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For Businesses
Much has been written and discussed about core competencies and how they are used to define the uniqueness of a company or organization. Core competencies, however, are not critical skills – even though a particular company will have its own set of critical skills that are similar to or even congruent with the definitions provided in this book. The difference between companies, however, is that those critical skills might be organized in different orders of priority from company to company or organization to organization.
For example, a medical clinic composed of MDs specialized in internal medicine would certainly have their information and analysis skills near the top of the list, mainly because the nature of their business is conducting examinations, performing tests, and providing diagnoses of patient disorders.
A consumer packaged goods company, on the other hand, would have a different order of the critical skills mainly because the many marketing factors influence the consumer’s purchase decision. Elements such as pricing, packaging, shelf placement, that appeal to the consumer are the keys to success in that business.
Determining a company’s critical skills is a rewarding project. Such an effort can point the company toward effective training programs for employees, sharply define their recruiting criteria for entry level employees, and the like. The process is quite straight forward.
Suppose, for example, a company has many stores or outlets where the bulk of their products are sold. The key source of income for the company is the profitability of each store, so the individual who is the manager of such a store is the individual whose critical skills are the keys to the business.
In order to determine the critical skills that make such an individual successful, the company would identify perhaps 30 stores where the managers are known to be quite effective through their demonstrated performance. Additionally, they would identify perhaps 5-10 stores which have managers who are known to be average or even below average.
The question then is, what are the critical skills of those individuals who are successful and how did they develop such skills; and, what is the skill profile of those who are not so successful?
The answers to these questions can be addressed effectively by non-threatening in depth interviews with the managers. Preferably the company would select the individuals to be interviewed and inform them that they will be interviewed by an individual outside the company whose mission is to determine what makes them successful. This communication should go to all of the managers – including those whose performance has been sub par. The company should communicate that the content of the interviews would not be used to evaluate them and that everything they communicated with the interviewer would be held in strict confidence. The company should say that the only thing they are interested in is a determination of the skill set that makes each individual successful.
I had the pleasure of conducting several such assignments for large organizations. All of the companies set up the interviews in the same non-threatening way, and the individuals who were interviewed (including the sub-performers) opened up with great candor about what made them successful. Additionally they had substantive suggestions about how their organizations should recruit and train individuals to ensure their success.
One of the organizations was in the building materials business. They had about 150 stores around the United States and catered only to building contractors. While their critical skill set contained most of those presented in this book, it is understandable that the production skill was one of the top priority skills for success. Additionally, they included work ethic which, in my view, is not a skill but more of a characteristic or trait of an individual. Nevertheless, the work ethic was very important to these individuals and made an impact about how the company should go about recruiting new people into the organization. Instead of recruiting at the four-year colleges, they shifted their recruiting focus to the community colleges where they would have a greater chance of finding individuals who had to work hard to get an education – going to school while holding down a job. They also concluded that individuals they wanted to hire did not have to have any knowledge of or experience in the building materials industry. The company concluded that they, themselves, knew that business well and could train their recruits better than relying on finding someone who had experience in some lesser organization.
Another large organization was in the food business. Specifically, they specialized in managing the private label programs for large supermarket chains, and would place their own team within the supermarket chain headquarters and literally take over management of the private label business.
This organization was interested in determining the critical skill set of the general managers who would be in charge of the team for a specific supermarket chain because it was this individual who would determine the profitability of their efforts with each organization.
I followed the same general process in interviewing approximately 35 individuals comprised mostly of highly successful general managers and a few marginal performers. The results were similar to those discovered with the building materials and other companies with the critical skills slightly changed in terms of priorities. Interestingly, one of the key skills identified was the analysis skill. The business was essentially consumer marketing and highly dependent on market research and information about the supermarket consumer – what he/she purchased, why they purchased what they did, and what influenced their purchase decision. We found (as with the building materials company) that the client did not need to find individuals who had experience in the food industry. In fact, the company actually knew more about food marketing than most competitors, and concluded that they would focus their internal training programs on the food marketing business and recruit individuals who had strong analytical skills as well as a good mix of the other critical skills in their skill set.
This sort of critical skill determination is, in my view, much more effective and ultimately profitable than spending time trying to identify a set of core competencies that differentiate one company from another. Such as set of core competencies is fine for marketing and perhaps investor relations purposes, and perhaps to help focus training programs, but not much else. With critical skill sets such as these, however, companies can actually do something – such as sharply focus their recruiting, focus their internal training, and the like.
When recruiting new people in entry level positions that position them for future growth in the company, it is wise to include the critical skills as part of if not the major criteria for hiring. The trick is that critical skills are hard to assess and must be accomplished by skilled interviewers or recruiters who can ask the kind of questions that will enable the individual to demonstrate these skills or provide an explanation of the kind of production skills he/she has accomplished.
When recruiting executives at a higher level than first capstone, the critical skills should also be assessed because of their increased importance at higher levels of management. Make sure that whatever executive recruiter you use knows how to assess these skills.
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Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto
Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto
"Vittorio Veneto" was the lead ship of the Italian "Vittorio Veneto"-class battleships, that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Italian victory at Vittorio Veneto, during World War I.
"Vittorio Veneto's" keel was laid in 1934 at "Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico", Trieste; she was launched on 25 July 1937, and her construction was completed in 1940, after Italy had entered in war against France and the United Kingdom.
"Vittorio Veneto" was designed by General Umberto Pugliese, and was the first battleship to exceed the limits of the Washington Treaty (35,000 tons of displacement). In 1942, "Vittorio Veneto" was the first Italian battleship to be equipped with a radar device, a "Gufo" E.C. 4".
"Vittorio Veneto" took part in the battle of Cape Teulada (27 November 1940), where her firepower (19 shells in 7 salvos from long range) caused the seven-cruiser British squadron to withdraw.
During a mission of 26 March29 March 1941, "Vittorio Veneto" participated in the dramatic events of the battle of Cape Matapan, fought along the Peloponnesus coast, where, after scaring off a squadron of British cruisers near the island of Gavdos and inflicting minor damage on them, she was hit by a torpedo-bomber and obliged to return to Italy; the Italian fleet adopted an exceptional formation on five lines to protect the "Vittorio Veneto", but a second aircraft attack, and a subsequent night battle, caused the sinking of three heavy cruisers and two destroyers to British battleship gunfire. Despite taking on 4,000 tons of water due to the extensive torpedo damage, the battleship was able to reach Taranto, but remained about five months out of service.
During the war in the Mediterranean Sea, "Vittorio Veneto" took part in 56 war missions, eleven of which had as their mission the hunting of enemy ships.
* 1 September: operation "Hats";
* 29 September: operation MB 5;
* 11 November: Battle of Taranto;
* 27 November: Battle of Cape Spartivento or Battle of Cape Teulada;
* 8 February: bombardment of Genoa;
* 27 March: Battle of Gavdos island;
* 28 March: Battle of Matapan. The commander of the ship was "Capitano di Vascello" Giuseppe Sparzani and the commander of the Italian fleet, flagship "Vittorio Veneto", was "Ammiraglio di Squadra" Angelo Iachino;
* 27 September: convoy "Albert" to Malta;
* 14 December: cancelled Italian convoys in the Mediterranean Sea;
* 15 June: "Vittorio Veneto" also participated in the Battle of Mid-June, where she and the "Littorio" successfully fenced off a large British convoy from Alexandria by their mere presence at sea;
* 9 September: surrender of the Italian fleet.
After the armistice of 8 September 1943, "Vittorio Veneto" was sent to Egypt, and was interned in the Great Bitter Lake, in the Suez Canal; a proposal to allow the battleship to fight side-by-side with the Allies in southern France and in the Pacific Ocean was dismissed because of political and operational considerations. After the war she was taken by the United Kingdom as war compensation. "Vittorio Veneto" was eventually returned to Italy where she was dismantled, in 1948.
External links
* [ Vittorio Veneto statistics]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
• Vittorio Veneto — This article is about the Italian city, for the World War I battle see Battle of Vittorio Veneto. For the WW2 battleship see Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto Infobox CityIT img coa = Vittorio Veneto Stemma.png official name = Comune di Vittorio … Wikipedia
• Italian battleship Littorio — Littorio was an Italian Vittorio Veneto class battleship that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Lictor ( Littorio in Italian), in ancient times the bearer of the Roman fasces , which was adopted as the symbol … Wikipedia
• Italian battleship Roma (1940) — Roma was an Italian Vittorio Veneto class battleship that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was built in 1940 and commissioned in 1942.Last cruise and sinkingOn September 8 1943 Roma , together with most of the remaining Italian … Wikipedia
• Italian battleship Roma — Roma was the name of three battleships of the Regia Marina : * Roma (1865), a steam battleship of the Roma class; * Roma (1909), a steam battleship of the Vittorio Emanuele class; * Roma (1940), a battleship of the Vittorio Veneto class … Wikipedia
• Italian battleship Impero — The Impero was an Italian Littorio class battleship of the Regia Marina during World War II. Designed by Umberto Pugliese, she was the fourth ship of her class and named after the Italian word for Empire, in this case referring to the newly… … Wikipedia
• Italian cruiser Zara — Zara was an Italian Zara class heavy cruiser, which served in the Regia Marina during World War II.Her keel was laid down 1928 at O.T.O. , La Spezia; she was launched on 27 April 1930, and her construction was completed in 1931. It sank on 29… … Wikipedia
• Veneto — Infobox Region of Italy name = Veneto fullname = Regione Veneto isocode = capital = Venice status = Region governor = Giancarlo Galan ( Forza Italia House of Freedoms ) zone = Northern Italy province = 7 municipality = 581 language = Italian,… … Wikipedia
• Italian Navy — For other uses, see Italian Navy (disambiguation). Italian Navy Marina Militare Coat of Arms of the Italian Navy … Wikipedia
• Littorio class battleship — The Littorio (or Vittorio Veneto ; the two ships were laid down on the same date) was a class of battleship of the Regia Marina, the Italian navy, the most modern used by Italy during World War II. The Littorios were developed in response to the… … Wikipedia
• Fast battleship — Historically, a fast battleship was a battleship of which the design featured an emphasis on speed which was unusual, compared to the normal practice of the time. The term is especially appropriate when applied to a design which was not only… … Wikipedia
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Liberalism Compared with Marxism and Realism
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Liberalism is highly-idealistic in terms of giving importance to morality, and the fact that the margin between the rich and the poor are not decreased this means that Liberalism does not function as it is supposed to because not all participants in commerce regularly engage in fair trade and fair markets. In contrast, Marxism ideologies such as equality among people and of their progress give better assurance that under an ideal governance wealth distribution will be much more equal within the citizens because there is tighter control of the government over trading and markets.
While there is lesser freedom for people living under Marxism, there is a better chance that wealth distribution in this kind of society will be more equal compared to a Liberal society. Lastly, while in Liberalism there is less government control over commerce and trade, this has not been successful for very long. In contrast, Marxism views under Gramscian ideals state that there is better economic and political stability when there is hegemonic leadership because self-centeredness and the lack of responsibility can be controlled better as opposed to simply relying on self-governance as the case in Liberalism.
This is also known as the theory of hegemonic stability, which when used in conjunction with Liberalism can improve cooperation among countries through the supervision of stronger hegemon countries. Liberalism and Neorealism Liberalism focuses more on economics fuelled by the markets and is less-controlled by the government, whereas Neorealism focuses more on nationalistic goals and in obtaining a thriving economy due to the need for stable national security and defense. As such, in terms of leadership and equality, all nations are equal and there is no centralized governance or leadership (also known as anarchy) under the Neorealism school of thought.
Also, in terms of foreign relations Liberalism is much more open for cooperation between nations in market expansion while in Neorealism there is a greater need for self-dependence in driving the economy.
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Why China is Building the World’s Biggest City
Why China is Building the World’s Biggest City
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. The first 500 to use the link in the description
get a two month free trial. Within a country, wealth and power are almost
always concentrated in just a few small regions. In the U.S., 37 of the 75 highest-earning
counties lie in the Northeastern corridor between Washington D.C. and Boston. And 54% of startups are first financed in
just five metropolitan areas. Trace the coasts and there you will find the
rich and powerful. China is no exception. The historic, political-capital of D.C. is
Beijing, The bustling, financial-center of New York
is Shanghai, And the fast-paced, innovative Silicon Valley
is the southern city of Shenzhen. Together, it, Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou,
and several other cities form the Pearl River Delta, one of the wealthiest and most vibrant
parts of China, and one of the most important to the world economy. It’s home to the third, fifth, and seventh
busiest container ship ports. It’s where your iPhone came from, And where
it will eventually end up. But while these are among China’s most internationally
open, connected, and capitalist cities, they’re also the most disconnected domestically. Despite being part of China, Hong Kong and
Macau have separate governments, laws, and freedoms. Residents of the two Special Administrative
Regions require a permit to cross the border into the mainland, and vice versa. Legally, they’re islands, and doing business
across them involves a sea of bureaucracy. At least, until now. China plans to integrate all these cities
into one Greater Bay Area – a megacity 58% bigger than the entire Tokyo Metropolitan
Area. San Fransisco’s Bay Area is home to about
7 million people. China’s, almost 70. It hopes to rival both Silicon Valley and
Wall Street – at the same time, with an economy already the size of South Korea or Russia. But many argue there’s another, hidden motivation
behind China’s plan. The train from West Kowloon, in downtown Hong
Kong, to Futian Station in Shenzhen, mainland China takes just 14 minutes. But in those 26 kilometers, almost everything
changes. British electrical outlets are replaced with
the Type I used in Australia and New Zealand. Sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook
stop working, thanks to the Great Firewall, The Hong Kong Dollar becomes the Chinese Yuan, and the average income drops from 46 to 30,000
U.S. Dollars. All of this is due to Hong Kong’s unique
and complicated history. On June 30th, 1997, the United Kingdom officially
withdrew from the territory after 156 years of governance. And on July 1st, Hong Kong was returned to
China. But not without compromise. The Sino-British Joint Declaration stated
that, although Hong Kong would exist under the sovereignty of China, it was guaranteed
its own constitution, capitalist and legal systems for 50 years. “Hong Kong will be directly under the authority
of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China and will enjoy
a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defense affairs.” One country; Two systems. Likewise, the Portuguese and Chinese governments
signed the Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau. But with separate, detached governments come
separate, detached economies. For a region so dependent on trade and tourism,
traveling between cities is remarkably complicated. While the train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen
only takes 14 minutes, it first requires a lengthy immigration and customs process. First, by going through security, then, the
Hong Kong Departure procedure, and finally, receiving mainland arrival clearance, which
requires a separate visa. On the other side of Hong Kong, the longest
sea-crossing in the world connects to Macau and the mainland city of Zhuhai. But this $19 Billion dollar bridge which took
eight years to build, is surprisingly quiet. In 2018, 36 million people visited Macau,
88% of whom came from the mainland or Hong Kong, but only about one million total entered
through the bridge. The crossing is an amazing feat of engineering,
but also a bureaucratic nightmare. Because all three territories have separate
laws and regulations, crossing the bridge requires three separate insurance policies. In Hong Kong, car insurance is required to
cover $12.74 million US Dollars in damages, on the mainland, a tiny $18,172 dollars, and,
in Macau, a minimum of $185,524. Such a huge difference makes creating a single,
unified policy extremely difficult. And because of their British and Portuguese
influence, Hong Kong and Macau drive on the left side of the road. But the main bridge section is located in
mainland waters, so Hong Kong drivers have to switch to the right-hand side as they enter
the link bridge, even though that’s still in Hong Kong territory, travel briefly in
an undersea tunnel, allowing ships to pass overhead, and then change back to the left
side if they enter Macau. Making things even more complicated, there’s
a quota on private cars, of course, immigration and customs, and a toll, which, if you pay
in cash, has to be Chinese Yuan. Imagine how much harder it would be work in
San Fransisco if crossing the Golden Gate required a visa, permit, changing sides of
the road twice, and a few insurance policies. Oh – and don’t forget to pay with Mexican
Pesos. These inefficiencies are especially pronounced
in an area so rich with startups and large consumer markets. Doctors, lawyers, and investors, for example,
are often blocked from doing business across borders despite the huge economic potential,
if not legally, then out of confusion or frustration. Hong Kong and San Francisco have some of the
world’s most expensive rent. The former, however, is surrounded by other
terribly expensive cities – Palo Alto, San Jose, Berkeley, and so on. Hong Kong, on the other hand, has lots of
cheap labor for China’s increasingly service-based economy, right across the border, waiting
to be tapped into. The Chinese government sees this as a major
opportunity. The Greater Bay Area Plan, first announced
in 2016, and just released in February, is not one, but a series of steps to connect
these cities and make use of their vast differences. Macau will continue to be the Las Vegas of
the East, thanks to its geographically central location and relaxed gambling laws. Hong Kong, a global intermediary, allowing
foreign firms to invest in China, and, increasingly, for Chinese companies to access the wider
world. Its airport, one of the busiest in the world,
and now in the process of building a third runway, will act as a gateway to the rest
of the region. Already, 14 of its 75 million passengers a
year end up traveling to nearby cities and Cathay Pacific is considering selling two-in-one
plane tickets which include train or ferry travel to and from the airport. Shenzhen, meanwhile, will serve as China’s
Silicon Valley, home to some of the country’s biggest companies, including DJI, Tencent,
and BYD. Finally, Guangzhou, as the capital of the
entire Guangdong province, is the administrative and political center. And connecting them all are the first parts
of the plan: The train from Hong Kong to the mainland, The Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge,
whose details will hopefully be worked out, And another, currently in construction, will
connect Shenzhen to the other side of the mainland. Now, as these cities become more linked together,
wealth will spread outward. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
has announced a second campus on the mainland, and many companies are investing in property
across the border in anticipation of the plan. Already, Shenzhen is nowhere near the cheap
source of labor it once was, and some cities will likely benefit more than others. But with 70 million people, there will long
be plenty of workers in surrounding areas. The economic case for the plan, is, therefore,
hard to refute. But so is the concerning trend that has followed: Remember that before you can get on the train
from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, you first have to pass mainland immigration. That means a portion of the terminal, in the
middle of downtown Hong Kong, is controlled by mainland authorities and governed by mainland
laws. Now, as an isolated event, this would be easy
to dismiss as a mere convenience for faster travel. After all, it’s quite similar to how the
Chinese government leases part of its Shenzhen port to Hong Kong. But this is occurring against a much larger
backdrop. In 2014, the Chinese government changed Hong
Kong’s election rules, limiting the democratic power of its people to elect their Chief Executive,
to which Hong Kongers took to the streets with their iconic yellow umbrellas. Later, during a football match, Hong Kong
fans booed at China’s national anthem. It ended in a tense 0-to-0 with Chinese police
wearing riot gear warning the crowd not to insult the song. The People’s Republic then passed a law
which made doing so illegal. And although Hong Kong is entitled to its
own laws, there’s an exception: a special section of its constitution which China has
the power to add to or remove from. More recently, the Hong Kong government is
proposing changing its extradition laws to allow some suspected criminals to be sent
to the mainland for prosecution. Both the UK and U.S. governments have warned
that “Hong Kong’s autonomy is at risk”, but it’s also clear the world is woefully
unprepared for a China which builds not walls, but bridges. It’s unlikely that either country would
risk raising tensions any further. Meanwhile, political unity and economic growth
are China’s absolute highest priorities. It will argue that the redundancies of Hong
Kong and Macau’s separation loses everyone time and money. Many locals, in turn, will argue that those
separations are exactly what makes their home so great. China will argue that no part of the Greater
Bay Area Plan fundamentally changes its relationship with the regions – that protestors are overreacting. And skeptics will argue gradual, symbolic
changes are exactly how freedom is usually lost. Hong Kong is unlike any other place on earth
– a culture within a culture, set to expire in 2047 when its promised autonomy ends. But the new era has, in many ways, already
begun. There are about 179,000 Hong Kongers worth
a million US dollars, which, divided by its 427 square miles, means you’d only need
to walk an average of 4 meters to cross paths with a millionaire. But as the world moves towards an automation-based
economy, the Greater Bay Area will need to invest in high skill workers to maintain its
advantage. And, truthfully, we should all be learning
skills to survive in the new economy, and a great way to get started is with Skillshare. In short, bite-sized videos, like this one,
you can watch me teach you how to make your own animated videos, or Business Casual show you how to invest
in the stock market, or Thomas Frank, teach you how to do more
of the learning thing and less of the, say, playing video games thing. There are 25,000 classes in business, design,
programming, you name it, and you can try it today with a 2 month free trial with the
link in the description, for the first 500 people.
100 thoughts on “Why China is Building the World’s Biggest City
1. Why woukd i pay for skill share when i onky have to watch everyvideo from you and get a free 2 months everytim
2. LOL, good luck to young people want to buy a house in China. Dense population is always associated with a stressful life, traffic jam, high cost of living, pollution.
3. bc of portuguese influence in maccau people drive on the wrong side of the road? that's really stupid and wrong. no it's not bc of portugal in any way duh.
4. It's hardly one city, more like cities joined together, and good on Hong Kong for protesting against the oppressive Chinese government, democracy and freedom forever.
5. Chinese government must change from communistsim to democracy two party's system change to democracy election can hold in Hong Kong and Macau first Chinese must change to democracy moneys alone cannot bring peace and stability
6. Couched in your presentation is the idiocy of the PRC in pushing their authoritarian dystopia over economic betterment of their country.
7. You're repeating western media propaganda, my friend. Do some research as to how the extradition legislation started and why. It had nothing to do with China. Better yet, go read the actual legislation. It automatically disqualifies any extradition request based on politics. But, I supposed that not even dangerous criminals from China that escape into Hong Kong should be extradited either, huh?
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9. why do people keep saying China is not a free country? China is a free country… if anything i would say from my own experience China is freeer than america
10. I'm a kid with a multimillion worth family from Hong kong. Even tho if u think I'm rich but not really, I live in a apartment a lil bit more than 1000 square ft. Recently from the extradition law, it has caused chaos in the popular areas in Hong Kong. BTW FUCK CHINA
11. Pear River Delta Mega city is actually 120 M people including the suburbs and still growing… So 70 M figure is very small what you put up here. Once the unification is completed it will be way above 120 M
12. US & UK are no longer the big brothers. They can’t handle their own sh*ts . Yet always try to reach their hands over the world
13. The reason is China is not going to allow Macau and Hongkong to be special forever, it needs to be merged into Mainland incrementally.
14. Take a look at the satellite image of the area on Google. These cities are separated only by mountains
15. The primary driver will be the abolition of local autonomy for Hong Kong & Macau; China is already going back on their promise to honor local autonomy – 30 years ahead of schedule.
16. Is it a surprise that a insanely overpopulated country of 1.4 billion would have to build big cities?
I think China would not need permission if it wanted to enter Hong Kong.
17. "partly free"
"not free"
lmao this capitalist nonsense. I know it's not your fault at Polymatter, but Freedomhouse is just American propaganda. The US State Department, a number of US agencies, and US-funded organizations give funding to Freedomhouse. It's an American mouthpiece.
18. One of the unsung benefits of this video is how it further contextualizes the present turmoil in Hong Kong, and the likely response from Beijing.
19. All the neighbours of china are you still letting the chinese government them to keep provocating any other nation this chinese government are the most lier and greedy nation dont let them to keep doing the wrong things taking the ilands in other nation
20. My stupid sister in law said china build city no one live in and a bridge no one uses because watching this FU video.
21. Been to Portugal plenty of times and they drive on the side the rest of the entire continent of Europe drives,…the right side. (So, your steering is on the left of the car)
Why Macau would drive on the wrong side of the road like the British and Hong Kong is a mystery to me 😕⁉
22. The extradition clause clearly states that: One can only be extradited to mainland China from Hong Kong if the prison sentence is a minimum of 7 years.
This 7 year minimum prison term has to be directly connected to a crime committed on the mainland,…not Hong Kong.
This 7 year sentence to prison can't be in any way based upon religious beliefs and or political affiliation alone.
It has to be a serious crime commited like:
1 fraud of a large sum of money that can carry a minimum of 7 years in prison and it has to have been committed on the mainland.
2 Rape of a person in mainland China.
3 Serious bodily harm of a person in mainland China that carries a 7 year term in prison at a minimum.
4 Murder of a person in mainland China.
If it doesn't comply to any of these 4 criteria's, you won't be extradited to mainland China under any circumstances.
Hence these protest were a joke,…of uniformed masses stoked up by probably foreign (British) agitators,…let's be real here ;).
24. China went from an 80% poverty rate in 1981 to a 5% rate in 2019, 92% of Chinese people own their own home, but in Hong kong its 48%. People rent beds inside cages for 6 hours at a time as rent is so high in Hong kong but this video seems to think China is not a free country
25. How the frick can you make the largest city on earth. You can't force people to live in a city
26. I feel bad for Hong Kong they lived good under Britain and soon they will have to become part of China a country that wouldn’t care anything like the massacre of students many years ago. When they loose their right to vote Hong Kong will not longer be the jewel in the east
27. Estou pensando se poderia morar na China.
Pedir azilo.
Sou Cristã e quero pregar até para o Presidente da China.
Mas,sei que O evangelho na China é fortemente rejeitado.Adoraria pregar para o chineses.
E mostrar a sabedoria de Jesus.
28. Qual é o País que gosta de Deus verdadeiramente?
Onde,não deixam nem falar Dele,
Ou o que aceita falar Dele ,só o que convém?
29. E se for para eu ir para um País,onde não poderei pregar o Verdadeiro Evangelho ,com Liberdade prefiro ir para um Pais,que não possa nem falar.
30. How Hk car insurance can be achieved about 12740000 USD, please check the data. Hope the audience won't be fooled.
31. your video is very detailed about the Greater Bay Area. I'm from Shenzhen, thanks for your video! There's still a lot to work on in terms if Hong Kong and Macau's relationships with mainland China
32. ;. You know? What if HKong KEK's decide democraticlly that all political refugees from China mainland can come to HKong. You know, democratic and persecuted forces. Falong gong members, Oeigoers (for muslims I think they are pretty well behaved. I met refugees in Holland. Very quiet, very grateful people, small and easygoing), people fleeing from N-korea',
You know, people with a grudge for Beijing-cuckery, and willingness to stand togehter on this last one of all Crusades.
Who knows, at least that is what I would decide for the camera's of all msm. Then China has to invade, on camera, Kekistan EastCoast all the time when their feelings got hurt, by somebody with a different opinion, boohoo boehoo Chinese Beijing-Cuks, boohooo.
33. This video didn’t age well. China is about to use military force because Hong Kong is still protesting. They’re not “overreacting”
34. Hong Kong is much cleaner and generally nicer place to live then generally mainland China. I've been in both places. And nobody tells you what to read, think, do unlike in mainland China. I think that's the main issue here, not different infrastructure projects. Polymatter seems in owe with Chinese megaprojects, forgetting the main thing which ultimatly makes successful nation: freedom.
35. They didnt build it so people could cross it, but instead so their tanks can, when they are about to invade hong kong.
36. western or usa media always make china,russia,muslim or other country look bad…because white people they just looser…your to much freedom make you stupid ..
37. Because the real state bubble is in danger of collapsing, they need those profits so they need to keep building and building.
38. Pink panther is Chinese ping pong table tennis ten commandments I don't think professor clouseau could see that who remembers the cartoon pink panther
39. It's not going to happen! Once Hongkong lose its autonomy, it will no longer be treated by US and UK with special previleges. Foreign companies will move out of Hongkong, killing the goose that lay golden egg. Even now because Hongkong is paralyzed they are losing billions of dollars everyday. China's yuan is worthless, monopoly money, only good inside China. Companies will not take yuan as payment. They will need dollars to be able transact business in the free world.
40. from what ive read people want to live in hong kong because of its freedoms and capitalism and uniqueness and unique culture, in some ways connecting hongkong to china and taking away the border and streamlining the laws could do the exact opposite of what it hopes to achieve, as it will make hongkong just another town/city/place in china, no longer of any particular economic or strategic importance perse or could be easily replicated elsewhere in china at that point.
hong kongs value is because of so many businesses and entrepreneurs so many students and immigrants and dreamers and inventors clustered in one relatively small area.
and hong kong being free is why people want to live there to a large extent, and the current economic system and governance it has is why historically businesses wanted to invest there and why it became the financial trading mecca of asia rivaling singapore back in the 70s and 80s.
basically china wants to tear down barriers thinking it will boost shenzhen and the mainland, but really it will more likely then not depreciate hong kong in value instead, as they will be basically shooting themselves in the foot destroying the very things that made them covet hong kong in the first place and press the british in the 1990s to give it back, they were pretty much content to let the british have it until it became more then just a enclave of free chinese and a few british american and austrailian ex-pats and retirees, and morphed into a global financial trading manufacturing center and major tourist port of call…at that point it became a black eye…they didnt want the world's exposure to china and chinese culture being from china towns around the world, from taiwanese and hongkong "made in china" products, and from what they considered "not china" china in terms of hongkong being tacitly permitted to be the public face of china/chinese culture to the world.
they still definitely wanted hong kong back someday since its considered to be their land/territory, but for the longest time they slowly took/asked for other british concessions in china back but left them have hongkong without seeming to care in the slightest as long as they got everything else back. originally the plans were to let them have macao back but keep hongkong or renegotiate the lease for however long the chinese would be willing to except and dangle macao to be allowed to keep hongkong, there was even talk in the 1990s from what i've read about trying to make hong kong independent or part of england or the us possibly someday, to satisfy the people living in hong kong and to solve the problem of "not china" china aka hong kong giving china a black eye by truly making hong kong its own entity or making it no longer china to solve the problem that way.
china though ended up converting to a form of capitalism itself on the mainland and if i recall the economy of hongkong was at one point by itself exponentially something like 80x greater or something like that then mainland china's or something i forget now, but it was essentially the economic engine/driver of all of asia for several decades, basically its success is what doomed hongkong because it became a "jewel in the crown" type of signature city that china decided it couldn't lose and desperately had to bring back into the fold
so essentially while they are trying to do a good thing by streamlining everything and interconnecting hongkong with macao and shenzhen etc and eliminating trade barriers and creating a larger "pearl city" as you called the area/development plans, it won't work unless they can find a way to continue the culture uniqueness exclusivity etc that make hongkong special and make people think of hongkong as a gateway city.
it needs to be like new orleans was originally intended to be for the united states sort of a gateway port of call and jewel city welcoming/beckoning everyone to come visit and filtering people into the country. only they need to execute on the concept alot better with hongkong as new orleans fell far short of any aspirations/plans/hopes/dreams people had for it, largely becoming just another city in many ways/respects.
41. You can't compare your average "1 bedroom" because you do not not account for size. The "average" 1 bedroom in HK is around 100-150 sq ft. The average in San-Fran is closer to 600 sqft.
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How Intelligent Constraints Drive Creativity
January 30, 2013
Not long ago, Teresa Amabile revealed in an <a href="HBR blog post that while she had spent much of her career as a research psychologist showing how constraints can undermine creativity, she had discovered that the right sort of constraints can in fact “stoke the innovation fire.”
Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer offered the same opinion writing for Businessweek in 2006: “Constraints shape and focus problems, and provide clear challenges to overcome as well as inspiration. Creativity loves constraints, but they must be balanced with a healthy disregard for the impossible.”
That’s anecdotal evidence that well-designed constraints lead to creative success. But there’s academic research data on this phenomenon too. For example, a study conducted at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Social Psychology proved that tough obstacles can prompt people to open their minds, look at the “big picture,” and make connections between things that are not obviously connected. This is an ability is called “global processing,” which is the hallmark of creativity.
Participants in the study played a computer maze game. One group played a version that had an obstacle blocking one of the routes, which significantly limited options and made it much harder to discover an escape. A second group had an easier maze with no obstacles. Both groups were then given a standard creativity test containing what psychologists call remote associates puzzles. Three words appeared on the screen (for example, “plate,” “shot,” and “broken”) and the subjects were asked to find a fourth word that connected them all.
An intelligent obstacle or constraint is one laden with creative tension, whether stated in the form of a well-defined problem (“How might we simultaneously decrease both inventory and backorders?”) or a challenging goal (NASA’s 1990s mission to land a rover on Mars in half the time and a tenth the budget of the previous mission). An intelligent constraint informs creative action by outlining the “sandbox” within which people can play and guides that action not just by pointing out what to pursue but perhaps more importantly what to ignore.
This article is about INNOVATION
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Christopher Columbus
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Last updated: November 4, 2019
Columbus’s discovery has been acknowledged greatly by the world, it being thought of as ‘history’s biggest mistake’ to some, whilst also accredited of as a heroic achievement to others at the same time. His expeditions to the Americas were inspired by his theories of a round Earth. Of course, there are also many other benefits if he succeeded, which not only motivated him, but also kept him going instead of turning right back to Italy when he couldn’t find land. I will be explaining why he went on these voyages and the long-term/short-term consequences of his discovery.Why do most people do things? There is a long list of reasons why: fame, respect, curiosity, money..
. etc. Gold and fame were Christopher Columbus’s main purposes for trying to reach the Americas. He had reached an agreement with his benefactors: he would be knighted and gain new and important titles such as Don Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean Seas, and vice-roy of all new lands he discovers. Christopher also demanded that these titles were to be passed on to all his descendants.This is a long term reason as it would last for a long time, for example, even though he lived hundreds of years ago, he is very renowned and well known today. He is acknowledged as somewhat of a heroic nowadays and is known to have discovered America, which was known as the New World back then.
Gold was also promised to Christopher Columbus. Although this is a short term reason, he and his family would have benefited greatly from it. He had demanded one tenth of all wealth, metal, spices, gold and gems.
Being a Christian himself, Columbus very much wanted to spread the Christian faith all over Asia as well as Europe. He would have gained the Church’s respect and trust if he converted Asians. However, although nobody supported him when he first expressed his wishes to travel West, he was adamant that he was the ‘Chosen One’. When the Church refused to fund his expedition, he didn’t dare speak against him as it was illegal to speak against the Church and you could be burned at the stake for it. He did, though, ask for an audience with the Queen to ask the crown to sponsor his voyages.
She had refused at first to subsidize his plan to sail to the Indies, and it actually took her one to two years to agree to his conditions. Even though he had the little disadvantage of not having the Church behind him, that didn’t stop him from wanting to spread his religion and belief in God. Religion would clearly have been a long term consequence as religion is passed down through generations and faith and loyalty for God never ends. Especially in the time when Columbus existed, the Church was extremely powerful and strict, which is another reason why he wanted to spread the Christina faith.Columbus wanted to gain the Church’s trust and wanted them to supply him with equipment, men and gold for future expeditions.
Another factor of Christopher’s journeys was his spirit of adventure. He was curious and was eager to learn more about the Earth. He wanted to discover new trade routes from Europe to India and China without having to take the African route as it takes approximately a year to reach those two countries.
Since the turks had closed the route by land, it was even more important to find a new way to get to Asia.This also would have been a merit to him and his country as they could trade more and new things such as silks, spices, metals, gems/jewels, gold, medicines…
etc. Of course, let’s not forget Columbus’s big theory: the world is round and not flat. Back in the olden days, people believed that the world was flat, and if you sailed too far, you would fall of the edge of the earth. Additionally, then believed that sea monsters inhabited the edges of the world, which was why sometimes explorers would set off on expeditions and not return.As we move on to consequences, we find that there are many negatives aftereffects of the discovery.
For one, the genocide, or mass murder of the natives. They were not all necessarily murdered, but some were also worked to death. This led to spread of fear and the idea of white or western dominance/supremacy. The natives were led to be afraid of the Spaniards and their modern technology and power over them.
They were also forced into religion conversion, as they had their own gods and beliefs before being influenced by the Spanish.
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The requirement to remember the churban is incumbent upon Jews every day (top of page 2) and is especially important at times of joy. Aside from the practices of leaving a wall unfinished/unpainted, or leaving food aside, or not listening to music, there are liturgical changes which reflect an awareness.
Though it might not be the primary reason, I would think that including a mention of the exile in Megillat Esther (and all the moreso, using the tune of Eicha when reading it) would be a reminder during a joyful holiday. Breaking a plate and/or glass as a reminder during the simcha of a wedding is also a reminder. Saying "al naharot bavel" reminds us on weekdays. And on Yom Tov and rosh chodesh shechal b'shabbat we say a line in musaf which explicitly recalls that our sins brought forth the destruction of the temple which prevents our offering korbanot, so even on those joyous days, we recall the churban.
But on Shabbat, and on a rosh chodesh which falls on a weekday, that sentiment is missing from Musaf. In both cases, we do use the future tense and indicate a hope that we will offer korbanot in the future, but the text lacks the specific statement which would recall the churban.
I understand that one could say that the other food/furnishing practices still exist on those days, but those remembrances would also be active on Yom Tov, so why is there a need to recall the churban explicitly in the davening on those days?
Bottom line, why does the text for Musaf on Shabbat and on R"C (two days of simcha) not have the zecher of the churban while the zecher is there on Yom Tov and Shabbat-R"C?
• 1
Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/35843/… – Yishai Aug 6 '14 at 15:40
• @Yishai yes, but I was troubled by the question because it ignores "zman kaparah" which precedes the "mizbe'ach chadash" on a weekday rosh chodesh. – rosends Aug 6 '14 at 15:56
• I don't know who voted to close, as I don't think it is actually a duplicate. Not that I really get the premise this question, because I think the idea of the Beis Hamikdash and how it is missing is well represented in both Musafs. I suppose questioning textual variation is always useful, though, so perhaps some meaningful insight will be found. – Yishai Aug 6 '14 at 16:02
• @Yishai The answer to that question also doesn't deal with the lack of mention on Shabbat -- if it is enough to raise a rosh chodesh to a yom tov status, why on a regular shabbat don't we mention the churban? Also, that question is focusing on the sins and I am curious about the liturgical insertion of a reference to the churban. – rosends Aug 6 '14 at 16:12
• "but those remembrances would also be active on Yom Tov" Really? You'd leave out part of the meal on Yom Tov? Isn't that Avelut beFarhesia? – Double AA Jan 17 '17 at 2:54
You're not meant to be sad on joyous occasions. Mourners don't mourn on Shabbos, fasts are pushed off if they fall on Shabbos (except yom Kippur)
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This answer would be much stronger if it would address the fact that Chagim, as mentioned in the question, include mention of the Churban and are joyous occasions, and, of course, if it would cite sources for its assertions. – Isaac Moses Aug 12 '14 at 12:38
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Containers are designed for running specific tasks and processes, not for hosting operating systems. You create a container to serve a single unit task. Once it completes the given task, it stops. Therefore, the container life-cycle depends on the ongoing process inside of it. Once the process stops, the container stops as well.
A Dockerfile defines this process. It is a script made up of instructions on how to build a Docker image. In this script, there are two types of instructions that can define the process running in the container:
• CMD
In this article, we explain the differences between Docker ENTRYPOINT and CMD and when to use which Docker instruction.
What is the difference between CMD and Entrypoint?
Docker Entrypoint vs CMD: Solving the Dilemma
In short, CMD defines default commands and/or parameters for a container. CMD is an instruction that is best to use if you need a default command which users can easily override. If a Dockerfile has multiple CMDs, it only applies the instructions from the last one.
On the other hand, ENTRYPOINT is preferred when you want to define a container with a specific executable. You cannot override an ENTRYPOINT when starting a container unless you add the --entrypoint flag.
Combine ENTRYPOINT with CMD if you need a container with a specified executable and a default parameter that can be modified easily. For example, when containerizing an application use ENTRYPOINT and CMD to set environment-specific variables.
Shell and Exec Form
Before we begin, it is important to discus the forms of instructions. Docker ENTRYPOINT and CMD can have two forms:
• Shell form
• Exec form
The syntax for any command in shell form is:
<instruction> <command>
The syntax for instructions in exec form is:
<instruction> [“executable”, “parameter”]
You can write Docker CMD/ENTRYPOINT instructions in both forms:
• CMD echo “Hello World” (shell form)
• CMD ["echo", "Hello World"] (exec form)
• ENTRYPOINT echo "Hello World" (shell form)
• ENTRYPOINT ["echo", "Hello World"] (exec form)
However, try to keep all your instructions in exec form to prevent potential performance issues.
Docker CMD
Docker CMD defines the default executable of a Docker image. You can run this image as the base of a container without adding command-line arguments. In that case, the container runs the process specified by the CMD command.
The CMD instruction is only utilized if there is no argument added to the run command when starting a container. Therefore, if you add an argument to the command, you override the CMD.
To show you how CMD works, we will create a sample container with a CMD instruction.
Creating a Dockerfile with CMD and Building an Image
1. Start by creating a new MyDockerImage folder to store your images in:
sudo mkdir MyDockerImage
2. Move into that folder and create a new Dockerfile:
cd MyDockerImage
sudo touch Dockerfile
3. Open the Dockerfile with your favorite text editor:
nano Dockerfile
4. Then, add the following content to the file:
FROM ubuntu
RUN apt-get update
CMD [“echo”, “Hello World”]
In the content above, you can see that we used the CMD instruction to echo the message Hello World when the container starts up without a specified command.
5. Save and exit the file.
6. The next step is to build a Docker image from the newly made Dockerfile. Since we are still in the MyDockerImage directory, you don’t need to specify the location of the Dockerfile, just build the image by running:
sudo docker build .
7. The output will tell you the name of the container. You can check to see whether it is available among the locally stored images by running:
sudo docker images
Find Docker image among locally listed images.
Note: In this step, you have created a Docker image and stored it into your local repository. If you want to learn more about this process, refer to our article on creating Docker images with Dockerfiles.
Running a Docker Container with CMD
To see CMD in action, we’ll create a container based on the image made in the previous step.
Run the container with the command:
sudo docker run [image_name]
Starting a container to test Docker CMD instruction.
Since there is no command-line argument, the container will run the default CMD instruction and display the Hello World message. However, if you add an argument when starting a container, it overrides the CMD instruction.
For example, add the hostname argument to the docker run command:
sudo docker run [image_name] hostname
Docker will run the container and the hostname command instead of the CMD’s echo command. You can see this in the output.
Example of how to override Docker CMD when starting a container.
Docker Entrypoint
ENTRYPOINT is the other instruction used to configure how the container will run. Just like with CMD, you need to specify a command and parameters.
What is the difference between CMD and ENTRYPOINT? You cannot override the ENTRYPOINT instruction by adding command-line parameters to the docker run command. By opting for this instruction, you imply that the container is specifically built for such use.
Read on to see how we apply ENTRYPOINT in container creation.
Creating a Dockerfile with ENTRYPOINT and Building an Image
1. Use the Dockerfile created in the CMD section and edit the file to change the instruction. Open the existing file with a text editor:
sudo nano Dockerfile
2. Edit the content by replacing the CMD command with ENTRYPOINT:
FROM ubuntu
RUN apt-get update
ENTRYPOINT [“echo”, “Hello World”]
Dockerfile Entrypoint example.
3. Save and close the file.
Running a Docker Container with ENTRYPOINT
1. Build a new image using the following command:
sudo docker build .
2. The output should show you have successfully built the new image under a given name. Now let’s run it as a container without adding any command-line parameters:
sudo docker run [container_name]
Running a container using Docker Entrypoint.
The output will be the same as with CMD. This is because we haven’t added any arguments to the run command.
3. To see how ENTRYPOINT works, you need to add a parameter when starting a container. Use the same command as in the previous step and add something after the container name:
sudo docker run [container_name] KnowledgeBase
Example of how Docker override entrypoint by adding new parameters.
As you see, Docker did not override the initial instruction of echoing Hello World. It merely added the new parameter to the existing command.
Note: There is a way to override the ENTRYPOINT instruction - you need to add the --entrypoint flag prior to the container_name when running the command.
Although you can use ENTRYPOINT and CMD in both forms, it is generally advised to stick to exec form. This is the more reliable solution as shell form can occasionally bring about subtle issues in the process.
Docker Entrypoint with CMD
As you have seen so far, ENTRYPOINT and CMD are similar, but not the same. What’s more, these two instructions are not mutually exclusive. That’s right, it is possible to have both in your Dockerfile.
There are many situations in which combining CMD and ENTRYPOINT would be the best solution for your Docker container. In such cases, the executable is defined with ENTRYPOINT, while CMD specifies the default parameter.
If you are using both instructions, make sure to keep them in exec form.
Read on to see how ENTRYPOINT and CMD collaborate in our example.
Run a Container with Entrypoint and CMD
1. First, we are going to modify our existing Dockerfile so it includes both instructions. Open the file with:
sudo nano Dockerfile
2. The file should include an ENTRYPOINT instruction specifying the executable, as well as a CMD instruction defining the default parameter which should appear if no additional ones are added to the run command:
FROM ubuntu
RUN apt-get update
ENTRYPOINT [“echo”, “Hello”]
CMD [“World”]
An example of a Dockerfile with ENTRYPOINT and CMD together.
3. Now, build a new image from the modified Dockerfile:
sudo docker build .
4. Let’s test the container by running it without any parameters. Enter the command:
sudo docker run [container_name]
Docker ENTRYPOINT vs CMD instructions combined.It will return the message Hello World. However, what happens when we add parameters to the docker run command?
5. Use the same command again, but this time add your name to the run command:
sudo docker run [container_name] [your_name]
Adding parameters to a docker run command to run a container with ENTRYPOINT and CMD instructions.
The output has now changed to Hello [your_name](in my case, it’s Hello Sofija). This is because you cannot override ENTRYPOINT instructions, whereas with CMD you can easily do so.
After reading this article, you should have a better understanding of the difference between ENTRYPOINT and CMD. Explore the use of both and experiment with them to find the best solution for you.
If you are new to Docker, check out our Docker cheat sheet with all the common commands. We’re sure it will come in handy!
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Outbreak: Orangutan's mysterious death points to threat of diseases that jump to humans
On a frigid night a few days after Christmas 2012, Trish Khan drove back to the Milwaukee County Zoo to check on the star attraction, a playful, wildly popular 5-year-old orangutan named Mahal. It was almost 11 p.m.
Khan, the zoo's primary orangutan keeper, was off on medical leave. Yet she'd come in earlier in the day, as soon as she heard something was wrong with Mahal.
Raised on a horse farm in Wisconsin, Khan has a passion for animals, especially primates and most especially orangutans, a found in Asian rainforests and admired for its intelligence.
Even so, her deep affection for Mahal was unique. She had flown to Colorado to pick him up from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo after the orangutan had been rejected by his mother. Khan had accompanied Mahal to Milwaukee, and when he settled in at the county zoo, she bottle-fed him for the first year.
When Mahal was sick, she would move a mattress into the enclosure and stay with him, allowing him to nest beside her and sleep until morning.
Four years later, as she examined the orangutan on that winter evening, Khan noted how much he resembled a sick human child: no energy, no appetite. After an unsuccessful attempt to administer antibiotics, Khan and one of the zoo veterinarians decided to move the orangutan into a smaller room and wait until morning to anesthetize him and take blood samples.
The next morning, a zookeeper found Mahal lying motionless on the floor. He was dead at just 5 years of age; the typical orangutan lives 35 or 40 years in the wild and sometimes more than 50 in captivity. In his short life, Mahal had been the subject of a newspaper series and a children's book.
Stunned as they were by the loss, Khan and her colleagues now faced a mystery with implications for both animals and humans: What killed Mahal?
"Is it something that could affect our other orangutans or other animals?" Khan remembers wondering. "Is it something that could affect our keepers?"
The similarities between humans and other primates are well-known. It is the reason monkeys have long been used in medical tests as proxies for humans. It's also the reason the zoo regularly consults with doctors at Froedtert Hospital on health problems involving its great apes.
But the close biological relationship between the two species takes another form as well. Lethal diseases, including Ebola and HIV, have jumped from apes to humans. Others, such as influenza and polio, have gone the opposite route, passing from humans to apes.
"When you're dealing with the great apes," says Khan, "pretty much anything they get, we can get."
And therein lies the problem. The zoo could not simply mourn the loss of Mahal and dispose of his remains. Other lives were at stake, including those of the zoo's 45 other primates and the seven employees who cared for them.
Of the 400 or so emerging infectious diseases identified since 1940, more than 60 percent have been zoonotic, meaning they have passed from animals to humans.
A 2012 report by researchers in Britain, Kenya and Vietnam found that each year zoonotic diseases account for 2.5 billion cases of human illness and about 2.7 million deaths. A separate study published the same year put the direct costs from these diseases at more than $20 billion over the previous decade.
Zoo officials in Milwaukee were not taking any chances. Within hours of his death, Mahal's body lay in a cooler packed in ice, bound for a pathologist's lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
So began an investigation that would span more than three years and lead to the discovery of a new species of pathogen. The search for Mahal's killer also would illustrate the links between diseases and some of the most powerful forces on the planet: evolution, glacial periods and the Earth's orbital patterns, known as Milankovitch cycles.
"The fact that we share so many diseases with primates tells us about evolution," explains Tony Goldberg, the UW professor of epidemiology who led the investigation into Mahal's death.
"There are an awful lot of primate pathogens that don't really care whether they're in a human or a chimpanzee or an orangutan."
Like all great apes, orangutans face health challenges in captivity. Males are more susceptible to urinary tract infections than they are in the wild; it's uncertain why. Many great apes also suffer from heart disease.
Neither illness seemed likely given Mahal's youth.
The orangutan's body arrived at the University of Wisconsin lab of Annette Gendron, a veterinary pathologist who'd worked in Kenya for a year and later at the Fresno Zoo before coming to Madison in 1983. In more than 30 years as a pathologist, she'd performed necropsies on everything from great apes and elephants to snakes and giraffes, "almost anything you can think of."
Following protocol, Gendron and zoo pathology resident Kathleen Deering each dressed in a protective gown, a double set of gloves, a mask and face shield. Necropsies - autopsies performed on animals - take hours and it is all too easy for pathologists to spatter themselves with material from the dead animal.
Once, 40 years ago, Gendron was accidentally exposed to the fungal lung infection Valley fever, while helping veterinarians try to resuscitate an orangutan before it died. On another occasion, one of her gloves leaked while examining the intestines of an antelope and she wound up with an infection under her fingernail.
Although she never became seriously ill, these incidents reinforced her cautious nature.
Gendron began her examination of Mahal by taking measurements, noting the size of the orangutan's pupils and searching for skin lesions, evidence of trauma and discoloration of the membranes of the mouth.
Then she cut open the orangutan's body. There was no fluid in the abdomen. Fluid is often a sign of inflammation, which in turn raises a host of possibilities, from tumors to liver or kidney failure.
One by one, Gendron looked at the organs. First the spleen, then the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, heart, lungs and trachea. She removed and weighed each organ and looked for scarring and abnormalities. She placed tissues from all of the organs in formalin, a preservative that would allow her to view them later under the microscope.
Although the pathologist worked methodically, she had noticed something strange from the very beginning.
Mahal had an enlarged spleen and liver. Both organs were overrun with cysts, small gray bubbles.
"There were enormous numbers inside the liver," Gendron says. "We'd never seen anything like this."
Whatever it was, the pathogen had also clogged Mahal's lungs. The official cause of death was acute respiratory distress syndrome; what it meant was that the orangutan had essentially drowned in his own blood.
The necropsy took between four and five hours. When she was finished, Gendron made microscope slides of tissue from the nerves, heart, lungs, brain and other organs.
Over the next few weeks she sent zoo pathologists around the country a digital photo of one of the cysts from Mahal's liver. She hoped specialists who'd examined great apes might have run into something similar.
No one had.
One of the colleagues Gendron contacted was Goldberg, a fellow member of UW's faculty of veterinary medicine.
Goldberg, who had started out studying hummingbird behavior at Amherst College in Massachusetts, had gone on to focus on primates while earning his Ph.D. at Harvard. He joined the UW faculty in 2008.
Over the last decade, Goldberg had flown to Uganda twice a year for up to a month of fieldwork examining the interactions of people, primates and other animals in and around Kibale National Park.
The fieldwork often reminds him how much the world is changing, and how quickly new health threats can cross from species to species, continent to continent. For much of the world, the Zika virus, named for the forest in Uganda where it was discovered, stands as the prime example.
Spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and first discovered in a rhesus macaque in 1947, the virus appeared in humans in Uganda and Tanzania in 1952. However, in the last two years, the virus suddenly spread through large sections of Central and South America. In July, the U.S. recorded its first homegrown cases of the virus in Florida. By December, Zika had been identified in 75 countries and territories.
But Goldberg can point to a more personal example of today's rapid-transit pathogens. In the summer of 2012, just six months before Mahal died, Goldberg had returned to Madison after working in western Uganda. He'd been home only three days when the dull ache he'd detected in his nose flared into a searing pain, impossible to ignore.
By angling a mirror and contorting his body, the scientist was able to peer inside his nostrils. There it was, just as he'd suspected: the pale, fat back end of a fully engorged tick.
"It took all of my willpower not to claw off my face," he would recall.
Instead, Goldberg gently extended a pair of forceps until they surrounded the tick's mouth, then he pulled firmly, but carefully. Out came a creature about the "diameter of a pencil eraser," he recalls, "really nothing more than a distended stomach."
DNA testing revealed it was a new species of tick, a discovery that, in the scientist's view, far outweighed his discomfort. Somehow the tick had crawled onto Goldberg's body in the Ugandan forest and stowed away inside his nostril through the plane trip to the U.S. The scientist's reward was a paper he co-authored titled "Coincident Tick Infestations in the Nostrils of Wild Chimpanzees and a Human in Uganda," published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
But it wasn't Goldberg's tick discovery that made Gendron think of him for the Mahal investigation. She recalled his recent paper on hepatocystis, a single-cell parasite transmitted by midges.
Could the cysts inside Mahal be hepatocystis?
There's just no love for the lowly parasite.
The shark is more frightening, the naked mole rat uglier, the black mamba snake deadlier. Yet few creatures provoke a more visceral shudder of disgust than lice, tapeworms, mites and the various other organisms known as parasites.
After his close encounter with the tick, Goldberg understood why.
Still, years of research had tempered his reaction. "You wind up having a lot of respect for parasites," he says. "They are very clever."
They have to be. To keep living, parasites must depend upon another organism, or host. They employ finely tuned machinery to infect and stay in the host without being detected and killed off by the host's immune system.
Parasites are master survivors. They have been around much longer than humans, likely as long as there have been living organisms, according to Eric Hoberg, former curator of the 120-year-old U.S. National Parasite Collection, among the world's largest repositories of different parasites.
Although it's not known how many parasites share the earth with us, one estimate puts the number of different helminths, or intestinal worms, at between 75,000 and 300,000. All told, more than half of the organisms on the planet are parasites, from the microscopic bacterial cell to the multicellular tapeworm.
Many have evolved clever tricks to find the right host, survive and spread. Take the wily Toxoplasma gondii, a single-cell parasite that starts by infecting a mouse but must enter a cat in order to reproduce. To go from mouse to cat, Toxoplasma gondii disables the rodent's ability to smell cat urine, essentially leading the mouse into the jaws of its enemy.
Of greater concern to humans is the Guinea worm. The worm's larvae develop after being consumed by water fleas; they then infect humans who drink the flea-infested water.
Once inside the human body, the worms grow to 2 or 3 feet in length, until the female worm causes a burning sensation so extreme it drives the human to seek relief by submerging the infected area in water. The worm's offspring are then released from a skin blister into the water to continue their life cycle.
The sheer number of parasites can make identifying them difficult, and as Mahal's death would show, there is still much we don't know.
Goldberg crossed busy Campus Drive and proceeded to Gendron's UW lab to collect samples of Mahal's liver, lungs and spleen. All were securely stored inside biosafety bags. Goldberg then spent the afternoon performing a series of molecular tests on the tissue samples. He found no sign of hepatocystis.
He spent the rest of the week conducting more tests, checking whether something might be interfering with the chemistry and skewing his results. Still negative.
In his black lab notebook, he noted that ahead of him lay "a huge task."
Not that the challenge displeased him. He loved a good mystery.
Goldberg and David O'Connor, a colleague at UW's Primate Center, compared Mahal's genetic sequence with that of another orangutan, obtained from a massive DNA repository known as GenBank.
The scientists took Mahal's sequence, then subtracted the other orangutan's. What remained, Goldberg reasoned, would contain the killer's genetic signature.
They performed the analysis using a technique known as shotgun sequencing. Long strands of DNA are broken into millions of smaller, easier-to-read pieces and then reassembled by computer into the longer sequence. They felt compelled to work quickly.
"We really rushed it," Goldberg recalls. "We were really curious and we were afraid there would be an outbreak at the zoo."
He kept thinking about the story of Tracey McNamara, then head pathologist at the Bronx Zoo. In 1999, McNamara noticed that a disturbing number of crows near the zoo were becoming ill and dying. Around the same time, New York City health officials discovered that a small number of people had become deathly ill with what appeared to be St. Louis encephalitis. Mosquitoes pick up the virus from birds, then pass it to humans.
Tests showed, however, that the virus making the crows and humans sick wasn't St. Louis encephalitis. It was West Nile virus. The virus had been discovered in Uganda in 1937, but the sick crows at the Bronx Zoo marked its first appearance in the U.S.
By the time Goldberg began working on the Mahal case, West Nile had spread across the continental U.S., sickening almost 2,500 people and causing 119 deaths in 2013 alone. Early on in his investigation of the orangutan's death, he had no way to know whether he might be dealing with another West Nile virus.
A few weeks of genetic testing provided Goldberg with an answer - of sorts.
The killer's DNA appeared to be that of a cestode, or tapeworm.
Except the sequence didn't match any known tapeworm.
It was something new.
A tapeworm would not have topped the list of likely suspects. Although orangutans experience roundworm infections, it is much rarer to find one suffering from tapeworms.
In Mahal's case, the tapeworms were still in the larval stage; that explained the little gray bubbles. A tapeworm's life cycle begins when eggs are excreted in the feces of a host animal, let's say a cat, and wind up in the soil. There, they are ingested by a different animal, a secondary host, such as a mouse. The eggs hatch inside the mouse and wait to be ingested back into the cat, where they reach adulthood and reproduce, so that new generations of eggs can be excreted back into the soil.
Mahal appeared to have played the role of "accidental mouse." But what species of tapeworm did the larvae come from? How did they get inside an orangutan? And how did they survive the anti-worming medication the Milwaukee zoo administers to its orangutans every three weeks?
The puzzle of Mahal's death had hooked Goldberg.
"This is the thing you dream about," he says. "An unusual infection caused by something unknown."
Although researchers discover new tapeworm species on a regular basis, Goldberg was dying to run into the offices of his UW colleagues exclaiming: "Look what I found!"
