.e., failing to capture it without Serbian help) and that the pre-war agreements on the division of Macedonia had to be revised. Some circles in Bulgaria inclined toward going to war with Serbia and Greece on this issue. In June 1913 Serbia and Greece formed a new alliance, against Bulgaria. The Serbian Prime Minister, Nikola Pasic, told Greece it could have Thrace if Greece helped Serbia keep Bulgaria out of Serbian part of Macedonia, and the Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos agreed. Seeing this as a violation of the pre-war agreements, and discreetly encouraged by Germany and Austria–Hungary, Tsar Ferdinand declared war on Serbia and Greece and the Bulgarian army attacked on June 29. The Serbian and the Greek forces were initially on the retreat on the western border, but they soon took the upper hand and forced Bulgaria into retreat. The fighting was very harsh, with many casualties, especially during the key Battle of Bregalnica. Soon Romania entered the war and attacked Bulgaria from the north. The Ottoman Empire also attacked from the south-east. The war was now definitely lost for Bulgaria, which had to abandon most of her claims of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece, while the revived Ottomans retook Adrianople. Romania took possession of southern Dobruja.
World War I
The largest territorial extent of the Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I (including occupied territories) WWI BG MAP.jpg
Bulgarian officers on the Macedonian Front Vladimir Vazov at Furka 20 February 1917.jpg
Bulgarian officers on the Macedonian Front
In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, Bulgarian opinion turned against Russia and the western powers, whom the Bulgarians felt had done nothing to help them. Bulgaria, Romania and Greece were content to sit on the fence and observe the fortunes of war before deciding whether to declare their sympathies. [1] The government of Vasil Radoslavov aligned Bulgaria with Germany and Austria–Hungary, even though this meant also becoming an ally of the Ottomans, Bulgaria's traditional enemy. But Bulgaria now had no claims against the Ottomans, whereas Serbia, Greece and Romania (allies of the UK and France) were all in possession of lands perceived in Bulgaria as Bulgarian. Bulgaria, recuperating from the Balkan Wars, sat out the first year of World War I, but when Germany promised to restore the boundaries of the Treaty of San Stefano, Bulgaria, which had the largest army in the Balkans, declared war on Serbia in October 1915. The UK, France, Italy and Russia then declared war on Bulgaria.
Bulgaria, in alliance with Germany, Austria–Hungary and the Ottomans, won military victories against Serbia and Romania, taking much of Macedonia (taking Skopje in October), advancing into Greek Macedonia, and taking Dobruja from the Romanians in September 1916. However, the war soon became unpopular with the majority of Bulgarian people, who suffered great economic hardship and also disliked fighting their fellow Orthodox Christians in alliance with the Muslim Ottomans. The Agrarian Party leader, Aleksandur Stamboliyski, was imprisoned for his opposition to the war. The Russian Revolution of February 1917 had a great effect in Bulgaria, spreading antiwar and anti-monarchist sentiment among the troops and in the cities. In June Radoslavov's government resigned. Mutinies broke out in the army, Stamboliyski was released and a republic was proclaimed.
In September 1918, the French, Serbs, British, Italians and Greeks broke through on the Macedonian front and Tsar Ferdinand was forced to sue for peace. Stamboliyski favoured democratic reforms, not a revolution. In order to head off the revolutionaries, he persuaded Ferdinand to abdicate in favour of his son Boris III. The revolutionaries were suppressed and the army disbanded. Under the Treaty of Neuilly (November 1919), Bulgaria lost its Aegean coastline to Greece and part of its Macedonian territory to the new state of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and had to give Dobruja back to the Kingdom of Romania (see also Dobruja, Western Outlands, Western Thrace). Elections in March 1920 gave the Agrarians a large majority, and Stamboliyski formed Bulgaria's first genuinely democratic government.
The interwar years
Boris III of Bulgaria, who reigned from 1918 to 1943 BASA-3K-7-342-28-Boris III of Bulgaria.jpeg
Boris III of Bulgaria, who reigned from 1918 to 1943
Political history
Territorial changes after the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Map of Bulgaria after Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine-en.svg
Territorial changes after the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine
Although it had not lost large amounts of territory, the nation had again struggled hard for nothing. The lost territories, especially the Dobroujea and Macedonia, were considered integral parts of Bulgaria and the pressure to retake them became an ultimately fatal obsession that drove the country into the arms of Nazi Germany. However, unlike the other defeated Eastern European state, Hungary, Bulgaria continued with essentially the same government as before.
Stamboliyski faced huge social problems in what was still a poor country, inhabited mostly by peasant smallholders. Bulgaria was saddled with huge war reparations to Yugoslavia and Romania, and had to deal with the problem of refugees as pro-Bulgarian Macedonians had to leave the Yugoslav Macedonia. Nevertheless, Stamboliyski was able to carry through many social reforms, although opposition from the Tsar, the landlords and the officers of the much-reduced but still influential army was powerful. Another bitter enemy was the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO), which favoured a war to regain Macedonia for Bulgaria. Faced with this array of enemies, Stamboliyski allied himself with the Bulgarian Communist Party and opened relations with the Soviet Union.
Aleksandar Stamboliyski StamboliskiEnLaConferenciaDeGenova1922-2.jpeg
Aleksandar Stamboliyski
The Bulgarian government had the same handicap as most constitutional monarchies, which was not drawing a clear line between what powers were granted to the king and what were granted to Parliament. The 1879 constitution was intended to put power in the hands of the latter, but still allowed a clever enough monarch to gain control of the machinery of government. Such was the case with the wily Tsar Ferdinand, who however had been forced to abdicate after the back-to-back losses of the Balkan Wars and World War I. His son Boris then succeeded him to the throne, but the young king could not replace the power his father had built through decades of intrigue. As such, Parliament came to dominate after Boris appointed Alexander Stamboliyski as prime minister. Stamboliyski's Agrarian Party soon dominated Parliament with over half the seats. The rest of the seats were taken by the Bulgarian Communist Party, which was the country's second largest political party and the only other one of any significance (there were a dozen or so minor parties, but they had no representation in Parliament or any real significance). The Agrarian Party chiefly represented peasants, and especially those who were disgruntled with the government in Sofia since Ferdinand's reign saw extensive corruption and theft of money from the peasantry. Also while most of the lower classes in Bulgaria supported annexation of Macedonia, they were disgruntled about the heavy bloodshed incurred in two unsuccessful wars to retake it. Indeed, Stamboliyski actually spent the war years in jail due to his vociferous criticism of it. As for the BCP, it was mainly staffed by intelligentsia and urban professionals, but its chief constituents were the poorest peasants and other minorities. The AP by comparison represented better-off peasants. Under this climate, Stamboliyski hastily enacted a land reform in 1920, which was designed to break up some state properties, church lands, and the holdings of wealthier peasants. Predictably, it gave him widespread support and forced the BCP into an alliance with the AP mainly to gain a voice in Parliament.
However, Stamboliyski was a convinced anti-communist and sought to create an international movement to combat Marxism. This was his so-called "Green International", a counter to the communist "Red International". He traveled to Eastern European capitals promoting his view of a peasant alliance. But trouble began when he tried to spread it in Yugoslavia, a country that had very similar conditions to Bulgaria (i.e. very little industry and a large communist presence). Stamboliyski was well-liked in Belgrade because of supporting a peaceful solution to the Macedonia problem. He also advocated uniting all the Slavic-speaking nations in Eastern Europe into one large Yugoslav confederation. But he got into trouble because of the militant IMRO faction at home. Many Macedonian leaders had lived in Sofia since the failed 1903 revolt against the Ottoman Empire, and now they were joined by others who fled the Yugoslavian government (which maintained as its official position that Macedonians were ethnic Serbs). Since Bulgaria had been forced to limit the size of its armed forces after World War I, IMRO chieftains gained control of much of the border area with Yugoslavia.
Aleksandar Tsankov Aleksandar Tsankov.png
Aleksandar Tsankov
In March 1923, Stamboliyski signed an agreement with Yugoslavia recognizing the new border and agreeing to suppress IMRO. This triggered a nationalist reaction, and on 9 June there was a coup organized by the armed forces under General Ivan Valkov's Military Union with support from the Tsar and other right wing elements of the Tsardom after the AP controlled 87% of Parliament in the elections that year. The Bulgarian government could only muster a handful of troops to resist, and even worse was a peasant mob with no guns rallied by Stamboliyski. Despite this, the streets of Sofia erupted in chaos and the hapless prime minister was lynched in addition to attacks on unarmed peasants. The whole affair seriously tarbrushed Bulgaria's international image. A right wing government under Aleksandar Tsankov took power, backed by the Tsar, the army and the VMRO, who waged a White terror against the Agrarians and the Communists. The Communist leader Georgi Dimitrov fled to the Soviet Union. There was savage repression in 1925 following the second of two failed attempts on the Tsar's life in the bomb attack on Sofia Cathedral (the first attempt took place in the mountain pass of Arabakonak). But in 1926 the Tsar persuaded Tsankov to resign and a more moderate government under Andrey Lyapchev took office. An amnesty was proclaimed, although the Communists remained banned. The Agrarians reorganised and won elections in 1931 under the leadership of Nikola Mushanov.
Georgi Kyoseivanov Georgi Kyoseivanov1.png
Georgi Kyoseivanov
Just when political stability had been restored, the full effects of the Great Depression hit Bulgaria, and social tensions rose again. In May 1934 there was another coup by the military organization Zveno, and an authoritarian regime headed by Colonel Kimon Georgiev was established. They dissolved all parties and trade unions and suppressed the IMRO. Their government introduced a corporatist economy, similar to that of Benito Mussolini's Italy. After participating in the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1934, Zveno supporters declared their intention to immediately form an alliance with France and to seek the unification of Bulgaria into an Integral Yugoslavia. [2]
In April 1935 Boris III staged a counter-coup with the help of monarchist Zveno member General Pencho Zlatev and took power himself. The political process was controlled by the Tsar, but a form of parliamentary rule was re-introduced, without the restoration of the political parties, prime ministers were appointed by the monarch. [3] With the rise of the "King's government" in 1935, Bulgaria entered an era of prosperity and astounding growth, which deservedly qualifies it as the Golden Age of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. [4] It lasted nearly five years, governed by prime minister Georgi Kyoseivanov. Kyoseivanov's Premiership oversaw the trials of the instigators of the 1934 military coup and also concluded pacts with Yugoslavia and Greece as Nazi Germany undertook a policy of economic isolation of the Balkans. His government also oversaw a policy of rearmament after a treaty concluded with Ioannis Metaxas overturned the military clauses of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the Treaty of Lausanne. Although the signing of the Salonika Agreement of 1938 restored good relations with Yugoslavia and Greece, the territorial issue continued to simmer.
Interwar Bulgaria was highly backwards from an economic standpoint. Heavy industry was almost nonexistent due to a lack of major natural resources, and whatever manufacturing did exist consisted almost exclusively of textiles and handicrafts. Even these required extensive tariff protection to survive. Some natural resources did exist, but bad internal communications made it impossible to exploit them and nearly all important manufactured implements were imported. Farm machinery and chemical fertilizers were nearly unheard of. Agricultural products were almost the only thing Bulgaria could export and after 1929 it became very hard to do this.
Bulgarian peasant girl in the 1930s BASA-2072K-1-320-7-Viticulture in Bulgaria.JPG
Bulgarian peasant girl in the 1930s
Bulgarian agriculture was almost entirely one of small farmers and peasants. Plots were small and almost exclusively under 50 acres, but they were working intensively and even the tiniest 5-acre farms often produced crops for market sale. As elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Bulgarian peasants traditionally grew grains for their landowners which after the war could not be effectively marketed due to competition from the United States and Western Europe. However, they were able to switch with little difficulty to garden crops and tobacco in contrast to other countries where the peasantry suffered harder due to continued reliance on corn and wheat.
While more successful than the rest of Eastern Europe, Bulgarian agriculture still suffered from the handicaps of backwards technology and especially rural overpopulation and scattered plots (due to the traditional practice of a peasant dividing his land equally among all surviving sons). And all agricultural exports were harmed by the onset of the Great Depression. On the other hand, an underdeveloped economy meant that Bulgaria had little trouble with debt and inflation. Just under half of industry was owned by foreign companies in contrast to the nearly 80% of Romanian industry.
Since the population was 85% ethnic Bulgarians, there was relatively little social strife aside from the conflict between the haves and have-nots. Most inhabitants of Sofia maintained close ties to the countryside, but this did not prevent a rift between the peasants and urban class (i.e. Sofia versus everyone else), although some was the result of deliberate manipulation by politicians seeking to take advantage of traditional peasant distrust of the "effeminate city slicker". Mostly however, it was due to a quarrel between the rulers and the ruled. Around 14% of the population were Muslims, mostly Turks (i.e. the remnant of the landowning class), but also a handful of so-called "Pomaks" (ethnic Bulgarians who practiced Islam). The Muslim population was alienated from the dominant Orthodox Christians both due to religious and historical reasons. They neither pressed for minority rights nor tried to set up their own schools, and instead asked nothing more than to be left alone to mind their own business. The Bulgarian government obliged except for a great willingness to assist them in emigrating back to Turkey.
Sofia University in 1935 Sof.University~1935.jpg
Sofia University in 1935
By comparison to economics, Bulgaria's educational system was highly successful and less than half the population were illiterate. Eight years of schooling were required and over 80% of children attended. For the few special students who went past elementary school, the high schools were based on the German gymnasium. Competitive examinations were used to judge college applicants, and Bulgaria had a number of technical and specialized schools in addition to the University of Sofia. Many Bulgarian students also went abroad, primarily to Germany and Austria (educational ties with Russia ended in 1917). Overall, education reached more of the lower classes than anywhere else in Eastern Europe, but on the downside all too many students obtained degrees in the liberal arts and other abstract subjects and could not find work anywhere except in the government bureaucracy. Many of them gravitated towards the Bulgarian Communist Party.
World War II
The government of the Kingdom of Bulgaria under Prime Minister Georgi Kyoseivanov declared a position of neutrality upon the outbreak of World War II. Bulgaria was determined to observe it until the end of the war; but it hoped for bloodless territorial gains in order to recover the territories lost in the Second Balkan War and World War I, as well as gain other lands with a significant Bulgarian population occupied by neighboring countries. However, it was clear that the central geopolitical position of Bulgaria in the Balkans would inevitably lead to strong external pressure by both World War II factions. On 15 February 1940, following the resignation of Georgi Kyoseivanov, Bogdan Filov was appointed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. On 7 September 1940, Bulgaria succeeded in negotiating the recovery of Southern Dobruja in the Axis-sponsored Treaty of Craiova.
Bulgaria during World War II KingdomOfBulgaria1941-1944.png
Bulgaria during World War II
Bulgarian troops entering Southern Dobruja BASA-3K-7-436-9-Photo of South Dobruja, 1940.JPG
Bulgarian troops entering Southern Dobruja
On 1 March 1941, Bulgaria formally signed the Tripartite Pact, becoming an ally of Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, and the Kingdom of Italy. German troops entered the country in preparation for the German invasions of the Kingdom of Greece and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia and Greece were defeated, Bulgaria was allowed to occupy all of Greek Thrace and most of Macedonia. Bulgaria declared war on Britain and the United States, but resisted German pressure to declare war on the Soviet Union, fearful of pro-Russian sentiment in the country.
In August 1943 Tsar Boris died suddenly after returning from Germany (possibly assassinated, although this has never been proved) and was succeeded by his six-year-old son Simeon II. Power was held by a council of regents headed by the young Tsar's uncle, Prince Kirill. The new Prime Minister, Dobri Bozhilov, was in most respects a German puppet.
Resistance to the Germans and the Bulgarian regime was widespread by 1943, co-ordinated mainly by the Communists. Together with the Agrarians, now led by Nikola Petkov, the Social Democrats and even with many army officers they founded the Fatherland Front. Partisans operated in the mountainous west and south. By 1944 it was obvious that Germany was losing the war and the regime began to look for a way out. Bozhilov resigned in May, and his successor Ivan Ivanov Bagryanov tried to arrange negotiations with the western Allies.
Meanwhile, the capital Sofia was bombed by Allied aircraft in late 1943 and early 1944, with raids on other major cities following later. But it was the Soviet army which was rapidly advancing towards Bulgaria. In August Bulgaria unilaterally announced its withdrawal from the war and asked the German troops to leave: Bulgarian troops were hastily withdrawn from Greece and Yugoslavia. In September the Soviets crossed the northern border. The government, desperate to avoid a Soviet occupation, declared war on Germany, but the Soviets could not be put off, and on September 8 they declared war on Bulgaria – which thus found itself for a few days at war with both Germany and the Soviet Union. On September 16, the Soviet army entered Sofia.
Communist coup
The Fatherland Front took office in Sofia following a coup d'état, setting up a broad coalition under the former ruler Kimon Georgiev and including the Social Democrats and the Agrarians. Under the terms of the peace settlement, Bulgaria was allowed to keep Southern Dobruja, but formally renounced all claims to Greek and Yugoslav territory. 150,000 Bulgarians were expelled from Greek Thrace. The Communists deliberately took a minor role in the new government at first, but the Soviet representatives were the real power in the country. A Communist-controlled People's Militia was set up, which harassed and intimidated non-Communist parties.
On 1 February 1945, the new realities of power in Bulgaria were shown when Regent Prince Kiril, former Prime Minister Bogdan Filov, and hundreds of other officials of the old regime were arrested on charges of war crimes. By June, Kirill and the other Regents, twenty-two former ministers, and many others had been executed. In September 1946, the monarchy was abolished by plebiscite, and young Tsar Simeon was sent into exile. The Communists now openly took power, with Vasil Kolarov becoming President and Dimitrov becoming Prime Minister. Free elections promised for 1946 were blatantly rigged and were boycotted by the opposition. The Agrarians refused to co-operate with the new regime, and in June 1947 their leader Nikola Petkov was arrested. Despite strong international protests he was executed in September. This marked the final establishment of a Communist regime in Bulgaria.
See also
Related Research Articles
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The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The earliest evidence of hominid occupation discovered on what is today Bulgaria date from at least 1.4 million years ago. Around 5000 BC, a sophisticated civilization already existed and produced some of the first pottery and jewelry in the world. After 3000 BC, the Thracians appeared on the Balkan peninsula. In the late 6th century BC, most of what is nowadays Bulgaria came under the Persian Empire. In the 470s BC, the Thracians formed the powerful Odrysian Kingdom, probably just after the Persian defeat in Greece in 480-479 AD, and lasted until 46 BC, when was finally conquered by the Roman Empire. During the centuries, some Thracian tribes fell under Ancient Macedonian and Hellenistic, and also Celtic domination. This mixture of ancient peoples was assimilated by the Slavs, who permanently settled on the peninsula after 500 AD.
Boris III of Bulgaria Tsar of Bulgaria
Boris III, originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver, was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death.
Second Balkan War war
Aleksandar Stamboliyski Bulgarian prime minister
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Bulgarian Agrarian National Union also translated to English as Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union is a political party devoted to representing the causes of the Bulgarian peasantry. It was an agrarian movement and was most powerful between 1900 and 1923. Unlike the socialist movements of the early 20th century, it was devoted to questions concerning agriculture and farm workers, rather than industry and factory workers. The BZNS, one of the first and most powerful of the agrarian parties in Eastern Europe, dominated Bulgarian politics during the beginning of the 20th century. It is also the only agrarian party in Europe that ever came to power with a majority government, rather than merely as part of a coalition. It is a founding member of the former International Agrarian Bureau.
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1. Glenny, Misha (2012). The Balkans . USA: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-85338-0.
2. Khristo Angelov Khristov. Bulgaria, 1300 years. Sofia, Bulgaria: Sofia Press, 1980. p. 192.
3. "Balkans and World War I" Archived 12 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
4. King of Mercy, by Pashanko Dimitroff, Great Britain, 1986
Coordinates: 42°42′N23°19′E / 42.700°N 23.317°E / 42.700; 23.317 |
I'm putting together a steampunk novel, and I'm trying to plot out the course the main characters are taking.
Let's say I have a small airship, meant for a crew of half a dozen to a dozen. Let's say it uses helium gas. Let's say the cabin is built like a pleasure yacht, about 50 feet long -- not a military size or anything like that. Let's say the propulsion is a steam-based engine that uses coal for fuel -- if it's not feasible, I'm not opposed to introducing a magical fuel source, but if I don't have to I'd like to avoid it. I'd like it to be lighter-than-air, unless that's not physically possible. Propulsion should be entirely mechanical; I want fuel to be a constraining factor for plot reasons.
How far it can travel before needing to refuel is therefore a function of how fuel-efficient it is, as well as how much helium it needs to carry the weight of the fuel, right? How far would be a reasonable range of travel for a ship this size before it has to make a fuel stop?
• 2
$\begingroup$ If its lighter than air, its range is unlimited... so long as you don't mind going where the winds take you. $\endgroup$ – GrandmasterB Apr 1 '15 at 20:22
• 1
$\begingroup$ This would also be on topic on Aviation SE. $\endgroup$ – raptortech97 Apr 2 '15 at 2:44
• $\begingroup$ The era of rigid airships ended before radio- and satellite-aided navigation. Zeppelins traveled (sometimes indirect) segments between known points, navigating by map (daylight) and sextant (night). Airships often encountered (and were occasionally downed by) bad weather. Weather current data was generally poor quality, and forecasts were thoroughly unreliable. Many WWI zeppelins were downed by ordinary squalls over the North sea. And, don't forget, no lightweight portable radio until the late 1920s - heliographs and flags only. All those factors reduce your range considerably. $\endgroup$ – user535733 Mar 22 '17 at 2:04
About 90 meters per kilogram of coal. With a range of 5,700 km.
Or, about 150 meters per kilogram of propane. With a range of 9,900 km.
A 50' gondola is pretty large. It's about the size of the gondola on the Graf Zeppelin.
enter image description here
The use of coal for fuel is not completely impractical, but it does create problems with the change in weight as the fuel is burned. The Graf Zeppelin used Blau Gas (about as dense as regular air) to power its engines to avoid this problem.
The Graf Zeppelin had a range of 16,500 km and carried 65,000 kg of fuel. So it achieved about 0.25 km/kg. The best way to convert this to steam power would be to find out the energy in 65,000 kg of Blau gas and equate it with the same mass of coal.
Energy Efficiency
Unfortunately I can't find the values for Blau gas, but it's quite similar to propane, so I'll be using the value of 50.3 MJ/kg for propane and the 29 MJ/kg for coal.
From this we can see that this Zeppelin made about 5 meters per megajoule. It's not very fair to assume the same conversion efficiency for coal, but if we did, the Zeppelin could travel about 9,500 km with 65,000 kg of coal. More likely, only 60% of the coal could be converted to energy for use in propulsion, giving a slightly more realistic range of 5,700 km at 0.087 km/kg. There are a lot of stacked assumptions here, so we can be generous and round that off to about 90 meters per kilogram of coal.
The water used for steam generation could be from the same reservoir used as ballast, so that shouldn't be too different. The steam will need to be recondensed to preserve it for ballast.
Why use Coal?
As you can see here it would probably be a much better idea to simply use the original fuel for some steam engines rather than coal. You can then take the original efficiency of any airship you like and approximately halve it to convert it to steam power.
• $\begingroup$ I am not sure that you can easily neglect the water consumption of a steam engine. Unless you bring equipment along to condense the used steam back to water - which seems feasible given the lower temperatures in the troposphere - but adds additional weight to the airship, you cannot just use the ballast water as it will be needed. $\endgroup$ – Ghanima Apr 1 '15 at 21:36
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$\begingroup$ @Nick2253 That's not quite right. A gas engine is only 30% efficient while a steam engine can be up to 60% efficient. The inefficiency of the gas engine is included in the original calculation, because I'm using actual distance travelled. So I'm not even close to being too generous with the efficiency. Recheck your coal figures. $\endgroup$ – Samuel Apr 1 '15 at 22:11
• 1
$\begingroup$ Burning 65,000 kg of Blau Gas will cause the same weight issues as burning 65,000 kg of coal... $\endgroup$ – user2051 Apr 2 '15 at 4:38
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$\begingroup$ @HorusKol Wiki says Blau Gas can be just replaced with air to keep buoyancy, lumps of rock are considerably harder to replace during flight. $\endgroup$ – PTwr Apr 2 '15 at 10:15
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$\begingroup$ @HorusKol difference is apparently negligible enough to fly around the world in zeppelin. Great, now I want a zeppelin. $\endgroup$ – PTwr Apr 2 '15 at 10:28
It depends on how you fly it.
If you fly an airship like an airplane, you'll end up with efficiencies similar to those described by several of the other answers here. However, there are two factors that can be used in an airship to drastically increase the distance than can be travelled before needing to refuel:
• Airships don't need to expend energy to stay aloft
• Airships can control their buoyancy (to some degree).
These two factors allow us to do two things: use prevailing wind currents to move about and glide under gravity.
Moving about using wind currents
If your airships are willing to route themselves based on air currents, they can use these to float about without needing to consume power. For example, airships travelling between the US and Europe can use the trade winds when bound for the Americas and the prevailing westerlies when heading to Europe.
Of course, as you can see from a map of the Earth's wind patterns, these winds don't point directly from east to west:
enter image description here
This means we don't quite have a free ride, but we can still profit from using the winds, so long as the winds point at less than a 45 degree angle away from your desired destination. (At this angle, the amount of travelling you need to do to stay on course would be equal to the amount that the wind would push you.) The fuel savings from following the winds in this manner depend on wind angle. If your winds point away from your destination at an angle of 10 degrees, for example, you'll only need 1/8th the fuel you would need in still air.
If you want your airships to make there and back trips, you'll then have to fly from one air band to the other, or else break your airship down and ship it by train (or by ship) to its new takeoff destination. Of course, you can avoid this if you just keep going the same direction. The world is round, so you'll eventually be able to get back to where you started without needing to fight against the wind.
Gliding under gravity
If our airships are shaped in such a way as to be capable of generating a horizontal force from a vertical one applied to the airship by the surrounding air, i.e. if they have somewhat airfoil-like shapes, they'll be able to generate forward motion based on gliding. An airship can 'glide' by falling either up or down by changing its density, and then converting that falling motion to a forward motion using a wing. In many cases, the body of the aircraft itself can form the wing in what's commonly referred to as a hybrid airship.
In the simplest case, a moored airship can be filled with helium to a point where it is buoyant and then released, at which point it will float upwards (while gliding forwards) until it becomes neutrally buoyant. Upon reaching the apex of its climb, the aircraft can then begin releasing excess gas to begin its descent, again gliding forwards based on aerodynamic forces. Under the sea, this same concept has been used successfully to create underwater gliders.
While this sort of setup would only allow a limited distance flight (based on the amount of helium that could be safely released without crashing), it wouldn't require any fuel whatsoever. For longer flights, airships could rely on a steam-powered compressor to change their volume, and consequently their density. This, or using thermals to gain lift, could allow an airship to extend its travel times significantly, without relying on local wind patterns.
• $\begingroup$ In regards to using the wind, an airship moving under its own power can consume fuel to maintain altitude. One that is drifting on the wind instead consumes lifting gas and ballast (venting gas during the day to counter solar heating; dropping ballast at night to counter cooling). $\endgroup$ – Mark Apr 2 '15 at 0:40
• 1
$\begingroup$ "While this sort of setup would only allow a limited distance flight (based on the amount of helium that could be safely released without crashing), it wouldn't require any fuel whatsoever." - wouldn't it effectively be fueled by helium? $\endgroup$ – user253751 Apr 2 '15 at 8:38
Besides the already mentioned issues of traveling with or against the wind I will try to cover the issue of the range based on coal as fuel by comparison to the Zeppelin.
I assume that the desired cabin length of about 50 ft requires a airship of dimensions comparable to one of the early post-WW I passenger models: the LZ 120. The ship has a length of 121 m and a range of 1,700 km running on its four Maybach engines at top speed (about 130 km/h). It has an empty weight of 13,646 kg and can lift up to 9,593 kg. Skip for the moment that it uses Hydrogen instead of Helium, which however increases its lift capacity.
So, running 1,700 km at 130 km/h means about 13 hours of traveling. Unfortunately I cannot find any references to the amount of fuel it is carrying. From this page I therefore take 250 kg/h of fuel consumption for the LZ127 (a newer model). Using this as a very rough estimate shows a fuel load of 3,250 kg which sounds quite reasonable and leaves about 6,000 kg of lift capacity for passengers and cargo.
The LZ120 runs on gasoline, say with a heat of combustion of 20,000 BTU/lb. Coal on the other hand offers 8,000 (Lignite) and 14,000 (Anthracite). Which is unfortunate as it offers less energy per weight the airship has to carry around. Let's also assume that the LZ120's engines have an efficieny of 30% (my estimate, could be even lower) while the steam-based engine will be at 15% (which is quite high for a steam engine). This also doubles the weight of fuel.
These facts alone reduce the range of a coal-fueled steam-propulsed airship to 35% of a gasoline driven one. The resulting range would be about 600 km.
A word of warning though: these simplified calculations do not take the additional weight of the engines themselves into account and the additional water that will be necessary to operate a steam engine. Those could be really a deal-breaker.
• $\begingroup$ Couldn't you use a steam-recuperating engine instead of just blowing off the steam? This could potentially let you make do with less water, but you might pay the cost in efficiency and engine weight. Also, running at lower speed could increase your range considerably. $\endgroup$ – Mike L. Apr 1 '15 at 21:51
• $\begingroup$ 30% efficiencee for a 30's avgas engine ? its more like 8-12%. At this height closed cycle steam engines (rankine) will be pretty efficient. You will probably use steam turbines and reach 17-25% efficiency. $\endgroup$ – Jorge Aldo Apr 1 '15 at 21:51
• $\begingroup$ about weight, you can use monotubular boilers for safety and weight savings. $\endgroup$ – Jorge Aldo Apr 1 '15 at 21:55
• $\begingroup$ besides, the heat generation of a fuel is nothing if you dont take the fuel's adiabatic flame temperature and apply carnot, to check how much of that heat can be used. a fuel with 0,5MJ/mol@1000K is better than a fuel with 10MJ/mol@300K. $\endgroup$ – Jorge Aldo Apr 1 '15 at 21:59
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$\begingroup$ I just call it a rough estimate. Given that you'll provide another detailed answer I will however not spend much time tinkering with mine ;) $\endgroup$ – Ghanima Apr 1 '15 at 22:12
I would say it will depend of the prevailing wings and the route... since the airship just "floats", the wind moves it where it wants (like a ballon).
At high attitudes, wind stream are quite constant (in fact, commercial airplanes may have different routes from A to B than from B to A to benefit from that). Make the captain and "old air wolf" who knows how the air currents behave and give him time to plot the more economical route, it can be left floating until it must dock due to lack of food, water, or fuel for heating.
Alternatively, make it that it must get "ASAP" to a city, and the shortest route is against the wind, and it will consume more power than a suburban.
• 2
$\begingroup$ This might be part of an answer, but would probably be better culled and made into a comment. Additionally, you should probably just assume zero wind, as a round-trip would tend to (very roughly) cancel the effect. $\endgroup$ – Samuel Apr 1 '15 at 19:54
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$\begingroup$ This is good info, and I'll definitely check into air currents on my proposed route, but it doesn't help me get a grip on what's realistic really. $\endgroup$ – Yamikuronue Apr 1 '15 at 19:58
• $\begingroup$ @Samuel a round trip would cancel the effect only if it was done following the same route, which I explain is actually avoided when possible (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_stream#Aviation). Additionally, I provide up to three possible constraining factors in the length of the journey. $\endgroup$ – SJuan76 Apr 1 '15 at 20:35
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$\begingroup$ @SJuan76 It's avoided so that better fuel efficiency can be achieved, correct? Then ignoring winds would seem to provide a low end for efficiency, which is an excellent starting place for a real answer. $\endgroup$ – Samuel Apr 1 '15 at 20:38
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$\begingroup$ @Samuel Of course not, because (as I have repeteadly stated) a competent pilot would not ignore favorable winds, he would plan the route to use them... and frankly, "the airship had to stop every two days to refuel because the pilot was hired only because of his nice legs" does not sound right. $\endgroup$ – SJuan76 Apr 1 '15 at 21:02
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The brain and spinal cord are considered the Central Nervous System. Incoming and outgoing information travel in the nerves of the arm similar to a telephone wire. These nerves are considered the Peripheral Nervous System. Information regarding the environment such as hot, cold, and the position of our pen are carried on sensory nerves. Motor nerves carry bioelectrical information to muscle, resulting in contraction and movement.
The perception of pain varies with each individual; terms such as stabbing, prickling, burning, tingling, and other descriptions have been used. Nerve pain is difficult to live with but in most individuals, it can be reduced. Nerve pain is also called neuropathic pain.
• Neuropathy is the disease of the nervous system in which there is a disturbance in the function of a nerve or particular group of nerves. The three major forms of nerve damage are: peripheral neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, and mononeuropathy. The most common form is peripheral neuropathy, which mainly affects the feet and legs.
• Sciatica is pain, tingling, or numbness produced by an irritation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is a pain in the leg due to irritation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica most commonly occurs when a branch of the sciatic nerve is compressed at the base of the spine.
• Polyneuropathy is any illness that attacks numerous nerves in the body, sometimes causing weakness and/or pain. It tends to be a systemic problem that affects more than one nerve group at a time. Polyneuropathies are relatively symmetric, often affecting sensory, motor, and vasomotor fibers simultaneously.
• Postherpetic neuralgia is pain that persists after an episode of shingles (herpes zoster) has resolved, resulting from damaged nerve fibers from the shingles.
• Thoracic outlet syndrome is a condition in which the nerves or vessels behind the collar bone (clavicle) become compressed or stretched, causing pain, weakness, or numbness in the arm on the same side. The thoracic outlet is an area at the top of the rib cage, between the neck and the chest. Several anatomical structures pass through this area, including the esophagus, trachea, and nerves and blood vessels that lead to the arm and neck region. |
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History Stories
With cash crops of tobacco, cotton and sugar cane, America’s southern states became the economic engine of the burgeoning nation. Their fuel of choice? Human slavery.
If the Confederacy had been a separate nation, it would have ranked as the fourth richest in the world at the start of the Civil War. The slave economy had been very good to American prosperity. By the start of the war, the South was producing 75 percent of the world’s cotton and creating more millionaires per capita in the Mississippi River valley than anywhere in the nation. Slaves represented Southern planters’ most significant investment—and the bulk of their wealth.
Slaves leaving the fields with baskets of cotton. (Credit: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images)
An Economy Built on Slavery
Building a commercial enterprise out of the wilderness required labor and lots of it. For much of the 1600s, the American colonies operated as agricultural economies, driven largely by indentured servitude. Most workers were poor, unemployed laborers from Europe who, like others, had traveled to North America for a new life. In exchange for their work, they received food and shelter, a rudimentary education and sometimes a trade.
By 1680, the British economy improved and more jobs became available in Britain. During this time, slavery had become a morally, legally and socially acceptable institution in the colonies. As the number of European laborers coming to the colonies dwindled, enslaving Africans became a commercial necessity—and more widely acceptable.
With ideal climate and available land, property owners in the southern colonies began establishing plantation farms for cash crops like rice, tobacco and sugar cane—enterprises that required increasing amounts of labor. To meet the need, wealthy planters turned to slave traders, who imported ever more human chattel to the colonies, the vast majority from West Africa. As more slaves were imported and an upsurge in slave fertility rates expanded the “inventory,” a new industry was born: the slave auction. These open markets where humans were inspected like animals and bought and sold to the highest bidder proved an increasingly lucrative enterprise. In the 17th century, slaves would fetch between five and ten dollars. But by the mid-19th century, an able-bodied slave fetched an average price between $1,200-$1,500.
Slave auction circa 1861. (Credit: API/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)
Economic Necessity Trumps Morality
Slave labor had become so entrenched in the Southern economy that nothing—not even the belief that all men were created equal—would dislodge it. When delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, they were split on the moral question of human bondage and man’s inhumanity to man, but not on its economic necessity. At the time, there were nearly 700,000 slaves living in the United States, worth an estimated $210 million in today’s dollars. When the topic of slavery arose during the deliberations over calculating political representation in Congress, the southern states of Georgia and the Carolinas demanded that each slave be counted along with whites. The northern states balked, saying it gave southern states an unfair advantage. Their compromise? Delegates agreed that each slave would count as three-fifths of a person, giving the South more representation, and that the slave trade would be banned 20 years hence, in 1807, a concession to Northern states that had abolished slavery several years earlier.
VIDEO: The System of American Slavery – Historians and experts examine the American system of racialized slavery and the hypocrisy it relied on to function.
Before the American Revolution, tobacco was the colonies’ main cash crop, with exports of the aromatic leaf increasing from 60,000 pounds in 1622 to 1.5 million by 1639. By the end of the century, Britain was importing more than 20 million pounds of tobacco per year. But after the colonies won independence, Britain no longer favored American products and considered tobacco a competitor to crops produced elsewhere in the empire. Always a fickle commodity for growers, tobacco was beset by price fluctuations, weakness to weather changes and an exhausting of the soil’s nutrients. But even as tobacco waned in importance, another cash crop showed promise: cotton.
Slaves on an American plantation operating a cotton gin. (Credit: MPI/Getty Images)
King Cotton
Picking and cleaning cotton involved a labor-intensive process that slowed production and limited supply. In 1794, inventor Eli Whitney devised a machine that combed the cotton bolls free of their seeds in very short order. Manually, one slave could pick the seeds out of 10 pounds of cotton in a day. The cotton gin could process 100 pounds in the same time.
There was an irony in all this. Many people believed the cotton gin would reduce the need for slaves because the machine could supplant human labor. But in reality, the increased processing capacity accelerated demand. The more cotton processed, the more that could be exported to the mills of Great Britain and New England. And the invention of the cotton gin coincided with other developments that opened up large-scale global trade: Cargo ships were built bigger, better and easier to navigate. Powerful navies protected them against piracy. And newly invented steam engines powered these ships, as well as looms and weaving machines, which increased the capacity to produce cotton cloth.
With all these factors amping up production and distribution, the South was poised to expand its cotton-based economy. With more land needed for cultivation, the number of plantations expanded in the South and moved west into new territory. Production exploded: Between 1801 and 1835 alone, the U.S. cotton exports grew from 100,000 bales to more than a million, comprising half of all U.S. exports. The upshot: As cotton became the backbone of the Southern economy, slavery drove impressive profits.
The benefits of slave-produced cotton extended to industries beyond the South. In the North and Great Britain, cotton mills hummed, while the financial and shipping industries also saw gains. Banks in New York and London provided capital to new and expanding plantations for purchasing both land and slaves. As a result, slaves became a legal form of property that could be used as collateral in business transactions or to pay off outstanding debt. Slaves comprised a sizable portion of a planter’s property holdings, becoming a source of tax revenue for state and local governments. A sort of sales tax was also levied on slave transactions.
Steadily, a near-feudal society emerged in the South. At the top was the aristocratic landowning elite, who wielded much of the economic and political power. Their plantations spanned upward of a thousand acres, controlling hundreds—and, in some cases, thousands—of slaves. A culture of gentility and high-minded codes of honor emerged.
Below the elite class were the small planters who owned a handful of slaves. These farmers were self-made and fiercely independent. Slaveless small farmers and landless whites were at the bottom, making up three-quarters of the white population—and dreaming of the day when they, too, might own slaves. No matter how wide the gap between rich and poor, class tensions among whites were eased by the belief they all belonged to the “superior race.” Many convinced themselves they were actually doing God’s work taking care of what they believed was an inferior people.
Slaves returning from the cotton fields in South Carolina, circa 1860. (Credit: Fotosearch/Getty Images)
Slavery, Wealth and the Confederacy
By the start of the 19th century, slavery and cotton had become essential to the continued growth of America’s economy. However, by 1820, political and economic pressure on the South placed a wedge between the North and South. The Abolitionist movement, which called for an elimination of the institution of slavery, gained influence in Congress. Tariff taxes were passed to help Northern businesses fend off foreign competition but hurt Southern consumers. By the 1850s, many Southerners believed a peaceful secession from the Union was the only path forward.
When considering leaving the Union, Southerners knew the North had an overwhelming advantage over the South in population, industrial output and wealth. Yet, the booming cotton economy most Southerners were optimistic about their future. As one state after another left the Union in 1860 and 1861, many Southerners believed they were doing the right thing to preserve their independence and their slave property.
To raise funds, Confederate leaders sold bonds for gold coin, which was in circulation at the time. The Confederate currency was inherently weak and became weaker with each printing. In time, the paper money lost 90 percent of its buying power. What gold and silver existed, was taken out of circulation and hoarded by the government and private citizens.
What Happened to the Gold?
By war’s end, the Confederacy had little usable capital to continue the fight. In the conflict’s waning days, it is believed that Confederate officials stashed away millions of dollars’ worth of gold, most in Richmond, Virginia. As the Union Army entered the Confederate capital in 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and millions of dollars of gold escaped to Georgia. What happened after that is disputed, the subject of many myths and legends.
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The neural code that could help treat blindness
Neuroscientist Sheila Nirenberg is currently working on a prosthetic device that could potentially help restore vision and help patients with retinal degenerative diseases . She was awarded a MacArthur Foundation grant for her work in optogenetics. Eitan Armon is a Columbia University sophomore who was recently diagnosed with Rod-Cone dystrophy, a condition that causes vision loss that can worsen over time. He got in touch with Dr. Nirenberg after learning about her work. |
On Motza’ei Shabbos, September 14, Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss spoke at Congregation Nachlas Yitzchok on the topic of not giving up. He began by lauding the organization Chickens for Shabbos. “It’s basics. It’s chayim.”
Rabbi Weiss shared that “the Kotzker Rebbe says that t‘shuvah is an activity of introspection and cheshbon ha’nefesh. This can have fall-out. We can get really down on ourselves.” You can begin to feel like giving up. “Yi’ush is when you’re not using your head.” He noted that this is exactly what the Satan wants. He wants us to be paralyzed with fear. Sarah and Avraham had given up on having a child, yet Yitzchak was born to teach us that Jews never give up. It’s not in our vocabulary.
