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Roosevelt (831 words) Essay
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United states Was the youngest
President in the nations history. he took office at the age of 42. Roosevelt had
been vice President for only six months when president William McKinley was
assassinated. He vigorously led Congress and the American public toward
progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. He took The view that the
president as a “steward of the people” should take whatever action
necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the
constitution. “I did not usurp power, ” he wrote, “but i did
greatly broaden the use of executive power.” Roosevelt’s youth differed
sharply from that of the log cabin Presidents. he was born in New York city on
October 27,1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled–against ill
health. When Theodore was about 12, his father told him that he would need a
a trip to Maine, Theodore was tormented by two mischievous boys. He felt ashamed
because he was not strong enough to fight back. Roosevelt’s father built a
gymnasium in the family home, and Theodore exercised there regularly. He
overcame his asthma and built up unusual physical strength. Roosevelt studied
under tutors until he entered Harvard University in 1876 at the age of 18. He
earned good grades in college. Roosevelt graduated from
Harvard in 1880. In October 1879, Roosevelt met Alice Hathaway Lee. Roosevelt
courted Alice during his senior year at Harvard. They married on his 22nd
birthday. A double tragedy struck on Feb. 14, 1884. Alice Roosevelt died two
days after the birth of a daughter. On the same day, Roosevelt’s mother died if
typhoid fever. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the
badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the
to London, he married Edith Kermit Carow in December 1886. During the
Spanish-American War, Roosevelt recruited men for a cavalry regiment. This unit
became the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Under Roosevelt s command, it won
fame as the Rough Riders. He led the Rough Riders on a charge at the Battle of
San Juan. Roosevelt was one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war. Twenty
years later he declared:”San Juan was the great day of my life. Thomas C.
accepted Roosevelt as the Republican candidate for governor in 1898. Roosevelt
won and served with distinction. As president, Roosevelt held the ideal that
the nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each
and dispensing favors to none. Roosevelt emerged spectacurlarly as a “trust
northwest. During Roosevelt’s presidency, the government filed suits against 43
other corporations. In major cases, the government ended John D. Rockerfeller’s
oil trust and James B. Duke’s tobacco trust. Roosevelt steered the united States
“Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far. Aware of the
strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Roosevelt
ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the monroe
Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and
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Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War. He was
the first American to win a Nobel Prize. He reached a Gentleman’s agreement on
immigration with Japan. In 1907, Roosevelt decided to display American naval
power. He sent 16 new battleships on a good-will tour of the world. These ships
became known as the Great White Fleet because they were painted white. Roosevelt
viewed the tour as a part of “big stick” diplomacy. Some of Theodore
Roosevelt’s most effective achievements were in conservation. He added about 150
million acres to the national forests and in 1905 established the United States
Forest Service. he also set up five new national parks. By executive order, he
created the first 51 federal bird reservations and the first four national game
preserves. The Roosevelt children and their friends became known as the
“White House Gang.” The President sometimes joined in the children’s
games. One day, he heard thet the gang was preparing an “attack” on
the White House. he sent a message to the children through the War Department,
ordering them to call off the “attack.” Leaving the Presidency in
1912 he ran for president on a Progressive ticket. To reporters he once remarked
his death in 1919: “No man has had a happier life then I have led; a
happier life in every way.”
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Anxious? Just breathe
Julie Williams, instructor at Yoga Vida, has her students practice their controlled breathing before their morning yoga session. (Photo by: Jessica Carpenter / Arizona Sonora News).
Close your eyes. Place your left hand on your abdomen and your right hand on your chest. Take a deep breath in from your lower lungs through your nose. Hold that breath for four seconds. Calmly exhale through your mouth. Repeat.
Feel calmer?
Many studies have indicated that you should. However, a recent study done on mice may have found the exact reason as to why deep breathing can calm someone down and reduce anxiety.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common illness in the United States affecting 40 million people age 18 or older.
At the University of Arizona, 16 percent of students have been diagnosed with anxiety while 36 percent have said that anxiety has made it somewhat or very difficult to work on their studies. Fifty percent of students have experienced tremendous stress, according to a 2015 Health and Wellness survey.
According to Nuffield Foundation’s Changing Adolescence Programme, the proportion of these teenagers reporting anxiety has doubled in the last 30 years.
Statistics show increases in anxiety over time.
Health experts believe that current family relationships and more active parenting are to blame for the drastic increase. Dr. Ann Hagell, leader of the Programme, said parents are more involved in their children’s lives for longer.
Anxiety, can be defined as a feeling of worry, or unease, usually as a result of an imminent event or outcome.
Some of the physical symptoms include, dizziness, nausea, sleep problems, elevated heart rate, problems breathing, shaking, sweating and muscle tension.
In a new study at Stanford University done on mice, researchers looked at a cluster of nearly 3,000 neurons in a part of the brain called the breathing pacemaker.
There, they found around 175 neurons that control autonomic breathing. These 175 neurons are bridged to the part of the brain that is responsible for arousal, attention and panic in animals.
To understand how these neurons affected mice, they genetically engineered them to be able to kill off only those 175 neurons by injecting a toxin into the mice called diphtheria. Once those neurons were removed, researchers were anxious to find out what would happen to the mice’s behavior.
But what happened? Nothing.
Dr. Mark Krasnow, a professor of biochemistry at Stanford who oversaw the research, was at first confused and slightly disappointed at the results until they placed the mice into an unfamiliar cage, where mice would usually sniff around and frantically search their surroundings.
There too, they sat, breathing slowly and calmly grooming themselves.
This could have meant one of two things for Dr. Krasnow.
Either researchers had encountered the most chillin’ mice in the universe, or that taking away those 175 neurons had broken the connection to the arousal center, keeping their breathing slow and steady and their panic button untouched.
The answer was most likely the latter.
Researchers of this study strongly believe that if this same pathway exists in humans, there is potential of treating people with anxiety, where this pathway may be over-activated.
Deep and controlled breathing, Krasnow believes, helps lower the activity between those 175 neurons and the arousal neurons, by lowering the feeling of panic.
Julie Williams, a yoga instructor at Yoga Vida in Tucson, practices and teaches the art of
Yoga Vida studio practices the art of bikram yoga. (Photo by: Jessica Carpenter / Arizona Sonora News).
breathing at her yoga studio.
She asks her students to connect with their breath first, through a technique called pranayama yoga, the regulation of the breath through certain techniques and exercises.
“I ask them to bring attention to their abdomen and to feel the rise and fall in order to make the connection to how their body moves when you breathe,” Williams says.
The techniques are great for relieving all types of anxiety, she says.
Feeling stressed? Take a deep breath.
Click here for high-resolution photos.
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You asked: What is multiply in Photoshop?
Multiply Mode, according to Photoshop help: Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. … When you’re painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a painting tool produce progressively darker colors.
What does multiply layer do?
What is multiply in digital art?
Multiply. The Multiply mode gives your layer the properties of colored glass. … You don’t have to darken each color separately, adding darker red to red areas, and darker blue to blue areas—instead, you can just paint with the color of the shadow, and the colors will be darkened (and mixed) accordingly.
How do you replicate in Photoshop?
Hold the ‘option’ key for a mac, or the ‘alt’ key for windows, then click and drag the selection to where you want it positioned. This will duplicate the selected area inside of the same layer, and the duplicated area will stay highlighted so you can easily click and drag to duplicate it again.
What does Free Transform do in Photoshop?
IT IS INTERESTING: You asked: How do I turn off noise in Lightroom Classic?
Should I use Multiply for shading?
The way most people use Multiply for simple shading is by first putting down flat colours without shading, making a Multiply layer above it with a clipping mask, and painting on the Multiply layer with a dark colour in the areas there are shadow.
Where is Multiply mode in Photoshop?
To use it, right-click on a layer, select “Blending Options…” and then set “Blend Mode: Multiply”.
What is Multiply blending mode in Photoshop?
Photoshop takes the colors from the layer that’s set to the Multiply blend mode and multiplies them by the colors on the layer(s) below it, then divides them by 255 to give us the result. …
What does Multiply layer do procreate?
Multiply. This mode multiplies the luminosity of the base color by the blend color. … Multiply produces different levels of darkening depending on the luminosity of the blend layer. Multiply is perfect for darkening images or creating shadows.
What are Photoshop blend modes?
Photoshop displays a live preview of blend modes on the canvas. Only the Normal, Dissolve, Darken, Multiply, Lighten, Linear Dodge (Add), Difference, Hue, Saturation, Color, Luminosity, Lighter Color, and Darker Color blending modes are available for 32‑bit images.
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10 Causes Of Hypertension
10 causes of hypertension
One out of 10 causes of hypertension can be traced to other conditions, ranging from sleep problems to liver problems, and a possibility of a side-effect of some prescribed drugs, while in the majority of cases high blood pressure is brought on by unhealthy lifestyle choices, old age, and genetic predisposition. This makes controlling it fairly difficult. But lifestyle changes can be implemented that will help. If you have never had hypertension, or if you tend to develop hypertension later in life than would otherwise be the case, it is advisable to discuss your symptoms with your doctor. In most cases, lifestyle changes can help.
A contributing factor to hypertension is being overweight. If you are overweight, your body is already asking for too much sodium, and it can look for even more salt as you get older. People who are obese tend to have water retention. And, of course, the more sodium you have in your body, the higher your risk for high blood pressure. It’s a vicious, self-defeating cycle. Avoiding salt is one important way to start.
The first thing you need to do if you want to lower your blood pressure is to avoid sodium-laden foods as much as possible. Foods that are high in sodium include canned vegetables, dried beans, junk food, tinned fish, and pre-packaged meals. Also, make sure your table salt is the low-sodium variety. You can purchase low-sodium products at any health store or supermarket.
Many people just cannot seem to get enough sodium, and this contributes to high blood pressure. Sodium is found in many common foods, including processed meats, various types of breads and snacks, some vegetables, some fruits, and condiments. If you add too much salt to your diet on a regular basis, it can exacerbate your problems. Eat low-sodium foods as much as you can and reduce your salt intake.