Science, however, demands the opposite response: silence and self-discipline. First come weeks or months of rigorous confirmation work. Only then is a discovery announced.
"There's this delicious little time," Goldberg says, "when you have it all to yourself."
One answer did emerge rather quickly, though it would ultimately raise new questions.
On the very day Goldberg received the sequencing information from the machine, a scientific paper appeared in The International Journal for Parasitology naming a new genus, or group, of tapeworms. Scientists discovered the new group inside the bodies of weasels in Japan and Finland.
Features that distinguished the new tapeworm from the two previously known groups included a retractable conelike structure armed with hooks used to attach itself to the host's intestinal wall; a small head, or scolex; and suckers. Because the tapeworms found in Mahal were only larval, they displayed none of these features.
Rather, what linked the new group, Versteria, to the larvae inside Mahal was a similar genetic signature. Although the two were not an exact match, they appeared to be different species within the same group.
And from what Goldberg could tell, the tapeworms inside Mahal were a long way from home.
For one thing, they should not have been inside the body of an orangutan, but rather a vole or some other variety of weasel prey. For another, they had been found previously in Finland and Japan, half a world away from Wisconsin.
Where and how Mahal ingested the tapeworm larvae remained a mystery. Still, Goldberg felt a need to write up what he knew so far.
"You want to publish because it could be important," he says. "You want to get it out there and raise the alarm.
"This could be a threat to orangutans and other apes - such as people."
There was another reason to publish soon. Khan and the rest of the staff at the Milwaukee County Zoo remained in mourning for Mahal.
"We needed answers," Khan says, "as does anyone suffering a big loss."
They needed to know whether what had killed Mahal might pose a threat to the orangutan's surrogate mother, MJ, or to any of the zoo's other primates. Another question was harder and more personal: Could they have done something to have saved Mahal?
From what he knew already, Goldberg was convinced the orangutan's death did not result from anything the zoo staff had done or failed to do.
In January 2014, Goldberg and co-authors at UW and at the Milwaukee County Zoo, published what they knew in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, put out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mahal had died from infection by a new species of tapeworm.
So far, the tapeworms did not appear to have infected any other animal at either the Milwaukee zoo or at the zoo in Colorado where Mahal lived previously.
Yet the authors concluded Mahal's "rapid and severe disease progression raises concerns about the health of captive apes in similar settings. Moreover, the close evolutionary relationship between orangutans and humans raises concerns about the parasite's zoonotic potential."
In other words, scientists could not rule out the possibility that what had killed Mahal could also harm a human.
Goldberg knew his investigation was far from finished.
One day in the midst of his work, he sat on a bench outside Mahal's enclosure at the Milwaukee zoo, contemplating how much he did not know.
"I was trying to imagine myself as a tapeworm," he says, "and I kept wondering: How did a tapeworm known only in (Finland and Japan) wind up in Milwaukee? I was looking around at nature and trying to piece together the whole story."
The story's next installment would take Goldberg another two years to nail down.
He had an idea how the tapeworm larvae had wound up inside Mahal.
Some orangutans like to eat dirt. Coincidentally, tapeworm eggs spend part of their life cycle in the soil waiting to become dinner for a passing vole or mouse. Perhaps Mahal had been eating dirt and accidentally ingested a mouthful of tapeworm eggs.
Once inside Mahal, the eggs would have developed into the gray, larval cysts that Goldberg and Gendron had observed. These thick walls of tissue could have shielded them from the zoo's regular deworming treatment. It is also possible that the treatment simply wasn't effective in killing this type of larvae.
The theory still left open the question of how Mahal had picked up a genus of tapeworm previously found only in Finland and Japan. The orangutan had never been to those countries. The only homes he'd known were the zoos in Colorado Springs and Milwaukee.
Using a grant from the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, Goldberg continued his investigation. The trail now retraced a crucial part of Wisconsin's history, its early settlement in the mid-1600s by French trappers hoping to expand the fur trade (one reason the state has so many communities with French names - Prairie du Chien, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac and so on).
Odd as it might seem, the wildlife the French sought more than three centuries ago now held answers to the death of an orangutan.
Enlisting help from the Wisconsin Trappers Association, Goldberg set wildlife traps baited with fish and peanut butter around the zoo grounds. Captured animals were kept only long enough to get feces, which were then checked for tapeworm eggs.
Although a variety of wildlife passes through the zoo grounds, the traps only succeeded in capturing raccoons. A weasel had been spotted in a nearby monkey enclosure, acquiring the nickname "The Weasel of Monkey Island." So Goldberg set special weasel traps, which are long and skinny and baited with sardines.
But try as he might, he never captured the elusive weasel.
More significantly, he never found Mahal's species of tapeworm anywhere on the grounds of the Milwaukee zoo.
"That was the first clue we were on to something much bigger," he says.
How much bigger?
Think beyond biology. Think astronomy.
The scientists who had identified the new genus of tapeworm Versteria, a close relation of the one that killed Mahal, had made their discovery while working on something called the Beringian Coevolution Project.
The study focuses on species that migrated from Europe and Asia to North America during the last glacial period, which began about 110,000 years ago and ended 11,700 years ago. These periods, marked by colder temperatures and advancing glaciers, occur within the much longer epochs known as ice ages.
Periods of ice followed by periods of relative warmth are driven in part by gradual changes in the earth's axis and another set of overlapping changes in the planet's orbit around the sun. Our orbit is not a perfect circle, but more of an egg shape, or ellipse. Taken together, the pattern of changes that results in these periods of ice is known as a Milankovitch cycle after its discoverer, the Serbian mathematician Milutin Milankovitch.
This phenomenon brought on the last glacial period, which, in turn, resulted in the creation of a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska. The land bridge allowed new species of animals to cross into North America carrying with them hardy stowaways: their parasites.
The migration thousands of years ago may have brought a new kind of tapeworm to North America and set in motion the events that led to Mahal's death.
This sense of history - the echoes from the last glacial period, and from the fur-trapping history of Wisconsin - only deepened Goldberg's fascination.
The strange death of a single zoo animal had taken him into the past. What he found might offer a glimpse of our present, or at least the not-so-distant future, a time when diseases and parasites on other continents no longer appear as far-off threats. They travel, as we do, by planes, bullet trains and automobiles.
"This is the clinical case," Goldberg says, "that ties everything together."
About 10 months after the tapeworm paper was published, Goldberg came to Colorado State University to give a talk on the Mahal investigation. Afterward, he was approached by a veterinary student named Margot Stuchin.
Stuchin had been performing animal dissections and was scheduled to work on a group of deceased ermines, weasel-like creatures. She asked if Goldberg would be interested in any tapeworms she happened to find.
Like so many aspects of the investigation, this chance meeting would convince Goldberg that a sense of fate hovered over the project.
In the coming months, Goldberg went through the guts of a mink, five long-tailed weasels and 11 ermines. Inside an ermine trapped about 30 miles from the Milwaukee County zoo, he found a tapeworm that looked suspiciously like Versteria.
The student in Colorado also found tapeworms that resembled Versteria in an ermine.
To make matters yet more complex, a group of researchers in Oregon found tapeworms in a mink that also appeared similar.
It remained unclear whether Mahal had ingested the tapeworm that killed him in Colorado Springs or in Milwaukee. Again, Goldberg turned to DNA for the answer.
When his team scoured the genetic scripts of the tapeworms found in Wisconsin, Colorado and Oregon, they discovered that the tapeworms found only 30 miles from the Milwaukee County Zoo were just 90 percent similar to those found inside the orangutan. While that may sound like a close match, consider that humans and orangutans share about 97 percent of their DNA sequence.
The tapeworms found in Colorado were much closer to those taken from Mahal - 99.5 percent similar. Those found in Oregon also were closer, 99.2 percent similar to Mahal's.
The DNA findings suggest the orangutan likely ingested the tapeworm eggs in Colorado, which would mean that when Mahal arrived in Milwaukee, he already carried the infection that would kill him.
The science of DNA had unmasked Mahal's killer and pointed to its origin. But the tapeworm took some secrets to its grave.
For one thing, zoo staffs in both Colorado Springs and Milwaukee do not remember ever seeing Mahal eat dirt. Nor do written records in Colorado mention the behavior.
And then there is this question: If Mahal had come to Milwaukee with the tapeworm larvae already inside him, why had the infection waited four years before multiplying explosively through his body and killing him?
"My gut tells me," Goldberg says, "we will never know for sure."
A second paper by Goldberg and colleagues appeared in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal 3 { years after Mahal's death, explaining the origin of the tapeworm larvae.
At the Milwaukee County Zoo, Khan remained in mourning.
"Mahal was a once-in-a-lifetime animal," she says. "I miss him every day."
Although some questions remained, Khan was grateful to Goldberg for his work.
"A lot of it has been answered," she says. "It's put a lot of our minds at ease. There's nothing we could have given him that would have treated him or stopped his condition."
On the surface, the story of Mahal's death might seem reassuring in its implications for human health. After all, no humans were sickened by the species of tapeworm that killed Mahal. The tapeworm did not even spread to other animals in the Milwaukee County Zoo.
That could have been good luck.
Other evidence has emerged suggesting that humans and tapeworms may be on a collision course in ways we don't fully understand.
Late in his work on the Mahal investigation, Goldberg came across a 2015 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that discussed the bizarre case of a 41-year-old man from Medellin, Colombia. The man had been infected with the HIV virus, but in January 2013 doctors found unusual cells in his body.
"The doctors in Colombia were in a dilemma. The cells were small like a nonhuman organism, but they were growing like cancer, like human cancer. It was a complete mystery," explains Atis Muehlenbachs, one of the authors of the paper and a staff pathologist in infectious diseases at the CDC.
The Colombian doctors consulted Muehlenbachs and his colleagues. When the CDC team examined the DNA of the strange, tumorlike cells, they turned out to be nonhuman. They came from a species of tapeworm called Hymenolepis nana, better known as the dwarf tapeworm.
The CDC researchers investigated the cells' odd resemblance to cancer and were led to a stunning conclusion. The tapeworm cells were indeed cancerous and had caused the unfortunate Colombian man to develop large masses in his neck and lungs that contributed to his weakness and fatigue.
For the first time in medical history, scientists had found that cancerous cells in a parasite could spread to a human host. In other words, a parasite could give a human cancer.
In June 2013, just 72 hours after the CDC reached its diagnosis, the Colombian man died. Muehlenbachs says that while the man's HIV infection was his primary illness, the tapeworm cancer contributed to his death.
Goldberg contacted the CDC about the Colombian case. And he has wondered if some kind of tapeworm cancer may also explain why Mahal got so sick so suddenly after living with the parasite possibly for years without apparent illness.
Another thought gnaws at Goldberg, a worry of a more traditional sort.
During his research at the Milwaukee County Zoo, the scientist walked around the enclosures looking for signs of contact between zoo animals and local wildlife. As he did so, he encountered one example of how an animal's parasite might come to invade a human host.
"I was watching young kids drop their cotton candy on the ground and pick it up and continue to eat it," he says.
Had Mahal ingested the tapeworm eggs in Milwaukee, not Colorado Springs, there's a good chance more eggs would have remained scattered across the zoo grounds, anywhere they happened to have been excreted by their weasel host.
There, in the soil, the parasite eggs would have waited to enter the next host.
Animal or human.
This story is based on extensive interviews with staff at the Milwaukee County Zoo, researchers who investigated the death of the orangutan Mahal, and dozens of experts in glacial periods, parasites, primates and zoonotic diseases. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also interviewed Tracey McNamara, former head pathologist at the Bronx Zoo, who helped discover the appearance of West Nile Virus in New York in 1999, and consulted one of the Finnish scientists who discovered the genus Versteria. The story also made use of more than a dozen published reports and scientific papers. A few places mention what a source thought or wondered; in such cases, the source explained their thinking during interviews.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Mark Johnson is studying the growing threat posed by diseases that jump from animals to humans during a nine-month O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University.
He is being assisted by Marquette student researchers McKenna Oxenden, Ryan Patterson and Devi Shastri.
Additionally, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, which funds overseas reporting on underreported topics, is providing support for this ongoing series of stories.
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Famed Milwaukee County Zoo orangutan's death caused by strange infection
©2017 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Citation: Outbreak: Orangutan's mysterious death points to threat of diseases that jump to humans (2017, April 4) retrieved 2 April 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2017-04-outbreak-orangutan-mysterious-death-threat.html
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Native English speaker
From Teflpedia
Revision as of 16:03, 15 December 2019 by Duncan (talk | contribs)
A native English speaker is a native speaker of English.
Most native English speakers grew up in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Native speakers may employ foreigner talk to speak to non-native English speakers.
There exists discrimination against non-native English speakers in the TEFL jobs market. This is illegal under EU law, but enshrined in the visa processes of other countries. |
Discharge and Spurt
Show Definitions
Discharge verb – To throw or give off.
Usage example: the mighty river discharges its waters into the ocean
Spurt is a synonym for discharge in outburst topic. In some cases you can use "Spurt" instead the word "Discharge" as a verb or a noun.
Nearby Words: discharged, discharging, discharger
Synonyms for Discharge
Show Definitions
Spurt verb – To throw out or off (something from within) often violently.
Usage example: the pipe suddenly cracked and began spurting water
Discharge is a synonym for spurt in outburst topic. Sometimes you can use "Discharge" instead the word "Spurt" as a noun or a verb, if it concerns topics such as pour, disgorge, burst of activity.
Nearby Words: spur, spurted, spurting
Synonyms for Spurt
How words are described
massive massive discharge massive spurt
huge huge discharge huge spurt
temporary temporary discharge temporary spurt
sudden sudden discharge sudden spurt
Common collocations
amount discharge amount spurt amount
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Spurt or Discharge. 2016. Accessed April 02, 2020. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discharge/spurt.
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Newcastle disease
Newcastle disease virus
Virus classification
Group: Group V ((-)ssRNA)
Order: Mononegavirales
Family: Paramyxoviridae
Genus: Avulavirus
Species: Newcastle disease virus
Newcastle disease is a highly contagious zoonotic bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species. Its effects are most notable in domestic poultry due to their high susceptibility and the potential for severe impacts of an epidemic on the poultry industries. It is endemic to many countries.
Additional recommended knowledge
Newcastle Disease was discovered in the East Indies in 1926, but it is named after Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, where it was rediscovered a year later by in 1927.
The causal agent, Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus. Transmission occurs by exposure to faecal and other excretions from infected birds, and through contact with contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing.
Exposure of humans to infected birds (for example in poultry processing plants) can cause mild conjunctivitis and influenza-like symptoms, but NDV otherwise poses no hazard to human health. Interest in the use of NDV as an anticancer agent has arisen from the ability of NDV to selectively kill human tumour cells with limited toxicity to normal cells.
Signs of infection with NDV vary greatly depending on factors such as the strain of virus and the health, age and species of the host. They can include respiratory signs (gasping, coughing), nervous signs (depression, inappetence, drooping wings, paralysis), swelling of the eyes and neck, diarrhoea, misshapen, rough- or thin-shelled eggs and reduced egg production.
No treatment for NDV exists, but the use of prophylactic vaccines and sanitary measures reduces the likelihood of outbreaks.
Newcastle disease variant
In 2006 researchers from the Hebrew University have succeeded in isolating a variant of the Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV-HUJ), in order to specifically target cancer cells [1]. NDV-HUJ is a natural variant of NDV Virus and is also an attenuated variant (e.g., weakened virus), it innately preferentially targets and replicates in certain types of tumor cells (brain and lung), leaving normal cells almost unaffected. The researchers tested the new Viro-therapy on 14 Glioblastoma multiforme patients and achieved promising results for the first time.
• Nelson CB, Pomeroy BS, Schrall K, Park WE, Lindeman RJ. (1952). An outbreak of conjunctivitis due to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) occurring in poultry workers. Am J Public Health 42(6):672–8.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Newcastle_disease". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |
Trees are Valuable | Benefits from Growing Trees
The average lifespan of a tree is 100-200 years. Some may live live less, but many can survive considerably longer (even thousands of years).
During the photosynthesis process tall green plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Trees help to maintain the low levels of carbon dioxide. This in turn reduces the greenhouse effect. Primitive plants converted the poisonous atmosphere of the early earth into one rich in oxygen, able to support animal life.
The trees also benefit the soil because their extensive roots hold the soil in place, preventing erosion. The trees also improve the soil quality because the falling leaves make perfect compost.
There are some trees, like Acacia spp. and Allocasuarina spp., with bacteria (called rhizobia) in their roots. These bacteria convert nitrogen in the air into nitrates which the tree can use to grow and reproduce. The soil is also enriched by these nitrates.
Leaves, flowers and fruit, and sometimes bark are eaten by a range of animals in various countries. These break down in the animal's gut and eventually return to earth as manure - compost. Seed is dispersed by animal faecal deposits.
Trees provide nest sites for birds. In the leafy branches there are good hiding places, difficult for most predators to reach. Very large, old trees sometimes develop hollows interior which become favourites breeding and roosting places for bats, birds & marsupials. Even rotting wood and bark provides food for insects.
The Commercial Value of Trees
Timbers are widely used for buildings due to strength, lightness and variable endurance. Timber is also used for the manufacture of furniture, sports equipment, tool handles, match sticks, etc. Paper is made from pulped wood.
Man's first fuel was wood and it remains the main energy source for many people around the world. Sawdust and cut-offs are important by-products. They are a vital fuel in industry and may be processed to produce chemicals and alcohol.
Some trees provide bark which can be used as cork, and some bark can also be made into simple cord. Bark's main importance is as a source for chemicals and medicines. Tannin, the basis of the leather tanning industry, was derived from wattle bark. Bark and many other parts of the tree are used in the production of traditional and modern medicine. Aspirin and quinine were both made from bark extracts.
The inner bark of certain trees provides latex, the main rubber ingredient. Acacia trees provide sap used to manufacture gum. The maple trees of North America give off an edible maple syrup. There are several palms with watery sap to drink as palm wine. Alternatively it can be fermented and distilled into a powerful spirit. Plus there are the edible fruit: lychees, mangoes, walnuts, pecans, apples, oranges, plums, pawpaws, lillypillies, etc.
Trees provide shelter from the sun for both man and beast. On hot climates the shade of trees is essential. Trees are often planted to provide windbreaks for sensitive crops and for grazing animals.
Trees also have aesthetic value to which a monetary value cannot be attached. Trees add beauty to the environment. Some are tall and thin. Others have fat tops and they spread out and cover a large area. Leaves come in a variety or shapes and sizes, and the flowers and fruits are often decorative. |
Why the Trek West Might Not Have Happened the Way You Think It Did
Most Church members today don’t realize the depth of mistrust and resentment some Mormon pioneers harbored toward the United States in 1846 and 1847. When the Mormons arrived in the Great Basin, they were actually arriving in northern Mexico. They purposely crossed an international border and were fleeing the United States.
Joseph Smith had been especially concerned that the U.S. Constitution did not protect minority rights. “There are only two or three things lacking in the constitution of the United States,” he contended, and it was the guarantee of rights and freedom for all, regardless of religious affiliation. He was dismayed that the federal government refused to intervene on behalf of Mormon property rights and religious liberty in Missouri. He wished that the Constitution required “the armies of the government” to enforce “principles of liberty” for all people, not merely the Protestant majority.
For Joseph Smith, it was not enough to merely tolerate people of other faiths or of no faith. Religious bigotry had no place in his worldview. He stated, “God cannot save or damn a man only on the principle that every man acts, chooses, and worships for himself; hence the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments, that spirit which has drenched the earth with blood.”
Devotion to the United States
Despite the substantial resentment recorded in the Council of Fifty minutes toward the United States and its Constitution, council members also demonstrated ongoing devotion to the nation. Considerable paradox is thus bound up in the minutes and in the hearts of its members.
For example, under Brigham Young’s leadership, council members talked about declaring themselves an independent nation even as the council drafted letters to every governor of every state in the nation asking if each governor might be willing to accept Latter-day Saints as a group of religious refugees in his respective state. And as William W. Phelps once said in a Council of Fifty meeting, he was in favor of “letting the United States and British governments alone, we are better without them.”
The West
The Council of Fifty’s very organization centered on the idea that Mormons needed to find a new location for Mormon settlement (initially, the search was for an additional location for Mormons—another gathering place not to replace Nauvoo but to supplement it, with some early discussions and efforts focused on Texas as a place where Mormons with slaves might gather to avoid the problems that moving to a northern state might present for slaveholding converts). Oregon and California were also places that captured the council’s imagination.
Historians have long known of the advanced preparations of the Mormons for their removal west, especially their foreknowledge of the resources that the West had to offer and the potential sites for a future relocation. As early as September 1845, Brigham Young had zeroed in on the Great Salt Lake. Sometimes, stories that circulate in popular Mormon culture suggest that the Saints were driven from their homes in Illinois and wandered aimlessly westward, not knowing their destination until, on July 24, 1847, Brigham Young declared that the Salt Lake Valley was “the right place.”
Young, in fact, arrived two days after the initial Mormon migrants entered the valley on July 22. He joined that vanguard group on July 24 at their camp, where the beginnings of the initial Mormon settlement were already under way. Young’s declarative statement that day was thus a confirmation of a decision already made—something Young had contemplated with the Council of Fifty as early as the fall of 1845.
The Appeal of Mexico
Council members were also purposefully looking for a place outside of firm governmental control for their settlement, and northern Mexico (which at that time included modern-day Utah) fit that bill. They were fully aware that they were leaving the United States and crossing an international border. Mexico’s lack of direct dominion over its northern frontier was partly what made it so desirable to the Saints.
Erastus Snow observed on March 22, 1845, that “the only difficulty there appears to be in the way of our locating in California is the Mexican government, and he has no fears about them. . . . He knows the Mexican government is weak, and they have never taken measures to place themselves in a situation of defense: They are too weak to maintain themselves against an enemy in their midst. Every information he has been able to get goes to satisfy him that there is a mere form of government but not much power.” As Snow viewed it, the Great Basin existed in a power vacuum, which made it an attractive destination for the Saints, who were looking for a place to establish a religious kingdom without the same type of outside interference that had worked to their disadvantage in Missouri and Illinois.
Image title
The minutes of the Council of Fifty provide a rich and fascinating record of council members’ deliberations and decisions; but the detail contained in the 800-page volume may be overwhelming to many Latter-day Saints. This book of 15 short essays gives an initial appraisal of how the council’s minutes alter and enhance our understanding of Mormon history during the critical era of the last months of Joseph Smith’s life to the trek west.
Comments and feedback can be sent to feedback@ldsliving.com |
woman effortlessly playing the violin“Masterful performers exhibit ease in all that they do on stage.”
The Musician’s Way,
p. 21
There’s no better way for us musicians to make our audiences receptive than to project ease and enjoyment from the stage.
What’s more, by embodying ease, we facilitate our technical execution and help dispel any nerves.
To transmit ease, though, we have to not only master our material and be fluent with stage deportment but also draw on the following 6 inner skills.
6 Ways to Project Ease in Performance
1. Be Positive
Always bring a positive attitude to the stage. If your dressing is room frigid, project warmth. If you’re having a rough day, be grateful for the power of music.
Throughout a performance, let your audience know, by your phrasing, body language and words, that there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.
2. Lengthen and Release
Audiences detect our feelings via physical cues. Added to that, our movement habits impact our emotions and technical ease.
By deliberately lengthening our spine and freeing our muscles on stage, we generate positive energy, facilitate playing or singing, and convey an assured stage presence.
As an illustration of how our muscular actions impact our emotions, try this:
1. Raise and hold your shoulders, and then attempt to take on a calm frame of mind. Doesn’t work, does it?
2. Now, release your shoulders and note how your mindset transforms. It’s crucial, therefore, that we reinforce easeful habits in practice as well as on stage.
3. Expand your FocusThe Musician's Way book cover
When we’re stressed, we unconsciously tend to narrow our attention.
To counteract that tendency, we should employ an expansive focus as we perform, hearing, feeling, and thinking ahead as we send each emotion-laden phrase washing over our listeners.
4. Lighten your Touch
Technical freedom comes from allowing rather than forcing.
When you’re on stage, trust in your preparation. As you get louder, for example, get looser. Foster a sense of lightness in everything you do.
5. Support Coperformers
Encourage easefulness and creativity in your group by steadfastly sending positive energy to your fellow musicians.
Even if things get rocky, be musically and emotionally supportive so that your musical message stays vibrant.
6. Celebrate the Moment
We performers have special relationships with music. And listeners crave chances to hear what we’re up to.
With that in mind, every second that you’re under the lights, be a beacon of soulfulness, a fountain of imagination.
Celebrate your role as a performing artist, and your listeners will be carried along in your musical wake.
Concepts for creating ease are covered in detail throughout The Musician’s Way
Related posts
Awareness, focus, concentration
Balanced shoulders, open heart
The benefits of accessible music
Mastering performance skills
Practicing performance
© 2010 Gerald Klickstein
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Differences Between Tubular Mills And Ball Mills
2019-11-7key difference methane vs ethane methane and ethane are the smallest members of the alkane familyhe molecular formulas of these two organic compounds are ch 4 and c 2 h 6 respectivelyhe key difference between methane and ethane is their chemical structure an ethane molecule can be considered as two methyl groups joined as a dimer of methyl groups.
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What are encrypted SNMP traps?
When SNMP versions 1 and 2c were originally developed many years ago, SNMP did not include any ability to encrypt data contained within the SNMP datagrams or SNMP traps. Given that the data was never intended to flow across the public internet this was perhaps understandable. Today however security is of much greater concern for everybody. Consequently the SNMP standard has been updated to include encrption of SNMP datagrams and SNMP traps. Put simply, the SNMP traps can now encrypt the data element of the SNMP trap packet making the data secure from casual packet sniffers.
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The technology goals for the Fall Mountain Regional School District are in alignment with the National Education Technology Standards, the Fall Mountain Professional Development Plan and the New Hampshire Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards.
• Ensure that students demonstrate the appropriate technology grade-level exit skills throughout their ICT digital portfolios. Therefore, students need adequate access to technology. Students are ultimately responsible for the content of their ICT portfolios. Portfolios will be monitored.
• Ensure that teachers will continuously improve their technology skill sets while providing opportunities for students to learn and explore appropriate technological grade-level exit skills. Teachers should also be monitoring student ICT portfolios.
• Ensure that administrators will continuously improve their technology skills and support staff in attaining the appropriate and relevant skills through providing training opportunities to advance per the three-year plan.
• Ensure that all staff will continuously improve their technology skills, have adequate access to technology tools, training, and support.
• Provide a technology leader in every school to ensure the success of our three-year technology plan.
• Continue to improve a secure district technology infrastructure to support the ever-changing learning environment.
• Extend technology learning opportunities to the community. |
Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk
While the association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer is not as strong with other risk factors, there is a definite link. In fact, the more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing the disease—and having a more aggressive type of breast cancer.
There are not many effective methods of reducing your breast cancer risk, and cutting back on alcohol is one of the important ways to decrease your chances of developing the disease, especially if you are at high risk for breast cancer.
The Link Between Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Alcohol is not the leading risk factor for breast cancer. In addition, drinking is more closely tied to a number of other illnesses than it is to breast cancer. That doesn't mean that it can't play a notable role.
If a woman consumes 10 grams of alcohol per day (12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine), her risk of breast cancer increases by 7%. And for every additional 10 grams daily, that risk continues to rise by another 7%.
Binge drinking (five or more standard alcohol drinks within a two-hour period for males; four or more for females) and/or heavy drinking (four or more drinks/day or 14 or more drinks/week for men; three or more drinks/day or more than seven drinks/week for women), especially at a young age, increase the chance of developing breast cancer later in life. Heavy drinking also affects the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
But moderate drinkers are not off the hook: 18% of alcohol-related breast cancers are associated with light alcohol consumption (10 grams of alcohol per day).
Alcohol affects females differently than it affects males, often resulting in more serious health consequences for women. However, while alcohol is associated with about 8% of newly diagnosed breast cancers and about 7% of breast cancer deaths overall, in men specifically, it is associated with 16% of breast cancers.
standard drink sizes
Verywell / Gary Ferster
Tumor Type and Grade
Alcohol consumption is associated with more aggressive, fast-growing tumors (i.e, high-grade tumors).
Cases are also more likely to be of the hormone receptor-positive type, which can be treated with certain hormone inhibitors.
How Alcohol Raises Breast Cancer Risk
Alcohol increases the risk of several medical illnesses (such as liver disease, neuropathy, and dementia), as well as many types of cancer (such as pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and stomach cancer).
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, alcoholic beverages are considered to be carcinogens (cancer-causing agents). In addition to causing cancer, alcohol facilitates cancer growth when cancer has already started.
Alcohol promotes the initiation and growth of cancer through several mechanisms, including:
• Liver disease: Alcohol often leads to liver failure. The liver is involved with many physiological functions, including maintaining healthy immunity. Because the immune system helps fight cancer, liver impairment can give cancer a greater chance of enlarging and spreading.
• Oxidative stress: Alcohol metabolism increases oxidative stress, a byproduct of normal metabolism that induces damage to DNA, which can initiate cancer.
• Breakdown of tissue: Alcohol consumption results in toxic byproducts that break down tissues throughout the body. If a person has cancer, the breakdown of epithelial tissue (tissue that lines the body) facilitates metastasis (spread) of cancer.
In addition to these general carcinogenic effects, alcohol raises the risk of breast cancer specifically by increasing estrogen levels, especially estradiol and estrone. Higher estrogen levels elevate the risk of breast cancer, and chronic or irregular exposure to elevated estrogen can have a lasting effect on breast cancer risk, increasing the chances of developing the disease years down the road.
A Word From Verywell
Keep in mind that there are other important modifiable risk factors for breast cancer, including smoking cessation, avoiding artificial additives in your food, and maintaining a healthy weight. All types of cancer, including breast cancer, develop in response to a combination of factors—alcohol is just one.
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Article Sources
1. Liu Y, Nguyen N, Colditz GA. Links between alcohol consumption and breast cancer: a look at the evidenceWomens Health (Lond). 2015;11(1):65–77. doi:10.2217/whe.14.62
2. White AJ, DeRoo LA, Weinberg CR, Sandler DP. Lifetime Alcohol Intake, Binge Drinking Behaviors, and Breast Cancer RiskAm J Epidemiol. 2017;186(5):541–549. doi:10.1093/aje/kwx118
3. McDonald JA, Goyal A, Terry MB. Alcohol Intake and Breast Cancer Risk: Weighing the Overall EvidenceCurr Breast Cancer Rep. 2013;5(3):10.1007/s12609-013-0114-z. doi:10.1007/s12609-013-0114-z
4. Roswall N, Weiderpass E. Alcohol as a risk factor for cancer: existing evidence in a global perspectiveJ Prev Med Public Health. 2015;48(1):1–9. doi:10.3961/jpmph.14.052
5. Nasrazadani A, Thomas RA, Oesterreich S, Lee AV. Precision Medicine in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast CancerFront Oncol. 2018;8:144. Published 2018 May 4. doi:10.3389/fonc.2018.00144
6. National Toxicology Program: 14th Report on Carcinogens. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Published November 3, 2016.
7. Meadows GG, Zhang H. Effects of Alcohol on Tumor Growth, Metastasis, Immune Response, and Host SurvivalAlcohol Res. 2015;37(2):311–322. PMID: 26695753
8. Setshedi M, Wands JR, Monte SM. Acetaldehyde adducts in alcoholic liver diseaseOxid Med Cell Longev. 2010;3(3):178–185. doi:10.4161/oxim.3.3.12288
9. Hinck L, Näthke I. Changes in cell and tissue organization in cancer of the breast and colonCurr Opin Cell Biol. 2014;26:87–95. doi:10.1016/
10. Ginsburg ES. Estrogen, alcohol and breast cancer risk. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1999;69(1-6):299-306. doi:10.1016/s0960-0760(99)00047-3
11. Guerrero VG, Baez AF, Cofré González CG, Miño González CG. Monitoring modifiable risk factors for breast cancer: an obligation for health professionalsRev Panam Salud Publica. 2017;41:e80. Published 2017 Jun 8. doi:10.26633/RPSP.2017.80
Additional Reading |
After Tiller
PBS Premiere: Sept. 1, 2014Check the broadcast schedule »
Late abortions, which are most commonly defined as any abortions performed after the 24th week of pregnancy, comprise fewer than 1.2 percent of all abortions that occur in the United States.[1] These abortions should not be confused with abortions called "partial birth abortions," as that term refers to a particular technique used in later pregnancy that was banned by the federal government in 2003. That law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007.
According to a 2012 Gallup poll, only about 14 percent of Americans support the legality of abortions in the third trimester, meaning that many people who consider themselves pro-choice may not support the rights of women to have late abortions.[2]
On January 22, 1973, in Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the states were forbidden from outlawing or regulating any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy; could only enact abortion regulations reasonably related to maternal health in the second and third trimesters; and could enact abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus only in the third trimester.[3] The Supreme Court also ruled that with any restriction, including those affecting women in the third trimester, an exception had to be made to protect the life and health of the pregnant woman. Roe v. Wade stated that a woman has a right to have an abortion up until the point when the fetus becomes viable. This decision defined "viable" as being "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid," adding that viability is "usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks."[4] With current medical technology, a baby born at 24 weeks of pregnancy has a 50 percent chance of surviving.[5]
In its decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, the Supreme Court rejected the trimester framework of Roe v. Wade, while affirming its central holding that a person has a right to have an abortion up until the point when the fetus becomes viable.[6] The regulatory framework put forth by this ruling allows the regulation of all abortions as long as those regulations do not place an "undue burden" on women.[7]
The issue of late abortion rights has become the focus of a wave of legislation that began in 2010 with Nebraska's Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which banned abortions after 20 weeks and included only an extremely limited exception for the physical health of the pregnant woman.[8]
At present, nine additional states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and North Carolina -- have passed similar or identical legislation. Three additional states (Arizona, Georgia and Idaho) have passed comparable laws -- some with even earlier restrictions (Arizona bans abortions after 18 weeks) -- and are waiting to enact the bans pending the outcome of litigation. Since Roe v. Wade was decided, many states have significantly restricted abortions in the third trimester, which is one reason there are only four doctors in the United States who publicly acknowledge providing this care.[9] Due to efforts to restrict these abortions further, as well as efforts to limit abortions at earlier points in pregnancy, the number of states where late abortion is available is decreasing sharply.
There are about 1.2 million abortions performed in the United States each year, and of these, 88 percent occur in the first trimester of pregnancy. About 1.2 percent of these abortions occur after 21 weeks.[10] A far smaller number of abortions occur at 24 weeks or later, and it is these abortions that are the focus of After Tiller. They are provided for a small, but important patient population.
Debates over women's reproductive rights and the current legislative landscape have led to a number of popular myths about late abortions and the women who seek them. Among those myths is that women who seek late abortions are irresponsible, or make flippant or casual decisions about whether to have abortions. On the contrary, research has found that women are very thoughtful as they weigh the multitude of factors, responsibilities and realities of their lives in their decisions about abortion.[11]
Reasons for seeking late abortions fall into two major categories.
The Status of the Fetus
Sometimes a woman decides to terminate a pregnancy because testing has established that the fetus is not developing as expected. There can be several reasons for this occurring in the third trimester of pregnancy:
1. Some fetal abnormalities only develop as the pregnancy advances (e.g., fetal stroke), some can only be detected later in the pregnancy (e.g., dwarfism) and some can worsen with time (e.g., hydrocephalus, excess water in the brain).
2. Many women do not have access to early, comprehensive prenatal care, so abnormalities not be detected until later in their pregnancies.
3. Often a single abnormality will prompt other developmental problems in the fetus.
4. The decision to terminate a pregnancy because of the status of the fetus can take time, because often the pregnancy is very much wanted. Often patients seek multiple opinions, which also takes time, especially for those who have to travel for specialty care.
The Health Needs of the Pregnant Woman
A woman may have a severe medical condition that develops late in the pregnancy, or the pregnancy may develop in such a way that there is significant risk to the woman's health, and a third-trimester abortion may be needed to save the life of the woman.
A woman may decide to terminate a pregnancy because she believes it threatens her physical, emotional, mental, or family health, safety or well-being.[12] For example:
Many women do not know that they're pregnant until late in their pregnancies.
1. Some women do not have symptoms of pregnancy, so they are never prompted to take pregnancy tests.
2. Some women do not experience body changes suggestive of pregnancy, sometimes because of weight, height or body conditioning.
3. Some women continue to have intermittent bleeding during their pregnancies that they interpret as periods.
4. Some women visit healthcare providers and are told they're not pregnant.
5. Some women have experienced non-consensual sex and thus are disassociated from the pregnancy potential.
6. Some women use one or more forms of birth control or take the morning after pill, without realizing that these could have failed. (No form of birth control is 100 percent effective, not even sterilization.)[13]
Many women do know that they are pregnant and want abortions but are unable to react quickly. There are several possible reasons for this.
1. Fear. This is most common among teenagers, but is seen in all age groups. A teenager who has been told that she will be kicked out of the house or that she will bring a huge amount of shame upon her family should she get pregnant has a very hard time telling her parents that she is pregnant. (In addition, many states require parental involvement for a teenager to have an abortion.)[14]
2. Money. Abortion is more expensive the further in pregnancy a woman is. Only 17 states allow low-income women to use Medicaid to pay for abortions, so most women have to raise the money. For every week after 12 weeks the cost increases, so it is not uncommon for women to get later and later in their pregnancies as they try to raise the money they need.
3. Access. With the states placing growing restrictions on abortion, access has become an increasingly important issue. Not only are there fewer facilities where abortions are performed, but most facilities do not offer abortions after the first trimester. A common scenario is a woman seeking care at the facility nearest her home. She is beyond the gestational limit of that facility and is referred to another location. She now has to raise additional money to pay for the procedure and for transportation, must arrange to take off more time from work and may have to find child care as well. By the time she has organized all of that and arrives at the next facility, she has passed that facility's gestational limit as well, and on and on it goes. If she's extremely persistent and resourceful she will eventually make it to one of the facilities seen in After Tiller.
4. Change in circumstances. A woman may have initially welcomed a pregnancy, but then something in her life changes drastically -- her partner becomes abusive, or goes to jail, or leaves her, or a hurricane destroys her home -- and she reassesses, realizing that she cannot do a good job of parenting this baby if she has it.
5. Chaotic life situation. Some third-trimester abortion patients live lives of chaos that most people cannot even imagine -- lives of extreme poverty, physical and emotional abuse and social isolation. Ultimately a woman in this situation will often come to realize that bringing a baby (or another baby) into her life would likely give that child a lifetime of hardship and suffering, and that is something she does not want to do.
What About Adoption?
The question of adoption is commonly raised in discussions about third-trimester abortion.[15] Many people can have difficulty understanding why patients choose to have abortions, rather than carrying their pregnancies fully to term and then choosing adoption for the children. Adoption, like abortion, is a complicated and difficult decision.[16] Data shows that when adoption is voluntarily selected women and children do well, but when it is involuntarily imposed there can be significant long-term repercussions.[17]
Here are some examples from Dr. Shelley Sella of why a woman might decide that adoption is not the right decision for her:
1. A woman may believe that the child she is carrying would not be healthy given her own medical history or the behaviors she engaged in during pregnancy.
2. A woman may be concerned that the child will be mistreated.
3. Women do not want their children to feel that they were abandoned. The doctors in After Tiller say that they hear this frequently from women who were adopted themselves.
4. Some women whose pregnancies were especially traumatic do not want to have to tell those experiences to the children. Some women worry that even if they choose adoption, their children will look for them when they are older.
5. It is physically safer for a woman to have a third-trimester abortion than it is for her to have a full-term delivery.[18] Protecting health for a future pregnancy is a significant concern for some pregnant women.
Whatever the specific circumstances, the decision to have a third-trimester abortion is always complicated, serious and deeply personal.
As part of the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision, the court ruled that state laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional on the grounds that they violate a woman's "right to privacy." The court argued that the First, Fourth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual's "zone of privacy," which the court considered "broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy."[19] However, the court also determinedthat a woman's right to an abortion is not absolute and that states may restrict or ban abortions after fetal viability under certain conditions.
As of September 1, 2013:[20]
• 19 states prohibit abortions starting at fetal viability (with exception for the life and health of the woman)
• two states prohibit abortions starting at fetal viability (with exception for only the life of the woman)
• eight states prohibit abortions beginning at 20 weeks
While nine states permit third-trimester abortions without restriction, there are only three states with known providers: Maryland, Colorado and New Mexico.
Today in the United States, only four doctors openly acknowledge that they perform abortions at 25 weeks or later. Why?
1. Legislative Restrictions
Most states limit abortions in the third trimester to those necessary to save a woman's life. A few more states will allow abortions if the health of the fetus is so compromised that it is likely to die when it is born. However, only nine states allow third-trimester abortions for the many reasons women seek them (see earlier discussion).
2. Violence
Physical intimidation of abortion care facilities and providers is common. In 2000, 82 percent of large providers (facilities providing 400 or more abortions per year) experienced some type of harassment. Typically, harassment took the form of picketing and physical contact with or blocking of patients, but 15 percent of large providers reported that they had also received at least one bomb threat.[21]
The death of Dr. George Tiller in 2009 is a tragic example of the profound threat to individuals who provide abortion care. In fact, eight abortion care workers have been murdered since 1977, with an additional 17 murders attempted. The film gives us a glimpse into the issues of security and safety that these doctors face. Dr. Robinson tells us about having a safety inspection of her home by a federal marshal. Dr. Hern had gunshots fired into his office, and his mother frequently receives threatening phone calls. And all of the doctors have received death threats and hate mail over the years that they have been doing this work.
3. Lack of Training in Abortion Care at Medical Schools and in Residency Programs
In the film, Dr. Susan Robinson comments, "I just thought the other day, I can't retire. My God. There aren't enough of us."
The reasons for the lack of new physicians to take the place of these four doctors are numerous. Many medical schools do not include abortion in their curricula. While there is a requirement that obstetrics and gynecology residency programs include abortion training, the U.S. Congress prohibits penalizing any program that chooses not to teach this procedure.[22] Consequently, almost half of all obstetrics and gynecology residency programs do not offer any abortion training. Even when training is obtained, most graduating residents find institutional barriers to incorporating abortion care into their practices. To get jobs, many doctors have to sign contracts pledging not to perform abortions.[23]
So why, then, do the doctors in the film perform this procedure? The doctors give us several reasons. Dr. Hern shares the tragedy he witnessed as a younger physician when he cared for babies who were abused, battered and damaged "because their parents didn't want them," noting the stark contrast between the women under his care who were prepared to have children and those who weren't. He also speaks about his experience working as a Peace Corps physician in Brazil, where he says many women died after receiving illegal abortions. Dr. Carhart fears the harm women will do to themselves or to their babies if they are unable to access such services legally and safely. Dr. Sella reports that she was drawn to abortion care because of the elements it shares with her previous work in midwifery, such as an emphasis on emotional support for the patients, and on treating the woman as the best judge of her own reproductive decision-making process. And Dr. Robinson, who initially decided to provide abortions because she thought that a wave of recent anti-abortion violence might dissuade many doctors from continuing to provide that care, finds the gratitude of her patients incredibly rewarding.
A number of groups and individuals oppose the practice and legality of abortion for a range of reasons, including ethical, religious and political reasons. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 61 percent of Americans support legal abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, while only 14 percent believe abortion should be legal in the last three months of pregnancy.[24] The issues raised by those who oppose abortion include the point at which human life begins, viability of the fetus outside the womb, the point at which a fetus can feel pain, health risks to the mother during abortion procedures, religious beliefs, opposition to abortions that are considered elective (i.e., not for the sake of the physical health of the mother or child) and support of alternatives to abortion, such as adoption.[25]
Major organizations and leaders in the anti-abortion movement include the groups Operation Rescue and National Right to Life. Religious groups such as the Catholic church, political groups and individuals are also involved. Efforts to end abortion practices range from peaceful sit-ins and advocacy, to work developing alternative support programs for mothers with unwanted pregnancies, to petitions and campaigns to pass legislation banning abortion, to actions to close clinics and extreme cases of property damage and violence.[26]
In 1994, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act was passed, making it a federal offense to impede an individual's access to a clinic through injury, intimidation or interference.[27] Some states, such as Massachusetts, also enacted "buffer zone" laws, which require protesters to stay at least 35 feet away from abortion clinics. However, in 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in McCullen v. Coakley that the "buffer zone" law in Massachusetts infringes on anti-abortion protesters' First Amendment rights to free speech and to assemble peaceably. The court encouraged states to focus instead on protecting staff and patients through laws concerning harassment, intimidation and obstruction.[28]
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Abortion Surveillance -- United States, 2010."
[2] Gallup. "Majority of Americans Still Support Roe v. Wade Decision."
[3] Legal Information Institute. "Roe v. Wade."
[4] Rees III, Grover. "State Protection of the Viable Unborn Child After Roe v. Wade: How Little, How Late?" Louisiana Law Review 37, No. 1 (1976).
[5] Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health. "The Science of 'Viability'."
[6] Frontline. "Roe v. Wade and Beyond."
[7] Legal Information Institute. "Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992)."
[8] U.S. Congress. "H.R.1797: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act."
Legislative Bill 1103
[9] Guttmacher Institute. "An Overview of Abortion Laws."
[10] Guttmacher Institute. "Induced Abortion in the United States."
[11] Foster D.G. et al. "Attitudes and Decision Making Among Women Seeking Abortions at One U.S. Clinic." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 44, No. 2 (June 2012).
[12] Finer, Lawrence B. et al. "Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 37, No. 3 (September 2005).
[13] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Contraception."
[14] American Civil Liberties Union. "Laws Restricting Teenagers' Access to Abortion."
[15] Dominus, Susan. "Campaigning for Common Ground in Abortion Debate." The New York Times, June 18, 2010.
[16] Biggs, M.A. et al. "Understanding Why Women Seek Abortions in the U.S." BMC Women's Health 13, No. 29 (July 5, 2013).
[17] Fessler, Ann. The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade. New York: Penguin, 2006.
[18] Gordon, Serena. "Abortion Safer for Women Than Childbirth, Study Claims. U.S. News & World Report, January 23, 2012.
[19] PBS. "Roe v. Wade (1973)."
[20] Guttmacher Institute. "An Overview of Abortion Laws."
[22] Rogers, Beth. "Secret Practice." The New Physician, November 2009.
[23] Freedman, Lori. Willing and Unable: Doctors' Constraints in Abortion Care. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2010.
[24] Gallup. "Majority of Americans Still Support Roe v. Wade Decision."
[25] Gale Global Issues in Context. "Abortion.";jsessionid=7350E1938A37F3252FD3A596774E7584
[26] Stumpe, Joe and Monica Davey. "Abortion Doctor Shot to Death in Kansas Church." The New York Times, May 31, 2009.
[27] The Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances."
[28] Liptak, Adam and John Schwartz. "Court Rejects Zone to Buffer Abortion Clinic." The New York Times, June 26, 2014. |
ASEAN Economic Community And Small-Medium Enterprises: An English School Perspective
ASEAN leaders have repeatedly conveyed their political will and commitment to building ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. They establish ASEAN Vision 2020, signed the ASEAN Charter, and decided to accelerate ASEAN Community into 2015. ASEAN Charter puts in place the institutions and mechanisms to build up an ASEAN Community. ASEAN Vision 2020 consisted of three pillars: ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN Socio-cultural Community and ASEAN political security community.
ASEAN Economic Community consists of four main elements: single market base, competitive economic region, equitable economic development, and integration into global economy (ASEAN Secre-tariat, 2009). ASEAN Economic Community Blue-print has been signed and adopted at the 13th ASEAN Summit on 20 November 2007 in Singapore.
In the competitive economic region, there are five pillars: free flow of goods; free flow of services; free flow of investment; free flow of capital; and free flow of skilled labor.
In the case of “equitable economic development”, ASEAN developed the Initiative for ASEAN Integra-tion (IAI), which identified the needs of CLMV countries (Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam) and the promotion of small and medium enterprises.
Accounting for 30-60% of GDP of ASEAN mem-ber states and the largest source of employment for all economic actors, small medium enterprises is a very important economic actor in Southeast Asia (ASEAN Secretariat, 2013). Indonesia, for example, is home to 55,2 million SMMEs which contributes to 57% Indonesian GDP (Chandra & Hattari, 12). SMEs are important in cyclical downturns and recessions. They cushion the impact on economies that more often than not comes from large enterprises (Nixon, 2009).
Single market and production means greater opportunities for SMEs to export their products to ASEAN market. A strong, dynamic and efficient SME sector will ensure the sustainable, inclusive and broad-based economic and social development. A vibrant SME sector is critical in supporting closer regional
integration through the establishment of the ASEAN Community, particularly the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Thus, the encouragement and promotion of competitive and innovative SMEs is necessary in contributing to greater economic growth and social development towards more inclusive and broad-based integration of the ASEAN region.
The SME sector in ASEAN, however, is confronted with a wide-range of structural, financial and other challenges, among which are limited access to finance, technologies and markets. There is also the question of entrepreneurial spirit and management skills among ASEAN SMEs. These problems are compounded by the lack of information, inadequate capacity for compliance with standards and certification, and the absence of a more conducive business and policy environment.
In addition, there are the new trends of conducting business utilizing information and communications technology (ICT) with on-line linkages across the value chain as well as the outsourcing and networking strategies adopted by large enterprises and multina-tional companies (MNCs) which lack participation by SMEs. All these require SMEs and government to undertake proactive capacity building and other measures to ensure and sustain SME participation in supply networks and to sharpen SME competitiveness, flexibility and hence business sustainability.
The formation of SME-based clusters, and inter-firm networks and linkages within ASEAN will help leverage collaboration and collective efficiency, includ-ing scale economies across the value chain, thus creating further opportunities for business develop-ment and supply linkages for SMEs and their entrepre-neurs in the region.
There is additionally a need to create and promote a more conducive business and policy environment for SME development where Government, ASEAN institution and the private sector assume synergistic and complementary roles. The Government and ASEAN institutions act as a facilitator, while SMEs themselves are the engine of growth. Indeed, collabora-tive SME development programmes within a public-private partnership framework will ensure the contin-ued economic growth and social development in the region. These programs can be achieved through structured and organized action plans and develop-ment initiatives, including though the introduction of wide-ranging capacity building and fiscal and financial incentive programmes, with SMEs and their entrepre-neurs as the main target beneficiaries.
As one of international organization, ASEAN has many important roles in developing SMEs. Together with states, ASEAN institutions can guide, direct, and fund many development programmes related to SMEs. In the context of AEC, ASEAN has big responsibility to nurture SMEs. Moreover, AEC, a new set of regional liberalization package, will have important consequences to SMEs’ growth in the ASEAN mem-ber states. It can be two-edge swords for SMEs. AEC can be opportunities to internationalize SMEs but in other hand it can threaten the SMEs by fiercer compe-tition from big corporation.
Therefore, this paper will ask a question of: How AEC will affect SMEs in ASEAN member states using English School Theory in International Political Economy.
English School Theory (EST) is one of IR grand theory widely acknowledged by its comprehensive contribution in security and International Political Economy (IPE) studies. In IPE studies, EST at-tempted to examine the relationship between sover-eignty, international trade, international organization and non-conventional issues such as environment and human rights.
English School Theory, pioneered by Martin Wight, Hedley Bull and Barry Buzan, answered this debate by splitting up IR into three divisions. Wight (1992), for example, provides three conceptions on IR, which are realism, rationalism, and revolutionism. Realism offers pessimistic worldviews and revolutions represented radical movement toward idealist norma-tive goals. Rationalism is the middle ground between realism and revolutionism emphasizing the role of law and wisdom in IR.
Bull (1966) provided three basic conceptions of IR, which are international system, international society and world society. International system refers to power politics amongst states, and puts the structure and process of international anarchy at the center of its analysis. International society is about the institu-tionalization of shared interest and identity amongst states, and puts the creation and maintenance of shared norms, rules and institutions at the center of IR theory. Worlds society takes individuals, non-state organizations and ultimately the global population as a whole as the focus of global societal identities and arrangements, and puts transcendence of the states-system at the centre of IR theory.
Furthermore, Buzan (2004) argues that there are six spectrum of international society; asocial, power political, coexistence, cooperative, convergence, confederative. Each of this spectrum has its own assumptions on environment and non-state actors. Asocial, power political and coexistence considered that sovereignty and international order as the ulti-mate goal of international society meanwhile cooperative, convergence and confederative are very active in promoting new issues and actors in IR such as Interna-tional Political Economy.
There are some ES’ key concepts that can be used to analyze IPE. This research will focus to concept of market and sovereignty. Market, like war and diplo-macy, is a very old practice in human affairs, arguably perhaps the oldest candidate for the status of a pri-mary institution defining the relations between the highest level of organized human grouping at any given time (Buzan & Little, 2000). Market was the primary economic institution for much of human history until fairly recent times, often carrying with it secondary institutions such as the particular rights accorded to enclaves of foreign traders in most of the city-states and empires of the ancient and classical world until today.
For ES theorists, market means more than just trade and finance. Market becomes an institution when there is shared practice and norms for granting particular rights to particular individual and collective organization. It is a principle of organization and legitimation that affects both how states define and constitute themselves, what kind of other actors they give standing to, and how they interpret sovereignty and territoriality.
Another key concept was sovereignty. The emphasis on sovereignty will result to two perspectives; mercan-tilism and liberalism. Mercantilism is in harmony with balance of power, nationalism, and war. Liberalism has complex effects. It requires sovereignty/non-interven-tion to be reinterpreted to allow more porous borders.
Under mercantilism, states saw themselves in a zero-sum competition with others and sought to maximize their wealth, power, and autonomy, not least by seeking favourable trade balances and the accumulation of specie. Crudely put, mercantilism meant that self-reliance was preferred to trade because the national interest was defined in terms of an ability to wage war. On the other side was liberalism, which held that trade was a good in and of itself, lowering prices, increasing technological innovation, prosperity, and social dynamism, and reducing the incentives for war. Mercantilism enhanced the power of the state, while liberalism elevated the power of the market and a variety of non-state actors.
Two different perspectives and two different concepts will yield different result in terms key words, objects of investigation and recommended proposal. This battle not only affected the whole character of the IPE, but also radically altered the balance and meaning of the primary institutions of international society. For more than a century this struggle was a, and arguably the, central issue of international rela-tions.
In addition to having major impacts on the other institutions of international society, the market also changes the composition of the actors who are in one way or another members of or at least participants in international society. Under liberal rules, both indi-viduals and non-state actors have legal rights against the state even if those rights are granted by the state. In principle, liberalism as a doctrine and the market as a practice favour a minimal state and the maximum liberty for individuals consistent with maintaining social order. In practice this means the empowerment of civil society and the right of people to establish organizations for a wide range of purposes.
To convince the battle between market and sover-eignty, the author will use the concepts to analyze globalization. Some allege that the most important result of globalization is the triumph of the market over the nation-state and the consequent end of national sovereignty. Economic forces are said to be eroding national boundaries so that governments lose control over their economies, and national economic systems converge toward a common model.
Market-oriented proponents of globalization consider this development as signaling a grand mo-ment in human history; the supremacy of the market over the state and of economics over politics over the end of a human institution and of the political struggles responsible for war, domination and other problems. For critics of globalization, on the other hand, victory of the market means the end of the state as the protector of the economically weak against the economically strong, and the supremacy of ruthless market forces and those who control such forces.
Author : Verdinand Robertua |
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Comparative and superlative adjectives
Level: beginner
Comparative adjectives
We use comparative adjectives to show change or make comparisons:
This car is certainly better, but it's much more expensive.
I'm feeling happier now.
We need a bigger garden.
She is two years older than me.
New York is much bigger than Boston.
He is a better player than Ronaldo.
France is a bigger country than Britain.
The balloon got bigger and bigger.
Everything is getting more and more expensive.
Grandfather is looking older and older
The faster you drive, the more dangerous it is.
The higher they climbed, the colder it got.
(= When they climbed higher, it got colder.)
Comparative adjectives 1
Comparative adjectives 2
Superlative adjectives
We use the with superlative adjectives:
It was the happiest day of my life.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
That’s the best film I have seen this year.
Superlative adjectives 1
Superlative adjectives 2
How to form comparative and superlative adjectives
old older oldest
long longer longest
nice nicer nicest
large larger largest
big bigger biggest
fat fatter fattest
happy happier happiest
silly sillier silliest
careful more careful most careful
interesting more interesting most interesting
He is certainly handsomer than his brother.
His brother is handsome, but he is more handsome.
She is one of the politest people I have ever met.
She is the most polite person I have ever met.
good better best
bad worse worst
far farther/further farthest/furthest
How to form comparative and superlative adjectives
Basic level
Comparatives:used to compare diferents between the two objects they modif(smaller,faster,higher)..
My house is larger than hers
Superlative:used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality(the tallest,the smallest, the fastest)....
This is the smallest box I've ever seen
A quantifier is a word or phrase which is used before a noun to indicate the amount or quantity: 'Some', 'many', 'a lot of' and 'a few' are examples of quantifiers. Quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
I think this is an excelent material, I clarified some questions that I had.
This helps me a lot to review the knowledge I have!
The explanation was good but I would put some images to do the topic easier.
The information obtained is very useful and helps a lot to better understand this topic of superlatives and comparatives
this was a very useful information... it has complete information about how to use comparatives and superlatives in the correct way :)
excellent explanation and very easy to understand.
I would like to remember the most common mistake is using the superlative when there are only two items.
For example:
Incorrect: Mary was the tallest of the two girls.
Correct: Mary was the taller of the two girls.
When a word with three or more syllables is used as a comparative, –er and –est are typically not used, but rather “more” and “most” are used before the adverb.
thanks for the content it helped me a lot since this topic is very difficult for me.
An easy way to study the comparative and superlative form is:
I did not forget it
That the comparison is used to compare the differences between two objects
We use that when we want to compare one thing with another:
Angela's room is cleaner than Sue's.
in the superlative we use it when we want to emphasize that the subject is at the upper or lower end of a quality.
We use the with superlative adjectives:
Angela's room is the cleanest.
There are some rules to form the comparative and superlative.