He quoted a great rav who taught that we recite t’hilah 27 right after shofar blowing because the shofar awakens us that the Yom HaDin is coming, but t’hilah 27 speaks of Hashem as our y’shuah. The theme of this t’hilah is to never give up. He noted that the word “Elul” is an acronym in Hebrew for the words, “it’s possible for us to stand before Hashem.” He also taught that gevalt and gevaldig differ by two letters, yud and gimel, which add up to 13. Thirteen is Hashem. If you have Hashem with you, you can make gevalt into gevaldig.
Rabbi Weiss stressed, “I can’t begin to tell you how deadly giving up is. It is dangerous.” He shared the powerful analogy of a spider that weaves a web and catches a fly. It waits until the fly stops moving and gives up, before the spider attacks it. In the same way the Satan will weave a web and wait until we give up before it attacks. “Only when we give up, that’s when we are in danger.”
He shared examples in our history that show a person should never give up.
Yocheved had no children while others in Egypt gave birth to six at a time. They had huge families. She didn’t give up but decided to become a midwife, and that brought her the z’chus to have Miriam when she was 124 and Aharon when she was 127. She had Moshe at the age of 130. “You don’t give up because you don’t know when the main part of your life is just around the corner.”
Boaz’s name means “in him is strength.” He buried 30 sons and 30 sons-in-law. Then he buried his wife. Yet, he never gave up. The last day of his life he sired the ancestor of David HaMelech who would bring Mashiach. This is because he never gave up.
Rabbi Akiva didn’t start learning Torah until age 40. He left his wife Rachel for 24 years to raise 24,000 talmidim. Then every talmid died. His talmidim were his life’s work. Many great rabbis said that their talmidim were their s’farim. Rabbi Akiva didn’t give up in the face of all of this. He traveled south and raised another five talmidim. One was Rabbi Meir and he rebuilt Torah. If Rabbi Akiva had given up, we wouldn’t have Torah.
He shared the story of Chizkiyahu who saw in prophecy that he would have an evil son, so he decided not to marry. When he was on his deathbed, the navi told him he would die because he hadn’t married. Chizkiyahu didn’t give up. He davened and he did t’shuvah, and Hashem blessed him with 15 more years.
Rabbi Weiss emphasized, “There is nothing that we can do worse than giving up. Jews do not give up!” He continued, “Nobody has the right to give up hope.”
He shared a powerful idea from the Spinker Rebbe. The Rebbe asked the question, “Why do we have the daily mitzvah to remember our coming out of Egypt?” We cannot go 12 hours without thinking about Egypt. We have so many other miracles that happened to the Jewish people, why is this one so emphasized? We all know we left Egypt exactly at midnight. If we had gone any later, we would have reached the 50th level of tum’ah. This would have been the point of no return. Here we were on the brink of the point of no return and yet, 49 days later, we were at Har Sinai receiving the Torah. “See how fast a Jew can turn himself around?” That lesson of hope is so important that you have to think of it every 12 hours.
Rabbi Weiss went on to explain that if you want to do things differently in the new year, then you can’t go on behaving the same way and expect different results. You have to change what you do or how you do it. He gave the example of davening without any kavanah. If you want to improve, then do something different, like marking headings in your siddur at certain points that are meaningful to you and jotting down what you want to ask Hashem.
He then asked, “Why do we sing Ashamnu?” We’re listing our sins so you would think we would say these in a somber voice. He taught that it is because we are reciting the vidui and doing t’shuvah with love because our sins will be turned into mitzvos. The way to do t’shuvah with love is to realize that Hashem does so much for us.
Rabbi Weiss continued, “You have to have a will to be better. This is the time of year to have this, and with Hashem’s help you can.”
He shared a teaching of Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro that when we come to shul, we have to daven for each other with passion. If you need a shaddock, daven for others who need one.
He ended with a lively question-and-answer session.
By Susie Garber |
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Blues on the rise: Incidences of depression continue to grow
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Major cases of depression are on the rise. Arm yourself with the facts. PHOTO COURTESY METROCREATIVE
Published July 31. 2018 12:23PM
Prakash Masand, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of the Centers of Psychiatric Excellence, offers these 10 facts you might not know about depression.
1. It’s more than just feeling sad.
2. Depression impacts more people than you think.
One out of six people will develop clinical depression in their lifetime.
3. Depression kills.About 35,000 people commit suicide each year due to their depression. Depressed individuals are five times more likely to commit suicide.
4. Depression is costly.
5. It can take time to get the right treatment.
The initial antidepressant leads to remission in only one out of three patients with depression. When treating depression with antidepressants a 10- to 12-week trial is necessary to achieve remission. The dose and the combination of medicine that gets you and keeps you better should be continued for maintenance therapy for at least one year.
6. Cutting-edge new treatment.
7. Depression affects children as well.
8. You can lead a very successful life despite depression.
9. Substance abuse.
10. There is no shame in having depression.
Many people are afraid to seek treatment for fear of what others might think. Conditions of the brain are no different from conditions of the heart or any other organ in the body. There’s no need to suffer.
For more information, visit https://www.
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Why Doing a Job is Important For Homeschooling Teens
By Amelie
In recent times like today, the idea of carrying out a job during high school is gaining popularity. Federal child labor laws state that the minimum age to work is 14 (with some exceptions). The idea of having a job at a young age is being promoted at both the personal and school level.
By personal level, it means that more and more students are becoming concerned about financial issues and just don’t want to put the burden on their families and therefore are seeking a job. On a school level, institutions and parents are encouraging students to step into the professional world as soon as possible, not only for earning money but for gaining experience.
As we all know, the expenses can get too much as we reach the end of student life, and students who had full pockets in the beginning are now asking to lend money from their friends. So there are many benefits of getting into a job early on as a student.
Encourages homeschooling teens to be more responsible
The students getting jobs learn to be more considerate towards their responsibilities in life. They understand the financial condition of their family, and support them and their studies by doing part time jobs. This increased sense of responsibility will help them in the future when finally they have to deal with a professional life.
Increases their self-confidence
According to many surveys, the students who are in jobs during their academic years are found to be more confident. They have great self-confidence and can easily look after their personal and professional decisions. This self-confidence will continue to grow as they grow more professionally.
Learns to manage time
Knowing the importance of time and managing it is very important and should be taught to the children from a very young age. The students who are working as a part time employee learn how to manage their time. They properly schedule their working and studying hours, not forgetting to give some time to their family and friends.
Easily gets jobs in the future
With part time jobs, homeschooling teens get over the anxiety of having an interview in coming years. As mentioned above they become more confident in their manners and personalities.
One benefit the student who is working part time gets is that he/she will more easily get a job in the future either in the same company or a similar one.
Strengthens the experience
Doing a job adds more experience on your resume that will be very beneficial for you in approaching different jobs in the future. By having experience you will get a chance to inspire your reviewer and be hired.
Makes you competitive
The people who get to work in their student life become stronger and more competitive than the other students. No matter what kind of job you get, either on-site or just freelance work, it will leave a strong impact on your personality and you become more responsible in life.
About the Author: Amelie John is a skilled writer and team coordinator of a popular web content writing firm. Nowadays, she is engaged in supporting students who want to buy essay to earn and learn together.
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The Cold War is long over. But there is still some clean-up to do, including cleaning up nuclear missiles.
The U.S. plans to reduce the total number of land-based nuclear missiles by 2018. This will satisfy terms of an arms treaty the U.S. signed with Russia in 2011.
The northern U.S. state of North Dakota has been a traditional home to many of those land-based missiles. It is a part of the state's Cold War history that officials, residents, and visitors, enjoy.
North Dakota. An Out-of-the-way State.
Far from densely populated cities on the most northern edge of the United States, was one of the most secretive and dangerous places on the planet for many years. The state is called North Dakota.
North Dakota's distance from urban centers made it the perfect choice for a nuclear land-based missile site during the Cold War. The lives of millions depended on what happened with the deadly weapons stored there.
The Cold War was the name often used for the severe tensions between the United States and the former Soviet Union. And during that Cold War period, the name for this missile site was November-33. It was home to a long-distance missile with a nuclear warhead.
Alvin Jaeger is secretary of state in North Dakota.
"I think there was kind of a standing joke that North Dakota was actually the third largest power in the world in terms of the nuclear capacity that we had here."
Mr. Jaeger grew up there in the 1950s. And he remembers the Cold War fears of a nuclear attack that would destroy everything.
Mr. Jaeger says there was reason to worry. More than 1,000 such missiles were deployed around the state. The people in North Dakota knew the missiles made them a good target.
"We all realized that we would have been a big target, but we just kept on."
The Cold War is over. The nuclear threat is gone. But the keys are still by the starter control of the Oscar Zero Launch facility outside Cooperstown, North Dakota.
The U.S. Air Force retired Oscar Zero in 1998. This was part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty 2 - or what is known as START 2. Now the Oscar Zero launch center is called the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site. It is a place where you can bring your family on vacation.
Gwen Hinman is supervisor at the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site. Ms. Hinman shows tourists around in the area below the surface. She takes them into the heart of the front line of the Cold War.
"The threat was high enough that they had their keys in the consoles."
Ms. Hinman shows visitors where a small crew would wait behind thick steel blast doors and reinforced concrete. They would wait for the decision to launch their nuclear missiles.
About 150 active missile centers remain in North Dakota, although Jaeger says few people know about them.
"Within 100 miles there is an active operating nuclear field that exists, and, again, people just go about their daily lives."
The areas that are active facilities are closed to the public. But Gwen Hinman says they are not too different from Oscar Zero. She explains that they are off-line, meaning not connected to any computers.
This is a really good thing. It prevents hackers from launching a nuclear attack.
"It's all offline so it prevents hackers from hacking the system and potentially sending a missile."
Four-hundred-and-50 land-based nuclear missiles currently are spread across the United States. Earlier this year, the Pentagon approved a plan to remove 50 of those missiles from storage. This will bring the total down to 400. And that will be the lowest number since the height of the Cold War in the 1960s.
I'm Anna Matteo.
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Amuse-bouche: Sugar part 3
A bitter pill to swallow
By Scott Mechura EBS Food Columnist
Research has shown that salt, fat and sugar all have a downside when it comes to our health, but one of them far exceeds the other two—sugar.
While we know there are healthy fats, and salt is a requirement for our bodies, sugar may be as dangerous and addictive as any substance humans have encountered.
But why has sugar gotten a pass for so long?
The insulin shot heard round the world was the “study” conducted by the sugar industry in 1967 in which they paid scientists at Harvard University to conclude that fat and cholesterol were largely to blame for heart disease, and all but exonerate sugar.
Simultaneously, in a desperate effort to find a use for the excess of corn we were sitting on, the U.S. Department of Agriculture came up with the new nectar of the gods: high fructose corn syrup.
We didn’t associate an ingredient that all humans have access to and costs less than a cup of coffee with setting the stage for a potentially life-threatening addiction until only a few years later.
Computed tomography scans of the human brain after consuming dessert or a full-size candy bar look identical to those of someone high on cocaine.
Sugar alters metabolism, damages the liver, contributes to heart disease, cancer and diabetes, alters mood, and has addictive properties. It affects behavior by releasing dopamine which triggers the brain’s pleasure receptors, can lead to an overdose effect in some people, and a gradual tolerance build-up in others. Robert Lustig, of University of California, San Francisco, does not candy-coat it. He says sugar is a poison, plain and simple. It is a chronic, not acute, dose-dependent toxin.
Today, the typical U.S. grocery store has, on average, 600,000 food items. Of those items, 82 percent contain added sugar cleverly disguised in no less than 44 names.
To add to the confusion, I once saw a bag of Publix brand sugar with packaging that read “sugar free.” That surely begged the question, “then what exactly is in that bag?”
Additionally, the website Live Science estimates there are 250,000 illicit drug-related deaths worldwide each year. Congruently, the website Healthline estimates 180,000 sugar-related deaths each year. Those figures are fairly close.
Have we simply lulled ourselves into a syrupy, lethargic hypnosis? Or are we hopelessly punching a giant, heavy bag of refinery sugar that will always get the best of us? Perhaps big tobacco should have taken a few cues from big sugar.
But, and this is a big but, our brains require sugar. It is the brain’s main fuel source and we cannot do without it. So what are we to do? How do we fight against such a pervasive substance masked in many varieties and behind new, unrecognizable names every year? Do we put sugar into the ever-expanding category of “everything in moderation?” Maybe.
But the idea that weight loss is as simple as calories in versus calories out is no longer viable. Lethargy and laziness are not the cause of obesity, they are the result. Most processed foods contain far too much sugar to give the average child or adult a fighting chance. That’s a bitter pill to swallow.
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A Beginners Guide to Prayer in Islam
Prayer: The Apple of My Eye
By Fatma Bayram
A man prostrating
Prayer is a fundamental pillar in the daily life of Muslims.
Who establish worship and spend of that We have bestowed on them. (Al-Anfal 8:3)
Concerning the guilty: What has brought you to this burning? ) They will answer: We were not of those who prayed. (Al-Muddaththir 74:41-43)
The Qur’an defines the first attribute of sincere believers as those who
“establish worship properly” (Al-A`raf 7:170)
. Verses such as
“Tell My bondmen who believe to establish worship…”(Ibrahim 14:31)
are indicative of the precedence of Prayer in the faith of a believer.
Prayer had been ordained during the first days of prophecy, albeit not in its final form. The fact that Muslims, beginning with Prophet Muhammad, performed Prayer from the first day Islam shows that Islam is not a religion that deals with the essentials of belief alone.
Prayer is important; it is a fundamental act of worship because it represents the turning into action of belief in the Oneness of Allah and confession of servitude towards Him. Scientists who study human behavior note that a feeling and awareness that is not exhibited through behavior will weaken with time and then eventually fade. Thus we need to place Prayer in the center of our lives in order to demonstrate our loyalty to Allah and maintain consistency in our Prayer.
The proper placement of Prayer is only possible through the maintenance and uninterrupted regular performance of it. The Qur’an refers to believers as
“Those who are constant in their Prayer.” (Al-Ma`arij 70:23)
It is fundamental that we maintain an uninterrupted consistent performance of Prayer so that we may experience the benefits which our Creator desires for us and they adorn the lives of servants until they die.
“Men whom neither merchandise nor sale distracts from remembrance of Allah and performance of Prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned.” (An-Nur 24:37)
Due to its performance, Prayer has been called the “column of Islam,” by the Messenger of Allah. Our Beloved Prophet has stated that Prayer is a form of worship that separates belief from associating partners with Allah and denial of Allah’s existence. He even drew attention to the fact that abandoning Prayer leads to distancing one’s self from belief and even likens one to the Pharaoh.
Prayer is very beloved to us as it gives us the opportunity to consciously remove ourselves from the daily occupations of life and give ourselves a break. In one particular hadith, it is stated that,
“If there were a river passing by the front of your house and you were to wash in this river five times a day, would there be any remnants of dirt and filth on you? This is precisely how Prayer is, it washes away sins.”(Muslim)
Prayer cleanses the human soul, making one’s heart pure, impeccable and clean. A person who prays five times a day will have washed their soul many times and purified their heart of any kind of evil.
At this point we may recall people who, despite their five daily Prayers, do not have pleasing manners or personalities. If Prayer elevates the manners of man so much, then we think, how is it that these individuals are not affected for the better?
I think this seeming contradiction bothers us because we don’t pose the question accurately. The proper question should be, “What would these people have done if they didn’t pray?” Because we know that maintaining worship, in the end, plays a role in the spiritual development of a person. Because most of the time we may not able to monitor each others’ spiritual development in terms of where it began, how far it has progressed and what sort of potential it possesses. But we are sure that every Prayer we perform increases our care and awareness towards the Almighty.
Cleanliness is a mandatory requirement of Prayers, which is the greatest form of worship of all. In Islam, cleanliness comes in two forms: the first is physical cleanliness and the other is spiritual cleanliness. Because physical cleanliness is mandatory our body and the area in which we’ll be performing worship must be cleansed of things that are considered impure, and all acts of worship that are performed without this cleansing are not acceptable.
In addition to the physical and true cleanliness in Islam, there is also a symbolic cleansing. Performing ablution before Prayer and the complete cleansing of the body (ghusl) following the state of being junub (unclean) are part of this symbolic cleansing.
A person without ablution may be physically clean, however, they are not considered physically clean. And for this reason they cannot face Allah in this state; they cannot pray. In order to be accepted in the divine presence, they must perform a symbolic cleansing. This is why ablution is not just a simple washing of the face and hands. It contains both a physical and spiritual cleansing. The requirement of those who are not able to find water to cleanse through tayammum (dry ablution) (An-Nisa’ 4:53) is proof that the purpose of this cleansing is not just physical, but also spiritual
Prayer is a fundamental pillar in the daily life of a believer. A day is programmed around Prayer. During five different times throughout the day, our day is spent in a state of awareness towards Allah as we declare his Almightiness in the Prayer saying,
“You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help.” (Al-Fatihah 1:4)
Man, who faces Allah the Almighty through the words “Allahu Akbar,” leaving all of his worldly concerns and material matters behind, is never as close to Allah as he is during Prayer. For this reason, the Prayer is a believer’s ascension to heavens. It is meaningful that the tahiyyat that is read at the end of Prayer is a memoir of Prophet Muhammad saluting his Creator and the inclusion of excited angels in this salutation.
Prayer is the intensified and systematized version of supplication.
Prayer is a form of worship which contains and gathers all other forms of worship such as declaring the Oneness of Allah, remembering and honoring Him, expressing gratitude to Him, praising Him, asking for help from Him, asking for forgiveness and repenting from sins, supplication, invoking Him, showing humility, reverence and remembrance of Him and contemplation of His creation.
Movements within Prayers, such as standing, bowing, and prostration, encompass the forms of worship employed by all of creation in addition to containing and symbolically convening all of the forms of worship that exist within Islam.
All creations, from the minutest to the largest, all remember Allah in a way that is conducive to their form of creation. When we think of this as a choir that sees participation from the smallest particle of matter to the largest galaxy and all of creation, we may feel as though we are taking part in this universal activity when we allow for our worldly actions to be set aside and face Allah in Prayer. It is at every instance when we catch this feeling that Prayer will cease to be a mandatory responsibility for us and become a source of joy.
The universality of Prayer can also be felt through the scheduling of Prayer times according to the worlds rotation around the sun, which in turn causes for every moment to become a time for the commencement of Prayer and there always being people prostrating to Allah at every second. And again, the fact that there is no need for a special venue or religious leader and that Prayer can be performed in every clean area on an individual basis also speaks to its universality.
Prayer is not just a form of worship that effects the internal phases of an individual. Contrarily, it is the most important determinant that shapes all of his relations, beginning with his immediate environment and his outlook on life.
Prayer takes on the role of a measure in determining the direction and form in relations with humans.
“Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who establish Prayer and give zakah, and they bow (in worship).”(Al-Ma’idah 5:55)
In its essence, Prayer comprises sincere tranquility in the presence of Allah (a complete respect and reverence), the remembrance of Allah on the tongue and utmost respect of the body towards Allah. Prayer that is performed without peace in the heart and honoring in the body, although appearing to be Prayer in shape and form, is not truly and completely Prayer.
The Qur’an refers to Prayer as “dhikr,” in other words, remembrance. The more a person remembers Allah during their Prayer, the more authentic their Prayer is. If a person is able to gain hold of the fact that they are in the presence of Allah even for one second in their prayer, then that is a great accomplishment for that person. It is most appropriate for this second to take place at the initial takbeer (saying Allahu Akbar) leading into Prayer. This moment can serve to ferment the whole of Prayer, spreading throughout it, transforming the remainder of Prayer to its own attributes. The reference to the spot of worship as the “mihrab” alludes to the fact that Prayer is a battle against the one’s self and the Satan. In this case, “giving the mihrab its due right,” means making the self triumphant.
Despite the fact that Prayer has been made mandatory during certain times (An-Nisa’ 4:103), the Qur’an has not clearly stated the number and rak`ahs (units) of Prayers explicitly, only touching on the times for Prayer briefly. As is the case with many other religious applications, the details of these have been left the instructions of the Messenger of Allah, which are based on the divine education he received.
The religion of Islam places a great deal of significance on the unity and convening of a religious community. To facilitate this, praying with a congregation and the places in which congregations convene, mosques, have special importance.
Muslims are encouraged to perform their five daily Prayers in congregation at mosques, while the Friday Prayer performed once a week at a mosque has been made mandatory, the two annual `Eid Prayers have been made supererogatory and similarly the annual convening of Muslims in Mecca has been made mandatory.
The facing of the direction of Mecca, regardless of where you are on the planet, is an attestation to the universal unity of Islam. The selection of an imam to lead the Prayer, the following of the imam by the congregation, the precision of straight lines formed by the congregation, the performance of all physical activities and recitation within the Prayer in synchrony and unity carries both spiritual and physical significance. The rows of the Muslim, whether rich or poor; worker or administrator; young or old, that is based on whomsoever arrives first, side by side in order of arrival, mentally prepares Muslims right before Prayer for espousing the notion that they are equals in the sight of Allah.
Taken with kind permission from: www.lastprophet.info.
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Turkey Jr.
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Junior was found in the winter of 2004 when he was less than a year old. He was on the ground and had been unable to make his migration south due to lead poisoning from eating a wounded animal that was shot with lead shot. Because he was subject to Illinois' cold temperatures, he also suffered severe frostbite on many of his toes. Most of Junior's toes had to be partially amputated. Because of the likelihood of future foot problems, Junior was deemed non-releasable.
All of Flint Creek Wildlife's educational animals are non-releasable due to the nature of their injuries. In other words, animals that cannot survive in their natural habitat because of their injuries have been given a second chance at Flint Creek Wildlife - educating the public while living out their natural lives. |
16AGRITECHCAT5: Strategies to reduce waste due to greening in potato tubers
Lead Research Organisation: University of Southampton
Department Name: School of Biological Sciences
In the UK, tuber greening is directly linked to 116,000 tonnes of household potato waste each year with an additional estimated loss of £60m to UK retailers. In field losses due to tuber greening also cost the industry £37 million per annum. Greening is a negative factor in consumer purchases where a 1% increase in sales is worth £3 million per annum to producers. To address this problem this project brings together two academic partners, University of Southampton and James Hutton Institute, who will work together with five industrial partners that span the food chain from production (Branston Ltd), through packaging (Amcor), to major retailers (Tesco and Waitrose). To enable this to happen efficiently the project will be managed by James Hutton Ltd. The project is an early stage proposal designed to elucidate the underpinning scientific knowledge required to develop both short and longer term solutions to this problem.
Based on our understanding of the regulation of chlorophyll synthesis (responsible for greening) in model species, we will uncover the light signalling pathways regulating chlorophyll synthesis in potato tubers and identify the genes that are targets for these signals. The availability of the full potato genome sequence has made it possible to identify the candidate genes involved and expression of these genes will be tested in photobiological experiments using light sources that span the visible spectrum. The reason greening is such a problem is that light also induces the synthesis of glycoalkaloids that are deleterious to human health. We will therefore also characterise the regulation of this pathway. The information from these experiments will directly feed into the development of new, improved packaging materials that target the exclusion of the most effective light wavelengths. It will also provide information that can inform improved storage and in-store lighting regimes. New packaging materials will be tested empirically under laboratoronditions.
In parallel, we will utilise a recently characterised potato mapping population to identify potato lines that show reduced greening. A detailed genetic map for this population and other genomic resources (such as whole-exome capture arrays in which all the expressed genes can be more rapidly analysed) will be deployed within the project. This unprejudiced approach will provide genetic markers for genes associated with reduced greening enabling a longer term strategy to produce new non-greening potato varieties. The markers identified will find application at different screening stages in breeding programmes carried out by consortium members.
Technical Summary
In the UK, tuber greening is directly linked to 116,000 tonnes of household potato waste each year with an associated estimated loss of £60m p.a. to UK retailers. In field losses due to tuber greening also cost the industry £37m p.a. Greening is a significantly negative factor in consumer purchases where a 1% increase in sales is worth £3m p.a. to producers. This project brings together partners that span the food chain from production, through packaging, to major supermarkets who will work with academic researchers to develop solutions to reduce tuber greening. Photobiological experiments will identify the conditions and target genes for light-induced tuber greening informing the design of prototype packaging film to reduce greening during storage and in store. Recently developed potato genetic approaches will be used to identify markers for genes associated with reduced greening providing the foundation of a longer term strategy to produce new non-greening potato varieties.
Planned Impact
Who might benefit from this research?
This programme has been developed in consultation with a range of UK industrial beneficiaries. Enhanced knowledge and tools relating to potato tuber greening will benefit all sectors of the industry reflecting the involvement of growers and packers, packaging companies and two major retailers. Collectively these beneficiaries have committed significant cash and in-kind funding to the project.
Ultimately the outcomes of this project will impact on sustainable food production and waste reduction. In the UK food self- sufficiency will result in reduced imports and costs to the consumer. In the wider context of a globalised world economy, improved human nutrition anywhere in the world will improve overall global security and thereby have a benefit in the UK.
How might they benefit from this research?
Potato waste is currently estimated to be 40% of the 770,000 tonnes of total household food waste generated by fresh vegetables and salad products in the UK (Fruit and Vegetable Resource Maps, WRAP, June 2011) with 40% of consumers throwing away uncooked potatoes due to greening. Greening also accounts for in-store losses prior to consumer purchase. Tesco estimate that 3% of potatoes go to waste, primarily because of increased greening, at a cost to Tesco of about £12m per year. By extrapolation, this represents a loss of £55-60 million annually across all UK retailers. Reducing the amount of greening will bring people back to purchasing potatoes and increasing sales by just 1% would equate to a £3 million increase in revenue to producers. Moreover, this is not just an issue in the UK as The European Potato Trade Association (http://www.europatat.eu) recently highlighted potato waste as a major issue within the EU industry. Greening also takes place prior to harvest in the field. In field tuber greening costs potato growers £37 million per annum and although the complex trait is due to depth of tuber formation, stolon length and nomic factors, sensitivity of tubers to light is the most important component. Many of the most popular potato varieties often experience grading losses of up to 15%, due solely to in-field greening. These potatoes are unsuitable for human consumption in any format due to the elevated risk of glycoalkaloids. In 2014 EU Countries imported a total of 6.38Mt of fresh potatoes (excluding seed and starch) with 95% of these from within the EU, but only 2% of these were from the UK. Thus there is a considerable EU export market for UK producers that would be supported by varieties with reduced potential to green.
In this project, the new consortium will employ cutting-edge technologies to develop in depth understanding of the tuber greening process. This will be used to develop both short and long-term approaches to controlling tuber greening. In the short term, understanding of the wavelengths of light that stimulate tuber greening will enable the development of packaging that specifically filters out these wavelengths. We also will use this knowledge to develop new tools for potato breeding using recent advances in potato genomics. Longer term, the route through which almost all genetic advances in crop production must pass to release their benefits to the wider community is the plant breeding sector. The commercial arm of the James Hutton Institute, James Hutton Limited, runs potato breeding programmes for all the major UK potato producers and so we are well placed to translate the outcomes of this research to the potato industry. Improved packaging and markers can both be easily incorporated into the potato production chain. Within the consortium are groups that have the potential to deliver these innovations and a clear route as to how they could be deployed within the potato supply chain.
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Description The aim of this project is to develop approaches to solving the problem of excess waste in the potato industry due to greening - a problem estimated to be close to £100 million in the UK alone for in-field and household waste. To address this problem we have brought together partners that span the food chain from production, through packaging, to major supermarkets who will work with academic researchers to develop solutions to reduce tuber greening. We've been testing the light conditions that lead to tuber greening and have been identifying the ways to slow down and prevent this process. Since the start of grant in October 2016, we've established the protocol for assessing the degree of tuber greening. We're making good progress and are meeting all of the milestones and deliverables set out in our grant application.
Exploitation Route Greening of root vegetables such as carrots and horseradish is also disliked by consumers. The knowledge we obtain in this project could be applicable to other products that are currently wasted in our food industry, in addition to the benefits we are working towards in potato.
Sectors Agriculture, Food and Drink,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Retail
Description Potato greening project
Organisation James Hutton Institute
Country United Kingdom
Sector Public
PI Contribution This is a collaboration between a potato producer, UK major supermarkets, an international packaging company, The James Hutton Institute, and the University of Southampton to investigate the greening process of potato tuber in view to reduce food waste in retail. We have provided a list of genes that are induced by light and are involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis.
Collaborator Contribution They are providing the genetic materials for this collaboration. They have provided techniques and expertise in transformation of crop species and the omics materials required for the project.
Impact We have jointly submitted a grant to the 5th round of the Agri-Tech Catalyst to Innovate UK and this was successful.
Start Year 2014
Description Presentation to Friends of Ventnor Botanic Garden
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Presentation to a lay audience on how plants respond to light during their early growth. Presentation was able to provide insight on observations the audience had made through their interest in the botanic garden and subsequent feedback was very positive on how so much of what they had seen now "made sense". The presentation included an explanation for how we are applying our work to solve important problems related to food security such as reducing potato waste during greening and modifying the architecture of wheat plants, both projects supported by BBSRC.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017 |
Why do different cultures see the constellations similarly?
Almost every person throughout the existence of humankind has looked up at the night sky and seen more than just a random scattering of light. Constellations of stars have helped us shape our own ongoing narratives and cultures – creating meaning in the sky above that guides us in our life on the ground below.
Of course, we don’t all see exactly the same night sky – there are subtle differences depending on where we are on the planet, what season it is, and the time of night, all of which are imbued into the meaning we construct about the stars.
But around the world and throughout history, we find remarkably similar constellations defined by disparate cultures, as well as strikingly similar narratives describing the relationships between them.
For example, the constellation Orion is described by the Ancient Greeks as a man pursuing the seven sisters of the Pleiades star cluster.
This same constellation is Baiame in Wiradjuri traditions: a man pursuing the Mulayndynang (Pleiades star cluster).
In the traditions of the Great Victoria Desert, Orion is Nyeeruna, a man chasing the seven Yugarilya sisters.
Cultures thoughout the world have perceived Orion (top right) as a man pursuing a group of women – even though in the southern hemisphere he appears the other way up. Erkki Makkonen/Shutterstock
These and other common patterns, as well as the remarkably complex narratives describing them, link the cultures of early Aboriginal Australians and the ancient Greeks, despite them being separated by thousands of years and miles.
Similarly, many cultures in the southern hemisphere identify constellations that are actually made of the dark spaces between the stars, highlighting absence rather than presence. These feature predominantly in the dark dust lanes of the Milky Way.
Across cultures, these again show remarkable consistency. The celestial emu, which is found in Aboriginal traditions across Australia, shares nearly identical views and traditions with the Tupi people of Brazil and Bolivia, who see it as a celestial rhea, another large flightless bird.
Significant differences too
There are also significant differences seen between cultures, although the fundamental roots remain.
The Big Dipper is identified across many northern hemisphere traditions, but for the Alaskan Gwich’in this is merely the tail of the whole-sky constellation Yahdii (The Tailed Man), who “walks” from east to west overnight.
Although we share a fascination with the stars, we have little documented knowledge of how particular constellations were identified by certain cultures. Why and how do we see the same patterns?
Our upcoming research explores the genesis of these different names and different groupings, and the idea that many came about mainly as a result of cultural variations in the perception of natural scenes. Thus an individual’s view of a phenomenon can become the generalised view of a group or culture.
These differences may have endured due to the necessity of communicating these groupings across generations through complex oral traditions.
These oral traditions are often mistakenly compared to the children’s game of Telephone, in which a message is whispered down a line of people, resulting in errors as the information is passed on. In reality, they are far more organised and rigorous, enabling information to be passed on for thousands of years without degradation.
British psychologist Sir Frederic Bartlett realised in the early 20th century that these errors typically reflect a person’s beliefs about missing or uncertain information filtering into the original message. The information passed from one person to another accumulates and ultimately informs an individual’s beliefs about the nature of the world.
In oral cultures – like those of Indigenous Australia – the focus of transmission is on ease of communication and recall.
The outstanding difference is that Aboriginal oral traditions constructed narratives and memory spaces in such a way as to keep the critical information intact through hundreds of generations.
Search for meaning
How this came about and how a thread of meaning endures across individuals, space and time are fascinating questions.
In collaboration with Museums Victoria, our team is exploring how cultural differences in our traditions and stories can come about as a result of very small variations in the nature of perception and understanding in different people, and how this is influenced by both personal belief and geographical location.
Investigating how meaning in the stars is developed and passed on emphasises the fundamental aspects of humanity that we share across cultural bounds, despite differing beliefs, geographical isolation, and location.
Read more: The stories behind Aboriginal star names now recognised by the world’s astronomical body
As part of National Science Week, more than 200 people submitted their own constellation and story in response to a star field projected onto the ceiling of Victoria’s Parliament House; the preliminary data-collection phase in this study.
What do you see? Head to and share your interpretation. Star StoriesAuthor provided
Humanity’s ongoing fascination with the stars has only recently been fuelled by our ability to dream about leaving the planet and visiting them. More fundamentally, they are a reflection and a framework for our life on this planet.
The meaning we find in the night sky seems, ironically, to ground us in the changing world in which we find ourselves. This is as important now as it was 65,000 years ago when people migrated to Australia using the stars.
This article was co-published with Pursuit.
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Meet The Mauritius Saddle-Backed Giant Tortoise
The most famous endemic, but now extinct, animal to have walked the island of Mauritius is surely the Dodo. However little is known about the country’s other unfortunately extinct species. One such animal is the Mauritius saddle-backed giant tortoise which was one of the two tortoises endemic to the island.
dodo statue at ile aux aigrettes
The Dodo bird as we have been accustomed to picture it
What made it special?
The Mauritius saddle-backed tortoise had quite a long neck making it more likely to stroll around, feeding on bushes or small lingering trees rather than grazing on grass. But what made it special? Or rather shall we say unique?
It is its shell. A shell which is believed to have evolved due to its environment. The Tortoise lived without threats of predators until humans arrived and started quickly exploiting them for food and oil till extinction. The lack of predators over time is believed to have given them thinner keratin shells and softer skin compared to the commonly known tortoises of today. And from what we’ve seen, it appeared smooth and just plainly unique. No odd shapes. No bumps. Just a beautifully carved shell.
Wait! What? How did we see one if it is extinct? Well we kind of saw one on a trip to ‘Île Aux Aigrettes’, a nearby little island off the South-eastern coast of Mauritius.
Extinct but we found it again.
The last known probable encounter with one could have been in 1844. But now we are happy to say that there is one remaining on ‘Île aux Aigrettes’ and this bad boy is quite selfie addict, exuberating a wonderful smile. It is a shame however that it is entirely made out of Bronze instead of its previous flesh and keratin shell glory.
Mauritius Saddle-backed Giant Tortoise, Ile aux aigrettes
The Mauritius Saddle-backed Giant Tortoise ready for a selfie
Visit ‘Île aux Aigrettes’
Book a visit to ‘Île aux Aigrettes’ if like us you want to take a selfie with the jolly faced tortoise or discover the lush greenery or fantastic fauna of the island by clicking on the link to their website below.
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My blog post is about using web quest in my curriculum in the Property & Casualty Insurance Program. The first link contains a web quest example that I found could be implemented when I am teaching the Manitoba Automobile Insurance course. I have used a similar type of assignment but not using a web quest, which I would never have thought to utilize with my students until taking this course. I would provide the students with the web resources and have them complete a automobile quote using the Rate Calculator that Manitoba Public Insurance has on their website.
link 1
“A Web Quest,” according to Bernie Dodge, the originator of the Web Quest concept, “is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. Web Quests are designed to use learners’ time well, to focus on using information rather than on looking for it, and to support learners’ thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.”
What a great concept to incorporate into a classroom with the use of technology and the Web.
link 2
The 3rd link has a website that I thought would assist me to develop my own templates, while also searching for existing ones in my field. This website has some informative links that will provide me with the starting point of understanding and using a web quest in my classroom.
link 3
The process; once completed will be beneficial and important for the students to experience an inquiry based activity while learning new or existing concepts. A rubric would be developed to properly assess the students in this type of student centered learning. I certainly will embrace and use the Web Quest activity in my classroom.
Flipping the Classroom
Click on this link to read the article. Here is another link; part 2 of the article.
Did you know that flipping the classroom is not a new concept?
I always thought that the traditional lecture was the real one way of instructing a classroom. But now we see that flipping the classroom can be an effective way to develop understanding for the students in a student-centered way.
The opportunity of utilizing this theory in my classroom is endless. The material that I teach is detailed so I provide students with chunking of the information and workshops, assignments or group activities after each section.
So instead of me lecturing the material and then doing the activity, why not do a video of what I am expecting the students to learn on their own? So the instructor and students can interact within the newly gained instructional time. Since my class size is between 15-20; flipping the classroom can work out to be highly effective and rewarding to the students. The idea to have a quiz at the end of the video lecture will ensure that the students have watched the video and understand the concepts provided. I tell my students that for the next class they have to read a chapter to prepare for the lecture, but how many students have actually read the chapter before class? With the video it allows them to view it over and over if they have missed any important points expressed in the material. In a traditional lecture; can they rewind the instructor? No !! The students are afraid to ask questions or for you to repeat what was said; which makes the student now go on to further material; not knowing what was discussed previously.
Since we are dealing with adult learners who have other responsibilities outside of the classroom, will flipping the classroom always work? If the length of the class allows for certain sections of a video to be watched in the classroom with the activity completed after it; would that work? It all comes with change and experiencing new ideas to find out what works in your classroom. One method may work for one group of students while the other may not.
In closing, I feel that the flipped classroom will be beneficial to my students and I am very excited to experiment and try this out with my next new group of students.
Student-centered Approaches
Click on this link for the article.
The article that I decided to blog on immediately caught my eye as to why can we not incorporate blended learning and the traditional learning into the classroom. The writer references the flipped classroom and how both methods could work well with the students.
I am not a long-term instructor, so adapting to some of the ideas behind a flipped classroom or bringing in more technology is so interesting and exciting.
The example that Jon Bergmann suggests for student centered learning is the Genius Hour. Where the instructor provides the flipped classroom; micro-videos for 80% of the class and the remainder is open-ended where the students can ask questions. What a great concept to blend the 2 teaching styles; traditional and blended.
Just like in any industry, some people do not adapt to change while others do. So, with instructors; those that can easily change are embracing the blended theory while others are stuck in the traditional way of teaching. Is that fair to our students? Why are the students not learning at the pace that the system requires? Because it starts with the instructors or teachers and without him/her changing to our environment; some students will have the desired results while others will not.
In closing blended learning and the traditional learning can both be used in the classroom where modern technology and ideas can be incorporated to enhance the learning of the students. The author; Jon Bergmann has a textbook called Flipped Classroom that is excellent reading for any instructor. |
5 predictions for 2020 software architecture trends
3 languages that exemplify the future of coding
Source: Getty Images, Adobe Stock
Designer: Linda Koury
The future of coding in 2020 is showcased in Rust, Python and Elixir. All of these are languages that underwent a lot of growth in 2019, and they show a lot of promise when it comes to adoption in 2020.
Rust has become an important language in terms of the infrastructure and networking data space. It's moving from the early innovation stage to mainstream adoption. Rust is a systems programming language, which makes it useful for distributed systems and microservices. It seems that part of the goal with Rust is to have it replace C and C++ in the future. In fact, Facebook chose Rust for the development of its Libra cryptocurrency.
In certain ways, Rust is more concise than C++. It turns a lot of the basic development practices in C++ into fundamental language requirements. For example, Rust emphasizes memory safety, which is critical in this next stage of distributed development. Asynchronous calls happen smoothly. And, in some cases, Rust compiles faster than C and C++. There aren't a lot of developer job postings that call for it, but it's a big part of the future of coding. It's become highly regarded through word of mouth and overall interest in general-purpose languages.
And then there's Python, the oldest programming language of the three. The Python community, in general, is still small, but Python is one of the highest-rated languages. It's been the language of choice for glue code in data science and machine learning development.
Expect to see more velocity toward Python adoption in 2020, driven both by its high ranking and the trend toward general-purpose programming languages. There's consistent adoption and consistent use, and Python hasn't dropped off in the way that Ruby and some other emerging languages have.
Finally, Elixir is an innovative language that's gotten a lot of buzz as part of the future of coding practices. Although it's still a niche programming language, Elixir takes a lot of its inspiration from the Ruby ecosystem, and is also trying to bring C-like benefits into its development arena. Elixir creates fault-tolerant applications in distributed environments.
Elixir is a functional language, so it provides concurrency and other benefits of that language type. But it can also act as a general-purpose language, so it provides cutting-edge capabilities as a language that is approachable for a lot of programmers.
Kerry Doyle is an independent IT industry analyst.
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Chapter 3: Fibre to Fabric
Chapter 3: Fibre to Fabric
Class VII
NCERT Solutions
Question 1
You must be familiar with the following nursery rhymes:
• ‘Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool.’
• ‘Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.’
Answer the following:
(a) Which parts of the black sheep have wool?
(b) What is meant by the white fleece of the lamb?
Answer 1
(a) The fine and soft under-hair that grows close to the skin of the sheep have wool.
(b) White fleece of lamb means the colour of the fleece of lamb is white. The natural fleece of sheep and goats is black, brown or white.
Question 2
The silkworm is (a) a caterpillar, (b) a larva.
Choose the correct option.
• a (ii) b (iii) both a and b (iv) neither a nor b.
Answer 2
(iii) both a and b
Question 3
Which of the following does not yield wool?
• Yak (ii) Camel (iii) Goat (iv) Woolly dog
Answer 3
(iv) Woolly dog
Question 4
What is meant by the following terms?
• Rearing (ii) Shearing (iii) Sericulture
Answer 4
(i) Rearing: It is raising and taking care of livestock (e.g. cows, buffaloes, goats etc.); for commercial purposes. These animals are fed, provided shelters and are bred for better yield like milk, meat, wool etc. For example, Sheep are reared mainly for the wool. They are mainly reared in areas with low rainfall. Reared sheep eat grass and leaves. They are also fed on a mixture of pulses, corn, jowar, oil cakes and minerals. In winters they are kept indoors and fed on dry fodder, leaves and grains.