It is also possible to become excessively sodium high without even loading up on salt. Many diet plans are trying to eliminate sodium from the diet, such as the simplified dash diet, which advocate limiting sodium to no more than one teaspoon a day for women, and two teaspoons for men. Another way to stay clear of the high sodium levels is to take more supplements, particularly those that contain potassium, magnesium, calcium, or phosphorus instead of sodium. Both calcium and potassium are beneficial to your blood pressure.
It is well known that lack of physical activity is an important cause of hypertension. While you may not be eager to get off the couch and join a gym, a simple walk or some light exercise each day can help significantly. If you are trying to lose weight, try cutting back on your salt intake and adding some fresh green vegetables to your diet. It is also important to keep your weight under control, especially if you are hypertensive.
A lot of people know about hypertension without knowing about the side effects. People can get headaches from the effects of sodium, and this can lead to hypertension. Headaches can occur regardless of whether or not you are taking medication, so it is best to make sure you do not consume a lot of salt. The most common headache that can occur from hypertension is referred to as the “sensitivity” headache. This type is a little more painful than a normal headache, but it will go away once you consume more potassium, calcium, magnesium, or phosphorus supplements.
You may be wondering what other things you can do to prevent hypertension-high blood pressure. Exercise regularly, eat less salt, get some sleep, and increase your potassium and calcium intake. These tips will help you to achieve normal blood pressure. You can find out more information by visiting your doctor. If you are at risk for hypertension, your doctor can tell you how to avoid it.
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Migration and its Impact on Cities
Migration is a continuous process that has been the subject of political debate worldwide. People worldwide leave their homelands voluntarily for economic or other reasons, or are forced to leave their homes (as a result of wars, ethnic conflicts, etc.). Managing human mobility is one of the greatest challenges in developed and developing countries. The causes and routes of migration of different types pose difficulties for governments because it is necessary to take into account the causes that forced people to move.
The problem of migration becomes even more significant in cities, since it is there where migrants seek a better life. At the same time, life in cities makes it possible to integrate into society to a larger extent. Cities, in addition, provide a decent level of housing, education, medicine, transport, etc. This report focuses on the state of migration (internal and international, voluntary and involuntary) and attempts to highlight the different types and causes of migration in the world today.
Although the key role of cities as first responders to migration is uncontested, they are in general far from adequately involved in national and international migration decisions. With a high volume of migrants arriving in cities, city leaders are faced with the challenge of providing vital urban infrastructure and services to meet the needs of the migrant population. This includes affordable and social housing, quality education and health services, simple access to basic utilities (water, power, etc.), robust and congestion-free roads and transportation infrastructure as well as, finally, ensuring integration and social cohesion.
22 cities worldwide were analyzed during the survey to capture their stories of migration. Stories from these cities reveal they are under pressure to provide affordable and social housing for their population; the wait time in cities like Paris is over 10 years. The health services of most cities also require new skilled personnel and infrastructure improvements, while the education sector faces challenges related to migrants not speaking the language of the host country.
Analytics on the topic
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Is 2 weeks 14 work or 15 days?
In numerous languages, there is no solitary word because that a two-week period, and the tantamount terms “two weeks”, “14 days”, or “15 days” (counting inclusively) have to be used.
You are watching: How many days are in 2 weeks
Does 4 weeks do a month?
4 weeks doesn’t make a month. We have 52 mainly in a year. If us calculate by 4 weeks a month climate we need to have actually 13 month in a year.
Is 4 mainly a month old?
At 4 weeks, your baby is practically a month old and also you’ve both gone with an huge amount of readjust in a very short period of time.
What’s the average number of weeks in a month?
How numerous hours space in a month 30 days?
MonthNumber that DaysNumber of Hours
How countless working days room left in 2021?
Working work Payroll Calendar, 2021
Time PeriodNumber of functioning Days
October 1-3121
November 1-3022
December 1-3123
Total 2021 Calendar Year working Days261
What go 4 to 5 service days mean?
Assuming you were told that you require wait because that something imparticular, “5 company Days” deserve to be identified as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and also of course Friday. Monday – Friday are organization days. Therefore 5 company days means five days, excluding Saturday and also Sunday.
How countless weekends space in a month?
If there are 28 days in a month, over there are constantly 8 but on the weekend so there are constantly 20 weekdays.
What does 10 working days mean?
Business days space usually all days not included weekends and also holidays or Monday through Friday. Presume there room no holidays involved,10 business would critical a total of two weeks. This would be 2 sets the Monday through Friday earlier to back. 10 service days equals 14 work total.
How lengthy is 2 or 3 service days?
2 days in between Monday and also Friday included. Usually saturday and also Sunday is not counted as well as public holidays. So if friend order ~ above a Thursday evening for instance, 2 service days would incorporate Friday and also the following Monday (assuming both are working days and not a public holiday).
How long is two business days today?
To get precisely two weekdays native now, you actually need to count 2 full days (including weekend days). That means that 2 day of the week from now would be might 20, 2021.
How many weeks is 21 working days?
Convert 21 days to occupational Weeks
dwork weeks
Is there 21 job in a month?
21 work in months. 21 work is same to 0.69 months.
What day is main 16 in 2020?
Apr. 13, 2020 Apr.
What go 5 come 6 organization days mean?
In the US, organization days are typically Monday with Friday (weekdays), not included weekends and federal (national) Holidays. Therefore, 5 company days are: indigenous Monday to the complying with Monday. From Tuesday come the adhering to Tuesday.
What go 3 come 5 company days mean?
Business days are Monday with Friday. If you space told top top Friday that it will certainly be 5 company days before a company is handle it will ready/answered/received by the following Friday. 3 service days method 3 working week-days which go not include weekends or publicly holidays.
What go 4 to 7 business days mean?
In USA, company days describes Monday through Friday, except holidays. Because that example, four organization days in one week would certainly be Monday thru Thursday or Tuesday thru Friday. Basically, the is four days no counting weekends or holidays. 4 working days, excluding bank Holidays and weekends.
How long does 3 service days take?
For example, if you’re sending a package on a Friday, and they tell you your package will take 3 organization days, you should expect the to come Tuesday that the following week or also Wednesday. Otherwise, three business days, if starting on Monday, would certainly be three days, generally from 8–9am to 5pm.
See more: Venezuelan Embassy San Francisco, Venezuela Embassy And Consulate Information
How carry out you calculate functioning days between two dates?
How to calculate Weekdays in between Two dates in Excel
How carry out I calculate network days in Excel?
Excel NETWORKDAYS Function
Summary. Get the variety of working days between two dates.A number representing days.=NETWORKDAYS (start_date, end_date, )start_date – The start date. Version.
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The Participation Blog
Consensus Building: Successful Techniques
consensus buildingAs you have perused our website, you have been treated to several blogs about consensus building. What is it? What isn’t it? How do we achieve it? Why does it take so much time? What are some specific techniques to help you and your group gain consensus?
The Red, Yellow, Green Card technique can help!
Let’s assume that you have worked through the issues and have come up with a series of questions or proposals. Give everyone three pieces of paper – red, yellow, green. Pose the first question and ask people to hold up the color paper that signifies how they feel:
Red: I cannot support this.
Yellow: There are a few things I’m concerned about, but not enough to stand in the way of moving on.
Green: I support the proposal.
Once the cards are raised, everyone has an immediate visual of where the group stands. The facilitator or chair asks each person holding up a red card, “What would you need in order to become a yellow or green card?” You might also ask the “greens” why they agree or why they have what they need.
Next, find out if the discussion provided insights that might help people move from red. Ask for a show of cards again. If red cards are still held, then ask for modifications of the proposal. Ask for a show of cards once more. This time you may find the reds have turned to yellow or green. You may also find that some of the greens have now changed.
If you still have red cards, which assumes no consensus, you will need to document the reasons. One thing to remember: consensus building doesn’t mean reaching unanimity. The group has not failed. They have grown in their understanding for other points of view.
An example may help. The Texas Legislature passed a bill to fund the scientific study of the environmental health of the eight river/basin/estuary systems in the state. Once the river system’s health was scientifically determined, a group of 25 stakeholders representing a cross- section of water providers and users for that system would study the results and make recommendations as to how to best balance human needs with environmental needs. For example, the City of San Antonio supplies drinking water from the San Antonio and Guadalupe Rivers system to more than 1 million people. The expected population increase will require the city to build an off-channel reservoir sometime in the future. To what extent will the environmental health of the river be affected by the new reservoir?
The Stakeholder Advisory Committee agreed to work on consensus building on their recommendations. Ten separate decisions were needed on each of the 16 river gauges. The stakeholders were overwhelmed. The red, yellow, green card technique was used to help them make these decisions. Consensus was achieved on 15 of the gauges. In the final report ,the reasoning and concerns for the 16th gauge for which consensus wasn’t achieved was fully explained.
Author: Marty Rozelle
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NLP 2019-04-17T21:41:23-07:00
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming or, Psychology, a form of hypnosis based on hidden, subliminally persuasive language patterns spoken or written. NLP is used to indirectly, persuade and re-program one’s subconscious mind and decision-making process with the person’s consent, and yet, without them knowing exactly when and how it is actually happening.
Many of the major companies in today’s world use these techniques all the time when selling products, or anywhere else where persuasive language is important. These companies even have psychologists, psychiatrists, as well as hypnotists in their marketing department.
Once you learn the techniques, you yourself will be more aware of these type of ‘mind control’ techniques and will be able to spot when someone else is using them. You will also quickly take notice of commercials that were carefully scripted to provoke a person to think the way the advertiser wants them to think, quite possibly something to act on as well. You can use these techniques in any area of life where persuasive talk can make all the difference. Sales, social life, love life, school, just about anywhere where communication occurs!
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The Core Elements of Person-Centered Counseling
3549 Words14 Pages
Person-centered counseling (PCC) is one of the key models of understanding for the dynamic force that lies behind the therapist/client relationship. This particular model focuses on the three core elements of unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and congruence, all of which related to the establishment of a level of trust, understanding, respect and honesty between the two players. But what happens when the domain of "person-centered counseling" gets usurped by a "computer-centered reality"?