1. For one-syllable adjectives:
Superlative adds: "-est" the fastest
Comparative: adds: "-er" faster
2. For one-syllable adjectives ending in "e":
Superlative adds: "-st" best
Comparative: add" -er nicer
3. For one-syllable adjectives ending in consonant vowel consonant:
Superlative adds: consonant "-est" biggest
Comparative:add: consonant "-er" hotter
4. For two syllable adjectives ending in "y":
Superlative:replace "y" with: "-iest" happiest
Comparative:replace " y" with: "-ier" funnier
5. For adjectives with two or more syllables:
Superlative : adds: "the most" / "the least"
Most beautiful
Comparative : add: "more" / "less"
more beautiful ,less beautiful |
IPA Diphthongs--repost
Herb Stahlke hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM
Wed Apr 23 21:56:26 UTC 2008
Here's the message on diphthongs I posted in Rich Format, now in Plain
Text. Thanks to Mark and LanDi for showing me how to change that in
I'll give it a try. First, it might be useful to distinguish between
a diphthong and a vowel sequence. American English "idea" has a vowel
sequence, and the last vowel, a schwa, is a separate syllable.
Southern British "dear" has virtually the same sequence of vowel
sounds, but it's one syllable, and BE has falling diphthongs ending in
/@/. AmE r-ful varieties don't.
When I teach phonetics, I make the same statement you had heard, that
the second element of the diphthong indicates direction of tongue
movement rather than endpoint, although this is a matter of degree and
depends on things like speech tempo and just where the second element
is articulatorily. If the second element is a schwa or an /r/, then
the tongue is more likely to get pretty close to that position, simply
because of where it is.
Whether you transcribe the second element of a falling diphthong as
/I, U/ or as /j, w/ is a matter of choice. The difference between
non-tonic /I,U/ and final /j, w/ is functional rather than formal.
They are for all practical purposes the same sound, one used in a
vocalic position and the other in a consonant slot. It just happens
that we can notate them differently depending on what we consider
their function to be. This is more obvious with /r/, which has nearly
the same position in the vowel space as /@/. We tend to think about
it as a consonant, and it's hard sometimes to convince a beginning
student that it can also be a vowel. As a vowel it can be transcribed
as schwar or as syllabic retroflex /r/. I think most people prefer
the schwar, but for diphthongs /r/ gets used.
I can illustrate a number of features of AmE diphthongs from my SE
Michigan variety of Inland Northern. I have a phonemic contrast
between lowered and raised /a-/ diphthongs. In this particular case,
the first element of the diphthong will be either the inverted lower
case print <a> or something close to /@/. They occur in their usual
Canadian Raising environments, but they contrast in open syllables and
before /-nd/, so
/ha:I/ "elevated"
/h at I/ (greeting)
/ka:Ind/ "warm-hearted"
/k at Ind/ "variety"
/ba:U/ "front end of a boat"
/b at Uwa:U/ (sound a dog makes)
/ra:Und/ "circular, spherical"
/r at Und/ (preposition)
Notice that the raised diphthongs are shorter, as CR predicts, even
though they occur where CR would predict the lowered diphthong.
Similarly, I have
/ba:rd/ "banned" (preterit of "bar")
/b at rd/ "poet"
I have quite a few minimal pairs like these, but what they all seem to
have in common is that the two forms always come from different
lexical categories. Clearly it's a partial phonemic contrast since it
doesn't occur in all environments.
Back to whether to represent the second element with a vowel or glide
for a moment. The choice depends on the point you want to make. I
tend to use /I/ and /U/ for those diphthongs and /r/ for the /r/
diphthongs. If I'm comparing Upper South and Lower North
pronunciations of "drive," I'll use the vowel variant so that I can
more clearly demonstrate the lowering found in the Upper South (and
Lower South) diphthong. Central Indiana speakers have /draIv/ while
Southern Indiana speakers have /draav/, where the vowel quality is low
central, not back. I can't show that change as clearly if I use the
consonantal option.
What makes the /r/ diphthongs distinct from vowel + /r/ codas, at
least in my speech, is that they start with vowels that I have only in
diphthongs. /a/ (lower mid central) does not occur as a monophthong,
and open <o> also occurs only in the diphthongs /OI/ and /Or/ and
never as a monophthong. Where many varieties of AmE have
monophthongal /O/, mine has the low back rounded vowel.
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Catalonia Independence Referendum Leads to Violence and Mass Protests
by Tracey Smidt
Sunday 1 October saw voters casting their ballots in the Catalonia Independence Referendum for the region to officially become independent from Spain. Catalonia is located on the eastern Iberian Peninsula, and includes the major city Barcelona.
The referendum led to police violence, and the Spanish government has refused to recognise the legitimacy of the vote. The result of the referendum was in favour of independence from Spain.
On September 7, the Catalan Parliament passed a law authorising the Catalonia Independence Referendum. Later, the central government in Madrid filed a complaint to the Spanish Constitutional Court which then ruled the referendum illegal, with central government threatening to prosecute Catalan government officials.
In defiance of the Spanish government, it was decided that the referendum would be held on October 1, where polling stations would be open from 7am to 6pm.
To prevent the referendum from taking place, central government ordered the National Guard to raid possible holding sites for ballot papers and boxes. In response, locals guarded polling sites on the eve of the referendum to stop police.
On Sunday, tractors blocked roads to some facilities. As the day progressed, police presence increased at polling stations, specifically in Barcelona, stopping voters from entering polling stations. Social media showed videos and pictures of police using force to drag voters out of schools, where most polling stations were located, as well as removing those who were lying in the streets and blocking police vehicles.
Rubber bullets and batons were used to disperse crowds and stop people from entering polling stations. The crowd in turn would raise their palms, facing the police, to show that they were unarmed and peaceful, but still wished to vote.
Reports revealed more than 890 people were injured due to police attacks, and 33 police officers were injured due to clashes with voters. In a news conference, the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, announced that "no referendum has been held in Catalonia" and praised police for doing their "duty." Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaria said the force used by police was "proportionate."
Results showed that 2.26 million ballots were cast, a turnout of 42.3%. Of these votes, 90.9% voted for and 7.87% voted against independence from Spain. 770 000 people were prevented from voting.
Students and members of trade unions rallied in protest against the police violence, with Barcelona on lock-down on Tuesday. Many thousands took to the streets, and demonstrators gathered outside of the Barcelona headquarters of Spain’s national police force. International pressure continues to mount for a peaceful resolution to Spain’s worst political crisis in decades. |
The aim of this project was creating a modular, agent-based simulation model to simulate an influenza season of a country. The benefit of this approach is that the spread of the epidemic does not need to be known in detail. Instead, the epidemic emerges automatically based on persons, interactions, and transmissions. In a first step, the model was calibrated to reproduce the well-known influenza season 2006-2007 in Austria. This allowed correct parameterization and validation of the model. In the next steps, the outcomes of vaccination strategies and possible measures were simulated. Further, it is possible to test strategies for coming years, based on knowledge from past influenza seasons. |
05 Feb
Black bad habits make children stupid
Black bad habits make children stupid
Bad habit 1: Long-term satiety. Modern nutritional studies have found that when you are over-satisfied, there are significantly more substances called “fibroblast growth factors” in your brain.
These fibroblast growth factors can increase capillary endothelial cells and small amounts, triggering atherosclerosis.
If you eat for a long time, it will inevitably lead to cerebral arteriosclerosis, premature brain failure and mental decline.
Bad habit 2: Despising breakfast and not eating breakfast make people’s blood sugar lower than normal supply, insufficient nutritional supply to the brain, and harmful to the brain for a long time.
In addition, breakfast quality is closely related to intellectual development.
According to research, children who eat high-protein breakfast generally have relatively long periods of optimal thinking in the classroom, while vegetarian children’s mood and energy decline relatively quickly.
Bad habit 3: Sweet overdose Children with overdose often have IQ replacements.
This is because children’s brain development cannot be separated from food poisoning proteins and vitamins, and sweets can damage appetite, reduce appetite, reduce the replacement of high protein and multivitamins, lead to malnutrition, and affect brain development.
Bad habit 4: lack of sleep The main way the brain eliminates fatigue is sleep.
Lack of long-term sleep or poor quality will only accelerate the decline of brain cells, and smart people will become confused.
Bad habit 5: There are leaf areas of specialized language in the brain. Frequent speaking also promotes brain development and exercises brain function.
There should be more words that are rich in content and have alternative philosophy or logic.
Silent and unsmiling are not necessarily smart all day.
Bad habit 6: The air is dirty. The brain is the most oxygen-consuming organism in the whole body, consuming 500-600 liters of oxygen per minute on average.
Only a large supply of oxygen can improve the efficiency of the brain.
When using the brain, it is particularly necessary to pay attention to air hygiene in the learning environment.
Bad habit # 7: Unwillingness to think is the best way to exercise your brain.
Only by thinking hard and thinking hard can talents become smarter.
Conversely, unwillingness to use the brain can only accelerate the degradation of the brain, and smart people can become stupid.
Bad habit 8: When the sick brain is unwell or sick, it is inefficient to stick to study or work, which is not only inefficient, but also easy to cause brain damage. |
In college environments or systems, students are made to sign attendances when they are present for a lecture. At the end of the semester, students are required to meet a certain percentage before sitting for examinations. This instance is a subcategory of time tracking. In the same vein, records of employees or team members working on a task or project are kept to know how much time spent on a task. Time tracking refers to the means through which organizations or project managers record the working hours spent by employees on the job.
Time tracking has been a useful resource in the workplace for several reasons, in the past, time tracking was done manually; by entering the time you resume at work and leave in a physical document, fondly referred to as a timestamp, this method is popularly called the clocking in and out. Over the years and with the advent of technology, “clocking in and out” switched up and became digitalized in time tracking software. While it is possible to get the software with tools for the sole purpose of tracking time, innovations like Planless enables you to you carry out tasks on your projects while simultaneously tracking time.
Time tracking has been proved to be a crucial aspect for organizations from human resource to quality assurance, finance, stakeholders and project management amongst others. Time tracking if used correctly and with the right tools, provides your company with loads of useful data that can be used to spur critical business decisions–from project management to human resource needs. Using time tracking in project management allows a manager to keep track of a team’s performance, and this makes it easier to guesstimate future iterations, as it provides you with serial data on their past performance.
Although time tracking projects have numerous benefits, a first switch will make team members feel mistrusted. Project members are not paid to be lax around the workplace without giving their 100%, at least not like the man who went to work for years without doing nothing and still got paid. Members of a project team are meant to be productive, and this is why using the right tool is vital. It is only natural for employees to feel mistrusted at first but including time tracking in your projects as a manager should not be to micromanage them. Once employees are not micromanaged using a time tracker, the option will help them increase their productivity while reducing their stress levels simultaneously owing to more efficient time management.
Time tracking is a vital aspect of project management because it aligns with productivity, efficiency and quality assurance. Here are a few reasons why you should include time tracking in project management:
• Time is a limited asset during a project. It is imperative to track and plan a systematic expense of time to ensure the desired output; this will help differentiate between essential and non-essential tasks.
• Tracking time keeps you ahead of the deadlines of a project. Since Planless helps you to plan, manage and deliver your projects, the “Due Date” tool embedded on the platform to helps you to set deadlines to a task and gives you constant reminders so you can increase your pace on a given project to achieve the desired goal.
• A project manager can utilize the time-related reports from the previous task to project suitable completion time for a future task. The ‘Timeline’ feature on the platform allows you to analyze projects on a timeline view and see how everything pans out in time. Continually doing this improves efficiency in teammates and promises a faster delivery time for projects.
• Time tracking eliminates the problem of procrastination in teammates. With time tracking, people working on a project need not spend time trying to figure out what goals to achieve at the start of work
• Time tracking data helps in presenting evidence that you require more resources. The project manager shows the time tracked data to stakeholders to ask for help.
• Projects are delivered on time when time tracking is involved in a system, thereby spurring the client’s satisfaction.
• A project manager can acknowledge the strong point of team members with time tracking.
• Project management reports become more convincing with time tracking metrics. Stakeholders get to see the progression of a project with time and its on-time completion.
CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE TOOL: Choosing the right tool to track time for your project is as essential as time monitoring itself. It is necessary to pick software with tools that integrate with your team. On the other hand, think if it makes sense for you to choose time tracking software that is used for other team-related purposes, resource scheduling or availability management. Planless provides you with tools that allow you to manage goal-oriented tasks, including time tracking as a bonus.
ALWAYS EXPLAIN THE WHYS: It is not enough to dump a time tracking tool on your team members. Taking them through the advantages of the term will enable them to ease into it without feeling threatened.
FOCUS ON THE PROCESS NOT THE PRODUCT: It is a proven fact that tracking time helps the overall output of the project, but focusing on the numbers while explaining the need to make the switch to time tracking can be counterproductive. Instead, emphasize its effect on self-evaluation and constant development since time tracking seeks to see them become better at their jobs.
UTILIZE THE DATA: Time tracking provides you with data on the performance of your teams and the diminuendos between different members. This may assist you in improving the performance of teammates. A body of serial data should provide answers to the following:
Skill shortcomings. Is there any essential skill that a particular member of your team is missing? Does it slow down their performance or altogether hamper the completion of the task at hand? Can you provide them with the time and resources to acquire this skill?
Team productivity: How does the projected speed for a given team compare with their actual performance? Can you calculate the rate of the team?
Team dynamics: Does particular member coordination work well for a specific project? Is anyone making the team lag behind, or how smooth is the workflow?
Although starting time tracking with your team on projects may be a bumpy ride initially, the process can bring about efficiency, productivity and skill growth if tabled properly before team members.
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Scale vs gauge: Not quite interchangeable
Wondering about scale vs gauge? You’re not alone. It’s a common question, and I’ll try to provide a simple answer. The two terms may appear interchangeable, but they aren’t quite.
Gauge is the distance between the two rails, or the outer rails if you’re talking 3-rail track. Scale is the size of the model relative to the real thing, or prototype.
scale vs gauge: AF 561 vs Lionel 675
This American Flyer 561 (left) and Lionel 675 are both Pennsylvania RR K5s and both run on O gauge track. They are the same gauge but clearly not the same scale.
For decades, manufacturers sold toy trains based on their gauge. #5 gauge trains, the largest size, were huge. #1 gauge trains, the smallest size, were less huge. But by modern standards, they were still huge. Later they figured out how to make a smaller train. They called that 0 gauge, since they needed a number smaller than 1. Today we call it O gauge. The most popular brand name we associate with O gauge is Lionel. By modern standards, Lionels are big trains.
Nobody really talked much about scale. Size varied from product line to product line. Cheap trains were small. Expensive trains were bigger. Some had realistic proportions and some just looked fanciful.
The emergence of scale
By the 1930s, railroad enthusiasts wanted scale models of the trains they enjoyed studying. Some used existing toy-train track gauges but many of them went for a new standard called H0 or HO. The track was about half as wide as O gauge track, so “HO” stood for “Half-O.” But the main thing they were interested in was scale. The track was about 1/87 the size of real track, so they built models 1/87 the size of the real thing to run on it. And they built model buildings 1/87 the size of the real thing to give their trains businesses to service.
Gauge can vary within a scale. In the real world, not all track is the standard 4’8.5″ wide, and models of these narrow gauge trains exist. On3 and On30 are both O scale, but they are different gauges.
Common scales and gauges
There are seven common scales and gauges you are likely to encounter today. We won’t concern ourselves further with narrow gauge, as that’s a niche.
If you’re interested in gauges of the past, #2 gauge, which was two inches wide, was popular around the turn of the 20th century, and Lionel’s nonstandard “Standard Gauge,” which was 1/8 of an inch wider, was popular from the end of World War I until the Great Depression. But both are pretty obscure today.
If you need to convert between any of the popular scales, I have a scale conversion chart.
G is the old #1 gauge that’s been around more than a century. Many different companies make or made trains this size, but it’s confusing because the actual scale varies from 1:32 to 1:22. Famous brands include LGB and Aristo-Craft.
Due to their size, outdoor G gauge layouts are popular.
LGB and Aristo-Craft had tremendous success with G gauge trains in the 1980s and 1990s but that popularity has faded a bit in recent years. It’s not as popular as O scale/O gauge anymore. Inexpensive plastic G gauge sets, often battery operated, are pretty common around the holidays.
“Proper” O scale is 1:48 in North America, 1:43 in the UK, and 1:45 in the rest of Europe. Confused? Based on the track dimensions, 1:45 would be correct, but 1:48 and 1:43 are more convenient to measure and model, since they are 1/4 inch to the foot or 7 millimeters to the foot, respectively.
Making things more confusing, many inexpensive trains for O gauge track are smaller than O scale. Lionel’s expensive trains are full O scale, but the $249 starter sets you can buy at retail during the holidays tend to be smaller than scale.
The most famous brand of O gauge and O scale trains is Lionel, although there are others. Many O scale trains use less-than-realistic 3-rail track, but 2-rail O also exists.
Although not as popular as it was in the 1950s, O scale is the third most popular scale, behind HO and N.
S scale is 1:64 scale, like popular die-cast cars. American Flyer trains, popular in the 1950s and 1960s, are this size and gauge. S scale still has a devoted cult following today but it never overtook Lionel in popularity.
HO scale is 1:87 scale. It’s the most popular scale for model railroading. It started becoming popular in the late 1950s, and its popularity grew from there while Lionel and American Flyer struggled. There are many brands of HO scale trains, and it’s often possible to find a starter set for under $150 or even under $100.
N scale is 1:160 scale, not exactly half the size as HO scale but significantly smaller. It emerged in the 1960s and now is the second most popular scale for model railroading. Like HO scale, there are many brands, and starter sets are easy to find for around $100.
Z scale is 1:220 scale, even smaller than N. It emerged in the 1970s, and its most popular brand is Märklin. Although it’s no longer the smallest commercially available scale, it can still rightfully claim to be the smallest popular scale.
T scale is the smallest commercially available scale, at 1:450. It’s less than half the size of Z scale. T scale is a fairly recent development, dating to 2006, and available models are mostly German and Japanese prototypes.
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Abandoned Croft Houses, Shetland
For the uninitiated Shetland is the furthest north you can go in the UK, a group of islands between Scotland and Norway. Its where I’m from and growing up in Shetland I had the fun of discovering lots of old abandoned croft houses, the likes of which are scattered across the whole island. These tumble-down dwellings are remnants of the traditional crofting way of life. A croft was a unit of agricultural land which crofters rented from landowners, often areas included several croft houses and shared grazing land, these croft communities formed townships or ‘toons’. The crofting practice has not ceased, there are still many crofts in the highlands and islands of Scotland today (over 17,000 say Shelter Scotland).
The traditional croft house (as pictured above) had a thatched roof and consisted of a ‘butt’ and ‘ben’ end. The butt end being where residents cooked and lived, and the ben end where visitors would be taken, more of a sitting room. Many people in Shetland still refer to this in the geography of their house. My Dad talks about going ‘through by to the ben end’ (through to the sitting room). Beds were box beds; cupboard like in appearance these had been popular throughout the medieval and early modern period but had started to decline by the nineteenth century. My Dad remembers visiting an elderly lady in his youth (1960s) who still slept in a box bed wearing a bonnet, he says the house was black inside, from the soot of the open fire.
Dr. Arthur Mitchell’s description of Shetland crofts in 1860 describes the conditions many crofters in Shetland lived in:
‘Drainage is wholly unattended to, and the dunghill is invariably
found at the very door. As the house is entered, the visitor first
comes upon that part allotted to the cattle, which in summer are
out night and day, but in winter are chiefly within doors. Their
dung is frequently allowed to accumulate about them; and I was
told that this part of the house is sometimes used by the family in
winter as a privy. Passing through the byre, the human habitation
is reached. The separation between it and the part for the cattle is
ingeniously effected by an arrangement of the furniture, the bed
chiefly serving for this purpose. The floor is of clay, and the fire is
nearly always in the middle of it..’
‘It is usually built of undressed stone, with a cement of clay or turf.
Over the rafters is laid a covering of pones, divots, or flaas, and
above this again a thatch of straw, bound down with ropes of
heather, weighted at the ends with stones, as a protection against
the high winds which are so prevalent. Chimneys and windows
are rarely to be seen. One or more holes in the roof permit the
escape of the smoke, and at the same time admit light. Open
doors, the thatched roof, and loose joinings everywhere, insure a
certain ventilation, without which the dwellings would often be
more unhealthy than many in the lanes of our large cities.’
Although he paints a cosy picture, in comparison with houses of the western Isles at least:
‘…in Zetland there is usually a certain fulness.
There are bulky sea-chests, with smaller ones on the top of them;
chairs, with generally an effort at an easy one; a wooden bench, a
table, beds, spades, fishing-rods, baskets, and a score of other little
things, which help, after all, to make it a domus. The very teapot,
in Zetland always to be found at the fireside, speaks of home and
woman, and reminds one of the sobriety of the people – that very
important difference between them and the inhabitants of the
Hebridean islands. I think the Zetlanders, too, are more
intelligent, and more inclined to be industrious, and give greater
evidence of the tendency to accumulate or provide.’[1]
The crofters made their living through working the land and fishing, while the males of the community were generally the ones off fishing it lay to women to work on the croft and knit. Leading to what Abrams describes as the biggest gender imbalance anywhere in Europe during the nineteenth century.[2]
From the 15th-17th century Shetlanders had been able to trade salted cod, ling and herrings with German merchants. However, the 1707 Act of Union increased the cost of importing salt which outpriced the German merchants. This gave rise to the ‘Truck system’ which was investigated during the nineteenth century due to the unfairness of the practice. From the 1730s the change in market meant that some lairds were able to step in and make money selling fish. They purchased boats and equipment and used their tenants to do the dangerous work of going off to catch the fish. Crofters were not paid for this work and were given low prices (or even credit notes) for the fish they caught by the lairds who monopolised the market. Failure to comply could lead to them losing their homes.[3] As one crofter William Stewart stated in 1872 ‘we just had to content ourselves with it, or leave the place.’[4]The Crofter’s Act of 1886 put an end to the system.
In the nineteenth century crofters started to leave their homes, for other parts of the UK and for other countries. The lairds who owned the land they rented forced them out in favour of grazing sheep.[5] Where this had happened during the 18th century in mainland Scotland, the clearances in Shetland were not until much later. The novel ‘Shadowed Valley’ gives a fictionalised account of this period, if you are interested in hearing part of this and the Shetland accent you can listen here.
On one beautiful summer’s day in 2019 we were swimming at Sandsound beach, and I decided to brave the nettles and document two ruins by the beach. It’s likely that the last time these were occupied was in the nineteenth century, though there is a better-preserved croft just up the hill which was lived in as recent as the 1950s, perhaps even 60s.
Watch my video here:
Where is Sandsound?
It is just next to Tresta on the mainland of Shetland. You follow the Sandsound road to its end and just down the hill is a pebbly beach and there you will find the old crofts:
[1] Mitchell, A, Appendix to the Second Report of the General Board of Commissioners in Lunacy for Scotland, 1860.
[2] Abrams, Lynn, Myth and Materiality in a Woman’s World: Shetland 1800-2000, (Manchester UP: Manchester, 2005).
[3] ‘Haaf Fishing in Shetland’ from https://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/shetland-blog/haaf-fishing-in-shetland/ [accessed 16/02/2020].
[4] Truck Commission Enquiry, 1872. https://electricscotland.com/etexts/truck10.txt
[5] Richards, Eric, The Highland Clearances (Birlin: Edinburgh, 2012).
Photographs from The Thatching [accessed 16/02/2020].
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Category Archives: Other
Video Lesson: The Tech Guide
I had a few people ask how I make the video lessons, so I thought I might do an extra post to answer that question. First, I have just completed my Master’s in Educational Technology, and that was a great idea to really learn to use the technology out there and to really see the benefits of students using technology EFFECTIVELY. But in order to see the students using technology effectively to produce academic gains, there are a few steps the teacher must take. The most important, however, is intentionally planning for growth instead of edutainment. The second is management and ensuring the students are doing what they are supposed to be doing while on the device. I know… But I have a strategy for that.
MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE: No one likes a dirty belly button.
1. Clean the belly button. We use iPads, and class starts by taking the device off airplane mode (quicker charging and holds battery longer as the power cell in the device begins to die) and cleaning the belly button. What this means is that the students double-click the home key to reveal all open apps and windows. Students must then close everything except what I tell them to use.
2. At any point in the lesson, randomly double-click the belly button to see what is opened. If anything other than what I have instructed is opened, I screen shot and email it to myself. If it is just off task, I give one warning and then contact the parent the second time. I ask for parent email, and then for any additional offenses, I include the parent. The third time, I involve administration because clearly I’m not good enough to make the behavioral change in the student. If it violates school policy, I send the screen shot directly to administration and enter a disciplinary referral. If the only thing open is what I have directed, students sometimes get a piece of candy or just a positive phone call home.
MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE: Use apps that monitor student activity for you.
1. Try Nearpod. There is a free version that allows for LIVE implementation of the lesson. This means that the students must progress in the lesson as you push them through the slides. Student assessment can be built into the presentation, making it totally awesome. Finally, you can actually show student responses (with or without giving student names) to the class for feedback. All data is tracked, and you get a PDF analysis of student work individually and as a class. If you use the purchased version, Nearpod lessons can be launched in HOMEWORK so students progress at their own rates. This is great for leading PLE instruction. Join Nearpod by visiting
2. Try Zaption. This has a cost, but I think it is totally worth it. Basically, you create videos and post them. Then, you build a Zaption lesson with assessment built into the video you have created. Or, you can use a video someone else has created. I’m convinced this is worth the cost, but you can get a free two month trial by visiting
1. Have the lesson. To make instruction clear, I still use PowerPoint to start everything. In each PowerPoint, I include the notes of what I want to be sure to say. Instead of adding animations that advance on my click, I add a new slide for each part. For example, if the slide has 4 bullets, I make four slides so the first has the first bullet, the second has the first and second bullet, and so on. This helps with the video elements.
2. Buy the “ExplainEverything” app. I cannot put to words how valuable this has been. There are others out there, and I’ve used several. But this is the best five bucks you can spend. Promise.
3. Transfer the PPT into a PDF and email it to yourself. (Trust me, easiest this way.)
USING NEARPOD FROM THIS POINT: While you can import videos into Nearpod, you can’t stop the video to add the assessments. So, for implementing this tool, you would combine the lesson with videos through the interactions menu in Nearpod. Sounds confusion, but I promise that playing around with the program will be helpful.
1. Open Nearpod and click to create a new Nearpod. When open, click to import your Powerpoint or JPG files. Each slide will import as its own page. (Note, importing from jpg will reduce file size and keep fonts and spacings. With PPT, sometimes that gets messed up.)
2. With the slides imported, begin adding activities and assessments for the students.
3. Save the file and publish it for students to begin learning.
4. Once published, you will want to share it when you are ready to use it. For LIVE mode, you are in control. For HOMEWORK, just give the students the pin or send them an email for them to use at the appropriate time.
5. As a part of my degree, I had to create instructional guides. One of the guides I created was Nearpod, and you can find it by visiting
1. Open the email on the device with Explain Everything. When it is open, click to open in “ExplainEverything” app. Each slide will import as its own video page.
2. Begin recording your speech for each of the slides. I recommend allowing record to run for one second BEFORE you start talking and 2 seconds AFTER you stop. This helps with signaling for revisions if you need to record over what you have and for giving time to import the activity in Zaption.
3. Once you have recorded everything, hold down the play button until the big yellow play button appears. Push the big play button and verify you like the video.
4. Save the file and export it to your youtube channel. (Don’t have one? Just visit youtube and create one. This is also free and easy.)
5. Once the video has exported, ExplainEverything will ask if you want to share. Click yes and select to share by email. This is great for giving a backup link to the video. Once in your email, copy the link.
6. In Zaption, click New Lesson. From here, paste the link to your video. Alas, you’re now ready to add the assessment parts.
(By the way, I get nothing from having you use any of this. I’m just going with my personal favorites from my own practices and my own data of what seems to works best with my students.)
Hope this all helps! If you have any comments, questions, or ideas, please let me know!
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Taking a Break (Updated 4/21/2013)
For those of you who regularly read my posts, I am taking a break for a few days. I promise to continue the efforts of tracking CC in my classroom in the near future.
Headlines: – This is an incredibly well written article by the local paper. – This is the best story done by the most compassionate reporter I have ever met. Her name is Mary Scott, and Channel 10 gets my vote because of her.
So what happened? We met with the police. It started at 2:38 am when Rufus Watson drove by too closely. TJ responded by shooting his car three times, once in each star of the Tennessee State license plate.
Police came, and TJ shot another warning at the pavement. The bullet ricocheted to the undercarriage of the car.
At that point, TJ broke into the building. He cut his wrist pretty good apparently as he punched through the glass. While he was inside, the police established a perimeter. When the police called to him, he didn’t believe that it was them and he asked to talk to my friend DJ.
They got DJ on the phone, but TJ did not believe it was him. During the call, TJ saw an officer approach him using a tree for cover. He yelled to back the perimeter, but the officer did not. He said he was going to count from ten and give a warning shot into the tree. During his count down the officers were yelling about why they could not move him and how they feared the shot. TJ then shot into the tree as he said he would. At this point the phone call became hostile because TJ thought it was a trap.
He shot his phone and did not believe it was my friend officer on the phone. The police thought he shot himself because he was in the floor corner and they could not see him. They tried calling him, but obviously he could not answer. He exited the building with his gun at his head. They asked him not to and he was agitated, waving the gun around at various directions, and had erratic movement and motions. They didn’t want to let him escape the perimeter, and he got close to three officers.
He refused to drop his weapon. They were told shoot to remove the threat. The order was shoot to remove the threat. But Chief Crisp said that a Marine is too well trained. He took grazing to the trigger fingers and never lowered the gun. He was shot in the arm, upper and lower, and shoulder. He never lowered the gun or wavered at all. He was shot in the upper leg, I think ankle next, and still never wavered. It was the bleeding out that made him finally drop it, not the hits. He took one to the butt and one to the groin. The groin would have been the one to bleed most. In ten hits, he did not lower the gun. He fought to the death.
He didn’t believe it was DJ there to help him, and he didn’t ask for me. With the other flashbacks, he asked for me and I helped him come back. But he didn’t ask for me and the police were afraid one of us were the trigger. And we couldn’t make him come back.
Just to state it again, we know what the news reported. We know what the rumors said. We also know we verified on many occasions with Police Chief Tony Crisp of Maryville Police Dept that TJ never once shot at the police officers or any actual human being.
Memorial Video:
In remembrance of Lcpl. Theodore Jones IV, beloved son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband, father, and friend. TJ, as he was affectionately called, lost his battle with PTSD on 21 March 2013. Please help raises PTSD Awareness by sharing these videos.
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Emission Control
Flue Gas Abatement
Cleansing emissions before they are released
Flue gas abatement is sometimes referred to a ‘flue gas filtration’ or ‘dry gas cleaning’, but fundamentally all three are the same process that is employed to cleanse emissions before they are released into the atmosphere.
This procedure to remove dangerous and noxious contaminants from flue gas emissions is absolutely vital if we are to protect our environment. It is also a crucial requirement if the incinerator plant is to comply with the world’s most stringent anti-pollutant legislation, standards and regulations.
The technology that we design into our waste incinerators demands that all exhaust gases must be processed through a dry gas abatement plant in order to thoroughly cleanse emissions prior to release. This unit, that is built into the final phase section of the incinerator plant, comprises either a specially manufactured bag or a ceramic filter house together with a reagent storage/feed system.
As they exit the energy recovery plant all gases are injected with lime or sodium bicarbonate, together with activated carbon. All these powerful filtration products are held in bulk containers or silos that are sited adjacent to the gas cleaning system.
As the gas stream passes through the flue abatement unit the lime or sodium bicarbonate will create a chemical reaction that effectively neutralizes any acid components such as sulfur dioxide or hydrogen chloride that are contained in the gas stream. Simultaneously the activated carbon will adsorb any heavy metals that may be present along with any dioxins.
This cleansing stage is then followed up with a rigorous filtration procedure during which all residual dust from the combustion process; along with the spent lime, sodium bicarbonate and carbon will be captured on the abatement plant filters.
At pre-programmed intervals, this residue is forced from the filters by compressed air into sealed containers that can then be safely transported for controlled and regulated disposal.
Call to Action Reminder
World-class products from the world leaders Contact us for further information on our filtration technology.
Matthews abatement plants are designed from the ground up to meet the specific needs of the wastes being processed, as well as the limitations of the space available within the facility. Most designs build on a suite of proven technologies that can be combined to meet environmental and energy recovery requirements.
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Are eggs healthy? Let’s unscramble the facts.
Eggs are certainly not the demon some experts have claimed, but are still creating controversy, due their link between cholesterol and heart disease.
A few years ago we were told to limit our egg intake because of the high cholesterol content found in the egg yolk. We were recommended to limit our intake to 3-4 egg yolks per week or toavoid altogether. This was because high cholesterol levels are linked to heart diseases and any foods that were seen as containing dietary cholesterol needed to be limited. But many of the early studies did not take the saturated fat content of foods into consideration.
Today we know that saturated and trans fats play a greater role in blood cholesterol levels (specifically LDL cholesterol, the ‘bad one’) than cholesterol from food sources. Even though we know this to be true, the studies are not clear cut, leaving many guidelines at 300mg or less dietary cholesterol per day for healthy individuals and 200mg or less for those with a high risk of developing heart-related issues.
How many eggs should we be eating?
One of the largest egg studies revealed no overall association between egg consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in normal, healthy men and women, even at the highest level of intake of one egg per day, seven eggs per week.
Eggs are just like any other food, the key is moderation. What is more important is to look at your diet as a whole and to limit your saturated and trans fat intake. If you are eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of vegetables, having an egg a day is fine. It’s not the egg that’s a problem; it is often the more unhealthy, high fat options we tend to eat eggs with e.g. bacon, sausages, hash browns etc.
Did you know the biggest egg eaters in the world are the Japanese, and they also have the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease. This is because their diet is low in saturated fat.
Eggstra Benefits:
Eggs are made up of a lot more than just cholesterol.
They contain high-quality protein and are an excellent source of many essential nutrients. They are also inexpensive, easy to find and tasty.
• Eggs have high-quality protein (+6g), which is easy to digest and has the right amount of amino acids for human growth and development. Most of the protein in the white (3.6 g), but a considerable amount is also found in the yolk (2.7 g).
• Including high-protein foods such as eggs is particularly important for older adults because it can help reduce muscle loss
• Eggs are inexpensive and low in calories
• Eggs also contain two carotenoids, Lutein and zeaxanthin, which are essential to eye health. In the retina, these two compounds act as antioxidants, minimizing damage and reducing the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
• Choline, a component of egg lecithin, is essential for normal development and has been shown in animal studies to improve memory and performance. Eggs are one of the few foods that contain high concentrations of this nutrient.
• Folate, known for its importance during pregnancy, plus vitamin B12, riboflavin, and the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K are also found in eggs.
Guilt Free Hollandaise Sauce and poached eggs
Serves 3
• ½ cup low fat plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp leamon juice
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
• A pinch of fresh black pepper
1. Use double boiler (place one smaller bowl into a pot with some hot water).
2. Beat together the yoghurt, lemon juice and egg yolks.
3. Heat over simmering water, whisking frequently, until the sauce has thickened. This normally takes about 15 minutes (the sauce will become thinner before it thickens up again).
4. Remove from heat and stir in salt, mustard and pepper.
5. Use the same pot of simmering water and poach some free range eggs.
6. Serve your eggs on a potato rosti or a wholewheat English muffin and drizzle that guilt free hollandaise sauce over your eggs.
7. Enjoy |
why my gladioli turned pink
Zone zone 3, zip 04354 | cmclark added on September 27, 2018 | Answered
On Sept 22 I asked why nearly all of 4 dozen gladioli of MANY colors turned a few versions of pink this year. About half the corms were new, some from last year. This was someone’s answer on 9/24 who is obviously not familiar with gladioli: “This is Darwin's Natural Selection at its finest! This is a very good example of how a species with a dominant trait can outcrowd, outcompete, and take over a given area. When they are the only left to reproduce, then they will be the only left to show. You can help prevent this process but it will require digging up and dividing known colored offsets, and only planting the number of each that you desire. Unfortunately, this will be the only way to beat nature at its own game.” My answer to the above and accordingly re-submitting my question – why did flowers from these bulbs of many colors turn pink? The online answer missed the point - I am in the north where glad bulbs are dug up EVERY fall and replaced or replanted in the spring (I do both every year) - there is no bulb separation to do! All bulbs are planted individually at least 6 inches apart - so now what would the answer be? I don't believe Darwinian selection has anything to do with my problem.
A.Answers to this queston: Add Answer
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Answered on September 29, 2018
The next answer will be quite disturbing... Radiation at dangerous levels can also cause this... However, if these are dug up every year, then I would chalk this up to error on either the the one responsible for labeling the plants as certain colors, and mislabeling them, which is quite common, or the original answer. Natural selection, which will cause a certain color to take over.
Let's say that you bought these from a large store chain, such as Lowe's or Wal-Mart... Places not known for having the best knowledge on plants... Let's say whoever they get these from were dividing corymbs from the previous year... It doesn't have to happen to you directly for selection to occur.
If you suspect this to not be the case, then the simple answer will be that somewhere along the line, someone was not paying attention and either mislabeled the color, or had the aforementioned instance occur (Which is very common, and the usual culprit in any flower color change.
Here are a few more references to this occurance:
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Proposal and Purposeful Summaries- green eggs and ham
America deems itself the land of the free, but in actuality that is not quite so. Throughout history, America has been the land of the free when convenient. Throughout American history people have been oppressed for their race, religion, gender, and many other things. African Americans have been forced into slavery for the first 100 years of American history. Native Americans have been forced out of their habitat. Women have had numerous disadvantages to fulfill their full potential. Even today, the first amendment right isn’t fully true. As people have been jailed and executed for simply comments. America hasn’t been quite the land of the free, and everyone has felt it. It is counterintuitive that the so-called land of the free isn’t quite free.
American Journalsim is protected by the first amendment, however lately it has been under extreme scrutinization for exercising this right. President Trump has recently attacked his critizers such as, CNN as “fake news” or recently “really fake news”. The article goes into detail on why this has happened, and in some aspects why the President is correct. The rise of social media has created news sources that are creating fake stories. The news outlets making falsiehoods which are hurting those actual news sources. Which is ashamed because we as people look to the news to keep us informed.
America has always been the land of the free for all of its citizens, even the new ones. However new immigrants are dealing with harsher realities then recent immigrants. Even though immigrants have always been fourth with hatred and anger today’s are dealing with new lows. Economic I told of racial harm free has created these problems for newer immigrants.
– Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America
In Anglo America,oppression has been going on for generations. This oppression has always mattered on one simple thing, genealogy. Many races and gender have been oppressed simply because of who they are, their genes. They are discriminated against and segregated. African Americans were forced into slavery, women forced into house work among others. Being oppressed due to race and gender doesn’t seem free to me.
Also like race and gender, money makes the land of the free mean different for everyone. As income equality drops drastically, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, America has another flaw. The rich have countless more freedoms due to their money, even though we are all supposed to be equal. It has been increasingly difficult for poor to become rich, which America prided itself to be the best country for.
America has been becoming increasingly tyrannical as people are now being arrested for exercising their freedom of speech rights. Citizens are being called terrorists for simply stating their opinion, which is a first amendment right. The secrets service can now arrest anybody the feel should be, even if they have done nothing. This is all groups that are feeling the effects of this. So we as the people need to take this seriously on are rights of freedom being
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Lesson: Overriding
Explore method overriding when extending classes.
Understand how subclass methods can override methods in the superclass.
We have seen how we can extend a class to have additional fields and methods and build a more specialized object. But what if we want to change the behavior of one of the superclass methods? we can do this with Overriding.
Overriding is simply defining a method in the new (sub) class that has the same signature (method name and parameter list) of a method in the super (parent) class. This method in the subclass is said to override the same method in the superclass. When you call this method on a subclass instance, you will execute the code defined in the subclass. Note that if you call the method on an instance of the superclass, you will execute the code defined in the superclass.
Lets look at an example. Say we have a base class of Animal and subclasses of Dog and Cat. All three have the same method, whatIsMyName():
This code will print out:
I am an Animal named roger
I am a Dog named rover
I am a Cat and I am an Animal named kitty
So each class has the same method signature whatIsMyName() but the result of the method is different for each class. This concept is called polymorphisim. Note in the Cat version of whatIsMyName() we called the superclass method of the same name with the super keyword. So we can replace superclass functionality or modify the result of the superclass method in a subclass.
Here is a video with more about Overriding.
Here is the example above in CodingGround. Give it a try! |
Purpose (why), and meaning (what), are not welcome in modern science, which seeks only to know “how”, supplemented with “when” and “where”, and to a lesser extent “who”. Or, to be more academic- science has severed itself from teleological and ontological concerns.
The motivation for this should be self evident to anyone living in this world. If from one’s nature we understand our purpose, to which we must be obedient, it is convenient to exclude such concepts, replacing such epistemological concerns with a “how-centric” vision which merely interprets what SHOULD be done as being that which CAN be done. That is to say, if we know “how” to do it, there is no reason we shouldn’t.
Simultaneously, according to modern science, in looking backward at things in time, if we happen to pose the question of “why” something is or was, we need not look at its purpose, much less its nature. We need merely stop at “how”. The “how” is as much “why” or “what” modern science is willing to concede to.
In life, things occur at times, and in places, but there is no meaning to it, and certainly no purpose by which it ought to be judged. There are things liked and things disliked, but no “good” or “bad”, for such things originate in the realm of teleology and ontology. Thus “purpose” and “meaning” are to be seen as artificial constructs, available to us to apply however we see fit- for we are their authors. This is the world, from a view which sees no higher knowledge than the scientific pursuit of “how”.
The Five Branches of Philosophy
Metaphysics: Study of Existence- What’s out there?
Epistemology: Study of Knowledge- How do I know about it?
Ethics: Study of Action- What should I do?
Politics: Study of Force- What actions are permissible?
Esthetics: Study of Art- What can life be like? |
Fantastic colliding black holes and where to find them
ANI | Updated: Oct 31, 2017 01:58 IST
Washington D.C. [USA], Oct 31 (ANI): Monster colliding black holes might be lurking on the edge of spiral galaxies, a recent study has suggested.
According to the researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology, the outskirts of spiral galaxies, like our own, could be crowded with colliding black holes of massive proportions and a prime location for scientists hunting the sources of gravitational waves.
Conditions favourable for black-hole mergers exist in the outer gas disks of big spiral galaxies, according to lead author Sukanya Chakrabarti.
Until now, small satellite or dwarf galaxies were thought to have the most suitable environment for hosting black-hole populations: a sparse population of stars, unpolluted with heavy metals like iron, gold and platinum - elements spewed in supernovae explosions - and inefficient winds that leave massive stars intact.
Chakrabarti realized the edges of galaxies like the Milky Wavy have similar environments to dwarf galaxies but with a major advantage - big galaxies are easier to find.
Co-author Richard O'Shaughnessy said that this study showed that, when predicting or interpreting observations of black holes, they need to account not only for differences between different types of galaxies but also the range of environments that occur inside of them.
"If you can see the light from a black-hole merger, you can pinpoint where it is in the sky," Chakrabarti said. "Then you can infer the parameters that drive the life cycle of the universe as a whole and that's the holy grail for cosmology. The reason this is important is because gravitational waves give you a completely independent way of doing it so it doesn't rely on astrophysical approximations."
The study will be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. (ANI) |
How to make decisions when you are depressed?
Decision-making has always been an integral part of our day-to-day life. Multiple Internet sources suggest that an individual makes about 35000-decision everyday, and approximately 200 decisions about what to eat everyday.
Depressive disorders can make decision making extremely overwhelming and strenuous exercise, almost feeling nauseated. Many psychologists believe that mental health disorders diminish cognitive functions, including decision making, rational and logical thinking.
Depression generally is associated with low mood, feeling sad, unusual sleeping patterns for eg, sleeping too much or sleeping to little. Depression also significantly impacts the appetite. Both sleep and food has very strong correlations to cognitive abilities. And therefore indecisiveness is mostly accompanied with depressive disorders.
Unfortunately, indecisiveness in depression is not only about major decisions but also about minor things like what to eat, when to eat, when to sleep, when to get out of bed etc.
Most people suffering from depression complain about lack of energy and inability to focus, and both these can be due to lack of sleep, change in appetite etc. It like the chicken and the egg story, and more like a vicious trap that one falls into.
Here are a few things that to can help counter indecisiveness during depressive phase.
1. Avoid Major Decisions
Depression effects one’s complete being, including the mind and the body. With a deep sense of dread, sadness and hopelessness, it not only impedes cognitive abilities but also affect ones self-confidence, therefore self-doubting ones decision-making.
Its good to postpone if not avoid decision making during the depressive phase, especially a major one. Regret is seen common in depression, and hence avoiding a major decision-making can help dodge regret.
2. Shared decision-making
Share you problem with friends, family or anyone who is trustworthy. Seek opinion to gather diverse perspective about the decision matter.
Decision-making is more of an intuitive process, although we consider logics and justifications before decision-making, depression tends to impair both intuition and cognitive ability.
Therefore involving others in the decision making process or letting others decide for you could be favorable.
3. Simplify Life by following daily routine
Following a routine everyday can be enormously beneficial, it not only reduces the decision making but also helps streamline the day.
Routines help as it provides a sense of certainty for the day and can also be fruitful in keeping the anxieties at bay.
4. Break it into small action steps
Instead of feeling overwhelmed and worked up, start by writing and breaking in smaller parts.
Use a sequential approach and make a step-by-step action plan. Being able to visually see the steps and actionable offers a sense of certainty.
5. Seek therapy
Another way of combatting indecisiveness is to seek cognitive behavior therapy.
Cognitive therapies can help you navigate through the decision making process, and also empowers with useful tools and techniques that can be used otherwise too.
6. Flip a coin
As stupid as it may sound, but its great trick, of course not for a major decision, but anything that’s needs to be addressed quickly and is not very consequential in nature.
It’s an easy way to decide, when the brain is doesn’t seem to co-operate.
7. Acknowledge your first instinct
Research studies believe our first thought is always the best one, and is a good practice to acknowledge and listen to our gut feeling.
Although, depression tends to make listening to our inner voice very difficult. The whispering of our inner voice seems very feeble, as it’s usually clouded by self-doubt. But when you hear the gut talk to you, it’s a great practice to action on it.
8. Perspective Shift
Depression often has a negative effect on one’s self-esteem. An interesting way to decision making is to make a perspective shift and think what would “he/she” do in this situation.
It’s like imagining someone else (whom you know well) in the situation and gaining insights on their way of resolving the problem.
Decision making with or without depression needs practice, and also needs plenty of positive self-talk. Worrying incessantly about making day-to-day decision is common with depression; however following routine is great way to ease indecisiveness.
Also Read: 5 Simple Daily Habits to Adopt Today to Make Yourself More Productive
As one starts making smaller decisions, it builds self-confidence, besides also builds mental patterns towards effective decision-making and problem solving. The more we practice the better and easier it gets.
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Animals That Hibernate
How Are Animals and Plants Unique?
What unique thing does a bear do in the winter?
1. discussion icon Talk about hibernation.
2. discussion icon Look at the pictures. Read the words.
A bear sleeps.illustration of bear and cub
• Develop reading and oral vocabulary using high-frequency words we, my, like and words for seasons
• Identify whether a selection is real or fantasy
• Identify animals that hibernate like a bear
• Identify and use adjectives in sentences
• blustery
• cave
• fall
• like
• my
• sleep
• spring
• storm
• summer
• we
• winter
• woods
Lesson Guide (Coaching Guide)
Before beginning the lesson, read the Essential Question to your student. Have your student share any thoughts about the question.
1. Say: Do you remember why animals hibernate in the winter? Are bears the only animals that hibernate, or are there others? Answers will vary
2. Have your student look at the two images on the slide. Ask her which shows something that is real and which shows something that is make-believe. Have her explain her answers. |
Razing House Ma Bell Built
IN 1984, the United States broke Ma Bell's monopoly on the telephone business and opened the floodgates to long-distance competition. Ten years later, Congress is trying to finish the job.
The House of Representatives has passed, and the Senate next month is expected to take up, legislation that would tear down the remains of a 60-year-old monopoly. Such legislation would have far-reaching effects for consumers.
Within a few years, families might make phone calls through the same lines that carry their television cables. More importantly, by allowing local telephone, long-distance, and cable-TV companies to get into each others' businesses, Congress hopes to spur the building of a 21st-century communications network.
``What everybody is anticipating is that when you have much better facilities to send information, you're going to have some entrepreneurship and you're going to have new services developed ... to everybody's home,'' says Larry Clinton, executive director of government relations for the US Telephone Association in Washington.
Whether consumers really want such things is still an open question. Even if these new services aren't as successful as some predict, consumers can still count on several concrete benefits. Most consumers will be able to choose their local telephone company, just as they choose their long-distance carrier today.
And with lower rates and, more competitors offering local service, prices should drop. Currently, nearly half of each dollar spent on long-distance gets funneled back to the regional Bell telephone companies in the form of access fees. With more competition, access fees should drop, allowing long-distance rates to fall as well.
Congress will have to tread carefully to make this happen. Currently, business and urban customers subsidize the higher costs of getting local service to rural regions. If the new telephone providers merely serve highly lucrative business customers, the current local phone companies won't be able to afford the $20 billion they say they pay annually to subsidize rural service.
The newcomers are supposed to pay into a subsidy fund, but local telephone companies say the language of the Senate bill leaves too many loopholes. That lawmakers have gotten as far as they have is remarkable. After years of hostile debate among the various industries, in June the House passed a bill to liberalize the telecommunications industry. Prospects brightened further this month when the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved related legislation by a strong 18 to 2 vote.
Before the Senate committee vote, chances of passage were about 50-50, says Herb Linnen, spokesman for AT&T, the long-distance telephone giant. Now, ``it has moved to 60-40'' in favor of passage.
Not everyone is so sanguine about the Senate bill pushed through by Sen. Ernest Hollings (D) of South Carolina. ``We have a 30 to 40 percent chance of getting a decent bill,'' says Bill McCloskey, spokesman for a coalition of the regional Bell telephone companies. With Congress nearing the end of the legislative session, still trying to pass health care and crime bills, the Senate leadership is not likely to try to pass other controversial measures, he adds.
``I don't think Sen. [George] Mitchell will allow a train wreck to come to the floor.''
Local phone companies are unhappy because the Senate bill puts far more restrictions on them than the House version. Partly, this is a debate about timing; partly, about balance.
As it stands, the Senate measure allows cable-TV companies to enter the local phone business after one year. But local phone companies cannot enter the cable-TV business before they can show the Federal Communications Commission and the US attorney general that they have opened up their own phone networks to competitors. They claim the process will take three to five years. Even then, local phone companies claim they'll be forced to maintain a more onerous corporate structure than their cable-TV rivals.
Local phone companies also dislike provisions that could force them to charge lower rates to certain institutions, such as schools and museums, that offer free service to the public. The bill would also make telecommunications companies set aside up to 5 percent of their network for public purposes, ensuring that the poor and disadvantaged have a minimum level of access to the emerging information networks.
``This Hollings bill is tremendously regulatory,'' complains Mr. McCloskey, ``and that is not the way government is going.'' It's not clear how much clout the seven regional Bell companies will have in changing the legislation. In recent weeks, their own coalition has shown signs of strain, and they are meeting to iron out their own differences on the plan.
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Crossed-dipole antennas can be used to reduce clutter and improve the signal-tonoise<br>ratio of ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, depending upon field conditions<br>and the targets of interest. The crossed-dipole antenna consists of transmit and receive<br>antennas oriented orthogonal to each other, and is sensitive to field components oriented<br>parallel to the long axis of the receive antenna. These cross-polarized components can be<br>introduced by scattering from subsurface targets or may be composed of scattered crosspolarized<br>components present in the field incident on the target. The physical shape and<br>composition of targets will influence the polarization of the scattered field, and this<br>enables cross-pole and co-pole antenna configurations to discriminate between different<br>classes of targets for clutter removal. The crossed-dipole antenna configuration also<br>improves isolation of the receive antenna from the direct arrival of the transmit antenna.<br>The improved isolation and ability to discriminate between different targets can therefore<br>result in an improved signal-to-noise ratio.
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Functions of the Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission is mandated under Article 61 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda to:
1. ensure that regular, free and fair elections and referenda are held;
2. organise, conduct and supervise elections and referenda in accordance with the Constitution;
3. demarcate constituencies in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution;
4. formulate and implement voter educational programmes related to elections;
5. compile, maintain, revise and update the voters’ register; |
NASA has inched closer to completing its next Mars rover with a milestone driving test. The team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California fired up the Mars 2020 rover and allowed to to drive around the Spacecraft Assembly Facility clean room. NASA reports the rover passed the test with flying colors, signaling it’s ready to drive on the red planet.
The still-unnamed Mars 2020 rover borrows heavily from Curiosity’s highly successful design. It has six wheels with independent suspensions, allowing it to traverse uneven terrain. In the JPL test, the team set up small staggered ramps to test the robot’s weight distribution as the wheels moved up and down. The rover drove in one-meter increments for more than 10 hours.
The rover has now shown that it can operate under its own weight on Earth, so it should encounter no problems on Mars where it will weigh much less. NASA hopes this rover will cover a lot of ground on Mars — Opportunity holds the current record with 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers), but Curiosity (upon which Mars 2020 is based) has managed a respectable 13.10 miles (21.09 kilometers).
This driving test also demonstrated the rover’s autonomous capabilities for the first time. NASA designed this robot to handle more decision-making on site rather than waiting for controllers on Earth to send instructions for each maneuver. For this reason, it has higher resolution cameras and additional processing power to create maps and run its auto-navigation software. It should have the necessary muscle, too, with its thicker aluminum wheels and titanium spokes. Curiosity’s wheels have suffered heavy damage from the sharp rocks of Mars, but Mars 2020 should be able to cover more distance before showing wear. Mars 2020 should be able to average 650 feet (200 meters) per day, which is just shy of Curiosity’s best day at 702 feet (214 meters).
NASA plans to launch the rover in summer 2020 when Mars and Earth pass close by each other. It should land on Mars using a Curiosity-style rocket sled in February 2021. The Jezero crater landing site is ideal for the mission to search for evidence of ancient life, as well as current water deposits. It will even store samples that a future mission could collect for a return trip to Earth. The rover should also get a name in the next few months.
Now read: |
Ottoman manuscripts at Istanbul exhibition
Ottoman manuscripts at Istanbul exhibition
Ottoman manuscripts at Istanbul exhibition
The Istanbul Research Institute’s new exhibition “Memories of Humankind: Stories from the Ottoman Manuscripts,” which opened on Oct. 18, brings up the Ottoman manuscript culture which gradually lost its importance as the printing press became widespread in the 19th century.
It ceased to be a source of information, stories, or spirituality for the masses in the 20th century, attracting the interest only of collectors.
Ottoman manuscript culture was shaped by the multilingual society of the empire in the permeable regions of the early modern period. Manuscripts that were read and circulated at the time and the manuscript culture gradually lost its importance in the 19th century as the printing press became widespread.
Books came out of the printer in thousands of copies, all the same, with the marginalia written by readers remained limited to their own copy; libraries punished members who wrote in books; and the text of the author became untouchable, unalterable.
Modern historiography’s relationship with manuscripts was also affected by these conditions regarding writing and reading. The literature came to be shaped by the quest for the “most accurate” text, the “most valuable” binding, and the “cleanest” copy, whereas manuscripts used to be a part of a much more collective world of literacy.
Texts changed in the hands of copyists and readers, and these changes could be traced physically on paper, where readers and authors engaged in a dialogue between lines and in margins. Reading was as collective an act as writing; there were people who read popular stories aloud in coffeehouses, and some readers answered the notes of previous readers.
“Memories of Humankind” exhibition enables visitors to better understand the collective writing-reading culture and the multilayered world of manuscripts based on recently developed new perspectives.
The exhibition, in a sense, requests visitors to address the history of reading along with the history of manuscripts and consider texts as open-ended creations in motion.
“Memories of Humankind” brings together İbrahim Ağa, the guardian of the Van Citadel who found time to copy manuscripts while on duty; Zübeyde Hanım, whose divan was widely circulated; Yirmisekiz Çelebi Mehmed Efendi, the Ottoman ambassador to France and who corrected his own manuscript; Rıfat from Kilis, who intervened with the text by scribbling in the margin, “whoever wrote this is wrong;” Enderunlu Fazıl, whose writings were scolded and censored but still made the rounds through word of mouth; the “Ya Kebikeç” talisman, written to protect the manuscript, and the bookworm that paid no attention; and hundreds of famous or anonymous writers and readers.
The exhibition, presenting a selection from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Manuscript Collection, invites visitors on a journey through texts, objects, and time, tracing the multilingualism of Ottoman society, daily life, medicine, knowledge of the universe and time, gender and sexuality, while also showing how to recreate Istanbul’s historical landscape using manuscripts.
“Memories of Humankind: Stories from the Ottoman Manuscripts” will be on view through July 25, 2020 at the Istanbul Research Institute. |
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Early History of Motorcycles
In the late 1860’s several people were working on attaching a steam powered engine to a ‘velocipede’ (a velocipede is a human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels such as a bicycle) in different parts of the world. This includes Pierre Michaux in Paris, France, as well as, Sylvester Roper in Roxbury, Massachusetts. This work continued to evolve and in 1885 Gottlieb Daimler introduces the first gas-engined ‘motorcycle’ by attaching an engine to a wooden bike. Many bicycle makers were experimenting with designs that included an internal-combustion engine, and in 1894 the Hildebrand & Wolfmueller was the first series production ‘motorcycle’ and there were over 200 of them on the road.
Over the next 20 years the motorcycle technology continued to improve as more companies began working on them. They played an important role in WWI as riders used motorcycles instead of horses for messaging, reconnaissance and military police. One example of this is the ‘Triumph Model H’ which was a British motorcycle engineered by Triumph Engineering Co. Ltd. Over 30,000 of them were sold to Allied forcing during the war.