(ii) Shearing: Once a sheep develops a thick coat of hair, it is shaved off to obtain wool. The process of cutting off the woollen fleece of sheep with a thin layer of skin is called shearing. It is done by the machines similar to those used by barbers to remove hairs.
(iii) Sericulture: The breeding and management of silk worms for the production of silk is known as sericulture. Different types of silk (e.g. mulberry silk, Tassar silk, etc.) with different textures are obtained from different varieties of silk moths.
Question 5
Given below is a sequence of steps in the processing of wool. Which are the missing steps?
Add them. Shearing, __________, sorting, __________, __________, _________.
Answer 5
Shearing, scouring, sorting, fibre spinning, fibre drying, rolling in silk yarn.
Question 6
Make sketches of the two stages in the life history of the silk moth which are directly related to the production of silk.
Answer 6
Science Class 7 Chapter 3 NCERT
Question 7
Out of the following, which are the two terms related to silk production?
Sericulture, floriculture, moriculture, apiculture and silviculture.
(i) Silk production involves cultivation of mulberry leaves and rearing silkworms.
(ii) Scientific name of mulberry is Morus alba.
Answer 7
Sericulture and moriculture.
Question 8
Match the words of Column I with those given in Column II:
Column I Column II
1. Scouring (a) Yields silk fibres
2. Mulberry leaves (b) Wool yielding animal
3. Yak (c) Food of silk worm
4. Cocoon (d) Reeling
(e) Cleaning sheared skin
Answer 8
Column I Column II
1. Scouring (e) Cleaning sheared skin
2. Mulberry leaves (c) Food of silk worm
3. Yak (b) Wool yielding animal
4. Cocoon (a) Yields silk fibres
Question 9
Given below is a crossword puzzle based on this lesson.
Use hints to fill in the blank spaces with letters that complete the words.
Science Class 7 Chapter 3 NCERT
Down across (D)
1: Thorough washing
• 1: Keeps warm 2: Animal fibre 2: Its leaves are eaten by silkworms 3: Long thread like structure 3: Hatches from egg of moth
Answer 9
Science Class 7 Chapter 3 NCERT
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British colonial policies - Essay Example
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The author of this essay entitled "British colonial policies" comments on the history of the British Empire. As the text has it, the British Empire dominated the world for nearly three centuries and had an arm fist strong grip on the natives of people…
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Download file to see previous pages The Kashmir dispute, that has clouded the region with dispute and wars is a gift of British policies, they left this question open-ended and resulted in rivalries development between the two incumbent nations. Two wars have been fought afterward one right after the independence being granted to the respective states and one in 1965. The main point of contention in both the issues was Kashmir. While Pakistan considers it its integral part, the Indians consider it as their backbone and none would let go of it.
The Red Cliffe commission that was put in place in the last days of colonial control over the region, the purpose was to devise a strategy that ensures the smooth transition and the transfer of land to the rightful owners of the place. While there were two major blocks, one of Hindus and second of Muslims, by the rule the Hindu majority areas would be awarded to the newly formed Indian State while the Muslim dominant states would be awarded to Pakistan. Improper division, and allotting of the areas like Junagarh, Gurdaspur to India, resulted in the imbalance creation between the two nations and even today the relations are relatively sour between the two.
Besides the land allocation, the resources allocation policies suffered from imbalances as well. The British Empire did not take into consideration the repercussion of the possible miss calculated allotment of resources. Pakistan and India have been on the brink of war for nearly two decades due to the Indus Basin Treaty. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More
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A description of leonardo da vincis the last supper
Visit Website Did you know? Beginning around age 5, he lived on the estate in Vinci that belonged to the family of his father, Ser Peiro, an attorney and notary. Early Career Da Vinci received no formal education beyond basic reading, writing and math, but his father appreciated his artistic talent and apprenticed him at around age 15 to the noted sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio, of Florence. For about a decade, da Vinci refined his painting and sculpting techniques and trained in mechanical arts.
A description of leonardo da vincis the last supper
The evening before Christ was betrayed by one of his disciples, he gathered them together to eat, tell them he knew what was coming and wash their feet a gesture symbolizing that all were equal under the eyes of the Lord.
Over the years it has crumbled, been vandalized bombed and restored. Today we are probably looking at very little of the original. The sharp angling of the walls within the picture, which lead back to the seemingly distant back wall of the room and the windows that show the hills and sky beyond.
The type of day shown through these windows adds to the feeling of serenity that rests in the centre of the piece, around the figure of Christ. By pulling a string in radial directions from this point, he marked the table ends, floor lines, and orthogonal edges of six ceiling coffer column.
The experiment proved unsuccessful, however, because the paint did not adhere properly and began to flake away only a few decades after the work was finished. The spilled salt is symbolic. Speculations about symbolism in the artwork are plentiful.
Spilled salt could symbolize bad luck, loss, religion, or Jesus as salt of the earth. They dispute whether the fish on the table is herring or eel since each carries its own symbolic meaning.
A description of leonardo da vincis the last supper
In Italian, the word for eel is "aringa. In northern Italian dialect, the word for herring is "renga," which also describes someone who denies religion.
The painting is also a musical score. The artwork contains a dire warning. According to her interpretation, the artist says the apocalypse will take place in At the end of the 20th century, restorer Panin Brambilla Barcilon and his crew relied on microscopic photographs, core samples, infrared reflectoscopy and sonar to remove the added layers of paint and restore the original as accurately as possible.
Critics maintain that only a fraction of the painting that exists today is the work of Leonardo da Vinci. Three early copies of the original exist.
This oil painting on canvas was the primary resource for the latest restoration of the work. The Last Supper Copy - by Giampietrino 8. The painting has been a victim of neglect and abuse. Inmonastery residents cut a new door in the wall of the deteriorating painting, which removed a chunk of the artwork showing the feet of Jesus.
It has been repeatedly restored. Some of these took place in,and The subject of the Last Supper is Christ’s final meal with his apostles before Judas identifies Christ to the authorities who arrest him.
The Last Supper (a Passover Seder), is remembered for two events: Philip (detail), Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, , tempera and oil on plaster (Santa Maria. Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" is one of the most popular paintings of all time, and it tells the beginning of the story of Easter.
The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is one of the most famous works of art in the world. It is a large fresco style painting on the wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy.
It is a large fresco style painting on the wall of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. Mar 07, · Leonardo da Vinci. Painted by Leonardo DaVinci in the 15th century, the Last Supper has been meticulously maintained through restorations and the installment of an advanced dehumidifying system.
Created during the period , Leonardo da Vinci's mural painting known as The Last Supper - a masterpiece of the Italian High Renaissance and one of the best-known works of Christian art - illustrates the scene from the last days of Jesus Christ, as described in the Gospel of John Flanked by his twelve apostles, Jesus has just declared that .
In , Leonardo da Vinci began what would become one of history's most influential works of art - The Last Supper The Last Supper is Leonardo's visual interpretation of an event chronicled in all four of the Gospels (books in the Christian New Testament).
A description of leonardo da vincis the last supper
Leonardo da Vinci - HISTORY |
So I've been thinking for a while about making a world where cats aren't as common and instead are more of a regional domesticated animal, replaced in (mostly Northwestern) Europe by foxes.
How come it never took that foxes would be pest control or even hunting companions for rabbit hunt in Europe? Doing research I found that recent studies show sign of Bronze Age domestic foxes (more info, more bloc of text too) and I know that there is a Russian/Soviet scientist that tamed and started domesticating foxes in the past 60 years. The issue is that foxes eat rodents, hunt rabbits and also have a varied diet that includes fruits. So
1. they could take care of rodents messing with stocks of grains just like or even better than cats
2. they could be used in areas where large mammals are not as common and hunting rabbits is more durable/profitable
3. they could also be fed an alternate diet that doesn't take away too much from the rare meat in early civilisations.
Basically: could foxes realistically be domesticated between the bronze age and the middle ages in Europe and replace cats?
Thank you!
• 2
$\begingroup$ europe had domesticated ferrets for pest control. they hunted rabbits with them. $\endgroup$ – John Apr 22 '19 at 19:55
• 29
$\begingroup$ Two things nobody mentioned yet: 1. They stink and they leave stinky runny poops everywhere, and 2. They are nocturnal and scream really loud all night and it sounds like someone getting murdered. $\endgroup$ – Alistair Buxton Apr 22 '19 at 21:53
• 3
$\begingroup$ @AlistairBuxton cats are also nocturnal. They don't necessarily scream as foxes do, but they can get loud and they're also solitary animals, like wolves. As for excrements, they are defined as "dog-like" and yes, there is a "musky or ‘foxy’ smell" to them, but cat excrement also smells, I can tell you from experience. Not to mention their urine they use to mark their territory. $\endgroup$ – Nierninwa Apr 22 '19 at 23:04
• 3
$\begingroup$ @Nierninwa Sorry, I should have been clearer. That was directed at people VTC. There have been several other domestication questions lately that have stayed open so I see no reason why yours should be closed for not being about WB. I voted to keep it open. $\endgroup$ – Cyn says make Monica whole Apr 22 '19 at 23:23
• 5
$\begingroup$ @Nierninwa Wolves are "solitary animals"? Since when? Or is that just in your world? (Last I looked they definitely were not widely considered solitary animals in our world...) $\endgroup$ – a CVn Apr 23 '19 at 6:00
In the cat vs. fox issue, cleanliness may be key.
In the recent Russian fox domestication experiment, it seems that a big drawback of adopting the domesticated foxes is they cannot be housebroken (search domestic fox housebroken for many reports).
Cats, on the other hand, are obsessive about burying waste. Even adult feral cats, who are effectively wild animals, will quickly take to using a litter box. (Yes, there are cats who still mark territory or otherwise express their existential worries by peeing on things, but this is an exception not the norm).
Dogs are descended from wolves. The first domesticated dogs were likely wolves.
There are several reasons it would make more sense to domesticate wolves than foxes.
Wolves generally hunt in packs, foxes generally hunt solo
Early humans would have seen the social behavior and realized the pack was similar to their own tribe. It wouldn't be too long before a human decided to take some wolf pups and see if he could integrate them.
Wolves are bigger than foxes
Wolves tend to be larger than foxes and are higher on the food chain. You don't want your dog getting picked off by predators. Both in time invested and emotional attachment losing a trained animal is a big deal, so early humans would pick something reasonably high on the food chain to lessen the chance.
NOTE: There are larger predators such as tigers, but they are more difficult to train, and one mistake will likely lead to life-long injury or death.
Selective Breeding
Domesticated wolf pups would have been selectively bred to be loyal, strong, and obedient. The most violent wolf pups would be put down, and other undesirable traits would be bred out, and desirable traits would be amplified. After a few generations, the new dogs from these pedigrees would be much more valuable than even a new litter of undomesticated wolf-pups due to specialization. There would be no reason to start from 0 with a fox when you have bred dogs capable of producing litters of puppies for you.
Hunting in packs allowed wolves to bring down larger animals
A commenter pointed out that a fox would require less food, which in lean times would be a big advantage. The foxes instinct to hunt alone is its Achilles heel. Foxes must focus on smaller prey due to their solitary hunting.
Wolves, on the other hand, can bring down larger prey such as deer because they are part of a pack. Early humans would have needed larger game as a source of protein. Dogs, descended from wolves, already know how to hunt large game. A fox would have to be trained to do so.
Fox v Cat
Since foxes hunt rats, it might be logical to domesticate it for rat killing to protect stored foods such as grains. Cats have an advantage here. Their small size means they eat less, and probably won't attack your domesticated chickens. They also like killing rats. The saying is There is a fox in the hen house, not a cat.
NOTE: In modern times, some dogs such as Chihuahuas are prized because of their small size and acuity to living indoors. The breed was recognized in 1903.
• 12
$\begingroup$ @StephenG, dogs didn't split from wolves at all. There is no clear consensus whether they are a separate species, but as far as ability to interbreed is the main criterion they are not, as some dog breeds are being interbred with wild wolves. $\endgroup$ – Jan Hudec Apr 22 '19 at 21:12
• 2
$\begingroup$ I understand how foxes might not be better than wolf-descended dogs for hunting, although assuming a dire environment with few large mammals and mainly small prey like rabbits, the dietary requirements of foxes might make them advantageous, but as a replacement for cats before cats were brought to Europe, it would have made sense. $\endgroup$ – Nierninwa Apr 22 '19 at 23:00
• 1
$\begingroup$ @Nierninwa - edited the post to address this. $\endgroup$ – sevensevens Apr 23 '19 at 2:27
• 2
$\begingroup$ As for Chihuahuas being recognized as a breed in 1903, it wasn't all that long before that you didn't have "dog breeds" at all; that concept started becoming widely used in the mid-1800s, IIRC. Before that, you'd have types of dogs, bred for a specific function, but rarely (if ever) bred to and compared against a "standard". Back then, dog breeding was considered successful if the dogs grew up to be able to perform the function for which they were intended, and (to within experimental error) nobody cared much about adherence to a written breed standard. $\endgroup$ – a CVn Apr 23 '19 at 6:04
• 4
$\begingroup$ It wouldn't be too long before a human decided to take some wolf pups and see if he could integrate them - I don't think this is how it happened. Mutual cooperation between a wolf pack and a human tribe can begin to occur without explicitly taking in a wolf pup and trying to raise it. $\endgroup$ – forest Apr 23 '19 at 10:57
There are 3 routes to animals being domesticated.
The commensal route where animals gained something from humans without being a burden or danger. For example animals that feed on food scraps or other animals that were attracted to human encampments. Later these animals would be integrated in human life and selective breeding would truly start. This is the route that gave us dogs and cats.
The prey route. Where humans captured, confined and bred animals for food. This is the route that gave us sheep and various breeds of cattle.
The directed route. This is where humans made a conscious decision to try and domesticate an animal for a specific purpose. This is the route that gave us domesticated horses.
The Russian fox experiment shows that foxes do hold the traits that allow them to be domesticated (as opposed to animals that humans have tried and failed to domesticate, like zebras).
In a pre-historic Europe where wolves were not around, or at least very scarce, then I think it is actually likely that foxes would of taken the commensal role that wolves took historically. Foxes will quite happily scavenge for food near humans, this is why we are seeing more and more foxes living in cities.
In a pre-historic Europe where wolves were around though, wolves would have defended their food supply from other animals such as foxes. Wolves won't normally bother with foxes as they are not direct competitors for prey, but they will attack them if foxes try to feed off their kills.
This likely eliminated the commensal route for foxes. The directed route would mean being domesticated much later, and some human having a reason to do so that couldn't be easier fulfilled with dogs.
• $\begingroup$ Pre-historic Europe had wolves very early on though, so I understand that this would be an obstacle for fox domestication. However, dogs do not hunt rodents and foxes could fill that role. They do roam cities and probably would have (and did) still remain near human settlements back in the bronze age. Additionally, when agriculture appeared, grain stores drew rodents and these would have been easy prey for foxes. And we have evidence domestication begun. Can you think of a reason it did not "take"? $\endgroup$ – Nierninwa Apr 22 '19 at 23:12
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$\begingroup$ @Nierninwa Reading through the article about domesticated foxes in the original question, I don't believe it shows evidence of domestication. Domestication would be shown in skull size and teeth. Neither are mentioned. Don't mistake taming animals with domesticating them. If foxes weren't domesticated by the point humans moved away from hunting gathering, then foxes likely became pests by stealing from food stores and hunting domesticated prey animals. At that point they are no longer commensal animals. $\endgroup$ – K Mo Apr 22 '19 at 23:23
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$\begingroup$ "animals that feed on food scraps" I don't have any readily available citation, but that's a commonly held theory as to how wolves were originally domesticated. There was far less "taking pups in and raising them" and far more "wild individuals living on the fringes of human society" (to whatever extent one can speak of society at that point). Basically, that the wolves domesticated themselves rather than humans domesticating wolves. $\endgroup$ – a CVn Apr 23 '19 at 15:01
• $\begingroup$ Good first half to this answer. The question is concerning foxes replacing cats, though, not dogs. There is evidence that cats self-domesticated (news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/…), and I see no reason why foxes could not fulfil that role if cats were somehow out of the picture. $\endgroup$ – K. Morgan Apr 23 '19 at 15:21
• $\begingroup$ @K.Morgan The original question has gone through several iterations since I answered it. As it now has an accepted answer, I will not be revisiting my answer. $\endgroup$ – K Mo Apr 23 '19 at 16:29
As your research correctly found out, foxes can be domesticated.
The main reason why foxes were not domesticated by early humans who instead preferred wolves might be that the latter are more social than foxes.
While wolves live in packs, normally foxes live in pairs or families. So, while for a human is doable to take the role of pack leader, it is a bit more cumbersome to take the role of mating partner.
Of course, since your world is fictional, if your foxes are pack animals, they might be domesticated as well.
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$\begingroup$ But why did they prefer cats? Though I suppose the answer is quite obviously they didn't—cats probably just moved in on their own and humans noticed there's fewer rodents around if they let them. $\endgroup$ – Jan Hudec Apr 22 '19 at 20:45
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$\begingroup$ I think you should go more into your research about humans as pack leader vs mating partner. I think explorations of the issue would be best suited to mime / interpretive dance. $\endgroup$ – Willk Apr 22 '19 at 20:55
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$\begingroup$ @JanHudec There is a lot of evidence that cats domesticated themselves. $\endgroup$ – jaxad0127 Apr 22 '19 at 21:33
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$\begingroup$ @JanHudec Cats simply have a different role. The distinctions carnivore/herbivore aren't always absolute - hamsters eating their young, wolves eat berries etc. However, cats are pretty much 100% carnivore. People could just let them hunt rodents in their grain storage without fearing that they would eat the grain. A win-win situation, really. In that regard, foxes as full-on omnivores would be even worse than wolves. As hunting companion, wolf > fox, as grain guard, cat > fox. $\endgroup$ – R. Schmitz Apr 23 '19 at 15:28
Wolves work very well as hunting companions because they are social, have high endurance so they can keep up with human hunting parties, and they target big game like humans.
Foxes aren't social, do not go for prey bigger than themselves, and have moderate endurance. They would not make good hunting companions.
I think you're closer to the mark with cats. Animals that loiter around people enough to be noticed reducing rodent populations, and someone to make the connection to this being good for grain supplies.
You're also on the money for using them to hunt rabbits too (historically this was done with dog breeds like terriers and dachshunds). If wolves are not domesticated for any reason (or even if they are domesticated, but not bred into forms suitable for rabbiting), this would leave that niche open for foxes.
So, what we want really is:
1. No wolves domesticated (preferable)
2. Abundance of small game that is at least moderately difficult for people to hunt
3. Chance
• $\begingroup$ What troubles me still is the fact that foxes were probably domesticated or at least tamed at some point but then this was lost. The original idea was, I believe, to replace cats with foxes. Then over months of not actually working on the world and just thinking about it from time to time, I kinda lost track. Some people mentioned ferrets for hunting rabbits and their ability to enter rabbit holes. But yes, dogs specifically bread for rabbit hunts had to have been a rather late development. Would you say with larger game available along with the small game this would still be possible? $\endgroup$ – Nierninwa Apr 22 '19 at 23:15
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$\begingroup$ @Nierninwa An interesting point I learnt about magpies is that during the early middle ages (and likely the dark ages), they were very tame (and well on their way to commensal domestication). People used them to warn them of animals and trespassers in their fields. Then, after Christianity spread, someone had the bright idea that they were somehow connected to the devil, and the persecution of magpies drove them back to being fully wild. Point being that domestication is far from a completely rational process, and is subject to many vagaries. I think your fox idea is fine :) $\endgroup$ – Ynneadwraith Apr 23 '19 at 8:49
• $\begingroup$ @Nierninwa And as for big game you probably want them to be absent. This reduces the utility of dogs, and increases the utility of foxes. It's not strictly necessary, but it's helpful :) $\endgroup$ – Ynneadwraith Apr 23 '19 at 8:50
Foxes would not be useful for hunting they are too small, in fact europe later made a sport out of hunting foxes with dogs.
Domesticating foxes was done in the modern age with modern techniques and knowledge. Domestication is a lot easier when you know how to do it and have large food surpluses to support such endeavors. Animals domesticated in antiquity had to be useful from day one or be a toy for the fabulously wealthy. The bronze age claim is not good evidence, burial with game animals was common and foxes as pests often raided human food stores.
Lastly they didn't need them, the europeans already had animals for hunting (dogs) and pest control, (cats and ferrets). the latter were useful for hunting rabbits as they could chase them down their holes something foxes would not be able to do.
• $\begingroup$ Bronze age domestic cats in Europe outside Greece? $\endgroup$ – AlexP Apr 22 '19 at 19:58
• $\begingroup$ The OP does not specify bronze age, cats were widespread in europe before the fall of rome. $\endgroup$ – John Apr 22 '19 at 20:09
• $\begingroup$ Thank you for reminding me foxes can't actually follow rabbits down their holes. However, I disagree with your claim that cats were "widespread" in Europe before the fall of Rome. Vikings took them on their ships but they were not nearly "widespread" as for the domestication, bone analysis showed domesticated diets and humans caring for old foxes' injuries. Additionally, the only bones found other than foxes were goats, cows and dogs. Wouldn't foxes have been useful in what was clearly pastoral societies back in the bronze age against rodents? $\endgroup$ – Nierninwa Apr 22 '19 at 23:07
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$\begingroup$ the vikings picked cats up from Britain, so they were pretty widespread, my comment about raiding human food stores would cover that since only one fox showed isotope matching. would they have been useful is not a good argument for them actually being used. yes there bones were included but game animals like bear, deer, and fowl are included in other sites so an animal did not have to be domesticated to be buried. the injury thing is also inconclusive care is observed in pair bonded foxes. $\endgroup$ – John Apr 23 '19 at 0:45
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$\begingroup$ I'm not saying it can't be true but the evidence is spotty at best. $\endgroup$ – John Apr 23 '19 at 0:53
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A child is born long question and answer
A child is born long question and answer
Q.1. What is the role of rituals in managing childbirth in traditioinal societies ?
Ans. The ways of managing childbirth in traditional societies are many and varied. Their usefulness stems directly from the fact that they are accepted culturally and collectively so that the mother does not have the psychic burden of reinventing the procedures. Even though the possible disasters are highly alive in the memory of her community and the index of anxiety high, a ritual approach to pregnancy which hems the pregnant woman about with culturally forbidden activities helps make the anxiety manageable.
Q.2. Describle the western interpretation of a bride's longing for a child in a traditional society ?
Ans. In many traditional society the relationship between the mother and child is more important than the relationship between husband and wife In some cases indeed, The child's relationship with the rest of his family is important or even more important than any other.
Q.3. How do languages come in the way of a better understanding of the woman's problems ?
Ans. One of the greatest difficulties in the way of feminists, who are not related to an aggressive belief that their own country or culture is better want to learn from women who still live within a famale society. It is the tendency of those women to withdraw into silent opposition, When participating international fora conducted in languages which they cannot speak with fluency.
Q.4. Describe the rewards of pregnancy as experienced by Sylheti woman ?
Ans. Among the rewards of pregnancy to sylheti woman is that the woman gets to go home to visit her mother and sister. She goes to her mother's house for the last few months of her pregnancy and stays there about three months of the baby's life. There she gets a lot of love and care. She is asked, "What would you like to eat ? What do your fancy ? " All the time she is looked after by the whole of the family. The whole matter of pregnancy is one of celebration.
Q.5. What is the truism of anthropologie; That the write talks about ?
Ans. It is the truism of Anthropology that such woman do not become members of their new family until they have borne a child, If we consider that in such societies the marriage was quite like to have been arranged, it is understandable that the bride too longs for the child who will stand in the same intimate relationship to her as she with her own mother.
Q.6. What are the problems of a modern woman in matters of pregnancy and childbirth ?
Ans. The problems of a modern pregnant woman and the child birth is not only related with the labour pain she suffers with but the way the labouring woman being ignored is pitiable. The nurses instead of taking care of the pregnant, engage themselves with technologically sophiscated modern equipments and the patient is ignored, so far. As such birth becomes very far from normal and it is conducted with the help of modern equipments very far from normal and it is conducted with the help of modern equipments meant for conducting delivery and the woman has to await delivery.
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On April 14, 1932, an explosion occurred at the new, $5 million Ohio State Office Building, now the Ohio Supreme Court building, which was nearing completion at 65 S. Front St. The force of the explosion was so great that huge slabs of marble were blown off the west side of the building, heavy ornamental bronze doors were ripped from their hinges and steel window frames were torn from their casings. Damages extended to the 10th floor and the entire interior appeared wrecked. Water and gas lines ruptured, resulting in fire and flooding. Approximately 100 workers were on the job. Of those, five were killed instantly and scores injured. The death toll eventually rose to 10. |
Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard von Bingen was a Franciscan Benedictine nun, a woman of letters and a composer. She was canonised and made a Doctor of the Church, the highest Catholic accolade, in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th century Rhineland Abbess and a major figure of the Middle Ages. At the age of eight, she entered the convent of the Benedictine nuns of Disibodenberg on the Rhine. Here she was instructed by Jutta de Sponheim. She made her perpetual vows and at the age of fourteen received the monastic veil from Bishop Othon of Bamberg. When Jutta died in 1136, Hildegard was elected Abbess of Disibodenberg at the age of 38.
Hildegard engaged with literary activity, encouraged by Pope Eugene III. She also tried to express her visions through music. Her religious compositions, including more than 70 hymns, make rich use of sound, as well as new musical effects. Between 1151 and 1158, Hildegard wrote and compiled her musical compositions to be sung by the sisters of the convent during ceremonies and other occasions. Hildegard von Bingen composed more than seventy liturgical monodic songs, hymns and melismatic sequences. All these songs make up the collection Symphonia harmoniae celestium revelationum (Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations), a title that indicates they are of divine inspiration and that the music is the highest form of any human activity. She also composed a liturgical drama entitled Ordo virtutum (The Game of Virtues), which includes eighty-two melodies depicting the struggle of the soul being torn between the devil and virtues.
As an Abbess in the 12th century, Hildegard von Bingen benefitted from a high profile position. However, this control and authority was gradually given to the Father Superior, with the nuns taking refuge in the more individual path of mysticism. Despite her rich and innovative music, Hildegard von Bingen was largely erased from history. Thanks to recent, extensive musicological research this singular figure of medieval music has finally been esteemed for her musical work.
Six Landmark Dates in the Life of Hildegard von Bingen
1106 : Entered the Benedictines Convent in Disibodenberg
1112 : Took holy orders under the tutelage of the Mother Superior Jutta de Sponheim
1136 : Became the Abbess (Mother Superior)
1151 : Received approval from Pope Eugene III, and composed her liturgical drama Ordo virtutum
1151 : Started her Symphoniae harmoniae celestium revelationum
2012 : Was canonised and made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benoît XVI |
is the changing of the direction of a light beam at a transition between two materials with different indexes of refraction.
A light beam that hits a rain drop, for example, is first refracted toward the middle of the drop and then repeatedly reflected into the drop again upon encountering the drop‘s outer edge. A portion of the light also escapes the drop during each reflection. |
MSU students hope to bring virtual reality to classrooms
Feb 1, 2017
"It utilizes what 86% of undergraduates in the United States already have in their hands and their pockets, a smartphone," Truong said.
Truong says the primary goal of the project is to make immersive education accessible to all students, even if it's virtual.
"Due to financial constraints, not every student can actually go to the Parthenon or the Great Wall of China. However, if we're able to recreate those on a smaller scale and implement them into existing curricula in higher education or K-12, then we can immerse students and further their education," Truong said.
Truong and Martin have presented their research at five education and design conferences in Michigan and Washington, D.C. |
Allergy Q&A: 10 Need-To-Know Facts
Allergy Q&A: 10 Need-to-Know Facts
Imagine questioning yourself at every bite of every meal every day. For millions of Canadians who suffer from food allergies, this is the reality. By learning more about allergies, we can protect ourselves and our loved ones, and keep everyone happy and healthy.
A person with food allergies is always on high alert, not just at mealtimes.
One of my brothers is dangerously allergic to nuts, legumes and seafood. The whole family has had to develop new habits to keep him safe. Just for nuts alone, we have to ask: Has the slicer at the bakery been used to cut nut bread? Is that cake filled with hazelnut praline or covered in almond paste? Are there pistachios in the snack bowl? Now imagine the number of questions at a restaurant! It can be quite the ordeal. To clear up facts and debunk myths, we’re answering the top 10 most frequently asked questions about food allergies.
1.How much exposure is needed to cause a reaction?
The tiniest trace of a substance – even if it’s invisible to the naked eye – can trigger a reaction. Allergic reactions can affect your skin (hives, eczema); cause swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat; trigger digestive issues; lower your blood pressure and increase your heartbeat. In extreme cases of allergic reactions, a person may experience anaphylaxis, which might mean shock, loss of consciousness or even death. Some reaction times are very quick (within seconds of ingesting the allergen), while others can take up to a few hours.
2. Can someone be allergic to any food?
Yes. An allergy is your immune system’s response to a protein or an irritant. Health Canada has identified over 160 foods that have triggered allergic reactions in the population. Of those, the following 10 are considered “priority food allergens,” meaning they cause the majority of reactions.
1. Peanuts
2. Tree Nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts)
3. Soy
4. Seafood (fish, crustaceans and shellfish)
5. Cow's milk
6. Eggs
7. Wheat
8. Sesame Seeds
9. Mustard
10. Sulphites (a food additive)
Avoiding cross-contamination
How can you be sure that the pecans haven’t touched the peanuts, or that the almonds weren’t processed in a plant that handles hazelnuts? Unless otherwise clearly indicated on the packaging, there’s no way to be sure. Your safest bet is to assume that shelled tree nuts have come into contact with each other, and with peanuts. But whole nuts are a different story! Buy them with the shells on, wash them in slightly soapy water, open them and roast them in the oven for 20 minutes at 325°F (170°C), and you should be fine.
One other thing to remember is that the “May contain traces of...” warning on packaging is placed there voluntarily by manufacturers. The absence of the warning doesn’t mean there’s no risk of contamination. Better safe that sorry in these cases! That said, a CAC (Certified Allergen Control) certification on the package means that the company has passed strict checks, and that there’s no chance of cross-contamination from almonds, peanuts, milk or eggs. And some companies, like Blue Diamond, ensure that their nuts are processed and packaged in peanut-free factories.
3. Can you overcome a food allergy?
In the majority of cases, children grow out of their allergies (including milk, wheat and eggs) before age 7. Unfortunately, allergies to peanuts persist after that age in about 80% of cases. The only solution is to steer clear of the food you’re allergic to (which is easier said than done). People with severe food allergies should always carry an auto-injector device (like an EpiPen or the new credit card-sized Allerject).
4. Does an allergy to peanuts automatically mean an allergy to other nuts?
No. Despite their name, peanuts are legumes, so there’s no need to eliminate tree nuts from your diet. Other legumes, like dry beans, lentils, soy and chickpeas, don’t always cause problems for people with peanut allergies, with between 5 and 10% of people having reactions to several foods in this family. That said, cross-contamination between peanuts and tree nuts is common and can be extremely dangerous.
5. Eating a peach, kiwi, apple or melon makes my throat tingle. Am I allergic to those fruits?
It may be that you’re experiencing pollen-food allergy syndrome, also known as oral allergy syndrome. Proteins in some foods are very similar to pollen proteins, confusing the body into reacting to the food the way it would to the pollens. It’s especially common in people who suffer from hay fever. The chart below shows the link between certain pollens and certain foods.
Foods most often associated with birch, ragweed, grass and wormwood allergies.
An allergy to this type of pollen…
Birch can cause a reaction to the following foods:
• Fruits: apple, apricot, cherry, kiwi, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, tomato
• Vegetables: anise, bean, caraway, carrot, celery, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, green bell pepper, lentil, parsley, parsnip, peanut, pea, potato
• Nuts: almond, hazelnut, walnut
• Seeds: sunflower
An allergy to this type of pollen…
Grass can cause a reaction to the following foods:
• FRUITS: kiwi, melon, orange, tomato, watermelon
An allergy to this type of pollen…
Wormwood can cause a reaction to the following foods:
• FRUITS: apple, melon, watermelon
• VEGETABLES: carrot, celery
An allergy to this type of pollen…
Ragweed can cause a reaction to the following foods:
• FRUITS: banana, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon
• VEGETABLES: cucumber, zucchini
Generally, pollen-food allergy syndrome causes a reaction when fruits and vegetables are eaten raw. Contact with the peel can increase the severity of the reaction, while storage for a certain amount of time can minimize the effects. Cooking and canning often modifies the proteins’ structure enough to solve the problem, except with nuts and celery that, for many, continue to cause reactions even once cooked. In most cases, symptoms disappear soon after the fruit or vegetable has been swallowed, but caution is always recommended as there have been reports of severe generalized reactions.SOURCE: Canadian Food Inspection Agency
6. How can I know if pre-packaged foods have come in contact with an allergen?
New legislation about labelling foods has made this much easier. Since August 2012, all pre-packaged food and alcoholic beverages (except beer) must indicate the presence of any of the top 10 allergens, as well as gluten, using one of these two methods.
• Indication on the package that the product may contain an allergen; or
• Clearly listing the allergen in the ingredient list. For example, rather than just “lecithin,” the source (like soy) must be included. As if casein is listed as an ingredient, the presence of dairy must be clearly indicated.
Basically, any shortcuts or general terms that could hide the presence of an allergen are banned. So instead of writing “seasoning” in an ingredient list, manufacturers have two options. They can place the allergen in parentheses next to the ingredient: “seasoning (mustard),” or they can write “Contains mustard” on the packaging.
7. Do I have to read the packaging every time I buy a product, even if I’ve bought it before?
Absolutely. “A manufacturer can change the recipe for its product without warning the consumer,” explains nutritionist Stephanie Pernice, a food allergy expert. “Also, depending on the format or size, products might be made on different assembly lines or even in different factories. It’s essential to read the ingredient list of a packaged food, even if you’ve been buying it for years.”
8. Can the smell alone of a food provoke an allergic reaction?
Yes, but it’s rare. To trigger a reaction, an allergen protein has to enter your body. There are certain instances when the proteins become airborne, like at a seafood restaurant or in a factory that processes ingredients like almond and nut powders, soy flour or powdered milk. The aromatic particles of food alone (like the smell of peanut butter) are usually harmless.
9. Can touching an allergen cause a reaction?
The skin is a highly effective barrier that prevents allergens from entering the bloodstream. To trigger an allergic reaction, you would have to touch an allergen then touch your eyes or mouth, kiss someone on the mouth or press the allergen to an open wound. Otherwise, a skin reaction should be very minimal, if there is one at all.
10. What can I say to people who think my allergic child is just being a picky eater?
As someone with food allergies herself, Stephanie has a clear answer: “In children and adults alike, food allergies have an impact on your social life. You can certainly live with food allergies but there are restrictions. And no parent would impose those restrictions on their child just for fun. People who think food allergies are a mere whim don’t realize the potential impact of seemingly innocuous foods. Think of the hassle of avoiding dairy when you’re taking antibiotics – and that’s just for a few days! A food allergy is a serious condition and a reaction can be dangerous, even with trace amounts of the food.”
Hélène Laurendeau
Hélène Laurendeau
A nutrition and health enthusiast who loves to share: this description fits Hélène Laurendeau to a tee. She has been active for more than 25 years in the media and communications field. Nutritionist, host, columnist, author and speaker, Hélène holds a Bachelor degree in Nutrition and a Master degree in Epidemiology. She has spread her knowledge alongside Ricardo every week since 2005, as part of his daily show broadcast on ICI Radio-Canada Télé, as well as in Ricardo magazine, where she pens the Bien se nourrir (Eating Well) column.
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Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Arya. Arya Wonders, “What is hyperhydrosis?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Arya!
How do you stay cool on a hot summer day? Do you drink ice water? Grab a popsicle from the freezer? Take a break inside where it’s cool? Summer is a great time to spend time outdoors. But it’s important to cool off when you get too hot.
Lucky for us, our bodies also help us cool off. As soon as we get warm, we start to sweat! Some people complain that sweat smells bad and stains clothes. That’s sometimes true. However, it also helps us cool off! Without sweat, our bodies would overheat easily.
How much sweat is normal? Everyone sweats different amounts. It also depends on factors like activity level, stress, and clothing choices. Do you think you sweat a lot? If you’re worried, you can talk to your doctor. They may want to check you for hyperhidrosis.
Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes excessive sweating. It affects about 2-3 percent of Americans. Often, hyperhidrosis starts when a person is a teenager. However, it can last throughout adulthood.
There are two types of hyperhidrosis. Generalized hyperhidrosis happens all over the body. Focal hyperhidrosis is just in some parts of the body. That means a person might sweat heavily from just their underarms, palms, or other places.
Are you WONDERing what causes hyperhidrosis? Sometimes, it’s caused by an illness. However, hyperhidrosis also sometimes runs in families. Focal hyperhidrosis is often passed down by parents.
Hyperhidrosis can cause discomfort. Extra sweat makes it hard to hold on to a pencil at school or a softball at practice. It can also make using touch screens difficult.
Do you have hyperhidrosis? There are many things you can do to control your sweat. Doctors often prescribe medicine in the form of lotion for the areas that over-sweat. Sometimes, they might recommend oral medicine, too. Some people even have surgery to help reduce hyperhidrosis.
It’s important to remember that hyperhidrosis is nothing to feel embarrassed about. After all, everyone sweats different amounts! Some people don’t even sweat at all—that’s called anhidrosis.
Did you know humans sweat more than most animals? It’s true! You won’t see your dog sweating during a game of fetch. However, primates like monkeys and apes sweat much like people do.
The next time you feel yourself start to sweat, be glad your body has a way to cool off! And if you think you may have hyperhidrosis, talk to your doctor. It’s definitely treatable with a little help!
Wonder What's Next?
Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day is just unBEARabley great! |
How to Build Stuff
Why a Chassis Table?
Any discussion of how to fabricate something (anything) starts with the assumption that accurate measurement in three dimensions is a given. However, measuring is often the most challenging aspect of any build project.
Whether you are building a tube chassis from scratch or building - repairing a production car, the ability to measure easily, repeatability and to an acceptable degree of accuracy is essential. There are many ways to measure projects the size of a chassis. The different methods vary greatly in cost, accuracy and ease of use. Here we are going to discuss methods for fabrication measurement using a home fabricated Chassis Table.
So what is a Chassis Table?
In its simplest form, it is just a flat level reference plane. Depending on the flatness and levelness of your garage floor surface and your definition of “Acceptable Measurement Accuracy”, your garage floor can be used as your “Reference Plane”. Many award winning, race winning and perfectly acceptable vehicles have been built on garage floors. So I’m not here to tell you the garage floor method can’t be done but, many garage floors are not level, are quite Wavy (one term for variance from flat), cracked, pitted, ECT. Additionally, working on the floor is hard on the knees, back, and slows progress. Another drawback to the floor that it is not a simple matter to secure (clamp, bolt, weld---) your work to the floor. If your work isn’t secured in some manner, it will get bumped and jostled during the normal course of building, requiring that time be spent re-locating the project. Or worse yet, the bump error might go unnoticed until the errors are welded into your project.
At the other extreme, a chassis table is actually a “Surface Plate” with a complete deck area upon which to build and measure from/to. While this sort of fully decked table seems ideal, they actually have some drawbacks too. First, decked tables are very heavy and expensive to build. Additionally, a solid tabletop will block access from underneath your project for installing components and worst of all, significantly restrict welding access.
The example In the photos is a table I built for fabricating Bonneville Saltflats racecars. So far we have successfully built a G/Fuel streamliner and a Gas Roadster rolling chassis. If your intentions for a table are for scratch fabrication, then 1/8” wall thickness materials are heavy enough. However, if your intended use for a table includes straightening and repairing crashed and wrecked vehicles using port-a-power, heat, jacks and other brute force devices, you will want to build from heavier stock.
What Size?
The table here is 120” long by 36“ wide and about 30” tall. This size fit my project and fit my shop. The recent Gas Roadster project had a 112” wheelbase, and stretched the limits of my table design. If I were to build again, I think I would build a 144” (12 feet) long table. The track width of this roadster was about 55” and that required some measuring creativity to accurately center the axles. Some folks helping whti this build speculated on how a wider table might help. Maybe they are correct, depending on the nature of your projects, a wider table (48”) might be something to consider. One significant drawback to a wide table is the increased difficulty in reaching across to weld. On my 36” table, one can readily reach across the table to weld on the inside of the far side of the frame. As tables get wider, my back gets sorer. That reach over thing takes a toll. So unless your building tube frames for Top fuel GreyHound Bus’s keep the table size modest.
Notice two tables here tied together to create a reference table over 16' long.
Chassis Table or Workbench?
One last thing. Versatility—I don’t build all the time. When the car comes off the table, I top that table with a tabletop fabricated from ¾” thick Melamine coated particle board (source: Home Depot). I perfer to frame with 2x4 along the edges. The 2x4 edges make the structure strong and stiff and eliminate tabletop slipping around on the chassis table. These are great work surfaces –durable, clean, premium shop equipment for a minimum cost.
Note the removable fabricated Melamine Tabletop.
Kristeen knows how to prep a fiberglass body mold for a handlayup.
Lets Build!
All of these problems can be avoided by building a simple Frame style chassis table. Let’s look at some of the features that make a table like this easy to build and use.
Materials Required
This design requires 20' of .125" wall 3" Square tubing, 28 feet of .125" wall 2" Square Tubing for the legs and cross members, 30 feet of 3/4" X 3/4" X .125" angle for the shelf tray and 8 1/2-13 x 4" Carridge bolts and matching coupling nuts for the leveling feet. Add in a couple of 4'X8' sheets of OSB board for the shelf and you have the makings of a versatile chassis table.
Table Fabrication
Most of the components of this table need only to be held to a tolerance of +- 1/8". However, There are a few items that you have to get right. The four Cross Members must be the same length.
Take the time to get this right. In order to effectivly use the table for measuring, the long 3" rails need to be parallel. this is ensured by the cross members. additionally, if you want the all important centerline of your table to be at some convenient dimension (say at 18" on a 36 "wide table) the precision of these cross members is a make or break dimension. I suggest setting up a "Stop" on your cutoff saw so you can get this detail right. Keep in mind that your crossmembers are longer than the legs, so a scrap crossmember can be recycled as a leg.