Can there really be person-centered counseling in the day and age of digital manipulation and engagement? What does it mean when gaming addictions are a leader on the scoreboard of issues of concern to many young people? And if there can be an equivalent contemporary model, what are the implications of this for the use of the kinds of therapeutic interventions that are likely to be the best for dealing with problem computer usage?
This paper provides a brief overview of the three core elements of the PCC model and then seeks to explore how they are likely impacted by the evolution of the fast-paced realities of computer and technological immersion. Clients and therapists are already finding themselves engaged together on many fronts in the dynamic universe of cyberpsychology where the rules about what is real or ideal and how human perceptions of these transfer to real life are just beginning to be understood.
First, however, it needs to be recognized that this
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The health benefits of purple rice have received a lot of media attention, although this colorful food staple is not new. The ancient Chinese supposedly revered it so much that only the emperor was allowed to eat it.
Purple rice has a deep black color, but it turns purple when people cook it. Sometimes, people call it black rice. It grows mainly in Asia and is slightly chewy with a nutty flavor.
It is one of more than 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice. While the nutritional values vary, all varieties of rice are a good source of carbohydrate, have almost no fat or cholesterol, and provide some protein.
Purple rice may have several health benefits.
Heart health and cholesterol
Steamed purple and black rice in a bowl with chopsticks.Share on Pinterest
Purple rice may help increase the levels of good cholesterol.
According to a study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, purple rice contains more antioxidant compounds than white rice.
There is evidence that antioxidants can promote heart health and lower the risk of some cancers. These compounds help eliminate harmful free radicals.
The body produces free radicals naturally, but if too many build up, oxidative stress can occur. Oxidative stress increases the risk of many health problems, including heart disease.
The authors of a 2016 study noted previous animal research in which purple rice reduced the levels of “bad” low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body and increased the levels of “good” high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
A healthy cholesterol balance is vital for a healthy cardiovascular system. Doctors believe that it helps decrease the atherosclerotic plaque formation in the arteries that can lead to heart failure. It may do this due to its dietary fiber content, which has benefits for heart health.
As a rich source of dietary fiber, purple rice can help keep the digestive system working properly, preventing constipation and other digestive problems.
Liver function
Oxidative stress can lead to liver damage. Foods that contain antioxidants help reduce oxidative stress. The antioxidants in purple rice may, therefore, help keep the liver healthy.
The cholesterol lowering activity of purple rice may also benefit the liver. A 2012 study found that mice that ate a high fat diet with a purple rice extract had reduced markers of liver disease compared with those that did not consume the extract.
Learn more here about rice.
Purple rice has a similar number of calories to white or brown rice, but it contains more protein, iron, and antioxidants.
All cells and tissues in the body contain protein, which plays a role in a wide range of metabolic interactions. It is essential for growth and body repair and for maintaining good health.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 recommend that protein should make up 10–35% of an adult’s diet.
A 100 gram (g) serving of dry medium grain purple rice contains about 8.89 g of protein.
Dietary fiber offers many health benefits, such as aiding weight loss and helping reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
It is also important for digestive health as it can help prevent constipation and may also protect against colorectal cancer.
A 100 g serving of dry purple rice contains about 2.2 g of fiber. The Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming up to 33.6 g a day of fiber, depending on the person’s age and sex.
Why is fiber important? Find out here.
People need iron to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Low iron intake can lead to iron deficiency anemia.
People should consume up to 18 milligrams (mg) of iron a day, depending on their age and sex. During pregnancy and around the time of menstruation, a woman may need to increase her intake of iron.
A 100 g serving of dry purple rice contains 2.4 mg of iron.
Why do people need iron? Find out here.
The table below shows the nutritional value of 100 g of each type of rice.
NutrientsPurple riceBrown riceEnriched white rice
Energy (calories)356357333
Protein (g)
Carbohydrate (g)75.676.277.8
Fiber (g)2.22.40
Iron (mg)
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Compared to white or brown rice, purple rice contains more fiber and protein.
People can follow the steps below to cook purple rice:
1. Rinse the rice three or four times in cool water.
2. Add 2 cups of water to each cup of rice in a pan.
3. Bring the water to a gentle boil with a tablespoon of olive oil or butter and a pinch of salt. Alternatively, use stock or coconut water to add flavor.
4. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes with the lid on.
To make softer rice, use an extra quarter of a cup of water and cook it over a low flame for a further 10 minutes.
Purple rice is available to purchase online.
Purple, or black, rice is a variety of rice with a long history. Its nutritional profile is similar to that of brown rice, as it is relatively high in fiber.
Its fiber content makes it more nutritious than many varieties of white rice.
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What is high performance computing?
blue thin stacks on blue background
Data storage for HPC
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Why is HPC important?
It is through data that groundbreaking scientific discoveries are made, game-changing innovations are fueled, and quality of life is improved for billions of people around the globe. HPC is the foundation for scientific, industrial, and societal advancements.
As technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and 3-D imaging evolve, the size and amount of data that organizations have to work with is growing exponentially. For many purposes, such as streaming a live sporting event, tracking a developing storm, testing new products, or analyzing stock trends, the ability to process data in real time is crucial.
To keep a step ahead of the competition, organizations need lightning-fast, highly reliable IT infrastructure to process, store, and analyze massive amounts of data.
How does HPC work?
HPC solutions have three main components:
• Compute
• Network
• Storage
To build a high performance computing architecture, compute servers are networked together into a cluster. Software programs and algorithms are run simultaneously on the servers in the cluster. The cluster is networked to the data storage to capture the output. Together, these components operate seamlessly to complete a diverse set of tasks.
To operate at maximum performance, each component must keep pace with the others. For example, the storage component must be able to feed and ingest data to and from the compute servers as quickly as it is processed. Likewise, the networking components must be able to support the high-speed transportation of data between compute servers and the data storage. If one component cannot keep up with the rest, the performance of the entire HPC infrastructure suffers.
What is an HPC cluster?
HPC use cases
Deployed on premises, at the edge, or in the cloud, HPC solutions are used for a variety of purposes across multiple industries. Examples include:
• Research labs. HPC is used to help scientists find sources of renewable energy, understand the evolution of our universe, predict and track storms, and create new materials.
• Media and entertainment. HPC is used to edit feature films, render mind-blowing special effects, and stream live events around the world.
• Oil and gas. HPC is used to more accurately identify where to drill for new wells and to help boost production from existing wells.
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning. HPC is used to detect credit card fraud, provide self-guided technical support, teach self-driving vehicles, and improve cancer screening techniques.
• Financial services. HPC is used to track real-time stock trends and automate trading.
• HPC is used to design new products, simulate test scenarios, and make sure that parts are kept in stock so that production lines aren’t held up.
• HPC is used to help develop cures for diseases like diabetes and cancer and to enable faster, more accurate patient diagnosis.
NetApp and HPC
The NetApp HPC solution features a complete line of high-performance, high-density E-Series storage systems. A modular architecture with industry-leading price/performance offers a true pay-as-you-grow solution to support storage requirements for multi-petabyte datasets. The system is integrated with leading HPC file systems, including Lustre, IBM Spectrum Scale, BeeGFS, and others to handle the performance and reliability requirements of the world’s largest computing infrastructures.
E-Series systems provide the performance, reliability, scalability, simplicity, and lower TCO needed to take on the challenges of supporting extreme workloads:
• Performance. Delivers up to 1 million random read IOPS and 13GB/sec sustained (maximum burst) write bandwidth per scalable building block. Optimized for both flash and spinning media, the NetApp HPC solution includes built-in technology that monitors workloads and automatically adjusts configurations to maximize performance.
• Reliability. Fault-tolerant design delivers greater than 99.9999% availability, proven by more than 1 million systems deployed. Built-in Data Assurance features help make sure that data is accurate with no drops, corruption, or missed bits.
• Easy to deploy and manage. Modular design, on-the-fly (“cut and paste”) replication of storage blocks, proactive monitoring, and automation scripts all add up to easy, fast and flexible management.
• Scalability. A granular, building-block approach to growth that enables seamless scalability from terabytes to petabytes by adding capacity in any increment—one or multiple drives at a time.
• Lower TCO. Price/performance-optimized building blocks and the industry’s best density per delivers low power, cooling, and support costs, and 4-times lower failure rates than commodity HDD and SSD devices.
High performance computing in high-demand industries
HPC solutions from NetApp enable you to process huge volumes of data quickly and securely. Find out how HPC technologies work in the the entertainment industry, in healthcare and in manufacturing
The importance of high performance computing in the media and entertainment industry
To meet customer expectations now and in the future, media and entertainment companies require fast, reliable HPC solutions that also integrate with existing tools and applications.
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High performance computing in healthcare
HPC is helping to advance medical research in many ways. Read how It has led to the creation of a noninvasive robotic arm controlled by the brain—a potentially life-changing breakthrough.
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NetApp E-Series HPC solutions for manufacturing
The NetApp HPC solution features a complete line of high performance, reliable storage systems with a true "pay as you go" pricing model.
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Data storage solutions from the experts at NetApp ensure that your data remains as secure as it is accessible. Companies worldwide trust NetApp to help manage their most important information resources.
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Monarch Butterfly
Monarch butterfly perched on milkweed plant
Yehyun Kim / Friends of Acadia
We shriek, spray, and slap them away and often view them as a nuisance. Do they do any good? What are they up to anyway? Invertebrates, organisms without backbones, like insects have their own agenda, performing ecological essential tasks from consumption, pollination, and decomposition. Although many may be unfamiliar to us, invertebrates make up a majority of the species in the animal kingdom.
With diverse habitats from ocean shoreline to the granite tops of mountains, Acadia National Park contains many different types of insects. Just how many species, we're not sure. Some have evolved in this ecosystem for thousands of years, and others are newcomers.
Acadia continues to learn about insect species through citizen- science efforts like Bioblitz, documenting species occurrences to provide estimates of species richness, and identify rare and unique species. Below is a snapshot of some of the species most notably found through the seasons of Acadia.