After the war, Harley-Davidson (founded in 1903) became the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. Within years DKW (headquartered in Germany) took over the top spot. Companies around the world continued to manufacture and improve motorcycle technology and by the 1960s Honda became the largest manufacturer in the world and still holds the top spot today. |
Gay Marriage Essay
Submitted By patjeff
Words: 501
Pages: 3
Homosexual Marriage Homosexual marriage is not something that is considered completely legal. But why not? Who has the right to define what love is? The illegality of homosexual marriage is only based on the belief that it is just unacceptable. Gay marriage does not in fact violate natural law, neither does it turn a moral wrong into a civil right. People often believe that homosexual marriage is a direct offense to God, however, if God creates everyone in his own image how could he be offended if he makes no mistakes? Love can be expressed in its basic form as a souls’ recognition of its counterpart in another. Notice how this expression is genderless. The argument that homosexuality goes against natural law is flawed because the attraction between the two is considered a natural feeling. Love can only be defined by the person who feels it, therefor heterosexuals and homosexuals understandings of love may differ. But the difference of these definitions is not the problem; the problem is that the heterosexuals simply choose to not accept the views of homosexuals. Some heterosexuals say that same-sex marriage is parallel to the idea of turning a moral wrong into a civil right. What this really turns into is the old school yard feeling of judging others unfairly because they are different. Just because same-sex marriage seems out of the ordinary for someone with a heterosexual lifestyle doesn’t mean it automatically turns into an offense. More importantly, same-sex marriage being legal has no effect on the couples that are currently married or those with no intentions of have a same-sex marriage. Finally, homosexual couples are not directly offending God. An offense to God is a sin. How can being with someone you love be called a sin? God has made each and every one of us exactly what we are with every intention to do so.… |
With the possible exception of politicians and small wooden puppets named Pinocchio, most people have a hard time lying with a straight face—and an even harder time lying successfully when their every move, breath, inflection of speech, and variation in blood pressure is being monitored.
While the accuracy of the modern lie detector, or polygraph machine, is considered dubious by many researchers—in 2002, the National Academy of Sciences determined the polygraph to be essentially useless—it's popularly believed that a simple machine can really determine whether or not a person is telling a lie.
Of course, we've bought into a lot of crazier ideas in centuries past. In medieval England, a person thought to be lying might be subjected to a test of fire (walking across hot stones; carrying a scorching hot iron rod) or water (being tossed into the pond). If a person was burned in a trial by fire, it was considered sufficient evidence for a hanging. A person tried by water had an even worse deal: if you floated, you were guilty, and sent to the hangman's noose. If you sank, you were considered innocent, but since you were dead from the drowning, it didn't make too much of a difference.
Untruth or Consequences
By the 19th century, governments were no longer throwing people in ponds (not as a measure of truth-telling, anyway), but the methods used to assess a person's character were still pretty dubious. Phrenology—the study of bumps on the skull—and the new discipline of psychology gave rise to the idea that physical characteristics and behavior could demonstrate a person's moral character, and thus their truthful or deceitful nature.
In 1895, Cesare Lombroso theorized that sudden changes in a person's blood pressure could be an indication of lying, and he attempted to chart these changes with a device called "Lombroso's Glove." More sophisticated machines—simultaneously recording blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and galvanic skin response—were later developed by Dr. John A. Larson and Leonard Keeler (widely considered the father of the modern polygraph machine) in the late 1920s and early 30s. But it was a psychologist named William Marston who first popularized the "lie detector," and gave it the cultural prominence it has today.
Lasso of Truth
Marston was hired by the US government during WWI to come up with a way to make sure that prisoners of war told the truth during interrogation. Echoing Lombroso's experiments, he decided to test his subjects' blood pressure during their interviews. In 1917, he published his findings to great acclaim in the press, who hailed him as the inventor of the "lie detector." Marston didn't shy away from the title. In fact, he publicly stated that his discovery hailed "the end of man's long, futile striving for a means of distinguishing truth-telling from deception."
Marston remained a firm advocate for the implementation of the polygraph into the court system, and was brought in to administer a lie detection test for the 1923 case of Frye vs. United States. The court found that the test could not be considered reliable enough to be wonder-woman.jpgused as evidence, though, so Marston's tests were thrown out. Essentially, the court ruling established a precedent, and polygraphs have, for the most part, been kept out of the courtroom ever since.
A tireless advocate for truth, Marston was undaunted by the court's ruling. Instead, his obsession with honesty would later fuel his work in creating the most enduring female superhero in comic book history, and the greatest lie detector of them all—Wonder Woman, whose magical golden lasso compelled villains caught inside it to tell the absolute truth.
Speaking of Lie Detecting...
We recently released our first iPhone trivia game. You're given two statements "“ one true, one blatantly false. Your job is to spot the Big Fat Lies! If you've got an iPhone (or iPod Touch) and $2.99, head on over to the iTunes Store and get downloading. (That link should open up your iTunes and send you right to Big Fat Lies! page of the store. If not, you can search for "Big Fat Lies" and it will come right up.) |
VitaMK7 and the "calcium paradox”
Evidence shows that vitamin K2 deficiency could be responsible for “calcium paradox”
Scientific evidence has highlighted that vitamin K2 deficiency could be responsible for the so called “calcium paradox” that involves the displacement of calcium in the blood vessel walls, with simultaneous reduction of the deposition of calcium in the bones. These events may have clinically relevant consequences, such as cardiovascular and bone diseases.
Vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 (MK7) has a pivotal role in driving calcium in the right body’s place through the activation of both osteocalcin, a protein that transports and integrates calcium into bone to ensure a healthy skeleton, and matrix Gla-protein, a strong inhibitor of vascular calcification.
Both these proteins are vitamin K-dependent and are activated by vitamin k2 through the conversion of specific glutamic acid (Glu) into calcium binding -carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues. The involvement of these proteins in bone mineralisation and in the prevention of vascular calcification makes the same calcification amendable for intervention with high intake of vitamin K2.
Vitamin K supplementation in post-menopausal patients appear beneficial in combination with calcium and vitamin D3 for bone health and vasculature. Naturally-fermented vitaMK7 can assure bodies benefit from calcium (naturally absorbed and/or supplemented) driving it where it's needed. VitaMK7 may play a crucial role in bone tissue homeostasis at 45 μg/daily improving bone mineral density (BMD), activating bone formation by stimulating osteoblastic cells and reducing calcium concentration into blood.
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• Dylan Hedges
Educational games have suffered a bad reputation of being boring and lackluster for decades. Often, such games were created on a low budget with the sole intention to fulfill a requirement, and not necessarily to make the game engaging and fun. Perhaps the people who made such games were unimaginative, perhaps they didn’t care or have the resources to make a truly great game. However, if educational games are to be on par with the great games in the industry, they must follow the same rules and they must excel at them.
As someone who is involved in the eLearning industry and specifically in making educational games, I put a great deal of thought and research into what would make a great educational game. I’ve been a gamer since childhood, and even a game addict. I feel like I wasted countless hours on games which brought me little more than temporary enjoyment and escape from the real world. However, I always felt that the addictive quality of games can be used constructively to teach useful material, if done in a clever and creative way.
I made a list of elements which I feel are important to making a truly great game, and which I would like to share with you:
1. Story (Linear or non-linear, a great story drives a game)
2. Progression / Advancement (Customization, saving progress, sense of achievement)
3. Multiple intelligences (Activities catering to different types of intelligences)
4. Presentation / Polish (Art style, graphics & animation, sound & music)
5. Game Balance (Difficulty, need to win/achieve)
6. Cohesion (It has to make sense)
7. Uniqueness
8. Immersion, memorable game world/universe
9. Replayability
A good story engages the player, establishes goals and obstacles, and binds everything together in a cohesive way that makes sense. People like it when things make sense.
The story gives us an opportunity to create interesting characters, scenes and situations, to personalize the game experience and to make it truly memorable. Certainly, there are successful games which don’t focus on a story, but having a great story certainly adds a whole new dimension to your game.
People love the feeling of accomplishment. Being able to create a character, customize it, advance through the game and save progress makes players want to come back and continue to build their character. Players love to share and show off their character to their friends, and MMORPGs allow them to socialize, play together with friends, show off their gear/character/achievements and team up to overcome obstacles together.
Players love to customize, even if the customization comes at a cost and doesn’t have any effect on game play. Players spend real money on clothing for their characters, or stickers/insignias on their tanks in games like World of Tanks, where the only effect of the insignia is that other players will see it, and it doesn’t benefit your game play in any other way.
Give players the ability to customize, to advance and level up in various ways, to make choices about how they will progress, and they will love your game!
I played an educational game designed to improve my typing skills when I was in high school. The game consisted of letters falling down from the top of the screen, and I had to type them before they reached the bottom. Very soon, I got bored of the game.
A game that caters to multiple intelligences (see my previous article about eLearning and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences) will be able to engage players more effectively than a game that doesn’t. There are exceptions, of course. Tetris is a game with a very narrow focus, yet it was tremendously successful. However, generally speaking, give the player more to do, more options, more opportunities, more variety – and the player will be interested much longer. Create a world, not a game.
Great games like World of Warcraft, Eve Online, Guild Wars and many others offer activities that allow the player to engage many intelligences. Bodily-kinesthetic for heart-pounding combat that requires good timing and eye-to-hand coordination, logical-mathematical for making the best choices in how to advance the character, optimize resource acquisition, manage skills and inventory. Spatial for navigation in the fascinating environments of 3D games, interpersonal to coordinate efforts in a team or a clan, where players have to work together to overcome obstacles. Address as many intelligences as possible, and build an immersive game that sucks people in and doesn’t let them go. And hopefully, teach them something useful while you’re at it!
A great story is a good start, but it must be presented in a compelling way. Presentation is a wide spectrum term that covers everything from how the story is told, how the game is shown, how it is supported by sound and music, and the overall polish and finished look of the game.
Imagine you’re going to a job interview. The way you present yourself depends not only on your education and experience, but also on how you dress, how you speak, your manners and etiquette. The same is true for a game – a unique and beautiful art style and compelling sound track can greatly enhance the experience. Animations and special effects can turn your game into a visual feast. However, don’t rely on visual effects to make up for a weak story. The story should always be the foundation.
Game balance is a measure of the overall difficulty of the game, the learning curve required of new users, and the ratio of effort to reward. To make the experience enjoyable, there must be a good balance between difficulty and reward. The game cannot be too complex to learn, or it will deter new users. The game cannot be too simple, or users will lose interest quickly. The game must continually reward the player to keep them coming back, but it must also be challenging enough, or they will lose interest. Matters of game balance must be resolved in the Alpha phase and fine-tuned during the Beta phase, as well as throughout the game development. Often, games will be patched and updated even after the release, not only to address bugs but also to balance the gameplay.
People like it when things make sense. Granted, we also like bizarre comedy and unexpected turns of events, and strange oddities that defy explanation. However, there should be a clear set of rules and order in a game, unless you are specifically trying to create a bizarre and senseless game. If you are making such an illogical game, then at least make sure it is funny. Otherwise, it will be plain frustrating.
A game should make it clear and easy to see how you accrue points or coins, how you advance, and what effects various skills or upgrades have. Beyond that, the story and plot of the game should make sense. If you are designing levels or characters, think about the environment and how those characters would live in it. Design worlds, not rooms. Think about ecosystems. Would those goblins really live right next to those dwarves? It’s alright to take some freedoms, but be careful not to break the believability of the game.
Cohesion has to do with how things sit together – from game mechanics and rules, to storyline and plots, to how the characters and creatures appear, act and live. When a game is cohesive, it opens the doors to create a truly immersive experience, and enable the player to feel like they are really a part of this story or fantasy world. This goes for all sorts of games, even a car racing game is set in a “fantasy world” which bears likeness to our own.
Although your game might not be truly one of a kind, for goodness sake, don’t just make a clone of one of the popular games out there! Even if your game plays similar toBejeweled® or Angry Birds®, find ways to give it character. A unique story or art style, interesting characters with unique skills, or game features not found in the original title can give your game a life of its own.
If your game has a great story, art style and cohesion, you are well on your way to creating a truly immersive experience. What you need to do is engage the senses. Music and sound add a whole new dimension to the playing experience. The game world has to be able to support great character advancement, with non-linear choices such as skill trees, tech trees, exploration options and character path customization. Aim for non-linear storylines (please read my article on this topic, which I will publish in the next few weeks), allowing the player great amount of freedom of where to go and what to do. Certainly, even playing a story-defined character on a linear storyline can be immersive, but to me it feels no different than reading a book or watching a movie. With this amazing technology at our disposal, we ought to give the player the power to choose, explore, interact and take control of their own fate! It will keep them coming back for more.
To make a game replayable, it must provide a different experience each time. There are many interesting games out there with a linear storyline, but I feel that after playing them once or twice, there’s little value in playing them again.
The secret to replayability is either a non-linear storyline, or variability of content. Even games without a storyline can have great replayability values. For example, games of chess or Tetris® are extremely replayable, because they present the player with different situations each time. In Tetris®, the pieces that appear are randomized. In chess, there are millions of possible positions, presenting new obstacles and challenges each time. This variation and randomness makes players keep coming back to try again.
In games that have role-playing elements, giving the player options adds replayability. Non-linear storyline, freedom to explore the game world, making choices in which skills to advance or which equipment to buy, all of these elements add replayability to the game.
There is no sure-fire formula for making a successful game. It is, perhaps, even more difficult to make a successful educational game. I believe that an educational game should follow the same principles and contain the same elements that one would expect from any successful game in the entertainment industry. A great story, capacity for in-game progression, addressing multiple intelligences, style and presentation, good game balance, cohesion, uniqueness, an immersive game experience and replayability value are game elements which definitely factor to a great degree. Address these issues, and you will be well on your way in creating a successful educational game.
If you would like to explore more about gamification and eLearning, take a peek at our company website: Pathways Training and eLearning, at
We always look for fresh ways to engage the learner and to make the experience as fun as possible!
#gamification #gamedesign #gamedevelopment #mLearning #mLearning #eLearning #eLearning #training #accessibility #mobilelearning #articulate #animation |
Historical Committee
Year 1862, Otto von Bismarck was appointed Minister President of Prussia. The main goal was to make Prussia the dominant power of German Federation. After the invasion of Schleswig- Holstein, the area was disputed among Prussia and Austria. The quarrels between these countries and involvement of other European powers led to large radiused events and wars in Europe. On January 1871, with Bismarcks lead, Germany was unified as the Germant Empire. Delegates will be going through the events of this unification process and it is up to them to change the past.
*This is a crisis committee and recommended for experienced delegates*
Co-Chair: Alp Kelimet
Co-Chair: Lara Melis Büyükceylan
Historical Committee Study Guide 1 |
Title: Smart Energy Management in Buildings
Principal Investigators: Prof. Krithi Ramamritham (Professor, Dept. of CSE, IITB) and Prof. Ronita Bardhan (Asst. Professor, CUSE, IITB)
Funding Agency: IPHEE (INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE HABITAT ENERGY EFFICIENCY) – Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
Knowing that the world is facing a major energy crisis and the fact that around 40% of total energy expenditure in developed countries is contributed by buildings, we propose “Smart Energy Management in Buildings” that can reduce the energy consumption by obtaining various insights into a building’s behavior while using a minimum number of sensors.
• A Building Management System (BMS) controls the appliances by tracking various pieces of information like environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, etc.), occupancy status and count, energy available and cost of control. But a smart BMS should also be able to perform tasks like reducing and optimizing power consumption, monitoring the status and health of the appliances in the building, maintaining expected energy consumption in different parts of the building, profile energy consumption of different areas, identifying zones with anomalous power consumption, to name a few. Performing such tasks requires the system to sense various parameters like temperature, humidity, power consumption, occupancy status, the status of appliances and many more. The simplest and obvious solution is to place sensors, which observe these facets, at all locations. But this approach entails developing solutions that involve:
• Appropriate sensor selection, number of sensors required and their placement location.
• The huge capital cost of initial deployment.
• Upgradation/Modification cost as the system progresses.
• Maintenance cost with respect to fault/failure handling.
These problems prompt us to ask the question: “Are there any alternatives to the (hard) sensor (deployment)?”.
• The solution while “Providing Insights” should also provide answers to the queries, fired by the user, to gain insights of the building; example of different queries are: find out per capita power consumption, average temperature of a floor, occupancy profile activity of a lab, power consumption profile of different areas, appliance used per capita, effect of change in temperature on power consumption and appliance usage, and many more. Employing many sensors also generates a large amount of data. Besides, there may be missing values and corrupted data points in the generated dataset. Also while handling the data, the system should also take care of inconsistencies that might be present. These issues further complicate the process of answering the various queries (mentioned above) with the required accuracy. These issues prompted us to ask more questions: “Will the system provide a satisfiable answer to any query fired by the user? Does the system ensure a timely response from this sensor network data to meet the requirements? How do the inaccuracies inherent in various sensors propagate through the System?”
In this project, we address the above-mentioned questions in a systematic way such that the proposed solution is scalable to any building scenario while providing insights about a building using the minimum number of sensors.
Proof of Concept
As a first step to explore the idea of Observability and monitor its advantages, we will instrument a classroom complex in our department building with various sensors and actuation systems. The classroom complex will turn into a smart classroom complex, where appliances are algorithmically controlled based on the occupancy status, thereby eliminating undesired energy consumption. In the smart classroom system, we deploy motion sensors, PIR, and Camera to obtain the Occupancy status of the room. We have already deployed Temperature and Humidity sensors to smartly control the fans and ACs in the room. We have observed energy savings up to 20- 25% with this approach and were able to achieve these savings by following the principle of Observability. The payback period of the above-mentioned system is 12 to 18 academic months.
We are also looking forward to gathering energy and power consumption data from residential houses situated on our campus. Through this data, we can understand the behavior of residential spaces and come up with algorithms which can minimize the undesired energy consumption across various spaces.
Unique and Innovative Aspects of the Project:
The project introduces the innovative concept of “Facets of Observability”, wherein we utilize the relationship between different phenomena in a building to decrease the number of physical sensors to be deployed. We use these facets of Observability to obtain meaningful insights about a building. We follow a novel approach (applicable for any building scenario) of observing one facet to infer the value of other facets, by using the available information in a systematic way. Getting insights at lower granularity entails processing a large amount of data arriving from a large number of sensors. Using a minimal number of sensors, our approaches will give the manager extensive insights into the building. |
How to publish a Discussion Essay
How to create a classical debate essay can be easily done if you are well-versed in the basic concepts of academic writing
Basically, it is a literary composition with scientific and logical basis. It starts from the title itself and ends with an argument.
There are several factors that determine how to write a classical argument essay. These factors include the style of argument, essay writing service online the topic of the article, and various topics. A good and successful essay depends on all these factors.
The basic style of an argument is probably the most important. It plays a vital role in determining how to write a classical argument essay. For example, if you are writing a thesis statement then the idea that you will make for your writer’s block may appear too objective and easy-going. On the other hand, if you are writing an opinion piece, the argument may seem too personal and therefore easy to ridicule.
The style of argument is also determined by the topic of the article
If the theme of the essay is about contemporary science, then the tone is likely to be easygoing and philosophical. On the other hand, if the article is about the life of Christ, then the tone may be more intense and direct.
Another factor that determines the tone of the argument is the depth of the information. The topic of the article should not be quite long enough for the writer to get lost. One way to avoid this is to write something lengthy first. This is probably the best way to prevent a writer from getting lost.
The depth of the information also determines the writer’s ability to express his or her thoughts. If there is a lot of scientific background in the article, the writer should be able to communicate his or her thoughts in this manner. However, if the writer has only some knowledge of scientific background, he or she should be able to use it as a guide. He or she can explain what he or she knows and still make a persuasive argument.
It is also important to have a logical base in the essay. Logical arguments require people to use their heads. Therefore, in a logical argument, one can use simple terms and concepts to support his or her argument.
The literary form of a classical argument essay is quite different from an essay written in a popular language
These essays are usually written in a very formal style. In fact, many experts do not consider this to be an acceptable form of academic writing.
Some people might argue that how to write a classical argument is to use an informal style. On the contrary, a lot of classical writings were written in a very formal style. Hence, if you write in a more formal manner, you might find yourself losing the interest of the reader. In this case, you should only write in a way that you can relate to the readers.
The traditional academic form of a thesis statement was based on scientific and logical approach. This led to a lot of people losing their enthusiasm for the academic world. However, today there are some people who still consider the essay as a creative expression.
There are a lot of experts who also say that how to write a classical argument can be done through improvisation. For example, the writer can first write the introduction of the essay. Then he or she can write the essay as he or she goes along.
The most important thing to remember when you are writing an argument is to write logically. Your audience will appreciate this. Make sure that the words and thoughts of the writer are very close to the real argument.
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Study 1. What's So Special About the Bible?
About the Bible gets us started on a fascinating journey!
INSIGHT: The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word biblos, meaning book. Another word that is sometimes used for the Bible is "Scripture" (or the Scriptures), a term simply meaning writings. "Holy" means set apart, referring to the fact that the Bible is considered by many to be a unique and special book, different from all others.
1) On your answer sheet, write out the meaning of the term "Holy Bible."
INSIGHT: Exploring some facts about the Bible we find it contains two main divisions called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The original text of the Old Testament was written mainly in the Hebrew language. The New Testament was written originally in Greek. Later, various individuals and groups translated the text into English for us. As with the translation of any language, it is not always easy to bring the exact meaning over from one language into another. This is one reason there are many English translations, or versions, of the Bible. Often it is helpful to compare one with another, to get a fuller idea of the meaning.
INSIGHT: The translation used in preparing these studies is called the New King James Version. In most cases, you will not find it difficult to answer the questions using another version. Other common ones are: the New American Standard Bible, and the New International Version.
INSIGHT: A quick look will show that the book known as the Bible is actually a library of many books bound together. Check out the Table of Contents near the front, and you will see some of their names. These names may seem strange to you at first--difficult to say and spell! But they will become more familiar as you continue to study and work with them.
2) What Bible book is the last one in the Old Testament?
INSIGHT: The books of the Bible were not written all at one time. They came from about forty different authors, working over a period of 15 centuries or so.
INSIGHT: Each book is divided into chapters, and the chapters are divided further into "verses." This was not done by the original authors, but is a feature added later to make it easier for people to find their place. The reference of a particular Scripture text is like the address of a house; it tells us where to locate a particular statement. First comes the book. In Question 10 it is the second epistle (or letter) sent by Peter (usually written as II Peter, or 2 Peter.) Then comes the chapter (1), and the verse (21).
3) Use the Table of Contents to find the book of Second Peter, and then locate the verse that is mentioned. This may take some time, at first, until you are familiar with the location of the books. (Hint: II Peter is found near the end of the New Testament.)
3b) See if you can find Proverbs 14:34 in your Bible, and write out the words on your answer sheet.
3c) What does the number 14 in the Proverbs reference stand for? What does the number 34 stand for?
INSIGHT: The Old Testament begins with God's creation of the physical universe. The New Testament begins with events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is about one quarter the size of the Old Testament.
4) The Old Testament contains 39 books. How many books are found in the New Testament? (You can use the Table of Contents to count them.)
5) Approximately how many authors produced all the books of the Bible?
INSIGHT: It is important to note about the Bible that the books of the Bible have been organized into several different types of literature or forms of writing. In the Old Testament there are: books of history (mainly about the nation of Israel); books of Hebrew poetry; and books of prophecy. (Note: The first five books of the Old Testament form a separate section sometimes called the Law, but they also contain a great deal of history. For our purposes, they will be included in that section.)
6) The books of history are Genesis through Esther. How many Old Testament books of history are there? (You can use the Table of Contents to count them.)
7) The books of poetry are Job through the Song of Solomon. How many books of poetry are there?
8) The books of prophecy begin with Isaiah, and end with Malachi. How many books of prophecy are there?
INSIGHT: The New Testament has a similar threefold arrangement. In the New Testament there are: books of history (four "Gospels" telling the story of Jesus' life, and the book of Acts, about the early church); then come books called epistles (or letters) written to churches or to individual Christians; and finally one book of prophecy called Revelation.
9) The epistles begin with Romans and end with the little book of Jude. How many epistles are there in the New Testament?
INSIGHT: It was said earlier that about 40 different authors were involved in the writing of the Bible. But that is only part of the story. Christians believe that God Himself superintended the writing in such a way that what was produced can rightly be called the Word of God. This is the miracle which makes the Bible unique.
10) How is this miracle of human beings writing Bible prophecies described in Second Peter 1:21?
11) What is said about the Bible ("all Scripture") in II Timothy 3:16?
INSIGHT: The word "inspiration" is used in a special sense in the Bible. To say the Bible is "given by inspiration of God" means it is God-breathed. The above verse is saying that Almighty God breathed His very thoughts and words into the minds of the writers, so that what they have put down is His accurate and trustworthy message to us.
12) What does Psalm 119:160 say about the Word of God?
INSIGHT: That the Bible is God's true and trustworthy Word is something Christians believe. It is a matter of faith--but not of blind faith. Entire books have been written in support of this claim. In brief, there are three lines of evidence.
a) The Bible claims to be God's Word. Hundreds of times, throughout the Bible, we see phrases such as: "thus says the Lord," and "God said," etc. Its authors claim they are speaking for God.
b) The Bible seems to be God's Word. In checking the historical record of the Bible, scholars have been impressed over and over with its accuracy. Then there is the miracle of fulfilled prophecy. The Bible contains hundreds of predictions which have come to pass exactly as promised. Added to this is its amazing unity. Written over many centuries, by many different human authors, the Bible is one book, with a harmonious message from beginning to end.
c) The Bible proves to be God's Word. This has to do with the faith of the individual in what God has said. Over the centuries, Christians have trusted the promises of God and found them to be true and powerful, in their own experience.
13) What is the meaning of the phrase "by inspiration of God" used to describe how the Bible was given to us?
14) What claim does the prophet Jeremiah make, over and over (for example, Jeremiah 2:1, and verse 4; also Jeremiah 4:3 and verse 27)?
INSIGHT: The most significant thing about the Bible is that it is God's revelation of Himself to man. Because God is so much greater than we are, knowing Him is beyond us, unless He shows Himself to us in ways we can understand. In the Bible, God does that. And when we determine to know Him, that pursuit becomes the essence of life itself (see Psalm 63:1-5; John 17:3). Those who seek after God through His Word discover, as many have, down through the ages, that God is infinitely worth knowing.
INSIGHT: The Old Testament, from Genesis Chapter 12 and on, describes God's dealings with the nation of Israel, and with individual Hebrews (or Jews). Israel is a nation of people, descended from a man named Abraham, a nation God chose to bless in a special way. The focus of these blessings is often earthly and material.
The New Testament, from Acts Chapter 2 and on, describes God's dealings with the church, and with individual Christians. The church is a spiritual body of believers in the God of the Bible. It is made up of all nations. The focus of the blessings God has given to the church is more often spiritual and eternal.
15) What is the difference between the inheritance God promised to the nation of Israel (Exodus 3:7-8), and the inheritance of the New Testament church (Philippians 3:20)?
INSIGHT: When the Bible speaks of "the church" in the broadest sense it is speaking of all Christians everywhere. All of them are a part of His universal church. But the Bible also uses the word of local "churches," groups of Christians who gather in a particular place, at a particular time, to worship and serve God.
16) To which does Acts 16:5 refer, the universal church, or many local churches?
17) Is Ephesians 3:21 speaking of the universal church, or of local churches?
INSIGHT: The Bible describes God's relationship with mankind in general--both the healthy and the dysfunctional parts of this relationship. It reveals that a loving God wants the best for us. It tells us about a spiritual problem we all have, called sin, and what God has done to help us with it. And it tells us how to living a meaningful life that is pleasing to God.
18) What does Jesus say is the subject of the Scriptures, in John 5:39?
INSIGHT: God's answer to the sin problem has come through what Jesus Christ has done for us. (More of this in a later study.) It is not surprising, then, that Christ is a major theme and subject of the Scriptures. The Old Testament points forward to His coming. The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) describe His earthly life and work. And the remaining books of the New Testament teach us more about Him and what He has done for us.
19) To what two substances does Psalm 19:10 compare the Word of God (called His "judgments" in verse 9)?
20) What do we do with each of these substances (in Psalm 19:10) that illustrates what we should do with God's Word the Bible?
21) Psalm 19:7 declares, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." What further benefit is there in studying God's commandments in His Word (Psalm 19:11)?
22) What result is expected from "hearing" (or reading) the Word of God, according to Romans 10:17?
23) What result does God desire from our study of His Word, the Bible, according to Romans 15:4?
24) Why has God given us the Scriptures, according to II Timothy 3:16-17? |
Experimental Psychology: Learn everything about its history
The field of experimental psychology branches out into many various sub-fields and directions with people believing in various things. Even now scientists do not have a clear picture of the connection between the mind and the body. There have been many different attempts to unravel and end the dilemma. Understanding even the majority of the connection and the brain by itself will be a major development in today’s science. The attempt has brought on many big collaborative initiatives with big names like the Human Brain Project coming to mind. Psychology in itself has had a long history and has shaped itself in various ways and directions. To understand it, one needs to look at the first mentions of what we now call psychology from centuries ago.
Experimental Psychology
Experimental Psychology
History of Experimental Psychology
Experimental psychology today is completely different from what the discipline looked like years and centuries ago. Back then we didn’t have the technology and the infrastructure available to us today. The question of mind and body was on the lips of many prominent philosophers. Names like Plato and Aristotle come to mind when the first mentions of the mind-body problem arise. The arguments and debates over free will and determinism and nature vs. nurture take roots centuries ago. These debates are still prevalent nowadays. They turn into years long research projects in the fields of experimental psychology and neuroscience.
Philosophical beginnings: nature vs. nurture & free will vs. determinism
Famous philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and René Descartes made the first references to experimental psychology. Plato and Aristotle both contemplated the famous nature vs. nurture question. They disagreed on the fundamental point of the origin of what makes us human comes from. Plato argued from the genetic point of view, saying that certain things are a part of our biological configuration. He believed that everything is set in stone from the very beginning. Aristotle, on the other hand, put the emphasis on the nurture side of the debate. He preached that humans are sponges that soak up the information with every new experience and learning opportunity.
Descartes looked at a different question that boggles the minds of scientists and researchers nowadays. He believed that actions and behaviors of people are predetermined and free will in itself does not exist. According to Descartes, pineal gland controls every behavior in the brain. His view formed a very popular belief called the mind-body dualism. The pineal gland being the master gland for all actions was proven wrong at a later point. The free will vs. determinism debate, however, still remains open in the 21st century.
Research into decision making has become one of the hottest topics in neuroscience nowadays. We now have different research studies that show neuronal spiking activity before a decision is made (1). This sparked a lot of controversy in favor of determinism. Many started proclaiming that if there is neuronal activity before a behavior, that means, that all actions are predetermined beforehand. All the philosophical questions are still very present today and experimental psychology tries to answer the questions with various methods. It does so by looking at the problem in hand from various perspectives.
First steps to science
The beginning of psychology as a discipline emerged in Leipzig, Germany. In 1879 Wilhelm Wundt built his first experimental laboratory on the grounds of the University of Leipzig. Wundt governed the term introspection. Wundt believed that by asking subjects to talk in detail about the experience during an assigned task, he will be able to develop a guideline for the consciousness elements. That became the ultimate goal for introspection. Wundt believed that since conscious experiences could be described by people, there was a possibility to explore and observe these experiences and create a map of them.
Nowadays, looking back, the approach that Wundt had was a bit naïve. Despite that, it became the first milestone in creating what is now known as cognitive psychology. Wundt and his colleagues have discovered that there is a difference in realizing that something is happening or sensing it and understanding what that something is or, perceiving it. He noted a time difference between this notion of sensation and perception. Perception seemed to occur later than sensation.
Wundt’s impact on science today
Experimental Psychology - Laboratory
Experimental Psychology – Laboratory
Nowadays, in cognitive psychology, measuring reaction times happening during various mental tasks is a regular occurrence. Scientists try to show exactly which events happen in the brain first and which ones occur later. Researchers are attempting to acquire the answer to the origin of consciousness. They want to unravel where and when the very first series of neuronal spikes occur in the brain with the introduction of a new stimulus. Researchers trace it back to that same question of free will and determinism. They are still trying to figure out what happens first, the behavior or the action itself or a certain event that happens in the brain.
Of course, nowadays, scientists have a lot more advanced tools to measure these time lapses and series of events. Despite that fact, we seem to not be a lot closer to the truth. We are still trying to figure out the truth behind the conscious experiences and the external behaviors and actions.
Functionalism: evolutionary psychology
Another branch of experimental psychology went into quite the opposite direction from what Wundt and his colleagues were doing. It solidified the ground for what later would become behavioral psychology. Behavioral psychology would dominate the field of the entire discipline for quite some time.
The functionalists, as they called themselves, tried to understand why humans and nonhuman animals behaved in the way they do. Functionalism thesis moved onto to what is also known as evolutionary psychology. It quite heavily operates upon the principles of Darwin’s natural selection. The notion that the best genetic components survived and the not useful ones have disappeared over the years. All actions intend to pass our genes on to our descendants with the goal of keeping our species alive.
Evolutionary psychology is still quite a prominent part of the discipline right now. Despite that it poses a slight problem in the face of experimental psychology. Experimental psychology values reliable and valid experiments. Evolutionary psychology experiments are quite difficult to arrange. Because of this, it is not as popular as some other branches of psychology.
Psychoanalysis: what do you dream of?
After Wundt’s laboratory and the waves of functionalism have died off, a new branch of psychology developed. It is the branch that the majority of the population associated with psychology nowadays. Despite the fact that not many practitioners use it nowadays, it is still quite popular.
Sigmund Freud created the psychodynamic approach was created and it focuses a lot on the unconscious. Id (the unconscious), desires, feelings, memories, and dreams are prime targets for psychodynamic therapists. Compared to other branches of psychology this one does not have very reliable results when it comes to proving its theories. Despite that fact, it came as a result of Freud’s observations of his many patients and their behaviors. Ordinary public associates it with clinical psychology and the methods of treatments for various psychological disorders up to this day.
Freud focused a lot on experiences that a patient cannot remember that could result in various disorders and dysfunctions in the adult life. Freud governed concepts like Oedipal complex, ego, superego, and interpretations of dreams. As mentioned above, not a lot of research went into the psychodynamic theory. Sometimes experimental psychology doesn’t consider the psychodynamic approach a part of it. Despite that, the contributions that the psychodynamic approach provided to the discipline still resonate to this day.
Behaviorism is one of the prime examples of experimental psychology. Behaviorists believe that the true way to study the mind is by the actions and behaviors themselves and they attempt to do so in an objective and a clear way.
Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner are the big names for behaviorism. Their experiments in classical and operational conditioning are popular in classes to this day. The experiments that they did became the premise for behaviorism. This approach understands everything as results of things happening in the environment – stimuli – and the actions that these stimuli produce – responses.
John. B. Watson was one of the famous American behaviorists with his experiments involving fear stimuli. His experiments were highly unethical and would be quite illegal today, but, despite that, they were the ones that brought quite a lot of light into the concepts of learning and developed phobias. Nowadays, the treatment for various phobias comes exclusively from the behaviorist point of view. Clinicians use exposure therapy to treat phobias and are quite successful in curing the majority of them.
Revolution of cognition
After behaviorism, the cognitive approach became popular as well. It did so due to the fact that scientists at that time became more and more interested in the brain and how the brain influences the behaviors that we do. The development of computers was a big step forward. Researchers saw the potential of how the brain is similar to a computer and how they can utilize information technologies in order to measure the brain and see the anatomy and functions and be able to model different events that happen in the nervous system. Cognitive psychology studies mental processes, memory, learning, attention, judgment, language and uses a variety of different methods including eye tracking and both, non-invasive and invasive neuroimaging methods.
Collaboration of all
Overall, the entire field of experimental psychology encompasses many different sub-disciplines and fields. It developed quite a bit from the first laboratory that Wundt created to hundreds upon hundreds experimental laboratories around the world today. Modern state-of-the art machinery and popular technology methods equip these laboratories in an attempt to help objectively study the mind and the body and the relationship between the two.
Marcos E, Genovesio A. Determining Monkey Free Choice Long before the Choice Is Made: The Principal Role of Prefrontal Neurons Involved in Both Decision and Motor Processes. Front Neural Circuits [Internet]. 2016;10:75. Available from: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Article/10.3389/fncir.2016.00075/abstract |
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
WUWT trips over p's and H's in the ocean
Sou | 8:06 PM Go to the first of 4 comments. Add a comment
Here's another teaser on oceans and acidification. I've got another article in train but have been busy, so it won't be up for a while longer. Meanwhile, WUWT has another "claim" article (archived here) about a not so new paper on ocean acidification, total CO2 concentration and the degree of CaCO3 saturation (from June this year).
The paper itself is by a team led by Professor Taro Takahashi and has been published in Marine Chemistry. Anthony copied and pasted the press release but didn't have time to link to the source :) Never mind. It wasn't hard to find. The press release is on the website of the Earth Institute of Columbia University. I don't know why it has just been released. The paper itself has been out for a while. It looks to be a continuation of the work discussed in this paper from 2010, which itself built on work done prior. In fact, as stated in the press release, Taro Takahashi has been doing this research for four decades.
Taro Takahashi has spent more than four decades measuring the changing chemistry of the world’s oceans. Here, aboard the R/V Melville, he celebrates after sampling waters near the bottom of the Japan Trench in 1973. (Lamont-Doherty archives)
In a nutshell, the scientists have published maps of the world's oceans, showing:
... a monthly look at how ocean acidity rises and falls by season and geographic location, along with saturation levels of calcium carbonate minerals used by shell-building organisms. The maps use 2005 as a reference year and draw on four decades of measurements by Lamont-Doherty scientists and others.
It's an impressive effort. I'd have liked to write more about it but am a bit short of time this week. I was taken with these couple of paragraphs, which paint the picture and are almost poetic:
The vast tropical and temperate oceans, where most coral reefs grow, see the least variation, with pH hovering between 8.05 and 8.15 as temperatures fluctuate in winter and summer. Here, the waters are oversaturated with respect to the mineral aragonite—a substance that shell-building organisms need to thrive.
Ocean pH fluctuates most in the colder waters off Siberia and Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and Antarctica. In spring and summer, massive plankton blooms absorb carbon dioxide in the water, raising pH and causing seawater acidity to fall. In winter, the upwelling of CO2-rich water from the deep ocean causes surface waters to become more acidic. Acidification of the Arctic Ocean in winter causes aragonite levels to fall, slowing the growth of pteropods, planktic snails that feed many predator fish.
I've animated the two maps in the press release, which show pH and calculated omega of aragonite in February 2005.
Adapted from article Earth Institute, Columbia
You'll notice the blank strip across the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The explanation is in the abstract:
Get the maps, and meet the scientist
I've discovered that you can access all the data and the maps from a page on the Columbia University website here.
You can also meet the great scientist himself - via YouTube:
Further reading
You may also remember that SkepticalScience.com has an extensive series of articles on ocean acidification - click here for the introduction and index.
From the WUWT comments
The WUWT-ers were very obedient and responded to the "claim" headline in a manner befitting the ignorant if motley lot of deniers. A lot of commenters don't understand what "more acidic" means. It means the equivalent of an increase in H+. Any time a solution has a drop in pH it can be said to have become more acidic or less basic (or less alkaline).
Gaz says:
November 10, 2014 at 4:07 pm
Continuing your point about “since the industrial era began”, if this would infer that the Industrial Era began about 150 years ago, and the tone of the paper being that Man’s relentless CO2 emissions would carry on the decrease in alkalinity at the same rate. (0.1 decrease in pH units per 150 years). Would it not take 1650 years just to get to a neutral pH? Is there that amount of fossil fuel to burn for that period of time to create such a scenario?
No, Gaz. The oceans are very unlikely to ever have a pH of 7. The reason is buffering.
nielszoo doesn't do much better, writing:
November 10, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Oh, and if the oceans are absorbing 25% of our “contribution” to CO2 (which is 3% and the rest of the changes are due to natural causes) then using their numbers we are responsible for 0.00075 lower PH to the drop in alkalinity.
nielszoo is wrong. We are responsible for the entire drop in pH. I don't know where nielszoo is getting his numbers from. Since industrialisation, the amount of atmospheric CO2 has increased from 280 ppm to 400 ppm (or approximately 0.04% of the air by volume). Human activity is responsible for the increase. CO2 is now 43% higher than it was before industrialisation. If we weren't chopping down forests and burning fossil fuels etc, there would have been no increase in CO2 and it would still be around 280 ppm. Thing is, if the oceans hadn't absorbed about 25% of the CO2 we've added to the air, then atmospheric CO2 would be around 430 ppm by now.
Tom Anderson doesn't understand that if there is more CO2, then, all other things being equal, the partial pressure will be higher. In this case, we are throwing CO2 into the air so quickly that the effect of the rise in partial pressure of CO2 is greater than the impact of the rise in surface temperature. That is why the oceans are still absorbing CO2 even while they get warmer. Tom wrote (extract):
November 10, 2014 at 2:46 pm
I am having trouble with the ocean absorbing more CO2, just because there is more of it in the atmosphere. I think I recall from Henry’s Law in high school that the amount of gas liquids can absorb depends on temperature and pressure, the amount of gas absorbed varying inversely with temperature and directly with pressure. It shouldn’t matter how much atmospheric CO2 there is, should it?
If global warming resumes and ocean temperatures rise, won’t the oceans release more CO2 and become more alkaline, not acidic? This seems more consistent with the Henry’s Law....
Tom is wrong. He's just looking at the temperature without considering the increased partial pressure of CO2.
Eric Worrall is looking for "anything but CO2" and writes, partly wrongly:
November 10, 2014 at 3:13 pm
Warm water is not capable of dissolving as much CO2 as cold water. The fact the very slight decrease in alkalinity is concentrated in the equatorial region suggests the source of acidification is not CO2 – more likely volcanic sulphuric acid.
Yes, it's a fact that CO2 dissolves more readily in cold water than warm water. I don't know what Eric's on about with the acidification at the equator and H₂SO₄. As the IPCC reports state, the seas in the high latitudes have a lower buffer capacity (cooler and probably fresher water) than those of the low latitudes (warmer, more saline water), which is why the pH drop is greater in the high latitudes. Sulphuric acid, H₂SO₄, and nitric acid have both risen as a result of burning fossil fuels but have only localised effects in the oceans and are relatively insignificant on the global scale, compared to the effect of increased CO2. Sulphuric acid from volcanoes wouldn't make the oceans more acidic unless there was a big increase in volcanic activity. And there hasn't been. Otherwise it would be no different to what has been happening for the last several thousand years.
Then there's the usual contribution from the WUWT illiterati. The ones who are against knowledge. Who think that "edjukashun" and "lurnin'" is a complete waste of time, life and money. I'm surprised Leigh knows how to spell his own name. Maybe he doesn't. He could be Lee for all I know :)
November 10, 2014 at 2:10 pm“recommended that President Obama create a research and monitoring program dedicated to ocean acidification.”
I have never heard such utter over the top self serving crap.
Well I actually have.
I’m hearing it as their global warming grants are drying up.
Really, when will it end?
As one way to “milk” the cow becomes obsolete, they invent a whole new way to get a grip on the teat.
It has to stop!
Taro Takahashi, S.C. Sutherland, D.W. Chipman1, J.G. Goddard, Cheng Ho, Timothy Newberger, Colm Sweeney, D.R. Munro "Climatological distributions of pH, pCO2, total CO2, alkalinity,and CaCO3 saturation in the global surface ocean,and temporal changes at selected locations." doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2014.06.004
Takahashi, Taro, Stewart C. Sutherland, Rik Wanninkhof, Colm Sweeney, Richard A. Feely, David W. Chipman, Burke Hales et al. "Climatological mean and decadal change in surface ocean pCO2, and net sea–air CO2 flux over the global oceans." Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 56, no. 8 (2009): 554-577. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.12.009
Takahashi, Taro, Stewart C. Sutherland, Colm Sweeney, Alain Poisson, Nicolas Metzl, Bronte Tilbrook, Nicolas Bates et al. "Global sea–air CO2 flux based on climatological surface ocean pCO2, and seasonal biological and temperature effects." Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 49, no. 9 (2002): 1601-1622. (link to paper)
1. Sou, I'm sure you will discuss this in your upcoming article but I just want to add there's two forms of calcium carbonate. Calcite (most larger shell building organisms) and aragonite which is much more sensitive to increased pCO2. Here in Alaska, aragonite shell builders account for most of a juvenile salmons diet and unfortunately we're already seeing undersaturated water with respect to aragonite.
We're also getting a handle on OA in a coastal/nearshore sense for southeast AK. Unfortunately the second paper that describes what these regions are going to be like in 50 years isn't out yet (it will be soon, I work next to the person writing it), but I can tell you that we expect to see undersaturated water with respect to aragonite at all depths during all times of the year. In other words AK coastal waters especially in regions of high freshwater runoff are f**ked no matter what we do. First paper below.
1. If you happen to have the answer, could you please tell me why aragonite is more sensible to pCO2 ? A question of greater reactive surface compared to calcite, or something linked to the crystalline organisation ?
Thanks in advance ! My chemistry is (unfortunately) far behind me, but I'm curious :) And wikipedia doesn't help me in this case
2. Hi, I just noticed your response! I asked the folks in my lab and they said it all boils down to the crystal structure, surface area and inclusions. The aragonite crystal structure has a larger surface area to volume than calcite thus making more area available for dissolution. I don't think there's been a lot of work in this area recently because it's more of a mineralogy question. I did however find this paper (of course my labmates told me to look it up myself) from the 1950's explaining the difference.
They also mentioned that inclusions from various other minerals can also contribute to instability. I was able to find a paper about the role of magnesium in calcite/aragonite formation and I'm sure there's more out there.
Feel free to email me at the address found on my school profile page if you have anymore questions. Cheers!
2. Taro Takahashi painstakingly-collected and analysed surface ocean carbon work is the foundation of much of our understanding of the carbon cycle and ocean acidification. It boggles the mind that that WUWT denizens dismiss his work as based on "grant-seeking", instead of what it really is. A single-minded search for answers about how our earth works and how mankind's actions are changing it.
As for solubility of calcium carbonate and related ionic structures, Bruce Railsback has produced and instructive plot showing the solubility of the important structures - http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/Fundamentals/820HMC-LMCSolubilities05LS.pdf
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bridge.pngI use to have a page I called Bridge Makers, and I even identified a couple of Bridge Makers: Bridge Makers: Coming Together to Face the Next Crisis and Bridge Maker Post at the Virginian Federalist. On this page I acknowledged those bloggers who set aside partisan differences to come to the aid of a neighbor. My goal was to encourage my fellow bloggers to see other bloggers as neighbors as opposed to Conservatives, Democrats, Liberals, Republicans, and so forth. Unfortunately, it has been awhile since I saw a blog post I could call a Bridge Maker. The last I saw was on August 5, 2007.
What is the problem? Why have Bridge Makers become so rare? I fear ideological lines have hardened. Congress’ latest activities illustrate this all too well. The health care bill the Senate just passed (see here), can hardly be described as bipartisan legislation. Not one single Republican could be found willing to vote for it.
When do nations become so divided against each other? Generally, I think the problem starts when one group of citizens adopts beliefs and practices that set them at odds with their neighbors. The problem becomes insolvable when this group of citizens demands that their neighbors also adopt those beliefs and practices. Then we have cultural warfare.
What are the implications for the future? Because we tend to repeat the same mistakes as our forebears, we study history. When was the last great American Cultural War? That war occurred over slavery and resulted in the Civil War. In Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville described the effects of slavery in 1831 and 1832 America. He observed racial prejudice against the Negro in both the free state of Ohio and the slave state of Kentucky. Nonetheless, the North wanted no part of slavery. Why? The North understood slavery as harmful to the moral fiber of the master.
The labor of the free man is much more effective and efficient than that of a slave, but slavery undermines the disposition of men to respect the value of their own labor. This attitude towards labor eventually affected the manners of the different regions.
Thus, Southerners bequeathed to their children the sin of slavery and the desire to spread the institution of slavery to other states. Thus also, Northerners bequeathed to their children an abhorrence for slavery. Eventually, the dispute descended into violence.
Do we today have a similar problem? It seems to me that we do. We have leaders intent upon dividing us into two camps: those who receive welfare of the state and those who pay taxes. Much like the slaveholders of the past, these leaders pay no attention to either the constitutionality or the morality of the peculiar welfare institutions they have devised. All that matters to these leaders is convincing enough parasites that it is their personal interest to enslave their tax paying neighbors. Of course, this sort of attitude towards taxation is not healthy.
When we give our leaders such power, they cannot be trusted with it. There is no honor among thieves. And when any excuse can separate a man from the fruit of his labors, an honest day’s work loses both its value and honor. Then the villains impoverish us all.
1. I believe that we tend to idealize how unanimous our country was in the past. We see how fractious is the debate and how hardened are the positions, and naturally think that it could never have been this bad in the past. It isn’t usually in the history books how partisanly divided the country was.
A third of the citizens did not want to fight the war of independence. Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel by a former Vice President. Over politics. Geo Washington was the only President to lead an army (to quash “the Whiskey Rebellion”); the quashees hated him. Opponents of Thom Jefferson hounded him for his alleged negro mistress. The Sedition Act made it a crime to publish “false, scandalous, and malicious writing” against the government or its officials. Why need such a law unless such was being done at the time. Southerners called Abraham Lincoln a monkey etc.
I’m not disagreeing with you, Tom, I wish we had more bridge building. But it is hard to build a bridge to people who are, for instance, militantly pro-choice, anti-capitalist, pro-big government or anti-God ACLU types. Part of the problem is that there are such extreme positions out there that are accepted as mainstream. It used to be that the people who hated our country and who wanted to change our form of government were outcasts. Now they are in the highest seats of power in the Democrat Party and in our Federal Government.
1. John Doe – I don’t think I have idealized the people who founded our nation. I merely think Providence rewarded their religious faith and humility. The Founders understood that when given the opportunity to abuse power there will be too many people inclined to abuse the opportunity. Moreover, they did not refer to those People in the third party using some derisive phrase such as the “starving masses.” They knew each of themselves to be one of the People.
What we have done is allowed our government to educate and mold our character. Thus, instead of being individuals, too many of us have become puppets, puppets that strangely regard themselves as noncomformists wiser than our forebears. Such a conformity of mindset can lead to problems.
Consider this excerpt from one of Adam Smith’s works.
But if politics had never called in the aid of religion, had the conquering party never adopted the tenets of one sect more than those of another, when it had gained the victory, it would probably have dealt equally and impartially with all the different sects, and have allowed every man to choose his own priest, and his own religion, as he thought proper. There would, and, in this case, no doubt, have been, a great multitude of religious sects. Almost every different congregation might probably have had a little sect by itself, or have entertained some peculiar tenets of its own. Each teacher, would, no doubt, have felt himself under the necessity of making the utmost exertion, and of using every art, both to preserve and to increase the number of his disciples. But as every other teacher would have felt himself under the same necessity, the success of no one teacher, or sect of teachers, could have been very great. The interested and active zeal of religious teachers can be dangerous and troublesome only where there is either but one sect tolerated in the society, or where the whole of a large society is divided into two or three great sects; the teachers of each acting by concert, and under a regular discipline and subordination. But that zeal must be altogether innocent, where the society is divided into two or three hundred, or, perhaps, into as many thousand small sects, of which no one could be considerable enough to disturb the public tranquillity. The teachers of each sect, seeing themselves surrounded on all sides with more adversaries than friends, would be obliged to learn that candour and moderation which are so seldom to be found among the teachers of those great sects, whose tenets, being supported by the civil magistrate, are held in veneration by almost all the inhabitants of extensive kingdoms and empires, and who, therefore, see nothing round them but followers, disciples, and humble admirers. The teachers of each little sect, finding themselves almost alone, would be obliged to respect those of almost every other sect; and the concessions which they would mutually find in both convenient and agreeable to make one to another, might in time, probably reduce the doctrine of the greater part of them to that pure and rational religion, free from every mixture of absurdity, imposture, or fanaticism, such as wise men have, in all ages of the world, wished to see established; but such as positive law has, perhaps, never yet established, and probably never will establish in any country; because, with regard to religion, positive law always has been, and probably always will be, more or less influenced by popular superstition and enthusiasm. This plan of ecclesiastical government, or, more properly, of no ecclesiastical government, was what the sect called Independents (a sect, no doubt, of very wild enthusiasts), proposed to establish in England towards the end of the civil war. If it had been established, though of a very unphilosophical origin, it would probably, by this time, have been productive of the most philosophical good temper and moderation with regard to every sort of religious principle. It has been established in Pennsylvania, where, though the quakers happen to be the most numerous, the law, in reality, favours no one sect more than another; and it is there said to have been productive of this philosophical good temper and moderation. (from the AN INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS)</blockquote>When we put our government in charge of our education system and allowed it great influence over the mass media, we found ourselves “more or less influenced by popular superstition and enthusiasm” that has over time increased. That is, our government leaders selectively encouraged the popularization of those beliefs that excuse giving them ever greater powers. No big plot was required. That was just politicians doing what comes natural.
2. Actually no Democrats could be found to vote AGAINST IT. That, too, would be bi-partisan. And the North did not see a need for slavery, as the culture and nature of industry in the North, did not find it necessary. It was not just a moral abhorrence.
A common people are divided as we are when a central government is given enough power to affect the entirety of the people in ways that a large portion find abhorrent. It is not opposing morals, opinions, or principles that divide us. It is that those morals, opinions, and principles are then put into place by force of law. We can no longer leave an area to find common cause with fellow men elsewhere. Leviathan is everywhere. If we remove the overreaching power of our current central federal government, our divisions would not be so important.
1. Good comments. I wish I had a good editor.
I suppose some clarification is needed.
1. Some Democrats would have voted against the bill. That is why they had to be bribed.
2. According to De Tocqueville, Northerners were prejudiced against the Negro. Because the Negros were not enslaved, some felt compelled to degrade the Negro with abuse. Since there were relatively few Negros in the North, they did not have the numbers required to do much about this abuse.
3. De Tocqueville provides an interesting explanation of how slavery affected the crops grown in the South. Consider that free men need only be paid when they work. Slaves have to be fed, clothed, and housed year around. As a result, Southern planters favored crops that required attention year around. The cost of slave labor drove the crop decision. Northerners, on the other hand, selected crops and industries based almost purely upon sales profitability. In dozens of ways, slave labor burdens the master, but Southerners did not know what to do about it. Their dilemma, however, is the subject of another post.
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How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the World
The World Of Computing And Business
As more funds are flowing into artificial intelligence, we are going to see the continued evolution of artificial intelligence. For one it is going to get smarter and smarter and become more useful.
Amazon is investing on Alexa, IBM is investing $1 billion in its Watson, while Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are all using their research labs to AI and robotics. is adding artificial intelligence into their business processes. They call it Einstein. CEO Mark Benioff, said, “The value of Einstein will be in helping people do the things that people are good at and turning more things over to machines.”
When machines start to do some “deep learning” which means it can process sophisticated information on its own, it will be able to perform complex functions like facial recognition and maybe even speech.
As Big Data continues to permeate our lives, it will also continue to speed up the improvement of artificial intelligence.
In the stock market, many brokerages and investment houses are using artificial intelligence programs like Kensho to crunch numbers and sift massive amounts of data daily. Kensho automatically analyses portfolio performance and predict market changes.
Arria uses natural language generation software that simplifies and humanizes the analysis of data-heavy reports. Arria’s Chief Technology Officer Robert Dale, said, “By emulating human behavior in software, you get technology that can carry out tasks that are more than just straightforward number crunching, with the machine exhibiting real intelligence. But you get all the benefits of this being done by software: it is incredibly fast, it is incredibly consistent, and it does not need to sleep or take vacations, so it is available 24/7.”
Artificial intelligence can also businesses dealing with massive amounts of data save time by scanning historical reports and compiling results efficiently.
Work and Job threat
Regarding work, artificial intelligence will now be the ones deciding whom to recruit. Instead of a human being combing through thousands of resumes, a program can
process massive amounts of information and comb through it to come up with a list of shortlisted candidates. A lot of time and effort will be saved and artificial intelligence might even lessen the human risk of choosing the wrong candidates for interview.
Juergen Mueller, SAP’s chief innovation officer, said, “Recruiters spend 60% of their time reading CVs. Why should a person read 300 resumes if a machine can propose the top 10?”
Artificial intelligence can also play a positive role in helping the employees remain engaged with their work. Programs can analyze the emails of workers and figure out if they are unhappy with their jobs so that management can intervene and help workers get out of the unproductive and negative state.
Programs can also analyze how employees spend their time online. It can raise red flags if the employee visits sites unrelated to work. The program can warn management of these unproductive employees, and they can do the necessary action to get them back on track to productivity. On the other hand, the program can also be used to track who is the most productive and efficient with their work and management can give the necessary rewards to achieving certain levels of productivity and efficiency.
Celeste O’Keefe, CEO of Dancel Multimedia, uses a program called Veriato to track the productivity of his team. He said, “It has allowed us to be more streamlined and focused on the task at hand. We can see what they are doing and guide them in the right direction.”
Decisions as to whom to promote can also be done by artificial intelligence. It will remove human biases and may make promotion decisions more effective.
The only problem with the potential benefits of artificial intelligence is the world of work is it needs massive data, and so there could be lots of privacy issues and intrusion into the private lives which people might not like.
One of the key threats that artificial intelligence brings is a loss of jobs, mainly through automation. Artificial intelligence powers robots and technology that can do work more efficiently than humans.
Many jobs could be lost, even professional work such as doctors, accountants and lawyers could are under threat to be replaced by robots and artificial intelligence.
According to a 2013 study by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne, around 47% of workers in America had a high risk of potential automation. Those working in transport and logistics, office support, sales and services all faced a significant risk of
computerization. For Britain, the risk was 35% while in Japan; the risk is high at 49%.
As such, there has been an increased call for a basic income. In fact, Bill Gates even wants to robots to be tax if they replace a human being as labor. Former U.S. President Barack Obama said, “If properly harnessed, it can generate enormous prosperity and opportunity. However, it also has some downsides that we are gonna have to figure out regarding not eliminating jobs. It could increase inequality. It could suppress wages.
While the risk of computer-related automation is real, history has shown that artificial intelligence is beneficial. Since it boosts corporate operations, it will likely spur new demand, and thus corporate expansion will be needed, and this will require more human labor so, in a way, artificial intelligence creates new jobs overall.
The job effect is positive after the lost jobs are subtracted. The challenge for workers is to therefore learn new skills more quickly and better than in the past to be able to remain relevant in the job market.
Elon Musk is channeling funds into a new venture to achieve his vision that one day the human body can interact with artificial intelligence seamlessly.
For those with amputated limbs, artificial intelligence offers hope for them as robotic limbs can be implanted and work along with the human body. The stage is set for a cyborg society.
Sex robots are on the horizon. As robots become more intelligent, intimate relationships between humans and robots are not far-fetched.
Automated Transportation
Google self-driving cars are already a reality, and the future is bright for automated transportation. Public transport like buses and trains will soon become unmanned, leading to pure artificial intelligence running an entire city’s public transport system.
The Dutch government has already done their test drive of driverless trucks operating across Europe. Uber has recently acquired Otto for $680 million. Otto is a startup that deals with auto-drive trucks.