Cut all your pieces, deburr them, check them for accuracy, chalk mark them with an identity to avoid confusion during assembly.
Assembly has one critical detail-- The plane formed by the top components must be flat and square.
Take your tile during the fitup portion on this item. a pair of bar clamps and a set of saw horses will help you get control of the components. A carpenters Framing Square and a long straight edge will let you check that the ends are flat and parallel, and the corners square before you tack weld. Take the time to carefully the tacked tabletop. Errors are easy to correct at the tack welded stage. Ask yourself-- Is that top surface pretty darn flat and square??? If not, cut the spot welds with a "Muffler Cutter" (a 1/16" x 3" diameter abrasive wheel mounted in a high rpm air motor) and shim, clamp, pull, push the components until you get the flat, square surface you deserve. Once the surface meets your approval, weld it solid.
Adding the leveling feet to the legs is probably easiest before you weld the legs to the table. |
Hold Harmless Agreement
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A Hold Harmless Agreement is a statement that an individual or organization should not be held responsible or liable for injuries or damages caused to one or more individuals signing the contract. This agreement is most often a clause in a larger legal document.
The most common example of a hold harmless agreement is a document when a physical participant, such as a runner in a marathon, agree not to hold the organization in charge responsible for the participant’s injuries or death. The participant agrees to take responsibility and liability if they become injured during the course of the marathon.
Types of Hold Harmless Clauses
1. Limited Clause. This states that Party A will hold Party B harmless for any injuries or potential lawsuits arising from Party A’s negligence. These are used in business transactions in which a third party such as a contractor wishes not to be held responsible if the partner business does something wrong.
2. Intermediate Clause. This clause alleges that Party B will not be held responsible for lawsuits arising from sole negligence of Party A or if both parties are held responsible for negligence.
3. Broad Form Clause. Regardless of who is responsible for lawsuits alleging negligence – Party A, Party B, or both parties – Party B refuses to accept responsibility, and Party A takes on all responsibility.
How is it Used?
Hold harmless agreements can exist for any reason to prevent lawsuits or liability accusations if a third party is injured by the activities of two or more parties. For example, if you hire a lawn maintenance company to completely re-landscape your lawn, and you do not want your neighbor to sue you for negligence if they are injured by the contractor’s equipment while on a walk, you sign the agreement with the lawn maintenance company that they will accept all responsibility in the event of a third party injury.
Research state law regarding hold harmless agreements before signing one or filling one out. Some provisions in standardized forms may not be admissible in court in various states. If you are asked to sign as a way of accepting responsibility, you should also understand the legality of the document you are looking at before you agree to it. Some states prohibit hold harmless agreements in specific professional situations.
If you are going to sign a hold harmless agreement, consider purchasing insurance, especially if physical labor is involved. Business insurance can help cover any pain, suffering, injury, death, or other losses that occur and can sometimes help prevent lawsuits.
If you create a hold harmless agreement or clause in a legal document, be as specific as possible about what you do not wish to be held liable for. Many states look unfavorably on statements in hold harmless clauses that are too broad, and many courts will not uphold broad agreements between parties. If you have questions about how broad a hold harmless agreement is, consider consulting an attorney regarding liability. |
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Published: December 26, 2014
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Thursday, December 25, 2014
Terror and Grace in 1914
Terror and Grace in 1914
Marvin Olasky
12/25/2014 12:01:00 AM - Marvin Olasky
One hundred years ago this month, millions of Europeans got a foretaste of quasi-hell, and some saw a moment of quasi-heaven.
Most German, French, Austrian, and Russian generals had all hoped and planned for quick victories as World War I began in August 1914. By December, the horrible new normal of the next four years was sinking in. As historian Max Hastings put it, “Throughout history, armies had been accustomed to fight battles that most often lasted a single day, occasionally two or three, but thereafter petered out. Now, however, the allies and Germans explored a terrible new universe of continuous engagement. They accustomed themselves to killing and being killed for weeks on end.”
Some individuals had predicted this. German Commander in Chief von Moltke told Kaiser Wilhelm, “The war will utterly exhaust our own people even if we are victorious.” French writer André Gide spoke of entering “a long tunnel full of blood and darkness.”
As battles went on for weeks without respite, Bible-minded soldiers like Kresten Andresen of Germany saw how the dead piled up but the living also felt cursed: “We are on our way into the jaws of Hell.… We’re hardly human any more, at most we are well-drilled automatons who perform every action without any great reflection. O, Lord God, if only we could become human again.”
On Dec. 25, though, a bottom-up initiative in the trenches allowed many soldiers to become human again for a day. As one British soldier wrote to his hometown newspaper, “The Bedfordshire Times and Independent,” “There was no firing on Christmas Day and the Germans were quite friendly with us. They even came over to our trenches and gave us cigars and cigarettes and chocolate and of course we gave them things in return.”
Germans put up Christmas trees with hundreds of candles, and their bands serenaded the British with Christmas carols and ‘God Save the King.’
The informal “Christmas truce,” with about 100,000 British and German soldiers ceasing to fight, began on the night before Christmas, when along miles of trenches Germans put up Christmas trees with hundreds of candles, and their bands serenaded the British with Christmas carols and “God Save the King.” Then as one British soldier wrote, “I was never more surprised in my life when daylight came to see them all sitting on top of the trenches waving their hands and singing to us.”
British and German soldiers put down their rifles and came cautiously out of the trenches. Some had joint worship services and a few even played soccer. Letters home from British soldiers showed amazement: “Fancy shaking hands with the enemy! I suppose you will hardly believe this, but it is the truth.… Who would believe it if they did not see it with their own eyes? It is hard enough for us to believe.… It seemed like a dream.… Now I am going to tell you something which you will think incredible but I give you my word that it is true.… I saw it but thought I was dreaming.”
For the generals, though, this dream was a nightmare: How would the soldiers start killing each other again the next day? A British army order soon forbad “any rapprochement with the enemy in the trenches. All acts contrary to this order will be punished in high treason.” Other countries issued similar decrees, and soon one soldier could write to “The Whitehaven News,” “We’ve started scrapping again; and I can tell you it is not very nice in the trenches up to the knees in water.”
Isaiah, in chapters three and four of his book, forecast God’s judgment on nations that had gone astray: “Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty men in battle.” Civilians will also suffer: “Instead of perfume there will be rottenness…instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth.” But misery creates pressure to repent: Some suffering comes for reasons beyond the ken of Job or the rest of us; but much of the time, when God slaps us in the face, our response should be, “Thanks, I needed that.”
One hundred years ago, God gave the czar, the kaiser, and their counterparts who claimed to be Christians an opportunity to admit that their strategies for early victory had failed. Yet they did not confess their pridefulness and kneel before God. Instead, they ignored His slap and poured out more buckets of blood.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
The Geopolitics of U.S.-Cuba Relations
The Geopolitics of U.S.-Cuba Relations
Geopolitical Weekly
December 23, 2014 | 09:00 GMT Print Text Size
By George Friedman
Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro agreed to an exchange of prisoners being held on espionage charges. In addition, Washington and Havana agreed to hold discussions with the goal of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. No agreement was reached on ending the U.S. embargo on Cuba, a step that requires congressional approval.
It was a modest agreement, striking only because there was any agreement at all. U.S.-Cuba relations had been frozen for decades, with neither side prepared to make significant concessions or even first moves. The cause was partly the domestic politics of each country that made it easier to leave the relationship frozen. On the American side, a coalition of Cuban-Americans, conservatives and human rights advocates decrying Cuba's record of human rights violations blocked the effort. On the Cuban side, enmity with the United States plays a pivotal role in legitimizing the communist regime. Not only was the government born out of opposition to American imperialism, but Havana also uses the ongoing U.S. embargo to explain Cuban economic failures. There was no external pressure compelling either side to accommodate the other, and there were substantial internal reasons to let the situation stay as it is.
The Cubans are now under some pressure to shift their policies. They have managed to survive the fall of the Soviet Union with some difficulty. They now face a more immediate problem: uncertainty in Venezuela. Caracas supplies oil to Cuba at deeply discounted prices. It is hard to tell just how close Cuba's economy is to the edge, but there is no question that Venezuelan oil makes a significant difference. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government is facing mounting unrest over economic failures. If the Venezuelan government falls, Cuba would lose one of its structural supports. Venezuela's fate is far from certain, but Cuba must face the possibility of a worst-case scenario and shape openings. Opening to the United States makes sense in terms of regime preservation.
The U.S. reason for the shift is less clear. It makes political sense from Obama's standpoint. First, ideologically, ending the embargo appeals to him. Second, he has few foreign policy successes to his credit. Normalizing relations with Cuba is something he might be able to achieve, since groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce favor normalization and will provide political cover in the Republican Party. But finally, and perhaps most important, the geopolitical foundations behind the American obsession with Cuba have for the most part evaporated, if not permanently than at least for the foreseeable future. Normalization of relations with Cuba no longer poses a strategic threat. To understand the U.S. response to Cuba in the past half century, understanding Cuba's geopolitical challenge to the United States is important.
Cuba's Strategic Value
The challenge dates back to the completion of the Louisiana Purchase by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. The Territory of Louisiana had been owned by Spain for most of its history until it was ceded to France a few years before Napoleon sold it to the United States to help fund his war with the British. Jefferson saw Louisiana as essential to American national security in two ways: First, the U.S. population at the time was located primarily east of the Appalachians in a long strip running from New England to the Georgia-Florida border. It was extremely vulnerable to invasion with little room to retreat, as became evident in the War of 1812. Second, Jefferson had a vision of American prosperity built around farmers owning their own land, living as entrepreneurs rather than as serfs. Louisiana's rich land, in the hands of immigrants to the United States, would generate the wealth that would build the country and provide the strategic depth to secure it.
What made Louisiana valuable was its river structure that would allow Midwestern farmers to ship their produce in barges to the Mississippi River and onward down to New Orleans. There the grain would be transferred to oceangoing vessels and shipped to Europe. This grain would make the Industrial Revolution possible in Britain, because the imports of mass quantities of food freed British farmers to work in urban industries.
In order for this to work, the United States needed to control the Ohio-Missouri-Mississippi river complex (including numerous other rivers), the mouth of the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico, and the exits into the Atlantic that ran between Cuba and Florida and between Cuba and Mexico. If this supply chain were broken at any point, the global consequences — and particularly the consequences for the United States — would be substantial. New Orleans remains the largest port for bulk shipments in the United States, still shipping grain to Europe and importing steel for American production.
For the Spaniards, the Louisiana Territory was a shield against U.S. incursions into Mexico and its rich silver mines, which provided a substantial portion of Spanish wealth. With Louisiana in American hands, these critical holdings were threatened. From the American point of view, Spain's concern raised the possibility of Spanish interference with American trade. With Florida, Cuba and the Yucatan in Spanish hands, the Spaniards had the potential to interdict the flow of produce down the Mississippi.
Former President Andrew Jackson played the key role in Jeffersonian strategy. As a general, he waged the wars against the Seminole Indians in Florida and seized the territory from Spanish rule — and from the Seminoles. He defended New Orleans from British attack in 1814. When he became president, he saw that Mexico, now independent from Spain, represented the primary threat to the entire enterprise of mid-America. The border of Mexican Texas was on the Sabine River, only 193 kilometers (120 miles) from the Mississippi. Jackson, through his agent Sam Houston, encouraged a rising in Texas against the Mexicans that set the stage for annexation.
But Spanish Cuba remained the thorn in the side of the United States. The Florida and Yucatan straits were narrow. Although the Spaniards, even in their weakened state, might have been able to block U.S. trade routes, it was the British who worried the Americans most. Based in the Bahamas, near Cuba, the British, of many conflicting minds on the United States, could seize Cuba and impose an almost impregnable blockade, crippling the U.S. economy. The British depended on American grain, and it couldn't be ruled out that they would seek to gain control over exports from the Midwest in order to guarantee their own economic security. The fear of British power helped define the Civil War and the decades afterward.
Cuba was the key. In the hands of a hostile foreign power, it was as effective a plug to the Mississippi as taking New Orleans. The weakness of the Spaniards frightened the Americans. Any powerful European power — the British or, after 1871, the Germans — could easily knock the Spaniards out of Cuba. And the United States, lacking a powerful navy, would not be able to cope. Seizing Cuba became an imperative of U.S. strategy. Theodore Roosevelt, who as president would oversee America's emergence as a major naval power — and who helped ensure the construction of the Panama Canal, which was critical to a two-ocean navy — became the symbol of the U.S. seizure of Cuba in the Spanish-American War of 1898-1900.
With that seizure, New Orleans-Atlantic transit was secured. The United States maintained effective control over Cuba until the rise of Fidel Castro. But the United States remained anxious about Cuba's security. By itself, the island could not threaten the supply lines. In the hands of a significant hostile power, however, Cuba could become a base for strangling the United States. Before World War II, when there were some rumblings of German influence in Cuba, the United States did what it could to assure the rise of former Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, considered an American ally or puppet, depending on how you looked at it. But this is the key: Whenever a major foreign power showed interest in Cuba, the United States had to react, which it did effectively until Castro seized power in 1959.
The Soviet Influence
If the Soviets were looking for a single point from which they could threaten American interests, they would find no place more attractive than Cuba. Therefore, whether Fidel Castro was a communist prior to seizing power, it would seem that he would wind up a communist ally of the Soviets in the end. I suspect he had become a communist years before he took power but wisely hid this, knowing that an openly communist ruler in Cuba would revive America's old fears. Alternatively, he might not have been a communist but turned to the Soviets out of fear of U.S. intervention. The United States, unable to read the revolution, automatically moved toward increasing its control. Castro, as a communist or agrarian reformer or whatever he was, needed an ally against U.S. involvement. Whether the arrangement was planned for years, as I suspect, or in a sudden rush, the Soviets saw it as a marriage made in heaven.
Had the Soviets never placed nuclear weapons in Cuba, the United States still would have opposed a Soviet ally in control of Cuba during the Cold War. This was hardwired into American geopolitics. But the Soviets did place missiles there, which is a story that must be touched on as well.
The Soviet air force lacked long-range strategic bombardment aircraft. In World War II, they had focused on shorter range, close air support aircraft to assist ground operations. The United States, engaging both Germany and Japan from the air at long range, had extensive experience with long-range bombing. Therefore, during the 1950s, the United States based aircraft in Europe, and then, with the B-52 in the continental United States, was able to attack the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons. The Soviets, lacking a long-range bomber fleet, could not retaliate against the United States. The balance of power completely favored the United States.
The Soviets planned to leapfrog the difficult construction of a manned bomber fleet by moving to intercontinental ballistic missiles. By the early 1960s, the design of these missiles had advanced, but their deployment had not. The Soviets had no effective deterrent against a U.S. nuclear attack except for their still-underdeveloped submarine fleet. The atmosphere between the United States and the Soviet Union was venomous, and Moscow could not assume that Washington would not use its dwindling window of opportunity to strike safely against the Soviets.
The Soviets did have effective intermediate range ballistic missiles. Though they could not reach the United States from the Soviet Union, they could cover almost all of the United States from Cuba. The Russians needed to buy just a little time to deploy a massive intercontinental ballistic missile and submarine force. Cuba was the perfect spot from which to deploy it. Had they succeeded, the Soviets would have closed the U.S. window of opportunity by placing a deterrent force in Cuba. They were caught before they were ready. The United States threatened invasion, and the Soviets had to assume that the Americans also were threatening an overwhelming nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. They had to back down. As it happened, the United States intended no such attack, but the Soviets could not know that.
Cuba was seared into the U.S. strategic mentality in two layers. It was never a threat by itself. Under the control of a foreign naval power, it could strangle the United States. After the Soviet Union tried to deploy intermediate range ballistic missiles there, a new layer was created in which Cuba was a potential threat to the American mainland, as well as to trade routes. The agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union included American guarantees not to invade Cuba and Soviet guarantees not to base nuclear weapons there. But Cuba remained a problem for the United States. If there were a war in Europe, Cuba would be a base from which to threaten American control of the Caribbean, and with it, the ability to transit ships from the U.S. Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic. The United States never relieved pressure on Cuba, the Soviets used it as a base for many things aside from nuclear weapons (we assume), and the Castro regime clung to the Soviets for security while supporting wars of national liberation, as they were called, in Latin America and Africa that served Soviet strategic interests.
Post-Soviet Cuba
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Castro lost his patron and strategic guarantor. On the other hand, Cuba no longer threatened the United States. There was an implicit compromise. Since Cuba was no longer a threat to the United States but could still theoretically become one, Washington would not end its hostility toward Havana but would not actively try to overthrow it. The Cuban government, for its part, promised not to do what it could not truly do anyway: become a strategic threat to the United States. Cuba remained a nuisance in places like Venezuela, but a nuisance is not a strategic threat. Thus, the relationship remained frozen.
Since the Louisiana Purchase, Cuba has been a potential threat to the United States when held by or aligned with a major European power. The United States therefore constantly tried to shape Cuba's policies, and therefore, its internal politics. Fidel Castro's goal was to end American influence, but he could only achieve that by aligning with a major power: the Soviets. Cuban independence from the United States required a dependence on the Soviets. And that, like all relationships, carried a price.
The exchange of prisoners is interesting. The opening of embassies is important. But the major question remains unanswered. For the moment, there are no major powers able to exploit Cuba's geographical location (including China, for now). There are, therefore, no critical issues. But no one knows the future. Cuba wants to preserve its government and is seeking a release of pressure from the United States. At the moment, Cuba really does not matter. But moments pass, and no one can guarantee that it will not become important again. Therefore, the U.S. policy has been to insist on regime change before releasing pressure. With Cuba set on regime survival, what do the Cubans have to offer? They can promise permanent neutrality, but such pledges are of limited value.
Cuba needs better relations with the United States, particularly if the Venezuelan government falls. Venezuela's poor economy could, theoretically, force regime change in Cuba from internal pressure. Moreover, Raul Castro is old and Fidel Castro is very old. If the Cuban government is to be preserved, it must be secured now, because it is not clear what will succeed the Castros. But the United States has time, and its concern about Cuba is part of its DNA. Having no interest now, maintaining pressure makes no sense. But neither is there an urgency for Washington to let up on Havana. Obama may want a legacy, but the logic of the situation is that the Cubans need this more than the Americans, and the American price for normalization will be higher than it appears at this moment, whether set by Obama or his successor.
We are far from settling a strategic dispute rooted in Cuba's location and the fact that its location could threaten U.S. interests. Therefore, opening moves are opening moves. There is a long way to go on this issue.
Read more: The Geopolitics of U.S.-Cuba Relations | Stratfor
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The Lawless Manipulation of Bullion Markets by Public Authorities
The Lawless Manipulation of Bullion Markets by Public Authorities
By Paul Craig Roberts and Dave Kranzler
Airline Boss Says MH370 Taken Out by U.S. Military
Airline Boss Says MH370 Taken Out by U.S. Military
“September 11-style” terror attack feared on military base at Diego Garcia
Airline Boss Says MH370 Taken Out by U.S. Military
RT and the International Business Times in Australia will cover it, but The New York Times and The Washington Post won’t touch it with a ten foot pole.
Former Proteus Airlines boss Marc Dugain believes the mysterious disappearance of MH370 on March 8, 2014 was the work of the United States military.
The latest statement on the doomed airline flight follows that of Emirates president and CEO Sir Tim Clark who made world headlines in October when he questioned official explanations.
Dugain speculates the flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport, People's Republic of China was taken out because the U.S. feared a “September 11-style” hijacked aircraft attack on the U.S. naval support and satellite communications base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The atoll is currently home to 1700 military personnel and 1500 civilian contractors.
U.S. naval support and satellite communications base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Photo: NASA
Previous speculation about the U.S. downing the aircraft and killing 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 15 nations has been dismissed by the United States government. It insists the aircraft was nowhere near the remote atoll.
Dugain, however, cites the testimony of residents of the Maldives. On March 8, they reported a commercial aircraft heading toward Diego Garcia, but those claims were discounted. In addition, a fisherman on Kudahuvadhoo island told him a “huge plane … with red and blue stripes on a white background” had flown overhead at a low altitude.
Dugain also said he was shown photos “of a strange object that had washed up on a beach of neighboring Baraah island,” according to, an Australian website. “According to Dugain, two aviation experts and a military officer believed the object was an empty Boeing fire extinguisher, but the mystery object was subsequently seized by the Maldives military.”
Other theories on the disappearance have been floated, including a claim by the media in China that they had received an open letter claiming to be from the leader of the Chinese Martyrs Brigade, a previously unknown group. The group said it downed the aircraft in response to the Chinese government's response to the knife attacks at Kunming railway station on 1 March 2014 and as part of a wider separatist campaign against Chinese control over Xinjiang province.
The message was received through Hushmail, a PGP-encrypted web-based email service that is virtually impossible to trace. "You kill one of our clan, we will kill 100 of you as pay back,” the message reportedly read.
A CNN poll conducted in May revealed a number of theories on the disappearance.
Nearly 60% believe terrorists were involved, while 52% said mechanical error disabled the aircraft.
This Was One Of The Biggest Lies Ever Told
It’s known as “the largest airborne transfer of currency in the history of the world” and is the subject of one of the largest financial mysteries of all time
This Was One Of The Biggest Lies Ever Told
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Throughout history the elite have used geopolitics to line their pockets, influencing events and controlling the narrative to sneak through their greedy plans. This is one of the worst examples ever.
As Dick Cheney makes the rounds defending his inhumane torture policies on every talk show he can visit, we should take a look back and see what he’s really covering for.
All lies aside about why we went into Iraq, each time there is an open secret that points to the real reason. It’s common knowledge that the collusion between defense companies, oil companies, logistics companies, like Halliburton, and the US government was an unholy union meant to drain the taxpayers coffers and enrich those with their hands on the levers of power. Let’s take a look at a few of the most egregious larcenies.
In 2006, Andrew Natsios, administrator of USAID, went on a publicity tour to assuage American fears that the impending war and its aftermath were perfectly reasonable expenditures for the American taxpayer. In this Nightline interview with Ted Koppel he brazenly makes the ludicrous case that the reconstruction of Iraq would cost only $1.7bn. Koppel is so incredulous, he returns to the subject three times, and each time Natsios gets more and more adamant. With the benefit of hindsight its clear now that not only was this a bold face lie, but one that any rational person could have seen through.
It’s known as “the largest airborne transfer of currency in the history of the world” and is the subject of one of the largest financial mysteries of all time. Beginning at the start of the Iraq war, the New York Federal Reserve started flying in billions of dollars in hard cash under the guise of paying for the restoration of basic services.
In east Rutherford, New Jersey, pallets were packed with fresh loads of newly minted greenbacks, trucked to Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington and then flown on military transports directly to Baghdad International Airport.
The NY Fed shipped approximately $40 billion in cash between 2003 and 2008. In just the first two years, the shipments included more than 300 million individual bills weighing a total of 363 tons.
Since then there have been audits, congressional hearing and investigations that can barely account for a small percentage of where that money actually ended up. The accounts of the time relate an environment awash in hundred dollar bills, contractors paid in duffel bags full of millions in cash and no accounting or chain of custody.
Details of the shipments have emerged in a memorandum prepared for the meeting of the House committee on oversight and government reform. Its chairman, Henry Waxman, a fierce critic of the war, said the way the cash had been handled was mind-boggling. “The numbers are so large that it doesn’t seem possible that they’re true. Who in their right mind would send 363 ton’s of cash into a war zone?”
While the bulk of this money most certainly flowed into the pockets of the contractors and the stakeholders of the reconstruction, we’ll never really know because it has been shrouded in mystery and will now recede into the mists of time as America forgets about the torture, and quickly becomes indignant about the censorship of a B-level comedy.
The end of this story is where Halliburton and its subsidiaries were paid the lion’s share of the almost $400 billion dollars that has been spent in Iraq. And what do we have to show for it? A fractured state that is rapidly regressing back to its bloody tribal history and another fertile breeding ground for the next generation of manufactured Jihadis. A flawless victory by Cheney and his compatriots. We can only hope that the American people awake from their slumber and become enraged by the lies and rampant graft that is inherent in the current system. We should remember these incidents as we go forward as a nation and do our best to vilify and prosecute those who would be so brazen as to take our lives and treasure in their own pursuit of wealth.
Supreme Court: Police Can Make Up Laws And Violate Rights
Justices rule that a “mistaken understanding” of the law is reasonable
Supreme Court: Police Can Make Up Laws And Violate Rights
The Supreme Court ruled this week that police officers will not be held accountable for violating the rights of Americans if they have a “mistaken understanding” of legislation.
In other words, if a cop doesn’t know the law, they can do whatever they want to you.
The ruling stems from an incident in 2009 when a police officer violated the Fourth Amendment by stopping and searching a driver’s vehicle after making up his own law.
The New York Times reports:
The driver gave officer Matt Darisse consent to search the vehicle, in which he found a bag of cocaine. The cop stole the drugs, according to the filing, but would not have been able to do so had the illegal traffic stop not occurred in the first instance.
Eight of the nine Justices of the court agreed that Darisse’s mistaken understanding of the law was reasonable, and therefore the traffic stop was valid.
Sonia Sotomayor was the one justice who disagreed, noting that the ruling “means further eroding the Fourth Amendment’s protection of civil liberties in a context where that protection has already been worn down.”
In a written statement, Chief Justice Roberts claimed that the court’s decision “does not discourage officers from learning the law,” arguing that only objectively reasonable mistakes would be acceptable.
“An officer can gain no Fourth Amendment advantage,” the chief justice wrote, “through a sloppy study of the laws he is duty-bound to enforce.”
While the Supreme Court has upheld the right to film police officers, it has also ruled this year that police can stop US drivers based purely on anonymous tip offs. Indeed, over the past decade, the court has routinely ruled in lockstep with the trend toward a police state.
John W. Whitehead of rights group The Rutherford Institute provides an excellent in depth analysis on the court’s latest ruling and how it enables a power overreach in law enforcement.
Don’t Miss Live Infowars Coverage of Saturday’s Big Anti-Police State Protest
Americans to send a powerful message against militarization of cops
Don't Miss Live Infowars Coverage of Saturday's Big Anti-Police State Protest
Protesters in Spokane, Washington are set to send a resounding message on Saturday that Americans will not tolerate the militarization of domestic law enforcement and Infowars will be live on the ground to cover this exciting event.
Infowars reporters Darrin McBreen, Joe Biggs and Josh Owens will be bringing you live coverage of the ‘We Will Not Comply’ rally which will take place outside the Spokane Valley Police Department on East Sprague Avenue.
The demonstration will send a powerful message to the Spokane Valley Police Department that the use of armored militarized vehicles previously seen in places like Iraq and Afghanistan are not welcome on the streets of America.
A shocking video which went viral earlier this month featured a Spokane Sheriff’s Deputy defending the use of an MRAP armored vehicle by saying it was needed to deal with the threat posed by “constitutionalists”.
The video, exclusively obtained by, prompted thousands of comments and a 9 minute video response from Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich in which he claimed that the video was being taken out of context.
The footage shows a Spokane Valley resident asking why police need vehicles that are designed for fighting foreign enemies abroad.
Spokane Valley Republican Representative Matthew Shea responded to the video by asking, “Will law abiding citizens who love the Constitution and Rule of Law be hunted down with MRAPs?”
Knezovich’s failure to apologize for the comments and his doubling down on the issue only prompted further anger, leading Scott Maclay, president of the Rattlesnakes Motorcycle Club, to organize the protest.
This is going to be a fantastic event and you’ll be able to watch it all unfold live at and on the AlexJonesLive and RealAlexJones Ustream channels from tomorrow afternoon onwards.
Watch the videos below for special reports and interviews from the Infowars crew on the scene in Spokane, Washington.
Staff Picks: Favorite Alex Jones Rants
Is your favorite on the list?
Staff Picks: Favorite Alex Jones Rants
Multiple members of the Infowars staff were asked to choose what their all-time favorite Alex Jones rant was.
In no particular order, here are the four most popular picks!
1. The Justin Bieber rant
Arguably his best known rant, Alex blasted the world’s obsession with manufactured plastic heroes as opposed to the real trailblazers of history in this epic 2011 tirade.
Memorable quote: “I mean, kids, Magellan is a lot cooler than Justin Bieber! He circumnavigated, with one ship, the entire planet!”
2. The Kony Trendies
Responding to Kony 2012′s Pentagon-scripted propaganda, Alex blasted the viral scam’s obvious deception and the mindless trendies used to push it.
Memorable quote: “Chicken neck weakness is like a god now, and being totally passive and being a huge jellyfish slacker who looks like a fried egg in a chair. That is the culture of this, the worship of being destroyed.”
3. The FBI Rant
After the FBI approached an Infowars employee and began demanding information on Alex in 2012, Jones delivered a fiery rant in response to the nefarious encounter.
Memorable quote: “Get this through your fat brains, I am an American patriot! I am the good guy!”
4. The Demonic Mustache
Another 2012 rant surrounded federal and police corruption and how agencies become consumed when accountability goes out the window.
Memorable quote: “And all the average feds care about is dressing up in black uniforms and having mustaches and staring at people.”
Was your favorite on the list? Comment below with your favorite rant!
ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit 2014: Towards an “Asian Community”?
No. 251/2014 dated 23 December 2014
ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit 2014:
Towards an “Asian Community”?
By Sukjoon Yoon
ASEAN and South Korea recently held a summit to mark 25 years of partnership. President Park Geun-hye spoke confidently of ASEAN and South Korea working together to build a multilateral “Asian Community”.
ASEAN and South Korea held their commemorative summit in Busan on 11-12 December 2014, seeking to strengthen their increasingly important partnership amid growing uncertainties in the region. The 21st century is predicted to be an Asian century, so can ASEAN and South Korea help to realise an “Asian Community”?
What steps can they take to leverage their middle-power status to promote economic, cultural and security integration in the region? Can they become the bridge between Northeast and Southeast Asia?
Why an “Asian Community”
Under the theme of “Building Trust and Bringing Happiness”, the Commemorative Summit celebrated the growing economic significance of the region. Asian nations recorded GDP growth exceeding five percent between 2007 and 2013, and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is being launched next year. South Korea also presented its vision for the future with President Park’s Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation Initiative, which is based on the foreign policy philosophy of trustpolitik.
In line with this, there is growing enthusiasm for the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which Seoul hopes can lead to an “East Asian Economic Community”. With the US’ pivot to Asia strategy and China’s assertive behaviour, ASEAN and South Korea have acquired increasing geostrategic importance. Both have been seeking to build networks with other middle powers – with India, Australia, and perhaps Japan. Can this be a step towards developing an “Asian Security Community” based on mutual economic interdependence?
South Korea and several ASEAN members are former colonies, and this experience of dealing with great powers should prove useful in confronting the rise of China. There is also great potential for socio-cultural exchanges, for example South Korea is promoting its Saemaul Undong rural development programme, and the Korean Wave is popular throughout ASEAN. Similar middle classes are beginning to emerge throughout the Asia-Pacific, and frequent person-to-person interchanges through business and tourism are building a resource of soft power.
Cornerstones of an "Asian Community”
Two-way trade between ASEAN and South Korea went from US$8.2 billion in 1989 to US$135 billion in 2013. ASEAN has rich natural resources and an increasingly educated labour force while South Korea can provide technology and manufacturing investment.
Even more important than these economic interactions is the vision shared by ASEAN and South Korea for an Asian Community comparable with the European Union but with values based on the "Asian Way”. ASEAN is an established centre for multilateral integration, responsible for initiating the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit, the Asia-Europe Meeting (AEM), and the ASEAN+3 involving China, Japan and South Korea.
Seoul can also play an important role in binding the North and South sub-regions into the kind of future Asian Community implied by the “Vision Statement” of the Busan summit. As the two great powers – China and the US - struggle for hegemony, ASEAN and South Korea are seeking to set an example of prosperous and peaceful cooperation: South Korea has established a reputation as the a reliable security partner, and ASEAN has a population of 640 million and a GDP of US$3 trillion.
Although South Korea cannot offer the large-scale contributions or financial investments which China and Japan supply to the 10 members of ASEAN, it is still an appealing partner. ASEAN is currently heavily dependent upon the Chinese market, which is showing signs of an economic downturn, and South Korean trade and investment provides a useful diversification. Moreover, these emerging (ASEAN) and established (South Korean) middle powers enjoy dynamic and promising economic and trade opportunities with all the nations of the region.
Enhanced security cooperation
South Korea and ASEAN are targeting US$200 billion in two-way trade by 2020, but a closer partnership can also tackle regional security issues. In the closing joint statement of the Commemorative Summit, the 11 leaders of South Korea and ASEAN agreed to strengthen their mutual security cooperation on various regional challenges, including maritime security and Korean affairs.
The ARF is the only multilateral security platform which North Korea is a member of, so ASEAN is a valuable intermediary between the Asia-Pacific region and the wider world. They can help to manage tensions not only for the Cold-War hangover on the Korean Peninsula, but also among the Northeast Asian countries. However, three members of the ARF – Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos – voted against the recent UN resolution condemning North Korean human rights violations, and this should remind South Korea of the importance of securing ASEAN’s support on North Korean issues.
Moreover, the South China Sea issues between China and some ASEAN members are also significant for South Korea and Japan, since they threaten the freedom of the seas upon which Northeast Asian economies depend. In fact, the South China Sea is both economically and geostrategically essential for the whole of East Asia, yet it remains a very dangerous flashpoint in which a catastrophic physical confrontation could erupt at any time. Ultimately such disputes must be resolved through a law-based framework.
Bridging Northeast and Southeast Asia
ASEAN and South Korea should utilise their multi-faceted relationship to promote a vision of the future in which the Asian Community is united economically, strategically and culturally.
In recent years Southeast Asia has become the strategic space in which the regional great powers, the US and China, compete, with Japan and India also vying to expand their economic and political influence.
Meanwhile, less attention has been paid to the geostrategic importance of Northeast Asia. Arguably, the single most important outcome of the 2014 ASEAN-South Korea Commemorative Summit was the articulation of a firm intention to bridge the gaps between Northeast and Southeast Asia, and to initiate a new regional order of prosperous and peaceful cooperation.
Captain (ROK Navy Ret.) Sukjoon Yoon is a Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy and a visiting Professor at the Department of Defense Systems Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul.
Click HERE to read this commentary online.
Russia, China mock divide and rule
Russia, China mock divide and rule
By Pepe Escobar
As Mars took over, in a frenetic acceleration of history, I retreated to my Pantheon room trying to channel Seneca; from euthymia - interior serenity - to that state of imperturbability the Stoics defined as aponia. Still, it's hard to cultivate euthymia when Cold War 2.0 rages.
Show me your imperturbable missile
Russia could outmaneuver Western financial markets by cutting them off from its wealth of oil and natural gas. The markets would inevitably collapse - uncontrolled chaos for the Empire of Chaos (or "controlled chaos", in Putin's own words). Imagine the crumbling of the quadrillion-plus of derivatives. It would take years for the "West" to replace Russian oil and natural gas, but the EU's economy would be instantly devastated.
Just this lightning-bolt Western attack on the rouble - and oil prices - using the crushing power of Wall Street firms had already shaken European banks exposed to Russia to the core; their credit default swaps soared. Imagine those banks collapsing in a Lehman Brothers-style house of cards if Russia decided to default - thus unleashing a chain reaction. Think about a non-nuclear MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) - in fact warless. Still, Russia is self-sufficient in all kinds of energy, mineral wealth and agriculture. Europe isn't. This could become the lethal result of war by sanctions.
Darkness dawns at the break of chaos
From a room in imperial Rome to a room in a peacefulhutong - a lateral reminiscence of imperial China. In Rome, the barbarians swarm inside the gates, softly pillaging the crumbs of such a rich heritage, and that includes the local Mafia. In Beijing, the barbarians are kept under strict surveillance; of course there's a Panopticon element to it, essential to assure internal social peace. The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) - ever since the earth-shattering reforms by the Little Helmsman Deng Xiaoping - is perfectly conscious that its Mandate of Heaven is directly conditioned by the perfect fine-tuning of nationalism and what we could term "neoliberalism with Chinese characteristics".
Meanwhile, frenzy is the norm. Apart from the two monster, US$725 billion gas deals - Power of Siberia and Altai pipeline - and a recent New Silk Road-related offensive in Eastern Europe, [4] virtually no one in the West remembers that in September Chinese Prime Minister Li Keiqiang signed no fewer than 38 trade deals with the Russians, including a swap deal and a fiscal deal, which imply total economic interplay.
1. See here.
Pepe Escobar's latest book, just out, is Empire of Chaos. Follow him on Facebook
He may be reached at
Beijing established South China Sea ADIZ in secret: Kanwa
Beijing established South China Sea ADIZ in secret: Kanwa
Staff Reporter
Want China Times
The East China Sea ADIZ (blue hashes) and what may be an undeclared ADIZ in the South China Sea in red. (Photo/China Times)
China secretly set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the disputed South China Sea before the incident in August where a PLA Navy Air Force’s J-11 fighter intercepted a US P-8 patrol aircraft, according to Kanwa Defense Review, a Chinese-language military magazine based in Canada.
Atr the same time, Beijing has been seeking to improve its relations with Southeast Asian nations through holding the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Beijing. Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia may have refused to send representatives to Beijing to attend the meeting in November if China had announced it had decreed that the entire airspace over the South China Sea should be subject to its inspection.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Financial Imperialists Attack Russia Financial Market Manipulation Is The New Trend: Can It Continue?
Financial Imperialists Attack Russia
Financial Market Manipulation Is The New Trend: Can It Continue?
By Paul Craig Roberts
For as long as governments and banks can rig the markets.
See also
Russia to supply banks with up to $6.54bn to fight off crisis: Banks in Russia will get a government boost to finance debt and projects as the country risks recession. On Friday, the State Duma passed the last two readings of a law to allocate up to 10 percent, or $6.54 billion, from a sovereign wealth fund. The law is essentially a bank bailout from the Ministry of Finance.
China Prepares To Bailout Russia: It would mark the first time China is called upon to use its currency to bail out another currency in crisis. The deal was signed by the two central banks in October, when Premier Li Keqiang visited Russia.
Investment to build ties with Europe: China is contemplating a fresh investment drive into Central and Eastern Europe to place its relations with Europe on a firmer footing.
Dumping the dollar: Video - China and other economies in the emerging world are intent on freeing themselves from the stranglehold of the US dollar. Is it only a matter of time before the Chinese currency seriously challenges the dollar? |
How to Manage your Stress Positively
The Upside of Stress: Managing Stress Positively
Authored by DesiMD Doctor on 4 Oct 2013 - 23:29
Stress can be a friend rather than a foe. It is not alien to anyone, rather experienced by everyone across all demographics – age, sex, colour, occupation, religion or place. The answer lies in how you deal with it. Look at it through a positive lens and address it practically, and it can change your life for the better, say psychologists.
Learning healthier ways of managing stress can do more good than harm. Most important, be aware, identify and assess it right at the beginning. The next step is to change the situation, or if you can’t, then change your reaction to it.
Every individual should find his/her own way to deal with it, though some common factors can be considered to reduce stress, which is to avoid, alter, accept or adapt to the stressor.
Avoid stressor: Though not all stressors can be avoided, yet dealing with it depending on the situation can address it to an extent. Eg. A receptionist in a hospitality industry is meant to be patient and maintain a smiling and a pleasant disposition all day long. Despite being on her feet all day and constantly receiving customers, she has no choice but to deliver what is expected of her. Instead of getting stressed out, it is better to cope with it, by accepting and adapting to that role.
Alter stressor: If a certain job is very demanding, be it your profession or household chores, it is incumbent on you to deliver but without getting stressed. The answer: Take a pause, understand the reason for stress and find a suitable way of addressing it, with an assertive “no” to more demands if it starts affecting your health.
Adapt to stressor: Change yourself, if you cannot change the stressor. Adapting to stressful situations can help you to take charge of it rather than be dictated by it. Changing your attitude or expectation is in your control. Looking at the larger picture can put things in a new perspective. Achieving a certain goal might bring up several hurdles but when the focus is on the end goal, everything that pops up in between will be seen as transient.
Accept the stressor: Some stressors are not avoidable. In such situations it is wise to accept it rather than reject it. Eg. In the case of a death of a loved one or critical illness, stress is best coped by accepting the situation the way it is as it is not under your control to change it.
Find “me” time: Spend time in solitude, gather yourself, reflect and ponder over things you have no time for. Also connecting with nature, music, spending time with family and good friends, reading, travelling, meditating are some of the relaxing techniques to pull up yourself. When you find time for at least a few of these, you are in good shape.
However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to managing stress. Everyone has a unique way of responding to it. The best way to address it is to find your own solution to it after analysing it with different techniques and strategies. Find a source that keeps you calm and relaxed. If dealt this way, stress can tap into your potential to be winner rather than a loser.
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Royal Naval Biography/Bertie, Albemarle
Baronet; Admiral of the White; Knight Commander of the most honourable Military Order of the Bath.
The Berties are supposed to have come from Berteland, on the borders of Prussia, with the Saxon Conquerors. Leopold de Bertie was Constable of Dover Castle in the time of Ethelred, and the village of Berested in Kent is supposed to derive its name from this family.
The subject of this sketch was born Jan. 20, 1755; and in 1778, we find him serving as First Lieutenant of the Fox, a 28-gun frigate, one of the repeaters to Admiral Keppel’s fleet, in the action with that of France under M. d’Orvilliers[1]; and on the trial of the Commander-in-Chief for his conduct on that occasion, Mr. Bertie appears to have been examined respecting the cheering between the Fox and the Formidable, on which so much stress was laid. Subsequent to the above action the Fox was taken, after an obstinate engagement, in which her commander, the Hon. Thomas Windsor, was severely wounded, by la Junon, French frigate, of 32 guns and 220 men.
Our officer obtained Post rank, March 21, 1782, in the Crocodile, of 24 guns, stationed in the Channel. At the time of the Spanish armament, he was appointed to the Latona frigate, and about the year 1792, to the Edgar, of 74 guns, in which latter ship he assisted at the capture of le General Dumourier, a French privateer, and her prize the St. Iago, having on board upwards of two millions of dollars, besides some valuable packages to the amount of between two and three hundred thousand pounds sterling.