Green moth on a tree
Luna Moth
Black Flies are a common nuisance in Maine during spring, the season of the itch. Their breeding grounds are streams or any areas with moving water. Black flies are sensitive to water pollution, therefore, healthy populations of black flies indicate good water quality. Only females bite and their saliva is an allergen, causing flare ups and itchiness. Although the itchiness subsides, it returns days and even weeks later, making the black fly bite so infamous in Maine.
Luna moths are an eye catching creature and are relatively large with a wing span of about four inches. They have pale green wings and their hindwings have a long curved tail. The edges of the wings have purplish accents, in addition to eyespots. Luna moth caterpillars feed on leaves of walnut and paper birch trees. After emerging from their cocoon, Luna moths lack a mouth and digestive system, so they do not eat. Plus, they have a short life span, ranging about one week.
Stream Bluet Dragonfly
Stream Bluet Dragonfly
Dragonflies are easily recognizable with their large bodies, four horizontal wings, and unique flight pattern. Dragonflies begin as aquatic insects in their larval stage, then crawl out of the water, cracking open their exoskeleton, releasing its body and wings. They are expert fliers and can fly up and down like a helicopter. Also, dragonflies feed on mosquitos, helping control the mosquito population. You can often see them flying rapidly over waterbodies or gardens.
Pollinators are anything that assist in the movement of pollen, helping carry pollen from plant to plant to become fertilized. When pollinators stop to feed on nectar, pollen sticks to their body, which is then transported from one spot to another. Common pollinators include:
• Butterflies, including the Monarch and Easter Tiger Swallowtail, common throughout Acadia.
• Bees are the most efficient pollinator and can pollinate three million flowers per day.
Pollinators are extremely important because they are vital in the production of healthy crops and are essential components for a thriving ecosystem, supporting biodiversity. Check out the Wild Gardens of Acadia to spot pollinators.
Deer Tick
Deer Tick
Ticks are widespread in Maine and found throughout most seasons. They thrive in wooded and open grassy areas. In the same family as spiders, there are hundreds of tick species, but the one of the most common tick species in this area are deer ticks. They are reddish color with a black shield, have eight legs, and are about the size of a sesame seed. As parasites, ticks infect their hosts, especially humans, with the microorganisms they carry, including Lyme’s disease, a serious bacterial infection. There are several ways to prevent tick bites. Learn more on how to protect yourself from ticks on our safety page.
Caterpillars are on the move in the fall and are often spotted throughout the park. Caterpillars can be just as captivating as the fall foliage because they come in a variety of colors and are fuzzy in appearance. Some common caterpillars, which are larvae of moths include:
• Woolly Caterpillar/Tiger Moth, indicated by its fluffy reddish brown and black bands. It is said they can predict the intensity of the coming winter. If the reddish brown band is larger than black, it predicts a milder winter.
• Spotted Yellow Tussock Caterpillar/Yellow Spotted Tiger Moth, are hairy caterpillars with warning colors of black and orange. They feed on the milky sap of milkweed, which contains cardio glycerides, containing heart poisons, therefore predators like birds are deterred from eating them.
• Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar/ Milkweed Tiger Moth are densely hairy with a deep yellow color, four brown bands, and white lashes.
The Brown Tailed Moth is an invasive species of Acadia and cause a forest and human health concern. As caterpillars, they have poisonous hairs that cause dermatitis, similar to poison ivy from either touching it or indirectly coming into contact with airborne hairs. It causes a rash that lasts several hours and can be more severe and last longer for those who are particularly sensitive. In addition, they contribute to the mortality of hardwood trees and shrubs from feeding damage.
Snowfleas are a tiny, wingless, soil living creatures. They eat decaying matter such a leaves, moss, and fungi. They are not related to fleas, but belong to a group called Springtails. They do not bite, but have the ability to jump 100 times their body length. Because of the snow’s insulation and the anti-freezes snowfleas produce, they are able to withstand Maine’s harsh winter and you can often find them accumulate in footprints left in the snow.
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Last updated: October 6, 2021
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Study Guide
Annie John Exploration
By Jamaica Kincaid
Yeah, Annie John has the kind of insatiable curiosity that is the leading cause of death among cats aged zero to twenty.
Driven by the burning question why?!? Annie wants to know how the world works around her. She's curious about her environment, her own body and emotions, her feelings of love toward her mother and female friends, and relationship to her home. In Annie John, curiosity is definitely responsible for more than a few dead felines (and getting Annie in trouble), but both satisfaction and the process of exploration resurrect those kittehs (and pave the way to Annie's true happiness).
Questions About Exploration
1. Does Annie explore the outside world more, or does she spend more time exploring her "inner" mental world?
2. How does Annie explore her changing body?
3. Does curiosity even hurt Annie? If so, how?
4. In what ways does Annie embark on intellectual exploration? How does she push herself in school?
Chew on This
The sexual exploration that occurs between Annie and her friends is not evidence of romantic desire, but of childish curiosity.
It is only when Annie is seventeen-years-old and on the verge of exploring the world beyond Antigua that she finally realizes who she is.
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How To Sleep Comfortably In A School Bus?
How do you sleep comfortably on a bus?
How can I sleep comfortably in school?
Ten Tips to Avoid Sleeping in Class
2. Sit at the front of the class.
3. Be active.
4. Take deep breaths.
5. Chew gum/bring a snack.
6. Go to bed early.
7. Get some exercise before class.
8. Keep a good posture.
Does sleeping on the bus help?
Experts say the deep sleep usually only makes people feel restored during nighttime sleep, not midday. While sleep on a train or bus may allow for stage 1 or 2, being on public transportation makes many feel heightened anxiety, which would normally block the body’s ability to reach later stages of sleep.
You might be interested: Often asked: How Long Does The State Of Illinois Have To Mail You A Ticket For Passing A Stopped School Bus?
What is the best place to sit on a bus?
Where is the safest seat on a bus?
Where’s the safest place on a bus? If you ride on a bus, stand near the bus driver or near an exit. If you find a seat, sit with your back to the side of the bus so you can see people in the front and back of the bus.
What is Sopite syndrome?
The sopite syndrome is a poorly understood response to motion. Drowsiness and mood changes are the primary characteristics of the syndrome. The sopite syndrome can exist in isolation from more apparent symptoms such as nausea, can last long after nausea has subsided, and can debilitate some individuals.
How do I stop nodding?
How to Stay Awake Naturally
1. Get Up and Move Around to Feel Awake.
2. Take a Nap to Take the Edge Off Sleepiness.
3. Give Your Eyes a Break to Avoid Fatigue.
4. Eat a Healthy Snack to Boost Energy.
5. Start a Conversation to Wake Up Your Mind.
6. Turn Up the Lights to Ease Fatigue.
7. Take a Breather to Feel Alert.
Why do I get sleepy when im bored?
Published in the Nature Communications journal, a team of Japanese and Chinese researchers conducted a study to determine why people get sleepy when bored, Reader’s Digest reports. As it turns out, the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain that influences motivation and pleasure, also affects one’s drowsiness.
You might be interested: Question: How Much Do School Bus Drivers?
How can I sleep for 2 minutes?
How can I fall asleep in 2 minutes?
1. Lying in bed.
2. Start by breathing slowly and deeply.
3. Relax the muscles in your face by releasing all tension in your jaw, forehead and around the eyes.
4. Relax your body as you drop your shoulders as low as you comfortably can.
5. Breathe in deeply and breathe out slowly.
How can I fall asleep in 10 seconds?
The military method
3. Exhale, relaxing your chest.
4. Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
How do u go to sleep fast?
20 Simple Tips That Help You Fall Asleep Quickly
1. Lower the temperature.
2. Use the 4-7-8 breathing method.
3. Get on a schedule.
4. Experience both daylight and darkness.
5. Practice yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.
6. Avoid looking at your clock.
7. Avoid naps during the day.
8. Watch what and when you eat.
Is it OK to sleep on train?
The only drawback to sleeping on trains is that you have to rest in a seated position. Luckily, many train companies that travel long-distance routes, including Amtrak, offer sleeper cars. Although they are an additional cost, they come with beds and linens, as well as privacy.
How do you become comfortable on a bus?
7 Tips For The Most Comfortable Bus Travel
2. Wear Comfortable Clothing.
3. Bring Snacks.
4. Take Rest Breaks.
5. Carry Headphones.
6. Keep Your Toiletry Bag with You.
7. Bring Reading Materials.
You might be interested: Often asked: How Do I Find School Bus Routes In My Area?
Why do we sleep well in train?
So that’s what happens—adenosine comes from that. That then travels through the bloodstream, ends up in the brain, and we actually have adenosine receptor cells in the brain, and it latches on there. When you have enough of them, you start to feel sleepier and sleepier.
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How To Make Sharp Photos
Lesson 6 Module 2
Have you ever seen a blurry photo in National Geographic?
I didn't think so.
Photo editors will tell you that your images should be 'tack sharp'. And even if you've captured an otherwise amazing photo, if it's blurry or out of focus it will never get published anywhere.
The only exception to this rule might be if you snapped a frame of a rare / mythical beast--remember the famous Loch Ness Monster photo?
So unless you know where Nessie or Big Foot hangs out, you're going to need to think about keeping your photos sharp. The good news is that it's not so hard to do—here's a few common reasons why your photos aren't sharp.
Shutterspeed and camera shake
The most common cause of blurry photos is camera shake.
When you're holding your camera to take a photo, your hands are not going to stay perfectly still. Especially in situations where the light is a bit low (sunrise, sunset, or indoors), there's a very good chance that your hands are going to shake enough to knock your photo out of focus.
Let's start with the easiest way to fix this: increase your shutter speed.
With a fast shutter speed, even if your hands are shaking slightly the shutter will not be open long enough to see any blurring. On a typical point and shoot camera, this usually means 1/60th of a second or faster.
But as we talked about in the last lesson, whenever you increase the shutter speed you will have to balance the faster shutter by opening up the aperture (dial down the F-stop while using the 'Av' mode on your camera) or increasing the ISO sensitivity of your sensor.
Set your camera to the 'shutter priority' mode (for example, the 'Tv' setting on most Canon cameras). Dial the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second or higher, your camera will automatically adjust the aperture to balance your exposure.