Consulting giant, Mckinsey, has predicted that in less than ten years, a third of all trucks globally will be self-driving.
Dangerous and unhealthy jobs
One of the positive outcomes of artificial intelligence is that they can be used to do the extremely dangerous jobs. For example, bomb defusing can be done by drones. Drones can also be used by the police and army to attack hostage takers and terrorists who might have implanted booby traps for the police and soldiers.
In some developed nations, robots are now the ones doing welding which is a toxic job regarding exposure to toxic substances as well as intense heat and insane noise. This makes welding a very hazardous job, but for robots, it can work under such intense environment.
Caretaking for the elderly and sick is a difficult job and robots can be programmed to help the elderly and sick get better and meet their daily needs. If robots eventually learn to talk and have emotions, the human element needed for caretaking might eventually be met by artificial intelligence.
Impact on Sales Programs and Departments
Artificial intelligence harnessed by sales department can also be beneficial. It can be used in customer relationship management functions. According to Uzi Shmilovici, a thought leader in Prescriptive Sales technology and the CEO of Base CRM, sales programs infused with artificial intelligence can provide excellent feedback to sales professionals to improve their craft and campaigns. Shmilovici, said, “Artificial intelligence programs can scan through millions of events to find patterns and correlations that we just would not notice on a day to day basis. So it might notice a correlation between sending a specific pitch deck to prospective clients before calling them results in better conversions. Alternatively, it might notice that sending a weekly follow up email can yield results up to 8 weeks after initial contact. These are small practices that a sales professional might miss, but that can increase performance over time.”
Artificial intelligence infused in sales programs and used by sales professionals can become a competitive edge for the company. Shmilovici asserts, “The impact of artificial intelligence on sales today is significant enough to qualify as a top-tier competitive advantage. Every CRM company is actively working to release their Prescriptive Sales platform for that reason. This is the wave of the future. By combining Prescriptive Sales technology with a talented sales force, companies will be able to achieve growth at a much quicker pace. This technology could potentially become the future of sales and marketing. |
When I pull up to the pumps in my small hometown on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, I pay more for a tank of gas than in California, my new home. Why? Because regardless of where gas prices hover at the moment, the B.C. government tops off every gallon with a 25-cent tax.
Complaining about gas prices is almost as ubiquitous as small talk about the weather, so it seems counterintuitive for politicians to hike costs up even further. Yet somehow the province’s Liberal party managed not only to do just that, but also to win an election centered on the issue in 2009. They did it by designing the tax in a way that benefits the province’s robust middle class.
Hallie Bateman
The B.C. carbon tax is built on a simple tenet of human behavior: When the price of something goes up, people will consume less of it. It actually applies to not just gasoline, but to all sources of atmospheric carbon, including natural gas and propane, and is based on how much carbon they emit. For example, since natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline, it is taxed at a lower rate. This ensures emissions are priced in proportion to their impact on the climate.
As a result, British Columbia’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions are now nearly 20 percent below the rest of Canada’s. This put the province “within spitting distance” of its goal to reduce emissions 6 percent below 2007 levels by 2012 a year ahead of schedule, says Mary Polak, B.C.’s minister of the environment.
Sustainable Prosperity, a research and policy institute that measured the tax’s impacts, reported that the policy reduced fuel consumption seven times more than if the price of gas had naturally increased by the same amount due to market fluctuations. The tax drove consumption down not just by pushing gas prices up, but also by raising awareness about why we need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
All that happened in the span of just five years.
The carbon tax’s environmental accomplishments are certainly noteworthy, but many people are even more excited about how the economy has responded. While the levy is the highest of its kind in the world, the regional economy has still continued to grow on pace with, and in the last couple of years slightly faster than, the rest of the country. Researchers from Sustainable Prosperity caution that saying the tariff has led the economy to grow would be pure speculation. But just showing that a carbon tax doesn’t flat-line the economy is remarkable, considering that for years, vested interests have been claiming such a measure would cause economic collapse.
Minister Polak also points out that emissions continued to decline even as society emerged from the recession. “It’s not that difficult to lower your emissions when your economy is in the tank,” Polak says. “Where it’s difficult is when your economy is growing.”
The fee was implemented gradually to give people a chance to adapt to the increased cost of fuel. Between 2008 and 2012, the price climbed from $9 to $27 per ton of carbon emitted, the amount that would be released by burning seven tanks of gas. (All dollar amounts have been converted to American figures.) This gave individuals and businesses a chance to switch to greener alternatives before the highest fees kicked in.
Climate scientists and economists have been saying for years that the environmental costs of carbon are much higher than what we traditionally pay. But figuring out the true cost of carbon pollution to society is hard to do. For example, climate change will cause storms to become more frequent and intense, but exactly when and where they will hit can’t be predicted precisely, which means neither can the price tag that accompanies them. The United States government estimates the cost is somewhere between $12 and $116 per ton. Even this estimate is likely conservative, given climate disruption is proving to be more severe than previously anticipated.
Environmental benefits aren’t the only reasons why 64 percent of British Columbians support the levy, though. It’s because we benefit in a tangible and ongoing way from it. The revenues collected don’t get funneled into a government slush fund. Instead, the tax is “revenue neutral,” meaning that the money collected goes right back to the taxpayers in the form of lowered income taxes or checks.
How much you get depends on your income. If you earn less than $29,300 annually, and wouldn’t benefit from a tax credit, you get a check four times a year. As a grad student and someone who falls into the low-income bracket, I look forward to the checks I receive, these days totaling $105 a year. (This number increased incrementally as the fee went up.) Rural and northern residents, who inevitably endure harsher winters, travel longer distances, and face greater obstacles to reducing their dependence on fossil fuels than their urban counterparts, receive an additional sum.
People in the next two tax brackets, earning up to $111,300 a year, receive a rebate on their income taxes. As a result, middle class families, which make up about 60 percent of the population, enjoy the lowest income taxes in the country. The highest income earners, however, don’t get a tax break. And because the tax is applied at the source when a fossil fuel is purchased, similar to a sales tax, it makes getting out of paying difficult.
Herein lies the cornerstone of broad support for the initiative: Whether you care about taking action on climate change or not, chances are good that you benefit from the tax, either in the form of regular checks or via the lowest income taxes in the country. The fact that the tax structure promotes equity is an added bonus.
And if you’re careful about how much fuel you burn, you could even get more back than you paid in the first place. I’m sure that’s true for me because I walk or cycle when possible and don’t own a car. Others who reduce their emissions, by grouping trips, carpooling, or switching to a more efficient vehicle, stand to benefit similarly. In this way, the tax rewards green behavior.
gas pump
My father, a small business owner on Vancouver Island, can’t avoid driving because he needs to travel to the properties that he appraises for work. But his priorities have shifted. “The carbon tax makes up a significant enough percent of the increasing price of fuel that it has definitely tipped the scale on how much I drive,” he says.
So when he had to replace his truck last year, he bought a more fuel-efficient model, and he bundles his errands, rather than taking a separate trip for each. “It also changes the way that I drive,” he says. “Now I’m more conscious about accelerating more slowly and driving at slower speeds because it burns less gas.”
Even the Chamber of Commerce, which represents small and medium-sized business, endorses the policy. Jon Garson, the chamber’s vice president of policy, explains that although there were some initial qualms, chamber members largely understand that the future costs of climate change are going to outweigh the costs of taking action now. As business executives, they also favored an economics-driven solution.
“The most efficient way to address greenhouse gases is to do what any economist will tell you,” Garson says: “Put a price on them.”
Lawmakers padded the blow for business by reducing the tax rates they pay as well. Corporate and small business income taxes have each been reduced by a percent and the threshold for higher tax rates has been deferred by $100,000, meaning that businesses pay a lower rate for earnings up to half a million dollars.
Even so, big businesses have been less enthusiastic about the tax, although they supported the concept when it was initially proposed. The Business Council of British Columbia, which represents the 250 largest companies in the province, contends that exports, a driver of the region’s economy, have been harmed.
Denise Dalmer, the council’s director of sustainability and environment, says that the tax has increased the price of products made in British Columbia. When BC producers export locally made goods to places without the tax, the products are relatively more expensive, putting manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage. It’s especially unfair, the business council argues, because British Columbia is a relatively small emitter compared to the rest of North America.
One particularly carbon-intensive industry that claims it has suffered as a result of the tax is cement manufacturing. When there are manufacturers just south of the border in Washington who make the same product but sell it at a cheaper price, there is an obvious discrepancy. The obvious answer? Create a better product — and that’s what B.C. has done: The two largest cement makers in the province have generated a new product that boasts a 10 percent smaller greenhouse gas footprint than conventional cement. In addition to a new selling point, these lowered emissions mean a smaller tax on the product as well.
Concerns about regional competitiveness may soon be put to rest if a recent agreement between several West Coast states is ratified. Last October, Washington and Oregon signed the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, pledging to join California and British Columbia by putting a price on carbon.
California already has a cap-and-trade scheme in place, which limits the amount of emissions from the state’s largest polluters and distributes tradable permits. Big polluters can lower their emissions or buy credits from cleaner companies that don’t need them to meet their reductions requirements.
But a carbon tax has a much lower administrative burden than a cap-and-trade scheme like this. The government does not need to decide the exact level of emissions to allow, track credits and pollutant levels to prevent corruption (which has plagued cap-and-trade in Europe), or enforce the rules when companies exceed their output allowance. The tax also galvanizes broader public involvement in lowering emissions because it impacts everyone.
So while in isolation, big business north of the border might see the carbon tax as only resulting in negligible change, our potential impact as a region is significant. British Columbia has a population of 4 million. If you add the three Pacific Coast states, that number becomes 53 million residents, creating the fifth largest economy in the world. If Washington and Oregon pass a carbon tax, the West Coast could soon be the world’s first coordinated carbon pricing zone. And Washington is already making strides in that direction, as the state’s governor signed an executive order in April to accelerate the development of clean energy and to cut carbon pollution in the state.
Such a show of international cooperation could be as important as the greenhouse gas reductions that result: When international climate change negotiations have failed to produce a global deal and when the European Union recently announced that it will back away from its emissions reductions targets, the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy has the potential to be a rare beacon of hope on bilateral climate action.
The leadership of one Canadian province, and now western American states, is sending the message that if national governments won’t commit to building a sustainable future, smaller governments will take matters into their own hands. It will require action by more than one region in North America to slow climate change, but the closer we get to paying for the true cost of carbon and debunking the myth that doing so harms our economies, the faster other places are likely to follow suit.
Whether we do it for the planet or the economy, the sooner the better. |
(Antywey, Antaios) The chief local God of the 10th nome (or district) of Upper Egyptian has a name very difficult to distinguish from that of the chief God of the 12th Upper Egyptian nome, Anty or Nemty, the difference being that the name of the God of the 10th nome is dual, Antiwy (or Nemtiwy), so that if we read Anty as “having claws” we would read Antiwy as “the two with claws”. This duality is underscored by his name being written commonly with two hawks in either one or two sacred boats. There is an ambiguity concerning the phonetic rendering of the name of the God of the 12th nome, however; though it may have been Anty, a stronger argument seems to read it as Nemty, “wanderer”. While the same arguments would in principle apply to the reading of the name “Antiwy”, which would thus potentially be read as “Nemtiwy”, “the two wanderers”, the name of the God of the 10th nome is explicitly rendered in Greek as Antaios, and his district as “Antaiopolis”, and hence this name was obviously heard as “Antiwy”, and not as “Nemtiwy”. Moreover, we read of certain sacred dancers at Antaiopolis who wore anklets with an amulet in the form of a claw (Vandier, p. 69). Therefore I have chosen to refer to the God of the 12th nome as “Nemty”, and to the God of the 10th nome as “Antiwy”.
Sometimes Antiwy, in accord with the “two” in his name, is taken to be a combined form of Horus and Seth, as though expressing the bond created by their very conflict. Diodorus Siculus (I, 21) locates the struggle between Horus and Seth as taking place “near the village now known as Antaios”. Te Velde (68f) sees Antiwy as “giving form to the coincidentia oppositorum” of Horus and Seth, and indeed, the capital of the 10th Upper Egyptian nome is given the ceremonial name at Denderah of ḥwt-śḥtp, “house of reconciliation”. Antiwy is on the whole more closely identified with Seth, however, and sometimes is straightforwardly identified with him and depicted with the head of the Seth-animal (Gardiner, II. 53-55). Antiwy also often has Nephthys for consort. Due to the similar sound of their names, Greeks sometimes identified Antaios with Antaios (or Antaeus), the Libyan giant and son of Poseidon defeated by Herakles—as apparently Diodorus, who says that the town of Antaios “derives its name from that of Antaios, a contemporary of Osiris, who was punished by Herakles” (ibid.). There is no more to this, however, than the coincidental phonetic similarity, unless there are further links more obscure to us, such as between the “punishment” of Antaios mentioned by Diodorus and the punishments traditionally suffered by Seth (or by Nemty, for that matter), or the syncretisms between certain Egyptian deities and Herakles.
In Pharaonic-era depictions, Antiwy is typically depicted as a hawk-headed man, but images of the Roman era depict Antaios as a man in the garb of a Roman military officer, typically wearing two long feathers on his head and carrying a tasseled spear, accompanied by Nephthys, in accord with Antiwy’s identification with Seth, and occasionally by a hawk, perhaps alluding to Antiwy’s association with the hawk. In several scenes, Antaios dominates a captive antelope (embodying the forces of chaos) or human wearing antelope horns. (On these images, see Bailey 2005.)
Bailey, Donald. 2005. “Antaios, an Egyptian God in Roman Egypt: Extracting an Iconography.” Pp. 389-98 in M. Sanader and A. R. Miočević (eds.), Religion and Myth as an Impetus for the Roman Provincial Sculpture: Proceedings of the 8th International Colloquium on Problems of Roman Provincial Art. Zagreb: Tehnička knjiga.
Brunner, Hellmutt. 1975. “Antaios”. Pp. 299-300 in Helck and Otto, eds. Lexikon der Ägyptologie: Band I, A-Ernte. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Gardiner, Alan H. 1947. Ancient Egyptian Onomastica. 3 vols. Oxford University Press.
Te Velde, Herman. 1967. Seth, God of Confusion: A Study of his Role in Egyptian Mythology and Religion. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Vandier, Jacques. 1961. Le Papyrus Jumilhac. Paris: Musée de Louvre.
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Literal types
Literal types let you indicate that an expression is equal to some specific primitive value. For example, if we annotate a variable with type Literal["foo"], mypy will understand that variable is not only of type str, but is also equal to specifically the string "foo".
This feature is primarily useful when annotating functions that behave differently based on the exact value the caller provides. For example, suppose we have a function fetch_data(...) that returns bytes if the first argument is True, and str if it’s False. We can construct a precise type signature for this function using Literal[...] and overloads:
from typing import overload, Union, Literal
# The first two overloads use Literal[...] so we can
# have precise return types:
def fetch_data(raw: Literal[True]) -> bytes: ...
def fetch_data(raw: Literal[False]) -> str: ...
# The last overload is a fallback in case the caller
# provides a regular bool:
def fetch_data(raw: bool) -> Union[bytes, str]: ...
# Implementation is omitted
reveal_type(fetch_data(True)) # Revealed type is 'bytes'
reveal_type(fetch_data(False)) # Revealed type is 'str'
# Variables declared without annotations will continue to have an
# inferred type of 'bool'.
variable = True
reveal_type(fetch_data(variable)) # Revealed type is 'Union[bytes, str]'
The examples in this page import Literal as well as Final and TypedDict from the typing module. These types were added to typing in Python 3.8, but are also available for use in Python 2.7 and 3.4 - 3.7 via the typing_extensions package.
Parameterizing Literals
Literal types may contain one or more literal bools, ints, strs, bytes, and enum values. However, literal types cannot contain arbitrary expressions: types like Literal[my_string.trim()], Literal[x > 3], or Literal[3j + 4] are all illegal.
Literals containing two or more values are equivalent to the union of those values. So, Literal[-3, b"foo", MyEnum.A] is equivalent to Union[Literal[-3], Literal[b"foo"], Literal[MyEnum.A]]. This makes writing more complex types involving literals a little more convenient.
Literal types may also contain None. Mypy will treat Literal[None] as being equivalent to just None. This means that Literal[4, None], Union[Literal[4], None], and Optional[Literal[4]] are all equivalent.
Literals may also contain aliases to other literal types. For example, the following program is legal:
PrimaryColors = Literal["red", "blue", "yellow"]
SecondaryColors = Literal["purple", "green", "orange"]
AllowedColors = Literal[PrimaryColors, SecondaryColors]
def paint(color: AllowedColors) -> None: ...
paint("red") # Type checks!
paint("turquoise") # Does not type check
Literals may not contain any other kind of type or expression. This means doing Literal[my_instance], Literal[Any], Literal[3.14], or Literal[{"foo": 2, "bar": 5}] are all illegal.
Declaring literal variables
You must explicitly add an annotation to a variable to declare that it has a literal type:
a: Literal[19] = 19
reveal_type(a) # Revealed type is 'Literal[19]'
In order to preserve backwards-compatibility, variables without this annotation are not assumed to be literals:
b = 19
reveal_type(b) # Revealed type is 'int'
If you find repeating the value of the variable in the type hint to be tedious, you can instead change the variable to be Final (see Final names, methods and classes):
from typing import Final, Literal
def expects_literal(x: Literal[19]) -> None: pass
c: Final = 19
reveal_type(c) # Revealed type is 'Literal[19]?'
expects_literal(c) # ...and this type checks!
If you do not provide an explicit type in the Final, the type of c becomes context-sensitive: mypy will basically try “substituting” the original assigned value whenever it’s used before performing type checking. This is why the revealed type of c is Literal[19]?: the question mark at the end reflects this context-sensitive nature.
For example, mypy will type check the above program almost as if it were written like so:
from typing import Final, Literal
This means that while changing a variable to be Final is not quite the same thing as adding an explicit Literal[...] annotation, it often leads to the same effect in practice.
The main cases where the behavior of context-sensitive vs true literal types differ are when you try using those types in places that are not explicitly expecting a Literal[...]. For example, compare and contrast what happens when you try appending these types to a list:
from typing import Final, Literal
a: Final = 19
b: Literal[19] = 19
# Mypy will chose to infer List[int] here.
list_of_ints = []
reveal_type(list_of_ints) # Revealed type is 'List[int]'
# But if the variable you're appending is an explicit Literal, mypy
# will infer List[Literal[19]].
list_of_lits = []
reveal_type(list_of_lits) # Revealed type is 'List[Literal[19]]'
Intelligent indexing
We can use Literal types to more precisely index into structured heterogeneous types such as tuples, NamedTuples, and TypedDicts. This feature is known as intelligent indexing.
For example, when we index into a tuple using some int, the inferred type is normally the union of the tuple item types. However, if we want just the type corresponding to some particular index, we can use Literal types like so:
from typing import TypedDict
tup = ("foo", 3.4)
# Indexing with an int literal gives us the exact type for that index
reveal_type(tup[0]) # Revealed type is 'str'
# But what if we want the index to be a variable? Normally mypy won't
# know exactly what the index is and so will return a less precise type:
int_index = 1
reveal_type(tup[int_index]) # Revealed type is 'Union[str, float]'
# But if we use either Literal types or a Final int, we can gain back
# the precision we originally had:
lit_index: Literal[1] = 1
fin_index: Final = 1
reveal_type(tup[lit_index]) # Revealed type is 'str'
reveal_type(tup[fin_index]) # Revealed type is 'str'
# We can do the same thing with with TypedDict and str keys:
class MyDict(TypedDict):
name: str
main_id: int
backup_id: int
d: MyDict = {"name": "Saanvi", "main_id": 111, "backup_id": 222}
name_key: Final = "name"
reveal_type(d[name_key]) # Revealed type is 'str'
# You can also index using unions of literals
id_key: Literal["main_id", "backup_id"]
reveal_type(d[id_key]) # Revealed type is 'int'
Tagged unions
When you have a union of types, you can normally discriminate between each type in the union by using isinstance checks. For example, if you had a variable x of type Union[int, str], you could write some code that runs only if x is an int by doing if isinstance(x, int): ....
However, it is not always possible or convenient to do this. For example, it is not possible to use isinstance to distinguish between two different TypedDicts since at runtime, your variable will simply be just a dict.
Instead, what you can do is label or tag your TypedDicts with a distinct Literal type. Then, you can discriminate between each kind of TypedDict by checking the label:
from typing import Literal, TypedDict, Union
class NewJobEvent(TypedDict):
tag: Literal["new-job"]
job_name: str
config_file_path: str
class CancelJobEvent(TypedDict):
tag: Literal["cancel-job"]
job_id: int
Event = Union[NewJobEvent, CancelJobEvent]
def process_event(event: Event) -> None:
# Since we made sure both TypedDicts have a key named 'tag', it's
# safe to do 'event["tag"]'. This expression normally has the type
# Literal["new-job", "cancel-job"], but the check below will narrow
# the type to either Literal["new-job"] or Literal["cancel-job"].
# This in turns narrows the type of 'event' to either NewJobEvent
# or CancelJobEvent.
if event["tag"] == "new-job":
While this feature is mostly useful when working with TypedDicts, you can also use the same technique wih regular objects, tuples, or namedtuples.
Similarly, tags do not need to be specifically str Literals: they can be any type you can normally narrow within if statements and the like. For example, you could have your tags be int or Enum Literals or even regular classes you narrow using isinstance():
from typing import Generic, TypeVar, Union
T = TypeVar('T')
class Wrapper(Generic[T]):
def __init__(self, inner: T) -> None:
self.inner = inner
def process(w: Union[Wrapper[int], Wrapper[str]]) -> None:
# Doing `if isinstance(w, Wrapper[int])` does not work: isinstance requires
# that the second argument always be an *erased* type, with no generics.
# This is because generics are a typing-only concept and do not exist at
# runtime in a way `isinstance` can always check.
# However, we can side-step this by checking the type of `w.inner` to
# narrow `w` itself:
if isinstance(w.inner, int):
reveal_type(w) # Revealed type is 'Wrapper[int]'
reveal_type(w) # Revealed type is 'Wrapper[str]'
This feature is sometimes called “sum types” or “discriminated union types” in other programming languages.
Mypy will not understand expressions that use variables of type Literal[..] on a deep level. For example, if you have a variable a of type Literal[3] and another variable b of type Literal[5], mypy will infer that a + b has type int, not type Literal[8].
The basic rule is that literal types are treated as just regular subtypes of whatever type the parameter has. For example, Literal[3] is treated as a subtype of int and so will inherit all of int’s methods directly. This means that Literal[3].__add__ accepts the same arguments and has the same return type as int.__add__. |
The most destructive pests aren’t necessarily creatures we find every day. Non-native species with no native predators can thrive unchecked causing devastating effects to our wildlife, agriculture, and ecosystem.
One invasive species that has been a prominent issue for hardwood trees and other foliage since 1869 is the gypsy moth. Prevention and early discovery of these problem pests can not only protect your home, but it can stop the destruction of a variety of plants.
If you think you may have a gypsy moth infestation, here are the most frequently asked questions about gypsy moths.
Lymantria dispar, or the gypsy moth, is a European moth discovered in the US in 1869. These insects are native to Europe, southern Asia, and northern Africa. While not native to the US, they are commonly found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. Though the caterpillars were brought here with the intention of making silk, these leaf-feeding pests have become a destructive nuisance.
Gypsy moths are dark and hairy, when in caterpillar form. They have lined backs with five blue dots and six red dots. As caterpillars, they can grow between 38mm to 50mm. When they become moths, adult gypsy moths have hairy bodies. Males are grey and small, while females have a wingspread of about 2 to 3 ⅓ inches. The females’ wings are white with black lines and though they have wings, they do not fly.
Gypsy moths are an invasive species. They feed on a variety of plants, and while this normally wouldn’t be a problem, they consume plants on a high scale, which can be devastating. The larvae feed on trees like oak, birch, willows, and alder. The older larvae stages feed on cedar, pine, spruce, and fir. Gypsy moths are particularly destructive to hardwood forests. As they consume plant life, they are destroying the habitat of many native animals. Since these pests are thriving, the repeat infestations weaken and eventually kill of vital trees.
Gypsy moths don’t necessarily breed quickly, but their eggs are resilient. They can overwinter in their egg stage and rehatch in warmer weather. As Spring blossoms, so do the gypsy moth outbreaks. Females can lay between 500-1000 eggs at one time. This can produce an overwhelming amount of offspring. Female gypsy moths lay their eggs underneath tree bark, in shaded areas, or anywhere they can find a flat surface. They have been known to lay their eggs on outdoor furniture and cars as well. You can spot their eggs easily; they are covered with a mass of tan-colored hairs.
Normally, you can spot gypsy moth egg masses from July or August until the following May. Since their eggs can overwinter, it’s possible they can survive the harsh climate. These tannish masses are often found on host trees, or on surrounding flat surfaces.
The common signs of a gypsy moth infestation are defoliation in trees or holes in leaves. Additionally, you can spot egg masses on tree trunks and other flat outdoor services. You can usually find them in groups, and they can cover millions of acres.
The best thing would be to destroy the egg masses, but you must be cautious when doing so. Egg masses can be destroyed by burning or crushing the eggs. First, you must scrape them from the surface of their host tree and then place them into a bucket. You can also kill the egg by filling the bucket with soapy water. Either way, the egg masses must be removed. If you have an infestation and you don’t feel comfortable removing these pests yourself, contact a pest control expert.
While gypsy moths aren’t particularly dangerous to humans, you still shouldn’t touch them with bare skin. Their hairs can cause an allergic reaction, which can be quite painful. Whenever handling gypsy moths or egg masses, take precautions; use gloves and cover yourself.
If you want to avoid scraping egg masses from your trees, here are a few things you can do. Water your trees during a drought. Gypsy moths are drawn to the dry wood – so keeping you trees hydrated can keep them save. Also, increasing soil moisture can help keep these pests away. Place mulch underneath and around your trees to stave off any gyspy moth invasions. Regardless, this invasive species is resilient. If you have an overwhelming infestation, do not hesitate to contact a professional.
Contact Us Today and Set Up a Free Pest Inspection! |
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A Brief History Of Chiropractic
The principle of chiropractic was discovered September 18, 1895 by Dr. Daniel Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. On that day, Palmer was in his office carrying on a shouted conversation with the deaf janitor of the building, Harvey Lillard.
Lillard was explaining in shouts to Palmer that about 17 years earlier while working in a cramped, stooped position, something had "popped" in his back Since that time, his hearing had become progressively worse.
Dr. Palmer, a curious, intelligent man, examined Lillard's back and found a painful, misaligned vertebra at the spot where something had "popped" 17 years earlier. He suspected a connection between this misaligned vertebra and Lillard's impaired hearing-and reasoned that if something had gone wrong in his back and caused deafness, the correction of the misaligned vertebra should bring back Lillard's hearing.
Using his hands, Palmer repositioned the vertebra with a gentle thrust. Lillard's hearing improved immediately. In that moment, Palmer made the breakthrough that had eluded the greatest medical minds of all the ages ... he had discovered the cause of nearly all human disease.
During the next few days, Palmer continued the hand treatments on Lillard's spine. Within a week, Lillard was able to hear as well as anybody and was telling anybody who would listen about Dr. Palmer's hand treatments.
Dr. Palmer's fame quickly spread as he proved that the hand treatments were effective in all sorts of disease conditions. He became a world-renowned specialist in the spine and nerve system.
His research into the cause of disease had led him to the conclusion that misalignment of the spinal column interferes with normal nerve function and thus, an alteration of normal body functions.
Pinched Nerves Do Cause Dis-ease
Everyone knows that pinched nerves in a broken back can cause partial paralysis of the legs and that if nerves are severely compressed, complete paralysis results.
Why then do some of us shut our minds to the same pinched nerve probability when (for instance) the lungs, heart, stomach or other parts of the body become diseases? Such thinking is inconsistent.
Lung, heart and stomach conditions need the same consideration that more obvious forms of paralysis receive. Tissue deprived of nerve energy (impulses) cannot maintain health without nerve guidance from the brain.
Chiropractic Philosophy
1. Vertebral subluxation always causes the body to work at less than 100% lowering its resistance and ability to adapt to life’s demands causing dis-ease.
2. You cannot ever reach your potential in life without regular chiropractic care.
3. There are no alternatives to chiropractic care as there are alternatives to medicine or symptom treatment. (Alternatives to the medical approach: acupuncture, nutritional supplementation, herbs, homeopathy, massage and other energy therapies and treatments…)
4. Chiropractic can never be an approach to treating disease. (Dis-ease is the effect of the subluxation; the subluxation is the cause of dis-ease leading to disease and chiropractors do not treat symptoms they treat the cause.)
5. The innate intelligence of the body can always run it better than the finite educated mind of man.
6. I, as a Chiropractor move the bone, and let God do the healing
The truth of these statements will be made known to you over the course of time under chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Definitions
Subluxation: When one or more of the vertebrae are misaligned, the flow of energy and messages from the brain to the body is altered. This causes disorganization and disease. Subluxations are known as "silent killers", often they go undetected, slowly deteriorating your health.
Adjustment: A specific force applied to one or more of the vertebrae of the spinal column to remove nerve interference and promote the body's natural healing ability.
Health: A state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (symptoms).
Contact Information
Practice Phone: (253) 927-7721
Practice Fax: (253) 841-9390
E-Mail: DrThiede@thiedechiropractic.com
2908 Meridian Ave E., Suite 103
Edgewood, WA 98371
Thiede Chiropractic
Map & Directions
Contact Us Get Directions
Office Hours
Tuesday: Closed 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Thursday: Closed Closed
Saturday: 9:00am - 11:00am Closed
Sunday: Closed Closed |
SEER - a novel method for the detection of genetic sequences
Project: Research project
Project Details
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal describes the development of a new technology for the imaging of specific DNA sequences. These agents will consist of two inactive parts of a signal-generating enzyme that have the ability to recognize specific DNA sequences. When the appropriate DNA sequence is present, the two parts will bind near each other and generate a fluorescent signal. If the sequence is absent or mutated, no signal will be generated. The components will therefore act as "turn-on" sensors, with essentially no background in the absence of sequence-directed reassembly. This system, designated SEER (Sequence-Enabled Enzyme Reactivation), is able to "see" or detect genetic information. It should provide a sensitive yet inexpensive assay that may be useful as a clinical diagnostic agent. SEER could detect specific nucleic acid sequences that are unique to a pathogen, such as for detecting food-borne pathogens or bio terror agents. It could be used to detect genomic rearrangements or indicate telomere length, which can be markers for cancer or age related diseases. It could also allow for the detection of DNA accessibility, unusual DNA structures and DNA modifications, which are presently undetectable by similar methods. The most novel aspect of this method is its ability to recognize double-stranded DNA, rather than denatured single-strand DNA. This feature presents the possibility to report on genomic information within individual living cells, an ability not provided by any existing technology. The system could be reconfigured to kill cells through reactivation of a cytotoxic enzyme, producing sequence-dependent cell death. This research therefore has the potential to impact studies of disease detection and treatment. Two prototype SEER systems have been constructed, based on the reassembly of GFP (SEER-GFP) and b-lactamase (SEER-LAC). Here we propose to optimize the systems (Aim 1) and examine specific aspects of their detection capabilities using biologically relevant targets in vitro and in living cells (Aims 2-5).
Effective start/end date6/1/065/31/11
• National Institutes of Health: $271,687.00
• National Institutes of Health: $271,882.00
• National Institutes of Health: $292,708.00
• National Institutes of Health: $271,445.00
• National Institutes of Health: $268,476.00
• Medicine(all)
• Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
|
Rest breaks help us learn quicker and produce more
Graphics show that prescribed rest breaks reduce spontaneous breaks and disguised breaks, increasing net working time.
Figure 15.4 Effects of regular short breaks on the net working time
Rest breaks are biologically important
Military commanders have always known that a marching column should be halted once an hour because the time lost will be more than compensated for by a better performance by the men at the end of the march.
Rest pauses are essential, not only during manual work but equally during work that taxes the nervous system, whether by requiring manual dexterity or by the need to monitor a great many incoming sensory signals.
Encouragement helps
…since nobody can do either manual or mental work continuously without interruption.
…disguising pauses… often… do not provide sufficient relaxation because another activity is performed. For full effect, pauses should be taken openly.
Rest breaks increase learning
If training is interrupted frequently for short periods of relaxation, a new skill is acquired much more quickly than if training is continuous…
Rest pauses during training do more than just prevent fatigue: during rest pauses a trainee will look ahead and understand the process so that it becomes easier to acquire the automatic skills required. When a skilled operation is involved, the rest pauses provide additional periods for mental training.
More rest is needed later in the day
Figure 15.4 shows the results of a time study in the electrical industry where a highly skilled job on piece rate was performed. There were about three times as many pauses during the last three hours as during the first five, showing that the need for breaks in the work increased as the operator became more fatigued.
…rest pauses… should amount to 15 per cent of the working time. Often a ratio of 20-30 per cent is allowed and this is certainly necessary in some jobs.
Rest breaks increase production
Introducing organised rest pauses often actually speeds up the work and this compensates for the time lost during the prescribed pauses; it also reduces disguised and spontaneous pauses.
The hourly output of fatiguing work usually declines towards the end of the morning shift, and even more towards evening, as the rate of working slows down. …if prescribed pauses are introduced the appearance of fatigue symptoms is postponed and the loss of production through fatigue is less.
…rest pauses tend to increase output rather than to decrease it. Ergonomics attributes these effects to the avoidance of excessive fatigue or to the periodic relief of fatigue symptoms by an interval of relaxation.
Rest break recommendations
1. For jobs demanding moderate physical or mental effort, there should be organised breaks of 10 to 15 min about halfway through the work periods before and after the longer (about 30 min) mid-shift rest period.
2. A job making heavy mental demands, especially if it is timed work with little embedded rest, should have several short pauses of a few minutes’ length in addition to the organised breaks described under (1) above.
3. When learning a skill or serving an apprenticeship, many pauses should be the rule, varying in rate and duration to suit the difficulty of the task.
4. Supervisors should encourage their staff to make, and everyone at work should take, as many spontaneous breaks as needed to maintain attention, concentration, endurance and well-being. They should be open rather than disguised, frequent and of short duration. Don’t wait for fatigue, avoid it!
1. Kroemer, Karl H. E., and Etienne Grandjean. Fitting the task to the human: a textbook of occupational ergonomics. 5th edition, CRC Press, 1997, pp. 246-250.
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Saturday, 17 December 2016 00:36
The Science Behind Brand Protection in the Deep and Dark Web
Over the past few years we have seen a surge in cyber attacks against well-known organizations, each seemingly larger than the last. As cybercriminals look for innovative ways to penetrate corporate infrastructures, the challenges for brand owners to protect their IP has steadily grown. Fraudsters will stop at nothing to profit from a corporate entity’s security vulnerabilities, and the data they steal can fetch a hefty price in underground online marketplaces.
Whether it is a company with a large customer base that accesses and exchanges financial or personal information online, or a small brand that has IP assets to protect, no company is exempt. While banking and finance organizations are the most obvious targets, an increasing number of attacks are taking place on companies in other industries, from healthcare and retail to technology, manufacturing and insurance companies. Data breaches can have a damaging impact on a company’s internal IT infrastructure, financial assets, business partners and customers, to say nothing of the brand equity and customer trust that companies spend years building.
Battlegrounds: Deep Web and Dark Web
A common analogy for the full internet landscape is that of an iceberg, with the section of the iceberg above water level being the surface web, comprised of visible websites that are indexed by standard search engines. It is what most people use every day to find information, shop and interact online, but it accounts for only about four percent of the Internet.
The remaining sites are found in the Deep Web, which includes pages that are unindexed by search engines. A large proportion of this content is legitimate, including corporate intranets or academic resources residing behind a firewall.
However, some sites in the Deep Web also contain potentially illegitimate or suspicious content, such as phishing sites that collect user credentials, sites that disseminate malware that deliberately try to hide their existence, websites and marketplaces that sell counterfeit goods, and peer-to-peer sites where piracy often takes place. Consumers may unknowingly stumble upon these and are at risk of unwittingly releasing personal information or credentials to fraudulent entities.
Deeper still is the Dark Web, a collection of websites and content that exist on overlay networks whose IP addresses are completely hidden and require anonymizer software, such as Tor, to access. While there are a number of legitimate users of Tor, such as privacy advocates, journalists and law enforcement agencies, its anonymity also makes it an ideal foundation for illicit activity. Vast quantities of private information, such as log-in credentials, banking and credit card information, are peddled with impunity on underground marketplaces in the Dark Web.
Waking up to the Threats
The Deep Web and Dark Web have been in the public eye for some time, but in recent years, fraudsters and cybercriminals have been honing their tactics in these hidden channels to strike at their prey more effectively and minimize their own risk of being caught. The anonymity in the Dark Web allows this medium to thrive as a haven for cybercriminals, where corporate network login credentials can be bought and sold to the highest bidder, opening the door to a cyberattack that most companies are unable to detect or prevent.
While Deep Web sites are not indexed, consumers may still stumble upon them, unaware they have been redirected to an illegitimate site. The path to these sites are many: typosquatted pages with names that are close matches to legitimate brands; search engine ads for keywords that resolve to Deep Web sites; email messages with phishing links; or even mobile apps that redirect.
Moreover, as a higher volume of users learn the intricacies of Tor to access and navigate the Dark Web, the greater the scale of anonymity grows. More points in the Dark Web’s distributed network of relays makes it more difficult to identify a single user and track down cybercriminals. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack when the haystack continues to get larger and larger.
The Science and Strategy Behind Protection
Brands can potentially mitigate abuse in the Deep Web, depending on the site. If a website attempts to hide its identity from a search engine, there are technological solutions to uncover and address the abuse. Conventional tools commonly used by companies to protect their brands can also tackle fraudulent activity in the Deep Web, including takedown requests to ISPs, cease and desist notices and, if required, the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP).
As for the Dark Web, where anonymity reigns and the illicit buying and selling of proprietary and personal information are commonplace, companies can arm themselves with the right technology and threat intelligence to gain visibility into imminent threats. Actively monitoring fraudster-to-fraudster social media conversations, for example, enables companies to take necessary security precautions prior to a cyberattack, or to prevent or lessen the impact of a future attack. In the event of a data breach where credit card numbers are stolen, threat intelligence can help limit the financial damage to consumers by revealing stolen numbers before they can be used and have them cancelled by the bank.
Technology can even help identify and efficiently infiltrate cybercriminal networks in the Dark Web that might otherwise take a considerable amount of manual human effort by a security analyst team. Access to technology can significantly lighten the load for security teams and anchor a more reliable and scalable security strategy.
In light of so many cyber threats, it falls to organizations and their security operations teams to leverage technology to identify criminal activity and limit financial liability to the company and irreparable damage to the brand.
Key Industries at Risk
A growing number of industries are now being targeted by cybercriminals, but there are tangible steps companies can take. For financial institutions, visibility into Dark Web activity yields important benefits. Clues for an impending attack might potentially be uncovered to save millions of dollars and stop the erosion of customer trust. Improved visibility can also help companies identify a person sharing insider or proprietary information and determine the right course of action to reduce the damage.
In the healthcare industry, data breaches can be especially alarming because they expose not only the healthcare organization’s proprietary data, but also a vast number of people’s medical information and associated personal information. This could include images of authorized signatures, email addresses, billing addresses and account numbers. Cybercriminals who use information like this can exploit it to compromise more data, such as social security numbers and private medical records. Credentials could even potentially lead to identities being sold.
Most organizations have implemented stringent security protocols to safeguard their IT infrastructure, but conventional security measures don’t provide the critical intelligence needed to analyze cyberattacks that propagate in the Deep Web and Dark Web. It is fundamentally harder to navigate a medium where web pages are unindexed and anonymity can hide criminal activity.
Meanwhile, cyberattacks on organizations across a wider number of sectors continue to surge, putting proprietary corporate information, trade secrets and employee network access credentials at risk. Businesses need to be aware of all threats to their IP in all areas of the Internet. Leveraging every available tool to monitor, detect and take action where possible is vital in addressing the threats that these hidden regions of the internet pose.
Author: Charlie Abrahams
Source: http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2016/12/14/brand-protection-deep-dark-web/id=75478
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How to Seal Your Greenhouse
greenhouse image by tofuwarrior from <a href=''></a>
The proper sealing and insulating of your greenhouse protects the plants inside from a variety of potential hazards. During the winter months, a good seal keeps the cold air from leaking in and causing a possible freeze. Throughout the rest of the year, the seal on your greenhouse can prevent large pests from getting in and prevent the warm air circulating through the greenhouse from escaping.
Check the caulking around the foundation of any type of greenhouse. The gaps where the frame of the greenhouse and the foundation meet should be caulked upon installation. If you have a glass greenhouse, fill in any gaps or holes in the frame with caulking to seal the greenhouse.
Hold the bottom of the plastic down in curtain-style greenhouses with a heavy block of wood or piece of metal on each side. Purchase a piece of metal the same length as the side so that the metal reaches across the entire bottom, or cut a block of wood the same length as the side so that it fits across the bottom. Fold the bottom of the curtain inward so that the bottom lies on the ground, and place the metal or wood across the bottom to seal it against the ground.
Install Velcro strips on the frame of curtain-style plastic greenhouses. Run the Velcro strips down the entire length of each vertical corner post in the greenhouse frame. Leave the two halves of the Velcro strips attached to each other when sticking the strips to the frame.
Peel off the backing on the exposed side of the Velcro strips, one at a time, and press the plastic curtains against the adhesive backing. Put pressure on the plastic until it sticks to the Velcro strip from the top to the bottom. To open the plastic curtains, peel the Velcro apart.
Do not seal your greenhouse airtight, even during the winter months. Leave the greenhouse vents open for air circulation. Closing off the greenhouse completely leads to mold and mildew, which can kill the plants inside. In freezing temperatures, you can close the events overnight to help prevent frost.
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Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Introduction to Globalisation
Defining Globalisation
There are many definitions of globalisation as it involves many different areas including the following:
Economic – Under the auspices of GATT and latterly the WHO, world trade has expanded rapidly. TNC have been the major force in the process of increasing economic interdependence, and the emergence of different generations of NIC has been the main evidence of success in the global economy. However, the frequency of ‘anti-capitalist’ demonstrations in recent years shows that many people have grave concerns about the direction the global economy is taking. Many LEDCs and a significant number of regions within MEDCs feel excluded from the benefits of globalisation.
Urban – A hierarchy of global cities has emerged to act as the command centres of the global economy. New York, London and Tokyo are at the highest level in this hierarchy. Competition within and between the different levels of the global urban hierarchy is intensifying.
Social/Cultural – Western culture has diffused to all parts of the world through TV, cinema, the Internet etc. International interest in brand name clothes, food, music and celebrities has never been greater. However, cultural transmission is not a one-way process. The popularity of Islam has increased in many Western countries as has Asian, Latin American and African cuisine.
Linguistic – English has clearly emerged as the working language of the ‘global village’. Of the 1.9 billion English speakers, some 1.5 billion around the world speak English as a second language. In a number of countries there is great concern about the future of native languages.
Political – The power of nation states has been diminished in many parts of the world as more and more countries organise themselves in trade blocs. The EU is the most advanced model for this process of integration taking on many of the powers that were once the sole preserve of its member nation states. The UN has intervened militarily in an increasing number of countries in recent times, leading some writers to talk about the gradual movement to ‘world government’. On the other side of the coin is the growth of global terrorism.
Environmental – Increasingly, economic activity on one country has impacted on the environment in other nations. The long-range transportation of airborne pollutants is the most obvious evidence of this process. Global environmental conferences such as that in Copenhagen (2010) is evidence that most countries see the scale of the problems as so large that only coordinated international action can bring about realistic solutions.
Demographic – The movement of people across international borders and the desire to move across such borders has increased considerably in recent decades. More and more communities are becoming multicultural in nature.
Here are some definitions of globalisation:
The simple definition of globalization is the interweaving of markets, technology, information systems and telecommunications systems in a way that is shrinking the world from a size medium to a size small, and enabling each of us to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before, and enabling the world to reach into each of us farther, faster, deeper, cheaper than ever before. That's what globalization is” (Friedman, 2000)
Most definitions make reference to openness, integration or flows. Openness pertains to individual countries participating in, or being willing to participate in, international economic activity. Integration refers to combining or amalgamating elements across countries, which predominantly occurs through cross-border activity and international division of production. Flows as they pertain to globalisation encapsulates the movement of goods and services through trade, financial transaction through investment and foreign exchange markets and the sharing of ideas, intellectual property and technology.
The History of Globalisation
There is nothing new about globalisation. From ancient trade routes and the discovery and subsequent colonisation of the Americas to the invention of the transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858 there have been connections between countries around the world for centuries. Some commentators believe that ‘modern’ globalisation (a word which, by the way, has only been in common use since the late 20th century) began in the late nineteenth century when transport and communication networks expanded rapidly around the world, world trade began to grow and capital flows began to expand.
Events that have contributed to globalisation since then include:
• The establishment of the World Bank, GATT and the Bretton Woods agreement in 1948
• The emergence of NICs from the 1960s and the rise of TNCs
• OPEC oil price rises in 1975, when money invested in MEDC banks was loaned to the developing world, which has cheaper labour costs
• The integration of the Soviet Union and countries of Eastern Europe into the capitalist system in 1989 (this led to further opportunities for investment in a previously closed off market)
• The emergence of free market ideas, promoted in the UK and USA and copied by others
• The deregulation of world financial markets, which gave companies the freedom to expand beyond national boundaries in search of the best returns on their capital.
• The formation of the WTO in 1995 and other trade blocs.
• Advances in technology and communications e.g. the internet (1980s), mobile phones, jumbo jets, fibre optic cables and satellites allowed cheaper and quicker transport of information, goods and people.
• Although labour markets are not as advanced as financial markets (due to the difficult of moving people compared to money and the affinity people feel to their home country) there has been increasing movement of people across borders seeking employment. Much of this has been from lower to higher income countries, e.g. from South to North America and East to West Europe.
Global Marketing
Global marketing has been defined as ‘marketing on a worldwide scale, taking commercial advantage of global operational differences similarities and opportunities in order to meet global objectives’.
When a company becomes a global marketer it views the world as one market and creates products that fit various regional marketplaces. The ultimate goal is to sell the same thing, the same way, everywhere.
Coca-Cola is an example of a company with a single product. Only minor elements are tweaked for different markets. They use the same formulas (one with sugar, the other with corn syrup) for all its markets. The design of the bottle/can is the same in every country but the size varies according to country standards. Some people are concerned that this type of marketing will erode local diversity.
The New International Division of Labour
Globalisation has brought about a new division of labour on a global scale. The highly skilled, highly paid, decision making, research and managerial occupations tend to be located in high-income, developed countries, whereas the unskilled, poorly pair assembly jobs can be found in developing countries.
This simple division has undergone radical changes since the 1960s. Countries have moved from developing, to NICs, to MEDCs in the space of 40 years, while others have also started industrialising and are at various stages of being NICs or RICs. This has had a huge impact on the location of different types of jobs.
Global Shift
Global shift is the movement of economic activity from MEDCs, originally to NICs, then to RICs and LECDs. Initially the shift involved labour-intensive manufacturing, but increasingly it has involved all sorts of manufacturing and, more recently, services.
In the 1950s around 95% of manufacturing was concentrated in the industrial economies. As large companies grew in these areas they began to look for ways to reduce their costs. At the same time improving communications and transport enabled them to search the world for cheaper manufacturing locations. FDI in NICs such as Singapore led to deindustrialisation in MEDCs. Later there were shift from NICs to RICs to keep costs low, and as NICs developed they set up their own industries, investing in countries less developed than themselves.
This shift has been aided by the transfer of technology. High levels of technology are no longer associated with high productivity and high wages. Companies in the developing world are now able to increase their productivity through technology without raising their wages. This could widen the development gap, as workers in the developing world are paid less to make the same products as those in developed countries. By the beginning of the 21st century, more than 50% of all manufacturing jobs were located in the developing world and over 0% of exports from those countries to the developed world were of manufactured goods.
There has also been a shift in services as they have become increasingly detached from the manufacturing sector. As manufacturing has dispersed worldwide, the top of the service hierarchy become concentrated in cities such as London, New York and Tokyo rather than in old manufacturing centres. Low level services on the o0ther hand have shifted to the developing world much like manufacturing. Call-centre operations, for example, have moved from the UK to India where employment costs are generally 10 – 20% of those in the UK.
NB These notes relate to the following part of the AQA A2 specification:
· Factors and dimensions: flows of capital, labour, products and services
· Global marketing
· Patterns of production, distribution and consumption
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Love or hate it, oil is an incredibly useful product.
Used to create everything from plastics to pharmaceuticals--and of course, fuel for transportation--its environmental credentials might be low, but it's been an essential substance in creating the world we live in today.
So too have other energy sources, such as gas, coal, and uranium. But just how much--or little--do we have left to keep us going over the next century?
It's a subject of huge debate, and one covered in great detail in a feature published by the McClatchy Newspapers chain.
As with many other resources, oil, coal, gas and other energy sources are subject to the laws of supply and demand. Our major issue is knowing exactly how much supply we have remaining--and how much each product will be in demand over the coming decades.
Half a century
The figures quoted by some research groups don't make for easy reading. The Energy Information Administration's 2011 outlook suggests the world has 126 years of coal remaining, and only 60 years of gas. Using the Oil & Gas Journal's 2011 figure of 1.47 trillion barrels of oil remaining, at current use there are only around 46 years of reserves left.
Worse still, these figures aren't subject to annual growth in consumption--predicted between a conservative 1.6 percent, and the 2.2 percent rate of past decades. At 1.6 percent, oil, natural gas, coal and uranium could run out within 56 years. At the higher growth rate, liquid fuels could be exhausted in 36 years--based on current estimates.
On the flip side, new reserves are being discovered all the time, and in the past this has kept pace with usage.
Finding new resources will undoubtedly begin to get more expensive, but that's just the price we'll have to pay to ensure our reserves last beyond the next half century.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that total undiscovered reserves amount to 681 billion barrels. This includes reserves deemed too expensive to access--and half of that amount would only satiate global demand for another decade.
Action coming too late?
Some feel the Obama Administration's 54.5 mpg 2025 CAFE requirements have come too late--that countries such as the U.S. should have started buying more efficient cars decades ago. Even then, countries like China and India are bumping up demand--and contributing hugely to global pollution as they do so.
Others suggest the figures for remaining reserves are still pessimistic, that they don't take into account advances in technology allowing us to more efficiently drill for oil, or frack for gas. Again, it's unclear whether even those figures take into account a projected 1.7 billion increase in global population by 2035, with 850 million more cars.
It's a debate that will rumble on for some time to come, and nobody is quite sure just how long we have left of some of our most convenient energy sources.
Energy shortage is of course one of the best reasons for increasing focus on whichever renewable sources are most appropriate for any given environment, too. It's still yet to happen on a large scale, but over the next few decades renewable energy may prove vital for taking the pressure off our fossil fuel addiction.
But one thing is for sure--nobody is too keen to find out what happens when we run out...
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Depression: A Closer Look at Its Common Causes
Data show 322 million people live with depression worldwide. In the US, 15.7 million people ages 18 and older had experienced a major depressive episode in the last year as of 2014. The causes of depression vary from one person to another.
According to researchers, there are many different causes of depression, and most of it is not preventable. Several factors can contribute to such conditions, such as stress, medical condition, brain chemistry, genetics, substance use, and poor nutrition.
Here are the common causes of depression:
Researchers state that depression runs in the family. This means people whose family has a background of depression have a high risk of experiencing depression. However, genetics do not explain why clinical depression happens.
Stressful life events happen to anyone unexpectedly. It can be because of problems related to school, work, family relations, and love life. It’s no surprise that people will feel sad and down during these stressful times. Researchers mentioned that during stress, your body releases high levels of the hormone cortisol. It can affect the neurotransmitter serotonin, which contributes to depression.
When people experience stressful life events that cause them anxiety and depressive behaviors, they should talk to a professional. It can either be a psychiatrist for individuals and a marriage counsel for couples who need marriage counseling services.
Grief and loss
People who lose their loved ones or any grieving individuals are likely to experience many similar symptoms of depression. People typically respond to loss with a lack of interest or pleasure in any activities, poor appetite, and trouble sleeping.
Over time, grief symptoms are expected to subside. However, if it gets worse, it can lead to depression.
Particular medical condition and physical health
People who suffer from a thyroid condition, sleep disorder, and chronic illness are more likely to experience depression symptoms. The rates are also higher for people who have cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and chronic pain.
Our body and mind are linked. When you’re suffering from a physical health problem, you may also observe changes with your mental health too.
Poor nutrition
Having a poor diet can increase the risk of experiencing depression. Deficiencies to various vitamins and minerals are also a common cause of suffering depression symptoms. Additionally, high-sugar diets have also been linked to depression.
Substance use
Alcohol and drugs can significantly contribute to depressive disorders. However, some prescription drugs are also associated with depression.
Corticosteroids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, statins, anticonvulsants, and beta-blockers are some examples of the drugs that are linked with depression.
Female sex hormones
According to numerous studies, women tend to experience major depression twice as often as men. Hormonal risk factors are said to be one of the significant reasons. This is because the peak of depressive disorder incidence happens during the reproductive years of women.
Females are more likely to experience depressive disorders when their hormones are in flux. Some women usually experience it during their perimenopause, childbirth, pregnancy, and even menstrual period.
Lots of depression cases don’t have a single cause but rather the results of several things such as your genes, current circumstances, events in the past, and more. But the most important thing to keep is that depression is very different from normal sadness. It is a disease that can affect anyone. No matter what the cause is, it should be treated as soon as possible.
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Super Simple Curtain
Introduction: Super Simple Curtain
About: I'm a creator, a scientist ... some would say I'm a MAD scientist MWAHAHAHA! I make electric things and electronic devices, mostly musical instruments or noise makers but all kinds of other things too.
This instructable will tell you how to make a really simple curtain from any old peice of fabric you have lying around.
I made one of these curtains for my secret den because I am poor and cannot afford to buy curtains, although not rich in currency I am rich in junk and creativity ;) additionally these curtains are great for places where you can't put up a proper curtain rail.
You will need:
Fabric (the size of the hole you intend to cover or bigger)
Screws ( x2 )
Optional but usefull extras:
Eyelets and eyelet pliers
Swiss army knife
and/or other cutting impliments
Teacher Notes
Teachers! Did you use this instructable in your classroom?
Step 1: Make Holes in Fabric
First make some holes along the top of your fabric destined to become a curtain with your screwdriver. That's right, no fancy tools needed, just push your screwdriver through the fabric! If it's too thick then you may need your swiss army knife or some scissors to cut the holes.
I advise you make the holes about 10cm / 4inches apart, but you can make as many or as few as you want.
Step 2: Optional: Add Eyelets
Now is the point where you'd add eyelets to the holes if you have eyelets. This just makes the curtain move alot smoother and stops the holes from fraying.
(For those who don't know what eyelets are)
Step 3: String
Now to make the string-rail. This is what the curtain will be hung on.
To make it, cut some string to a length that is longer than the curtain and tie a loop in one end of the string. You can tie it any way you please but I find that the most sturdy way is to fold the string over so it is doubled up, then tie that in a knot leaving a small loop (pictured below)
Step 4: Lord of the Strings, the Return of the String.
Thread the string through the holes in the curtain, going into the holes on alternating sides.
To clarify: If you put the string into side A, it will come out on side B. Then you need to put it into the next hole on side B where it will come out on side A, then repeat :)
When the string is through, tie the last end into a loop which will secure the curtain on to the string!
Step 5: Hang the Curtain
Now simply put in your screws above the window, door or secret entrance to your secret den that you intend to cover.
To guage the positioning of the screws correctly put in one screw and attach one string loop to it, then hold up your curtain and see where the other loop comes to, make a mark there with the screw or screwdriver and put the screw in about 1cm beyond this mark. The string sags down a bit so this just helps to pull it tight and straight.
Now you are finished! Enjoy your super simple curtain created privacy :)
Step 6: Finished Article (coming Soon to a Window Near You!)
When I can get a good photo of my finished curtain I will post it here!
If anyone else makes one, let's see a photo of it too! :D
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2 Discussions
8 years ago on Introduction
Thank you. I have an apartment with a window 25 feet wide in my bedroom. I couldn't put up a curtain rod because the windows are flush with the walls. I didn't know what to do besides tack up a sheet. This is wonderful.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
Holy fhtagn , this tutorial acctually helped you!? fantastic :D I thought I was pretty much pointless and lost to obscurity :) |
Understanding Wholemeal & Wholegrain Products
There tends to be confusion surrounding ‘wholemeal’ and ‘wholegrain’ products, which have often been referred to as one in the same.
The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 2.1.1 - Cereals and Cereal Products provides the following relevant definitions:
• Flours or meals means the products of grinding or milling of cereals, legumes or other seeds.
In short, both wholemeal and wholegrain products contain all the constituents of the whole grain, but these particles can be presented in varying sizes and forms.
Bioavailability of nutrients
While wholemeal/wholegrain breads contain more fibre than traditional white bread, some nutritional tables will have you believe they also contain more vitamins and minerals. But what may be found consequent to chemical analysis, and therefore be represented on packaging, can be very different to what is able to be absorbed by the human body.
Interestingly, when bio-availability is taken into account, the outcomes are counter-intuitive: White breads typically contain more available protein, more available energy and more available nutrients than their wholemeal or wholegrain counterparts.
This is because 12-15% of wholemeal and wholegrain flour is bran, which is mostly indigestible fibre. Much of this fibre is tested as being high in protein, but this protein is not nutritionally available to us. When indigestible fibre is included as part of wholemeal and wholegrain products, it effectively ‘dilutes’ the available amount of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Of interest, when bran is fermented in our gut, some compounds form that actually restrict the availability of key nutrients contained in the grain such as iron and calcium, but this is partially offset by the beneficial effects of a healthier biome.
Also within wholemeal and wholegrain flour is the embryo of the seed. Thus circa 2% of the grain is wheat germ. Nutritionally, this is both healthy and able to be digested.
The rest of the flour – 82-85% – is made up of the seed’s endosperm and the aleurone layer, both of which serve as the natural food store for the next generation of the plant.
The endosperm contains a wide variety of storage proteins and carbohydrates, most of which are digestible.
The aleurone layer, which is located between the branny outer layers of the grain and the endosperm, contains a spread of essential vitamins and minerals.