Captain Bertie afterwards removed into the Thunderer, of 74 guns, and was present at the defeat of the French fleet by Earl Howe, June 1, 1794[2]. In 1795 we find him serving under the orders of Sir John Borlase Warren, on an expedition to the coast of France[3].
Our officer subsequently commanded the Renown, 74, Windsor Castle, a second rate, and Malta, of 80 guns. He joined the latter vessel in 1801, a period when, in consequence of the immense preparations made by the enemy for the invasion of Great Britain, the government thought it necessary to adopt every method that prudence could dictate for its defence. To this end, among other arrangements, the Malta and another ship of the line, were stationed at St. Helen’s, for the purpose of examining all vessels coming into Portsmouth harbour, and preventing any designs formed by the enemy being carried into effect. During the time the Malta lay at this anchorage, a fire broke out in the Dispensary. The conflagration was spreading in a rapid and alarming manner towards the magazine; when notice being given to Captain Bertie, its further ravages were happily prevented by his calm and collected presence of mind, and effective orders upon the occasion. The alarm and confusion that seized the crew was such as induced many to attempt quitting the ship; but owing to the spirited conduct of her Commander, the whole were soon restored to their former state of tranquillity, on finding all danger was removed by the judicious orders he had given for the purpose.
The Malta was paid off at Plymouth in the spring of 1802; and on the 23rd April 1804, Captain Bertie was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral. After serving for some time in the Channel Fleet, he was appointed to the chief command at the Cape of Good Hope, on which station, and in the Indian Seas, he continued several years, during which the ships under his orders were very successfully employed, as will be seen by referring to the memoirs of Rear-Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, Captain Willoughby, &c.
Our officer was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral April 28, 1808; created a Baronet, Dec. 9, 1812; became a full Admiral, June 4, 1814; and was nominated a K.C.B. Jan. 2, 1815. Sir Albemarle Bertie married, July 1, 1783, Emma, second daughter of the late James Modiford Heywood, of Marristow-House, co. Devon, Esq.; his lady died in March 1805.
Residence.– Nether-Hall, Dadham, Essex.
1. The British and French fleets, under the respective commands of the Hon. Admiral Keppel and M. d’Orvilliers, the former consisting of thirty ships of the line, carrying 2,178 guns, and 18,588 men; the latter of thirty-one ships, mounting 2,216 guns, and manned with 21,950 men, came in sight of each other on the 23rd July, 1778. The French Admiral, who had the advantage of the wind, shewed no inclination for battle, which obliged the British commander to continue chasing to windward until the 27th, when a favourable shift of wind enabled him to fetch the enemy. Upon which M. d’Orvilliers edged down in a close line-of-battle, and opened his fire on the headmost ships. The signal was instantly made to engage, and a furious cannonade was maintained for near two hours, as the fleets passed on contrary tacks. Admiral Keppel then wore to renew the action; but observing that the Formidable, bearing the flag of his second in command, Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, and some other ships of that officer’s division, which had been piincipally engaged, were incapable, from the damages they had sustained, of obeying the signal made for that purpose, he bore down to join them, and formed his line-of-battle a-head. The night was employed in preparing for a renewal of the conflict. At day light the next morning, the body of the enemy’s fleet was only visible from the mast head, steering with all sail set, for Brest. M. d’Orvilliers, to deceive Admiral Keppel, had left three of his fastest sailing ships, with orders to station themselves at proper distances, and to carry the divisional lights of the Flag-Officers. It was in vain for the British Admiral to think of a pursuit, and he therefore returned to port to refit his fleet. The loss sustained by the English in this battle was 133 killed, and 365 wounded. The enemy had 165 slain, and 479 wounded.
Not long after this affair, many violent disputes arose, and unpleasant insinuations were thrown out, relative to the conduct of Admiral Keppel and Sir Hugh Palliser, which ended in a court-martial held on the former, at the instigation of the Vice-Admiral. The trial commenced on the 7th Jan. 1779, and agreeable to an act of parliament passed for the purpose, was held at the Governor’s house at Portsmouth. The court sat until the llth February, when they decided, “that the charge against the. Hon. Admiral Keppel was malicious and ill-founded, it having appeared that the said Admiral, so far from having, by misconduct or neglect of duty on the days therein alluded to, lost an opportunity of rendering essential service to the state, and thereby tarnished the honour of the British navy, behaved as became a judicious, brave, and experienced officer.” On the following day Admiral Keppel received the thanks of both houses of parliament for his eminent services; the city of London also bestowed upon him every mark of honour and respect in its power; and the whole nation resounded with his applause; while the resentment against Sir Hugh Palliser was so strong, that it constrained him to resign all his employments, and retire for a time from public life. But, notwithstanding the high degree of national favour and esteem in which Admiral Keppel now stood, he deemed it prudent to resign his command, and withdraw from a situation wherein he found himself not acceptable to those in power. His resignation was followed by that of Lord Howe, and several others; so great was the aversion to the naval administration of Earl Sandwich and his colleagues, one of whom was Sir Hugh Palliser himself.
2. See p. 75, et seq.
3. See p. 169. |
Hamlet’s Angry Focus Article
Hamlets character improvements his concentrate of the anger through the entire 2 silioguies, " O what a rogue” (1. 2 . 549) and " U this as well sullied flesh” (1. installment payments on your 129). He finds out Claudius killed his father (Hamlet Sir). In the first " O this too also sullied” silidoquey, Hamlet is definitely angry together with his mother. Hamlet is so stressed out he wishes it wasn't a desprovisto to dedicate suicide; he's falling apart. Hamlet is upset and disappointed at Gertrude because of her fast marriage to Claudius (his uncle), right after the death of her husband and Hamlets father, Hamlet Sr. Hamlet understood and saw just how much love Gertrude had intended for Hamlet Sr; following his body around at his funeral. Hamlet feels Gertrude's feelings will be fake with the funeral. Hamlet is also angry at Gertrude because of her frailty, your woman needs a gentleman to meet her sexual joys and her standards happen to be low. This angers Hamlet as Claudius is not really half the person Hamlet Sr. was. This marriage occurred within a month of Hamlet Sr. is actually death, allowing him to rage. After in the enjoy Hamlet complies with with his dad's ghost. At this time Hamlet Sr. reveals to Hamlet that Claudius acquired poisoned (killed) Hamlet Sr. Hamlet Sr. asks his loyal boy to get revenge for the villain (Claudius) that murdered him, therefore changing his raging anger from Gertrude to Claudius. Now, with this information this allows Hamlet to be angrier with his Dad Claudius when he has committed his mother a month FOLLOWING KILLING his father. Hamlet is going to take his anger out on Claudius with vengeance by killing him. Consequently , Hamlets concentrate of the his anger changed from Gertrude to Claudius between your two soliloquies, since the ghosting of Hamlet Sr. exposed the secret of his loss of life to his son. |
I'm making a fantasy game, where one of the character classes is supposed to be called a "Arrow Imbuer". Yet it is marked with a red line on my PC, so I guess I'm writing a word incorrectly.
A short description of what an "Arrow Imbuer" does: a character that can imbue an arrow head with magical powers to deal extra damage.
Is there a word for someone who imbues something?
• If you want to use imbuer, use imbuer. It is a logical word-formation. – Anonym Jul 5 '14 at 2:52
• @Anonym I hesitated because it's marked as incorrect and english isn't my first language, so I wanted to check with people who know not to be ignorant. If you believe that "imbuer" is correct please post it as an answer! :) – Creative Magic Jul 5 '14 at 2:54
• 2
Spelling an agentive form for imbue would be a problem, since the -er agentive suffix wants to attach to a consonant to form another syllable. So intrusive consonants are common; after all, the original Latin and P-I-E suffix was *-ter; since the original form was imbutus, I'd imagine imbutor would be correct. Or correct Latin, at least; the word is rare enough in English to make any formation from it pretty risky unless you're sure your audience is familiar with it. – John Lawler Jul 5 '14 at 3:01
• To be understood at all, you will need to find a suitable synonym for imbue and use the agentive form of that word instead. ('agentive' is red-lined right here! that's another issue, of limited capabilities of spell-checkers.) – Kris Jul 5 '14 at 6:53
The agentive suffix -er can be applied to almost any verb to make an agent noun. Even if the agent noun has not been invented yet, any native speaker will understand it if he knows the corresponding verb. Currently existing examples include the following:
to fight + -er = fighter 'one who fights'
to play + -er = player 'one who plays'
to work + -er = worker 'one who works'
Your invention, imbuer, also fits into this paradigm. In fact, people have probably already been using the word for some time, albeit not enough for it to be included in every spell-checker's dictionary.
to imbue + -er = imbuer 'one who imbues'
If you want to use it, use it! Invention is the heart of language.
• 'Invention' too needs to follow logic. – Kris Jul 5 '14 at 6:57
• 2
@Kris: no, invention doesn't need to follow logic any more than any other aspect of language formation needs to. In terms of language formation invention just has to be cunning enough to not set off the alarm bells in the reader's or hearer's grammaticality-assessing apparatus. – High Performance Mark Jul 5 '14 at 9:40
• 2
@HighPerformanceMark With that being said, invention usually does follow logic - a common pattern, a custom - of some kind. Without that logic, no one could understand language at all. – Anonym Jul 6 '14 at 20:52
Consider endower
Endow means
• Close. However, it brings that financial/ monetary connotation with it, unlike imbue's fluid infusion. – Kris Jul 5 '14 at 6:59
• @Kris The framers of the Declaration of Independence apparently didn't think so: they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. (Yes, I get it. And yes, that was 240 years ago) – bib Jul 5 '14 at 11:41
• You might want to check out the new meta question about attributions. – tchrist Jul 7 '14 at 22:05
Your Answer
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This post originated from Lab 1 of course Compilers: Principles that I’m currently taking, in which we were required to write a flex program to parse a subset of the C language. The multiline comment /* */ was the most troublesome to handle for most of us (excluding me, for sure).
The process
I’ll assume you’ve already drawn a DFA for the multiline-comment structure, so here it is:
DFA for the multiline comment
We’re first going to turn it into “state transformation equations”, so it looks like this:
The first step we’re taking is to realize that $A=S \mid Aa$ is easily found to be equivalent to $A = Sa^*$, where the superscript asterisk means “repeat 0 or more times”. So $B$ can be turned into
Again, the superscript plus means “repeat 1 or more times” as the same in PCRE.
Now it’s time to substitute $B$ with its simplified expression:
Note that there’s a distributive property here, which described using symbols, is that $Aa \mid Ab = A(a\mid b)$, so now we have
Applying the first transformation $A = S \mid Aa = Sa^*$, we have
Now there’s no recursion in the new “state transformation equation”, so we can substitute $A$ with this final expression and get the regular expression for $C$, the result we want:
Converting the above regular expression to code, we now have
C = \/\*([^*]|\*+[^*/])*\*+\/
Try it online with RegEx101!
Now can you imagine how to use regular expressions to match multiples of 3 (base 10)? Yes, it’s entirely possible. See this fantastic article for details, which uses essentially the same techniques to convert a DFA (or a finite-state machine) to a regular expression that does the job. |
Frozen blueberries improves antioxidant availability
July 20, 2019
BLUBERRIES pack a powerful antioxidant punch, whether eaten fresh or from the freezer.
“Blueberries go head to head with strawberries and pomegranates in antioxidant capacity,” said professor Basil Dalaly. In addition, blueberries are second only to strawberries in terms of the fruits.
Blueberries are beneficial for the nervous system and brain, cardiovascular system, eyes and urinary tract.
South Dakota State University graduate Marin Plumb analyzed the content of frozen blueberries and she found that the anthocyanin never decreased on frozen for one, three or even up to five months. She said the anthocyanin in frozen fruit were equally the same fresh berries.
The leaching that occurs from freezing actually increased the anthocyanin concentration. “The ice crystals that form during freezing disrupt the structure of the plant tissue, making the anthocyanins more available.”
Antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, eliminate free radicals, which are produced through common biological reactions within the body and outside factors such as the sun, pesticides and other pollutants, Dalaly explained. If left to roam free, these free radicals can attack DNA, proteins and lipids resulting in cellular changes that lead to development of diseases such as cancer.
“They have a domino effect,” Dalaly said. “That is why we need to consume at least seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day.”
Phytochemicals are the naturally-occurring chemical compounds in fruits and vegetable, many of which have the potential to boost the immune system and impact diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. They said the greener, or redder the fruits or vegetables, the better. (ScienceDaily/South Dakota State University) |
Toward Authentic Partnership: How North-South NGO Partnerships Contribute to Development
Below is a summary of an in depth research paper written by Roland Hoksbergen (November 2002). Please contact World Renew for the full version if interested.
Authentic partnership is characterized by “mutually enabling, inter-dependent interaction with shared intentions,” which implies, “inter alia, a joint commitment to long-term interaction, shared responsibility for achievement, reciprocal obligation, equality, mutuality and balance of power.”
Partnerships are “dynamic relationships where particular roles and responsibilities (in terms of activities and resource allocations) are decided upon collectively and delegated to each member of the partnership, with the recognition that each is dependent on and accountable to the other members.
Partnership is “a working relationship that is characterized by a shared sense of purpose, mutual respect and the willingness to negotiate.”
Characteristics of successful partnerships:
1. mutual trust
2. complementary strengths
3. reciprocal accountability
4. joint decision-making
5. a two-way exchange of information
6. clearly articulated goals
7. equitable distribution of costs and benefits
8. performance indicators and mechanisms to measure and monitor performance
9. clear delineation of responsibilities and a process for adjudicating disputes
10. shared perceptions
11. a notion of mutuality with give-and-take
12. mutual support and constructive advocacy
13. transparency with regard to financial matters
14. long-term commitment to working together
15. recognition of other partnerships
Among the most sensitive of all issues is that of funding, with some observers believing that partnership is impossible when one organization funds the other. No matter how good the personal relationship between the Northern NGO and the Southern NGO, the latter must accept the humiliation of being the receiver of charity. Perforce, there is a relationship of unequals. And inequality never built capacity: it nurtures dependence; it establishes the material basis for dancing to the tune of the donor.
In addition to speaking about global community, it should be pointed out that people in the North also have some things to learn about their own human development from people in the South. Yet when NNGOs talk about partnership and mutual exchange and common mission, they are almost always focused on what is happening in the South. What results is the curious situation that people in both South and North believe they can make important contributions to the well-being of people in other societies, but only Northerners can act on their understanding of mission because they are so much richer in money terms. An authentic partnership, however, will serve to link people so that all participants are sharing with each other and learning from each other. Just as in the South, people in the North also need ownership of and participation in their own development, and they need to be playing roles in civil society. In the process of interacting with people from the South, they can learn more about their own development.
Partners feel a greater sense of equality …
1. The less direct funding there is from World Renew
2. The less dependency there is on World Renew funding
3. The more donors the partner has
4. The more funds the partner raises by itself from local sources
5. The more sensitively World Renew manages the funding relationship
6. The more partner voices are listened to and heard
7. The more partners are truly involved in decision-making
8. The more World Renew manifestly values their contributions
9. The more trust and mutual respect has grown
10. The more frequent and transparent is the communication
11. The less favoritism World Renew seems to show toward other partners
12. The higher is the education level, competency and self-confidence of the partners
13. The more partners lead training sessions for other partners
Among the findings in the World Renew study is how difficult it is for SNGOs to develop a membership base once the SNGO has been sustained with outside funding. When asked why this strategy has proven so difficult, partners respond as follows:
1. SNGOs are so programmed to look outside their local networks for funding that they have not built either the culture or the institutions of charitable giving in their local contexts.
2. The general population in the South, especially those in evangelical churches, has not really caught the vision for holistic ministry and are not inclined to support development ministries.
3. Even if they had the vision, they are too poor to contribute much, and
4. Local organizations funded by outsiders tend to pay their staff at higher rates than local norms require, or than most community members receive, so locals simply do not feel a strong sense of obligation to foot the bill.
There is a long-standing assumption in development work that the development worker is there “to work herself out of a job.” There followed a process of indigenization, which for some meant that their offices throughout the world were increasingly staffed with people from the South, and which for others meant that they would partner with national SNGOs that were springing up throughout the Third World. For those working through SNGOs, the assumption was that the SNGO would now perform the work in communities, while the NNGO would work to build the capacity of its partner SNGO, to the point that the SNGO would one day become self-sustaining. The goal of withdrawal, or phase out, is rarely questioned in the development community. So much is phase out a part of the development mindset that discussions about phase out typically revolve around how to plan for it, not around whether it is a good idea.
And yet within World Renew the idea of phasing out of its work with partners is falling into disfavor, for two main reasons. One is a simple consideration of effectiveness. The question is posed by various World Renew staff as follows: “Why should we withdraw from our work with partners that are extremely effective at a community level, to work instead with fledgling organizations whose effectiveness is low, and whose organizational progress is not assured?” A second reason has much to do with the fact that through the appreciative inquiry process World Renew heard from partners that they value the partnership for reasons beyond mere program effectiveness. To once again quote Andrew Gwairangmin of CRUDAN in Nigeria, “If you’re in partnership with another organization, then you don’t just quit. African culture values friendship, like a brother. You never stop being a brother. Phase out is a project-oriented idea.”
In recent years World Renew staff have wondered why they should quit working with effective partners, they have listened to the calls of their partners to continue working together, and they have increasingly come to understand the kingdom value of partnership. As a result, World Renew has decided to phase out the idea of phase out. The concept of self-reliance is not attractive. When initially formulated as a development goal, self-reliance was sold as a contrast to debilitating and dehumanizing dependency. But self-reliance as an ideal is neither practical nor desirable. Economists know, for example, that the most self-reliant people are also the poorest, because they cannot specialize and gain from the specialization of others. Christians know that people were made by God to live in community with each other. We need each other, and we need to serve each other. That is how we are made. Self-reliant people are both materially and spiritually poor.
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Wilfred Owen (1893–1918)
129 The Sentry
Wilfred Owen
We’d found an old Boche[1] dug-out, and he knew,
And gave us hell, for shell on frantic shell
Hammered on top, but never quite burst through.
Rain, guttering down in waterfalls of slime
Kept slush waist high, that rising hour by hour,
Choked up the steps too thick with clay to climb.
What murk of air remained stank old, and sour
With fumes of whizz-bangs[2], and the smell of men
If not their corpses. . . .
There we herded from the blast
Buffeting eyes and breath, snuffing the candles.
And splashing in the flood, deluging muck—
The sentry’s body; then his rifle, handles
Of old Boche bombs, and mud in ruck on ruck.
We dredged him up, for killed, until he whined
Coaxing, I held a flame against his lids
And said if he could see the least blurred light
He was not blind; in time he’d get all right.
Watch my dreams still; but I forgot him there
In posting next for duty, and sending a scout
To beg a stretcher somewhere, and floundering about
To other posts under the shrieking air.
Those other wretches, how they bled and spewed,
And one who would have drowned himself for good,—
I try not to remember these things now.
Let dread hark back for one word only: how
Half-listening to that sentry’s moans and jumps,
And the wild chattering of his broken teeth,
Renewed most horribly whenever crumps[3]
Pummelled the roof and slogged the air beneath—
Through the dense din, I say, we heard him shout
1. Disparaging term for a German, especially a German soldier.
2. A small-calibre World War I shell that, when discharged, travelled at such a high velocity that the sound of its flight was heard only an instant, if at all, before the sound of its explosion.
3. A shell or bomb.
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Rashidun Empire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Rashidun)
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Rashidun Caliphate
الخلافة الراشدية
Flag of Rashidun
CapitalMedina, Kufa
Common languagesArabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Berber languages, Georgian, Greek, Hebrew, Middle Persian
Amir al-Mu'minin¹
• 632–634
Abu Bakr
• 634–644
• 644–656
• 656–661
• Muhammad's death
• Ali's death
9,000,000 km2 (3,500,000 sq mi)
CurrencyDinar, Dirham
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Rashidun Empire, Islamic Empire (Arabic: الامبراطورية الاسلامية) or Rashidun Caliphate (Arabic: الخلافة الراشدية) are the terms used to describe the empire that was controlled by the first four successors of Muhammad (the "Rightly Guided" caliphs). The empire was founded after Muhammad's death in 632 and lasted until 'Ali's death in 661. At its height, the power of the Rashidun Caliphs extended throughout North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Iranian highlands.
Origin[change | change source]
After Muhammad's death in 632, the Medinan Ansar were debating who -among them- should succeed prophet Muhammad in running the affairs of the Muslims. They chose Abu Bakr. So he became the first Khalifa Rasul Allah (Successor of the Messenger of God), and started a campaigns to for the Muslim Religion. At first he subdued the Arabian tribes which had left the Islamic community. As a Khalifa or Caliph he was not a monarch and never claimed such a title. His three successors also never claimed a title as monarch.
Religion[change | change source]
The state religion was Islam. The non-Muslim people were allowed to practice any religion they want to follow.[1] But the Sharia Law was practiced in the state. Islam was the guiding force of the Caliphate. Any act of state was first to be approved by the Qur’an and the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammed. If there were no such guide lines available then wisdom or Hikmat was used, after which if the act would go against the established principals, norms,system etc. it was not carried on with.
References[change | change source]
1. Christians and Jews as 'people of the Book' had some better treatment than the followers of other reliogions. |
The Appropriate Use of Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategies
As it is known, a company can achieve the competitive advantage by either implementing the cost strategy or the differentiation strategy. The differentiation approach is utilized with the purpose to create and spread the idea that certain products or services are “different, bigger or better than competitors” (Kokemuller 2014a). Meanwhile, the cost strategy is “typically a contrast to a cost-leadership approach where the emphasis on operations and marketing is luring customers with low prices” (Kokemuller 2014a). Michael Porter argues that, in order to become a competitive and profitable firm, while seeking a competitive advantage, it is supposed to choose between the above-stated approaches. The rationale that precedes this claim is the following: the notion of differentiation refers to uniqueness, whereas the cost advantage strategy presumes the beneficial correlation and comparison with other goods and services, which, naturally, implies the diversity (Institute for Manufacturing n.d.). Moreover, an endeavor to differentiate the proposed commodities and services suggests developing a brand. In particular, the companies often apply the notion of luxury and use it as a part of a differentiation advantage, which excludes the approach of cost reduction. Besides, high prices are also used as a positioning strategy since expensive goods are the means of self-positioning and promotion of one’s success and richness. Furthermore, people are known to believe that more expensive commodities are of a better quality; it is the belief that is successfully used by numerous companies with the aim to enhance their profits through increased prices. Naturally, this approach contradicts with an attempt to set the cheapest prices in order to attract customers. Assessing the correlation of the cost advantage and differentiation advantage from this perspective, it becomes clearly visible that a firm must choose that one which correlates better with the company’s goals. Nevertheless, the implied mutual exclusiveness of the cost strategy and the differentiation strategy should not be taken unambiguously since, along with the prevailing strategy, the opposite one can be successfully implemented.
For instance, aiming at setting a higher price, a company is supposed to enhance the value of its products (Kelchner 2014). To succeed with this task, different approaches can be implemented, which are defined by the demand. Specifically, in the more prosperous society, it is relevant to create the image of luxury that would support buyers’ needs to emphasize their social position. Meanwhile, in the community with moderate incomes, it would be more appropriate to emphasize the quality of particular services or goods. The interesting aspect is that the notion of quality often presumes thriftiness. Consider the case, a company builds the brand on the product’s particular characteristics that are known to provide better results, this way, appealing to the clients’ sense of thrift. In this case, the differentiation happens by means of comparison with the other similar goods while pointing to the obvious advantages of the promoted one. For example, “Tide laundry detergent is commonly shown against “alternative” or “other leading” brands to show how Tide performs better at getting dirt out” (Kokemuller 2014a). Assessing these strategies of building a competitive advantage, it is possible to deduce that target buyers’ sense of thrift is typical for both cost and differentiation approaches.
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What is more, setting the cheapest price serves to differentiate and position certain goods over the others because there are several ways of pricing. At the first sight, the rule that in each industry there can be the only one firm which proposes the lowest prices seems to be truthful. Furthermore, it is the only possible valid claim in terms of logic. Nevertheless, the implementation of different pricing approaches makes the opposite become possible. Consider the case, apart from lessening the ‘sticker price’ of a commodity; a company may consider decreasing the amount of product or the terms of services (Perner 2008). In this case, the price may be the lowest, but if one compares the cost per one gram of the product with the similar goods, the cost may be the same or even higher. Moreover, the cheapest prices can be set by means of changing the quality of goods and services. Using this strategy, a company is supposed to find the way to reduce the manufacturing costs of its product (s). Exactly, as in the case of the first example, the lowest price does not presume the similar characteristics while being compared with the identical goods of rivals. On the contrary, the correlation between the price and quality may imply a larger price of the cheaper goods. Finally, the third way to set lower prices suggests changing “the terms of a sale” (Perner 2008). For instance, “firms may begin charging for previously free delivery” (Perner 2008). This sample displays that, meanwhile, the fact that certain goods may be sold for the lowest prices does not mean that the cost is actually the smallest. Besides, it points to the creation of diversity, or in other words, leads to the differentiation.
Furthermore, the relationship between the cost competitive advantage and the differentiation competitive advantage gains a new meaning with the development of the e-businesses. The Internet sale is a modern variation of ‘changing the terms of a sale’ since, in most cases, the e-retailing allows saving money on certain manufacturing aspects, such as delivery, distribution, rental costs and others. Consider the case, “direct sellers like Dell Computer do not rely on wholesalers and retailers to deliver their products to consumers” (Shin 2001). Moreover, conducting business through the Internet allows locating the main office in the area that demands minimal business expenses. Under these terms, the price can be the lowest comparing with the similar products sold in the shops and markets, but, simultaneously, bigger while being compared with the other Internet shops. This peculiarity presumes that striving to accomplish and maintain the competitive advantage, a firm implements two approaches simultaneously. On the one hand, it attracts the clients, who otherwise would shop in their local markets, proposing them the cheapest goods comparing with the prices in their local shops. On the other hand, it has to compete with the other companies that also specialize in the e-retailing and sell similar goods for similar prices; in this case, it is appropriate to refer to the differentiation. For instance, choosing a differentiation competitive strategy, the Internet business may propose certain services for free, this approach helps to promote company's own product(s) and enhance their value (the process of differentiation).
Another example that reveals the complimentary usage of both competitive strategies is the implementation of the price discrimination. Consider the case, there are “two strategies for price discrimination: price lining and smart pricing” (Shin 2001). The smart pricing suggests charging diverse prices depending on the product value, market conditions and peculiarities. For instance, “ charges different prices for different markets by asking customers to enter their zip codes before they can obtain prices” (Shin 2001). It goes without saying that this approach is a strong argument that points to the relativism and ambiguity of the cost competitive strategy. In this case, people from different countries are attracted by the minimal costs, whereas, the same commodities proposed by the same firm at the same time may significantly differ in price. As for the price lining, it is the practice of price differentiation that is utilized to fulfill various clients’ needs. For instance, American Online sets five diverse rates for each category of subscribers (Shin 2001). The above-described approaches of the price lining and smart pricing display that it may be appropriate to integrate the elements of the cost and differentiation competitive strategies. Assessing these examples, it is possible to deduce that certain Internet businesses may elaborate and successfully implement the combination of both smart pricing and price lining. It would help to create a sophisticated multilevel pricing system, which would ensure greater profitability to its owners. Consider the case, the clients may be categorized basing on their buying activity. Simultaneously, this very classification may be elaborated to reflect the bargaining power of different customers. In this case, the most active clients can purchase the desired goods for the cheapest price, whereas, this approach does not exclude the relevance of differentiation (for instance, the site may propose free consulting). As a result, the supposition that “differentiated products give the customer what she wants” can be easily combined with the pricing strategies (Markgraf 2014). Naturally, such integration is more relevant in e-retailing, though the similar division of prices can be traced in the actual retailing within the borders of one state or between different countries. In one word, the rapid growth of the social media and an ever-increasing amount of the Internet users sharpen not only the companies’ choice of competitive strategies, but also require the competitive approaches to be integrated and modified.
Besides, the contemporary businesses strive to move from the red ocean zone, which is characterized by a vast competition, to the blue ocean areas by creating the so-called blue ocean strategies. As a rule, blue ocean strategies presume the integration of conjunctive (less frequently, totally different) spheres of the similar or diverse industries. The implementation of blue ocean strategies dismisses the notion of rivalry; consequently, a firm does not need to seek for a competitive advantage at all. Consider the case, it is known that “in blue oceans, demand is created rather than fought over. There is ample opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid” (Kim & Mauborgne 2004). It means that, even though the Porter’s model remains topical nowadays, the contemporary society requires changes, which presumes the search, elaboration, and implementation of qualitatively new approaches. Therefore, today, a firm is not obligated to choose between the cost competitive approach and the differentiation competitive approach. Moreover, a company may decide to avoid obtaining any competitive advantage at all; instead, it may create the sphere without rivalry.
On the other hand, identifying the strong points of the Porter’s claim, it is appropriate to state that, indeed, in many cases, the above-mentioned approaches may be mutually exclusive. To comprehend this claim, one should observe the performance of the famous and competitive Harley Davidson Motor Company. This firm is known to adhere to the differentiation competitive strategy. This approach presumes that a business leaders “try to differentiate themselves using a wide array of attributes, including overall quality, durability, reliability, style, visual appeal, taste, materials and environmental friendliness” (Kokemuller 2014a). Specifically, Harley Davidson applies to “positioning strategy based on cultural symbols” (Bhasin 2010). Consider the case, one of the company’s crucial strategic decisions is to save the initial design of the Harley motorcycles. This company has a long history and used to supply the participants of the Second World War with its branded motorcycles. Consequently, the decision to save the original design is highly beneficial and creates a strong competitive advantage because the vehicle’s image refers to the American history, emphasizing the strength, masculinity, and devotion to traditions. In addition, to strengthen this feeling, the company decides to produce the motorcycles exclusively on the territory of the United States.
As it is known, the given differentiation strategies help the Harley Davidson Motor Company to create and maintain the reputation of a classy and luxurious brand that remains highly desirable even after a hundred of years. Probably, because of the company’s decision not to change the design of its motorcycles, Harley Davidson vehicles became easily recognizable not only in a country of production, but also abroad. It is appropriate to refer to the success of this company while pointing to the value of differentiation strategy and its incompatibility with the low-cost approach. In addition, this case educates that “when you succeed in providing products and services with a strong reputation to a niche market, you can usually charge premium prices, resulting in high profit margins for your business” (Kokemuller 2014b). Consider the case, the Harley Davidson’s choice to follow the differentiation strategy allows this firm to obtain a significant profit by setting high prices. The loyal customers are ready and willing to pay considerable money because the company succeeded to create the high value of its products. Under such circumstances, it would be suicidal to implement the low-cost strategy. The client base of Harley Davidson does not seek for reduced prices; quite the opposite: their needs are dictated by the desire to stress their classic taste, devotion to luxury, masculinity, strength, respect for traditions and history.
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To other adherents of the differentiation approach belongs a famous company Apple, which is reported to implement its leadership position aiming to promote product advantages (Kokemuller 2014a).Consider the case, “Apple has largely relied on superior technological benefits and innovation in marketing its early 21st century music and mobile devices” (Kokemuller 2014a). Simultaneously, it is known that this company uses inflated prices as one of the central positioning strategies. Considering that Apple is a leader in its field, this choice is justified. Therefore, the company’s attempt to expand its client’s base by means of reduced costs for the Apple products would be unproductive.
Another example of product differentiation is Linux. This firm accentuated the benefits of its products proposing “more tech-savvy computer users who want more control over their computer interface and operations” (Kokemuller 2014c). This approach is known to assure better communication with the Linux’s audience, which is reflected in customers’ loyalty. Taking into account this strategy of product differentiation, it is appropriate to deduce that lowing the costs would have a negative rather than positive impact on this corporation. In particular, being accepted as an equal rival of the Microsoft Word, the Linux’s attempt to lessen the costs would be self-discredit, since the leaders are not expected to utilize the low-cost competitive advantage.
Making a conclusion, one should apprehend that competitive advantage plays a decisive role in a firm’s prosperity. Therefore, it is natural that all companies implement different techniques in order to remain competitive. Nevertheless, it is also necessary to acknowledge the rapid and permanent changeability of the today’s world. Under such conditions, the relevance of the competitive model that was elaborated by Michael Porter more than 30 years ago should be reviewed. Undoubtedly, it remains topical and useful in the contemporary world. The Porter’s statement that attempting to gain the competitive advantage, a business must choose between the cost competitive approach and the differentiation competitive approach, is still greatly implemented in numerous business practices. What is more, the firms that apprehend and accept this peculiarity display significant results, taking the leading positions. Simultaneously, given the modern economic and social processes (globalization, urbanization, the Internet penetration and others) that tend to create numerous red zone oceans and change the global order, it is appropriate to integrate both types of competitive advantage. In particular, striving to achieve success and profitability, a firm is supposed to consider applying the low-cost and differentiation competitive strategies. Nowadays, it may be relevant to use the elements of both approaches with one prevailing, integrate them into a new system, or utilize both low-cost and differentiation strategies in accordance with the market’s demand.
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Akimi - Meaning of Akimi, What does Akimi mean?
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Akimi - Meaning of Akimi
What does Akimi mean?
[ 3 syll. a-ki-mi, ak-imi ] The baby girl name Akimi is pronounced as AA-Kiy-Miy- †. Akimi is largely used in the Japanese language and it is also derived from Japanese origins. The name is of the meaning autumn fruit.
See also the related categories, japanese and fruit (harvest).
Baby names that sound like Akimi include Achima (English), Acima (English), Acimah (English), Agnette, Ahinoam, Ajanae, Ajanee, Ajani (African and Indian), Akamai (Hawaiian), Akane (Japanese), Akemi (Japanese), Akeno (Japanese), Akiane, Akina (Japanese), Akonah, Amaney, Amanie, Amany, Amanye, and Aquene.
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The Pope During The Reformation
Sikhism Diet Spanning a vast region from Kashmir to Bali, thousands of years, diverse peoples and languages as different as Hindi (Indo-European) and Tamil (Dravidian), Hindu dietary customs could hardly be expected to be uniform, and they aren’t. Alley was upset because host Meredith Vieira kicked off an interview meant to promote Alley’s new A&E show, Kirstie
History Of The Catholic Church VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said on Tuesday the Catholic Church had to acknowledge a history of male domination and sexual abuse of women and children and repair its reputation among young. According to tradition, the history of the Catholic Church begins with Jesus Christ and his teachings (c. 4 BC – c. AD
Question: "What was the Protestant Reformation?" Answer: The Protestant Reformation was a widespread theological revolt in Europe against the abuses and totalitarian control of the Roman Catholic Church. Reformers such as Martin Luther in Germany, Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and John Calvin in France protested various unbiblical practices of the Catholic Church and promoted a return.
This close connection of church and state during the Reformation contributed to the emergence of the. Initially, the Reformers questioned the authority of the Pope and Catholic tradition. But if.
(BP) — While Pope Francis visited the United States for the first. Christian preaching was a primary means of communicating the grace of God during the Reformation, Trueman said. He used a shift.
Dec 02, 2009 · The Reformation: England and the “Middle Way” In England, the Reformation began with Henry VIII’s quest for a male heir. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul Henry’s marriage to.
This was not a new concept. The concept appeared in the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux as early as the 1130s. (Oettinger, 2001) During the Reformation, the Pope is described both implicitly and explicitly as the Antichrist. The antichrist is described as having been born in Italy, usually in Rome.
Pope Pius V who succeeded as pope three years after the council ended made these reforms in Catholic Mass. The Mass of Pope Pius V, known today as the Traditional Latin Mass, is thus considered one of the significant products of the Counter Reformation.
On his return trip, the Holy Father fielded questions about a range of subjects, including the role of the Pope Emeritus, the Pan-Orthodox Council, the Reformation, women deaconesses and Brexit.
8 Cardinal Lane Sicklerville Nj The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry’s most comprehensive and. Jesus Christ T V From Dirty Dancing to Jesus Christ Superstar: Ranking How the Internet Felt About All the TV Musical Adaptations From Dirty Dancing to
There, 500 years ago, Martin Luther supposedly nailed up his 95 theses against indulgences, challenging the pope. German during the nation’s ongoing struggle for honour and power. Commemorations of.
Feb 17, 2011 · The Reformation was a culmination of events and circumstances, both here and abroad, which led to a seismic shift in the religious framework of this country.
Soon after leaving law school, Luther entered an Augustinian monastery, a decision he would later attribute to a vow he made during. the Reformation got political – or lethal. Because of the vacuum.
In a gesture of unity among Christians, Pope Francis traveled to Sweden. the Bible from Latin into German. Other Reformation Movements Lutheranism spread through northern Europe, particularly.
This year is the 1989th anniversary (30 AD–2019) of the Death and Resurrection of the Messiah, at Golgotha, on the Mount of Olives!!. In 313, Romulus and Remus were renamed Saints Peter and Paul! In 1119, 9 "Fighting Monks" formed the Knights Templar in Jerusalem!
Here are the events that occurred during the English Reformation matched to their causes: 1. Henry VIII is the supreme head of the church of Ireland -. Parliament passes the Irish Supremacy Act. 2. The pope honors Henry VIII with the title “Defender of the Faith.” – Henry opposes Protestantism and writes a treatise condemning Luther.
The Pope, an ally of the emperor Charles of Spain (1519-1556. but also to limit heterodox prayers and hymns in official Anglican settings. During the Reformation, hymns were probably the most.
no longer as adversaries, after long centuries of estrangement and conflict”. Pope Francis recalled that their meeting was taking place during the fifth centenary of the Reformation.
The History of the Reformation. by R.C. Sproul. “A cesspool of heresies.” This was the judgment rendered by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V on May 26, 1521, shortly after Luther took a.
Pope Leo X (11 December 1475 – 1 December 1521), born Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, was Pope from 9 March 1513 to his death in 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Medici family of Florence, Giovanni was the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, ruler of the Florentine Republic, he was elevated to the cardinalate in 1489. Following the death of Pope Julius II, Giovanni was.
Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, is credited with spawning the Reformation in 1517 when he argued that the Bible (or scripture) was the definitive word on God’s design and purpose, not the Pope.
Pope Francis has said in a new interview that he hopes an Oct. 31 ecumenical commemoration of 500 years of the Reformation in Sweden will bring. that he intentionally chose not to celebrate Mass.
05.03 Christianity On May 8, will you be more likely to vote for Christian candidates who attend church regularly? Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun is the most prominent politician urging you to do just that, Latest breaking news, including politics, crime and celebrity. Find stories, updates and expert opinion. May 01, 2016 · Do we really understand
Read and learn for free about the following article: The Protestant Reformation If you’re seeing this message, it means we’re having trouble loading external resources on our website. If you’re behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains * and * are unblocked.
The Council of Trent. In 1545 the Church opened the Council of Trent to deal with the issues raised by Luther. The Council of Trent was an assembly of high officials in the Church who met (on and off for eighteen years) principally in the Northern Italian town of Trent for 25 sessions.
In this statement, both sides expressed gratitude for “the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation” and recalled that during the year “we begged. 2016, when Pope Francis.
Pope Francis has once again reaffirmed that the priesthood. to mark the anniversary of the launch of the Protestant Reformation. During the visit, Francis participated in ecumenical events with.
Jesus Christ T V From Dirty Dancing to Jesus Christ Superstar: Ranking How the Internet Felt About All the TV Musical Adaptations From Dirty Dancing to Jesus Christ Superstar : Ranking How the Internet Felt About. Atheism After Religion May 27, 2019 · Atheism is not a religion but if it is illegal to ask about someone’s religion, it is
Baptista 4 Goals Liverpool Dejan Lovren put his arm around the England international’s shoulder, walking him over to the Liverpool supporters behind the. 1956 EUROPEAN CUP FINAL The first ever European Cup game took place on the afternoon of 4th September 1955 in Lisbon when Sporting Lisbon played out a 3-3 draw with Partizan Belgrade, and the first European
The question concerning women priests in the Church was asked during the flight back to Rome after the Pope’s Oct. 31-Nov. 1 trip to Sweden to participate in a joint Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of.
Oct 31, 2016 · Pope Francis has taken part in events to commemorate the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation during his trip to Sweden. The Pope appealed to.
Choose an answer and hit ‘next’. You will receive your score and answers at the end. They feared that the Pope would get angry if Spain let the protestants enter the Netherlands. They feared that.
Propaganda during the Reformation, helped by the spread of the printing press throughout Europe and in particular within Germany, caused new ideas, thoughts, and doctrine to be made available to the public in ways that had never been seen before the sixteenth century. The printing press was invented in approximately 1450 and quickly spread to other major cities around Europe; by the time the.
The Church During the Italian Renaissance. Pope Alexander VIAlexander VI, a Borgia pope infamous for his corruption. Churchmen such as Erasmus and Luther proposed reform to the church, often based on Humanist textual criticism of the New Testament. that were at one time Catholic but had been Protestantized during the Reformation.
The Reformation was a period of major religious change and conflict across Europe in the 1500s. In this topic, we explore how the Reformation happened in England and Wales under the Tudors. |
Now in Daugavpils
Daugavpils history
Information has been updated at 07.11.2018, 14:47
History of Daugavpils
Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia, is located on the banks of the Daugava River in the south-eastern part of the country, 232 km away from Riga, the capital of Latvia. The city has changed its name several times: Dinaburg (1275 - 1656; 1667 - 1893), Borisoglebsk (1656 - 1667), Dvinsk (1893-1920), Daugavpils (from 1920).
The origins of the city’s history dates back to the Middle Ages, when German crusaders conquered Latvian lands. The Rhymed Chronicle states that the Dinaburg Castle was founded in 1275 by Ernst von Ratzeburg, the Master of the Livonian Order, on a trade route on the borders of Russian and Polish lands. The castle became an important fortification site, near which a trading settlement was established.