If there's not enough light available for a good exposure, most point-and-shoot cameras will show a little camera icon with shaky lines around it. This means that you will need to use a small tripod or rest the camera on a table top, fence post, tree, or something else that's not going anywhere.
Grainy photos and higher ISO
The other option is to manually increase the ISO setting (the sensitivity of your camera's sensor to the available light). For most shooting in the middle of the day, your camera's ISO will be set to somewhere around ISO 200. But if there's not enough light to properly expose your shot at 1/60th of a second, try increasing your ISO setting to either ISO 400 or ISO 800.
As we talked about earlier, the tradeoff with higher ISO settings is increased pixilation or 'graininess' in your shot so you'll want to use the lowest ISO setting that still allows you to shoot at 1/60th of a second or faster.
Give your camera a brace
Another trick that I use in low light situations is to brace your arms against your chest to make the camera steadier. I usually press my elbows against my chest to form something like a 45-degree angle between my forearms and my chest.
Holding the camera in your hands this way will make your shot steadier than it would be if your arms were unsupported.
Other sources of blur: Confused autofocus
Autofocus has come a long way in the past ten years, but as of now your camera still can't read your mind.
Your camera will try to guess where you want to focus the lens and adjust the sharpness. For the average photographer snapping group photos and landscape scenes, this works totally fine. The camera focuses on whatever is in the middle of the frame and makes it tack-sharp.
But what happens if you're trying to follow the 'Rule of thirds' and place your subject off-center in the frame? The easiest way to fix this is a little-known feature that most point-and-shoot cameras have called auto-focus lock.
When you're composing your photo, center your subject in the frame and hold the button down halfway. Your camera be perfectly in focus.
Here's the trick: Before you take the photo, keep holding the button down halfway as you re-compose the shot. Once you have your new and improved composition set up, press the shutter as normal and your subject will be in focus even though it's not centered in the frame.
Another source of blur: A dirty lens
Since 2007 I've been working with an amazing community-based photography program called Photovoices. One of the first projects the organization launched in Indonesia was at a traditional whaling village in the eastern part of the archipelago.
Sixty cameras were given out to volunteer photographers who then documented their daily lives for six months. Since the community has hunted whales for several centuries, many of the photos were dramatic scenes of whalers risking their lives by jumping out of small wooden boats to harpoon whales as long as 60 feet.
With all the chaos, blood, and salt water from hunting the whales the lenses of the little cameras were getting smudged and spattered with all kinds of gunk. Some of the photos looked like they were shot in a hazy fog even though the photo was taken on a clear sunny day.
Even though you're probably not going on a whaling expedition with your camera, it's still very easy to get fingerprints, dust, salt spray and other stuff on your lens when you're traveling. It might not seem like much, but over time it can make the difference between a great photo and a mediocre one.
That's why it's so important to always check your lens from time to time and if you find you have fingerprints or other smudges on there, use a little microfiber lens cleaning cloth to polish it back to new.
What's next?
So far we've covered how to get properly exposed, sharp photos into your camera. In the coming lessons we're going to cover the most important question related to taking photos with impact:
What makes a photo eye-catching?
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Introduction to Charitable Remainder Trusts
Introduction to Charitable Remainder Trusts In our last article, we set the stage by discussing how philanthropy can be used to build a family's wealth. Unless you read it, you might be asking yourself: How can I build wealth by giving it away?
We started the series by discussing how philanthropy can be a critical factor in the development and preservation of family values: for both their "human" and "intellectual" capital. We also talked about the three types of family wealth: human capital, intellectual capital and financial capital. And, we discussed how, for wealthy families, philanthropy can be voluntary or involuntary and the choice is quite simple. About half of a wealthy person's estate will go to their heirs. And, the other half can either go to the government as taxes or it can go to charity.
As this article will be dedicated to introducing charitable remainder trusts, it may be worth going back through this site's archives to read, or re-read, as the case may be, the "Using Philanthropy to Build Family Wealth" article before moving on.
CRTs Intro
It was 1917 when the US Government first provided an income tax deduction for gifts to religious, charitable, scientific or educational organizations. What was positive about this was that it provided a financial incentive for people to contribute to charitable causes; what made it less than positive was that it became a financial decision from a tax standpoint when and if to give to charity.
Thereafter, it wasn't until the Tax Reform Act of 1969, that Congress gave a clear definition to a tax advantaged arrangement known today as the charitable remainder trust (CRT).
A charitable remainder trust is a legal arrangement that provides for specified payments to one or more non-charitable entities (the "income beneficiary"), with an irrevocable remainder interest in the trust property to be paid to a charity or charities (the "charitable remainder beneficiary"). Ordinarily, one must contribute total ownership in an asset to receive a charitable tax deduction. However, a handful of exceptions may apply and a CRT is one of them. Assuming that the CRT meets all the IRS requirements, contributions to it generally qualify for a charitable deduction for income, estate and gift tax purposes.
There are two basic types of CRTs : charitable remainder annuity trusts (CRATs) and charitable remainder unitrusts (CRUTs). The major difference between the two relates to how the income beneficiaries are to be paid: A CRAT would pay a fixed amount to income beneficiaries, at least annually, of a sum certain that cannot be less than 5% nor more than 50% of the initial fair market value of all property placed in the trust. Whereas, a CRUT provides for a varying payout, at least annually, based upon a fixed percentage of not less than 5% or nor more than 50% of the net fair market value of its assets as valued annually.
In the case of both trusts:
• There can be to one or more income beneficiaries.
• The term of the payout can be made as either the life or lives of an individual or individuals living at the time the trust is created, or for a term of up to 20 years.
• For new trusts, the remainder interest must meet a minimum value requirement. The value of the remainder interest must equal at least 10% of the: (a) initial fair market value of the property placed in the trust, for CRATs; or, (b) net fair market value of the net fair market value of each contribution as of the date the property is contributed, for CRUTs. The IRS Code provides guidance for calculating these numbers.
• After the term of the payout is completed, the trust principal is irrevocably transferred to the charitable organization.
Wow! Tell Me Again, Why Did I Need to Know About CRTs?
Trust me "pun intended" although what you just read must have certainly seemed like a lot of technical "mumbo-jumbo", you were just introduced to an arrangement that could take your significant tax dollars and put them to some good charitable use. And, aside from the tax savings, you could receive a whole lot more value for your family and self in the process!
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Sunday, March 17, 2019
Book Review: Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy – by Seth Fletcher (Hill & Wang, 2011)
This is a great history of the development of battery technology and electric vehicles. Fletcher was a senior editor at Popular Science magazine when this was published. It seems likely that the 2020’s will see major adoption of EVs with the 2030’s being when they will come to dominate. As of now (2019) they are still a small percentage of total vehicles.
This book begins with the beginnings of electricity itself. The development of the battery arose from a dispute about the nature of electricity among two Italian scientists, Galvani and Volta. Volta, after studying experiments involving the torpedo fish, came up with the first battery consisting of piles of metal, like sandwich cookies, made of zinc, copper, and brine-soaked cardboard. This was in 1800. Later in that century came Faraday and Maxwell, the discovery of the relationship between electricity and magnetism (now known as electomagnetism), and the development of bigger and more powerful batteries. Lead-acid batteries are of course still used to start our gasoline powered cars. At the beginning of powered transport electric cars did share the road with early gasoline vehicles but eventually proved impractical compared to them. Thomas Edison joined the search for a better battery. His nickel, iron, and potassium battery performed better than lead-acid batteries of his day and they powered some of the vehicles on the road early in the first decade of the 20th century. But the batteries began to leak and Edison was getting old with deteriorating health. Finally, the internal combustion engine was improving enough that battery-powered vehicles lost feasibility. Even though the leaking was fixed, his competitor ESB introduced a new battery, the Ironclad-Exide, using it to start gasoline engines. Thus, the battery was relegated to a supporting role in an increasingly petro-based world. Edison added nickel and lithium hydroxide to his battery in 1908 which gave it 10% more capacity and extended the time it could hold a charge. Lithium was the third element produced in the Big Bang after hydrogen and helium.
“Composed of three neutrons, three protons, and three electrons, lithium is the third element in the periodic table …”
Lithium was used in the 19th century to treat some illness. Lithium citrate was used in early formulations of the lemon-lime soda known as 7UP. The use of lithium chloride for heart patients in the 1940’s turned out to be harmful. People overdosed and died but data about what made a lethal dose became well defined. This slowed implementation of the promising results of lithium salts to treat mania. Lithium carbonate was approved as a psychiatric medication in 1970. It’s now considered one of the most effective medicines for mental illness and those with bipolar disorder. It is used as a mood stabilizer and the mechanism by which it works involves its effect on neurotransmitters and cell signaling. It increases serotonin production. The pharmaceutical industry only uses a tiny fraction of the lithium mined. Metal alloys, ceramics, lubricating greases, devices used to absorb CO2 on spacecraft and submarines, rocket propellant, and certain types of nuclear reactors are other uses. Its use in batteries is set to make it the main use for lithium. Its low atomic weight allows it to store more electricity in a smaller space and be lighter than other battery materials such as lead. Its eagerness to shed its outer electron leads it to make a more powerful battery. Lithium is unstable and so is reactive in its pure form. Under certain conditions a lithium battery can be an explosive but separating the electrodes with electrolyte bridges tames the explosive tendencies. Electricity has many advantages over other power sources such as burning fossil fuels (although much generated electric power comes from doing just that in big power plants), hydrogen, or biofuels like ethanol. The challenge for batteries is to be able to store more energy at reasonable cost. Incremental improvements have happened over the years and continue to do so but the high costs still limit higher implementation.