Wholemeal and wholegrain flours contain the entire aleurone layer, and well-milled white flours contain a high proportion of it.
The nutrients contained in the aleurone layer can only become biologically available to us as humans after the fibrous cell walls have been digested. This process, called enzymic digestion, takes time, and takes longer than the human digestive system allows. As a result, these vitamins and minerals are biologically unavailable to us and mostly pass through the body. For these nutrients to be available or capable of being absorbed by the human gut, the fibrous cell walls need to be pre-digested before we consume it as food, using ‘extended fermentation.’
What it means
1. Well-milled white bread contains more bioavailable protein, energy and nutrients than wholemeal and wholegrain varieties.
In my experience, having worked in the Flour industry for over 50 years, white bread is better for growing children, adults working intensively, and nutritionally deprived persons.
2. Wholemeal and wholegrain breads contain more fibre for faecal bulk, the absorption of water, and to support our gut microflora. This fibre assists our gut with mechanistic movement and fermentation and supports our digestive processes for health related outcomes.
I’d recommend wholemeal/wholegrain bread for people who do not need to build and replace tissue or do not use a lot of energy, such as more mature, sedentary and aged persons, and those who are seeking a biome-based health benefit.
3. Breads should also be compared by the production method employed. Methods of production of all types of bread can vary markedly when it comes to fermentation time. Longer fermentation is the key to better health and enjoyment outcomes. Longer fermentation reduces simple sugars (reducing the Glycaemic Index), creates beneficial soluble carbohydrates and fibre in forms that promote a healthy bowel, detoxes the proteins that can cause or exacerbate Coeliac Disease, and reduces the effects of FODMAPs that cause IBS. And longer fermentation typically also provides better flavour and aroma.
The key to understanding the benefits of bread is by not focussing too much on the ingredients as listed, but to also understand the benefits of provided by the method by which the bread is produced.
Author: Mark Laucke
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Understanding Wholemeal or Wholegrain vs White Bread Understanding Wholemeal or Wholegrain vs White Bread (481 KB) |
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110 Tips on “How to Produce a Children’s Theatrical Play”
September 12, 2017
I have been writing and producing theatre shows in the U.K. and USA for over 25 years. I have produced both dramas and musicals. I find with any production, there are so many things to think about at once, and so many things that overlap simultaneously that it can become difficult to make sense of how it all fits together. Hopefully these tips will help the novice entering the world of theatre with the nuts and bolts of producing.
1. The first thing ones need to do is to understand exactly what “the producer” is and what they do. An “executive producer” in a theatre production is usually the person who brings or gives the money. Any investor can be listed as an executive producer. “The Producer” is the person actually responsible for making sure the show gets up and running. That person is probably YOU. You are basically the “project manager.” You will make sure that everything that needs to be done gets done so that you have a successful show. You will need to know something about a lot of things.
Find the play. Do you want it to be a musical or a drama? If you want an established or known play agency (find them on internet) or, With an established or known play you will pay a fee, and have restrictions, but with an original play that you or someone you know writes you will not have the same restrictions.
If someone is writing a play especially for you need an agreement ensuring that it is an original work and that you have the right to use it, also any royalty due the writer now or in future should be noted in the agreement.
Decide on a time and location for your play, and make a down payment to guarantee your performance venue. Because venues can be difficult to get, you should start planning your event from one year to nine months before the performance.
Decide how many people you want to be involved in the play. As a community group or school with children, think about a play where you can have a large chorus as it can involve many children.
Think about a legal structure. Do you want to do the play as a charity or as a business? In either case, a legal structure should be formalized. Will your play be an ongoing concern doing more than one amateur production a year? If so I would suggest forming a limited company via Companies House.
The reason you want to formalize the structure is because you will definitely want to have liability insurance. Insurance companies must have a legal entity to deal with.
Decide how you want to finance your show. You can do it as a charity which is different than a limited company. As a limited company you need to register the company with Companies House in the U.K. and get a company number. You can then take that number and apply for what is called the SEIS ( Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) and if you are approved, you can raise money from your project or a series of projects from investors up to 500K, ) The great thing is that the investor in your project is allowed a tax relief of 50% . For more info see:
Research and get a full understanding of what each role in the creating a production consists of, producer, director, stage manager, costume designer etc. Theatre productions are always the result of the skills of many people.
Make sure the people you hire are loyal to you who are paying them and not the Director. The reason being, as the production moves forward, oftentimes unless the director and producer have a history or working together huge artistic differences may arise. If the main people you have hired are loyal to the Director you as a producer may have half of your technical crew walking off your production. This is a tricky area, but one worth noting. In this case, “forewarned is forearmed.”
Develop and start to make contact with other theatre producers on the internet, become part of the “theatre producer community” and join forums to see what ideas other people have and what other people are doing. You can make valuable technical contacts in this way.
Develop a description of the function and go over it with the technical person so you know you are on the same page. This helps especially when you are paying technicians and want to be sure you and them have the same understanding as to what services or products they are delivering for the money you are paying.
Write everything down in a notebook. Then copy it to your computer files and then back up your files on an external hard drive. Why? Because you will lose your notebook, your computer will crash or something else will happen and something you need will be lost. I know it might sound a bit OCD, but I operate on the theory “that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Develop a probable budget based on what you think the cost will be. Go to the internet a research the probable costs of a production. The general rule of thumb is that things always cost more and takes longer that you projected.
Do not be afraid or shy to ask people for money. They to ask for money. They spend it in the pub and on many things they never need or use. Think that they would be putting their money to good use by investing in something that will bring joy to others and improve the spirit of the community. That something is “Your Show.”
Create a pitch to investor and write it down.
Practice in the mirror making a pitch to an investor, practice it again with a family member of friend and allow them to ask you questions, so can come up with answers that people might eventually ask.
Create your budget and add 15% on
Decide on who gets what role and write out a description of responsibilities as best you can so you know you have all the bases covered. And get each person’s time availability.
Do a breakdown of logistics in terms of a timeline to decide when you need what services at what time. For example you will not need the rehearsal space or director before you find the play.
Secure a rehearsal space that is not too costly. A local church or a community centre can be a good idea.
Get on good terms with the person running the rehearsal space as they will need to be available for you. A small gesture ( providing them with a sandwich at lunch time and a cup of tea and a tea cake during rehearsals can help to put the caretaker of the rehearsal space on your side.
Make sure someone is in charge of printed scripts, copying them and handing them out. Do not allow actors to read lines from their mobile phones, because when they need to make changes you cannot be sure they have made the correct changes.
Plan for a good technical and dress rehearsal on the day before the show.
(25- 85) Production
Ask actors to bring scripts and coloured marker to mark their parts.
Make sure the rehearsal space has heat when you need it.
Make sure rehearsal space has a working toilet.
Bring one or two large plastic (chequered plastic bags commonly called “refugee bags”) for keeping costumes back and forth from rehearsal.
Make sure rehearsal space has chairs and preferably a table as well, if not bring your own folding chairs and folding table.
Make sure you bring a couple rolls toilet paper as children tend to use up lots during rehearsal which the venue probably will not want to provide.
Bring a small broom and dustpan to rehearsals to clean up any crumbs left by children. Many venues will have it but don’t count on it.
Bring a couple black rubbish bags for your rubbish which you should be prepared to take with you after each rehearsal.
Bring cloths, kitchen towel and liquid soap for spillage as children often spill things.
Bring a first aid box as children tend to fall and scape knees etc.
Create a rehearsal schedule according to when most children and people are available.
Designate a person to do final check after rehearsal as people always forget things.
Put the found things on your website bulletin so people can find them.
When you choose children include as many actors and non-acting children as possible. The reason being, you might discover more talent that you thought was around and two, it will increase your financial and marketing possibilities.
Create a website. It need not be expensive but it allows people to see what your show will be about without you telling them.
Set up website with email and bulletin page. I use because although I am not a technical computer person it allows me to make changes with a drag and drop tool, so any changes I want to make I can make within a few minutes. Also you can use other sites that use WordPress which allows lots of different plugins.
Set website up with a ticket purchase ability. This does not have to be a sophisticated ecommerce site, but it will help if people can buy tickets online. Companies like ( can help with this. They are not very costly and can be invaluable because the last thing you need is to sell 150 tickets at the door if you only have 130 seats. Also a website ticketing sales ability will be you an indication of what pre-sales will be like. This also allows you to adjust your marketing to fit your needs. Before you set up a website ask the ticket sellers what systems they are compatible with because, sometimes WIX and WordPress websites may not accept the same plug-ins.
When you choose the children, do not give specific roles because sometime people will only want one role, make it plain that children will be rotated with various roles, that way parents will not be so displeased if their child isn’t the lead role.
Once you choose your team, make sure you have information on each members, name, telephone, mobile phone, email, address of each person involved in the show.
Copy a contact list that has all the information of everyone and make it list and make it available to all of your technical team.
As the producer understand that even though you may not make all decisions that the result of all decisions stops with you. This where the phrase “the buck stops here” applies. That means you need to understand and be aware of what everyone is doing, all the time.
Talk to technical team and create a list of all the things the production will need including:
List for electrical equipment
List for lighting requirements and design
List for sound requirements and design
List for set requirements and design
Talk to each technical team member separately, and ask them to create and put forth an alternative plan for their part of the production just in case you need to be flexible. Oftentimes technical team members will suggest the best equipment or option because they want to give the best service and show their work in the best light. This is great, but it may not be the best thing for your budget, so asking for a plan B is a safety net that you need to build flexibility into your production plan. Technical people can be very creative especially if they find that plan A is not do-able.
Go back to your probable budget and re-adjust based on new information.
Publish a “bulletin page” on your website twice a week to let people in the production know what is happening. That way people can feel involved.
Create a prop list with stage manager and director.
Get parents and actors involved as much as possible. If you have a time for making sets and props. This is a good activity because both parents and children can be involved.
Create committees to do tasks under the supervision of your technical team, for example create a costume and set making committee. In some cases extra involvement from outside will make your technical people crazy because in many cases they just want to be left alone, but depending on their personality, they may need an extra pair of hands to help them achieve their artistic design.
Make sure you have a folding table for props. A folding table used for wall papering is cheap but functional enough
The director should have one or maybe two assistants to help with the children as children in group situations need more attention than adults.
A hierarchy needs to be established early one at the first day of rehearsals. The producer and Director are in charge.
Bad behaviour by children should not be tolerated under any circumstances, fighting; spitting, kicking bullying should be grounds for automatic expulsion. A list of zero tolerance behaviour should be printed and given to parents before their child get involved.
Adults working with children should be vetted to make sure they are not and have not been convicted of any child related crimes. Checking their name against any child offender register should suffix. But different insurance companies might require different things, so check with them first to be sure.
Any special scenes for actors should be sent out a week before by email.
Director should breakdown the action into scenes to rehearse with specific actors as time of production draws nearer. This should be placed on bulletin.
Director should triple cast main parts, I suggest this for two reasons. 1. The actor does not get the idea that they are only there for one part and can play chorus as well, but in case of illness or other unforeseen circumstances the show is covered.
Canvass the local charity shops for old clothes you might use for costumes.
During rehearsals all phones except producers must be on silent.
Each parent must sign a consent form for their child to be involved.
Create your production plan with as much flexibility as possible without catering to any one person.
Do not allow yourself as producer to become a part of a clique, or have a clique form around you. If you do people will feel excluded and you will miss a lot of what may be happening around you. As a producer you are alone at the top of the production tree and need to have your hand on the pulse of the production at all times. The production is your focus, so you must see to everything.
If possible pay yourself from your budget. Your time is valuable and you will put in more work that anyone. Even if you donate your earnings to charity. Pay yourself because these are marketable skills that you have acquired.
Put money in your budget to take technical people to an inexpensive lunch. This will recreate rapport.
Give high praise whenever possible to actors and parents alike. Everyone likes to be recognized. Recognition can sometimes be a substitute or reduction for monetary payment.
Film your production.( if allowed)
Film your production in two different ways. 1. Whole production which you can sell to audience as well as their contacts. For this you want someone who knows what they are doing. I recommend The company I suggest is called “All media Works”., They will come to your production set up and film. I have used them for years and I think they are the best in the U.K. Also they are reasonably priced as well as being very honest. Also make sure you have the right to film an established show. If it is an original show, not problem but the license of a known show may prohibit filming.
If you film, be sure to get releases from parents for all children.
Film your production in scenes. Film 2 or 3 scenes with two cameras, they could be iPhone cameras on tripods or a local filmmaker, just to show what a polished production might look in case you want to shop this production to another theatre in the future. But don’t film a live show for scenes because there will be too much live show noise and distractions. Film the scenes especially for the purpose of making a presentation. Film the scenes in the way you would a short film with close ups and wide and medium shots.
Make sure the sound is good. Sound is often times a problem. A good microphone with the help of the live sound engineer and the camera person should work. Taking the sound separately is always a good idea because you can clean it in the editing.
Hire someone who knows how to edit your scenes, This way it will look professional.
Always stay calm. Don’t allow yourself to become so emotional that it derails you. There will always be problems with productions, it just the way it is. As a producer always remain calm and try to develop a backup plan for every aspect of the production. Things always happen… the money person lets you down, a technician lets you down, someone gets sick, and someone else has a family crisis. But you are the captain of the ship and as we all know “the show must go on.”
Create a good rapport with director. The worst thing is to have a producer and director at odds.
Never argue with an actor or member of your technical team in front of others. If there are disagreements, and there will be disagreements, (it is the nature of the creative beast) then it needs to be done in private so that the person does not lose face or look stupid in front of others.
Involve the children where possible with voting for things that may remotely affect the show. It will help them to feel involved. For example, should the fairy costumes be blue or yellow. Or should the horse have a curly or a hairy tail. These things don’t matter a great deal in the great scheme of things but for children it makes them feel they are participating and that they are valued.
Meet with parents of children as a group once a month. This will focus them and allow them to get involved.
During production make sure someone is responsible for washing costumes at least after every 2 or 3 performances.
Learn to delegate and not micro manage. You have a lot on your plate and you have to keep them all the plates spinning, so learning to delegate will allow you to sleep at night.
Get someone to build some wooden black boxes. These will be useful for people to sit on and use for tables etc. on set
(86-95) Finance
Create a blog on your website to talk about your Plan Of Action. This POA will include info about production: A. what the production is about with photos of people involved, B. what it hopes to achieve. C. Praise for people (with their photos) who are helping you to achieve your goal.
Use your POA to create a specific package for investors; pointing out the benefits Investors (under SEIS) if you have it) Investors often like to see project benefits tax and publicity, marketing. etc. With a show it is simple; you have a certain number of seats to sell. Also you may have advertising income or some projected income from merchandise sales or DVDs of the show. Normally these theatre productions will not make money straightaway, but the investor still gets the tax benefit in the same year they invest with SEIS. Include photos of rehearsal in your POA to potential investor. It shows potential investor that you are already on the move, and that they will be investing in something real.
Offer investors an advert for their business in the program as part of their investment.
Sell space in the program to local businesses.
Get a computer person on your team help create the blog and update info on a regular basis. As a producer you can do a lot of it, but as the production becomes more intense you will need to delegate some computer responsibilities.
Create a marketing and sales committee to help spread the word about your production. They will send emails and blogs created by you or your computer person.
Check everything going onto the website before it goes on.
If possible get as much help in the stage manager department as possible because with a children’s show, backstage can quickly become a very confusing place to be.
You will need black duct or Gaffer tape.
This tape has so many uses among the most important is to make sure any and all leads are taped down to a flat surface or floor so children don’t trip. You will need white tape that shines in the dark, to put on the steps and corners of boxes so people don’t hurt themselves as they move around in dimly lit place backstage and in the theatre.
Make sure children are not performing acrobatics unless you explicitly state you will be doing so in your insurance.
(96-102) Marketing
Create a marketing plan using the abilities of the people on the marketing a sales committee. For example if someone is a salesperson then they can be helpful in how one might go about designing something to show local business people to get them to invest in your show.
Create a logo for your show. I would use
Create a poster and a flyer for the show. With show name, place, logo, date, ticket price, website address. Again this can be done by using This is a site that has people doing all sorts of things starting at $5.00. I have found them to be excellent. Just sign up and start using it. Sometimes you have to see the work of a few people before you get what you like but it is worth it. The person I like for graphics works under the name of “bestpixels91” He does the work without a hitch. I have used him many times for many different projects. His prices are good and the work is excellent.
Create a program for the show to be sold on production nights. This can also be done at Remember to include the names of everyone involved, even the caretaker at the rehearsal space. Remember, a little recognition goes a long way.
Place your printed posters in local shops starting 2 months before your production.
Groups photos of the actors in the production on the website that children can share on social media helps to market the show.
Market the show in with a door to door campaign with adult and kids team, as the person opens the door the kids do a bit from the play and then the parent asks for a donation, hand them a flyer and the P.O.A.
(103-110)Other Essentials
You will need a kettle to boil hot water, a large box of tea, sugar, milk, teaspoons. (plastic spoons are fine.)
You will need an ironing board and iron for pressing clothes.
You will need a hand held steaming to smooth things too think to iron.
You will need a place to buy paper cups in bulk for tea as well paper plates
You will need to have fruit for children to eat on rehearsal days.
On website tell parents to pack snacks for rehearsal days.
Pass out a flyer to the local bingo club or at community gatherings. Ask for community volunteers to help on the night as ushers. They might become small investors or good resource people. If they like theatre, there is no harm in asking.
110. On days when you think there is no hope and it looks as if you have too many problems to solve and it will never happen, adjust your mind and think again and move forward. Remember people all over the world are doing what you are doing and going through the exact same thing as you and they are doing it successfully, therefore you can too. One of my favourite quotes in this respect is “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” Franklin Roosevelt. (American President)
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Coronavirus and Rates
Special Report: Coronavirus and Rates | March 5, 2020
As the number of reported cases of the coronavirus around the world has increased, the list of school closings, work interruptions, event cancellations, and other consequences has grown. This decline in economic activity has been brutal for stocks but good for bonds, pushing rates to record low levels.
One commonly heard question, though, is why mortgage rates have not fallen as much as government Treasury yields. There are two main reasons. First, mortgage-backed securities (MBS) have prepayment risk while Treasuries do not. When people refinance, their loans are removed from MBS. This makes MBS less valuable to investors relative to Treasuries during periods of declines and more valuable during periods of increases. In other words, mortgage rates rise and fall more slowly than Treasury yields due to the basic properties of prepayment risk. Second, the large mortgage companies which purchase loans and set mortgage rates have the capacity to process only so much business at one time. Currently, there is more demand for loans and refinancings than these firms can handle, so they have less incentive to pass along the lowest possible rates to customers.
Here are some actual figures from last week which illustrate these outcomes. For the week ending February 28, 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields fell 25 to 30 basis points. By contrast, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported that average jumbo loan rates were unchanged during that period, while average 30-year conforming loan rates only fell by about 15 basis points.
Another question is why Tuesday’s 50 basis point rate cut by the Fed didn’t cause a similar decline in mortgage rates. This answer is much simpler. The Fed sets only short-term rates, and all of those did drop by roughly 50 basis points. However, long-term rates such as mortgage rates are set and influenced by a wide range of factors and are not tied to movements in short-term rates.
Copyright MBSQuoteline 2020
2020-03-12T15:31:07+00:00 March 12th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , | |
Food borne diseases or as well certain as foods poisoning, can be caused by a miscellany of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and bedbugs. Food borne illness is caused by gorge ruined sustenance and beverages. A insanitary toxins or chemicals present in substance likewise may motive silage borne unwellness.
We must recurrently ask why and how substance can be poisoned by bacterium which at the end can bring diseases titled nutrient borne diseases. Let see the symptomatic of foods and germs concerned near hay borne diseases.
Bacteria call for 6 provisos to be able to hold out and proliferate. The required stipulations are wellspring of food, plane of acidity, temperature, time, element and moisture, are brief to F A T T O M.
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Bacteria want matter to grow. Like the others existence organisms they entail silage to crutch their mushrooming up. High protein or saccharide contents as contained in the meat, fish, food products, fried rise, peas and potatoes are idolised by bacterium. These foods are considered potentially venturesome foods. This stipulation will assist their ontogeny.
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It has been certain that dodgy bacteria in foods can grow in provisions near bitterness linking (pH) 4.6 - 7. pH is the sign for the level of sourness or ph scale (base) of substances, means on enormity 0 to 14.0. Foods near a pH downwards 7.0 are acidic, pH preceding 7.0 is alkalescent. Most of germs will not bud at pH flat to a lower place 4.6.
The microbes can proliferate quicker in temperatures relating >41oF - 160oF (5oC - 60oC). But the microbes prefer the fundamental quantity that is like next to the human fundamental quantity i.e. 98.6oF (37oC). The long that germs are allowed to sit in a warm, soggy environment, the faster the microbes will push up and cipher. You must confine the juncture that these foods hang around in the hazard zone to two work time or smaller number.
Time and physical property are two record important factors that greatly power bacteria disease in nutrient. Microorganisms resembling a warming environment rather in the region of legroom heat. In an perfect specification germs will grow all 15-30 written record. Certain bacterium can even change all 10 report. Research has known this as a desperate heat zone. It is tremendously basic to start off a shape that makes undoable for microorganism to bud or hinders microorganism growing. Bacteria singular call for 4 hours to grow to limit a figure that can diseases in grouping who gobble it.
Certain types of germs necessitate oxygen to survive, they are aerobic; but near are likewise whichever types of microorganism that can hold up minus oxygen, they are anaerobiotic. These two terms can pass off in feed. Bacteria that can last minus oxygen can on stage in teeming foods or emptiness chock-a-block such as recorded foods, or in foods furnished in cosmic abstraction.
Research has shown that disease-causing microbes can turn in foods if the dampen pursuit in the foods is greater than thorn 85 (.85). Microorganisms be keen on a good clammy situation. Meat, give out and yielding cheeses have more than binary compound cheerful allowing any bacteria, viruses or molds present to cipher against the clock.
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Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and its murderous computer HAL remind many people of the fears of how artificial intelligence could pose a threat to human life and indeed efforts have long since been underway to create “thinking machines.” But that technology could spell doom for the human race according to Britain’s preeminent scientific Professor Stephen Hawking. Well known as an enthusiastic early adopter of all kinds of communication technologies, Hawking was recently quoted by the BBC as saying “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”
Hawking, who suffers from the motor neurone disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), issued the warning in response to a question about recent upgrades to a system, developed by Intel, which Hawking employs allowing him to speak. The software learns how Hawking thinks and suggests words he might want to use next.
That “machine learning” technology can also be found in newer smartphone keyboard apps but is still considered “primitive” by futuristic standards – which Hawking fears could match or surpass humans at some point in the future: “It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate,” Hawking said, adding “Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”
Elon Musk, chief executive of rocket-maker Space X, also fears the very artificial intelligence he’s created and has warned that AI is “our biggest existential threat”.
Rollo Carpenter, creator of Cleverbot, is more optimistic and thinks we are a long way from having the computer power or algorithms needed to realize full AI which Hawking is warning of but says it should be available within the next few decades.
Carpenter’s Cleverbot software learns from past conversations and is quite capable of fooling a high percentage of people into believing they’re talking to a human.
“I believe we will remain in charge of the technology for a decently long time and the potential of it to solve many of the world problems will be realized. We cannot quite know what will happen if a machine exceeds our own intelligence, so we can’t know if we’ll be infinitely helped by it, or ignored by it and sidelined, or conceivably destroyed by it,” said Carpenter.
Hawking also had some words of wisdom concerning the internet, warning that the net has become a command center for terrorists and insists more should be done by internet companies to end the use of technology to further terror agendas.
There are also technologies on the distant horizon which see mankind and machines working in unison, albeit toward an end which many currently find disturbing. Not mentioned in the BBC report, the 2045 Initiativea network of researchers in the field of life extension, neural interfaces, robotics and artificial organs and systems – promises “to create technologies enabling the transfer of an individual’s personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality. In short, 2045 is working toward installing a person’s brain, along with it’s thoughts, memories and personality traits, into a robotic “avatar” interface which, if successful, could keep a human brain functioning inside a robotic skeletal frame indefinitely. |
Archive for September 2016
Time crystals might exist after all
Although spontaneously broken time-translation symmetry has never been observed before, almost every other type of spontaneous symmetry breaking has been. One very common example of a spontaneously broken symmetry occurs in magnets. The laws of nature do not impose which side of a magnet will be the north pole and which will be the south pole. The distinguishing feature of any magnetic material, however, is that it spontaneously breaks this symmetry and chooses one side to be the north pole. Another example is ordinary crystals. Although the laws of nature are invariant under rotating or shifting (translating) space, crystals spontaneously break these spatial symmetries because they look different when viewed from different angles and when shifted a little bit in space.
In their new study, the physicists specifically define what it would take to spontaneously break time-translation symmetry, and then use simulations to predict that this broken symmetry should occur in a large class of quantum systems called “Floquet-many-body-localized driven systems.” The scientists explain that the key aspect of these systems is that they remain far from thermal equilibrium at all times, so the system never heats up.
The new definition of broken time-translation symmetry is similar to the definitions of other broken symmetries. Basically, when the size of a system (such as a crystal) grows, the time taken for a symmetry-breaking state to decay into a symmetry-respecting state increases, and in an infinite system the symmetry-respecting state can never be reached. As a result, symmetry for the entire system is broken.
“The significance of our work is two-fold: on one hand, it demonstrates that time-translation symmetry is not immune to being spontaneously broken,” said coauthor Bela Bauer, a researcher at Microsoft Station Q. “On the other hand, it deepens our understanding that non-equilibrium systems can host many interesting states of matter that cannot exist in equilibrium systems.”
According to the physicists, it should be possible to perform an experiment to observe time-translation by using a large system of trapped atoms, trapped ions, or superconducting qubits to fabricate a time crystal, and then measure how these systems evolve over time. The scientists predict that the systems will exhibit the periodic, oscillating motion that is characteristic of time crystals and indicative of spontaneously broken time-translation symmetry.
Source: Time crystals might exist after all |
Water quality degradation
Water quality degradation is one of the major concerns associated with developing hydroelectric facilities. Hydropower, although free from direct carbon emissions that fossil fuel combustion produces, has a wide variety of other environmental impacts. The degradation in the quality of water that flows through hydroelectric dams and is held in hydroelectric reservoirs is a major concern as it effects a wide range of plant and animal life.[1] In general, the variety of negative impacts hydroelectric facilities have on water are a type of water pollution.
Although pollution is usually thought of as being the addition of some harmful pollutant or chemical to water, pollution is really the addition of any substance or energy that causes harm to living resources, poses a hazard to human health, hinders aquatic activities such as fishing, or impairs water quality.[2] For more on what pollution is, click here.
There are several different ways that the use of water to produce electricity pollutes the water, either as a direct result of the action of the dam itself or as a by-product of the creation of a reservoir or the redirection of water systems. These effects are summarized below.
Oxygen Stratification
Figure 1. A diagram showing how dissolved oxygen content decreases rapidly with water depth. Areas at the top of the reservoir are oxygen-rich, but depth leads to oxygen depletion. Note that such depths are not reached in rivers, which is part of why rivers do not suffer from oxygen stratification.[3]
The formation of a reservoir, which remains much more still than the river that existed before it, results in the formation of layers within the water. These layers have discrete levels of oxygen, with higher concentrations at the top and lower concentrations at the bottom. These parts of the reservoir that are lacking in water are known as hypoxic areas. Concentrations of oxygen in the water can even become almost zero if the reservoir is deep enough, these areas are known as anoxic areas. This is largely due to organic sediments in the bottom of the reservoir being decomposed by micro-organisms, which uses oxygen. This reduced oxygen area is not healthy for any aquatic life living in the reservoir area.[4]
This water is then drawn into the turbine from the bottom, oxygen-poor layer of the reservoir and flows downstream. This reduces the overall oxygen content of the stream or river beyond the dam as well. This is problematic, as only minute decreases in oxygen causes complications in the ecosystem.[4]
main article
Figure 2. An algal bloom.[5]
Reservoirs often undergo eutrophication - the enrichment of water with chemical nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous - because of how efficiently they trap particulates.[6] As well, the long residence time of the water in the reservoir also contributes to the frequent eutrophication. When combined with the lack of movement of this water, reservoirs frequently are sites of algal blooms. When algae population explodes, water quality suffers. This occurs when the algae die and are decomposed by micro-organisms in the water. When the algae decompose, oxygen is used and oxygen-poor or hypoxic environments form. As mentioned above, hypoxic environments have a negative effect on marine life and can cause fish deaths if left unchecked.[6]
In addition to poor oxygen conditions, the taste, colour, and odour of water are all negatively impacted by the presence of algae, making the water unsuitable for human consumption. Furthermore, some types of algae are poisonous and can negatively impact human health if consumed. Increased algal concentrations can also cause premature clogging of filters/traps due to the increased organic content, decreased biodiversity resulting from lower dissolved oxygen levels, and an increase in the concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, iron, manganese, and ammonia resulting from anaerobic decomposition of algae.[7]
Thermal Pollution
Thermal pollution is just as much of a problem as oxygen stratification. In a reservoir, thermal energy accumulates in the top layers closest to the Sun, while the rest of the reservoir gets progressively colder. Water can then be drawn into the turbine through a penstock located at the bottom of the reservoir, altering the temperature of the water downstream. Drastic enough temperature changes can cause direct casualties in marine populations, but even minor changes can alter metabolic rates, reproduction, and growth of animals.[8]
Mercury Pollution
When land is flooded to create a reservoir, it is unsuitable for farming, wildlife habitat, or human recreation. Mercury enters the water when elemental mercury found in the rock and soil of the reservoir interacts with bacteria released as a result of decomposition of submerged plant material. This interaction results in the formation of either mono-methylmercury or the more volatile di-methylmercury.[9] Both of these forms of mercury are water-soluble and will begin to accumulate within the water system. Unlike a creek or a river, the long residence time of the reservoir allows mercury concentrations to increase in the water system. This mercury will then begin to biomagnify within the food chain, eventually posing a health risk to people who rely on fish as a food source.
1. Scientific American. (September 1, 2015). The Downside of Dams [Online]. Available: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-dams-hurt-rivers/
2. World Health Organization. (September 1, 2015). Water Quality Assessments - A Guide to Use of Biota, Sediments and Water in Environmental Monitoring - Second Edition [Online]. Available: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/resourcesquality/watqualassess.pdf
3. Used with permission from the Upstate Freshwater Institute. Upstate Freshwater Institute. (September 1, 2015). Oxygen [Online]. Available"http://www.upstatefreshwater.org/NRT-Data/Data-Interpretation/oxygen.gif
4. 4.0 4.1 J.Knight. (September 1, 2015). Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations and Water Temperatures [Online]. Available: http://www.duke-energy.com/pdfs/bwreport4_final.pdf
5. Wikimedia Commons. (September 1, 2015). Algal Bloom [Online]. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algal_bloom#/media/File:River_algae_Sichuan.jpg
6. 6.0 6.1 ScienceDaily. (September 1, 2015). Eutrophication [Online]. Available: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/e/eutrophication.htm
7. F.Bunea, D. Bucur, G. Dumitran, G.Ciocan. (September 1, 2015). Water Quality in Hydroelectric Sites, Ecological Water Quality - Water Treatment and Reuse [Online]. Available: http://www.intechopen.com/books/ecological-water-quality-watertreatment-and-reuse/water-quality-in-hydroelectric-sites
8. J.John. (September 1, 2015). Thermal Pollution: A Potential Threat to Our Aquatic Environment [Online]. Available: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/ealr/vol1/iss2/4
9. Pollution Probe. (September 3, 2015). Mercury in the Environment: A Primer [Online]. Available: http://udel.edu/~inamdar/nps2007/primer.pdf
Authors and Editors
Liam Goodfellow, Jordan Hanania, Kailyn Stenhouse, Jason Donev |
Following the tragic events of the Movie Theater shooting, and other horrific events over the last decade or two, it is frequently difficult for individuals to cope with the feelings and anxiety that are elicited by those tragedies. Regardless of whether you were witness to the scene, knew someone who was a victim of, or witness to, the tragedy, or if you are just hearing about it from friends or media, it is shocking and difficult to understand.
Symptoms of trauma can include nightmares, depression, anxiety and panic, feelings of insecurity or disbelief that such a tragedy could have happened. Being aware of how you feel is the first step to taking care of yourself in such an aftermath. There are also other things to keep in mind when trying to cope in the face of such a devastating story:
1. Remember that feelings of shock and confusion are normal in the aftermath of a very abnormal and tragic event.
2. Talk to people about your feelings.
3. Spend time with the people you are close to and love.
4. Involve yourself in activities you enjoy.
5. Nurture yourself.
6. Exercise. This releases endorphins which are helpful in the healing process.
7. Give yourself time to heal.
If you find yourself in a position where your symptoms are not improving, or you don’t have anyone with whom to talk about your emotions, it is good to seek support or counseling to help you to recover from the shock. There is help available for processing something as difficult to understand as these unthinkable human tragedies.
Tamra Hughes, MA, LPC http://www.thcounseling.com |
Tv Or No Tv Essay Research Paper
СОДЕРЖАНИЕ: Tv Or No Tv Essay, Research Paper NO TV That Seems to be the Question TV or No TV This is a question millions of parents are pondering across America. Violence, along with sexual content, on television is at an all time high. So are the ratings, however. Sex and violence seems to draw a larger audience. A larger audience brings networks more money.
Tv Or No Tv Essay, Research Paper
That Seems to be the Question
TV or No TV
This is a question millions of parents are pondering across America. Violence, along with sexual content, on television is at an all time high. So are the ratings, however. Sex and violence seems to draw a larger audience. A larger audience brings networks more money. This all looks simple enough except for the fact that all of the viewers aren’t old enough determine fact from fiction or right from wrong. With violence in schools on the rise, the question arises: Does violent television programming influence our children and their actions?
According to some psychological research, violence on television affects children negatively. The three major effects of seeing violence on television are:
· Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others.
· Children may be more fearful of the world around them.
· Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive ways toward others.
Sometimes kids act differently after they’ve been watching violent programs on television. In one study done at Pennsylvania State University, about 100 preschool children were observed both before and after watching television. Some kids watched cartoons that had many aggressive and violent acts while the others watched shows that didn’t have any sort of violence at all. The researchers picked up on a lot of real differences in behavior between the kids who watched the violent shows and those who watched nonviolent ones. The kids who watched the violent shows were more likely to strike out at playmates, argue, disobey authority and were less willing to wait for things than those children who watched nonviolent programs.
Some studies found that kids who watched many hours of television violence when they were in elementary school had a greater tendency to show a higher level of aggressive behavior as they grew older. One of these studies observed these same youngsters until they were 30 years old. The results show that the ones who had watched a lot of television when they were eight years old had significantly greater chances to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults.
Some steps have been taken in the right direction, however. The television industry took steps toward implementing a rating system for its programming at a meeting with President Clinton in late February. The policy is to develop a ratings system for television programs that will give parents an indication of content not suitable for children.
The rating system may use letter codes (such as PG-7 for programs deemed suitable for children aged 7 and up, PG-10, PG-15, etc.), or the television industry may develop a short description of content which would be broadcast prior to the program.
Researchers and scientists can do all the studies they want to but the fact remains that children imitate what they see. Parents are treating their televisions like babysitters. Some kids have no business at all in front of the tube when movies like Terminator 2 come on. If parents would just use good old common sense, a lot of unnecessary controversy would come to an end in my opinion. Some parents just plop their kids in the living room with the TV on because they have “other” things to do and it makes them shut up. A lot of kids today are being raised by Sony and Hitachi rather than Mom and Pop.
If they only knew that extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, even watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Some programs glorify the bad guy. The bad guy makes the good guys look stupid and gets what he wants in the process. What ever happened to The A-Team or MacGyver or Chips or Starsky and Hutch? In these shows the good guys may have had guns but they rarely got used. If they did get used (The A-Team) then nobody got shot.
The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child’s behavior or may surface years later. Some young viewers can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence. This does not in any way mean that violence on television is the only source for aggressive or violent behavior, but it is a significant contributor. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways:
· Pay attention to the programs their children are watching. Watch some with them.
· Set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television.
· Refuse to let the children see shows known to be violent, and change the channel or turn off the TV set when something offensive comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program.
Parents should also use these measures to prevent harmful effects from television in other areas such as racial or sexual stereotyping. The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated, because it keeps children from other, more beneficial activities such as reading and playing with friends. If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or deep concerns about how their child is reacting to television, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist for help defining the problem. Parents need to learn how to tell their kids “NO.”
What do you do realistically? Everyone was a kid once. Most boys had a copy of Playboy under their mattress or went to a friend’s house to watch the latest Faces of Death. I’d even go as far to say that I’ve spent way more than a healthy amount of time staring at that glorified box in the living room. I grew up watching Looney Tunes, The Three Stooges and GI Joe but I haven’t strayed too far from the norm. My personal opinion is that you shouldn’t treat your kids like they’re stupid. They pick up on a lot more that you think. Take the time to explain to them right from wrong and fact from fiction. If they happen to be very young, then they have no business watching some TV programming. Common sense seems to be a rare commodity these days. Hopefully it won’t become totally nonexistent.
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How Big Were Their Footprints?
Mound Cities Era
The area was mostly planted in citrus trees. Farmers used lots of water to water the trees. Most of the water came from the San Bernardino Mountains. People built dams, like the Big Bear Dam to save water in lakes. The water was sent down to the orange groves in pipes or canals. The zanja, built by Indians for the Franciscan Missionaries, was still being used.
Dams and irrigation piped and canals save water and send it to orange groves. More and more wells are being sunk to get more water for homes and groves.
Because of the dams, creeks dry up. Marshy ground dries up. Lakes evaporate. The water underground is lower and lower. Now people have to pump water from deep wells. It used to come up out of "artesian wells".
Citrus dominates the environment. All other plants are dug up, plowed under, or crowded out.
Native plants disappear from large areas. The animals who depend on them have to move to other places to find food.
People are building dams, houses, packing sheds, railroads, sewers, water systems, banks, stores, and schools. They are using brick and cement more and more.
Many of the buildings from this time are still here. You can see ruins of the packing sheds along Barton Road between Loma Linda and Redlands.
People start dairies, because the population is growing. City people want milk, cream, butter and cheese.
Native animals are hunted or chased away. Pasture land has food for rodents, but farmers don't want them around.
The original natives were rounded up and moved to reservations. Some went to the San Manuel reservations, some to Banning, and some to Palm Springs.
Smallpox and cholera had killed most of the natives. A few remained, but had lost all their land. Only the reservations were left for them.
The Bottom Line:
The new settlers in the valley were mostly citrus growers or people who worked for them. No one gave much thought to the old inhabitants or the native plants and animals. They were considered problems in the way of progress.
The estancia was gradually melting, and the Indians who lived here first were mostly gone. The look of the valley had changed. It was a sea of citrus trees. With all the logging, farming and water projects, Nature was being changed a lot. It would never be anything like what it was before. The orange trees would someday be cut down, but for now this valley was a giant orange farm! |
With Knowledge comes Opportunity
With Opportunity comes Success
Technical Analysis Portal Financial Analysis Value Investing Behavioral Finance Portal
>Home Page >Behavioral Finance >The Disposition Effect (also Loss Aversion):
Often, in their portfolio, people prefer to sell winners than losers. They act that way either out of pride, commitment, because of loss aversion, or to avoid regrets.
[Kahneman and Tversky] "analysis suggests that a person who has not made peace with his losses is likely to accept gambles that would be unacceptable to him otherwise".
[Folsom] "Fear is stronger than greed, which is why financial markets fall more rapidly than they climb. Most investors will say the sentence above is common knowledge. But, if so, why then do most investors fail to act on what they know? The failure is the behavior toward risk, namely: The average investor is risk-averse toward a known gain, but is risk-seeking toward a certain loss. When a stock goes up in price, individuals will sell too soon, especially when that stock has outperformed the broader market. They avoid risk by locking in the gain. When a stock goes down, individuals won't sell soon enough, especially when that loser has underperformed the market. They assume the risk of even deeper declines, rather than choose to cut their certain losses. Study after study bears out this truth".
The Disposition to Sell Winners Too Early and Ride Losers Too Long, Shefrin and Stateman, 1985
Meir Statman and I coined the term Disposition Effect, as shorthand for the predisposition toward get-evenitis. get-eventis afflicts both sophisticated and unsophisticated investors. Applied Kahneman and Tversky's notion of framing to the realization of loses. We called this phenomenon the Disposition Effect, arguing that investors are predisposed to holding losers too long and selling winners too early". Showing a reluctance to realize losses (disposition to "ride losers"). The Disposition Effect has four major elements: Prospect Theory, Mental Accounting, Regret Aversion and Self-Control. According to Prospect Theory an investor frames all choices in terms of potential gains or losses relative to a fixed reference point. Consider an investor who purchased a stock for $50 one month ago and the stock now is selling at $40. There are two outcomes to this situation. Sell the stock now and realize a loss of $10, or Hold the stock for one more period, with a 50-50 odds between losing an additional $10 or "breaking even". Prospect Theory imply that B will be selected over A. This seems to apply even if the odds of breaking even were something less than 50-50. Regret Aversion suggests that investors may resist the realization of a loss because it stands as proof that their first judgment was wrong. The quest for pride and avoidance of regret, lead to a disposition to realize gains and defer losses. Self-Control is portrayed as a conflict between a rational part (Planner) and a more primitive part and emotional individual action (Agent). Planner may not be strong enough to prevent the emotional reactions of the Agent from interfering with rational decision making. An example: traders clearly aware that riding losses was not rational, but could not exhibite enough self-control to close the position at a loss, thus limiting loss".
Disposition Matters: Volume, Volatility and Price Impact of a Behavioral Bias, Goetzmann and Massa, 2003
"The disposition effect was introduced to the finance literature by Shefrin and Statman (1985) as a characterization of the tendency of individuals to ride losses and realize gains. As such, it was based directly on Kahneman and Tversky's loss aversion framework. Loss aversion postulates that investors have the ''tendency to seek risk when faced with possible losses, and to avoid risk when a certain gain is possible". Loss aversion relies on studies in psychology that show that a decline in utility arising out of the realization of losses relative to gains induces investors not to sell losing stocks relative to winning ones. An important challenge to behavioral finance is to find a direct link between individual investor behavior and asset price dynamics. Few doubt that large numbers of investors behave irrationally and are prone to behavioral heuristics that lead to suboptimal investment choices, however the empirical evidence that these investors affect prices has been elusive. In this paper, we focus on the most widely documented behavioral heuristic among investors, the disposition effect. Statman and Thorley (1999) point out that the disposition effect, being based on a mental accounting framework, is stock-specific rather than related to the market as a whole. Thus it might not manifest itself as a pervasive, market wide risk factor. However, that is the proposition we test in this paper. We show that when the fraction of "irrational" investor purchases in a stock increases, the unexplained portion of the market price of the stock decreases. We further show that statistical exposure to a disposition factor explains cross-sectional differences in daily returns, controlling for a host of other factors and characteristics. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that trade between disposition-prone investors and their counter-parties influences relative prices. Not only does disposition matter at the individual security level, the aggregate behavior of disposition-prone investors appears to matter at the aggregate level, suggesting that behavioral effects might be important at the market-wide level".
Dying Out Or Dying Hard? Disposition Investors In Stock Market, OEHLER, HEILMANN, LAGER and OBERLANDER, 2002
"The phenomenon can be explained by prospect theory's idea that subjects value gains and losses relative to a reference point like the purchase price, and that they are risk-seeking in the domain of possible losses and risk-averse when a certain gain is obtainable".
The Disposition Effect in Securities Trading: an Experimental Analysis, WEBER and CAMERER, 1998
"The disposition effect can be explained by two features of prospect theory: the idea that people value gains and losses relative to a reference point (the initial purchase price of shares), and the tendency to seek risk when faced with possible losse, and avoid risk when a certain gain is possible".
Looking for direction - Buying High, Selling Low, Marmer
"Why investors buy high and sell low can be mostly attributed to pride-seeking behaviour as well as the fear of regret. Pride-seeking refers to the need to feel good about decisions. Fear of regret leads to avoidance of the pain and responsibility of poor decisions. Correspondingly, pride-seeking leads investors to buy high, by investing in funds with the latest hot track record, so that they can be winners and feel good. Fear of regret, meanwhile, causes investors to sell low as they hold on to losing funds too long in the hope of avoiding the inevitable loss".
The Disposition Effect: Explanations, Experimental Evidence, and Implications for Asset Pricing, ZUCHEL, 2001
"The disposition effect describes the tendency to sell winners (stocks with a paper gain) and hold losers (stocks with a paper loss).The disposition effect has been documented in many empirical studies. There is a large psychological literature on entrapment, escalation of commitment, and sunk cost, that studies phenomena that are very similar to the disposition effect. This literature suggests an explanation of the disposition effect based on cognitive dissonance theory".
What Makes Investors Trade?, GRINBLATT, KELOHARJU, 1999
We identify the determinants of buying and selling activity over a two-year period. We also find that the domestic investor categories generally engage in short-term contrarian behavior, especially in their tendency to sell stocks that have appreciated over the prior few days".
The Disposition Effect and Momentum, Grinblatt, 2001
disposition effect creates a spread between a stock's fundamental value - the stock price that would exist in the absence of a disposition effect - and its market price. Even when a stock's fundamental value follows a random walk, and thus is unpredictable, its equilibrium price will tend to underreact to information. The profitability of a momentum strategy, which makes use of this spread, depends on the path of past stock prices. Crosssectional empirical tests of the model find that stocks with large aggregate unrealized capital gains tend to have higher expected returns than stocks with large aggregate unrealized capital losses and that this capital gains "overhang" appears to be the key variable that generates the profitability of a momentum strategy".
Information Asymmetry, Price Momentum, and the Disposition Effect, STROBL, 2003
"Specifically, we show (i) that disposition effects arise quite naturally in a world with changing information asymmetry, (ii) that existing empirical tests rejecting an information-based explanation are inconclusive, and (iii) that disposition effects are consistent with price momentum".
The Courage of Misguided Convictions: The Trading Behavior of Individual Investors, BARBER and ODEAN, 2000
"This paper describes empirical tests of two predictions of behavioral finance: that investors tend to sell their winning stocks and to hold on to their losers and that, as a result of overconfidence, investors trade too much. We document that individual investors are 50 percent more likely to sell a winning investment than a losing investment".
Patterns of Behavior of Professionally Managed and Independent Investors, SHAPIRA and VENEZIA, 2000
"In this paper, we analyze the investment patterns of a large number of clients of a major Israeli brokerage house during 1994. We show that both professional and independent investors exhibit the disposition effect, although the effect is stronger for independent investors". |
Friday, November 12, 2010
Parentings Teens: Start the Day Off Right - 8 Meaningful Tips
Experts all over agree that starting a day with a healthy meal, whether it is cereal, oatmeal, eggs, toast or other foods - with a splash of juice, can give you a jumpstart to a good day!
Mornings are one of the busiest times for families, but a happy, healthy start can set the tone for the day ahead. Parenting expert and author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions, Dr. Michele Borba offers simple solutions to help families step back from the morning chaos and make their mornings more meaningful.
1. Rise and Shine: Wake your kids with a mantra that is unique to them and their activities. If your child has a big baseball game, wake them up with their mitt on your hand or by singing “take me out to the ballgame.” Even including a fun routine for younger children, such as sock puppets, can make waking up more enjoyable and special.
2. Race to Get Ready:Challenge your kids to a “race to get ready.” Set a time goal for each child, if they get dressed and ready for school within the allotted time, they win! You can throw in extra motivation if needed, like picking out the next movie for movie night.
3. Create a Homework Catcher: Create a special spot by the front door designated to hold frequently-lost and forgotten items, like homework and school notes. This can be as simple as a bulletin board with tacks.
4. Take Advantage of the Rush: Keep a map of the world, engaging puzzles or fun books in the car that will spark conversation during rush hour.
5. Create a Tradition:Create a special good-bye ritual with your kids that won’t take any extra time from your busy morning, such as a fun handshake, hug or saying that you repeat each morning, or even a sweet message left on a sticky note in your kids’ lunchboxes.
6. Share the Headlines: Reading newspaper stories out loud to each other will give you the chance to engage with your children, work on their reading skills and teach them about current issues. Focusing on positive stories also will help everyone head out of the door with the right mindset to take on the day.
7. Fuel the Day:Instead of rushing out the door, talk to your kids as you pour a glass of nutrient-rich 100 percent orange juice together while you pack a healthy breakfast to go.
8. Unplug: A simple way to connect is by designating time in your family’s normal morning routine as “unplugged time” – without turning on the television, computer or video games. Start with just 10 minutes and gradually work your way up to more unplugged mornings.
To learn more about Dr. Michele Borba’s meaningful morning tips, visit or the Florida Orange Juice Facebook page.
The Department of Citrus in Lakeland, FL is promoting health and wellness by offering The Morning Squeeze Contest. Learn more - click here.
Read more. |
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
cultural change and language change
In our last two sessions, my SOC 101 class (the one in the classroom)and I have been focusing on the elements of culture, beginning with language, and talking about changes in culture. Last Thursday we were coming up with examples of words that have come to have different meanings -- both denotations (the direct, explicit, dictionary meaning) and connotations (implied or suggested meaning).
In light of this conversation with my students I find it interesting, that apparently the meaning (both denotation and connotation) of the noun "barracuda" has evidently undergone some changes. According to my Merriam-Webster Dictionary (copyright 2004) the second meaning of "barracuda" is a person who "uses aggressive, selfish, and sometimes unethical methods to obtain a goal, especially in business."
Now my 1941 Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, doesn't even have that meaning, it just defines barracuda as "voracious pike-like marine fish." So the application of the name to humans is one example of the changing nature of language.
Now, it would appear, that the Republicans either like the idea of Sarah Palin being labeled "aggressive, selfish, and sometimes unethical" or they think the word means something entirely different. Certainly the Heart song "Barracuda" that the Republicans have chosen (with out the group's permission) as Palin's theme song, does not use the term in a wholly complementary way --the person being called "barracuda" appears to be a preditory and lying person.
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Senin, 06 Agustus 2007
Karimunjawa is and island chain stretching in a northwesterly direction 83 km from Jepara. Central Java. This archipelago is a cluster of 27 islands in the java sea. Only seven of the islands are inhabited. The reefs are a mixture of fringing, barrier, and patch with bottom depths ranging from 15 to 40 meters. The name of Karimunjawa is taken from Javanese language 'Kremun kremun saking tanah Jawi' addressed by one of Wali Songo (the Nine Saints who had introduced Islam in Java) to describe how far this mini archipelago from Java, to be exact from Semarang and Jepara. Stands from 27 islands, this mini archipelago became marine national park and it's like a treasure for those who love marine life. Here can be found protected coral reefs (very colorful plateaus and plains in deep and shallow waters), secluded and tranquil white beaches, pelican and hornbill, sea grass and kinds of sea creatures, from crabs, anchovy, starfish, sharks, stingray, jellyfish, red snappers, etc.
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1471-2334-10-1871471-2334 Research article <p>Mapping the risk of avian influenza in wild birds in the US</p> FullerLTrevonfullertl@ucla.edu SaatchiSSassansasan.s.saatchi@jpl.nasa.gov CurdEEmilyeecurd@ucla.edu ToffelmierErinetoff@ucla.edu ThomassenAHenrihathomassen@ucla.edu BuermannWolfgangbuermann@ucla.edu DeSanteFDavidddesante@birdpop.org NottPMarkpnott@birdpop.org SaraccoFJamesjsaracco@birdpop.org RalphCJcjr2@humboldt.edu AlexanderDJohnjda@klamathbird.org PollingerPJohnjpolling@ucla.edu SmithBThomastbsmith@ucla.edu
Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300, Box 951496, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496, USA
Radar Science Technical Group, Radar Science & Engineering Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1565, USA
The Institute for Bird Populations, P.O. Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956-1346, USA
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Redwood Sciences Laboratory, 1700 Bayview Drive, Arcata, CA 95521, USA
Klamath Bird Observatory, P.O. Box 758, Ashland, OR 97520, USA
BMC Infectious Diseases 1471-2334 2010 10 1 187 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/10/187 2057322810.1186/1471-2334-10-187
Avian influenza virus (AIV) is an important public health issue because pandemic influenza viruses in people have contained genes from viruses that infect birds. The H5 and H7 AIV subtypes have periodically mutated from low pathogenicity to high pathogenicity form. Analysis of the geographic distribution of AIV can identify areas where reassortment events might occur and how high pathogenicity influenza might travel if it enters wild bird populations in the US. Modelling the number of AIV cases is important because the rate of co-infection with multiple AIV subtypes increases with the number of cases and co-infection is the source of reassortment events that give rise to new strains of influenza, which occurred before the 1968 pandemic. Aquatic birds in the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes have been recognized as reservoirs of AIV since the 1970s. However, little is known about influenza prevalence in terrestrial birds in the order Passeriformes. Since passerines share the same habitat as poultry, they may be more effective transmitters of the disease to humans than aquatic birds. We analyze 152 passerine species including the American Robin (Turdus migratorius) and Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus).
We formulate a regression model to predict AIV cases throughout the US at the county scale as a function of 12 environmental variables, sampling effort, and proximity to other counties with influenza outbreaks. Our analysis did not distinguish between types of influenza, including low or highly pathogenic forms.
Analysis of 13,046 cloacal samples collected from 225 bird species in 41 US states between 2005 and 2008 indicates that the average prevalence of influenza in passerines is greater than the prevalence in eight other avian orders. Our regression model identifies the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest as high-risk areas for AIV. Highly significant predictors of AIV include the amount of harvested cropland and the first day of the year when a county is snow free.
Although the prevalence of influenza in waterfowl has long been appreciated, we show that 22 species of song birds and perching birds (order Passeriformes) are influenza reservoirs in the contiguous US.
There is a strong link between influenza in birds and human health because influenza epidemics in human populations occur when viruses that typically inhabit the avian gastrointestinal tract mutate or reassort, enabling them to cross the species barrier to infect people 1 . Mutations arise in avian influenza virus (hereafter "AIV") due to the high error rate of influenza RNA polymerase and the large population size and short generation time of the virus 2 . Reassortment is the exchange of RNA segments between distinct influenza viruses. When human influenza viruses and AIV reassort, they produce offspring virions that represent a mixture of the parental types' RNA and are infectious to humans in some cases 2 3 4 . For example, in 1968, one million people died in an influenza pandemic that resulted from the reassortment of an influenza virus from Ukrainian ducks and a virus that had circulated in people since 1957 5 6 7 8 .
Today, outbreaks of H5N1 influenza in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East further illustrate the human health implications of influenza in birds. (Influenza viruses are classified into "HA" and "NA" subtypes based on surface proteins.) People contract H5N1 by handling infected poultry or wild birds after which the virus binds to receptors in the pulmonary alveoli, causing pneumonia and death due to respiratory failure 9 10 11 . Since July 2003, there have been 436 human cases of H5N1 in the Eastern hemisphere with a 60% mortality rate 12 13 14 . In 75% of these cases, the infected people had contact with birds 10 . However, H5N1 has also evolved limited person-to-person transmission within human families 7 15 16 17 . Public health authorities are concerned that the evolution of wider human-to-human transmission could result in a H5N1 pandemic that could cause up to 142 million deaths at a cost of $US 4.4 trillion 14 18 . The ongoing human pandemic of H1N1 influenza, which has caused over 296,000 human cases and at least 15,921 deaths since mid-February 2009, contains genes from avian, human, and swine influenza viruses 12 .
To date, influenza viruses have been isolated from 105 species of wild birds representing 26 families 16 . In birds, the H5 and H7 AIV subtypes have periodically mutated from a low pathogenicity form (hereafter "LPAI"), which is typically asymptomatic in wild birds, to a highly pathogenic form (hereafter "HPAI") that causes mortality rates of up to 100% in chickens 2 19 20 21 . (Our analysis did not distinguish between influenza subtypes or differentiate LPAI from HPAI.) HPAI also differs from LPAI in that the former has more amino acids adjacent to the hemagglutinin cleavage site, which allows it to replicate in a broader range of tissues [for details, see 2 22 ]. Aside from poultry, no HPAI H5N1 has been detected to date in the US, though six LPAI H5N1 viruses have been detected in North America since 2004 23 . AIV mutated from LP to HP form in poultry in the US in the 1920s, in 1984, and in 2004 4 24 25 26 27 28 29 . Although none of these US outbreaks resulted in the infection of humans with HPAI, it is plausible that HPAI could reassort or mutate to become transmissible to people. As few as five amino acid changes can transform the HP influenza virus into an airborne form that is infectious to mammals 14 . In the event of an HPAI epizootic in migratory birds in the US, these species could spread HPAI across the country along migratory routes because ducks infected with HP H5 remain healthy enough to migrate 16 30 . Indeed, HPAI has already been detected in wild birds in Chad, China, Nigeria, and South Africa 30 31 32 .
We analyze the geographic distribution of AIV in wild birds in the US with the goal of inferring where reassortment events might occur and how HPAI might travel if it enters wild bird populations. Our method for detecting the influenza virus in samples from passerines does not determine whether the virus is LPAI or HPAI (see below). However, 67% of our samples are from non-passerines and are known to be LPAI. Thus, this study assumes that most of our AIV-positive samples are LPAI. We model the geographic distribution of AIV to provide insights about how HPAI might spread if it is introduced to the US in the future. Since we cannot guarantee that the passerine samples are LPAI, when referring to samples that tested positive for influenza virus, we will use the term "AIV" rather than "LPAI". As noted in the Discussion, the characterization of the subtype and pathogenicity of AIVs isolated from passerines in the US remains an important area for future research.
Although the monitoring of HPAI viruses is important, another critical issue in AIV biosafety is the detection of H5 and H7 LPAI viruses. LPAI H7 has been transmitted directly to humans in the US in 1976, 2002, and 2003 7 33 . These cases resulted in conjunctivitis, fever, and upper-respiratory tract symptoms of influenza-like illness, but no fatalities. LPAI H5 and H7 can mutate to HPAI relatively easily given the right environment (for example, poultry sheds). We refer the interested reader to Verdugo et al. 34 , who have developed a model for detecting H5 and H7 LPAI in poultry and predicting when they will evolve to HPAI.