Dinaburg Castle in the 13th century
The Dinaburg Castle was in such a vulnerable position in relation to the lands of the Principality of Polotsk and the Duchy of Lithuania that Russian and Lithuanian army forces tried to destroy it several times. The first battles at the foothill of the castle took place in 1277 when the Duke of Lithuania Troiden tried to besiege the Order Castle for a month without success.
In the 14th-15th century the Dinaburg Castle was repeatedly subjected to the attacks of the troops of the Dukes of Lithuania and Russia, it was destroyed and rebuilt again as the castle played an important strategic role. The Livonian Order did not spare resources for the fortification of the castle. In 1347, the Master of the Order Gosvin Gerik fortified it with four towers.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the Komtur of Dinaburg became one of the most influential persons of the Livonian Order. During this period, using the garrison of the Dinaburg Castle, the Livonian Order attacked Russian lands several times, threatening to Pskov and Novgorod. However, after adding them to the Principality of Moscow, the Grand Prince of Moscow Ivan III, in order to ensure safety on the western borders, began a crusade to Livonia. At the beginning of the 15th century Livonia lost its grandeur and experienced a decline. In 1481 twenty thousand large army of Ivan III took the Dinaburg Castle for a short period. Under the conditions of a peace treaty between Ivan III and the Master of Order Walter von Plettenberg, all conquered territories were returned to Livonia, which, in turn, had to pay tribute to the Principality of Moscow for 50 years. This treaty prolonged the existence of Livonia for over half of a century. Only the Livonian War (1558-1582) finally destroyed the diminishing state.
In the second half of the 16th century Livonia could not longer repulse the attack of Russian army forces and turned for help to Poland. In 1559 the Dinaburg Castle together with other fortresses was pledged to the King of Poland Sigusmund II Augustus. In 1561 the Livonian Order ceased to exist. For two centuries (1561-1772) Latgale became a Polish province – Inflanty. In 1566, after the dissolution of the Livonian Order and inclusion of the current territory of Latgale and Vidzeme into the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom, Dinaburg became the administrative centre of the Inflanty Voivodeship and received its coat of arms.
On August 11, 1577, the army forces of Ivan the Great conquered the castle. The Dinaburg Castle and trading settlement were destroyed during the Livonian War which lasted for many years. By that time the castle, which was already 300 years old, lost its military importance.
The army of Ivan the Terrible at Dinaburg Castle in 1577.
However, the border post, where the interests of Russia and Poland crossed and which was reached by the Swedes at times, could not be left unfortified. Therefore Ivan the Terrible started to build a new fortress 19 km down the Daugava River from the old castle. The fortress built by the soldiers of the Russian Tsar on the banks of the river Šuņupe, as well as the whole Latgale, came under the control of Rzeczpospolita after the Livonian War. In 1582 the King of Poland Stefan Batory granted Dinaburg with Magdeburg rights which paved the way for further development. The placement of the Jesuit missionaries in Dinaburg brought about significant changes in the development of the city, becoming the centre of the Christian mission of Latgale.
After the Truce of Altmark, Dinaburg was appointed as the administrative centre of Latgale. In 1647, with the decision of the Sejm of Poland, Dinaburg became a place for reloading grains and other goods. The city’s economy developed, it was managed by a king-appointed magistrate and four councillors.
During this time, Rzeczpospolita, Russia and Sweden were fighting for the Baltic lands. In 1600 and 1655 the new Dinaburg Fortress and the city was conquered by the Swedes.
In 1656, the battle near the Daugava River took place between Russia and Sweden. On the day of Saint Boris and Gleb, the Russians occupied Dinaburg, and the Tsar Alexey Mihailovich renamed the city to Borisoglebsk. The rebuilding of the fortress began, the Boris and Gleb wooden church was built, and the inhabitants returned to the city, but very soon, in 1667, Dinaburg was returned to Rzeczpospolita and became the administrative centre of Latgale and the place of residence of bishops. As a result of the Jesuit activities, a cathedral and a Catholic clergy school was established and the Polish nobility moved to the city.
The beginning of the 18th century brought new challenges for the city. The Great Northern War (1700 – 1721) brought significant changes in the Baltic political map. The war started in 1700 with failure attack of Saxon army forces, allies of Russia, on Riga. During this time Saxon army was settled in Dinaburg. The consequences of war were terrible: misery, impoverishment, diseases and epidemics to the locals. In 1710 there was a plague on the territory of Latgale and the city suffered a lot from it. Almost whole garrison of Dinaburg died, the fortress was disarmed, and cannons were taken to Vilnius. At this time the decline of the fortress and the town began.
In 1722 after the First Partition of Poland, Dinaburg was joined to Russia and it became the district city of Polotsk province. Later it was incorporated into Vitebsk province.
The construction of the new Dinaburg Fortress brought the major changes to the city life. In 1810, following the intensification of Russia’s relations with France, it was decided to rebuild the small Dinaburg Fortress into a first-class fortress with a protection lane. By the beginning of the war in 1812, the construction works had not been completed yet, but the unfinished fortress played an important role in protecting north-western border of Russia. After the war, the construction of the fortress continued, in May 1833 the solemn consecration of the fortress took place, but the construction works continued till1878.
The most significant changes in the economic life of Dinaburg were brought by the construction of a railway in 1860. The railway line between Petersburg and Warsaw connected Dinaburg with Petersburg, but in 1862 with Warsaw, and in 1861 the railway linked Riga and Dinaburg. In 1893, with the Order of the Russian Emperor Alexander III, Dinaburg was renamed to Dvinsk.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Dvinsk became the largest industrial and cultural centre of the northwest part of Russia. In 1913, there were 112,848 people living in the city (more than in Minsk).
During the First world War Dvinsk became the front city, the 5th Russian army headquarter was located there. The city was greatly damaged during the warfare, the population declined sharply, many industries were transferred. From February to December 1918, the German army was dislocated in Dvinsk, then the city was occupied by the Bolsheviks.
On January 3, 1920, the city was released from Bolsheviks with the help of united forces of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and it gained its current name – Daugavpils.
During the Republic of Latvia, the city’s economy and cultural life flourished. Several nationalities lived in Daugavpils: 34% were Latvians, 25% - Jews, 18% - Poles, 18% - Russians, 3% - Belarusians. There were 602 mostly small industrial enterprises in the city.
In the 1920s the Teachers’ Institute, the Latgale People’s Conservatory, and the Crafts School “Saule” was established.
In 1935 the Unity Bridge connected the banks of the Daugava River, but in 1937 a monumental and multifunctional building – Unity House, where a theatre, a concert hall, a library, a typography, a swimming pool and other institutions were located, was built in the centre of the city.
In June 1940 the Republic of Latvia was incorporated into the USSR, but in 1941 Soviet occupation was replaced by Hitler occupation. Germans established Jewish ghetto and the camp for Russian war prisoners Shtalag-340 in the fortress. More than 165 thousand people were killed on the territory of the city during the war and more than 70% of the buildings were destroyed. On July 27, 1944 the Red Army came into the city.
In the post-war years, the construction of large factories developed in Daugavpils. The factories of locomotive repair, driving chains, electronic tools, etc. were built, including the largest chemical industry company in Latvia - Daugavpils Chemical Fibre Plant. Since 1946 the city has a tram.
In 1956, previously independent city of Griva was joined to Daugavpils.
The history of Daugavpils determines also the present of the city. The geographical location of the city is still the most significant development factor. Daugavpils is a large railway junction, which promotes industrial development as well. Several large metal processing companies operate in Daugavpils, and food and light industry is developed. The medium and small business sector is actively working. Thanks to Daugavpils University, the theatre, which was restored in 1988, as well as the activities of various cultural and national societies, Daugavpils has become an important centre of culture and education in Latgale.
Daugavpils is the second largest city in Latvia, which has big projects for the future and great achievements today. |
Today In History...
In 1583 Gilbert claims Newfoundland, the first English colony in North America.
In 1620 The Pilgrims leave England on the "Mayflower."
In 1846 Oregon country is divided between the United States and Britain at the 49th parallel.
In 1858 The first transatlantic telegraph cable is completed.
In 1861 The U.S. levies it's first income tax (3% of incomes over $800).
In 1864 During the Civil War, Union Admiral David G. Farragut is said to have given his famous order, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" as he led his fleet against Mobile Bay, Alabama.
In 1884 The cornerstone is laid for the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
In 1914 The first traffic light goes into operation in Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1914 Nicaragua signs a treaty granting canal rights to the U.S.
In 1921 The first radio baseball broadcast is heard on KDKA/Pittsburgh. The Pirates beat the Phillies, 8-5.
In 1924 The comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," by Harold Gray debuts.
In 1926 Escape artist Harry Houdini stays in a coffin under water for one and a half hours.
In 1952 The first transatlantic helicopter flight is made.
In 1953 Operation Big Switch begins as prisoners taken during the Korean conflict are exchanged at Panmunjom.
In 1954 24 boxers, including Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and John L. Sullivan, are the first inductees into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 1962 Marilyn Monroe is found dead in the bed of her Los Angeles home. Her death is ruled a "probable suicide" caused by an overdose of sleeping pills. Monroe was 36.
In 1963 The U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union sign a treaty in Moscow banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in space and underwater.
In 1964 The U.S. begins bombing of North Vietnam.
In 1964 Actress Anne Bancroft and comedian Mel Brooks are married.
In 1969 The U.S. space probe Mariner VII flies past Mars sending back photographs and scientific data.
In 1973 The Soviet Union launches Mars 6.
In 1980 Hurricane Allen batters the southern peninsula of Haiti, leaving more than 200 dead.
In 1981 The U.S. federal government begins firing air traffic controllers who had gone out on strike.
In 1984 Joan Benoit wins the first Olympic marathon for women.
In 1984 Actor Richard Burton dies at a hospital in Geneva at age 58.
In 1985 President Reagan reveals to reporters that a growth removed from his nose several days earlier was basal cell carcinoma, a highly curable form of cancer.
In 1986 It is revealed that artist Andrew Wyeth had secretly created 240 drawings and paintings of a woman named Helga Testorf, a neighbor in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
In 1987 President Reagan announces he had reached a "general agreement" with leaders of Congress on a new Central America peace plan.
In 1988 Treasury Secretary James A. Baker III announces he was resigning to take over the presidential election campaign of Vice President George Bush.
In 1990 President Bush denounces the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, telling reporters, "This will not stand. This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait."
In 1991 Democratic congressional leaders formally launch an investigation into whether the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign had secretly conspired with Iran to delay release of American hostages until after the presidential election.
In 1992 Federal civil rights charges are filed against four Los Angeles police officers acquitted of California state charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King.
In 1993 The U.S. House of Representatives passes President Clinton's budget plan, voting 218-216.
In 1994 Angered by riots, Cuban President Fidel Castro threatens to let Cubans leave without restriction for the first time since the 1980 Mariel refugee exodus.
In 1995 Secretary of State Warren Christopher arrives in Hanoi, Vietnam, to "build a bridge of cooperation." (Christopher was the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Vietnam since the war and the first ever to go to Hanoi.)
In 1996 Richard Allen Davis, murderer of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, is sentenced to death.
In 1997 Montserrat's deadly volcano erupts for a second day, forcing hundreds to flee the Caribbean island.
In 1997 President Clinton signs the budget-balancing and tax-cutting bills into law.
In 1997 A 2-man Russian crew blasts off for the space station Mir.
In 1998 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein pulls the welcome mat from UN weapons inspectors.
In 2000 Actor Sir Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars") dies at a southern England hospital at age 86.
In 2001 A van driven by a drunken off-duty New York City policeman strikes and kills a pregnant woman, her young son and teen-age sister. Joseph Gray was sentenced to 5-15 years in prison.
In 2001 Afghanistan's ruling Taliban jail 8 foreign aid workers, including two Americans, for allegedly preaching Christianity. The workers were rescued the following November.
In 2003 A car bombing at the Marriott in Jakarta, Indonesia, kills 12 people.
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This artificial skin can detect touch — and it’s made from tinfoil and sticky notes
household paper skin artifical
An artificial skin with the sensory function of human skin has been created out of household items by a team of researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). The low-cost sensor platform can detect touch, pressure, temperature, acidity and humidity. The “paper skin,” as it’s called by the researchers, is in the early stages of development.
The innovative material is made from common kitchen items including aluminum foil, sticky note paper, sponges, and tape. The materials were assembled into an artificial skin platform that can respond to external stimuli such as humidity, temperature changes, and even the presence of a finger. The system is based on electrical conductance, detecting the changes in electrical conductivity produced by these external stimuli. To detect these changes, the skin is connected to a device capable of measuring voltage, resistance and capacitance. As arranged, this system could detect multiple stimuli simultaneously in real time.
Related: Artificial skin could one day provide a sense of touch
The team used both individual and combined elements to mimic skin function, For example, the sticky note was used to detect humidity while the sponge was used to monitor changes in pressure. Multiple elements such as lead pencil on paper and conductive silver ink on aluminum foil could be used to measure more complex stimuli such as acidity levels, or temperature fluctuations.
The KAUST researchers hope to improve the artificial skin platform so it can be used as a medical device to monitor vital signs such as ‘heart rate, blood pressure, breathing patterns, and movement,” said Muhammad Mustafa Hussain of KAUST’s Integrated Nanotechnology Lab. Before the system can be used in a clinical setting, the team has to conduct extensive testing to determine the long-term reliability of the system. It also has to measure the paper’s ability to bend and adhere to a patient’s skin. In addition, the researchers will need to develop a wireless system so the paper can be used in a standalone mode without requiring a direct connection to a machine.
According to the KAUST researchers, their artificial skin is highly affordable, and performs as well as more expensive versions also under development. “This work has the potential to revolutionize the electronics industry and opens the door to commercializing affordable high-performance sensing devices,” said Hussain.
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Expectations of vulnerability in Australia
The rhetoric and policies of Australia’s major political parties have sought to differentiate between refugees and asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are depicted as ‘fake refugees’, particularly because they do not ‘mind the queue’. Their action (getting on a boat) is framed as an indication that they are not the most vulnerable but are capable economic migrants and hence undeserving of sanctuary. Actively excluding asylum seekers is therefore considered a necessary measure in order to provide adequate humanitarian assistance for resettling ‘genuine’ refugees, who have become synonymous with those living for protracted periods in refugee camps and coming to Australia through a managed programme.
After more than two decades in camps, the Bhutanese resettling in Australia represent a global elite of refugees who can access resettlement opportunities. The ability of refugees to gain admission is increasingly based on perceptions of helplessness, suffering and ‘deservingness’. These expectations have had an impact on the way resettlement organisations, local service providers and the general public approached the Bhutanese once they were in Australia. In particular, Bhutanese refugee men (and, in particular, able-bodied men) were seen as vulnerable due to the trauma stemming from past experiences, while women were considered vulnerable due to their gender roles. Men were consistently seen as a barrier to be overcome in order to realise the transformation of vulnerable female refugees into empowered women. These understandings and assumptions regarding the social role of women afforded men few pathways to move beyond their status of vulnerable (but still problematic) refugees.
Trauma morphed into a central feature, with both positive and negative effects, of male Bhutanese refugee identity in Australia. First and foremost, trauma and suffering marked them as deserving refugees and thus welcome in Australia. Several men told me it was important that Australians knew their story, their experiences of torture and the protracted time spent in camps.
“It is really essential for people in Australia to know our history because they will not have information about our background… For example, I have been involved in discrimination on the street. As I was walking along the street someone from a car shouted at me using foul language and they said “you Indian, go back to you country” and made a rude gesture. Therefore it is important.” (Male, in his 20s)
Male interviewees believed that it was through suffering that their admission into Australia was made credible. There was a clear attempt to distinguish themselves from asylum seekers whom the popular press and some political groups speculated were, in reality, economic migrants. One Bhutanese refugee who worked with recent arrivals explained:
The label refugee is very important. It is very important because it makes people understand we are from refugee camps. It also means more support, support for torture victims.” (Male, in his 30s).
Here, suffering in a refugee camp, coming through the correct resettlement process and reflecting the appropriate attributes of a refugee are all identified as significant to legitimise their presence in Australia.
Though participants recognised the potential positive aspects of the refugee label, they also expressed concern that people equated ‘refugee’ with a lack of capabilities or education. One participant explained, “people won’t recognise the skills that we are bringing… people just think refugees are poor people without any skills.” (Male, in his 30s). In addition, however, the Bhutanese community also recognised that the label enabled them to access resources that other migrants could not. At a very practical level, being traumatised is a recognised disability that brought with it additional financial support.
In this context, the refugee label was both a help in fostering acceptance by Australians and a hindrance. Male refugees interpreted the expectations that they encountered as hindering their ability to contribute beyond their status as a victimised group and recipients of help. They worried that while the understanding of suffering, trauma and vulnerability was central to mediating their interactions with the broader Australian population (because it helped people understand their journey to Australia), ultimately it undermined future aspirations. They worried that being a refugee would mean little hope of them being seen as equally capable as their Australian hosts.
One refugee man felt that refugee status undermined his ability to fulfil his obligations to his family. This man was in his forties, had the equivalent of a high-school education, spoke English proficiently, and had held leadership roles in Bhutan and in the refugee camps. He now volunteered for a local resettlement organisation and hoped to one day find gainful employment but did not think this was a realistic aspiration. He pinned his hopes instead on his daughter, who would outgrow her status as a refugee and be able to aspire towards being a contributing member of Australian society. He, on the other hand, found himself without a role beyond being “a refugee the government is helping”.
The worries of this generation of men, roughly between the ages of twenty and sixty, also highlighted the different reception of men and women. Once resettled, women were expected to expand their social roles with the help of various service providers who ran numerous programmes with the explicit goal of empowering women. The Bhutanese women participated in a myriad of activities to improve their spoken English and take leadership roles in public situations, and were encouraged to pursue work outside the home. The implicit assumption was that women were vulnerable due to the group’s culture. While there were vigorous efforts by service providers to change the role of female Bhutanese, it was felt that men’s vulnerability was due to past events and could therefore not be changed.
As women found themselves increasingly expected to be socially active and perhaps even employed (although generally in part-time or casual work), men became entrenched in the domestic sphere. Childcare is expensive in Australia and the cultural norms of the group necessitate a considerable amount of labour each day to prepare food. In this context, it is difficult for dual-earning households to function. One man in his early thirties explained his changing role:
“I used to be a teacher in the camps but here I cannot find a job. Normally, my wife would take care of the children but she found a job – our neighbour helped her. Now, I volunteer but I am mostly the house minder now. I take my girls to school and keep everything running.” (Male, in his 30s)
For most men, this was a profound change from the camps where they dominated schools as teachers and the camp’s internal management structure. Several men who were farmers reflected that before arriving in Australia, they had aspired to own farms akin to the ones they had in Bhutan. Owning a farm promised self-sufficiency, autonomy and status. Now they were living in Adelaide, however, they did not think owning a farm would be possible due both to cost and the urban setting. Others, particularly those with college degrees, hoped for employment commensurate with their qualifications. A few men have been able to move into paid employment (mostly with organisations which facilitate refugee resettlement) but these were viewed as exceptional achievements.
Paid employment is not the only pathway towards social status either in Australia more broadly or for the Bhutanese specifically. However, the men I spoke to consistently highlighted the value of paid work. “Eating another man’s sweat” through social welfare payments was not considered a desirable way to live. Further, without a robust post-resettlement programme to reinforce the positive aspects of men looking after the domestic sphere it is unlikely that these shifting gender roles will be straightforward.
While trauma can have a powerful legitimising effect, it also reinforces refugees’ status as primarily victims and can thereby have a negative impact on their ability to engage with the broader population. By expecting widespread trauma, Australia effectively views a large section of the refugee population as impaired; as such, they are not expected to participate in Australia. Crucially, assuming that deserving refugee men are traumatised and thus incapable may function to transform them from political, economic and social actors, and potential participants in Australia more broadly, into semi-functional dependents.
This is not to suggest that refugees should stop receiving assistance. Rather, a strict migration policy that focuses on suffering and trauma leads to particular forms of assistance that, rather than integrating refugees into citizenry, may cause further alienation from mainstream Australia as dependent, lesser citizens. My interviewees saw themselves as much more capable than this.
Alice M Neikirk Alice.neikirk@anu.edu.au
PhD Candidate, The Australian National University www.anu.edu.au
This article is based on research with Bhutanese refugees in Australia between 2012 and 2014.
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Forced Migration Review
Refugee Studies Centre
Oxford Department of International Development
University of Oxford
3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB, UK
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What’s the difference between depression and just being sad?
In the United States, close to 10% of the population has depression, but sometimes it can take a long time for someone to even understand that they have it.
One difficulty in diagnosis is trying to distinguish between feeling down and experiencing clinical depression. This TED-Ed video from December 2015 can help make the distinction. With simple animation, the video explains how clinical depression lasts longer than two weeks with a range of symptoms that can include changes in appetite, poor concentration, restlessness, sleep disorders (either too much or too little), and suicidal ideation. The video briefly discusses the neuroscience behind the illness, outlines treatments, and offers advice on how you can help a friend or loved one who may have depression.
Unlike the many pharmaceutical ads out there with their cute mascots and vague symptoms, the video uses animation to provide clarity about the mental disorder. It's similar in its poignant simplicity to the HBO short documentary “ My Depression," based on Liz Swados' book of the same name.
via David Leavitt / Twitter and RealTargetTori / Twitter
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Funny enough, Bryden is a smoker himself.
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Japanese Weapons
• Nodachi
<p>The nodachi is a great two-handed Japanese sword. Features: the blade was more difficult to forge compared to a normal-sized sword; the nodachi required greater strength to properly wield; its cutting capability and range exceeded that of a katana, due to its weight and size.</p>
• Naginata
<p>The Naginata is a polearm used by the samurai of feudal Japan, consisting of a curved blade at the end of a long pole. It resembles a halberd or a European archa. It was very important in the fields of battle, where it was carried by the infantry to defend against cavalry.</p>
• Nagamaki
<p>The nagamaki is a Japanese weapon that was popular between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. Also known as nagamaki-naoshi. The nagamaki was developed by mid Muromachi period. Today is a rare collector's item, and a few teach martial arts technique.</p>
• Iaitos
<p>Although at first glance it looks like a katana, the Iaito is a long sword that is used for the practice of Iaido, a japanese martial art that consists of stripped and sheathing the Iaito. The main particularity of the Iaito is that its blade is not sharp, or even are designed to be sharpened, thereby avoid unnecessary accidents in practice. There are several sizes that we will need to choose depending on the size of the person who is going to use. Samurai practiced Antigualmente and their learning and mental skills was essential to gain maximum speed in their struggles and so does not give time to desenvainaran their opponents. At present it is usual practice to start in the management of japanese swords. The main features of the Iaito unlike the katanas would be the following ... - The leaves of the Iaito tend to be alloy, more durable and less heavy; aluminum and zinc. - No rust - No maintenance required - they Are sturdy (provided they are used correctly) - There are sharp and must be sharpened - The leaves are usually not forged to hand - Tend to be cheaper than the katanas, professional, or court</p>
• Bokken
<p>The bokken is a wooden sword used in various martial arts from Japan, mainly in: classical Japanese swordsmanship or kenjutsu, modern traditional fencing or kendo, the art of unsheathing and cutting with the sword or Iaido, and the art of Jodo stick or fencing.</p>
• Katanas
<p>The first katanas which has made news were a gift from China to Queen Himeko during the Wei Dynasty in the year 240 BC began to forge steel swords in Japan in the fifth century At that time, the fights are usually conducted on foot, and the swords were straight and single edged. Chokuto calls. Subsequently developed a proprietary method to harden the steel. In the Heian period (794-1184) developed new techniques of forging swords giving a very hard exterior and a softer interior. In the Kamakura Era (1184-1333), Minamoto no Yorimoto moved the capital from Kyoto to Kamakura. At that time it was when you see one of the great masters of the forge. The famous Masamune. The Katana (the classic weapon of the samurai) emerged in the Muromachi period (1333-1568). In the era Nanpokucho (1334-1393) the samurai start a rebellion against the shogunate with the help of the emperor. It develops a sword of between 1.20 and 1.50 meters for use both hands called odachi</p>
• Wakizashis
• Tanto
The Tanto is commonly known as knife or dagger, its blade is either single or double edged with a length of between 15 and 30 cm. It was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge may also be used to reduce. The Tanto is generally forged in hira-zukuri style (ridge line) which means that the sides are almost flat, unlike shinogi-zukuri structure of a katana.
• Shirasaya
The Shirasaya is a Japanese sword blade, consisting of a sheath or saya and a handle or tsuka, used when the blade is not going to be used for a while and needs to be stored.
• Tachi
<p>Tachi was a type of Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana.</p>
• Sai
<p>The Sai is a very old weapon, and its origin uncertain, since there are very similar weapons in several countries from South to Southeast Asia, making it quite impossible to pinpoint the origin of the sai. The Japanese sai is an Okinawan weapon, believed to have been an agricultural tool that became a weapon, but also states that evolved from the outset as a weapon. Its basic form is that of a blunt knife but with a sharp point. The Sais are constructed in various ways, in some, the central tip is round and smooth, while others are octagonal. The tsuba is traditionally symmetrical, with both ends facing the front, but there are some variations of the Sai. The sai, originally, was able to kill or maul the enemy, as its hits to the sword, neck, throat or eyes were terrible. Sai has recognized the virtue of facilitating the improvement of posture and balance, basic for all karateka, because the movements are parallel, and its management requires skill and constant workout. On the other hand, the practice develops flexibility in both hands, wrists and forearms. The skillful use of the sai, requires a perfect coordination of advanced exercises. In the movie Elektra, 2003, based on a character in the movie Daredevil continually recreate the Sais.</p>
• Japanese weapons Accessories
Japanese weapons Accessories
<p>Tsubas Kitts cleaning, holsters and other accessories and clothing for katanas, iaitos, bokken, naginata, nodachis, sais, shirasayas, Tachis, many, Wakizashis, etc.</p>
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Professional Katana. The sheath comes in lacquered wood. A choice of several types:Chrysanthemum (black wood). Ref. 090Crane (redwood). Ref. 092Angel (black wood). ref. 094NO includes wooden box. CUIDADO.- COMES SHARP
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High Mountain Health Wayne Nj
Most rashes are not dangerous but some of them result in danger to life if they are aspect of an infectious disease such as chickenpox. It is hence extremely substantially important to treat the symptoms of itchy and dry skin by applying anti- itch cream containing camphor, menthol or Benadryl, use appropriate moisturizing lotion. If these measures did not operate and the rashes becomes a lot more widespread, seek advice from the skin specialist or dermatologist for the remedy.
Read Also – oakland community health networkhigh mountain health wayne nj
Allergy is the hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergy occurs when the person’s immune program reacts to normally harmless substances in the atmosphere. Pollution, dust particles and dangerous components present in the atmosphere causes allergy. Men and women who are exposed to allergy are affected by a lot of elements. Components that causes allergy are??? Pollen??? Dust mites??? Mold spores??? Pet dander??? Food??? Insect stings??? Medicines
It is frequent to have itching without any ashes or allergy.
Speak to dermatitis is the allergy that is caused when the particular person is in get in touch with with substances that causes a rash like reaction. Men and women are allergic to variety of chemical including cosmetic goods, hair dye, metals topical medication and dental materials. Get in touch with dermatitis somewhat appears like atopic dermatitis and is positioned at the region exposed to the offending chemical. Speak to dermatitis to metal such as in jewelry, buttons, zippers on clothes usually occur on the neck, wrist and hands, earlobes and at the waistline.
Universities like UC Davis have and are undertaking in depth investigation in the ultraviolet field. This ongoing technologies is ever surprising scientists. UV light sterilization for water plants that feed Los Vegas Nevada creating water accessible for tens of thousands every single day. States like California would not be capable to survive without having this technologies. Almost each and every state makes use of one form or a different of the Germicidal UV. Despite the fact that it has been available to each household owner it is only in the last handful of years that every day folks are understanding and understanding all the added benefits of the UV world.
Dust mites surely are a reality of every day life in present day households in virtually every region on Earth. Their very tiny measurements in addition to their extraordinary durability get them to a universal element of people’s homes they are able to pull by way of in any type of climate conditions, from the coldest Siberian tundra to the hottest African desert, and they may perhaps also survive at unusually higher altitudes. This adaptability has ended in the vilification of dust mites, due to the fact they are a single of numerous primary factors behind allergies everywhere just about the most frequent respiratory illnesses, asthma is brought on by them. The subsequent information and facts explains what dust mites are, exactly where they live, and how finest to decrease their influence on your household.
Read Alsosea mar community health centers
Urticaria is yet another variety of allergy, it is pretty effectively known as hives. These are generally itchy rash that can occur at any age. This rash appears like raised red bumps of many varieties, shapes and size and typically lasts for a minute or couple of hours. Even though they are incredibly itch, a person should not scratch to the point of breaking the skin and cause bleeding. The swelling that often created along with Urticaria is called angioedema it requires the lips, the eyes, the hands and feet. Angioedema is absolutely not itchy, it rather result in burning sensation, tingling or sting. Severe swelling that blocks the breathing can be risky to life.
Air high-quality and breathability can be a significant concern. If you are 1 of these who suffer from allergies or asthmas respiratory circumstances you know that clean air is the upmost value. Not being able to breathe is actually scary. Germicidal UV can make the difference. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) frequently reported that indoor air can be more polluted than the air outdoors. No matter if you have a wellness condition or not, you could definitely benefit from breathing cleaner air with UV purifiers for your household.
OK UV (ultraviolet light) is only one element of your air purification technique but you currently have air filters. While it is a will have to you adjust these at a frequent times. The frequent filter catches dust particles now is when you have to have to finish the cleaning action. Germicidal UV lights destroys microorganisms like bacteria, mold, and viruses that lurk in your dwelling. Did you know that germicidal UV air purifiers are successful at removing up to 99% of allergens and microorganisms that make you sick, air pollens, mold spores, and dust mites. This would be your finest insurance coverage to insure excellent air.
High Mountain Health Wayne Nj – Although it is a have to you change these at a normal instances. The standard filter catches dust particles now is when you have to have to finish the cleaning action. |
According to the conservation organization, there are roughly 25,000 African rhinos left in the wild. That’s down nearly two thirds from the 1970 population of 70,000, and the numbers continue to dwindle. As many as three rhinos are killed every day for their horns (which fetch big dollars on the black market), meaning that, at the current rate, there might not be any more rhinos in 25 years. The reasons rhinos are hunted are clear: their horns are worth as much as $90,000 per kilogram, and the average rhinoceros horn weighs four kilograms. On a continent where the average annual income is around $1,700, poaching a rhino and selling its horn for over $350,000 might well be worth breaking the law.
There are a number of actions that conservation and wildlife organizations—and local governments—take in order to protect the population of endanged species like rhinos, and and the Exotic Wildlife Association have another in mind: namely, moving as many as one thousand of those endangered rhinoceroses to Texas. As the San Antonio Express-News reports, EWA executive director Charly Seale sees South Texas as the perfect replacement home for the threatened species:
Seale said the purpose of bringing the rhinos to South Texas–which has similar climate and terrain to South Africa–is to conserve and propagate the endangered species.
“These animals will never be in commerce, they will not be sold, they will not be hunted,” he said, adding that the rhinos will not be able to “roam around the countryside.”
If the Exotic Wildlife Association and its allies get approval from the U.S. Department of Interior and the South Africa government, then the rhinos would be transported in crates via aircraft.
The plan for what to do with the rhinos once they’re in Texas is interesting: rather than attempt to build a rhinoceros sanctuary that could house a thousand rhinos, the organizations intend to adopt them into private homes. The rhinos they’re looking to bring in would be orphans—white rhinos, which make up the bulk of the remaining 25,000 rhinoceros, have a complicated family and social structure—and many of them will come over very young. Seale told the paper that “some of them will be in the weaning ages,” and that raising rhinos won’t be cheap, and will require background checks and the construction of new facilities to house them.
A white rhino weighs as much as 5,100 pounds, roughly five times the size of a Jersey dairy cow and more than double the size of an adult bull, which means that raising the rhinos will take a very specific kind of rancher. It’s unclear at the moment if Seale and his organization have volunteers in mind, or if they’re planning an extensive recruiting drive—but with a population at serious risk, the idea of finding them a safe home in Texas is worth considering.
(Photograph via Flickr) |
Next of Kin: Explained
What does ‘Next of Kin’ mean?
The next of kin is a person who can make legal decisions (like choosing between burial and cremation) after someone passes away. In the US, a surviving spouse would be the first in line, followed by any children. However, next of kin rules only apply in situations where no legal document (like a will) has been left behind.
Who is Next of Kin when someone dies?
From top to bottom, the next of kin is the first surviving relative(s) over the age of 18 in this list:
1. Agent under durable power of attorney for healthcare (DPOAH)
2. Spouse or registered domestic partner
3. Child(ren)
4. Parent(s)
5. Sibling(s)
(for a full list, click here)
In other words, if someone passes away, without a DPOAH or a spouse, the children would be the next of kin. In California, half-relations (as well as adoptive and step-relations) all have an equal right to be the next of kin.
If there are multiple next of kin, one person will generally act as the primary point of contact with a funeral home. However, the signature of the majority will be needed to authorize cremation or burial. In the unusual case where one of the next of kin can’t be contacted, there must be ‘reasonable effort’ made to contact the person before proceeding.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
A Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare (DPOAH) is a legal document that puts someone in charge of making health care (and usually funeral) decisions. In the US, if a DPOAH exists, the person named in that document is the person who has the legal right to make funeral decisions - regardless of any surviving next of kin.
The DPOAH is often named as part of a Living Will or Advanced Healthcare Directive. These are legal documents that specify what your preferences are, if you can’t communicate them.
A DPOAH can also be useful in a situation where there are multiple next of kin. If there are ten children who would be next of kin, at least six of them would need to authorize cremation. This can sometimes be politically and logistically complicated compared to telling one child about your preferences, and then giving them the Power of Attorney.
Download A Free Durable Power of Attorney Contract
The link below will take you to a free legal contract that you can download. The document is called an Advanced Healthcare Directive, and will give the person named the ability to make medical and post-death decisions for you, once a doctor decides that you are no longer able to make those decisions for yourself.
Make sure you answer the questions carefully, and read the entire document before signing it.
Click Here To Download Your Free Advanced Healthcare Directive
Making The Right Decisions
Making the right decisions when someone has passed away is not always easy. If you are unsure what is right for your family, the Tulip Cremation Guide has been written to help you through the process. |
Fay Ortiz/ February 26, 2018/ Uncategorised
If you ever underestimated the power of mental fitness, it will be proven difficult for you to move forward in life. Although it may seem like being healthy is only important in terms of physical wellbeing, it is most certainly important in terms of balancing out your life. In fact, a healthy life refers to the equilibrium of both your physical and mental health. Therefore, maintaining a good mindset and managing its focus is highly important for the wellbeing of your life. Here are some of the reasons as to why mental condition is considered so important.
Maintaining healthy relationships is the first step to a healthy life. While you may find yourself engaging in exercises that improve the physical aspect of your health, it is important to maintain your mental healthiness in order to be active in your relationships with other people. Dealing with people would include constantly forgiving and tolerating their differences and this ability is what will make you a mature person among hundreds of immature ones that do not put any effort in saving a relationship.
Just as it was mentioned earlier, finding the equilibrium between your physical and mental health is highly important. Your nlp coach will advise you on methods that can be used in such cases. The important of managing your mentality with your physical strength is because you need the energy to face challenges in life. This is never only physical fitness, but also mental fitness that moulds a strong mind within you.
Physical Health
If you contact a life coaching Melbourne, he/she will explain to you on the importance of both your physical and mental health. It is a known fact that finding balance with these two is the key to a healthy life. However, what you need to be aware of is that if you do not carry a good mentality state, your mind will not be at easy and make your body react in negative ways towards it. In fact, your mind and body are connected and know when there is something the matter.
Gaining confidence seems to be quite a difficult task in this competitive world. However, if you do manage to keep your head up high in face of evil, you are most likely to be a stronger person with regards to your mental strength. Therefore, building this very aspect is going to be an important aspect of your life that will create a brighter future for you and those around you.best-education |
Burn:Insight for First-Aid & self-care
Burn is common event in our day to day life,extending from minor issues to the life threatening burn.In general community,there are a lot of misconceptions regarding the right approach of care in burn.So it is important to have proper understanding about the way it can harm our health.A common individual who does not have science back up relies upon the information gathered from his social surroundings about particular health scenario.Let us understand few things to comprehend it fully.
1.Burn due to any cause transmits heat to a particular point or area of contact on our body.From this point or area of contact the heat spreads in all direction.Even if we remove the burning agent,the transmitted heat continues spreading and damaging adjoining parts until its intensity to damage gets reduced in the process.Take an example of wax.When we make a contact by flame to a lump of wax and remove the flame,it continues to melt even after removal of flame from the wax.This I call after effect of burn.Similar after effect as I said earlier,occurs in our body,after removal of burning substance.To curtail this after effect we need to take out excess heat transmitted in the process of burn.
So,this is wise to put cold water or apply ice ASAP after burn.In my life I have seen many learned persons who are not in favor of putting water or ice after burn.Some of them believe that this application of water causes blisters to form.Sorry! this is not correct belief.Blister is formed due to damage of skin and reactions caused by that damage.
So,once more I should remind ! Apply Water immediately after burn and in the condition where large area was in contact of flame,;it is better to shower whole body for five minutes at least to remove excess transmitted heat and reduce after effects.The application of water has only motive to remove excess transmitted heat energy which can harm further as after effect.Application of water after delay of two hours has no value.
2.Our body is protected by a boundary wall from all sides called the skin.It has got many protective functions.First-it protects us from many disease causing germs.Those germs cannot enter our body if our boundary wall(skin) is intact.Second it also insulates our body from heat and cold with the help of fat layer under it.Third it also protects our body from losing internal water directly outside by drying.
3.Burn causes damage to the skin in proportion to the amount of heat transmitted through an area or a point of skin.The damage of the boundary wall (skin) of your body allows external germs to pass easily to your body and you can have serious life threatening infections.Apart from this,there is loss of water from the body from the damaged area,which results in dehydration of body,so it is wise to allow the person with burn to take plenty of water,Oral Re-hydration Solutions (ORS) to protect his life.
4.Our bodies internal temperature or core temperature is constant and maintained around 98.6 degree F or 37 degree C.
This is maintained as such even if we go to the polar region,because nature has provided birds and mammals an excellent heat regulating system.
So,if the area of burn is more the internal body heat loss directly to the external environment is more and the person feels cold and shivering due to loss of insulation in damaged skin.
So,the burn wound should be covered by antiseptic dressing with changing frequency every alternate days.This minimises the germ entry to the body,loss of internal heat from the body and loss of water by direct evaporation from the body.
5.Just after burn,there is intense pain and in many case the person may die from the pain and inflammation,so after application of water,or ice, the person should be given NSAIDS orally or preferably Injection apart from this a single dose of dexamethasone may be given to save the person from severe inflammation and one dose of tetanus toxoid and proper antibiotic coverage(WARNING! Use under expert medical guidance).
6.Since such patients require meticulous care and monitoring, so they should be admitted in specialized burn unit.
7.Ler us revise our approach -Just after burn wash affected area with cold water or tap water for five minutes.
-Cover the affected area by antiseptic dressing.
-Anti Inflammatory and dexamethasone for pain.
-Prophylactic antibiotics for infection
-Oral water,fluids or ORS
-Tetanus toxoid
-Hospitalisation in burn unit.
Note- dexamethasone may increase the chance of secondary infection,but for initial intense inflammation in a single dose may be life saving and this should not be repeated subsequently. And this should be given strictly under qualified doctors’guidance.
8.Burn causes damage of our body cells.Proteins are required to repair our damaged body structures.So we should take adequate protein in diet.I have said about sources of protein.I again repeat here soybean is the best source of protein for vegetarians and egg white of boiled egg for non vegetarians. Here I need to say I stress on boiled egg because raw egg white contains a chemical avidin which blocks a vitamin-B complex component biotin.So raw egg white can cause you biotin deficiency and resulting hair loss.Apart from this unboiled egg may be a source of infection of TORCH diseases ;Toxoplasmosis,Rubella,Cytomegalovirus and Herpes simplex virus.Those TORCH disease germs transmitted from bird to its egg.
Other form of egg preparation like omelet burns the nutritive value of the egg.
So the protein intake should be adequate to repair the damage of your body.
9.Toxic materials generated due to burn may cause damage to the kidneys,so urine output should be monitored in the burn patient.And fluid should be taken adequately to maintain the body water level and urine output adequate.
10.Percentage of burn can be assessed by a common man by few methods described in the medical texts.
Easiest for you that the area of palm is equal to one percent of burn.Suppose the person who sustained burn in one side of palm has got one percent of burn.
Apart from this palm rule there is a more popular rule to assess the percent of burn called Rule Of Nine.
Consider the whole body into following units separately
1)Head and Neck. Total 9 %
2)Trunk 9+9 % front and 9+9 %back(trunk front includes chest and abdomen and trunk back entire trunk from behind) total trunk area 36 %.
3)Upper limb(arm,forearm and hand) 9% left upper limb and 9% right upper limb.Total upper limbs 18%
4)Lower limb(thigh,leg and foot)9+9% for the left lower limb and 9+9% right lower limb.Total lower limbs 36%.
5)Genital area 1%
So head and neck + Total trunk+Total upper limb +Total lower limb +Genital area
= 9. + 36. + 18. + 36. + 1
= 100 %
The percentage of burn is calculated to assess the survival outcome of patient after burn.It is interesting to note that if you calculate the burn percentage after 24 hour the percentage may be slightly increased in comparison to the calculation done immediately after burn.Further less than 30 % burn have survival potential 70%.You don’t need to memorise all that.I have just written for your curiosity regarding the percentage calculation.Further I have omitted the degree of burn which depends whether only outer surface of the skin has burnt,entire skin has burnt or deeper structure has burnt.Depending on the depth of thermal injury the degree is assigned like first degree burn,second degree burn or third degree burn.