California especially has had a problem with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles due to the susceptibility of the cities in the southern part of the state to smog. Anti-ICE advocates in California were given another boost by the Middle East energy crisis in the 1970’s. These situations revived interest in electric vehicle (EV) development. Battery research was ongoing at Stanford and at the Ford Motor Company. Solid state electro-chemistry, aka solid state ionics, took off in the early 70’s with the search for better anodes, cathodes, and insulating materials in batteries. By 1972, Chevy, GM, Ford, Chrysler, AMC, and Toyota were all working on EVs. Exxon was also deeply involved in battery research. In fact, Exxon had the only battery model that used lithium that functioned at room temperature, which was a big advantage. Exxon’s early lithium batteries were dangerous if not handled correctly. Gas buildup would lead to explosions. By 1976 the US government was supporting battery research for EVs. There were fears then of oil supplies running out and Exxon wanted to diversify. The first Exxon rechargeable lithium battery to reach the market was very small. The button cell battery was to be used for a solar powered watch. The digital watch thus became the first wearable battery, a trend that we now all know well with our smart phones. The recession of 1979-1980 crashed the battery and EV momentum. Exxon wanted out of battery R&D and ended up licensing their discoveries to other companies like Eveready, then Union Carbide. With the election of Reagan US government interest in alternative energy waned. The rebound of oil supply in the 1980’s also kept EV and battery research underfunded. Getting things to market is more challenging when oil and gasoline prices are low.
Bell Labs research in the 1970’s led to breakthroughs in cellular communications. Motorola and AT&T were vying for a prototype. Motorola was the first to conduct a cell phone call in New York City in 1973 when a call was made to their competitor, Bell Labs. The story of Oxford’s John Goodenough is told (the author gives some detailed descriptions of different contributors to battery storage, their academic and work histories). Goodenough first decided to replace the lithium sulfides with lithium oxides. These could reach a higher voltage. Goodenough also proved that a battery did not have to be built fully charged as previously believed. It could use compounds stable at ambient air condition and build them discharged. Essential for getting the lithium battery into the marketplace was the lithium-cobalt-oxide cathode which Goodenough notes is what started the wireless revolution. He published in 1980. Motorola started selling cell phones in 1984 but they would be quite rare for years to come. Japanese companies in the 1980’s were very interested in battery research, maybe especially since at the time they made a lot of battery operated digital devices. Sony had planned to joint venture with Union Carbide/Eveready when the disaster in Bhopal, India hit and Union Carbide was in litigation and split up. Sony was able to buy Eveready out at a bargain. By 1987 they were focused on developing a mass-market rechargeable lithium battery. Sony came up with a carbon anode to go with the lithium-cobalt-oxide cathode. The voltage was higher yet at 3.6 volts. This would mean that more power weighed a little less and that battery power was smaller and could fit in smaller gadgets. Another benefit of Sony’s new battery was that it would last longer due to a reversible chemical reaction with little damage from recharges. They could also be recharged before being run completely dead, unlike nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries. They announced them ready for use in 1990, calling them lithium-ion batteries, perhaps to distinguish them from Exxon’s flaming lithium batteries of the 1970’s. However. Another company, Moli, had failed mass marketing of lithium batteries in the late 1980’s due to fires caused by unforeseen charging-discharging scenarios.
In 1990 the nickel-metal-hydride battery replaced the NiCad and was mass marketed. However, in 1992 Sony offered a $60 optional lithium-ion battery for a camcorder that was smaller and lighter the NiCad and stored more energy than nickel-metal-hydride. In 1994 Motorola released the first small cell phone with 45 minutes of talk-time and the first phone with voice mail. It was now realized that the small and light lithium-ion battery was enabling a portable electronics revolution. Japanese companies dominated the industry. RF power amplification allowed phones and devices to become even smaller and lighter and by 1996 small cell phones were the icon of power that big ones used to be. By 1999 the cell phone began transforming into the smart phone. Constant connectivity and its advantages and disadvantages (never-ending work day) were being realized as well. By 2002 95% of cell phones used lithium-ion batteries.
By the early 2000’s lithium-ion tech was a hope of EV entrepreneurs. In July of 2003, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning incorporated Tesla Motors. The idea of Tesla was to compete via performance rather than price and to a considerable extent that is still true today with Elon Musk at the helm. Their first battery-pack idea consisted of 6831 laptop cells. Musk joined as a major investor and chairman in 2004. The first early launch (earlier than they would have preferred) of a Tesla vehicle was in July 2006. Of course, Toyota was mass producing the lithium-ion powered hybrid Prius a few years before that. It first went on limited sale in 2001. I bought one the first week in January of 2006 and 13 years and almost 500,000 miles later it is still on the road doing fine (although the battery was replaced a few years ago). The Tesla was 100% plug-in electric and built for power and luxury. In 2006, the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car? premiered at Sundance. It painted GM as insincere in their quest for alt-fuel vehicles like hydrogen and EVs. At first, GM did not consider Toyota’s Prius a threat but eventually had to because of its sales success. GM’s Bob Lutz was in charge of coming up with GM’s EV, the Chevy Volt. GM and others had had other unmarketable prototypes with EVs from the early 1900’s through the 1970’s and 1990’s. From 1996-1999 GM had leased 800 EV1 cars but eventually collected them up and destroyed them in the desert – thus “killing” the electric car. They were not affordable nor profitable. They did not want to lose more money maintaining them. GM had lost about $1 billion of the EV1.
There was another battery safety issue that began in December 2005 with Sony laptop batteries catching fire. By August 2006, 4.1 million laptops were recalled by Dell. By October, Sony had recalled 10 million batteries worldwide. The explanation was that during manufacture of a certain batch some metal fragments got into the electrolyte and caused short circuiting.
By 2007 Eberhard was out as CEO of Tesla and Musk was in. GM was still making the case for the Chevy Volt, that electrification would be better than other alternative fuels and vehicles.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s it was discovered that adding carbon improved conductivity in lithium iron phosphate. This later became known as “doping.” Doped lithium iron phosphate could make a battery cathode that would discharge completely very quickly which was a desired feature for EV batteries. There were disagreements about how the doping actually worked to increase conductivity. Was it doped metals the led to it or carbon contamination from the jars used in experiments? Later, as early experiments were reproduced it was found that doping did work even though the idea of a highly electrically conductive phosphate challenged conventional wisdom. Then it was thought to be a coating of lithium phosphide that contaminated the experiment producing the unexpected effect. There were arguments between potential patent holders and companies that could be made or broken by what was determined to be the process. These became known as the “lithium wars.” Litigation and patent disputes marred the battery industry as they had in the late 1800’s. These disputes were still ongoing to some extent when this book was published so I’m not sure what has happened since then. There are several stories of early developers of technologies, both in academia and industry, not getting any royalties when later developers did. John Goodenough did not profit from his work but the marketers of his work did.
The development and successive unveilings of the Chevy Volt is recounted in detail. The first unveiling was in 2007 as a concept car. After some considerable redesign it was unveiled again in Sept. 2008. Meanwhile GM and other car companies were struggling through the economic downturn and amidst government bailouts and restructuring. The early Obama administration was very interested in EVs and battery research and billions of stimulus dollars would be invested. One might think of it as a ‘Green New Deal’ of sorts. Chevy had spent billions getting the Volt ready and even nowadays (2019) EVs are barely profitable for carmakers. The Volt’s competition was announced in 2008 as Japan’s Nissan announced plans to build the Nissan Leaf. In late 2010 both cars were being sold. The year before, Elon Musk appeared on David Letterman, trashing the Volt. Of course, his competition, the Tesla Roadster, was then priced at a hundred grand. At that price it sure would have to be better than the Volt at 40K.
Aided by the economic stimulus and venture capitalists, many new battery start-ups were popping up. Obama supported the battery industry and wanted more American companies to build batteries as Japan and Korea cornered a big segment of the market. Some companies designed in the U.S. and manufactured in China to take advantage of cheap labor. Big mergers and acquisitions in the battery business were becoming commonplace globally. An EV revolution would feed battery manufacturers indefinitely. Batteries are heavy and so shipping costs are an issue. That is why some companies building cars strategized that battery manufacturing plants near car production plants were a good idea. Important as cost and weight and related is energy density. Not enough energy density and the weight gets too high to make a battery pack that gets range. Cost per KWh (kilowatt-hour) is another benchmark for batteries. Mass marketing of batteries will probably eventually reduce costs for consumers as will better energy density of the batteries. One hurdle in hydrogen fuel-cells, a competitive alternative fuel, is the cost of the platinum catalyst, which is unlikely to drop or be replaced by something else.
Lithium reserves and mining is the next subject. Lithium is abundant and should not shoot up in price although it is concentrated in certain areas and somewhat subject to potential political upheavals of those areas that might occur. A 2006 paper titled – The Trouble with Lithium – by energy analyst William Tahil, suggested that lithium was another finite resource we would become dependent on like oil. The border between Chile and Bolivia and somewhat into Argentina has the most concentrated lithium-bearing brines in the world. China also has a decent amount. There are other places as well but the high concentrations of the “lithium triangle” in South America make it the world’s lowest cost lithium. The Salar de Atacama is the largest of the salt flats that contains the concentrated lithium. At the time the reserves were counted at just under 30 million tons of lithium in the form of lithium carbonate. While lithium may be relatively abundant, other resources used in EVs (and wind turbines, military apps, and other modern conveniences) are not so abundant. These are rare earth minerals and other minerals such as cobalt. The rare earth minerals required for the magnets in electric-drive vehicles are mostly mined in China, although they exist elsewhere at higher costs to develop. Cobalt is extensively mined in Africa, sometimes by child miners and other exploited workers.
There are basically three companies that supply the majority of the world’s lithium. They became known as the Oligopoly. One is a Chilean company, one a German company, and one was originally an American company. They all have some reserves in the lithium triangle. Bolivia has been more protective of its reserves, being suspicious of capitalist impulses of would-be developers. However, they may have the largest reserves of all. While there are other supplies, the Oligoply is the cheapest and is likely to remain so because of the high concentration of lithium. I am not sure if things have changed much since 2011 when this book was published. The company SQM extracts 30% of the world’s lithium supply from a single salt flat in Chile, the Salar de Atacama, in the high Andean desert. The US has some lithium reserves in the west, mostly in Nevada, but it would be costlier to develop than to buy from South America. However, there is some value in having a domestic source, so development is likely. A company called Western Lithium was involved in planning mines in Nevada at the time.