The aims of this research are to measure the prevalence of AIV in different species of wild birds in the US and to prioritize geographical regions for future influenza surveillance. Although aquatic birds in the orders Anseriformes and Charadriiformes have been recognized as reservoirs of AIV since the 1970s, much less is known about AIV prevalence in terrestrial birds in the order Passeriformes 16 35 36 37 38 . Examples of Anseriformes (ducks) that have high prevalence of influenza in the US include the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and the Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) 39 40 . Shorebirds of the order Charadriiformes in which high influenza prevalence has been detected in the US include the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) and the Red Knot (Calidris canutus) 36 41 . Recent work detected high prevalence of influenza in passerines in China, including the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 42 43 . The present study is necessary in order to test the hypothesis that passerines are important reservoirs of AIV in the US. Further motivation for our study comes from the fact that public health agencies have limited funding to test wild birds for AIV. Thus, it is crucial that the establishment of surveillance sites should be as efficient as possible. For example, the number of sites that are monitored should be small but the sites should be located in counties that are most likely to have birds with AIV. We aim to test the hypothesis that environmental variables can be used to predict AIV cases in wild birds. Next, based on the relationship between AIV and environmental predictors, we attempt to identify the US counties most likely to be influenza hotspots for wild birds.
Our study makes the following contributions. First, guidelines formulated by the World Health Organization recognize the importance of epidemiological modelling using tools such as GIS for the control of AIV 44 . Nevertheless, most previous work on the geographic distribution of AIV has analyzed Asia and Africa [e.g. 35 38 45 ]. To date, studies of AIV in wild birds in the US have focused on Alaska 39 46 47 . However, there may be overlooked hotspots of AIV in the contiguous US 48 . We contribute the first predictions about AIV cases in the contiguous US at the county scale. Second, we analyze new passerine samples from the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Pacific Flyways supplemented with existing samples from online databases to provide the first comprehensive assessment of AIV prevalence in US passerines. The main finding reported in this article is that the prevalence of influenza in passerines is greater than the prevalence in eight other avian orders. The implication of this finding for human health is that, along with poultry and waterfowl, passerines in the US are a potential vector for the transmission of AIV to people 16 49 .
Influenza samples from wild birds
The data set comprised 13,046 samples from 136 counties or parishes in 41 US states (Figure 1, Additional file 1, Table S1, and Additional file 2, Table S1). The new samples included in this analysis comprise cloacal swabs collected from December 2005 to 2008 primarily during the Spring breeding season at banding stations that are part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survival (MAPS) program, during the Fall as part of the Landbird Monitoring Network of the Americas (LaMNA), and during the Winter as part of the Monitoring Avian Winter Survival (MAWS) program in collaboration with UCLA's Center for Tropical Research 50 51 . Since it is routine for the samples collected by the banding network to be stored at room temperature for prolonged periods, we utilized 100% ethanol as a storage medium. Viral RNA was extracted using a commercial magnetic bead kit (Ambion MagMAX viral RNA isolation kit). The vRNA was then converted to cDNA in a real-time reverse transcription PCR reaction using an Ambion AgPath-ID one-step PCR kit and run on a 7900 HT Fast Real-Time PCR System. PCR primers targeted a conserved region of the Matrix 1 gene: 5-GAR ATC GCG CAG ARA CTT GA-3 and 5-CAC TGG GCA CGG TGA GC-3 are forward and reverse primers, respectively. For analysis of the sensitivity of the MagMAX and AgPath-ID kits, see 47 . We used High Resolution Melt Analysis to identify putative positives based on melt temperature and then confirmed amplicon length (143 bp) on a 3% agarose gel. Viral cDNA was purified using a Zymoclean DNA gel recovery kit. We used the same PCR primers in BigDye Terminator sequencing reactions and then products were run on an Applied Biosystems 3730 system. Chromatograms were visualized in Geneious and then confirmed as AIV through a BLAST search of the NCBI database. The field and laboratory methods utilized in this study were approved by an Institutional Review Board at the University of California, Los Angeles. AIV-positive samples have been deposited in GenBank under Accession Numbers HM355888 to HM355917.
<p>Additional file 1</p>
Influenza samples from wild birds used in the study. This file provides a detailed description of the geographical study region and lists the online databases from which we obtained samples in addition to the samples tested at the UCLA Center for Tropical Research.
Click here for file
<p>Additional file 2</p>
Description of the samples by species. The table in this file reports the prevalence of flu in the 225 avian species analyzed in this study, which represent 11 orders of birds.
Click here for file
<p>Figure 1</p>
Empirical data: AIV cases in the contiguous US
Empirical data: AIV cases in the contiguous US. (a) Number of positive wild birds in each of the sampled counties and county equivalents (n = 136). The data are partitioned into classes based on Jenks' natural breaks. (b) Locations of the bird banding stations where cloacal samples were collected as part of the LaMNA, MAPS, and MAWS banding networks. Also shown are the locations of geographic data from BioHealthBase (BHB) and the USDA. (c) Fraction of AIV positive samples. The upper Mississippi River basin and eastern Plains regions are hotspots based on the fraction of positives. (d) Distribution of AIV-positive samples from Passeriformes.
Since our samples were cloacal swabs with no measurable volume, we could not estimate the viral load of influenza in passerines defined as the number of copies of the virus per unit of body fluid. We can nevertheless infer that our copy number is very low based on cycle of threshold (Ct) values, which is the cycle at which the samples began to amplify. Since the Ct values were fairly high, we estimate that our copy number is uniformly low across the passerine samples. (Ct values >35 are typically interpreted as indicating the absence of influenza in passerines 52 .)
Environmental variables
We investigated the association between AIV cases in wild birds in the contiguous US and 12 predictor variables, which measured agricultural and commercial activity as well as climate (Table 1). The predictor variables are all publicly available. First, we analyzed measures of agricultural activity because rice crop production is correlated with H5N1 outbreaks in Southeast Asia 38 . We included the amount of harvested cropland in the county in units of hectares, the mean size of farms in the county, and the % of the county in cropland 53 . We also examined the % of family-owned farms in the county because the use of employees who were not family members was significant for explaining AIV outbreaks in Virginia in 2002 26 . In addition, we analyzed the density of roads in each county that connect major population centers and the human population density (as a surrogate measure of trade activity) because proximity to trade routes such as highways has been hypothesized to explain the spread of H5N1 from Asia to Europe in 2005 and proximity to roads was found to be a significant variable for explaining outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in poultry in Romania in 2005 54 55 . The density of poultry in the county was included in the analysis to test the hypothesis that poultry spread AIV to wild birds 56 .
<p>Table 1</p>
Environmental variables used to predict AIV in wild birds in the US.
Binary variable: 1 if the county ever froze, 0 otherwise
Calculated from freeze and thaw date
Freeze date
Calculated as the first day of the year when more than half of the county was frozen
Harvested cropland (ha)
Human population density
The total human population was divided by the area of the county
Mean farm size (ha)
Minimum temperature (°C)
Calculated as the average minimum temperature of all of the 800 m pixels in the county
Percent family owned farms
Percent of county in cropland
Poultry density
The data were aggregated to the county scale and the total number of poultry was divided by the area of the county
Road density
Calculated as the number roads in each county that connect major population centers
Thaw date (°C)
Calculated as the first day of the year when more than half of the county was not frozen
Total annual precipitation (mm)
Calculated as the average precipitation of all of the 800 m pixels in the county
We incorporated total annual precipitation and minimum temperature data interpolated from weather stations using the Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) method, which accounts for physiographic features such as terrain barriers that result in rain shadows and is considered the most accurate representation of US climate patterns 57 . Previous work has posited a relationship between temperature and influenza cases. For example, the 1918 pandemic coincided with an unusually hot winter in eastern North America and north central Asia caused by one of the strongest El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events of the twentieth century 58 . We hypothesized that precipitation and minimum temperature might affect influenza prevalence in wild birds because AIV can be transmitted to birds in a moist environment and cold weather affects bird dispersal 59 , which may influence the spread of the virus 60 61 . (For these and the following meteorological variables, we used the average value of the variable from 2006 to 2008 because our AIV samples came from December 2005 to 2008). Finally, we examined: (i) a binary variable set to one if the majority of the land in the county was ever covered by snow/ice and set to zero otherwise, (ii) the day of the year when the majority of the land in the county was first covered by snow/ice, and (iii) the day of the year when the majority of the land in the county was first free of snow/ice, all of which were inferred from satellite radar 62 . We included these variables related to freeze and thaw date because the timing of spring migration depends on the first day of thaw and fall migration depends on the first day of freeze. These variables may indirectly explain AIV spread by affecting bird dispersal 63 . Variables were iteratively removed from the spatial regression model via backward elimination until only variables with a t-statistic in the 95th percentile remained 64 . Forward selection gave the same result.
Spatial regression model
The statistical model represents the number of AIV cases per county as a Poisson-distributed random variable, which is appropriate for analyzing disease cases in which some geographic units have many cases but most units have few or no cases 65 . In the model, the number of AIV cases per county depends on the environmental variables as well as spatial proximity to other counties with AIV cases. In particular, we utilized a spatial regression model to account for autocorrelation in AIV cases among counties that are close together geographically. Failure to address autocorrelation results in underestimation of the degrees of freedom of the data, which decreases the standard errors of the parameter estimates in a regression model 66 . Thus, ignoring autocorrelation may lead to the erroneous conclusion that a variable is significant for explaining AIV cases when the variable is in fact non-significant. The model incorporates spatial autocorrelation by constructing a semivariogram and also accounts for differences in sampling effort among counties 67 . After the model was fitted to the 136 counties for which we had AIV samples, we predicted the number of AIV cases in the other 2973 US counties by applying the model to the unsampled counties. We utilized a generalized linear mixed model, which is a form of kriging with a semivariogram, rather than a conditional autoregressive model because the latter cannot readily be extended to non-Gaussian data 67 . The Poisson distribution provided a better fit to our data on flu cases than the Gaussian distribution (see Additional file 3). The accuracy of the spatial regression was assessed using two measures. First, we calculated the generalized chi-squared statistic. If a regression model is accurate, then the generalized chi-squared statistic divided by the degrees of freedom of the data should be close to one 67 68 . The model provided a good fit to the data insofar as the generalized chi-squared statistic divided by the degrees of freedom was 0.9. Collinearity among the regressors was also acceptably low (variance inflation factors <1.75) 68 . Second, we used a leave-one-out procedure that fitted the model to the data from 135 counties and then measured the model's accuracy on the remaining county. When the procedure was repeated 136 times, the root mean squared error (r.m.s.e.) was 6.33 AIV cases per county. This r.m.s.e. is acceptable based on the rule of thumb that the r.m.s.e. should be no greater than one-quarter of the range 69 . (For our data set, the range was 76.) Further details of the statistical model can be found in Additional file 3.
<p>Additional file 3</p>
Formulation of the spatial regression model. This file explains how we constructed the semivariogram in the spatial regression model, provides a mathematical formulation of the model, and explains how we fitted the model.
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Among the eight avian orders analyzed here, Passeriformes had the largest number of species in which AIV was detected (22 species) followed by ducks (order Anseriformes, 16 species) and shorebirds (order Charadriiformes, 1 species). We tested 4,341 samples from passerine birds, of which 0.89% were AIV-positive (Figure 2). Table 2 lists the top five species in terms of AIV-prevalence for each avian order.
<p>Table 2</p>
AIV prevalence among avian orders.
AIV-positive species
Common name
Prevalence (%)
Cygnus olor
Mute Swan
Anas rubripes
American Black Duck
Aythya Americana
Anas carolinensis
Green-winged Teal
Anas platyrhynchos
Arenaris interpres
Ruddy Turnstone
Haliaeetus leucephalus
Bald Eagle
Regulus satrapa
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Passerella iliaca
Fox Sparrow
Piranga ludoviciana
Western Tanager
Seiurus noveboracensis
Northern Waterthrush
Carpodacus cassinii
Cassin's Finch
Two orders (Charadriiformes and Falconiformes) had only one AIV-positive species. For orders in which influenza was detected in at least five species, the top five species in terms of prevalence are listed below.
<p>Figure 2</p>
Influenza prevalence among avian orders
Influenza prevalence among avian orders. Each bar represents one order of birds in the contiguous US. The height of the bar indicates that number of species belonging to the order that tested positive for AIV. The number above each bar is the % of cloacal samples that were AIV-positive. An = Anseriformes, Ch = Charadriiformes, Ci = Ciconiiformes, Co = Columbiformes, Cu = Cuculiformes, Fa = Falconiformes, Gr = Gruiformes, Pa = Passeriformes, Pe = Pelecaniformes, Pi = Piciformes, and St = Strigiformes. The first number below the bar is the number of species that we tested from that order. The second number is the number of samples that we tested from all of the species belonging to the order (see Additional file 2, Table S1 for details).
Influenza prevalence in Passeriformes
We evaluated the hypothesis that AIV was equally prevalent among 11 avian orders by testing the null hypothesis that AIV prevalence was the same among the orders. The null hypothesis was rejected, indicating that AIV is more common in some orders than in others (Kruskal-Wallis KW = 124, df = 10, p < 0.0001). Next, we ranked the orders based on AIV prevalence. The number of passerine species that tested positive for AIV (n = 22) was greater than the number of positive species detected in ten other orders, including waterfowl. However, our sampling was also biased towards passerines. To address this, we calculated fraction of AIV-positive samples from each order. This corrects for the fact that we had more samples from some orders than from others. The fraction of samples from passerines that tested positive for AIV was greater than the prevalence in eight other orders of birds in the contiguous US (Figure 2). We note, however, that for some of these eight orders the number of species and samples represented in our database is small. Nevertheless, AIV prevalence in Passeriformes was greater than in Falconiformes, an order in which we tested four species and 270 samples, and Piciformes, and order in which we tested 14 species and 105 samples.
Environmental predictors of influenza prevalence in the sampled counties
For the remainder of the analysis, we pooled the samples from all 11 orders so as to increase the geographic region represented by data. Significant predictors of the number of AIV cases per county in wild birds were thaw date, the % of harvested cropland in the county, and minimum temperature (Table 3). We interpret each of these variables in turn beginning with thaw date. Freeze/thaw dynamics have previously been hypothesized to explain the prevalence of AIV in ducks in Europe (Andrew Dobson, Princeton University, personal communication, 2009). We posit that thaw date affects influenza in wild birds in the US according to the following mechanism. Waterfowl have large populations with high annual turnover rates, so that a large fraction of the population is immunologically naïve each year 70 . In particular, hatchlings are susceptible to infection from adults via fecal-oral transmission at breeding grounds, which have densities of up to 210 birds/m2 20 37 . At these sites, adults shed the virus into the water in feces and the young are infected by ingesting the water 4 . Prevalence of AIV in gulls in the US is typically highest in spring and in summer 71 . The sign of the coefficient for thaw date is negative, indicating that if the thaw date occurs later in the year, then the number of cases of AIV is predicted to decrease [Table 3, for details see 67 ]. We conjecture that thaw date explains AIV cases because if a site thaws earlier, then waterfowl can occupy the site sooner, and there are more opportunities for adults to infect juveniles than if the site were to become free of snow and ice later in the year. In our data set, the prevalence of influenza among hatchling year birds is significantly greater than in second-year or adult birds (x 1 2 = 64.87, one-sided p = 4 × 10-16). That finding is compatible with the hypothesis that a high fraction of hatchlings are infected by adults at the breeding grounds.
<p>Table 3</p>
Effect of the environmental variables on AIV cases in wild birds in the contiguous US, 2005-2008.
Std. Err.
t-value (df = 132)
First day of the year free of ice or snow Range: 0 (snow-free) to day of the year 150
Minimum temperature Range: -7.15 to 19.67°C
Percent harvested cropland per county: Range: 0-100
The amount of harvested cropland per county was very highly significant for explaining AIV cases. This result is consistent with previous analyses that showed a significant effect of agricultural production on AIV cases in Southeast Asia 38 72 . We hypothesize that agricultural activity results in increased AIV prevalence because it reduces the amount of natural habitat available to avian migrants. For example, the conversion of wetlands to farms may create bottlenecks at stopover sites along migratory corridors, concentrating waterfowl into high densities, such as the congregations of Teal and Snow Geese at Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in California's Central Valley during migration. The resulting crowding and intermingling of different species is thought to increase the probability that a bird will be infected with influenza 22 .
Minimum temperature also emerged as significant for explaining AIV cases. The sign of the coefficient that represents the effect of minimum temperature was estimated to be negative, meaning that if temperature increases, then the number of AIV cases is predicted to decrease (Table 3). This finding is compatible with the ecology of AIV, which is known to survive longer outside the host in cold conditions 2 73 . During the 1984 Pennsylvania outbreak of H5N2, the virus survived in barns for as long as 105 days during cool weather 28 . In addition, winters are long and cold at Qinghai Lake, China, which was the site of an outbreak of HPAI in wild birds in 2005 32 . It has also been conjectured that cold snaps explain the spread of HPAI by wild birds in Europe insofar as cold weather events prompt the dispersal of infected birds, resulting in the spread of the virus 16 63 74 75 . For example, in 2006, mute swans that typically winter on the Black Sea became infected when bad weather forced them to leave. This led to the discovery of infected mute swans in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, and 20 European countries 31 . Additionally, frost is one of the stress factors associated with dead wild birds infected with HPAI 16 .
Influenza predictions for the unsampled counties
The analysis at the county scale identifies the Mississippi River basin as a hotspot for AIV cases in the contiguous US (Figure 3(a)), which may be because wetlands in the basin with shallow pools of water are conducive to the transmission of the virus 37 . The Pacific Northwest is also classified as a hotspot, though this may be due in part to the fact that many of our samples of passerines came from this region (Figure 1(b), Additional file 4, Figure S1). At the state scale, Minnesota is predicted to have the most cases of AIV in the contiguous US (Figure 4). This is not surprising since AIV is known to have been introduced to turkey farms in Minnesota by wild birds 135 times since 1968 76 . At the county scale, there is a pronounced north-to-south gradient in the predicted number of AIV cases in the contiguous US (Figure 3(a)). This finding is compatible with the theory that the virus persists better in the colder environments of the northern US than the warmer environment of southern US states. Finally, the model predicts a large number of AIV cases in the Corn Belt of the Central US (Figure 3(a)). This area is known to be a major migratory flyway for ducks and also has intensive agricultural production 53 , which is a significant risk factor for AIV according to our model. If we reformulate the regression model to estimate the probability of AIV occurrence rather than estimating the number of cases of AIV, the spatial pattern of AIV in the contiguous US remains qualitatively similar (Additional file 5, Figure S1).
<p>Additional file 4</p>
Geographic locations of AIV-positive samples in the contiguous US (n = 325). This file contains a map showing the bird banding stations where wild birds tested positive for AIV.
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<p>Additional file 5</p>
Probability of AIV occurrence in US counties or county equivalents. This file consists of a map constructed by modifying the spatial model to generate probabilistic predictions about the influenza in wild birds, which are restricted to being between zero and one, rather than estimates of the number of influenza cases, which range from zero cases to 76 cases per county.
Click here for file
<p>Figure 3</p>
Predictions of the spatial model
Predictions of the spatial model. (a) Predictions for AIV cases in sampled and unsampled counties (n = 3109). R.m.s.e.: 6.33 cases per county; (b) Uncertainty associated with the model predictions in (a): standard error of the number of predicted cases of AIV in wild birds; (c) An important environmental variable for explaining AIV cases: % cropland per county; (d) Another important environmental variable: first day of the year with no snow or ice. Most counties with a high % of AIV positive-wild birds have a high % crop of cropland and cold climate measured as snow or ice-cover in January. This is compatible with the observation that the AI virus can survive outside of the host for a longer time period in a cold environment.
<p>Figure 4</p>
Modelled number of AIV cases in wild birds per US state and region, 2006-2008
Modelled number of AIV cases in wild birds per US state and region, 2006-2008. States are colored based on quintiles so that states that are in the top 20% with respect to the number of AIV cases are colored dark blue and states in the bottom 20% are red-orange. The symbology is adapted from a map of US GDP 84.
Implications for influenza surveillance and control in wild birds
Although the role of ducks and wading birds as influenza reservoirs has long been appreciated, our analysis shows that land birds constitute an important natural host of the influenza virus in the US. Analysis of 225 avian species indicates that influenza prevalence is higher in passerines than in eight other orders of birds in the contiguous US. Thus, the implication of this study for surveillance is that passerines should be monitored as a potential vector for transmitting AIV to humans, in addition to water birds and domesticated birds.
Since vaccinating against or stamping out AIV in all wild birds would be impossible, it is important to prioritize populations for such management activities 16 . Our model predicts that the risk of AIV outbreaks in wild birds is highest in California, the Great Plains, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington (Figures 3 and 4). The Plains region is predicted to have the highest number of AIV cases due to its significant agricultural production and cold winter temperatures, which allow AIV to persist outside the host in environmental reservoirs (Figure 4). Our prediction that there will be an AIV hotspot in the Pacific Northwest is driven by our samples from passerine birds because almost all of the positive samples from Passeriformes came from this region. The Passeriformes with the highest AIV-prevalence was the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), but this result should be interpreted cautiously since we had few samples for this species (Table 2, Additional file 2, Table S1). The passerine bird that showed the highest prevalence among the species for which we had a large number of samples was Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). Swainson's Thrush is a Neotropical migrant whose breeding sites include remote areas of the Pacific Northwest that are isolated from human settlements or farms 57 . The fact that we detected high AIV-prevalence in Swainson's Thrush supports the hypothesis that passerines birds constitute a reservoir of AIV even without the spillover of influenza from domestic birds to wild birds at farms in the breeding range. However, further work is needed to investigate the possible exposure of Swainson's Thrush to poultry in its winter range.
Conversely, the Mississippi Flyway in the Plains region had only one AIV-positive sample each from song birds and shorebirds, so our prediction of an AIV hotspot in this part of the country is determined primarily by influenza-positive ducks (Anseriformes). The Anseriformes species with the highest AIV prevalence was the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), which had 100% prevalence in our data set (Table 1). However, this prevalence may not be representative of natural populations insofar as our sample size for this species was small. Among the well-sampled Anseriformes species, AIV-prevalence was high in the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and the Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) (Additional file 2, Table S1). This result is compatible with previous studies that have detected high prevalence in both of these duck species [reviewed in 72 ].
In addition to estimating the mean number of AIV cases in wild birds per county, we predict the standard error of the number of cases (Figure 3(b)). If the standard error for a particular county is large, then there is a great deal of uncertainty about AIV cases in the county. To reduce this uncertainty, counties with large standard errors, such as those in central Washington and central Montana, can be targeted for increased surveillance.
Human health implications of influenza in wild birds
Previous spatial models have predicted the occurrence and non-occurrence of AIV 38 45 . The novel contribution of our model is the prediction of the number of cases of influenza in wild birds. Understanding the number of AIV cases in a county, rather than the occurrence or non-occurrence of the virus, is important because the rate of co-infection with multiple influenza viruses increases with the number of AIV cases 2 . Co-infection is the source of reassortment events that give rise to new pandemic strains of AIV; indeed, such an event preceded the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed 50-100 million people 2 3 5 6 7 8 77 78 . Since the number of AIV cases is predicted to be highest in the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest, we predict that these two geographical regions will also have a concomitantly higher risk of co-infection and reassortment. Thus, the threat to human health due to the evolution of HPAI through reassortment is greatest in those two parts of the country. As a consequence, implementing biosecurity practices for the control of HPAI is especially crucial in those two areas 79 .
Efforts undertaken by US health departments to plan for AIV since 2005 are thought to have facilitated the response of federal, state, and local agencies to the novel H1N1 epidemic during the Spring of 2009 80 . Thus, modelling the distribution of AIV in the US and allocating health care resources based on the predictions of such models may contribute to an improved technological infrastructure for responding to future epizootics and epidemics of influenza as well as other public health crises.
Shortcomings of the analysis and areas for future research
Among the limitations of the analysis is that we did not construct separate models for AIV in different species of wild birds. However, this shortcoming may not be severe because H5 AIV does not show species-specific differences in North America 16 23 . Moreover, like our analysis, epidemiological models often analyze the distribution of the pathogen rather than that of the host species [e.g. 81 ]. Another limitation of the analysis is that our viral storage and detection methodology does not permit the characterization of the HA or NA subtype of a sample that tests positive for influenza. This is a shortcoming because it may be more important to map the distribution of subtypes that are highly virulent in mammals such as H5 or H7. Our models are based on the detection of influenza A through matrix gene detection rather than the analysis of the H5 and H7 subtypes. Thus, if these two subtypes have unique geographic distributions because they are only transmitted by particular species of wild birds, then our modelling approach might fail to capture this. However, wild birds in the US exhibit a high rate of turnover in serotypes according to a roughly 2-year cycle 2 16 36 61 82 . Thus, modelling the geographic distributions of the H5 or H7 subtypes would require detailed annual surveys. Although such surveys have been conducted for Delaware Bay 49 , such data are not available for sites that represent broad geographic sampling of the contiguous US.
In the Eastern hemisphere, cases of H5N1 AIV in people typically increase in cooler months 9 . We found that cool temperatures are also a good predictor of AIV cases in wild birds. Influenza dynamics in wild birds in the US appear to depend on climatic variables rather than a fixed annual cycle because the relationship between AIV cases and day of the year is weak (Pearson's = 0.17). A hypothesis that emerges from this study is that H5N1 may be more prevalent in humans during cool months because both the prevalence of the virus in birds and the rate of avian-to-human transmission are higher in cool weather. Future field studies could assess the evidence in support of this hypothesis by testing for influenza in birds and people simultaneously in the same geographic region during cool weather. If the hypothesis is not confirmed, a possible alternative explanation for the increase in human cases of influenza during cool weather is that people spend more time indoors during the cool winter months and thus have greater exposure to infected individuals 3 .
The recent H1N1 pandemic has demonstrated the public health significance of reassortment events between avian and swine influenza viruses. Such reassortment might be expected to be more frequent in geographic regions where (i) swine production is intensive and (ii) there is also high prevalence of influenza in wild birds. Regions that score high for both (i) and (ii) could have a greater likelihood of influenza reassortment events in livestock or wildlife hosts of the influenza virus. For example, results indicate that the Mississippi Flyway in the central US has significant swine production along with a significant number of cases of AIV in ducks (Additional file 6, Figure S1). However, the risk of an influenza epidemic in humans may depend on other parameters, such as contact rates among people, wild birds, poultry, and swine, and the transmission efficiency of the virus. The available data on the exposure of humans to AIV is extremely limited and difficult to interpret due to a lack of standardized methods for serological testing [reviewed in 7 ]. We consider the improvement of such data an important avenue for future work and refer the interested reader to Moffett et al. 83 for the incorporation of contact rates and transmission efficiencies into a model of epidemiological risk.
<p>Additional File 6</p>
Hotspots of swine production and AIV cases in wild birds in the contiguous US. This file shows the overlap between areas with intensive swine production in the US and areas in which we predict high prevalence of AIV in wild birds. Reassortment between avian and swine influenza viruses may be more common in such areas.
Click here for file
The main conclusion of this research is that land birds (Passeriformes) constitute an important natural reservoir of influenza in the contiguous US. The importance of this finding is that since passerine species are common in urban habitats they could readily transmit highly pathogenic influenza to people in the event that a highly pathogenic subtype evolves through mutation or through reassortment in a bird that is co-infected with distinct influenza viruses. Aquatic birds are typically referred to as the most important avian vector of influenza. However, since passerines occupy the same habitat as poultry and there have already been outbreaks of HPAI in US poultry, passerines may be more effective at transmitting HPAI to people than aquatic birds. The geographical regions with the highest risk of influenza in wild birds are the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest; the threat to human health due to reassortment events that produce pandemic influenza subtypes is also greatest in these two areas.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
TF designed the study's analytical methods and drafted the manuscript. SS helped design the analytic methods, including the preparation of the satellite data described in the Methods. EC supervised the first year of laboratory activities, helping to design laboratory techniques for influenza testing, and wrote a FileMaker Pro database to summarize the samples. ET supervised the second year of laboratory activities including flu testing and the cataloguing of more than 10,000 cloacal samples. HT helped design the analytic aspects of the study and carried out a review of the literature about flu in wild birds. WB helped design the study's analytic strategy including the selection of the type of remote-sensed images to be used in the spatial model and selected the spatial scale of these images. DD designed the study's field activities including the sampling of passerine birds as part of the MAPS bird banding network. PN reviewed and revised a preliminary draft of the manuscript, provided guidance about the study's analytical approach, and helped design sampling activities as part of the MAPS network. JM supervised field activities as part of the MAWS bird banding network and designed Figure 2 of the manuscript. CJR supervised field activities in the LaMNA bird banding network, which provided flu samples during the migratory period. JA helped supervised the LaMNA bird banding stations and revised a draft of the article. JP directed laboratory activities during both years of flu testing and helped draft the Methods section of the manuscript. TBS helped design the analytic aspect of the study and helped draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
This work was supported by the joint National Science Foundation-National Institute of Health Ecology of Infectious Diseases Program (grant number EF-0430146); and by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (grant number EID-1R01AI074059-01). We thank the LaMNA, MAPS, and MAWS personnel and partners who collected the samples included in this analysis. Thanks are due to Betty J. Reardon and Stavana Strutz for comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. We thank two reviewers for comments that improved the quality of manuscript. For discussions we thank François Elvinger, Ryan Harrigan, and Falk Huettmann. The BioHealthBase Bioinformatics Resource Center has been wholly funded with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN266200400041C.
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One20082e26110.1371/journal.pone.0000261<p>Ecology of avian influenza in wild birds</p>StallknechtDEBrownJDAvian InfluenzaAmes, Iowa: BlackwellSwayne DE20084358full_text<p>Assessing landbird monitoring programs and demographic causes of population trends</p>SaraccoJFDesanteDFKaschubeDRJournal of Wildlife Management2008721665167310.2193/2008-129<p>Using the MAPS and MoSI programs to monitor landbirds and inform conservation</p>SaraccoJFDesanteDFNottMPKaschubeDRProceedings of the Fourth International Partners in Flight Conference: Tundra to TropicsUniversity of Texas-Pan American PressRich TD, Thompson CD, Demarest D, Arizmendi C2009659661<p>Migratory status is not related to the susceptibility to HPAIV H5N1 in an insectivorous passerine species</p>KalthoffDBreithauptAHelmBTeifkeJPBeerMPLoS One20094e617010.1371/journal.pone.0006170<p>A century of changing land-use and water-quality relationships in the continental US</p>BroussardWTurnerREFrontiers in Ecology and the 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A General SurveyOxford, UK: Oxford University PressSecond2001<p>Agro-ecological features of the introduction and spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in northern Nigeria</p>CecchiGIlemobadeALe BrunYHogerwerfLSlingenberghJGeospatial Health2008371619021104<p>The role of enviromental transmission in recurrent avian influenza epidemics</p>BrebanRDrakeJMStallknechtDERohaniPPLoS Computational Biology20095e100034610.1371/journal.pcbi.1000346266044019360126<p>Trends in high northern latitude soil freeze and thaw cycles from 1988 to 2002</p>SmithNVSaatchiSSRandersonJTJournal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres2004109<p>Remote sensing, ecological variables, and wild bird migration related to outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza</p>XiaoXGilbertMSlingenberghJLeiFBolesSJournal of Wildlife Diseases200743S40S46<p>An Introduction to Linear Regression Analysis</p>MontgomeryDCPeckEAViningGGFourth200617280293<p>Use of generalized linear mixed models in the spatial analysis of small-area malaria incidence rates in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa</p>KleinschmidtISharpBLClarkeGPYCurtisBFraserCAmerican Journal of Epidemiology20011531213122110.1093/aje/153.12.121311415957CressieNACStatistics for Spatial Data. 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Pre-publication history
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Ginger Vieira was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 13, celiac disease a year later, and fibromyalgia in 2014. Ginger provides great insights into life with multiple chronic illnesses, including how to make the most of your life despite your health setbacks.
At the doctor's office and in any magazine, people with diabetes are often encouraged to check their blood sugars before meals. But in reality, this is only one of the very important times of day to check your blood sugar in order to assess how your body is handling the food you eat and your medication doses.
If you're working hard on improving your A1c results and overall blood sugar control, here are three times of day you'll definitely want to make a priority for testing:
1. Fasting blood sugar
Waking up with a high blood sugar can actually imply that your blood sugar was high throughout the entire night! That means that for eight of the past 24 hours, your blood sugar was consistently high, which will inevitably increase your A1c. Having high blood sugars for that many hours will also inevitably zap your morning energy and enthusiasm for the day. It can also lead to developing ketones, putting you at severe risk for dehydration and other complications of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Get your morning number down to a healthy range by talking to your doctor about adjusting your medications and by taking a closer look at what you're eating during the last few hours before you go to bed.
2. Post-meal blood sugar
Sure, the number on the meter before we eat is important, but what about what happens after we eat? Especially for those taking insulin, this number can show if you had too much or too little insulin with your meal. For those not taking insulin, this number implies how well your body is simply able to handle the carbohydrate load in the food you're eating. If your blood sugar is consistently high after eating, you can work with your healthcare team to reduce the carbohydrates in your diet and/or increase your medication doses to support your body's needs.
Don't wait! You'll feel so much better after meals if you can get a handle on that post-meal blood sugar.
3. Before bed
Well, we already discussed the importance of waking up with an in-range number in order to prevent spending eight or so hours with a high blood sugar, but that really starts with where you're at before your head hits the pillow. If you are consistently not eating enough during the day, for example, and you're starving by the time you get home, you're likely to overeat and have a really difficult time keeping your blood sugar in-range after dinner.
If you generally eat a high-carb dinner and a dessert, reduce your blood sugar by having one or the other: carbs at dinner and no dessert OR fewer carbs at dinner and a small dessert. Not only will you sleep better with an in-range blood sugar, you'll feel better when you wake up! |
Affluenza: an American Epidemic
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Affluenza is an epidemic which effects millions of people in the United States.
"Until this century [20th], to consume was considered a bad thing" says Jeremy Rifkin an
expert on affluenza ( Gross ). The victims of affluenza are consumers who work long
hours at a job they hate so they can buy things which they don't need ( Fight Club ). Like
AIDS, affluenza has spread quickly throughout the United States showing no prejudice
of race, sex or color. However, unlike AIDS, affluenza is a compulsive addiction to
shopping, which can be cured by spending less time consuming and more time enjoying
As the majority of parents work longer hours then other parents did in the past to
support their families, children are left at home under the supervision of a television
set. The television set constantly teaches children how to be good consumers.
Advertisements which appear on television are designed to make children feel unloved
by their mothers and fathers if they don't buy them the newest toy, or take them to
the most exciting amusement park. Before the age affluenza a child would be considered
fortunate if he or she had a bike to ride or a doll to play with. Today, children expect their
parents to buy them expensive toys because advertising companies give children the idea
that deserve it.
Cote Page 2
As children grow into teenagers, they begin to consume more and more and refuse
to accept any boundaries on material or physical things ( Gabrels ). Through advertising,
Corporations dictate what type of clothing teens should wear, what type of music teens
should listen to, and how teens should act. The desire to buy products which are
advertised to them is so strong that some teenagers become depressed and disturbed
when they don't have money to buy as many material possessions as their peers. Many
other teens sacrifice their education by getting a part-time so they can spend more money
on their growing addiction.
Teenagers optimistically look forward to their adult years with ambitious dreams.
To their surprise, the dreams of being rich and famous which were offered to them on
every commercial break come crashing down as they become adults. If the gap between
the rich and the poor continues to increase, future generations will only be able to look
forward to poverty. The average employer in the United States now makes about 326
times more then the average employee. ( "The Affluenza' Epidemic" ).
Working a repetitive job, credit debit and unhappiness are some of the other social
problems many teenagers will unknowingly have deal with as they enter the workforce.
As these teenagers grow into adults and have children of their own, they too will raise
their children with the help of television as their parents did. They will be led to believe
that they are helping their family relationship by staying at work later and spend less time
at home.
The effects of affluenza on our environment are also extremely horrifying. As a
Cote Page 3
nation of consumers we neglect our environment, and believe that our natural resources
are inexhaustible. Roughly fifty percent of youth in the United States would rather go
shopping then enjoy a hike in the woods ( Willis ). According to Allan Gerald "Our
annual generation of total waste...would fill a convoy of garbage trucks half way to the
moon" ( "A Bad Case Of Affluenza'" ). Endangered species and global warming does
not concern people who are infected with affluenza. What concerns people who are
infected with affluenza are celebrity magazines and cable television ( Fight Club ).
Many people have found that volunteering to live a simpler life is a cure for
affluenza. Although affluenza seems to be dominating our culture, a small but strong
movement of people have been calling for a simpler life in...
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Submission + - Tobacco-Funded Studies bad for you
robinstar1574 writes: " A new scientist editorial by Debora MacKenzie states that studies funded by tobacco is bad for us. Now the question is why.
There is a huge problem with all corporate funding of clinical trials: it's like asking the coach of the football team to referee the game. But unlike pharmaceuticals, the tobacco industry's products are never useful, they only harm human health. And there has been increasing evidence that the industry's research is problematic; one of our editors opposed banning research funded by tobacco companies as a restriction on free speech, but changed his mind because of that.
Comment Re:Send up some miners (Score -1) 271
Uhh... water can be transmuted into various forms with little energy. You can take silicon and carbon and phospherous and varous other things necessary for human life to be sustained, add water, and you can have a viable environment for human life. Build solar panels to produce electricity, using the titanium on the surface to move that electricity, turn the water and some carbon into Carbonic Acid, which can easily be transmuted into Hydrocarbons (sorry, me, for leaking out details of a secret government operation to turn global warming into a good thing.)
Just becasue theres miners up there dosn't mean they are stupid. They wouldn't need to be stupid. If they are told that it can benefit man kind, then they would go up. Unless his name is Barrack H. Obama.
Comment Why do people measure water as weight? (Score -1) 271
Measuring water as weight seems so totally illogical. I mean, we think of water as gallons, or liters, and have an easier time visualizing it when expressed in gallons or liters instead of as a weight. We all know that we couldn't lift this water, but thats the closest visualization i think most people can adhear to.
Submission + - Is Dark Matter real? (newscientist.com)
robinstar1574 writes: "Stars move at speeds faster then the visible matter on them suggests that they would according to Newtons Law of Gravity. Previously, this has been attributed to "Dark Matter", which includes Nutrinos, WIMPs, and Dark Energy. However, what if he was slightly off?
If the second law is correct at all accelerations, a measuring device mounted on the rim should register no anomalous force at these points. However, if MOND is correct, the device should feel an aberrant kick. "We are able to control the conditions to produce the MOND regime in any place at any time," says De Lorenci.
Amazing, don't you agree?"
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Journal Journal: More Scholastic Woes
Yay. Today i got a mouse, a laser style by Microsoft, so now I don't have to use the P.O.S. 1 button mouse that comes standard on all macs. Oh those things suck. Thats about the only good thing that happened to me today.
on a seperate note, some kids do not know how to shut up. This one kid, who started pestering me ever since I brought this computer out and plugged in my new mouse, He kept asking me if I am the Messiah described by the Christian Religeon, Jesus Christ. I am not Jesus Chri
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Journal Journal: Scholastic Woes
I really scorn school, and the unfortunate situations i am currently in. Every teacher sees me as "special". My gym teacher has noticed that i have absolutely no upper body strength, which is unfortunate, but why does the gym teacher try to have me develop my upper body strength? This is my body. I will do to it whatever I want to it, whether or not the helicopter patrol thinks its good for me, thank you very much. I am also given a special retards thing called an IEP (Individual Education Plan)
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node package manager
Command line node program for scaffolding out project structures. sfold uses emmet style selectors to create files and folders.
just npm install -g sfold and then it will be available in your terminal as sfold
The expression will be a a string of file and directory names seperated by the selectors >, +, or ^
• > is the child selector. Put it after a directory name to nest files and directories. for example sfold "server>app.js" would create a folder called "server/" and create a file in it called "app.js" You can nest multiple levels. It is also possible to create folders without the child selector by just putting a "/" on the end of file name.
• + is the sibling selector. Put it after a file or directory to put it in the same folder as the previous item. For example, sfold "routes/+main.js+style.css" would create a "routes" folder, a "main.js" file, and a "style.css" file all in the root directory wherever sfold was called.
• ^ is the parent selector. Use it inside of a nested folder to jump up one level and then keep inserting files. For example sfold "server>main.js^index.html" would create a "server" folder and an "index.html" file in the root directory and a "main.js" file in the server folder.
Example Sfold
This is an example of what a common use might look ilke.
sfold ">user.js^public>index.html+styles>main.css"
Which would create a file structure that looks like this.
└ user.js
└ index.html
└ styles/
└ main.css
If you have any issues or questions please let me know. |
Thomas Jefferson
Early Career
Who was Sally Hemings?
Sally Hemings was a slave owned by Thomas Jefferson. It has been alleged that Jefferson had a sexual relationship with Hemings and that she bore his children. In 1802 James T. Callendar wrote about Jefferson’s affair with a “slave named Sally” in the Richmond Recorder. Debate still rages among historians as to the veracity of the Jefferson-Hemings relationship. Some suggest that Jefferson’s younger brother Randolph may have fathered children with Sally Hemings. DNA testing of Jefferson and Hemings descendants in 1998 showed a definite genetic link between the two families.
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Concept Exploration
This phase occurs to create the objectives and limits of the development project. How urgent is a solution to a problem or opportunity? What are the benefits? What are the possible solutions? What are the preliminary estimated costs? What are management's objectives? Answers to these questions are the results of this phase.
Preliminary Requirements Analysis
This phase gathers the business requirements for a system. Measures of success are defined to ensure a successful project. If there is a current system what are its functions, benefits, limitations? What is the process that is used to accomplish a task? What data is used to complete a process? What do the people that will use the system expect it to do?
The output of this phase should be a fairly detailed list of the business functions that will be performed by the proposed application. Most fail or marginally successful software projects started out with poorly defined business requirements! This step is essential for high levels of success! This stage defines what the system will do, not how to do it. Without this information the developer will add and add and add to the software without a clear measure of when to stop.
Architectural Design
High level system design begins to define how a system will accomplish what it is suppose to do. This phase includes data modeling, process modeling, interface design, and partitioning a system's requirements into pieces (or versions) that can be delivered in rapid succession. How the application is partitioned into deliverable versions depends on the purpose of the application.
Data Modeling
Data modeling is a technique to organize and document an application's data. The technique is roughly divided into two steps: the logical model and the physical model. A logical data model is a pictorial representation of the data in an application, whose purpose is display data about things (entities) and their relationships. Having a picture of this, usually called a entity relationship diagram (ERD), helps eliminate design problems in storing data for an application. Having a picture makes it easier to communicate with clients and customers, and to spot errors in completeness, consistency and accuracy. Problems in design can be very expensive to fix after an application has be delivered.
A physical data model of the data defines how the data will be stored. Many notations are used to describe data models. Which one to use depends on your choice of CASE (computer-aided software engineering) tools for creating the ERD. CASE tools can be used to create a database from the model helping to speed development.
Process Modeling
Process modeling is a technique for organizing and documenting the logic, policies, and procedures that are implemented by a system. Similar to data modeling, process modeling is divided up into two steps: the logical model and the physical model.
The logical process model, sometimes called conceptual or business model, shows what a system does. It is implementation independent; that is, it depicts the independent of any technical solution.
As the process model is developed, it evolves into a physical process model that describes how a system does what it is required to perform. The physical model will be affected by choices and limits of the technical implementation.
Process modeling has been since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, so many types of process models exist. Some examples are logic flowcharts, decision tables, hierarchy charts, and data flow diagram (DFD).
Interface Design
User interface design is the specification of the dialog between the application user and the computer. Since the introduction of the Macintosh, application users are demanding that their applications look like and work like there other graphical user interface (GUI) applications. The goal of GUI applications is to make them easier and less error prone to user that the older "prompt and process" character user interfaces of legacy applications. The best user interfaces are "invisible" in that they are very intuitive for the user. At the same time creating these "invisible" interfaces can be very time consuming and difficult for the application designers.
System interface design is the specification of how separate applications interact to allow exchange of information. This allows purchased systems to be controlled by custom applications. Newer GUI applications can extract data from older legacy applications.
Detailed Design, Code and Testing
The construction phase in creating a working version of a system. When a developer is creating the code for an application, many details are brought to the forefront. A combination of detailed design and coding works very well in creating an application that meets the needs of the users, but is cost-effective to build.
Deliver Application
Creating a package for installing an application involves bringing together various components that allow the user to install a version of the application on their system.
The most important of these components is the executable application. This is created by compiling tens and sometimes hundreds of program source files using a compiler.
Another important component of an application is the database. This may be an empty structure or may contain a significant amount of reference data or data converted from a previous application.
Other components of the package include documentation (online and printed), setup program (an application in itself), and various system files that support the application.
The final step of creating a deliver package is testing the package on a system configured a closely as possible to the user's computer system.
Customer Feedback
No major application has ever been delivered error free or without some function missing! This can be the result of changing customer needs, vague requirements, or poor design in varying degrees. Pressure to deliver applications in shorter time frames has required that compromises are made. Sometimes people using an application do not think of what they want done or how they want something accomplished until they use an application for awhile.
This phase allows the developers to evaluate their initial success and modify an application to better meet the needs of the customer. Incremental changes to existing software can be excellent way to deliver applications rapidly!
Incorporate Changes
Design, code, test and deliver an application's changes based on the customer feedback.
Deliver Final Application
Packaging an application for installation on the end users computer system. Also updating and archiving all analysis and design documentation to allow for better maintenance and enhancement of the application. Finally, checking that the application meets all the business requirements outlined in the analysis phase of the software development life cycle. |
7 amazing facts about hippos
Discover fascinating facts about hippos.
Hippo calves are not weened for about six months. © Brent Stirton/Staff/Getty
1. Muck-spreader
When defecating, hippos swish their tails back and forth, scattering their droppings like a muck-spreader. The resulting slapping noise echoes downstream and helps proclaim territory.
2. Surprising history
Hippos, along with other megafauna such as lions and elephants, would have been a common sight in prehistoric Britain – their remains have been found underneath Trafalgar Square.
3. Small appetite
Male hippos weigh 1,600–3,200kg, and females 650–2,350kg. Despite their size they eat just 1–1.5 per cent of their body weight every day.
4. Sinking feeling
Hippos sink in water. They run along the river bottom instead of swimming.
5. Teething problems
The international ban on trade in elephant ivory led to an increase of 530 per cent in the annual export of hippo teeth within two years. The animal’s canines measure upwards of 50cm in length.
6. Four stomachs are better than one
A hippo’s stomach has four chambers in which enzymes break down the tough cellulose in the grass that it eats. However, hippos do not chew the cud, so are not true ruminants like antelopes and cattle.
7. Home from home
A wild hippo named ‘Jessica’ often visits (and wanders into) the waterside home of South Africa’s Tonie and Shirley Joubert, who helped her out as a calf.
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所属：四六级英语 作者：webmaster 阅读：3493 次 评论：0 条 [我要评论] [+我要收藏]
Passage Three
Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
32. [A] Diet.
[B] Weight control.
[C] Aerobic exercise.
[D] Eating habits and exercise.
33. [A] Nuts.
[B] Sugar.
[C] Vegetable oil.
[D] Dairy products.
34. [A] Forty or fifty minutes of exercise once a week.
[B] Twenty or thirty minutes of exercise every day.
[C] Fifteen or twenty minutes of exercise five days a week.
[D] Thirty or forty minutes of exercise three or four days a week.
35. [A] Carbohydrates.
[B] Indirect fat.
[C] Body fluid.
[D] Fat.
Section C
Today, students who want to learn English in the US have a wide choice of courses and institutions to (36)______from. And, because the US is such a big country, they also have a huge (37) ______of locations in which to study. The US has a long (38) ______of teaching English because, (39) ______its history, the country has welcomed (40) ______from all over the world, most of whom have needed to learn English. Today, the US’s English language teaching sector is well developed and its teachers are highly qualified and (41) ______American universities and colleges welcome many thousands of (42) ______students each year, who (43) ______on degree or post graduate courses. (44) ___________________________________________. These courses are called Intensive English Language Progmp3s and (45) ________________________. In addition to language tuition, Intensive English Language Progmp3s give students (46) ____________________________________________.
Passage Three
Diet, diet, diet! It gets to be a constant battle for many of us to stay fit and healthy. But diets don’t always allow us to learn new eating habits, improve our self-image, or make lifestyle changes. Developing good eating habits and proper exercise is a pemp3anent issue. And it’s the main topic of this workshop.
In order to keep a healthy diet and minimize the risk of disease, it’s essential to eat a diet that consists of low fat foods and to maximize energy with carbohydrates. Beef, nuts, oils, and most dairy products are rich in fat, so you should eat less of those; while pastry, rice, potatoes, and bread contain almost no fat and are a high energy source of complex carbohydrates. You know that many food manufactures use sugar to make low fat or fat free foods taste good, but don’t worry too much about that. You don’t necessarily “get fat” by eating sugar, since sugar is an indirect fat.
When you exercise, carbohydrates are the first calories to burn, if you want to burn off fat, it’s good to do some sort of aerobic exercise such as biking, swimming, running, or fast walking. But you have to keep doing this exercise for at least twenty minutes because it takes about that long before we start to burn fat. And then the effect of burning fat decreases after forty-five minutes of exercise. So if you do some sort of aerobic exercise for three to four days a week for about thirty to forty minutes, you’ll have an affective schedule for reducing weight.
32. What is the main topic of this talk?
33. According to the speaker, which will burn most quickly with exercise?
【解析】选[B]。预读选项可知此题询问有关食物种类的细节，听的过程中需要留意对它们的描述。本题答案依据为When you exercise, cabohydrates are the first calories to burn, 根据常识sugar正是碳水化合物的一种，故选[B]。
34. According to the speaker, what is the most effective exercise time schedule for reducing weight?
【解析】选[D]。预读选项可知此题询问的有关锻炼的时间安排。注意，只要抓住three to four days a week这个关键信息就可以了。
35. What does the speaker say is burned at the beginning of exercise?
Section C
37.【解析】variety。a (considerable, great, wide)variety of为习惯用语，表示“各种各样的, 种类繁多的”。
38.【解析】tradition。从空格前的a long和空格后的介词of可以推断此处应填一名词。空后的history对所填词起一定的提示作用。
39.【解析】throughout。从空格后的逗号后面是一个完整的句子可以判断所填词应该是介词。空后的 its history及 the country has welcomed … from all over the world, most of whom have needed to learn English中两处用的现在完成时起提示作用。
42.【解析】overseas。所填词修饰students，因此应该为一形容词。空前的from allover the world起提示作用。
44.【答案】Most of these institutions provide preparation courses for students who need to improve their English before they start university study
【Main Points】Students who need to improve their English before they start university study can take preparation courses in these universities and colleges
45.【答案】they are the most common type of courses taken by overseas students
【Main Points】overseas students usually take these courses
46.【答案】the chance to get to know the school where they will be studying and become more familiar with the American academic environment
【Main Points】the chance to know their school and the American academic environment
2010-08-19 14:07 编辑：juliatt |
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Welcome to the Equestrian Outreach Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) PageEquine Illness Logo
Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) Overview
Diagnosing horse ailments requires a vet. (Click here for a list of Florida veterinarians by county)
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, or EPM, is a disease cause by a protozoal infection of the central nervous system of horses. Once ingested, the sporocysts migrate from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream and cross the blood/brain barrier. There they begin to attack the horse's central nervous system. The onset of the disease may be slow or sudden. If left undiagnosed and untreated, EPM can cause devastating and lasting neurologic damage. As many as 50 percent of all horses in the United States may have been exposed to the organism that causes EPM.
EPM Transmission: The disease is not transmitted from horse to horse, in fact horses cannot transmit the disease to each other. Rather, the protozoa are spread by the definitive host, opossums, which acquires the organism from infected birds. In the laboratory, raccoons, cats, armadillos, skunks, and sea otters have been shown to be capable of being intermediate hosts. For the most part the opossum is the definitive host of the disease. The infective stage of the organism, the sporocysts, are passed in the opossum's feces. The causative organism is a protozoa parasite named Sarcocystis neurona. In order to complete its life cycle this parasite needs two hosts, a definitive and an intermediate. Horses most commonly contract comes into contact with the infective sporacysts of EPM from grazing or watering in areas where an opossum has recently defecated.
EPM Symptoms: Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a master of disguise. This serious disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms often mimic other health problems in the horse and signs can range from mild to severe.
As a result the clinical signs of EPM can be quite varied. Clinical signs are almost always asymmetrical (not the same on both sides of the horse). Actual symptoms may depend on the severity and location of the lesions that develop in the brain, brain stem or spinal cord.
Symptoms may include:
1. Ataxia (incoordination), Spasticity (stiff, stilted movements), abnormal gait or lameness
2. Incoordination and weakness which worsens when going up or down slopes or when head is elevated
3. Muscle atrophy, most noticeable along the topline or in the large muscles of thehindquarters, but can sometimes involve the muscles of the face or front limbs
4. Paralysis of muscles of the eyes, face or mouth, evident by drooping eyes, ears or lips
5. Difficulty swallowing
6. Seizures or collapse
7. Abnormal sweating
8. Loss of sensation along the face, neck or body
10. Fatigue or narcolepsy - horse may seem to suddenly fall asleep, or lie down for extended periods
11. Another common side effect of EPM is back soreness, which can be severe.
Three things seem to influence progression of the disease:
1.The extent of the infection (i.e. the number of organisms ingested)
2.How long the horse harbors the parasite prior to treatment
3.The point(s) in the brain or spinal cord where the organism localizes and damage occur |
School List
Jean Vanier CHS Students Create Prosthetic Hand
Jean Vanier CHS Students Create Prosthetic Hand
Posted on 06/27/2016
Grade 9 students at Jean Vanier Catholic High School in Collingwood are taking hands-on learning to a whole new level. They are using 3-D printers and software to create prosthetic hands for individuals on the other side of the world.
After seeing the idea on social media, John Michalenko, teacher at Jean Vanier, connected with an organization called Enabling the Future. The group’s founder, Ivan Owen, had posted a YouTube video of a metal hand he had created and was contacted by a carpenter in South Africa who had lost his fingers. Ivan decided to made prosthetic fingers for the man, as well as a hand for a young South-African boy.
The organization encourages anyone to register with them if they have lost a hand and need one. Many volunteers have been helping out with the organization since its start in 2011, creating hands and fingers for those in need.
When Mr. Michalenko saw this, he figured, why can’t we help too? And that’s exactly what he did. Along with his project team, Ryan Nowacki, Orla Molloy, Janneke Watt, Kennedy Syrota and Kyle Nebres, the group got to work. They used a plastic material called PLA to create the hand, and fishing wire to simulate the tendons. The total cost to make the hand was $40.00.
The students are so excited to be able to create something in the classroom that can benefit someone so greatly on the other side of the world. They have not only learned the scientific process of how to create such an object, they have been taught the importance of social justice. It is a great reminder that it doesn’t take much time, nor money, to help someone in need. |
Internet Archive Donate photo.
The Internet Archive is asking for donations to move to Canada. Image: Internet Archive.
The nonprofit organization, Internet Archive, from San Francisco, California, is planning to move the world’s largest library of cached websites to Canada, out of the reach of the upcoming Donald Trump Administration.
Internet Archive founder, Brewster Kahle, wrote a blog post on Tuesday saying the firm was in need of a “design for change” as it planned to live a long time.
It means they will keep their educational material safe, private and accessible.
The organization has been a long proponent of an open and free internet, which they believe may be in jeopardy.
What is the Internet Archive?
The Internet Archive holds the Wayback Machine. People can use it to find copies of old websites released up to 20 years ago. The organization also maintains an extensive collection of millions of free movies, books, software, music, and websites.
The firm is home to more than 15 million gigabytes (petabytes) of online information. The Wayback Machine went live in 2009, and it currently holds up to 150 million archives in its digital time capsule.
The organization has its base in the Presidio, San Francisco. They use an algorithm that repeats a Web crawl every two months so they can add new Web page images to its database.
Their data centers are in Redwood City and Mountain View, California. It keeps cached not only pictures of websites, but also pictures, movies, software, clips, and books. Their massive database is often compared to the Bibliotecha Alexandrina.
Why is Donald Trump dangerous for the Internet Archive?
Trump has already suggested to close parts of the web or ban Muslim communities to enter certain areas of the World Wide Web to prevent extremists like ISIS from recruiting more people.
The proposal is not just impossible. It also threatens the freedom, participation, and interactivity the Internet is built on.
Trump’s views on free speech are raising further concerns. The president-elect says he would like to “open up” libel laws so he can punish journalists who say bad things about him.
Kahle also points the national surveillance on its citizens over the web might increase under Trump’s tenure. Another reason to move out of the United States.
What happens if the Internet Archive goes to Canada?
So, if the Interned Archive could operate from Canada, the organization would not have to follow the rules imposed by Trump’s administration.
They also would not be forced to cooperate on any governmental surveillance program or to stop storing certain information even if the US government creates new restrictions.
However, Kahle explained moving the libraries to Canada would cost “millions,” so he is asking supporters to help fund the effort with donations. The Internet Archive would have to pay bigger costs of servers, staff, and rent.
Source: Internet Archive Blog |
Difference between revisions of "Crete"
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Crete (Κρήτη / Kriti, occasionally spelled "Krete" in English) is the largest of the Greek islands and is in the Mediterranean Sea between the Sea of Crete and the Libyan Sea, south of the Peloponnese. Crete is approximately 260 km long and 60 km wide. Crete consists of four prefectures: Chania, Rethimno, Heraklion and Lasithi. If there was a beauty contest for Greek islands, Crete would surely be among the favorites. Indeed, some say there is no place on earth like Crete. This view is strongly supported by those fortunate enough to have visited the island. Crete, with a population of approximately 650,000, is not just sun, sea and sand; it is a quite distinct place full of vitality, warmth, hospitality, culture and of course an excellent infrastructure. Crete is well known for its seas and beaches but it has a very contrasting landscape. The island goes from fertile coastal plains to rugged mountains and from busy metropolitan cities to very peaceful hillside villages. If you travel throughout Crete you can clearly see remnants of Roman and Turkish aqueducts and architecture from when these people invaded the island long ago. You will also find ancient Minoan ruins around the island.
Agios Pavlos, on Crete's southern coast
Crete is divided in four prefectures. From west to east:
• Heraklion (Iraklion or Candia) — the largest city and capital of the island, with the archaeological highlight Knossos. Not the most attractive city, as it was built haphazardly with little planning oversight. Although there are a number of attractive old buildings and churches, the Old Town has largely disappeared. The harbor (a major cruise and ferry port) boasts Venetian walls and a Venetian fort.