Anti septic dressing which I said earlier is not accessible for many of you.Just a freshly washed and ironed cotton bedsheet can be used to cover the person from his toes to neck after you have provided first aid and arranging the patient to transport to hospital.If you live in a remote village and you have local rural medical practitioner there but no hospital for such patient and the patient is unconscious and it may take a one or two hours to reach the hospital;you may ask the local practitioner to insert an Intravenous cannula and start Ringer lactate, Normal Saline,or DNS Iv slowly and keep few bottles in the transporting vehicle, to changeif there is a chance of busy traffic or delay for more than three hours.This may change the outcome of the burn patient. Apart from this if the rural practitioner can insert the folley’s catheter in urinary bladder and can attach a urobag to it,would be better.I know that such practices trespass the boundary of law in many countries,but life is more important than the law.
Burn person’s serum electrolyte level is required to be monitored. Serum potassium level is most important to watch because its increase and decrease from its normal range may kill the person quickly.
Apart from direct flame and hot objects there are many other things that can cause burn.
Suppose you descending rapidly from a pipe or rope bare handed,the friction of your sliding palm generates heat and your palms get burnt and you can have 2% burn.In that condition also you should immediately rinse your hand with tap water and should apply ice to remove excess heat transmitted to your palm or any body part burnt by friction.And the wound would be managed like other burn wounds.
Generally for first aid you can use framycetin ointment or silver sulphadiazine cream locally at burn wound after washing it with normal Saline solution.Some manufacturer add local anaesthetic in silvesulphadiazine. That ointment with local anaesthetic combination is effective in relieving burning sensation.In home care for minor burns one can use silversulphadiazine alternate day dressing change after cleaning with normal Saline solution.In home care oral amoxycillin + cloxacillin plus metro nidazole may be used after dose adjustment for age or body weight with precaution of alcohol abstinence for upto 72 hours of last dose of metronidazole.
Whenever you use antibiotics,you should take vitamin B-Complex capsule one per day or syrup for kids.
Apart from the above causes there may be chemical burn with strong acids or strong alkalies,sunburn due to exposure to intense sunlight.The chemical burn should be managed by dilution of effect by excessive wash in running tapwater and neutralisation principle,for acid burn you can use mild alkali for washing,such as milk is alkaline and can be used for washing acid burn after washing the wound in running tap water,similarly if chemical burn is caused by alkali,it can be cleaned with weak organic acid like vinegar diluted in water.Be carefull not to apply such neutralizing substance in eyes.Eyes should be washed in plenty of tap water or normal Saline only if available as a part of first aid and it is mandatory to consult eye specialist urgently.
Disclaimer :All the information above are educational in nature and readers are advised to follow the guidelines of your local qualified medical practitioners and act according to the legal binding of their respective areas.
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Books and Documents
Islam, Women and Feminism (02 Aug 2019 NewAgeIslam.Com)
Muslim Women Have Stemmed a ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ By Actively Participating In Disciplines Of Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics
By Zaeem Hassan Mehmood
July 30, 2019
Globalization and technology have unlocked a range of economic prospects for women, providing them new role models beyond their own communities. Muslim women, particularly those with education, are choosing to exercise their knowledge, understanding and empowerment outside their homes, stepping into a realm unforeseen by their mothers and grandmothers generation.
The Western political discourse is overwhelmed by the economic rise of China and India, the subject-matter of “Muslim Global Economy” and particularly the exponential role women have over the years played in making it a reality has been generally ignored. The “Muslim World” despite compassing diverse culture, geographies and culture remains to share the common flag of Islam. Despite the general difficulties arising as a result of internal and external state challenges, the Muslim states contribute to an overall of 12 percent of the global GDP and one-fifth of the aggregate population. The top-end of states in terms of per capita incomes including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait to a name a few, followed by upper middle income countries including Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, Jordan and Pakistan; and lower middle income economies such as Morocco, Bangladesh, Egypt and Tajikistan. Muslims are younger than the global population average, with a median age of 23 rather 28 writes Saadia Zahidi of World Economic Forum writes in Fifty Million Rising: The New Generation of Working Women Transforming the Muslim World that they “own the Muslim world’s ‘baby boom’.” It is also added the younger generations of Muslims are relatively more educated, holding a positive attitude towards the use of new technologies with an inclination towards democratic reforms in the state apparatus.
Traditionally, women were a minority in education, a trend, which has greatly changed over the years making them majority university students in the Muslim world. In Indonesia, women’s university enrolment has increased from 2 percent in the 1970s to more than 34 percent at present. In countries such as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, about ten years ago only 30 percent women of university age women attended college or university. Today, the figure has risen to 50 percent, a rate that is higher in proportion to than that of India, Brazil, China and Mexico. Such trends have allowed for emergence of “new base of talent,” adding to the skilled workforce of the Muslim world. Zahidi writes that Muslim women have stemmed a “Fourth Industrial Revolution” by actively participating in disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In countries such as Brunei and Kuwait, the figure surpasses even that of participation by men.
At the turn of the millennium, fifty million women joined the Muslim economic workforce which Zahidi calls as “underreported revolution happening for women, with the arrival of the largest and most education cohort ever to have entered their economies of labour markets at any one time”. There were 100 million working women at the start of millennium, a figure that has been exponentially risen to 165 million, an increase of more than 60 percent in less than 20 years. Working women therefore represent 40 percent of the 500 million women contributing in the Muslim economies. Labour force participation rates vary from 75 percent in Kazakhstan to 56 in Indonesia and Malaysia, followed 45 percent in UAE, 35 percent in Turkey and 30 percent in Pakistan, which are growing at a faster rate for women than for men.
Women in the “Muslim Global Economy” who are working have an aggregate income that amounts to over $1 trillion, which most certainly proves that investment in women’s education pays off considerably for the state’s economy. If equal participation in the workforce for Muslim countries is achieved, a hefty $6 trillion to their incomes may be added. In the Middle East alone, female labour force participation rising to its full potential by 2025, could increase the region’s GDP by 47%, according to McKinsey.
As the numbers of working Muslim women grow, the implications of their rise go well beyond the borders of the Muslim world. Furthermore, one in ten of female is a Muslim woman. In fact, there are already more working women across the Muslim world than there are in the US or the EU. Their economic fortunes will determine the prosperity and stability of their own countries, and, by consequence, of the global economy. While the rapid rise of working women across the Muslim world is new, today’s cohort of ambitious businesswomen can look to history for a role model. The first convert to Islam was a businesswoman, a wealthy merchant named Hazrat Khadija, who hired the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and sent him on a trading mission from Mecca to Syria. She became his wife, and financed the supporter of the new religion in its early days.
Governments need to catch up to the new realities of the growing legion of female workers, employers, taxpayers and consumers, in particular by broadening access to finance, transport and technology. They therefore must encourage female education, entrepreneurship and training, and incentivize businesses to hire, retain and promote women.
Source: Modern Diplomacy
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islam,-women-and-feminism/zaeem-hassan-mehmood/muslim-women-have-stemmed-a-‘fourth-industrial-revolution’-by-actively-participating-in-disciplines-of-science,-technology,-engineering-and-mathematics/d/119369
• More power to Muslim women! And to all women!
By Ghulam Mohiyuddin - 8/2/2019 11:35:43 AM
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Graham Beaton BHSc, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative condition that affects most individuals late in life. This condition results in damage to joints, which can lead to joint deformity, and can cause pain and decreased mobility.
In a healthy normal joint, two components are responsible to ensure normal and painless motion. They are the synovium and cartilage. The synovium, is a fluid filled membrane that surrounds the joint and its fluid, synovial fluid, is a lubricant that supplies cartilage with oxygen and nutrients. Cartilage is a tissue that covers the ends of bones. It acts as a slippery surface in the joint and is able to resist the compression between bones during movement. If either of these tissues is damaged and begins to deteriorate, osteoarthritis develops.
In the onset of the disease, either the surface of the cartilage or the synovium becomes inflamed and swollen. This change affects the ability of the cartilage to concentrate fluid as a lubricant, and the surface of the cartilage becomes damaged. As this progresses the cartilage loses its elasticity and ability to concentrate water, increasing its susceptibility to be damaged. As the cartilage is destroyed, the ends of the bones in the joint may be left unprotected. This process may be made worse as the body attempts to heal the damaged tissue, resulting in abnormal growth of both bone and cartilage.
While the cause of osteoarthritis is not known, several factors are known to play a role in the development and progression of the disease, including injury, genetics, obesity, biomechanical factors and age. For instance one study showed that individuals who suffered knee injuries were five times more likely to have osteoarthritis in the affected knee than individuals who did not experience a knee injury.
Obesity is another risk factor for the development and progression of osteoarthritis. While higher risk is related to increased weight on the joints, it has been found that obese individuals also have increased risk for osteoarthritis in non-weight bearing joints, such as in the fingers. This occurs as a result of increased inflammation.
There are several biomechanical factors that can influence the onset and development of osteoarthritis. These include misalignment of joints, joint laxity, and decreased sense of body position (i.e. proprioception) as related to coordinated movement. Thus it is important to be physically active in order to maintain muscle strength and coordination. Also, participating in exercises such as yoga may help to increase balance and proprioception, which may encourage proper loading of joints.
Graham Beaton, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, advises on nutrition and lifestyle in order to decrease pain, inflammation and support joint health. Furthermore, he practices acupuncture which has shown to be effective in the management of joint pain and osteoarthritis.
If you have any questions about osteoarthritis, Naturopathic Medicine, or Acupuncture can help you, please call 613-290-6115. Graham is in practice in the Golden Triangle neighborhood of downtown Ottawa. |
July 4, 2011
The Morning After Pill
What's new in emergency contraception and how well does it work?
You are a woman of childbearing age.
You had sexual intercourse without contraception.
You do not wish to be pregnant.
What is your risk of getting pregnant?
This is a scenario familiar to many women. Pregnancy can only occur around the time of ovulation, the time when the ovary releases an egg into the fallopian tube. Ovulation occurs midway between menstrual periods if your periods are regular. In medical practice we call the first day of the menstrual period, "day one." The time of ovulation usually occurs midway between first day of two successive periods, but it can vary from day 8 to day 20 of a 28 day cycle.
Figuring the Odds of Being Pregnant
The middle two weeks of your cycle is the time you are most likely to get pregnant. Most women ovulate around day 14, but there is great variation. The time of highest risk for unprotected sex is one or two days before ovulation when there is a 30% chance of becoming pregnant. Three days before ovulation the risk is 15%; on the day of ovulation it is 12%; after ovulation the risk approaches zero.
Women with irregular cycles have more trouble determining when ovulation is occurring. There is a symptom called "mittelschmerz," a term meaning "pain in the middle," that occurs on one side of the abdomen at the time of ovulation. It is caused by spillage of the fluid in the bubble that surrounded the egg when it was on the surface of the ovary and about to be released. That fluid can irritate sensitive surfaces of the abdominal lining and the bowel.
The pain of mittelschmerz is usually deep in the pelvis and can go on for about 12 hours. The monthly pain of mittelschmerz will alternate from one side of the pelvis to the other, because the right and left ovaries take turns ovulating. Not all women experience mittelschmerz, but those who do will have a good idea of when ovulation is occurring in a given cycle. This is true for women with regular or irregular cycles.
So let’s say that you are a woman who gets mittelschmerz, and the day after you had unprotected sex, you felt it. You are at very high risk for getting pregnant—up to 30%.
In the real world, in large studies of women who have unprotected sex in mid-cycle, the risk of getting pregnant is much lower—5-8%. This is because sexual relations on any day other than the 3 days before and the day of ovulation have a very low risk of resulting in a pregnancy.
In the real world, there are other circumstances calling for emergency contraception. One would be an obvious failure of a barrier contraceptive, like a condom with a tear in it. Another is a case of sexual assault, when a woman is raped.
Lowering Your Risk of Pregnancy with Emergency Contraception
So let’s go back to our original line of questioning: What can you do to lower your risk of getting pregnant in these circumstances? You can use emergency contraception (EC). It can decrease the likelihood of getting pregnant by 50-70%. That means that instead of a 5-8% chance of getting pregnant, your chance would be 1-4%. The word "emergency" and the term "the morning after pill" are very apt. You have to get this medication and take it as soon as possible. The sooner you take it, the lower the risk of getting pregnant. The medications described here can be effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex, but their effects decrease with time.
Hormonal Emergency Contraception (EC)
These medications consist of female hormones or derivatives of female hormones that can work in several different ways. The most important effect is a delay in ovulation. Other possible effects are changing the function of the fallopian tubes or altering the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg will not implant.
The Copper Intrauterine Device (IUD)
Another effective method of EC is to have an copper IUD placed within 5 days of unprotected sex. This is effective primarily by altering the uterine lining. You need to see a gynecologist to have an IUD inserted.
What Hormonal EC’s Are Available?
Right now there are three FDA-approved preparations available: Next Choice, Plan B One Step, and ella. Next Choice and Plan B One Step are sold over-the-counter to women age 17 and older. They are available for younger women by prescription. Ella is available by prescription only. The cost of these medications is around $40.
Next Choice and Plan B One Step
Next Choice and Plan B One Step contain a type of the hormone progesterone called levonorgestrel. The total dose of levonorgestrel is the same, except with Next Choice you take one 0.75 mg tablet first and a second tablet after 12 hours. With Plan B One Step you just take one 1.5mg tablet. Both preparations should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. Studies have shown they can work up to 5 days, but become less and less effective as the days go by.
Ella was just approved in 2010. Its active ingredient is ulipristal acetate 30 mg, taken only once. Ulipristal is a selective progesterone receptor modulator, and its mechanisms of action are the same as levonorgestrel. It has a stronger effect on ovulation than levonorgestrel and there is evidence that ella works just as well as the other two medications during the first 72 hours and is more effective for a longer period of time—up to 5 days after intercourse.
Uilpristal belongs to the same class of drugs as mifepristone (Mifeprex), which is currently used in the US for medical abortions. Mifepristone is available in some other countries as an emergency contraceptive in a dose of 10 mg, 1/60 the dose used for medical abortion.
Side Effects and Precautions with EC Drugs
Side effects with progesterone derived EC’s are minimal—headache, menstrual pain, nausea, dizziness, and abdominal pain may occur. Because of the extremely brief exposure to the medication, these effects are short-lived.
Although these drugs are contraindicated in a person known to be pregnant, should they be taken during a pregnancy or should a woman who takes EC become pregnant and decide to continue with her pregnancy, there is no evidence of fetal harm from having used EC.
After Using Emergency Contraception
You took EC. You have reduced your risk of getting pregnant. Now what? You wait, essentially for your next period to come. Under no circumstances should you have unprotected intercourse. Should you decide to have sex before your period, use protection, preferably double protection, the male condom plus the diaphragm, sponge, gel, or foam.
After taking EC and as you are waiting for your period, you may experience certain symptoms. Some women get bleeding or spotting shortly after taking EC. Most women will get their period within three days of the expected date. Women who took levonorgestrel may be a little early; those who took ulipristal may be slightly late. If you have not gotten your period in 21 days, get a pregnancy test and seek medical attention.
Positive pregnancy test or not, this is a great time to see your physician or attend a family planning clinic and have a serious talk about contraception. There are many different choices, depending on your personal situation. Emergency contraception is just that — a good option in an emergency, but it's not a replacement for planned birth control protection.
Helpful websites:
NOTE: We regret that we cannot answer personal medical questions.
© 2016 interMDnet Corporation. |
Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/51
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Presidential Address.
they show remnants of the imported Belief interwoven into the groundwork of native Custom is to my mind an additional testimony to the Essential Unity of Folklore.
This, then, is the view that it seems to me the Society should endeavour to set before the world,—that Folklore is not "a fortuitous concourse of atoms," but an entity, the product of the human mind, made up of three complementary elements,—Belief, Custom, and Story,—and liable to be influenced and varied by external circumstances. Racial idiosyncrasies, geographical isolation, economic changes, migration, warfare, conquest, slavery, and the peaceful importation of foreign culture, all affect and influence the folklore of individual peoples. When any of its component elements are dropped, the remainder constitute what we call a survival. Custom may lose its raison d'être or its animating belief, and survive as a mere fossil. Belief, unsupported by social custom, may still persist as a living principle of action. Both may assimilate new beliefs and new customs so thoroughly that it requires close analysis to distinguish the new from the old. In varying degrees these phenomena are common to the folklore of both civilised and uncivilised peoples.
Students have made some progress in ascertaining what causes folklore to decay, but what causes the surviving elements to survive? What vacuum does the survival fill? What need of human nature, craving to be supplied, keeps it alive through the ages? What human idiosyncrasy preserves it when it has reached a fossil state? These are questions not answered yet, scarcely even approached. They remain as a problem for the future.
Note I. Dancing Ballads.
The following extracts from private letters written by a lady then resident in the Faröe Islands may be interesting. The writer's name is suppressed for obvious reasons. |
A Graphene Revolution?
Figure 1 from http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/23/tech/innovation/tomorrow-transformed-graphene-battery/index.html
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As our supply of non-renewable energy sources becomes increasingly scarce, it is becoming more and more apparent that the survival of our planet is dependent almost solely on our ability to implement both efficient and conservational practices in our daily energy usage. Researchers at Manchester University in the United Kingdom have made a very progressive step towards this goal with the discovery of graphene––a newfound substance with the same atomic structure as the graphite found in a pencil. Figure 1 shows a graphene sample scaled next to the tip of a graphite pencil.
CNN’s Tomorrow Transformed column calls graphene “the most revolutionary advance in battery technology yet.” The substance earned this praise for its energy-efficient properties with regard to electrical power, such as its ability to conduct electricity even better than copper. In its simplest form, graphene is only one atom thick and more than 1 million times thinner than a human hair. Despite the fact that it is extremely thin and almost weightless (in fact it is the first two dimensional crystal known to science), graphene is harder than a diamond and 200 times stronger than steel, making it extremely durable and long-lasting. Manchester University’s Graham Templeton states, “No known material can approach this combination of abilities.” This makes graphene far superior to other substances (such as copper and steel), which are vital components of the electronic appliances that we use everyday such as smartphones, laptops, television sets, etc. This is because it lasts very long, does not need to be replenished frequently, and conducts electricity with minimal risk of wasted energy. Figure 2 displays the atomic makeup of graphene in its simplest form.
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Arguably the most groundbreaking discovery that Manchester University’s researchers made was a graphene membrane’s ability to literally harvest hydrogen from the atmosphere. The researchers claim that this harvesting “could be combined with fuel cells to create a mobile electric generator fueled simply by hydrogen present in air.” This method of hydrogen generation is far superior to our current method, in which hydrogen is obtained almost entirely from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas.
Sources consulted:
We Need to Steer in the Right Direction, towards Electric Vehicles
The number of cars on the roads worldwide has surpassed one billion, with the U.S. having the largest car population at about 239.8 million cars. It is estimated that by 2050 the worldwide car population will reach 2.5 billion. This would require a production of 120 million barrels of oil per day, which is 37 million more that we require today. Since transportation currently accounts for 23% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, increasing transportation will only make global warming increasingly worse. In order to compete with these rising emissions, we need to move towards alternative energy vehicles.
An excellent alternative to the regular “gas-guzzling” cars are the All-Electric Vehicles (EVs). EVs run on electricity only and are powered by rechargeable batteries that propel the electric motors in the car, allowing it to move. EVs are much more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, require less maintenance, have better performance, and have reduced energy dependence over vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs); which are the cars that require gasoline. EVs are very energy efficient in terms of how much energy they convert from their source to power the wheels. EVs convert about 59%-62% of the electrical energy from the grid to power the car, while ICE only convert 17%-21% of the energy from gasoline to power the car. EVs are much more environmentally friendly than ICEs because they emit no tailpipe pollutants and if the electricity is from nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, or wind power plants there are also no air pollutants. EV’s energy costs are also less than ICE’s energy costs. The cost to drive an EV 100 miles is significantly less than the cost to drive an ICE 100 miles (Figure 1.).
Additionally, as a bonus, EV’s motors are very quiet, have stronger accelerations, and require less maintenance than ICEs.
Yet, of course, there are some downsides to the EVs. Two of the main downsides that most people would worry about if deciding to buy an EV is it’s driving range abilities and recharge time. Most EVs can go only about 100-200 miles before needing to be recharged, while ICEs can drive for over 300 miles without needing to be refueled with gasoline. Also, fully recharging the battery can take from 4-8 hours. EVs can either be charged at the house or at a charging station (Figure 2.).
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Figure 2. shows an example of an EV at a charging station.
There are also other downsides to EVs, which are the high cost to replace a car battery (which may need to be replaced) and the heavy weight and consuming size of the battery packs.
As usual, whenever there is a technology that is an alternative to help save energy, there are usually downsides. Yet, with EVs, there aren’t downsides that are un-manageable or “not worth it.” I believe EVs are rare, but exciting, because they truly benefit the community, and more importantly, the environment. With technology advancing everyday, the small issues of the driving range, recharging time, and battery weight, size, and cost will eventually become irrelevant, and soon enough All-Electric Vehicles will be the obvious choice, not that they aren’t already!
For the First Time in 40 Years… Economic Growth Hasn’t Lead to an Increase in CO2 Emissions.
On an average, people tend to commonly associate CO2 emissions with the economy. So, what I am trying to get at is that many people think that if there is a global economic growth, in correlation, we expect to see an increase int he CO2 emissions as well. However, for the first time in over 40 years, we are seeing that this is not the case. This my friends is amazing news for all of us who care about the environment. While this is great news, the question still remains; what has triggered this trend to finally changed? Well, there are several factors and the International Energy Agency has evaluated all of the reasons that they believe that there hasn’t been an increase, but rather a decrease in the CO2 emissions, even though there was an increase in economic growth.
China is the worlds largest CO2 emitter and it is also the country where a majority of the worlds industrial work takes place. Over the past two years, China has taken an initiative to reduce the amount of CO2 that they emit by shifting towards using renewable sources of energy, rather than using non-renewable sources of energy. In China’s case, they have led the world in the amount of solar installations with the hope of cleaning up the countries polluted air. In figure 1, you will see that by the end of 2015, China hopes to add as much as 15 gigawatts of solar energy, which will power around 16 million houses. They want to accomplish this task by installing cheap solar panels on top of commercial buildings, rather than just confiding panels in the rural areas.
Figure 1.
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Additionally, the second factor that has attributed for there to be a decrease in the amount of energy used is the idea that awareness causes people to change their behaviors. People are greedy. Unfortunately, this is the hard truth. If you tell them that they will save money by buying certain types of technology, they will be willing to do it. This has been happening all over the U.S. The more aware people become about the energy that they are using, the more willing they are to change their behaviors and their electronics. Over the past year, home energy efficiency has decreased drastically, causing there to be an overall decrease in energy. In figure 2, you will see that there is a decrease in the amount of energy in a per capita basis as well as a GDP basis.
Figure 2.
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The third, which can be overruled, but it is still just as important. The IEA has reported that one of the reasons there is a decrease in CO2 emissions is because transportation has become more efficient. Cars are now being made in order to be more efficient.
Now, the final reason that CO2 emissions have decreased, while the economy prospers, is due to the fact that there was a natural gas boom, due to fracking. Robert Starvins, a leading environmental economist said, “This has, in turn, led to significant increases in dispatch of gas-fired electricity generation, relative to dispatch of coal-fired generation, as well as increased investment in new gas-fired electric generation capacity, and cessation of investment in new coal generation in the United States.”
Now, lets rejoice. While the world still needs to make huge strides to bettering the environmental conditions, the progress we are making is incredible. China, the worlds leading CO2 emitter has come to its senses and so is the rest of the world.
Workouts to Watts
Becoming environmentally friendly is rewarding, yet it can also be a pain. Turning down the heat to face the cold, carpooling, unplugging your devices, and always remembering to turn off the lights are everyday “energy savers” that are beneficial, but not everyone does them. it could be because of laziness, lack of knowledge, lack of interest, or even forgetfulness, but either way, energy is still being wasted every day, and A LOT of it. So what if I were to tell you that there was a way of saving energy without even knowing you were? Too good to be true? Well clearly you haven’t been to the New York Sports Club on Eight Avenue, The Cadbury House Club, California Fitness in Hong Kong, The Great Outdoor Gym Company or to the other few human powered gyms around the world!
These gyms have invested a lot of money into new workout equipment that allows your sweat to power the machine your on, a T.V. in the gym, or even the gym itself! These companies have already converted several hundred machines at dozens of U.S. health clubs and university gyms. Each machine has a generator that converts the motion of the wheels into electricity, which is then fed into the power grid. In some pf these gyms, the generators ate noticeable, with each being attached to a black box with wires running out of it. (Figure 1.).
Figure 1. People at the gym working out on bikes that can generate electricity from the motion of the wheels due to the attached generators. The generators can be seen at the front-bottom of the bike, and wires (covered by the strip of black mat) can be seen running from each of the machines.
There are many positives to these gyms green initiative. The first, obviously being that the gyms are being more energy efficient by using the immediate energy generated by the exercise machines to power materials in the gym and less energy wasteful by not wasting all the energy that the gym-goers work so hard for. Second, it is great for business because the gyms are able to promote themselves as environmentally friendly, which is appealing to many people. Also, a lot of the equipment shows on the screen attached how much energy you are generating while working out, which is an extra motivation to work out for longer, faster, and harder (Figure 2.)
Figure 2. Screen on exercise machine that shows the amount of watts the person has generated.
Lastly, this new equipment also helps the gyms cut down on their energy bills because of the gym goers producing their own energy needed to power their machines.
Sadly, this method of saving energy is not as perfect as it may sound. The energy output from each machine is quite small, and it takes decades to make up the money spent on all the new workout equipment through the energy being saved through the new machines. For example, The Canterbury House Club in England spent $981,120 in order to install the new machines in the gym. The new machines installed in this facility are capable of generating 100 watts of electricity, which is about enough to power an 18-inch standing fan at the highest setting, a desktop computer, a large stereo system, or two laptop computers. While this is not much energy, we still have to remember how this energy can add up. It is only a matter of time when the majority of exercise equipment will have attached generators. This could lead to thousands of gyms using this technology, and millions of machines, and with all produced energy from these machines added up, it becomes an appreciable amount of energy saved.
Overall, these new, innovative ways to save energy are just the beginning of an amazing energy efficient future. With these machines already using 30% less energy than regular exercise machines, the main problem is the economics, which can be fixed in the future. If all the gyms in the work used these machines, all our hard work, sweat, tears, and calories burned would not only be benefitting us, but it would be greatly benefitting our planet.
Wireless Energy Transmissions: Making the Seemingly Impossible Possible
In 1901, Nikola Tesla began the creation of the Wardenclyffe, a “power tower”, foreseen to one day be able transfer energy wirelessly in all directions around it. But, soon after this project had begun it was scrapped, and the tower with it, due to low funding and lack of investors.
Fig. 1 Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower
One hundred and fourteen years later, scientists have finally taken Tesla’s work to the next step, and have succeeded in transmitting energy wirelessly. JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or the Japanese equivalent of NASA) has harnessed the power of microwaves, directed this power at pinpoint accuracy at a small target, and delivered 1.9 kilowatts of power 55 meters away for the very first time, no wires attached. Scientists aim to use this technology for the generation of solar power in outer space. But 55 meters is miniscule compared to the 22,300 miles away that scientists aim to place these solar stations. Yet, this could be a major breakthrough in renewable energy: humans may one day be able to harness a virtually undisturbable, inexhaustible source of energy. In space, there is never a time of day or type of weather that is unfit for the capture of solar rays. And we still have billion years, give or take a few, until our sun begins to die.
Fig 2. What the solar panels in space may end up looking like
Technology like this has existed previous, but in different forms. First of all, typically, energy, or in it’s usable form, electricity, is transmitted via power or distribution lines or wires. In addition to wired transfer, there are also two different types of wireless energy transmission: near-field or non radiative, and far-field or radiative. Near-field is somewhat newly conventionalized, but nonetheless relatively commonly used for charging devices, such as phones, electric toothbrushes, and cardiac pacemakers. You may have see this method in your local technology store as a mat that you can place your phone on to wirelessly charge.
Fig. 3 An example of near-field non-radiative technology: the wireless charging mat
The type of wireless energy conveyance that JAXA has just now harnessed is far-field, or radiative transmission. Also known as “power beaming”, radiative transmission occurs via beams of electromagnetic radiation, such as microwaves or laser beams. The solar space stations would use the microwave technique to beam precisely pinpointed streams of energy down to earth.
Fig. 4 Another idea of what the wireless space solar panels may look like
Though inexhaustible radiative wireless energy seems to be faultless, as with any new innovation there are challenges as well as possible flaws. How will JAXA move this gigantic solar system into space? How will they choose to construct it? Maintain it? I assume that this process of but moving from the earth into space, and position will take years. And, what will it look like from earth? Will we be able to see it?
Will it be efficient, more so than existing solar panels? Though they will certainly generate a massive increase in amount, I hypothesize that there will be energy lost along the way, as 22,300 miles is an extremely long distance. And if the beam is concentrated and powered high enough not to be inefficient, what will become of the people, animals or objects that get in it’s way? After reading comments on what informed readers believe will occur, I have come to the conclusion that, because this beam will be incredibly hot, it could cook or vaporize anything in it’s way. Though a JAXA spokesman has said that this beam will not fry a bird or airplane in it’s path due to low-energy density, it is hard to make solid conclusions when this method has only been tested in the range of 55 meters and not yet an exponentially larger scale.
Fig. 5 A third layout of how these panels may be aligned, and how they function
The station itself is bound to cost millions, if not billions of dollars, which will either drive taxes or the cost of energy itself up. In addition, JAXA has been working on this Space Solar Power Systems idea for years, and has only made it to the first, vital step: transmission itself, and for only a short distance. A representative from the Agency has stated that it could take decades before the practical application of the technology becomes a reality. News providers and science enthusiasts have speculated no earlier than the year 2030 or 40.
Fig. 6 A group of JAXA Scientists
Though wirelessly transmitted energy will not be an innovation of the near future, I believe that when the Space Solar Power System is implemented, and the method is working, that it will change the way we think of energy altogether. In fifteen years, nonrenewable resources will begin to dwindle. There will be unrest, and slowly our beautiful earth will begin to be saturated with turbines and panels, streaking across the landscape. An alternate option will be desired, if not necessary. And what better option than putting these energy collectors outside of our world entirely, and making them infinite? It is unavoidable to state that wireless solar space energy could very well be our future. And if so, it will certainly be a bright one.
Bringing Beauty back into Green
It is projected that by 2088, the world will run out of fossil fuels. We could even deplete our oil by 2040, or our natural gas by 2060. This may seem inconceivable, but taking into account the rate that we are guzzling energy, and the fact that this rate is constantly increasing may means that our lights will go out too soon. But do not fear! Renewable energy is forthcoming. There will never be a day when the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing, or at least, not in the near, foreseeable future. Renewable energy has minute if any emissions that contribute to global warming, improves public health and the environment, and is inexhaustible. Yet today, the world still uses 81% fossil fuels, with 34% oil, 21% natural gas, and 26% coal/peat. All the renewable energy used in the entire world is less than even one of these resources, at only 13% usage. The advantages of using renewable resources are many, and for a better future, a change needs to be made. So why is it that we still use so much nonrenewable energy?
The world's energy consumption by resource
Fig. 1: The world’s energy consumption by resource
There are multiple reasons. First, these innovations are pricey. The average home solar system costs a little over $10,000. It’s hard to justify the installation of solar panels, which includes paperwork, construction, and a whole load of hassle, to lower your energy bill in the long run, when you oil bill is already only a few hundred dollars per month. The other downside to renewable energy is that it can be an eyesore. There have been countless complaints from angry citizens who believe that wind turbines have ruined their community’s scenic landscapes. One man commented his on experience with the installation of turbines, stating “One of the most troublesome problems with the proliferation of industrial wind projects in Maine is their encroachment on the “treasures” of the state that we have purchased to protect for future generations. […] We have leveraged with these funds millions of dollars more from other sources to preserve places like the Mahoosuc Range, Rumford Whitecap, Bald & Speckled Mt, Tumbledown & Jackson Mt., and Schoodic Mt. All these wonderful places are being surrounded by wind turbines.”
Fig. 2: Wind turbines on a scenic landscape
This problem with wind turbines is even plaguing Scotland, with the Daily Mail reporting that “They are famous Scottish landmarks which have withstood wars, weather and centuries of change – but they could not escape the Scottish Government’s green agenda.” And I agree: these turbines placed around beautiful mountain ranges, historic sites, and rolling hills are certainly an ugly blot on the landscape.
Fig. 3: The Daily mail comments “The View? Gone with the Wind”
Fig. 4: There are even plans of building turbines “taller than the London eye” surrounding Loch Ness
This leads people to despise the idea of renewable energy. Eventually, the turbines will be disposed of due to unhappiness of the people. This only digs the world deeper into the hole it’s already dug much into: we need renewable energy to be used more, yet it’s becoming disliked, so it’s not. But a new option is emerging, something that blows all other ideas for clean energy implementation out of the water. What if, instead of attacking the world’s energy problem with boring, ugly white turbines, or a black, brooding expanse of solar panels, people were to approach this problem from a different angle? Instead of only productivity, why not combine productivity and beauty to create an efficient masterpiece?
Yes, there is a solution!
Innovative companies are turning ugly wind turbines into something beautiful. They are, in essence, taking the meaning of the word “green” literally. The first of these companies is NewWind, based in France. NewWind has created an artificial Wind Tree, which uses tiny leaf-shaped turbines to harness the power of the wind. They can utilize anything from the smallest breeze to a giant gust of wind. They are completely silent, as well as modern, sleek, and pleasant to view.
Fig. 5: French people observing the Wind Tree
They produce 3.1 kwh of energy. Though they are not quite as efficient as your typical turbines, which produce anywhere between 5-10 kwh or more, nonetheless, they have been praised and lauded by countless websites and magazines. They are currently are being used in Brittany, France and are set to be installed at the Place de la Concorde in Paris in March, 2015. In my opinion, they are most certainly energy made beautiful.
Vid. 1: Above is a short video showing the Wind Trees in action
Another emerging invention is the Power Flower created by NL Architects. The biggest advantage of this power flower is that it minimizes space needed to function. Instead of a huge turbine, it’s a thin, lean build that utilizes vertical turbines for maximum space-saving.
Fig. 6: Wind turbines in comparison to Power Flowers
Just like the Wind Tree, it is basically silent and can absorb wind that blows form any direction. Though there are many plans for the Power Flowers to become domestic energy solutions, there have not been many installed just yet. But, the plans look incredibly promising. This is yet another example of a minimalistic, clean, attractive build that will certainly be admired by customers.
Fig. 7: A plan showing how the Power Flowers could be seamlessly integrated into the landscape.
Lastly, the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore is an example of an already functioning innovation that has smoothly merged into Singaporean culture. There are many words to describe the Gardens by the Bay, but the first that come to mind are awe-inspiring, breathtaking, and incredible. They are unbelievable feats of architecture, and look like they have popped out of a futuristic movie. They do not make people turn away, but rather, are an attraction that draw citizens and tourists alike near.
Fig 8: A beautiful shot of the Gardens by the Bay
But these Gardens are more than beautiful. As well as spectacular, they are also incredibly efficient. The trees are layered in solar panels, act as cooling ducts for nearby conservatories, collect rainwater, and de-humidify air before this cooling.
Fig 9: The Trees up close
Singapore is filled with high rises, skyscrapers, and a dense city landscape. Their initiative should be one that is followed by cities around the world: to transform their community into a greener place, both physically and energy-wise.
The world is transforming into a viridescent place, and a more beautiful one, too. I believe these three projects, the Wind Trees, Power Flowers, and Gardens by the Bay, will motivate people to become more excited about energy efficiency, rather than despising of it. They will look forward to the beautiful installations, and benefit from the clean energy that they produce. It was once believed that the stark white wind turbine, or black expanse of solar panels was the future, but I believe that real future is the combination of beautiful architecture and renewable energy.
Americans’ Priorities Are Costing Us
If someone gave you the option today to make your home entirely energy efficient, would you do it?
What if it saved you a lot of money on your bills?
What if it cost you a lot of money?
Most people would initially answer yes to the first question. Becoming more energy efficient makes people feel better about themselves, and for good reason: If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting alone, without even changing any other appliances or habits, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Helping the environment is usually something people see as desirable, yet it often takes second priority to other factors, like the cost of buying the appliances.
When asked the second question, most people would likely say yes even more emphatically than they did to the first. If being more energy efficient is beneficial to people themselves, they’ll probably go ahead and do it. Maybe that’s why in a recent study done by Consumer Reports, 75% of Americans use CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps). CFLs can save consumers up to $60 per year on their energy bill— clearly a good enough reason for many to make the switch. CFLs are spiral-shaped bulbs with fluorescent coating, and inside they are filled with argon and mercury vapor. An electrical current excites the gases, which then produce ultraviolet light that interacts with the fluorescent coating to produce visible light. Unlike traditional incandescent bulbs, in which 90% of the energy required to produce the desired light goes to heat, CFLs are able to produce light efficiently.
While CFLs provide people with an attractive way to save both money and the environment, the situation becomes stickier with LED lights. LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are semiconductors that produce light when electrons pass through them. They are more energy efficient than CFLs, but they cost more to buy. LEDs usually cost between 25 to 60 dollars each, whereas CFLs only cost between 1.25 to 18 dollars. However, LEDs last up to 50 times longer than incandescent and CFL bulbs, use 36 less watts than incandescent bulbs and 3 less watts then CFLs. Yet of the many Americans that use energy efficient lighting, 75% use CFLs.
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That brings us to the third question. If switching to a more energy efficient solution is possible but it costs more money than the less energy efficient alternative, the data shows that people will not make the switch. Clearly, Americans prioritize the costs of installing the LED bulbs over their environmental benefits. Interestingly, however, LEDs have some economic benefits over CFLs as well. LEDs could save people up to $130 per year on their energy bill, and cost less than CFLs to operate yearly. They do cost more than CFLs and take longer to gain back the investment, but only half a month longer.
Sadly, Americans prioritize their economic interests over environmental interests. I think we should all strive to hold the environment at a much higher priority than we do naturally. While economic benefits have an immediate impact on one’s life, environmental impacts have a much more widespread and have more longevity. We need to be concerned about saving every watt of energy possible, even if it means paying a little more money now. If we do not pay the extra money now to conserve the energy, we will likely have to pay a lot more money later in order to compensate for the damage we’ve caused. |
26 Letters
There’s a lot of power in those 26 simple symbols. That small set of letters is our entire tool kit for communicating with one another in the English language. Every word we write or speak is formed from nothing more than these few building blocks arranged in various ways: letters into words, words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs. Endless combinations to express innumerable thoughts and ideas. The U.S. Constitution. War and Peace. The Bible. Your grandmother’s love letters. The owner’s manual for your car. The script of the latest blockbuster movie. It’s really remarkable when you stop to think about it.
Kindle keyboard (1024x683)With these 26 letters we can convey our feelings upon witnessing something wondrous like the birth of a baby, or something horrific like a car crash. We can give names to each other as well as to every species of plant and animal on the planet. We can tell bedtime stories to our children.
We need no more than these 26 letters to explain why the leaves turn those brilliant colors in the fall, where birds go when they migrate, or how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. These same letters can be combined to form something as important as your birth certificate or as mundane as a grocery list.
We educate, entertain, compliment, insult, soothe, incite, encourage, and irritate each other with words made from this very small group of symbols. Think about some historic inspirational speeches: Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” or John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address (“Ask not what your country can do for you…”). Combinations of these twenty-six letters, that’s all.
There’s such power in language, whether it’s written or spoken. Because of our mastery of language, our species has been able to dominate the world. We’ve done good things with this power. And we’ve done bad things. I often wonder what the other animals would say to us if they could use our language. I’m sure they would teach us some valuable lessons.
I believe we have an obligation to use this powerful gift to make the world a better place for all of us, not just those like ourselves. I’m saddened when I see words used to tear down or belittle other people. So much potential is wasted by those words, so much unnecessary hurt inflicted. On the other hand, when I hear language used to uplift and encourage people, my heart smiles with hope. I push aside my doubts about the future, cast off the weight of my fears, and am inspired to try harder to be a part of the solution.
If you ask me, these 26 letters have the power to save us all.
4 thoughts on “26 Letters”
1. I love this post, Kim! Words can heal and words can harm. Those 26 symbols have an immense amount of power.
And I see from your comment reply above that the Grand Rapids Airport is shooting Snowy Owls. How can that be?
2. You said it well, Kim. We can do so much better with what we create. And yet, I am even more intrigued at how animals and nature choose to communicate… and I believe they do – with us. They utilize sight, smell and sound. They relay signals and messages with body language and audible noises. They rely on instinct. Sometimes our English language seems inept on that level. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to intuitively express to others and be able to read people and have understanding without uttering a word?
1. Yes, I agree, animals use their other senses much more effectively than we do. I think our use of verbal and written language is part of the reason we have lost much of our ability to perceive communication via our other senses.
P.S. Sorry I haven’t gotten to read your new blog post yet. I’ve been tied up since Friday with a petition I started on Change.org to get the Grand Rapids airport to stop shooting Snowy Owls. It’s taking up a lot of time but it’s going to work, I just know it.
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The Mexican Economy after NATA - Admission/Application Essay Example
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The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into effect in January 1994, played a significant role in the economic relationship between Mexico and the United States of America. The two nations have also come closer in areas such as security, environmental,…
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Download file to see previous pages Broken down further, the main issues of concern have been linked to the conditions of the economy in Mexico, the impact of NAFTA on both, the USA and Mexico, and the Mexican migrant labor force in the USA (Unidas).
First this paper will discuss the issues which lead towards NAFTA; it will then focus on its aftermath along with the major financial crisis which took over the world like flare. Further we will explore the political and economic reforms and finally we will look into the market response to the devaluation and the Mexican and U.S. government’s efforts for coping with this severe situation.
The condition of Mexico’s economy is regarded crucial for the U.S. policymakers as it underlies several reasons, considerably because they are both democratic neighboring countries who think in the best interest of each other. Both countries share strong, economic, social and political association amongst them which have provided the policymakers strong background and support. The policy changes which take place between these countries have direct impact on the trade, migration, competitiveness and border security. The global financial crisis which started in 2008 made a huge impact on U.S. economic downturn and also affected the dependence on the U.S. trade market. The economic reforms initiated over the last 20 years have assisted Mexico to fight with the economic downturn and for further improving their condition in 2010. However the complete economic sustainability depends on U.S’s. economic recovery and their ability to sustain the financial growth (Meredith and Towe).