The author traveled to the South American salt flats to see the lithium mining operations for himself. Brine evaporation pools are how the lithium carbonate is extracted. First, he goes to Bolivia, one of the poorest nations in South America with a history of exploitation by mineral extractive industries that has led to massive distrust of any proposed developments. With the continent’s largest natural gas reserves and possibly the world’s largest lithium reserves – both remain undeveloped. Leader Evo Morales, an indigenous Bolivian, nationalized the natural gas industry and notoriously shunned the U.S. and Chile in a potential pipeline deal to bring Bolivian gas to Chile for export. He wanted any company that led lithium extraction in Bolivia to also begin an EV industry in Bolivia. Morales is known to rail about the evils of neo-liberalism and transnational companies. But their reserves are huge and they have time. With their attitude toward resources it is virtually assured that Bolivian lithium will be the slowest and most complicated to be developed. A French company was trying to develop the lithium but had been bogged down by Bolivian politics.
Potassium, magnesium, and boron are other valuable components of the salt flats so the development of all evaporite minerals needs to be considered. In Bolivia, potassium is actually more valuable than lithium. At press time, the first lithium production plant was scheduled to come online in 2014, Thus, they are years behind Chile and Argentina. Lithium availability and price are basically a direct function of how fast EV production takes off and that has been pretty slow so far.
Lithium mining, or evaporatives mining in general, involves evaporation pools of considerable aerial extent. After the mineral ores/salts evaporate out they are raked into piles and transported via truck for further processing. Lithium, however, is transported to processing as a concentrated brine.The lifeless Atacama Desert is the driest place on earth. The SQM lithium mining sites the author visited in Chile were far more developed and professional than those across the border in Bolivia. The Chilean operations are also lower in elevation and closer to the coast which gives economic advantages. At the time SQM supplied 31% of the world’s lithium yet that only accounted for 8% of the company’s revenues. They produce 50% (at the time) market share of the world’s plant nutrition through their nitrogen-based fertilizers that include caliche, saltpeter (potassium), and iodine – they supply 25% of the world’s iodine. In the desert, however, the products are lithium, potassium, and boron. At the time SQM was producing 40,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate per year. The lithium concentration in the salt in the Salar de Atacama is on average about 2700 parts per million. Another advantage of the desert is that since there is literally no rain (millimeters per decade) it makes an ideal environment to extract evaporatives. It has one of the highest evaporation rates on the planet, three times higher than in the flats in Bolivia. In Bolivia there is a wet season that floods the salt flats. Chilean lithium in the Atacama also has a very low magnesium-to-lithium ratio, which makes extraction easier and cheaper than in Bolivia. SQM also benefitted from their existing copper mining infrastructure in the area and think they can triple their extraction rates to meet rising demand easily.
The evaporatives evaporate out in an orderly way: first sodium chloride (halite) settles on the bottom. Then the brine is transferred to other pools where potassium chloride (potash), a fertilizer, precipitates out. Then a mineral called carnallite, a magnesium and potassium salt settles out, then comes bischofite, another magnesium salt. The brines, now higher in lithium, are transferred to new pools. These become yellow due to magnesium and lithium. Finally, a 6% lithium brine is produced which is yellow-green. It takes about 14 months to get this 6% lithium brine (from 0.2% lithium brine) – any higher concentration and the lithium will begin to precipitate. The 6% lithium brine is transferred via truck to processing plants. Here it is processed into lithium carbonate, a white powder.
The challenges for battery makers and battery power in general include making it cheaper and more efficient so that it can compete better with oil and gasoline, eventually without government subsidies. This is basically increasing energy density. Improvements have been steady but incremental and small. There is still considerable research going on looking for breakthroughs. Assembly of new batteries for research involves the use of glove boxes (assembly by gloves in sealed off chamber filled with inert gas like argon or helium to prevent chemical reaction. Sealed in cathodes make coin cells which can be tested with lithium (anode) and electrolyte. The cells are repeatedly charged and discharged so that their performance can be observed. How these things go may result in better zero-to-sixty times and highway passing power for EVs. In fact, EVs, once considered low power, now can have immense power. Research continues into the possibilities of a lithium-sulfur battery which does not need carbon:
“If a lithium-sulfur battery could be made to work correctly, it could store hundreds of watt-hours per kilogram, enough to jump up into the realm of the several-hundred-mile electric car.”
However, since sulfur is a poor conductor the limits have yet to be overcome. Nanoscale engineering is being used to address these issues. Lithium batteries that use silicon may be in the market now – were set to be sold by Panasonic by 2013 – giving 30% increase in energy capacity. Silicon may be tweaked even further and again nanoengineering (silicon nanowires) is being used for such tweaks. Always with lithium there are safety concerns due to its reactivity. Lithium-air batteries are another area of research with plain old air being involved in the battery cell structure.
Many other materials and techniques are involved with battery research and it is perhaps one of the most promising tech sectors but even in recent years improvements have been small, “incremental” is the word usually used. Battery use for grid storage is happening all over the world. However, it still is not competitive to natural gas “peaker” plants which can be started quickly to provide back-up power for wind and solar resources that are intermittent. Those peaker plants are forced to run inefficiently and so increase the costs of wind and solar considerably. These are one of the main “hidden costs” of wind and solar and are often referred to as grid integration costs. More recently, gas peaker plants can utilize small battery-assist for instantaneous start-up for grid balancing.
Other hurdles remain for mass adoption of electric vehicles. Charging infrastructure is inadequate in many areas. Charging times are an issue. These days one can have a level 2 charger (which still takes hours) installed at home or business. Some states charge a road-use tax of EVs. If EVs were adopted en masse the revenue from gasoline and diesel taxes would drop dramatically and such revenue funds many things at federal, state, and local levels. The bottom line is that higher energy density solutions are needed and the outlook is not great at the moment. Pure EVs still have a long way to go to compete with the ICE (internal combustion engine) but many products on the market, hybrids and plug-in hybrids can be quite economic and advantageous. I just bought a new PHEV (plug-in hybrid) last week. Other advantages include quietness and needing to stop for fuel way less often due to longer overall range. The tax credit helps the economics a lot as does the EV power which is currently much cheaper than gas or diesel power per mile. Another advantage is less wear and tear on the gasoline engine, less oil changes (none in a pure EV), and other parts that wear out slower than in a gas or diesel engine. Of course, depending on where one lives EVs may be powered by whatever powers the local electrical grids, be it coal, natural gas, nuclear, or renewables. Aside form hardcore “greener-than-thou” enthusiasts that like to power their EVs with solar panels and can afford it, it is more likely that many EVs are powered mostly by fossil fuels.
Great book for the historical perspective and the overall perspective of electrification.
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Tasks are the building blocks of Celery applications.
A task is a class that can be created out of any callable. It performs dual roles in that it defines both what happens when a task is called (sends a message), and what happens when a worker receives that message.
Every task class has a unique name, and this name is referenced in messages so the worker can find the right function to execute.
A task message is not removed from the queue until that message has been acknowledged by a worker. A worker can reserve many messages in advance and even if the worker is killed – by power failure or some other reason – the message will be redelivered to another worker.
Ideally task functions should be idempotent: meaning the function won’t cause unintended effects even if called multiple times with the same arguments. Since the worker cannot detect if your tasks are idempotent, the default behavior is to acknowledge the message in advance, just before it’s executed, so that a task invocation that already started is never executed again.
If your task is idempotent you can set the acks_late option to have the worker acknowledge the message after the task returns instead. See also the FAQ entry Should I use retry or acks_late?.
Note that the worker will acknowledge the message if the child process executing the task is terminated (either by the task calling sys.exit(), or by signal) even when acks_late is enabled. This behavior is intentional as…
1. We don’t want to rerun tasks that forces the kernel to send a SIGSEGV (segmentation fault) or similar signals to the process.
2. We assume that a system administrator deliberately killing the task does not want it to automatically restart.
3. A task that allocates too much memory is in danger of triggering the kernel OOM killer, the same may happen again.
4. A task that always fails when redelivered may cause a high-frequency message loop taking down the system.
If you really want a task to be redelivered in these scenarios you should consider enabling the task_reject_on_worker_lost setting.
A task that blocks indefinitely may eventually stop the worker instance from doing any other work.
If your task does I/O then make sure you add timeouts to these operations, like adding a timeout to a web request using the requests library:
connect_timeout, read_timeout = 5.0, 30.0
response = requests.get(URL, timeout=(connect_timeout, read_timeout))
Time limits are convenient for making sure all tasks return in a timely manner, but a time limit event will actually kill the process by force so only use them to detect cases where you haven’t used manual timeouts yet.
In previous versions, the default prefork pool scheduler was not friendly to long-running tasks, so if you had tasks that ran for minutes/hours, it was advised to enable the -Ofair command-line argument to the celery worker. However, as of version 4.0, -Ofair is now the default scheduling strategy. See Prefetch Limits for more information, and for the best performance route long-running and short-running tasks to dedicated workers (Automatic routing).
If your worker hangs then please investigate what tasks are running before submitting an issue, as most likely the hanging is caused by one or more tasks hanging on a network operation.
In this chapter you’ll learn all about defining tasks, and this is the table of contents:
You can easily create a task from any callable by using the app.task() decorator:
from .models import User
def create_user(username, password):
User.objects.create(username=username, password=password)
There are also many options that can be set for the task, these can be specified as arguments to the decorator:
def create_user(username, password):
User.objects.create(username=username, password=password)
Bound tasks
A task being bound means the first argument to the task will always be the task instance (self), just like Python bound methods:
logger = get_task_logger(__name__)
def add(self, x, y):
Bound tasks are needed for retries (using app.Task.retry()), for accessing information about the current task request, and for any additional functionality you add to custom task base classes.
Task inheritance
The base argument to the task decorator specifies the base class of the task:
import celery
class MyTask(celery.Task):
def on_failure(self, exc, task_id, args, kwargs, einfo):
print('{0!r} failed: {1!r}'.format(task_id, exc))
def add(x, y):
raise KeyError()
Every task must have a unique name.
If no explicit name is provided the task decorator will generate one for you, and this name will be based on 1) the module the task is defined in, and 2) the name of the task function.
Example setting explicit name:
>>> @app.task(name='sum-of-two-numbers')
>>> def add(x, y):
... return x + y
A best practice is to use the module name as a name-space, this way names won’t collide if there’s already a task with that name defined in another module.