• Agios Nikolaos — the charming capital of Lasithi Prefecture. Once known as a partying hot-spot for northern Europeans (especially Brits), it is today much more sedate, with only a handful of disco-type establishments.
• Chania (Haniá) (— largest city and capital of Chania Prefecture. Its Old Town is largely intact, and located both on the port side (another major cruise and ferry port) and the harbor side. The harbor boasts an old Venetian lighthouse (faros) and old Turkish mosque. Many of the Old Town structures are from the Venetian and Turkish period, including a few old Turkish hammans ((Turkish baths). Souda Bay, just outside of Chania is an important NATO naval base. As such, you will run across many Americans (mostly military personnel) in the city. This is unusual, as Americans are definitely in the minority of tourists.
• Chersonissos (Hersonissos) — a charming harbor town in winter, and very popular with tourists in the summer. While there are many "party" spots, this town is more sedate and refined than its neighbor Malia.
• Elounda — once a small fishing town, this is now the "jet set" area of the island visited by celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, with many four and five-star resorts and exclusive villas. It's located on Elounda Bay with the abandoned Spinalonga Island, a former Turkish fortress and leper colony. The town virtually closes down during the winter, as do many of the smaller cities dependent of tourism.
• Hora Sfakion — coastal town in the southwest with white houses and the ferry to and from the Samaria Gorge
• Ierapetra — the southernmost city of Europe with some of the longest and finest sandy beaches on the island. Also site of an old Venetian fort.
• Malia — Today, Malia has taken over as the "party capital" of the island, popular mostly with young (especially British) travelers, and with a fairly unsavory reputation for drunken tourists staggering around the streets and beaches until dawn. The town is filled with discos and music bars, as well as many restaurants catering specifically to tourist tastes, including Mexican, Indian, and British restaurants. There is even a McDonald's and KFC. Virtually all of these establishments arre open only during the tourist season.
• Rethymno — capital of Rethymnon Prefecture, with a fascinating and well-preserved Old Town, which is a maze of lanes and alleys mostly reserved for pedestrians. The Old Town sits at the foot of a massive Venetian fortress.
• Sitia — medium-sized harbor city on the eastern tip of the island, with access to some very unspoiled beaches. It has a very good sandy beach right in town near the harbor, which is lined with traditional tavernas. It is quite popular with French tourists, and there are direct charter flights during the tourist season. Ferries also put in here.
• Archanes — medium-sized mountain city to the south of Heraklion. It is the center of a heavy viticulture area, and is surrounded by vineyards. Its Old Town features some lovely old Turkish and Venetian buildings.
Other destinations
• Samaria National Park — A breathtaking gorge in the southwestern part of the island in Chania Prefecture. A hike through the complete gorge takes five to seven hours, and is only for the physically fit. The park can be visited from May 1 through mid-October.
• Lasithi Plateau — is a large fertile plateau in the mountains in the center of the Lasithi Prefecture. It is the site of numerous old stone windmills, which once provided the power and water for the agriculture that is based here. Some of these windmills are ruins, and some have been beautifully restored as private homes. These old windmills once provided a views of thousands of white sails carpeted the floor of the valley; active windmills today are powere by diesel and electricity.
A chapel in Crete
Agriculture & Tourism
Agriculture is the most important industry of the island, although tourism is extremely important to the economy. The island has begun to rely on tourism more and more since the 1970s; many towns serve no other purpose, and virtually close down during the winter. There are only about 60 days of rain per year, and just about every single home and business is topped with solar panels. The west part of the island is more forested and receives more rain than the east. The entire island was once completely covered with forest, primarily cedar and pine. It has been largely deforested for firewood and to make room for the olive trees and vineyards.
There are many contrasts in this region, you can go from incredible beaches to impressive mountains, from big (and chaotic) cities to really small picturesque villages, from very dry, almost desert areas to very green zones like the springs in the center.
Travelers with Physical Disabilities
Since entering the European Union, there have been some efforts to make access for the disabled easier. However, a combination of factors has made this far from comprehensive. The major factors are the topography of the island, the nature of its most import sites, and the economy. Many hotels and other types of accommodations are in historic buildings, without elevators and often with many stairs to various facilities. This is especially true in small villages, and in the Old Town sections of cities. Getting into most public establishments (and to the toilet, once you're in there) usually means stairs.
Historic sites like the ancient ruins of Knossos will be very difficult to fully explore for those confined to wheelchairs and who have difficulty walking, although many of them (including Knossos) have significant sections that can be explored to create a rewarding experience. The Old Towns of cities (like Chania) and small mountain villages are hilly, often with steps from one area to another. Nonetheless, there are still places in most of these that can be explored. A wheelchair-bound person or one with walking difficulty will not be able to see everything, but they can still see a rewarding amount of things.
Most government buildings, hospitals, museums, and office buildings in cities and large towns have elevators and wheelchair ramps. You will also find wheelchair ramps at many restaurants and hotels in areas that cater to tourists. Virtually all of the four and five-star hotels have ramps, elevators and/or handicapped accessible rooms and facilities. Sidewalks in cities and larger towns will have ramps at intersections. Even able-bodied travelers should take care whenever crossing a street, as cars rarely stop for pedestrians in crosswalks - although they usually stop at red lights.
If you have physical difficulties with walking or are confined to a wheelchair, it is important that you research your prospective lodging carefully and ask clear questions. Ask the advice of people who live on the island or go on one of the expat forums to get questions answered. Even with the obstacles that exist, it is possible to enjoy a rewarding visit.
When Greece entered the European Union, smoking was also addressed - sort of. "No smoking" signs are required inside all restaurants, bars, and tavernas. You are entirely likely to see the owner sitting under one of those signs and smoking, as well as many of the patrons also smoking. The main tourist season is during warm weather. Virtually every eating and drinking establishment has an outdoor area. People will be smoking in those areas, but at least you are outside. Better hotels and restaurants will enforce bans, and better hotels will have non-smoking rooms.
Upper & Lower Villages
Except for the major port cities and towns, settlements near the coast were built on the hills above the water. This practice dated to ancient times, and the purpose was for residents to be able to see pirates and other invaders from afar. They could then rush to the sea to challenge them or flee higher up in the mountains. Today, there are many settlements right on the water that began to develop as tourism exploded in the 1960s and 1970s. These new, lower villages are called "kato" (κάτο) while the old upper villages are called "epano" (επάνο). Most towns and villages, especially along the coast, will be in two sections - the upper and lower. When asking for directions, let them know if you are going kato or epano.
Crete was the center of the Minoan civilization, a sophisticated Bronze Age culture from 2600-1150 B.C.: the island bears witness to their achievements in the form of palaces, tombs and sacred sites. This civilization was so sophisticated that they even had a large navy. The Minoan decline was likely initiated by a by tsunami waves from the eruption of a huge volcano in Santorini, Greece in 1450 B.C. Towards the end of the Late Bronze Age, the Minoans were superseded by Mycenaeans from the Greek mainland. Thereafter, Crete very much followed in the classical mainstream of Greece and - much later - Rome.
Crete was invaded by Romans from 69-330 A.C. and this period of time plus the Byzantine era actually brought much wealth to the Island. The beauty and wealth of this time can still be seen today by mosaics and monuments around the island.
Crete was the site of an airborne invasion by German troops, and a spirited resistance by Allied (mainly British, New Zealand and Australian) troops and the people of Crete during the 1941 Nazi invasion of Greece. During this invasion many Cretans were executed for initially resisting the Germans and the cities of Chania and Heraklion were bombed so heavily that you may still see the destruction even today.
Crete history is very much related to famous myths like when the King of Crete, Minos, refused to sacrifice a bull to the Greek gods. Poseidon in turn forced Minos's wife to fall in love with a bull which created the mythical beast, the Minotaur.
The spoken dialect of Greek in Crete is similar to the one of the mainland Greece but it has some differences [15]. The true Cretan dialect is spoken in pure form only in remote villages, although most native Cretans do know the dialect.
The language used in Crete is Greek, although in main cities and touristic areas people have no problem understanding English. Even in small villages you usually have no problem for basic things like shopping or eating. Education is good on the island, and English is taught from the first grade. Additionally, tourism is important, so many people will speak English. The island welcomes a large number of tourists from around the world, especially northern Europe. Therefore, many in the tourist industry will speak other European languages. The menus in tavernas that cater to tourist are usually in several languages - Russian, French, Italian, English, and German.
Get in
By plane
The island has three significant airports:
• Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion. There are long term plans to replace Heraklion airport, which is too close to the city, by a new inland airport at Kasteli, southeast of Heraklion. It is a small airport located at the edge of Heraklion. Has basic facilities and a small parking lot.
• the military airport Daskalogiannis at Chania. Chania airport is much smaller and far less busy than Heraklion airport. Located on the Northwestern part of the island and the airport is also known as the K. Daskalogiannis Airport.
• a new public airport in Sitia. Sitia airport serves currently only a small number of domestic flights, mainly to/from Athens.
There are daily flights from Athens airport by Olympic Air [16], Aegean Airlines [17] and Athens Airways (Which take about 45min.)[18] to Heraklion and Chania. Sky Express operates flights from Athens airport to Sitia. During the months of July and August Astra Airlines [19] flies from Thessaloniki to Heraklion and Chania.
From April till early November charter airlines fly directly to [Heraklion] and [Chania] from many European airports.
Flights going from Heraklion and Chania to Thessolaniki take about 90 minutes. The airport at Heraklion also has daily flights to Rhodes which takes 1 hr. There are daily flights between Athens and Heraklion.
By boat
Ferry services from Piraeus to Heraklion, Rethimno and Chania and from Thessaloniki and the Cyclades to Heraklion.
Get around
By car
Hiring a car is easy, as long as you have your driving license with you. Check, though, that the insurance is comprehensive, and make sure when you take the car that all previous marks on it are recorded so that you don't get charged for these! Insurance on hire cars doesn't usually cover the underside of the car, or damage to tires. Gas stations often close around 9PM, particularly in villages. Most gas stations expect you to pay cash - they serve you, so you can choose for them to fill the tank or put in gas to a cash value. On the National Highway, there are service stations, but they are often 30 miles or so apart - make sure you fill up with gas before bank holidays and Sundays when you may have more difficulty finding an open station. In Crete you will find most international and national car rental companies like
and some local like
• Go Rent a Car (, 34,1770 Str,heraklion crete, 71201, Greece, +30 281 0 300865 (, fax: 0030 281 0300866), [4]. 24hours.
• Rental Center Crete (, 1 Nidas Street,heraklion crete, 71307, Greece, +30 281 024 0120 (, fax: 0030 281 024 0120), [5]. 24hours. 18.
• Just Rentals (, 1 Gortynis Str Chersonissos 70014, +30 28970 23083 (, fax: 0030 2897 023197), [6]. 07:00-24:00. 19.
• Greenways, Adelianos Kampos P.O.BOX: 7031, 0030 28310 72440 (, fax: 0030 28310 72344), [7].
• Traffic (, El. Venizelos Str. 210, 71202 Hersonissos, +30 6936 785547 (), [8].
• Megalonisos, 0030 28310 52008 (), [9].
• CreteCarRentals, (), [10].
• MotorTours, Adelianos Kampos P.O.BOX: 7031, 0030 28310 72440 (, fax: 0030 28310 72344), [11].
• Crete Van Taxi Transfers Services, Heraklion, (), [12]. 24hour Service. Transfers services by taxi and van in Crete
• Taxi Services in Crete, Heraklion, +306937333730 (), [13]. 24hour Service. Taxi services in Crete since 1981
Be careful when driving in Crete, as Cretans haven't got used yet as of driving in a more-than-one lane road (national roads were recently upgraded near Iraklion to two-lane roads) and will easily drive in the middle between the lanes, trespass the double-line or flash the headlights to drive you into safety lane for them to pass. Stop signs are rarely respected by locals, and the best way to avoid accidents is to reduce speed to the point that you could easily stop the car and avoid collision whenever you approach a crossroad. Stay on the safe side legally in order to maintain your rights in case of accident. Despite the fact that most roads (including the new National Highway) are full of twists and turns through mountains, Cretans usually drive aggressively, fast, and on the edge of safety.
You need to have your wits about you while driving. Obstacles to look for are the ubiquitous quads rented out by tourists during the season, and motorbikes of all descriptions. In rural and mountainous areas (which is almost everywhere), there can be goats, sheep, donkeys, and stray dogs on the roads. Police periodically set up checkpoints, and will wave you over. Mostly they are looking to ensure your car is properly licensed and insured. Pull over, be polite, and speak your own language or English. If you are caught, drunk driving is severely punished - be smart.
Cretans drive on the right side of the road, which is excellent for most tourists. If you come from the UK or another left-driving country, you should take even more care. Parking is a challenge - especially in cities. You are better off finding the center, and parking in a pay lot and walking (most cities and towns are easy to walk around). In cities like Herklion, you can easily receive an expensive parking ticket even if you park on the curb where many other vehicles are parked. Driving in cities and towns is also a challenge - the roads are narrow and it can look like a free-for-all.
Taxi services are another way to get around Crete, but can be quite expensive. They are, however, very accessible and you will find taxi stands in the center of virtually all villages, towns and cities. Greek taxis all work under the Greek State and the Taxi driver must always charge by the meter price which he must turn on as soon as you get into the cab. Taxi drivers are perhaps the most aggressive of drivers on the island.
There are 2 taxi tariffs in Greece: Tariff 1 is day hours ranging from 5:00am to midnight and Tariff 2 is night hours ranging from midnight to 5:00am.
Most major road signs in in both English and Greek. Usually, the Greek sign is first, followed by an English sign.
By bus
Public transportation is fairly frequent and timetables [20] quite trustworthy. Bus drivers usually divert from their marked routes to enter little villages if asked to do so. Bus services along the north coast and towards the south coast are excellent, reliable, frequent and cheap.
Most of these Bus services are run by Kino Tamio Eisproxeon Leoforon, KTEL, which are groups of families which individually run their own bus companies. This, in turn, creates a much more homely environment for Cretans and tourists and these families provide excellent service and show off their great deal of pride.
Cretan bus stations are very simple for the most part, except for in Heraklion which has two major Bus stations (one for buses going in town and one for KTEL run buses).
By ferry
Crete has many ferry connections for example: You can go from Pireaus to Heraklion with Minoan Lines[21], to Chania with ANEK Lines or Hellenic Seaways, to Ayios Nikolaos and Sitia with LANE Lines. LANE also operates routes from Ayios Nikolaos/Sitia to Rhodes and other greek islands. In the summer, there are daily catmarans (hydrofoils) from Heraklion to Santorini. The trip takes about 2.5 hours. Hellenic Seaways and SeaJets offer these sailings. You can also go to Crete by ferry from the Peloponnese (Gytheio) and Kythira island. This ferry lands on the west part of Crete, in Kissamos port.
The main ports in Greece that ferries come into are in Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Sitia, and Kastelli-Kassamos. Since there are no roads along the southwest coast there is a ferry line,[22] with connections between Paleochora, Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro and Hora Sfakion (Sfakia). There is also a connection with the islet of Gavdos, Europe's southernmost point (Cape Tripiti).
Samaria gorge
Crete is a large island with much to see and do. To see the highlights of the entire island will take about two weeks. To explore all that in more depth would take a good month. Distances (and driving times) from one highlight to another can be long.
• Landscapes. Unless you stay only in an all-inclusive beach resort, you will have to drive places. This reveals the diversity and beauty of the Cretan landscapes. Tall mountains rise steeply from the sea and spectacular views of the sea are available from many points. Lush valleys and mountainsides support olive groves, vineyards, orange and lemon orchards, fields of artichokes, and olive trees and olive trees. There are dramatic gorges and idyllic beaches. There are thickly forested areas and desert-like areas filled with exotic cacti and palm trees.
• Ruins of ancient Minoan civilization. The Palace of Knossos in Knossos is by far the most extensive and famous, and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion contains wonderful treasure. The ruins of Phaistos, Gortys, and the Palace of Malia Mallia are also impressive. But the island is covered with these treasures, and there are many hidden gems, like the ruins of Gournia Gournia. These sites (as well as historic monasteries and other sites of interest) are marked with brown road signs in both English and Greek.
• World-class archeological, art, and historical museums are found in all the big cities, including Chania, Rethymnon, and Heraklion. But you will also find fascinating small museums even in the most remote small villages. If you see a sign in a small village that advertises a "folklore" or "traditional house" museum, give it a try. You are apt to be treated to a walk back in time to 19th and early 20th century life on the island, with lovingly preserved artifacts.
• Spinalonga Island. Located in the Elounda Bay in eastern Crete, this island is fascinating. It was a Venetian fortress that was later occupied by the Turkish. It was the last Turkish outpost of the Ottoman Empire on the island. In 1903, it was turned into a leper colony, which was made famous in the novel "The Island" by Victoria Hislop. The novel was later made into a television mini-series. In 1957, after a cure was found for leprosy, the island was abandoned. Today it is open to tourists, and provides a fascinating look at the architecture of all the periods and a look into the lives of the lepers who were exiled there.
• Monasteries. These are found all over the island. They are almost all marked by brown road signs, and almost all will allow visitors. If you pass by a sign, it is worth trying to go in. The structures are lovely, and there is almost always a small museum and a beautiful church with ornate frescoes and decorations. One of the most accessible and elaborate is the St. George of Selinari Monastery, located on the main National Road between Malia and Agis Nikolaos. Here is a very wide place in the highway with plenty of parking, and a souvlaki truck that provides quick snack for truck drivers and fresh barbecue for those with more time. There are clean toilets and a gift shop selling icons and religious articles. Above this is the monastery itself, which is a massive Byzantine complex.
• Caves. The island is riddled with more than 3,000 caves. Some are quite famous, like the cave in southwestern Crete where St. Paul lived and preached after he was supposedly washed up on the island after a hurricane. Another famous (and very accessible) cave is the cave of Milatos. Milatos is a small village in the Lasithi Province, and the cave above the village is where villagers fled from the Turks in 1823. They lasted for almost two weeks, but most were eventually killed or sold into slavery. Inside the cave is a small white chapel and an ossuary containing the supposed bones of those killed. If you see a sign for a cave, give it a try. You should have sensible shoes and a flashlight.
• Beaches. There are scores of beaches on the island. They range from small, stone shingle beaches to long stretches of glistening sand. You can camp on them or just visit for a few hours. Some are crowded, with umbrellas and bars, and some are totally secluded.
• Experience the Crete kafeneion. The kafeneion (coffee shop) is a age-old institution in Crete. Village life centers around these places. If you find yourself in a small village stop and have a coffee, a beer, a raki, or an ouzo at one.
• Tavernas are as prevalent as kafeneia. They are everywhere along the sea in tourist towns, but try to find a small one in a small village where there is no menu. A lunch or dinner at one of these places can take hours, and gives a true look at the island's tradition of hospitality.
• Jeep Safaris & Horseback Riding. There are companies offering both of these. Jeep safaris can take you just about anwhere to just about anything. Horseback Riding is particularily available on beaches.
• Festivals. These happen often on Crete, They usually involve a outdoor barbecue and traditional dance and music. Lýra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; it is a three-stringed fiddle, direct descendant of the ancient Lyre, which is held vertically, resting on the thighs of the player and is played with a bow like a violin. It is often accompanied by the Cretian lute (laoúto), which is similar to both an oud and a mandolin. The film Zorba the Greek helped to expand the audience for Cretan folk music; popularity peaked from about the middle of the 1970s to the middle of the 1980s.
• Ancient and sacred trees, Numerous locations on Crete, [14]. Explore Crete in a unique way. Take a pilgrimage around the island visiting sites where sacred and ancient trees still survive, some over 2000 years old. Each tree and location has a fascinating story to tell.
Crete is famous for its tasty and healthy cuisine. The Cretan Diet, which is also called the "Mediterranean Diet," has been attributed with great health benefits and nutritional value. This healthy diet had relied heavily on fresh vegetables and fruits in season and fish, with meat served usually only once a week or on special occasions like weddings and festivals. Today, Cretans eat meat fairly regularly as well as processed foods and sweet confections
A good tip is to join any of the hundreds of traditional festivals in villages which offer food like barbecued meat, fried potatoes, salad, stuffed grape leaves (dolmades), wine. There is usually live music and dancing.
Olives & Olive Oil
The island of Crete is covered with olive trees. Virtually every family has at least some trees. The olive harvest season occurs in November and December, and every single member of the family helps with the harvest. Most villages have an olive pressing factory. Some villages even have very old presses with huge stone wheels that have been preserved for cultural value. Today's olive press factories are modern, but it is still possible to stop into one during the season to see the liquid gold being produced.
Olive oil is used in copious amounts for cooking and in salads, although most restaurants use sunflower or similar oil for cooking fried foods like french fried potatoes.
Olives themselves are commonly served as mezes with raki. They are an ingredient in many salads, and an olive paste is often served with bread.
Honey & Yogurt
There are also bee hives all over Crete, and many families make their own pure honey. Yogurt, much thicker and creamier than commercial yogurt in the Unites States, is often served as dessert with honey drizzled on it.
Feta cheese is a Greek product protected by a protected designation of origin in the EU. To qualify to be sold as true feta in the EU, the cheese must be made in a certain manner in a certain area (parts of mainland Greece and the island of Lesvos). However, it is produced and used extensively in Crete as it is elsewhere in Greece. It is served on salads, in particular the ubiquitous Greek salad. It is an ingredient in cheese pies and spinach pies, called "spanakopita." It is also and ingredient in the traditional Cretan "dakos," a hard bread rusk, soaked with olive oil and topped with crumbled feta, chopped tomatoes and olives. It is also served in bite sized portions drizzled with a bit of olive oil and served as one or more mezes (appetizers), usually servied with raki or tsikoudia.
You will also find a very good variety of delicious locally produced Cretan cheeses, such as:
• Graviera: (Greek: Γραβιέρα) The standard hard cheese; there are many types and tastes. Taste before buying, as early cheese (cut before mature) will have a spicy taste, when a mature one will be salty and milk-sweet.
• Myzitra: (Greek: Μυζίθρα) A fresh cheese made of ewe's milk. It is sometimes made of goat's milk (in which case it is called "katsikisia") or mixed milk. A good goat's one will taste like these expensive French "chèvre frais".
• Anthotiros: (Greek: Ανθότυρος) from the words "anthos" (flower) and "tiros" (cheese) it is a very mild, soft spring cheese made when the sheep pastures are still full of flowers. The closest popular cheese is the Italian mascarpone as they are both high in fat and are both creamy in texture (unlike mozzarella which is high in protein and chewy in texture).
Snails cooked in various ways (one of the most traditional dishes of Crete), Smoked ham (apaki) and smoked sausages (loukaniko), traditional mountain goat or lamb cooked in various ways, cretan pilaf (chicken and lamb risotto served with goat's butter), souvlaki (pork meat, lamb, chicken or fish on skewers).
Side dishes
• Dips and sauces
• Salads and Vegetables:
Dakos (Greek: Ντάκος - Cretan rusk with tomato, feta cheese, olives, oregano and olive oil), Horta vrasta (boiled greens with olive oil and lemon juice). Xoriatiki Known as the Greek Salad, Sheperd's Salad Salad with a east style twist, Salata Marouli Romaine Lettuce Salad, and Lahano Salata A traditionally tart cabbage salad are other types of Cretan salads.
• Soups:
Kotosoupa A chicken based soup with a lemon sauce Fakkes Tomato soup in a lintel base Fasolatha A hearty been soup in a tomato base Nisiotiki A hearty seafood soup
The Cretans themselves eat out late, after 10 or 11 PM, and often in a group. They prefer dinner in a good taverna, a small local restaurant offering the local cuisine. Most dishes are fresh from that day. The menu is only for tourists, Cretans ask the waiter for specialties, and have a look in the kitchen or in a 'vitrine', glass display case. Dinner is usually outside during the warmer months.
Fresh fish becomes more and more rare, and is expensive, priced by its weight. Restaurants and tavernas by law have to display if the fish that they offer is fresh or frozen. Thus, always ask your waiter to show you the fish and weight it in front of you before you order.
• Common Appetizers:
Tsatziki Famous cucumber dip that can go well with almost anything Taramosalata Cod roe-based dip Kalamari Deep fried squid Skorthalia Greek garlic mashed potatoes Gigantes Lima beans in a tomato sauce (can be spicy or not)
• Common Entrees:
Bifteki Greek hamburger patties Souvlaki Sticks of meat served in or without a pita bread Fricasse Lamb and garden beans in a creamy lemon sauce Pilafi Greek style rice Psari A way to prepare Black Grouper or other types of fish Moussaka Famous eggplant casserole Greek people seldom have breakfast. They do enjoy a copious lunch.
There are options of cheap Greek fast food Called "gyropitta" by Cretans (mainland Greeks call it "giros pitta" as two separate words, and their definition is somewhat different as a single mainland Greece "giros pitta" is usually too small to replace a decent meal, instead of Cretan Giropitta which is bigger by far, having almost a serving of french fries added and with bigger pitta). As always, there are tourist-traps among those. Prefer those that locals do.
Tsikoudia is the predominant alcohol drink produced and consumed by the locals. This drink is also known as Raki and is made from the left over distilled wine. Tsikoudia alcohol precentage varies a bit, usual average is 20%-45%. It has a grapey taste and is usually served with some "meze" (accompaniments) like hard cheese, olives, cucumber or cold cuts. While "raki" is Turkish in origin, this is what the Cretans call it, and you are apt to be looked at strangely if you ask for tsikoudia.
Tsikoudia usually is a "goodbye gift" from many restaurants, that serve it along with dessert or fruit right after you ask for the bill. Most restaurants and tavernas follow this tradition. The quality (and alcohol content) of raki varies quite a bit. If you find a restaurant or taverna with good raki, it is perfectly acceptable to ask the owner if he will sell you a liter to take home.
Tsikoudia and raki production is strictly controlled by alcohol taxing laws, who permit production for a single 48-hour period each year, for which authorities issue licenses for distilleries operation. Many families make their own, but the majority is distilled in factories scattered across the island to which locals bring their grapes.
If you happen to fall within the period (August through November) and you are into local fiestas, try to visit a "rakokazano" which is local a tsikoudia distillery. This could be an experience to remember. Arrange for returning to hotel beforehand. Usually "rakokazano"'s are located away from tourist vacances, deep into the mainland near vineyards. Due to the nature of the event, tsikoudia production escalates to a fiesta, where freshly produced raki is tested, between feasts of unpeeled oven potatoes with oliveoil or lemon and salt, lamb meat and wine. You are not expected to be sober after visiting one of those, but usually a local has to invite you along (and drive you home afterwards).
Although not as popular as in the mainland or the North Aegean islands Cretans also enjoy drinking Ouzo which is an alcoholic drink made by distillation of grapes. It looks milky when water is poured in, but it doesn't contain milk or derivates of milk! During the distilling process it is made with ginger, cinamon, aromatic seeds, plants, and fruits which give it a distinct taste.
Apart from local spirits, a great variety of wines are produced locally and sometimes from local ancient grape cultivars, and can escort supper or dinner. Most restaurants would serve varieties of local wines or even the restaurant owner's own production as "barrel wine."
Youth can enjoy their booze at dancing bars, which are open till late along the coast line near tourist places, like in Malia and Hersonissos (30km from Iraklion) or Platanias (25km from Chania).
Types of Lodging
There are hundreds of various types of lodging possibilities on the island. Representative examples of each type are listed in each category. Credit cards are generally accepted at most of the mainstream properties. Many properties will offer a discount if you pay cash. Some private homes may have a PayPal or similar method of payment, and the currency is often in that of the owner's native country (UK pounds, for instance). Very small hotels and "rent rooms" may accept only cash. Almost all properties will be happy to assist with sightseeing questions, tours, and can help arrange for a licensed guide for certain sites.
Apartments & Aparthotels.
There is a plethora of these types of accommodations, ranging from a a single apartment you can rent directly from an owner to more sophisticated aparthotels. The latter usually have cooking facilities in the rooms/suites, a small restaurant (breakfast often included) and bar, laundry facilities, a swimming pool and free WiFi.
These range from simple two-star to lavish five-star properties with all the amenities and facilities you would expect of a world class hotel. There are city hotels, business hotels, and beach resort hotels. There are also a number of all-inclusive resorts with all the bells and whistles to keep visitors on the property. The latter are promoted heavily in northern Europe as part of package holidays that include everything, including air fare. Should you choose one of these, it is highly recommended that you rent a car and venture out into the countryside a least a couple times during your stay in order to experience the unique culture found in small hidden villages and not in the crowded/touristic places.
Villas & Private Homes
You will find numerous villas and private homes available for rent all over the island. These range from small one-bedroom "cottages" to very lavish multi-bedroom villas with swimming pools and hot tubs. Some are offered privately by owners, and some are developments of two, four, or more detached villas. There is a large full-time and part-time expat population (mostly from northern Europe) on the island. Some full-time residents rent out their homes during the tourist season. Many part-time residents will rent their homes during the time they are away. These villas invariably come fully furnished and with all the dishes, linens, towels, etc. that you need for a week or two. Many will have free WiFi.
You will see "Rent Room" signs just about everywhere you go. These are rarely advertised on the Internet, and you usually can only make advance reservations if you have someone local make the arrangements for you. When you see a place you might like, just go in or phone the number on the sign. Always ask to see the room before you seal the deal. These are usually simple rooms for sleeping, although many will have basic cooking facilities (microwave, hot plate) and a mini fridge.
There are many holiday specials for villas in Crete.
Get out
Dmoz:Europe/Greece/Regions/Crete/ World66:europe/greece/crete |
Bio-mining BioLeaching
Invisible Mine BioLeaching
By Walter Sorochan
Posted December 12, 2011.
This article provides information about how the mining industry has changed in the past 30 years and how new microbe technology will help us to keep the environment clean.
[ En las siguientes páginas daremos un vistazo a las principales tendencias que están marcando el futuro de la minería latinoamericana a través de la innovación, desde las faenas de exploración hasta el cuidado medioambiental, pasando por la ingeniería de minas y los procesos de recuperación de los metales. Espanol: el futuro de la minería latinoamericana/el mundo ]
The Abandoned Mine Problem
There are tens of thousands of abandoned mine sites around the world that contain mining-related arsenic and other hazardous substances. The effects of such pollution include polluted water, contaminated land, air pollution, loss of useful groundwater and land, and significant negative health consequences to humans and animals living in the area. More than a century of mining has left many areas around the world filled with highly-toxic materials and known carcinogens.
The issue is so widespread across the globe, and has been going on for so long, that the exact extent of the contamination is unknown and a complete list of affected sites remains unavailable. Studies of various geographic locations and anecdotal evidence, however, provide a robust understanding of the contamination and public health problem.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, there are approximately 420,000 abandoned mines, over 13,000 of which are categorized as "abandoned mines with potential environmental hazard," in the states of California, Arizona and Nevada alone. Muller Robert: POLLUTION: Abandoned Mines, Acid Mine Drainage, and the Promise of Bioleaching June 27, 2009
mine Asbestos_Mine_Tailings_Mountain Quebec Canada A major problem of mining in the past came from leftover materials, referred to as mine tailings. [ waste heap in photo on right ] Mine tailings are waste materials brought up from the mines and discarded in piles or big heaps after the ore was extracted. The gigantic mounds, over time, became toxic and poisonous to plants, animals and people. World mining hazards Fischer: benefits bioleaching A classic example of toxic mine waste heaps pollution are the Asbestos mine tailings heap in Quebec, Canada [ photo above on right ] and the Atlas uranium mine leakage of toxic chemicals into the Colorado river near Moab, Utah. Atlas Mine Uranium Project History Adding to the toxic wastes of mining companies have been the piles of industrial wastes found in junk yards and garbage dumps all over the world.
A New Approach to Mining
In the past 20 years there is a new technology that does the same metals extraction as the old mining systems but it does not pollute or poison plants, animals and people. The new process is bioleaching or bio-mining. Fischer: benefits bioleaching The traditional ways of mining metal ores --- excavation, crushing and smelting, helped to extract metals like iron, copper and gold. These processes created a lot of polluting dust, gases and toxic chemical compounds. Now these processes are being replaced by invisible, less polluting and less expensive mining technology. This new mining technology is being adapted to many other industries, like getting oil and gas from oil shale sands in Alberta. For more information using new technology to get oil from shale
The new mining technology, bioleaching, is explained by video below: Invisible miners Part III 9 mns.
What is Bioleaching
Nature has its own slow process of breaking down the ore over many, many years by changing the acid chemistry of the ore. This chemical change activates natural bacteria in the ore. The result is a slow decomposition of the ore, releasing sulphuric compounds that, in turn, also release metals into the environment. This releasing of chemicals from ore is referred to as natural biological leaching.
Commercially applied bio-leaching technologies utilize the same phenomenon, but accelerate this natural process. Air temperature, oxygen, water, acidity and different bacterial populations are manipulated in a controlled environment so as to accelerate bacterial freeing of metals from the ore. This process is referred to as leaching.
Bioleaching uses billions of rock-eating bacteria, acting as catalysts, to extract iron, gold, silver, cobalt and other metals from century-old mining waste. This process converts the insoluble metal sulphides in mine wastes into water soluble metal sulphates, thereby neutralizing the toxins like sulfphur and arsenic. The process is engineered to control the environment in which acid bacteria can speed up the breakdown of insoluble sulphides into soluble sulphates.
Biochemistry of bioleaching
In the chemistry of the bio-mining or bioleaching process: microorganisms catalyze [ speed up the reaction ] the oxidation of ferrous iron and sulphur, to produce ferric iron and sulphuric acid:
Fe2+ + 1/4O2 + H+ ---> Fe3+ + 1/2 H2O
S + 3/2O2 + H2O ---> H2SO4
The ferric iron reacts with mineral sulphides [MS] to produce ferrous iron and sulphur as illustrated in the following reaction:
MS + 2Fe3+ + M2+ + 2Fe2+ + S
Acid thriving bacteria, naturally growing in the ore, are activated by water, oxygen and warm temperature. This conversion of rock-ore by nature's bacteria to acid sulphur takes two to five years in the open pit field.
The bugs produce ferric iron (Fe3+), a powerful oxidizing agent, and sulphuric acid as by-products. Conveniently, ores featuring metals such as copper, zinc, uranium, cobalt or gold often contain iron ore that are sulphides, or they co-exist in deposits with such substances. Iron and sulphur have no commercial value in these ores but by liberating them, the bacteria also liberate the more valuable metals. Evans: mining bugs
Metals in the form of dissolved salts, such as copper sulphate, can be recovered easily in subsequent electrolytic or chemical processes. Gold and silver remain inert as pure metals but are exposed by the oxidization of the surrounding material and recovered by mixing the oxidized metal-bearing solids with lime to raise the pH, and then applying standard methods for precious metal recovery.
Bacterial metal extraction techniques have been used since the mid-1980s to extract gold from refractory ores not readily processed by any competing technology. In this case, the bacterial cultures are set to work in huge stirred tanks, called bioreactors, containing a slurry of ore concentrates and dilute sulphuric acid. Cobalt has also been recovered in bioreactors in Uganda recently, but generally this technology has struggled to compete with more established methods for processing mineral concentrates such as roasting and smelters where the infrastructure already exists. Evans: mining bugs More recently, many other metals, including oil from shale, are now being successfully extracted by bioleaching.
Benefits of bioleaching: Riekkola: biomine in Arctic
In addition to stabilizing toxic pollution, the new technology also recovers precious and base metals from tailings for sale, making the technology a profitable environmental remedial solution:
no poisonous sulfur dioxide emissions as in smelters
no need for hi pressure or temperature
ideal for low-grade sulfide ores
Disadvantages of using bioheaps Knoll: biomining
are time consuming [ takes about 6-24 months or longer ]
may have a very low yield of mineral
require a large open area for treatment
may have no process control
are at high risk of contamination
have inconsistent yields because bacteria may not grow uniformly in the heap
Traditional Mining procedure
mine Colorado River, Moab, Utah
Before being mined, the acid-bearing rock was sitting safely in the ground with a very small surface area in relation to its volume, so very little acid was produced. As long as the rock was undisturbed, very few toxins were emitted. But when the sleeping ore rock is awakened by digging the rock containing ore, and then crushed into talcum powder consistency [ making it easier to extract ore ], the acid formation begins in the presence of water and air! After the ore was removed from the powder-rock ore, the remaining waste or tailings [ retaining other metallic ores ] would be dumped on large piles or "heaps" of land referred to as bio-heaps. A good example of reckless mining procedure is the uranium tailings mine adjacent to the Colorado river near Maub, Utah, photo on left. The uranium wastes from the tailings pile have been leaking into the Colorado river.
mining copper oreAnother example, 90% of copper ore is mined by open pit. The flow chart on the right shows you how copper has been traditionally extracted from its ore and converted into pure metal. The ore is a mixture of minerals and rock [ called gangue ]. Copper mining traditionally
Although the left-over sulphur rock-powder greatly increased the surface area, making it easier to extract the ore from the rock, it also exposed the tailings to rain or nearby water, allowing sulphuric acid to form immediately. To contain the sulphuric water, mining companies would build storage or holding ponds that were usually [ but not always ] sealed with clay liners. As long as the seal remained intact the acid forming mine tailings would be “safe.” Unfortunately, many holding ponds would break or leak; water from pond storages would leak into nearby soil, poisoning the soil and environment.
The holding ponds have remained a potential danger until the discovery of new bio-mining technology.
Reclaiming mine wastes
Currently, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) indicates that there are over 31,000 known abandoned mine sites on U.S. public lands alone. Alvorado: bacteria cleans old mines These include a variety of mines: coal, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, uranium and many more; including oil and gas fields.
The number one problem in North America and obviously South Africa and South America is Acid Mine Drainage [AMD]. Sulphides are sitting in the mine tailings, exposed to wind, rain and sun. There they start to oxidize, creating a sulphuric acid, which then makes its way out of the tailings, kicking up and liquefying heavy metals. In the process, this acidic solution leaches heavy metals into nearby sources of groundwater that eventually make contact with watersheds, soils and vegetation. Alvorado: bacteria cleans old mines
The metals may then get dumped into a local river, which changes the pH of the water in a critical way. In the US, the state of Pennsylvania is the largest generator of acid because of coal tailings that have been left behind a hundred years ago, laying there for ages, poisoning the water and the environment. Fischer: benefits bioleaching
Another conventional practice in the mining industry has been to treat the water discharge from disposed tailings or build a holding dam around them. Both of these approaches have failed to prevent waste mine pollution. Alvorado: bacteria cleans old mines
Two basic bio-mining strategies
There is renewed world interest in using bioleaching technology to reclaim old mine tailing heaps. Basu: bioleaching in coal mines Miller: biomining in China Holder: bioleaching heaps Riekkola: biomine in Arctic Fischer: benefits bioleaching Chavez_Crooker: Bioleaching Chile Hicks: Big mine Canada bioleaching: Finland Joy: New Zealand river poisoning Neale: gold recovered S Africa RebGold: future of bioleaching
A Finish mining company, Talvivaara, began in 1980, to develop a multi-heap bioleaching system to reclaim metals. This system is built at the site of the metal rock location. More on this bio-mining system later on. This bioleaching process, using natural bacteria to extract metals from the numerous ores, takes 2 to 5 years.
The other strategy is to use bio-leaching to extract metals from heaps of left over and aging mine wastes, as exemplified by BacTech and other bio-mining companies. This is done by building a bioleaching system directly at the waste heap site. Depending on the design of this bio-leaching system, this process can take 3 to 10 days to extract various metal ores from the crushed rock.
The process flow in Talvivaara consists of four main steps in an open pit mine: mining, crushing, bio-heap-leaching and metals recovery. Crushing is done in four stages, followed by agglomeration with PLS solution in order to consolidate the fines with coarser ore particles. The plant bio-heap site is diagramed below:
1 Talvivaara bleach process
Bio-oxidation heaps – engineered heaps are formed by stacking crushed rock into constructed piles on prepared impervious pads that have a sloped base to allow the liquid solution to flow by gravity into collection drains. Oxygen can be added to the system to enhance the rate of oxidation by blowing low pressure air into the heap base. This system was first employed for secondary copper minerals in large dumps using run of mine ores. Acidic solutions carry away the bio-oxidized products such as copper or iron. Recent advances in whole ore heap leaching have seen the use of closely sized ore particles to aid the oxidation rate, under heap piping for better air distribution and agglomeration, and pre-inoculation to aid in permeability and oxidation rate. Holder: bioleaching heaps
Additionally, whole ore systems are now applied to a wide range of ore types including refractory gold ores, copper sulphides, nickel sulphides, cobaltiferrous ores and zinc sulphides. Companies such as GeoBiotics, Newmont and Titan Resources all have various technologies for whole ore bio-oxidation. Holder: bioleaching heaps
BacTech: [ RebGold ] a Canadian clean tech company, has harnessed bioleaching to deal with waste mine pollution. In this type of process for treatment of chalcopyrite concentrates, the material is finely ground and fed continuously into a series of agitated aerated temperature controlled reactors containing the bacteria. Bacteria accelerate the breakdown of minerals. The residence time used, of between 4 to 6 days, is common to similar bacterial processes used in the gold industry. After separation of the oxidized residue, copper is then extracted from the liquid by conventional solvent extraction and electrowinning technology. Iron (and if necessary arsenic) is rejected from the liquid by neutralization with limestone to give a stable solid of ferric or ferric arsenate for disposal which meets the strictest environmental requirements. BacTech clears abandoned mine sites. Fischer: benefits bioleaching RebGold: future of bioleaching
biotech 4-toxic-minesIn case of tailings, BacTech can go to the site and refloat the tailings to make another concentrate. And the bacteria don't care - as long as they have sulphides to get their energy from they are going to continue to attack for sulphides and liberate the metals for recovery.
The BacTech bio-mining system uses tanks, where the bacteria oxidize the sulphides within optimal operating and living conditions. [ photo below of BioTech gold recovery plant BacTech: cleaning mine left-overs ] At the beginning the system may use five or six tanks; but by the time the process gets to the end there may be two settling tanks. One tank has a pregnant solution of base metals such as zinc, copper, nickel. The bacteria create sulphuric acid in the tank by oxidizing the sulphides. When sulphuric acid touches the base metal, the metal liquefies and then the base metal is recovered using conventional technology such as electro-winning.
bioleach Gold plant china 2001 The other tank will have the precious metals, which are basically residues and the stuff that has not been devoured. Technicians take that residue and just put it back into a conventional gold circuit to recover the metal.
The nice thing is that the bio-mining system doesn't have to separate the concentrate into copper, zinc and gold; instead the recovery process puts everything into the same tank and removes metals in various stages along the way; much like gasoline and other petrol products are distilled from crude oil. Fischer: benefits bioleaching
Types of bacteria used? Riekkola: biomine in Arctic Fischer: benefits bioleaching
There are as many as 60 different bacterial strains that can be used. [ 10,000,000,000 bacteria in a teaspoon solution ] When these strains are not given all the things they like, they technically hibernate and go to sleep. So when the temperature is lowered and sunlight is cut off, they then go into a dormant state. Bacterial example:
Bioleaching is a rather new technology that has been changing rapidly since 1980. It is being used world wide to reclaim metals from abandoned old mine wastes and to also remove poisonous chemicals from old mine areas. Bioleaching can be thought of as the acceleration of a natural environmental process using naturally occurring organisms that leach or separate sulphide minerals from ore. Currently, companies are using bioleaching for ore treatment in heap leach operations, and for the future treatment of copper and other metal concentrates by bioleaching in agitated reactors. RebGold: future of bioleaching
The technology is being adapted, with limited success, to new mining ventures as in the oil-shale deposits in Lake McMurray, Alberta, as well as reclaiming depleted oil wells and also reclaiming numerous metal mines. Yen: bioleaching shale into oil Meyer: bioleaching for oil in shale Future application of bioleaching technology may also help solve the accumulation of wastes in junk yards, garbage dumps, sewage treatment plants and water purification plants. Mishra: current research bioleaching All that is needed is political support, innovation and imagination!
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Alvorado Oscar, "Mining Safety: Bioleaching Bacteria Clean Toxic Mine Tailings," Global Mining, April 5, 2011. Alvorado: bacteria cleans old mines
Basu Ankan, Marshall Miller and Associates, "Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Coal Mining: A Faster Way of Producing Acid Mine Drainage," Coal Geology, April 20, 2011. Basu: bioleaching in coal mines
Bioleaching plant commissioned in China." July 13, 2001. China bioleaching 2001
2000: A Chinese company, Shandong Tarzan Biogold Co. Ltd. ("Biogold"), licenses and installs a bioleach plant capable of treating 100 tonnes of concentrate per day from mines both in China and abroad, demonstrating the diversity of the technology for treating non-homogenous feeds from various metallurgical backgrounds. Recently, the current owner, Sino Gold Mining Limited, doubled the capacity of the current plant to 200 tonnes per day.
BacTech also REBgold Corporation, "Mining solutions for a greener planet," BacTech, December 2010 BacTech: cleaning mine left-overs
Chavez-Crooker Pamela, "AguaMarina SA Chile, Aguamarina, December 2010. Chavez_Crooker: Bioleaching Chile
Copper mining traditionally, Copper mining traditionally
"Environmental Impacts of Mining and Smelting," Occupational Knowledge International, World mining hazards
In 2010, more than 400 children died in Zamfara, Nigeria, from acute lead poisoning caused by unsafe mining and processing lead-containing gold ore. People grinding the ore, often in and around their homes, contaminated at least 180 villages over a wide area.
Evans-Pughe Christine, "The mining bug: hunting metals with bacteria," Engineering and technology magazine, vol 5 issue 15, October 4, 2010. Evans: mining bugs
Fischer Elizabeth, "Toxic Mines: Benefits of Bioleaching Bacteria," Mining technology, June 23, 2011. Fischer: benefits bioleaching
Hicks Brian, "Massive Mine in Canada," Energy and Capital, September 20th, 2011. [ Alberta Black Shale Project ] Hicks: Big mine Canada
History of Atlas Mine Uranium Project, Atlas Mine Uranium Project History
"The Atlas site is the fifth largest uranium tailings pile in the U.S. and by far the most dangerously polluting. This facility extracted yellowcake uranium for nuclear bombs and reactors from ores trucked from over 300 mines on the Colorado Plateau. The slime-like wastes from the mill, laced with radium, uranium, thorium, polonium, ammonia, molybdenum, selenium and nitrates, were slurried into an unlined pond in the floodplain of the river. As more capacity was needed, contaminated soils were bulldozed up to raise the sides of the tailings impoundment. By 1984, when the mill was put on standby, this pile of mill wastes had grown to 16 million tons, covering 130 acres to a depth of 110 feet."
Holder Nick, Tracey Stanek, Todd Harvey, "Types of Bioleaching Technologies Available," BioMetMine, Holder: bioleaching heaps
Invisible miners video. bioleaching: Finland
Johnson D.B., " Biodiversity and interactions of acidophiles: Key to understanding and optimizing microbial processing of ores and concentrates," Science press, November 05, 2008. Bangor University, Bangor, Australia. [ Trans Nonferrous Met. Soc, China 18, 2008 ] Johnson: understanding bacteria recovering ores
Joy Mike, "An acid trip for NZ rivers," Forest and Bird, March 31, 2010. Joy: New Zealand river poisoning
Kubach Charles, "Gold Cyanide Solution (Leaching Gold With Cyanide)," Chemistry of Cyanidation, American Cyanamid. Kubach: cyanide leaches gold
Meyer W. Craig and T. F. Yen, " Enhanced dissolution of oil shale by bioleaching with thiobacilli," Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 1976, Vol 32, No. 4, p. 610-616. Meyer: bioleaching for oil in shale
Miller P., F. Jiao, J. Wang, "The bacterial oxidation [BACOX] plant at Laizhou, Shandong provine, China - The first three years of operation," Presented to Bac-Min conference, November 8-10, 2004, in Bendigo, Australia. Miller: iomining in China
Mishra Debaraj and Young-Ha Rhee, "Current research trends of microbiological leaching for metal recovery from industrial wastes," Current Research, Technology and Education, Topics in Applied Microbiology and Microbial Biochemistry, 2010. Mishra: current research bioleaching "Bioleaching to be applied to industrial wastes and new microbes will need to be identified.
Mining Innovation in Latin America, Espanol: el futuro de la minería latinoamericana/el mundo
Neale John, "Bioleaching technology in minerals processing," Mintek, Biotechnology Division, Randburg, South Africa. September 2006. Neale: gold recovered S Africa
RebGold, "Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite for Copper - The Future," REBgold Corporation, 50 Richmond Street East, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1N7. RebGold: future of bioleaching
Riekkola-Vanhanen Marja, "Talvivaara Sotkamo mine - bioleaching of a polymetallic nickel ore in subarctic climate," Nova Biotechnologia, 10-1, 2010. Riekkola: biomine in Arctic
Talvivaara Mining Company, "Metals recovery: Talvivaara relies on bioheapleaching and metsoDNA," Metso, Finland, Talvivaara: metals revovery Talvivaara: what is bio-mining
Yen Fu Teh, Milo Don Appleman and John Eugene Findley, "Method of converting oil shale into a fuel," United States Patent # 2,982,995, Sept 28, 1976. Yen: bioleaching shale into oil |
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Rabbi Kook teaches that even contemplations of t’shuva have significant value. To understand this, we must look at life with a different orientation than we normally do. Usually, we are pragmatists. We judge the value of things by the influence they have on ourselves and the world. For instance, ten dollars is worth more than five dollars because it can buy more. A doctorate is better than a bachelor’s degree because it can lead to a better paying and more prestigious job.
There are things, however, that have an absolute value, regardless of their tangible impact in this world. Truth is an example. Holiness is another. To this list, Rabbi Kook adds good thoughts. Contemplations of t’shuva, even if they do not lead to a resulting change in behavior, bring benefit to the individual and the world.
This is similar to the question in the Talmud — which is greater, Torah study or good deeds? The answer is Torah study because it leads to good deeds. You might think that if the ultimate goal is the deeds, then they would be more important. But our Sages tell us that the thought processes which lead to the deeds are of primary concern. Being immersed in Torah has an absolute value in itself. Thus, Rabbi Kook writes:
The thought of t’shuva transforms all transgressions and the darkness they cause, along with their spiritual bitterness and stains, into visions of joy and comfort, for it is through these contemplations that a person is filled with a deep feeling of hatred for evil, and the love of goodness is increased within him with a powerful force (Orot HaT’shuva, 7:1).
T’shuva can be dissected into two different realms. There is the nitty-gritty t’shuva of mending an actual deed, and there is the thought process which precedes the action. The value of these thoughts is not to be measured according to the activities which they inspire. For instance, a person may decide that he wants to be righteous. But when the person tries to translate this thought into action, he finds himself overwhelmed. To be righteous, he has to get up early in the morning to pray. He has to stop doing a host of forbidden deeds. He has to watch what he says, and watch what he eats. Before he even begins, his will is broken. Though his wish to do t’shuva was sincere, he couldn’t find the inner strength to actualize his thoughts into deeds.
Rabbi Kook says that all is not lost. This person’s original idea to do t’shuva stemmed from the deepest recesses of the soul, where it was inspired by the spiritual waves of t’shuva which encircle the world. Thus he has already been touched by t’shuva’s cleansing streams. In effect, he has boarded the boat. Though his will power may be weak at the moment, his soul is longing for God.
Through the contemplations of t’shuva, a person hears the voice of God calling him from the Torah and from the heart, from the world and all it contains. The will for good is fortified within him. The body itself, which causes transgression, becomes more and more purified until the thought of t’shuva pervades it (Ibid, 7:5).
In the beginning of his t’shuva journey, a person must realize the absolute value of his initial inspiration. He has to find a new way of judging the value of things, not always looking for concrete benefits or results. When a person undertakes t’shuva, his thoughts weigh as much as his deeds. T’shuva is not just a process of do’s and don’ts, but rather a conscious and subconscious overhaul of an individual’s thought processes and emotions. Already by thinking about t’shuva one is engaged in it. As the saying goes: you are what you think.
Even the thought of t’shuva brings great healing. However, the soul can only find full freedom when this potential t’shuva is actualized. Nonetheless, since the contemplation is bound up with the longing for t’shuva, there is no cause for dismay. God will certainly provide all of the means necessary for complete repentance, which brightens all darkness with its light… ‘A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou will not despise’ (Ibid. Tehillim, 51;19).
When we recognize the value of our thoughts, we discover a very encouraging concept. One needn’t despair when confronted by the often difficult changes which t’shuva demands. This is especially true in the initial stages before a person’s increasing love for G-d makes all difficulties and sacrifices seem small. Even if a person cannot immediately redress all of his wrongdoings, he should know that there is a great value in just wanting to be good. One can take comfort that he wants to be a better person. With God’s help, he will also be able to actualize his yearnings. But in the meantime, just thinking good thoughts is already strengthening his inner self and the world.
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The resulting outcry was a major factor in Yecke's removal from office by the Democratic-controlled state Senate, and handed Pawlenty one of his biggest political defeats.
As Pawlenty's education commissioner, Yecke's main job was to produce new standards in core subject areas, which could be used to track student performance under the just-passed No Child Left Behind Act. "We need to regain the edge that we have lost as an education innovator," Pawlenty explained at the time. "Dr. Yecke is precisely the right person to lead that change."
In the meetings, conservatives successfully argued that sharing was an inappropriate concept for kindergartners because of its creeping "socialist" implications.
Pawlenty's pick got off to a rocky start. For one thing, No Child Left Behind faced significant opposition among teachers' unions, which viewed Yecke's proposals as an affront. Yecke, who came to Minnesota from the federal Department of Education, was viewed by opponents as too close to the Bush administration. But the opposition ramped up when Yecke convened a committee to study US and world history standards.
Sara Evans and Lisa Norling, both history professors at the University of Minnesota, were dismayed by the process from the beginning. They began attending committee meetings, which were open to the public, and taking notes on the proceedings. What they heard stunned them.
Yecke formed a committee of educators, parents, politicians, and businessmen, and set them to work drafting the standards. But as Evans and Norling later explained in an article (PDF) they wrote for the Organization of American Historians' newsletter, the meetings seemed overrun by conservative activists, some of whom did not reveal their affiliations. One member, identified simply as a parent and former teacher, was on the board of directors of the conservative Claremont Institute, a right-wing think tank that's been described—by a supporter—as a "training ground for a lifetime campaign in the trenches of political warfare." (Christine O'Donnell and Andrew Breitbart are both alums.) Private religious academies and homeschoolers were well-represented, even though the standards would have no impact on their curricula.
The resulting circus put Minnesota on the front lines of the culture wars. In the meetings, conservatives successfully argued that sharing was an inappropriate concept for kindergartners because of its creeping "socialist" implications. "In response to another critique noting the absence of organized labor from both the US History and the Economics standards," Evans and Norling noted, "a different committee member sputtered, 'unions! Don't even go there!'"
Yecke, who did not attend the committee meetings, says she would not have tolerated such remarks if she had been aware of them at the time, and emphasizes that those discussions were a vital part of the process. "These committees had a serious purpose, and they were no place for flippant and inappropriate comments," she said in an email to Mother Jones.
The initial draft standards promoted ideological positions—such as the notion that post-Cold War conflicts were defined by a "clash of civilizations"—as fact, and focused almost exclusively on European history (Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa combined for just 8 of the more than 170 world history "benchmarks"). The women's rights movement was pushed to the sidelines; Ronald Reagan was credited with almost singlehandedly winning the Cold War.
"I strongly disagree with President Obama’s remarks when he proclaimed that America was no longer a Christian nation," Yecke says.
There was also an evident emphasis on the centrality of faith to the American story: Students were supposed to be taught, for instance, that the four references to the Creator in the Declaration of Independence inspired the separation of powers doctrine in the Constitution. In an interpretation common among Christian conservatives, the four references establish God as a legislator, judge, executive, and founder, while asserting that only in His hands can those powers be unified. In other words, separation of powers isn't just a constitutional requirement; it's a Biblical one, too.
Ultimately, Evans and Norling, along with 30 other University of Minnesota history professors, signed a letter to Yecke, outlining a list of "inaccurate" and "misleading" assertions in the proposed standards. The curriculum, they argued, represented a "comprehensive rejection of several generations of historical scholarship." Two separate petition drives, led by active and former public school social studies teachers, collected thousands of signatures protesting the commissioner's actions. Dissenting members of the committee released their own report, calling on Yecke to start over.
"There was a real emphasis on the role of faith as a motivator for the actions of historical figures," remembers Democratic State Rep. Jim Davnie, himself a former social studies teacher. "Certainly faith as a motivation is part of the America story, but it was disproportionately large and it squeezed out a lot of other references to social movements."
Many of the most controversial benchmarks were phased out in two successive drafts over the next few months, and the finished standards won praise from the likes of New York University professor Diane Ravitch (PDF), an influential advocate for education reform (Ravitch had called Minnesota's old social studies standards "among the worst in the nation"). But the damage had been done. The state Senate commissioned its own set of standards to counter those initiated by Yecke and approved by the GOP-controlled House, and a compromise agreement was ultimately reached. Yecke didn't do herself any favors on the public relations front, accusing her critics at the University of Minnesota of promoting "the hate-America agenda."
When it came time for the Senate to hold hearings on Yecke's formal confirmation, which had been put off for a year, she was rejected on a party-line vote.
Years later Yecke isn't backing down from her views. "I strongly disagree with President Obama's remarks when he proclaimed that America was no longer a Christian nation," Yecke said in an email. (Obama actually said "we are no longer a Christian nation—at least not just," alluding to the country’s range of religious traditions.) "From the writings of our Founding Fathers, to cases settled by the Supreme Court, the evidence shows that [the] opposite is true. Our nation was founded on Christian principles, and primary source documents make this very clear."
After a brief run for Congress and a stint as K-12 chancellor under Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Yecke now teaches and serves as dean of graduate programs for Harding University, a conservative Christian school outside Little Rock, Arkansas. She says the attacks on her record were motivated by politics, not substance. "Strong conservative women seem to anger them," she explains, referring to her opponents and drawing a parallel to another Pawlenty appointee, Carol Molnau, who was ousted as transportation commissioner in aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse.
"I am very proud of the work we accomplished," she says, touting efforts to bring Minnesota into compliance with No Child Left Behind. "I might have been a casualty in the battle over the standards, but Governor Pawlenty won the war and his policies live on."
If elected president, Pawlenty would have the challenge of shaping the nation's education policy—and thanks to No Child Left Behind and President Obama's own efforts, he'd oversee a Department of Education with a greatly expanded role in public schools. His record in St. Paul, and his appointment of Yecke in particular, raise questions about what direction he'd take the department. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment. |
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