During the initial 1990s period the Mexican economy was in a stable condition and appeared to be healthy. Luckily the debt crisis of 1980s and 1982 provided a boost to Mexican economy as their oil prices started reducing which directed the economy revolving. The overall effect of this was evident from the inflation which reduced substantially and ...Download file to see next pagesRead More
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Considering that July was the hottest month globally since record keeping began 140 years ago, now isn't the time for zero-carbon energy production to slow. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened in the United States in the first half of 2019. In fact, renewable electricity generation declined 1.1% from the year-ago period, according to newly released data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The observation is far from ideal, but it should be only a short-term hiccup. Besides, there were other promising details in the EIA dataset, including the stunning collapse of coal-fired power plants and the resilience of America's dwindling fleet of nuclear reactors. Here's why the decline occurred and why investors shouldn't panic.
A row of wind turbines in a field.
Image source: Getty Images.
A little nuance goes a long way
The United States generated 399 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from renewable sources in the first half of 2019, compared to 404 GWh in the same period of 2018. Again, not great, but there are innocent reasons for the year-over-year decline:
• Wind droughts: The United States started 2019 with 8% more installed wind power capacity than it boasted at the beginning of 2018, but American wind turbines have generated just 0.8% more electricity in the first half of this year. Investors can thank lower wind resource for the decline, which is out of everyone's control. However, the country is expected to add nearly 13,000 megawatts of power capacity -- the second-highest annual total ever -- in 2019.
• Hydropower's return to the mean: The United States saw a 5.6% decline in electricity generated from hydropower in the first half of 2019 compared to the year-ago period. That was entirely expected as water runoff totals gradually return to historical averages following record output in 2017.
• Solar's rise: The United States generated 11% more electricity from solar panels in the first half of 2019 compared to the year-ago period. Growth was about evenly split between utility-scale and small-scale installations, demonstrating an appetite for the distributed energy source.
There are also clear reasons for optimism regarding America's ongoing decarbonization efforts:
• Nuclear is resilient: Despite a handful of reactor closures, America's atomic fleet generated a record amount of electricity in 2018. The country's largest source of zero-carbon emissions remained just 0.6% off last year's record pace in the first half of 2019, although planned reactor retirements will eventually begin to reduce contributions.
• Coal is collapsing: The United States has reached a tipping point with coal-fired power plants by retiring increasingly larger and younger facilities. In fact, June 2019 was the first time in decades that electricity generation didn't top 100 GWh for the sixth month on the calendar -- the fleet registered just 78 GWh, a 23% decline from June 2018. That stunning collapse is likely to drive a decline in power sector carbon emissions in 2019 despite the stumble of renewables.
• Natural gas slows: The United States generated 6% more electricity from natural gas in the first half of 2019 compared to the year-ago period. That year-over-year figure was 14% this time last year. The rise can be explained by new facilities in Appalachia, although they've displaced coal-fired power plants as the default power source during the summer months (when energy use peaks). The net effect is a sharp reduction in carbon emissions.
• Lower overall energy consumption: The United States generated 2.3% less total electricity in the first half of 2019 compared to the year-ago period. Therefore, renewables actually gained market share.
The year-over-year decline in renewable electricity generation hasn't had significant consequences for America's decarbonization efforts, renewable energy stocks, or renewable energy industry leaders -- many of which remain blissfully optimistic about the future of wind and solar power in the United States.
These businesses aren't panicking, and neither should you
There are plenty of reasons for optimism about America's trajectory to respond to climate change. Consider that the nation exited June 2019 with nearly 97,960 megawatts of installed wind power capacity, which took decades to accumulate, but boasted a development pipeline of 33,000 megawatts. In fact, the domestic industry is mature enough to enter into an important new phase: repowering.
Repowering is the term applied to replacing aging wind turbines with newer, more efficient designs -- and it's becoming big business. General Electric (NYSE:GE) has now completed over 2,500 such projects, totaling nearly 4,000 megawatts of capacity, since the beginning of 2017. It expects to repower an additional 3,000 megawatts by the end of 2020. The average repowered turbine sees a 20% increase in annual energy production, which makes the same plot of land more valuable over time. The total repowering market in the United States could climb to $25 billion per year by 2030.
Meanwhile, NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) remains increasingly optimistic about the country's renewable energy future. Considering it generates more electricity from wind and solar power than any other company on the planet, and owns more installed wind capacity than all but seven countries, investors should be relatively confident in its insights. The company expects that electricity generated from wind and solar farms in the United States will be cheaper than even natural gas by the end of 2023 -- and that's with energy storage included. That underpins the company's confidence that renewable energy could generate as much as 50% of the country's total electricity by 2030 if that economic tipping point is reached.
That helps explain why Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE:BEP), one of the world's largest producers of hydroelectricity, is furiously investing in new wind and solar power capacity. The business generated 78% of funds from operations (FFO) from hydro assets in the first half of 2019, but committed to building at least 2,500 megawatts of solar power in the next five years. That marks one of the single-largest investments in solar power globally and demonstrates the company's commitment to diversifying its profit engine.
Simply put, investors might see an influx of doom-and-gloom headlines about the recent decline in renewable energy generation in the United States, but it means relatively little for those with a long-term mindset. |
How Did A Rare, Vomit-Inducing Parasite Infect The Water Supply For 300,000 People?
How Did a Rare, Vomit-Inducing Parasite Infect the Water Supply for 300,000 People?
More than 300,000 households in Lancashire, England have been warned to boil their water recently to kill any traces of Cryptosporidium, the BBC reports. The nasty livestock parasite, which surfaced last week, probably came from a rotting animal carcass or faeces, according to The Guardian. Lovely.
Cryptosporidium is a parasite found in livestock that occasionally makes its way into humans through our drinking water. It's one of those nasty critters we usually lump into the "24 hour stomach bug" category, with symptoms of infection including diarrhoea and vomiting. In rare instances, Crypto will lead to severe complications in children and adults with weakened immune systems.
Traces of Crypto were first discovered in Lancashire on August 6th during routine testing at a water treatment plant. Immediately after the bug was detected, the water firm United Utilities issued a warning to customers throughout the county, asking residents to boil their water for drinking, eating, and even tooth brushing until further notice. Water samples have improved since last week, but traces of the bug remain, and residents are being asked to stay vigilant.
Crypto does crop up pretty regularly in underdeveloped countries where livestock manure seeps directly into urban water supplies. Being highly resistant to chlorine, it's also one of the main bugs you can catch at your local swimming pool. (Please, for the love of God, don't let your kids poop in the water. It's a health hazard.).
But in the modern world of sophisticated water treatment centres, filters typically remove most parasite-sized particles, and an outbreak of this scale is pretty rare: There have only been two other, relatively small bouts of Crypto in the UK water mains since 2000, according to The Guardian. Still, it only takes a couple parasites slipping through the filtration system to cause a public health disaster, as evidenced by a notorious 1993 outbreak in Milwaukee, in which 400,000 people were infected by a single water plant. That was the largest waterborne disease outbreak in US history, by the way.
That's why the recent contamination is being taken so seriously. (There haven't been any confirmed cases of sickness, but with an incubation period of up to a week, public health officials warn that residents could start falling ill in the days ahead). An investigation into the original source of the contamination could lead to criminal charges and fines against the water companies at fault, The Guardian reports. Meanwhile, panic-stricken residents who've watched a few too many bio-disaster movies spent last week clearing out bottled water shelves at supermarkets across Lancashire, or hawking water for a premium on the internet.
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In 1985, Susan Merritt proposed a new taxonomy for comparison-based sorting algorithms. At the heart of Merritt's thesis is the principle of divide and conquer. Merritt's thesis is potentially a very powerful method for studying and understanding sorting. However, the paper did not offer any concrete implementation of the proposed taxonomy. The following is our object-oriented formulation and implementation of Merritt's taxonomy.
The following discussion is based on the the SIGCSE 2001 paper by Nguyen and Wong, "Design Patterns for Sorting" D. Nguyen and S. Wong, “Design Patterns for Sorting,” SIGCSE Bulletin 33:1, March 2001, 263-267 .
Merritt's thesis
In 1985, Susan Merritt proposed that all comparison-based sorting could be viewed as “Divide and Conquer” algorithms. S. Merritt, "An Inverted Taxonomy of Sorting Algorithms," Comm. of the ACM, Jan. 1985, Volume 28, Number 1, pp. 96-99 That is, sorting could be thought of as a process wherein one first "divides" the unsorted pile of whatever needs to sorted into smaller piles and then "conquers" them by sorting those smaller piles. Finally, one has to take the the smaller, now sorted piles and recombines them into a single, now-sorted pile.
We thus end up with a recursive definition of sorting:
• To sort a pile:
• Split the pile into smaller piles
• Sort the smaller piles
• Join the sorted smaller piles into a single pile
We can see Merritt's recursive notion of sorting as a split-sort-join process in a pictoral manner by considering the general sorting process as a "black box" process that takes an unsorted set and returns a sorted set. Merritt's thesis thus contends that this sorting process can be described as a splitting followed by a sorting of the smaller pieces followed by a joining of the sorted pieces. The smaller sorting process can thus be similarly described. The base case of this recursive process is when the set has been reduced to a single element, upon which the sorting process cannot be broken down any more as it is a trivial no-op.
Animation of the merritt sorting thesis (click the "reveal more" button)
Sorting can be seen as a recursive process that splits the unsorted items into multiple unsorted sets, sorts them and then rejoins the now sorted sets. When a set is reduced to a single element (blank boxes above), sorting is a trivial no-op.
Merritt's thesis is potentially a very powerful method for studying and understanding sorting. In addition, Merritt's abstract characterization of sorting exhibits much object-oriented (OO) flavor and can be described in terms of OO concepts.
Capturing the abstraction
So, how do we capture the abstraction of sorting as described by Merritt? Fundamentally, we have to recognize that the above description of sorting contains two distinct parts: the invariant process of splitting into sub-piles, sorting the sub-piles and joining the sub-piles, and the variant processes of the actual splitting and joining algorithms used.
Here, we will restrict ourselves to the process of sorting an array of objects, in-place -- that is, the original array is mutated from unsorted to sorted (as opposed to returning a new array of sorted values and leaving the original untouched). The Comparator object used to compare objects will be given to the sorter's constructor.
Abstract sorter class
Invariant sorting process represented in an abstract class
The invariant sorting process is represented as an abstract class
Here, the invariant process is represented by the concrete sort method, which performs the split-sort-sort-join process as described by Merritt. The variant processes are represented by the abstract split and join methods, whose exact behaviors are indeterminate at this time.
Questions & Answers
what is the stm
Brian Reply
How we are making nano material?
what is a peer
What is meant by 'nano scale'?
What is STMs full form?
scanning tunneling microscope
how nano science is used for hydrophobicity
what is differents between GO and RGO?
what is Nano technology ?
Bob Reply
write examples of Nano molecule?
The nanotechnology is as new science, to scale nanometric
Is there any normative that regulates the use of silver nanoparticles?
Damian Reply
what king of growth are you checking .?
Stoney Reply
why we need to study biomolecules, molecular biology in nanotechnology?
Adin Reply
what school?
biomolecules are e building blocks of every organics and inorganic materials.
anyone know any internet site where one can find nanotechnology papers?
Damian Reply
sciencedirect big data base
Introduction about quantum dots in nanotechnology
Praveena Reply
what does nano mean?
Anassong Reply
Damian Reply
absolutely yes
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characteristics of micro business
for teaching engĺish at school how nano technology help us
How can I make nanorobot?
Do somebody tell me a best nano engineering book for beginners?
s. Reply
how can I make nanorobot?
what is fullerene does it is used to make bukky balls
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are you nano engineer ?
what is the actual application of fullerenes nowadays?
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Source: OpenStax, My first collection. OpenStax CNX. Aug 03, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10870/1.1
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Would it surprise you to find out that women are currently working longer, sleeping less, and devoting more time to household chores than their male counterparts? While many believe that the workforce is male-dominated, the 21st century has seen a substantial rise in working women. Still, many women in the workforce are struggling with issues such as juggling childcare duties, performing household chores, and coping with strained work schedules in attempts to advance their careers. Now, a survey from the Board of Labor Statistics has shown that more working women are being forced to give up their self-care habits to work longer, care for their children, and deal with other unique personal responsibilities.
The rise of working women
In the 21st century, women have been shown to increasingly take on more responsibilities than their male counterparts. Not only are women often primarily in charge of their own childcare, yet they are also working longer hours than ever before. On top of work, women are expected to keep up with tasks such as cleaning up around the house, going grocery shopping, and performing other household chores. Of course, the rise of women in the corporate workforce has been beneficial in many ways. When the economy was thrown into turmoil in 2009, more women left behind their positions as full-time mothers or abandoned their retirements to rejoin the workforce. Within the year, they had nearly closed the gap between working women and men, only 1% away from making up the majority of the workforce. This incredible display of female resilience in the workplace opened the door for more women to climb the corporate ladder and become managers, CEOs, and self-made entrepreneurs. However, across the last ten years, a more substantial female presence in the workforce has also resulted in women having to make more sacrifices in their personal lives to juggle all of their responsibilities. This includes cutting back on their social lives and sacrificing one of the most important habits for any person’s wellbeing: getting a healthy amount of sleep.
Boiling down the data
In 2018, the American Time Use Survey, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, revealed an interesting trend between gender and the work, sleep, and childcare habits of women and men. The survey revealed that, while men have been working less since 2017 (from 8.04 hours to 7.87 hours), women were working more, putting in 7.3 hours into their jobs rather than 7.25 (2017). Additionally, women dedicated substantially more time to housework and chores then men did, putting in 49.8 minutes per day as opposed to the 14.4 minutes that men reportedly put in. Working women also spent close to two hours a day on childcare in 2018, a 15-minute leap from 2017. However, working men spent less than one-and-a-half hours a day with their little ones in 2018, dropping from 1.51 hours to 1.41 hours in 2017. When it came to sleeping, women ultimately tended to rest less than men in 2018, inversing the trend of sleep-patterns in each gender in 2017. In 2017, men slept for 8.70 hours, yet in 2018, their numbers lept upward, and they slept for 8.76 hours. Women, on the other hand, lost time for sleep during the year-long period between surveys, sleeping for 8.88 hours in 2018 instead of the 8.91 hours recorded in 2017. The results of this survey don’t just reveal that men are sleeping more/working less and women are sleeping less/working more; it also highlights what may be a dangerous sacrifice for ladies in the workforce.
What this means for women
This study illuminates one of the consequences of increased female presence in the workforce: less time for female self-care. Women who are working more, sleeping less, and taking on more household responsibilities are forced to skip out on essential habits contributing to their physical and emotional wellbeing in order to balance their daily responsibilities. This includes neglecting the amount of sleep that they need, ignoring their own needs when faced with those of the members of their households, and cutting down on positive social interaction with friends and family. Women are also facing added household responsibilities which men are statistically not picking up the slack for, such as childcare, cleaning, grocery shopping, and other chores. Unfortunately, women who want to advance their careers in a male-dominated workforce will likely have to continue to work longer and harder than their male counterparts and sacrifice certain self-care habits along the way. However, reformation within the workplace that partially removes the burden of extra responsibilities from female employees isn’t non-existent. Fortunately, many companies and corporations are becoming more mindful of the needs of parents and other individuals who are in relationships with dual-income, offering longer maternal and paternal leave, benefits for female employees, and even onsite office childcare and daycare options. |
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The African Slave Trade
The African Slave Trade - Page Text Content
FC: The History of Slavery | By: Casey Clapper
1: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade consisted in 3 stages. 1. Taking manufactured goods from Europe to Africa. They exchanged the goods for more slaves. 2.Commonly known as "The Middle Passage" that was when they shipped the slaves to the Americas. 3. Returned to Europe.
2: On the Ship Conditions were not good on the ships, especially during the Middle Passage. Many had little or no space, food and water were scarce, and it was very unsanitary. Many slaves didn't make it to their destination, they died on the journey. Some African slaves even committed suicide so they wouldn't have to live a life suffering in slavery.
3: Slavery was a hard thing to deal with for many Africans. There are current estimates of about 11 to 12 million slaves were shipped across the Atlantic over all. The slaves were forced to work on coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton plantations for Europeans. Some also worked in rice fields or worked in houses as servants, possibly having to also take care of the children. Slaves that worked on plantations were treated with cruelty and were often beaten or whipped by their masters.
4: Resistance to Slavery A small number of British reformers and liberals in the 18th century began arguing that slavery was immoral, some supported runaway slaves, others publicly argued for abolition of the trade. The abolitionists had to try to influence public opinion, some of the methods are Anti-Slavery books Abolitionists prints, posters, and pamphlets. Anti-Slavery Rallies They captured public awareness after they showed people the mortality level and the conditions of the ships. After some time went on, in 1833 Parliament passed a Act to abolish slavery and came into force in 1834. After that Act, slavery began to die down and it eventually stopped.
5: Impact of The Slave Trade Some historians argued that the economics of the trade helped stifle Africa's economy. But it did permanently weaken the continent of Africa, it led to its colonization by the Europeans in the 19th century, and engendered the racism and contempt from which Africans still suffer. So i suppose there are some negative and positive impacts that the Slave Trade left on Africa.
6: PICTURES | They used these to buy slaves.
7: SOURCES | www.wikipedia.com www.nmm.ac.uk/freedom/viewTheme.cfm/theme/abolition www.google.com/images
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Revolutionary War Naval Battle
Battle Summary
Name:Battle of Cape Henry (Naval Battle)Total Forces:
Location:Cape Henry, VirginiaWounded:11273
Duration (days):1Captured:
Victory:NeutralTotal Ships:88
Col./Ally Cmdr.:Des TouchesShips Lost:
Brit./Ally Cmdr.:Mariot ArbuthnotShips Captured:
The Battle of Cape Henry was a naval battle in the American War of Independence which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781 between a British squadron led by Vice Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot and a French fleet under Admiral Charles René Dominique Sochet, Chevalier Destouches. Destouches, based in Newport, Rhode Island, had sailed for the Chesapeake as part of a joint operation with the Continental Army to oppose the British army of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold that was active in Virginia.
Admiral Destouches was asked by General George Washington to take his fleet to the Chesapeake to support military operations against Arnold by the Marquis de Lafayette. Sailing on 8 March, he was followed two days later by Admiral Arbuthnot, who sailed from eastern Long Island. Arbuthnot’s fleet outsailed that of Destouches, reaching the Virginia Capes just ahead of Destouches on 16 March. After manoeuvring for several hours, the battle was joined, and both fleets suffered some damage and casualties without losing any ships. However, Arbuthnot was positioned to enter the Chesapeake as the fleets disengaged, frustrating Destouches’ objective. Destouches returned to Newport, while Arbuthnot protected the bay for the arrival of additional land troops to reinforce General Arnold.
In December 1780, British General Sir Henry Clinton sent Brigadier General Benedict Arnold (who had changed sides to the British the previous September) with about 1,700 troops to Virginia to do some raiding and to fortify Portsmouth. General George Washington responded by sending the Marquis de Lafayette south with a small army to oppose Arnold. Seeking to trap Arnold between Lafayette’s army and a French naval detachment, Washington asked the French admiral Destouches, the commander of the fleet at Newport, Rhode Island for help. Destouches was wary of the threat posed by the slightly larger British North American fleet anchored at Gardiner’s Bay off the eastern end of Long Island, and was reluctant to help.
A storm in early February damaged some of Arbuthnot’s fleet, which prompted Destouches to send a squadron of three ships south shortly after. When they reached the Chesapeake, the British ships supporting Arnold moved up the shallow Elizabeth River, where the French ships were unable to follow. The French fleet returned to Newport, having as their only success the capture of {HMS|Romulus|1777|6}, a heavy frigate that was one of several ships sent by the British to investigate the French movements. This modest success, and the encouragement of General Washington, prompted Destouches to embark on a full-scale operation. On 8 March, Washington was in Newport when Destouches sailed with his entire fleet, carrying 1,200 troops for use in land operations when they arrived in the Chesapeake.
Vice Admiral of the White Mariot Arbuthnot, the British fleet commander in North America, was aware that Destouches was planning something, but did not learn of Destouches’ sailing until 10 March, and immediately led his fleet out of Gardiner Bay in pursuit. He had the speed advantage of copper-clad vessels and a favourable wind, and reached Cape Henry on 16 March, slightly ahead of Destouches.
Although the two fleets both had eight ships in their lines, the British had an advantage in firepower: the 90-gun {HMS|London|1766|6} was the largest ship of either fleet (compared to the 84-gun Duc de Bourgogne), while the French fleet also included the recently captured 44-gun Romulus, the smallest vessel on either line. When Arbuthnot spotted the French fleet to his northeast at 6 am on 16 March, they were about {convert|40|nmi|km|abbr=on} east-northeast of Cape Henry. Arbuthnot came about, and Destouches ordered his ships to form a line of battle heading west, with the wind. Between 8 and 9 am the winds began shifting, but visibility remained poor, and the two fleets manoeuvred for several hours, each seeking the advantage of the weather gage. By 1 pm the wind had stabilised from the northeast, and Arbuthnot, with superior seamanship, was coming up on the rear of the French line as both headed east-southeast, tacking against the wind. Destouches, in order to escape this position, gave orders to wear ship in sequence, and brought his line around in front of the advancing British line. With this manoeuvre he surrendered the weather gage (giving Arbuthnot the advantage in determining the attack), but it also positioned his ships relative to the wind such that he could open his lower gundecks in the heavy seas, which the British could not do without the risk of water washing onto the lower decks.
Arbuthnot responded to the French manoeuvre by ordering his fleet to wear. When the ships in the van of his line made the maneuver, they were fully exposed to the French line’s fire, and consequently suffered significant damage. Robust, Europe, and Prudent were virtually unmanageable due to damage to their sails and rigging. Arbuthnot kept the signal for maintaining the line flying, and the British fleet thus lined up behind the damaged vessels. Destouches at this point again ordered his fleet to wear in succession, and his ships raked the damaged British ships once more, taking off London{‘s} topsail yard before pulling away to the east.
French casualties were 72 killed and 112 wounded, while the British suffered 30 killed and 73 wounded. Arbuthnot pulled into Chesapeake Bay, thus frustrating the original intent of Destouches’ mission, while the French fleet returned to Newport. After transports delivered 2,000 men to reinforce Arnold, Arbuthnot returned to New York. He resigned his post as station chief due to age and infirmity in July and left for England, ending a stormy, difficult, and unproductive relationship with General Clinton.
General Washington, unhappy that the operation had failed, wrote a letter that was mildly critical of Destouches. This letter was intercepted and published in an English newspaper, prompting a critical response to Washington by the Comte de Rochambeau, the French army commander at Newport. The Comte de Barras, who arrived in May to take command of the Newport station, justified Destouches’ failure to pursue the attack: “It is a principle in war that one should risk much to defend one’s positions, and very little to attack those of the enemy.” Naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan points out that “this aversion from risks […] goes far to explain the French want of success in the war.”
Lafayette, when he learned of the French failure, turned back north to rejoin Washington. Washington then ordered Lafayette to stay in Virginia, having learned of the reinforcements sent to Arnold. Although the French operation to support Lafayette was unsuccessful, the later naval operations by the Comte de Grasse that culminated in the French naval victory in the September 1781 Battle of the Chesapeake paved the way for a successful naval blockade and land siege of Lord Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown, Virginia.
The battle has been memorialized by American singer-songwriter Todd Snider in “The Ballad of Cape Henry”. Although there is a marker commemorating the Battle of the Chesapeake at the Cape Henry Memorial in Virginia, there is no recognition of this battle at the site.
==Order of battle==
Basic information (ship names and gun counts) are provided by Morrissey unless otherwise cited. The names of ship captains are provided by Mahan unless otherwise cited, and casualty figured are provided by Lapeyrouse. Mahan and Lapeyrouse disagree on the casualty count; Mahan reports that the British had 30 killed and 73 wounded, and that the French had 72 killed and 112 wounded.
Sources also disagree on which ship carried Destouches and his flag. The English-language sources (Mahan, p. 492, and Morrissey, p. 51) list his flag on board the Neptune, while Lapeyrouse (p. 170) lists the Duc de Bourgogne. The Duc de Bourgogne was the flagship of Destouches’ predecessor, the Chevalier de Ternay, during which time Destouches was captain of the Neptune; Destouches may have moved to the Duc de Bourgogne upon Ternay’s death.
– Other ships
* Guadalupe (frigate, 28, Hugh Robinson)
* Pearl (frigate, 32, George Montagu)
* Iris (frigate, 32, George Dawson)
* Medea (frigate, 28, Henry Duncan)
– Other ships
* Hermione (frigate, 36, Latouche)
* Gentille (frigate, 32, M. de Maingand)
* Fantasque (14, M. de Vaudoré) |
Rural Health
d d
The hospital is small, but it’s a big deal in this town of 3,000
This nearly-100-year-old hospital is the life blood of Rushville, Illinois. And the townspeople are working hard to keep it both independent and viable.
10,000 pills a day to a small-town pharmacy
Kermit (pop. 400) is indicative of the opioid crisis across rural America.
Who’s going to take care of these people?
As emergencies rise across rural America, a hospital fights for its life.
West Virginia shows challenges of getting people healthier
West Virginia is basically a rural state. (It’s largest city, Charleston, is less than 50,000 in population.) What’s happening in West Virginia is what’s happening in much of rural America.
Farmers have a horrifyingly high suicide rate
You might assume that rural living is a peaceful and low-stress lifestyle. The stress for farmers can be severe, so severe that their suicide rates are alarming. Small-town and country pastors and churches will do well to recognize the symptoms of this agri-stress among farmers and their families.
Here are three articles related to the subject:
Farmer Suicide Rate Remains High, Long After 1980s Farm Crisis
Why depression and suicide are rampant among American farmers
Why are America’s farmers killing themselves?
Rural youth suicide incidents close to double urban rate
The results from a study about teen suicide, conducted by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, may surprise you. The study found that the suicide rate for rural youth is almost two times higher than for urban youth. This article is a reminder that youth-based ministry in town and country settings is needed.
Rural health, communities seek ways to improve care
While many rural hospitals have gone out of business and continue to do so, the Hopedale Medical Complex (HMC) is thriving and expanding. You’ll enjoy reading about this unique and successful hospital in the small town of Hopedale, Illinois. HMC is on the list of small-town “field trip” stops that RHMA’s TACT students experience each year.
The issue of obesity has often been viewed as a “city problem”
. . . given the hard physical work and healthy (though hardy!) eating typically attributed to those in rural areas. Apparently this is no longer the case. While this article addresses the related health concerns, we understand that for the Christian there can be spiritual issues as well.
Drones to deliver medicine to rural Virginia field hospital
The current growing popularity of drones may be the answer to getting medicine and other supplies to health clinics in rural and remote areas.
Rural hospitals, beset by financial problems, struggle to survive
The stories of rural hospitals closing their doors continue to mount. When a rural hospital goes out of business, it is difficult particularly for the elderly who have depended on a nearby hospital to treat their medical needs. So goes the story of the now defunct hospital in Mount Vernon, Texas.
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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Html is why the mess in programming syntax
You want to Shout NON SEQUI… Just a minute…
When I was a student studying databases, the book talked of how data stored in flat files is not so good as a database. Give this wisdom to today's kids and you'll get a funny look: Whoever stored data in a file rather than a spreadsheet?
Likewise, years ago when we had to write text we... well... wrote text. And then if necessary processed it through some baroque tool(chain) like latex, troff etc. Once again the modern user of computers seeing this is dismayed: Why all this when we can just use Word?
And yet programmers continue to be decades behind all other users of computers. When all others have moved on, we continue to
Use flat text for our programs
A program is a very interconnected entity: when we see a function-call we may want to see the function:
• if its my own function go to its definition
• if its a system function go to its manpage
Likewise when we see a declaration of a variable to have a type T, the reader could justifiably want to see the definition of T, which could be in a variety of places and in a variety of forms.
All this clearly calls for hypertext and hypertext means html, and html is such a mess from the structural/semantic pov that language designers justifiably shy away from this and stay with the good, 40-year-old option: text files.
Is this idea new?
Hardly. For years C programmers have used tags and more sophisticated tools like gnu-global and doxygen. Then there is eclipse that is more integrated and .Net which is even better with its attributes. The problem with all these is that they are structuring band-aids on unstructured flat text.
Also, closer to what I am talking about is the prior art in Lisp and curl.
Then there is the whole mess of tabs, indents etc. Here's a first cut at a more modern solution than the ancient tabs-vs-spaces – aka typewriter – argument.
IOW baby-steps towards
But as soon as we hear 'hypertext' we think 'html' and programmers naturally want to run away.
Ok now you are allowed to look at the title of this post and shout:
1. Your wit sir is legendary! :D
On a more serious note,learnt a lot from your post (y)
2. So… you want Hypercard back?
1. No harm in learning from prior art right? |
Fay Ortiz/ November 26, 2018/ Industrial Services
Our basic and general needs are growing rapidly. To overcome this need industry is progressing and growing very fast. To build up a large organization, buildings are made in which many industries are currently working. The buildings we see now a days a huge and are very tall. As a large quantity of labor is working inside it so the buildings are made up of steel. As steel provides a great protection and security as it is strong and reliable. Every building that is constructed must have to be painted for its better look and refinement. The paints which we use now a days are known as intumescent paint for steel. Intumescent paints or intumescent coating are special type of paints which are used as fire proofing or as a fire repellent. This paint is basically a combination of chemicals. When these chemicals came in contact with fire or heat they start to melt and become less dense. A thick coating converts into thin layer which acts as insulator. The process of carbonization starts as chemicals came in contact with fire. It attains the form like a char. It can provide protection up to 30, 90, 60 or 120 minutes. After it the steels start becoming hot and can bear temperature up to 500 degree centigrade. After 500 degrees the steel lost all its resistance and starts to melt. This melting of steel can be fatal for the person as if one escapes out from fire then from this molten steel he or she may get affected.
One of the major and great reason which make intumescent paints a great choice for fire proofing is that it is best for all the instrumental materials such as soft wood like cedar, pine, plaster, bricks and stones, chip boards, hardwood like beech, ash, and oak, metal as well as for concrete. This all material is used for making buildings such as doors, windows, window panes, ventilators. Another exceptional use of intumescent paint is use along with sanding. Sanding adds much more neatness in the thing. The major or critical difficulty with architecture is that how to design a place by keeping in mind all the possibilities to avoid the fire. The intumescent coatings or intumescent fireproofing give a shape or structure like an orange peel. Intumescent paints are easy to handle. They are available in all forms such as paint by hand, roller or sprays. Despite all the benefits of intumescent coating it has a disadvantage that if it coated with in a thin layer than it may get sagged and sanding cannot be used to make it proper. The only method is to redone the intumescent coating to make it fire proof. This paint adds the life span or life time of steel to add load bearing capacity of the steel. It can made refurbishment projects. The Gasketing industries also use intumescent fire proof paints. The intumescent coatings add the strength of building and avoid it from burning, melting and weakening when exposed to extreme heat and temperature. intumescent-paint
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sow simple.
…seed according to its kind…
Seed According to Its Kind
Across the Earth, small farmers, backyard gardeners, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters are viewing this as one of the most vital resources to our existence. An aspect of life that translates in every culture, in every language, in every home: seed.
For centuries, native seed diversity and sustainability has been a topic revered by many. Whether through academics, local economies, or the neighborhood seed libraries, the importance of growing and maintaining cultivars has been broad in passion and narrow in scope. When one studies any ancient people and even farmers of today, one will find that preserving seed has been vital to the food security of every generation.
Knowing what type of seed to store and to plant is key. Today, seeds are generally found in one of four forms: 1) heirloom seed, 2) open-pollinated seed, 3) hybrid seed, 4) genetically-modified organism seed. We will define what these key terms mean below.
1. Heirloom seed is a seed that produces plants with the same characteristics planting after planting, season after season, and generation after generation. Heirloom seed is generally but not always tailored to region-specific climate and soil conditions. Some heirloom seed has been preserved over 100 years or more.
2. Open-pollinated seed is a seed whose plant holds its quality and characteristics of the previous generation. Open-pollinated seed is seed of like variety that is kept from cross-pollination of other varieties in a garden plot (generally accomplished by fair distance from another variety). When the seed is saved, the grower will select the best two thirds of the seed crop which generally leads to the improvement of the seed strain. Note: all heirloom seeds are open-pollinated.
3. Hybrid seed is a seed that is the result of a technical method of crossing or mating between two different varieties or “parents” of the same plant species. This occurs when two open-pollinated varieties are grown side by side to ensure that every seed has received pollen from one breed (the father) and is grown on a distinctly different breed (the mother). Hybridization generally does not occur in a natural environment. The conditions are usually purposely set by man to achieve a desired result. Consequently, “child” and “grandchild” seeds of hybrid seed produce dissimilar characteristics of its “parent” seed resulting in a loss of true seed traits.
4. Genetically-Modified Organism (GMO) seed is a seed that is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, chemicals, insects, animals or even humans. By adding these new genes, genetic engineers hope the plant will express the traits associated with the genes. The methods used to transfer the genes of modified DNA into a genetically-modified plant are imprecise and unpredictable. Consequently, these unintended changes result in a decline in food’s nutritional value, express toxic and allergic effects, lower crop yields and unforeseen harm to the environment that cannot be recalled.
At Twin Arcs Farm, we know that the seed we select is critical to the health and well-being of ourselves, our neighbors, our community, the environment, and every living creature that interacts with our plants. We take this very seriously. All of our seeds are Hierloom and/or Open-Pollinated and non-Hybrid, non-GMO varieties. All of our plants live vibrantly in chemical-free air and soil supported with organic compost with the help of cows, horses and chickens, with no need for synthetic fertilizers.
Rest assured knowing that the food provided for you and your family has been treated with utmost respect, stewarded with dignity, and preserved with love as our Creator intended.
Seed according to its kind. |
a short view in history of the land and of the tibetan breeds.
Gangdschong - The "Land of Snow"
has in the history of peoples lives through very turbulent times and by its almost total seclusion during the last centuries, the history of Tibetan breeds are very difficult to understand. The extremely high-lying residential areas favored the isolation of the country, especially from Europe. This and the spread of Buddhism in the wake of international historical movements by the Mongolian and Chinese wars of conquest and the cultural influences of the trade links to China and Mongolia in the north and east, Persia, India and Asia Minor to the south and west influenced the development of today's Tibetan breeds much.
The Development of Tibetan breeds can not be described without consideration of the life of this Mongoloid hill people.
The settlement of the Tibetan highlands by nomadic tribes was from the northeast. Herding dogs among their yaks, sheep and goat herds. The task of these herding dogs was due to the turbulent life of not only the preserve of the herds, but also from guarding the tents with the household, women and children. After the spread of Buddhism in the 7th Century hunting played virtually no role.
The 2500 years ago in Tibet immigrant Chiang Mongolian tribes and the Mon-Khmer group migrated seasonally between pastures and residential areas and the tribal areas have been delimited by mountain peaks. The name is still used in Tibet's - "Böyül" - explained by the different warning and detection call by which the tribes and hordes then agreed Böyül is the land of the calls..
The roots of the few still existing Bon religion are in the unimaginable forces of nature and the unpredictability of the weather envelopes that can be in one day the beauty and hardships caused all four seasons. In the vast mountains of all possible forms of superstition and fear of angst arose before the mighty gods of nature. All this despite the hordes and tribes were not only submissive and timid nomadic groups but there were also feared and predatory tribes who invaded from the highlands to India and China to plunder and rob.
Srongtsen Gampo, the first Tibetan king, wanted to conquer the world not only by war but by diplomacy and sent scholars to India Studies sum. This developed after returning the Tibetan alphabet and brought the idea of Buddhism. In Chriniken is reported that Srongtsen Gampo, although he already had three Tibetan women in the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti 639 and 641, the Chinese princess Wencheng married so as to bring Buddhism to the country. There was soon a lively contest between the two Buddhist women to the rapid introduction of the Buddhist teachings.
The first government palace on the "red mountain" in Lhasa, where 1000 years later, the Potala, the "saving harbor" under the 5th Dalai Lama was built, was 645 by Srongtsen Gampo.
At the same time let the Jokhang and Queen Queen Wencheng Bhrikuti build the Ramoche temple. Both temples in Lhasa are still very famous. By mixing the old Bon religion and Buddhism originated the present form of Tibetan Buddhist lamas of the Tibetan people and laymen shared faith. The lamas (teachers, Upper) tielten is again in 5 levels with the lowest, the little-respected lamas were working and the upper aristocratic estates were those of the state power.
After Tibet's voluntary submission under the Mongol rule succeeded the Tibetan priests, the Mongol ruler to convert to Lamaism. The Lamas of the "Red Hats" came voluntarily or under duress at the Mongolenhof to found monasteries and teach the new religion. The resulting marriage of convenience the two nations took centuries benefits. The Mongols themselves as secular patrons of Tibet and were under the spiritual protection of the Tibetan Grand Lamas.
The first reports of Tibetan dogs came by Marco Polo lived the 17 years at the court Chubilai Khan and his travel stories in the Tibet's impressive dogs and the dogs at the court said in Beijing.
In 1913 it came to Tibet's de facto independence and 1951 was between the PRC and the 14th Dalai Lama concluded an agreement with the Tibet practically a part of Chinese territory was. Existed in the time of the Cultural Revolution in Lhasa heavy destruction and thus was also destroyed most of the dogs. In recent decades, it began to be restored in Tibet many monasteries and restore the landmark of the ancient Tibetan culture.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Athletes and Eating Disorders #NEDawareness Week
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Please, take the time to view yesterday's post. Thank you for visiting my blog this week. I feel this is a very important topic that everyone needs understand.
Athletes and Eating Disorders
Did you know body image problems, disordered eating and full-blown eating disorders are common among athletes? Females athletes are more likely to have an eating disorder however, males who participate in sports which emphasize diet, appearance, size, and weight (wrestling, bodybuilding, gymnastics, and running) are at risk for developing an eating disorder.
Statistics from ANDA
So, what can we do about it? How can we help?
1. First, you can Get In The Know Educating yourself will give you the knowledge and skill set to help prevent eating disorders.
How Does Someone Develop an Eating Disorder?
What's It Like to Have an Eating Disorder?
How Do You Know If You Have an Eating Disorder?
Clinical Eating Disorders
Ideas for Yourself
2. Talk about it. It shouldn't be taboo. Create am open dialogue to let those who may be suffering know there is help and treatment.
3. If you or someone you care about might be suffering from an eating disorder, it is important to educate yourself and seek professional guidance as soon as possible because early intervention is key to successful recovery.
How you can help TODAY!!
1. Share these image on your social media channels using #NEDAwareness
Athletes Social Media Image
2. Use the #NEDAwareness hashtag to join today's Tweeter Chat:
Active EDs: What Athletes, Coaches and Trainers Need to Know about Eating Disorders
Athletes Tweet Chat Image
Suggested Resources from NEDAwareness.Org:
Google Hangout: "Voice of ED: Externalizing the Eating Disorder"
"10 Ways to Recognize Orthorexia"
"Reclaiming My Life" by Adam Bretag, Story of Hope
"A Scale Can’t Measure the Severity of Your Eating Disorder" by McCall Dempsey, Story of Hope
"Who’s the Biggest Loser? All of Us" NEDA Blog
Coach & Athletic Trainer Toolkit
Tips for Coaches: Preventing Eating Disorders in Athletes
Information cards for trainers and coaches
Thank you again for stopping by. Please, email me if you have any questions or comments. Come back tomorrow for additional information on eating disorders.
1. I did not know that was common among athlestes but it makes sense. I was just havin' a convo about body shamin' with my momma last night and how it isn't right no matter how big or small you are.
1. Aleshea, thank you for your comment. You are EXACTLY right. "Skinny Shamming," as its referred to, has the potential to cause harm. A fellow RD was quoted here:
["This brings up the focus on skinny shaming that hasn't been brought up that much in the media,” explains Sheena Gregg.
Gregg is the Assistant Director of the University of Alabama's Student Health Center. She said too often body shaming thin women is dismissed.
“If we are making comments about someone who is overweight that's known as bullying. But if we are making comments about someone who is too thin, it's supposed to be perceived as concern versus bullying,” explains Gregg.
But she said like bullying, skinny shaming can sting too. ]
Thank you again for stopping by!
2. Love your video. Such a brilliant way to spread awareness!! You are AWESOME!!
3. "Females athletes are more likely to have an eating disorder however, males who participate in sports which emphasize diet, appearance, size, and weight (wrestling, bodybuilding, gymnastics, and running) are at risk for developing an eating disorder." I agree with these words but I'd like to notice that without you cannot make a beautiful body.
4. Mental therapy is a topic which people avoid talking openly at any occasions because it creates impression in most people that only sufferers of mental problem are those seeking and undergoing this kind of therapy to solve their problem. Kinesiologie Zürich
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4 shocking facts about ocean plastic for #WorldOceansDay
It’s #WorldOceansDay today and here a 4 facts that will make you never use single use plastics again…..ever.
It takes three times more water to manufacture a plastic bottle than it does to fill it. The chemical production of plastics also means most of that water cannot be reused.Source: Pacific Institute.
Water bottles are made of completely recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics which are not biodegradable. Instead, they do something called ‘photodegrade’, which means they break down into smaller fragments over time. Those fragments absorb toxins which then pollute our waterways, contaminate our soil, and make livestock sick. Source: Natural Resources Defence Council
Plastic bottles and plastic bags are the most prevalent form of pollution found on our beaches and in our oceans. There are now more than 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in every square mile of the ocean. Source: Ocean Conservancy and United Nations Environment Program
It takes over 50 million barrels of oil every year to pump, process, transport and refrigerate our bottled water. That’s a huge amount of resources to be wasting on something we don’t even need! Source: Earth Policy Institute
So.. what are you waiting for take the pledge to remove plastics from your life!
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