>>> @app.task(name='tasks.add')
>>> def add(x, y):
... return x + y
You can tell the name of the task by investigating its .name attribute:
The name we specified here (tasks.add) is exactly the name that would’ve been automatically generated for us if the task was defined in a module named
def add(x, y):
return x + y
>>> from tasks import add
You can use the inspect command in a worker to view the names of all registered tasks. See the inspect registered command in the Management Command-line Utilities (inspect/control) section of the User Guide.
Changing the automatic naming behavior
New in version 4.0.
There are some cases when the default automatic naming isn’t suitable. Consider having many tasks within many different modules:
Using the default automatic naming, each task will have a generated name like moduleA.tasks.taskA, moduleA.tasks.taskB, moduleB.tasks.test, and so on. You may want to get rid of having tasks in all task names. As pointed above, you can explicitly give names for all tasks, or you can change the automatic naming behavior by overriding app.gen_task_name(). Continuing with the example, may contain:
from celery import Celery
class MyCelery(Celery):
def gen_task_name(self, name, module):
if module.endswith('.tasks'):
module = module[:-6]
return super().gen_task_name(name, module)
app = MyCelery('main')
So each task will have a name like moduleA.taskA, moduleA.taskB and moduleB.test.
Make sure that your app.gen_task_name() is a pure function: meaning that for the same input it must always return the same output.
Task Request
app.Task.request contains information and state related to the currently executing task.
The request defines the following attributes:
The unique id of the executing task.
The unique id of the task’s group, if this task is a member.
The unique id of the chord this task belongs to (if the task is part of the header).
Custom ID used for things like de-duplication.
Positional arguments.
Keyword arguments.
Name of host that sent this task.
How many times the current task has been retried. An integer starting at 0.
Set to True if the task is executed locally in the client, not by a worker.
The original ETA of the task (if any). This is in UTC time (depending on the enable_utc setting).
The original expiry time of the task (if any). This is in UTC time (depending on the enable_utc setting).
Node name of the worker instance executing the task.
Additional message delivery information. This is a mapping containing the exchange and routing key used to deliver this task. Used by for example app.Task.retry() to resend the task to the same destination queue. Availability of keys in this dict depends on the message broker used.
Name of queue to send replies back to (used with RPC result backend for example).
This flag is set to true if the task wasn’t executed by the worker.
A tuple of the current (soft, hard) time limits active for this task (if any).
A list of signatures to be called if this task returns successfully.
A list of signatures to be called if this task fails.
Set to true the caller has UTC enabled (enable_utc).
New in version 3.1.
Mapping of message headers sent with this task message (may be None).
Where to send reply to (queue name).
Usually the same as the task id, often used in amqp to keep track of what a reply is for.
New in version 4.0.
The unique id of the first task in the workflow this task is part of (if any).
The unique id of the task that called this task (if any).
Reversed list of tasks that form a chain (if any). The last item in this list will be the next task to succeed the current task. If using version one of the task protocol the chain tasks will be in request.callbacks instead.
New in version 5.2.
Mapping of message properties received with this task message (may be None or {})
How many times the task was replaced, if at all. (may be 0)
An example task accessing information in the context is:
def dump_context(self, x, y):
print('Executing task id {}, args: {0.args!r} kwargs: {0.kwargs!r}'.format(
The bind argument means that the function will be a “bound method” so that you can access attributes and methods on the task type instance.
The worker will automatically set up logging for you, or you can configure logging manually.
A special logger is available named “celery.task”, you can inherit from this logger to automatically get the task name and unique id as part of the logs.
The best practice is to create a common logger for all of your tasks at the top of your module:
from celery.utils.log import get_task_logger
logger = get_task_logger(__name__)
def add(x, y):'Adding {0} + {1}'.format(x, y))
return x + y
Celery uses the standard Python logger library, and the documentation can be found here.
You can also use print(), as anything written to standard out/-err will be redirected to the logging system (you can disable this, see worker_redirect_stdouts).
The worker won’t update the redirection if you create a logger instance somewhere in your task or task module.
If you want to redirect sys.stdout and sys.stderr to a custom logger you have to enable this manually, for example:
import sys
logger = get_task_logger(__name__)
def add(self, x, y):
old_outs = sys.stdout, sys.stderr
rlevel =
try:, rlevel)
print('Adding {0} + {1}'.format(x, y))
return x + y
sys.stdout, sys.stderr = old_outs
If a specific Celery logger you need is not emitting logs, you should check that the logger is propagating properly. In this example “” is enabled so that “succeeded in” logs are emitted:
import celery
import logging
def on_after_setup_logger(**kwargs):
logger = logging.getLogger('celery')
logger.propagate = True
logger = logging.getLogger('')
logger.propagate = True
If you want to completely disable Celery logging configuration, use the setup_logging signal:
import celery
def on_setup_logging(**kwargs):
Argument checking
New in version 4.0.
Celery will verify the arguments passed when you call the task, just like Python does when calling a normal function:
>>> @app.task
... def add(x, y):
... return x + y
# Calling the task with two arguments works:
>>> add.delay(8, 8)
<AsyncResult: f59d71ca-1549-43e0-be41-4e8821a83c0c>
# Calling the task with only one argument fails:
>>> add.delay(8)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "celery/app/", line 376, in delay
return self.apply_async(args, kwargs)
File "celery/app/", line 485, in apply_async
check_arguments(*(args or ()), **(kwargs or {}))
TypeError: add() takes exactly 2 arguments (1 given)
You can disable the argument checking for any task by setting its typing attribute to False:
>>> @app.task(typing=False)
... def add(x, y):
... return x + y
# Works locally, but the worker receiving the task will raise an error.
>>> add.delay(8)
Hiding sensitive information in arguments
New in version 4.0.
When using task_protocol 2 or higher (default since 4.0), you can override how positional arguments and keyword arguments are represented in logs and monitoring events using the argsrepr and kwargsrepr calling arguments:
>>> add.apply_async((2, 3), argsrepr='(<secret-x>, <secret-y>)')
>>> charge.s(account, card='1234 5678 1234 5678').set(
... kwargsrepr=repr({'card': '**** **** **** 5678'})
... ).delay()
Sensitive information will still be accessible to anyone able to read your task message from the broker, or otherwise able intercept it.
For this reason you should probably encrypt your message if it contains sensitive information, or in this example with a credit card number the actual number could be stored encrypted in a secure store that you retrieve and decrypt in the task itself.
app.Task.retry() can be used to re-execute the task, for example in the event of recoverable errors.
When you call retry it’ll send a new message, using the same task-id, and it’ll take care to make sure the message is delivered to the same queue as the originating task.
When a task is retried this is also recorded as a task state, so that you can track the progress of the task using the result instance (see States).
Here’s an example using retry:
def send_twitter_status(self, oauth, tweet):
twitter = Twitter(oauth)
except (Twitter.FailWhaleError, Twitter.LoginError) as exc:
raise self.retry(exc=exc)
The app.Task.retry() call will raise an exception so any code after the retry won’t be reached. This is the Retry exception, it isn’t handled as an error but rather as a semi-predicate to signify to the worker that the task is to be retried, so that it can store the correct state when a result backend is enabled.
This is normal operation and always happens unless the throw argument to retry is set to False.
The bind argument to the task decorator will give access to self (the task type instance).
The exc argument is used to pass exception information that’s used in logs, and when storing task results. Both the exception and the traceback will be available in the task state (if a result backend is enabled).
If the task has a max_retries value the current exception will be re-raised if the max number of retries has been exceeded, but this won’t happen if:
• An exc argument wasn’t given.
In this case the MaxRetriesExceededError exception will be raised.
• There’s no current exception
If there’s no original exception to re-raise the exc argument will be used instead, so:
will raise the exc argument given.
Using a custom retry delay
When a task is to be retried, it can wait for a given amount of time before doing so, and the default delay is defined by the default_retry_delay attribute. By default this is set to 3 minutes. Note that the unit for setting the delay is in seconds (int or float).
You can also provide the countdown argument to retry() to override this default.
@app.task(bind=True, default_retry_delay=30 * 60) # retry in 30 minutes.
def add(self, x, y):
except Exception as exc:
# overrides the default delay to retry after 1 minute
raise self.retry(exc=exc, countdown=60)
Automatic retry for known exceptions
New in version 4.0.
Sometimes you just want to retry a task whenever a particular exception is raised.
Fortunately, you can tell Celery to automatically retry a task using autoretry_for argument in the app.task() decorator:
from twitter.exceptions import FailWhaleError
def refresh_timeline(user):
return twitter.refresh_timeline(user)
If you want to specify custom arguments for an internal retry() call, pass retry_kwargs argument to app.task() decorator:
retry_kwargs={'max_retries': 5})
def refresh_timeline(user):
return twitter.refresh_timeline(user)
This is provided as an alternative to manually handling the exceptions, and the example above will do the same as wrapping the task body in a tryexcept statement:
def refresh_timeline(user):
except FailWhaleError as exc:
raise div.retry(exc=exc, max_retries=5)
If you want to automatically retry on any error, simply use:
def x():
New in version 4.2.
If your tasks depend on another service, like making a request to an API, then it’s a good idea to use exponential backoff to avoid overwhelming the service with your requests. Fortunately, Celery’s automatic retry support makes it easy. Just specify the retry_backoff argument, like this:
from requests.exceptions import RequestException
@app.task(autoretry_for=(RequestException,), retry_backoff=True)
def x():
By default, this exponential backoff will also introduce random jitter to avoid having all the tasks run at the same moment. It will also cap the maximum backoff delay to 10 minutes. All these settings can be customized via options documented below.
New in version 4.4.
You can also set autoretry_for, max_retries, retry_backoff, retry_backoff_max and retry_jitter options in class-based tasks:
class BaseTaskWithRetry(Task):
autoretry_for = (TypeError,)
max_retries = 5
retry_backoff = True
retry_backoff_max = 700
retry_jitter = False
A list/tuple of exception classes. If any of these exceptions are raised during the execution of the task, the task will automatically be retried. By default, no exceptions will be autoretried.
A number. Maximum number of retries before giving up. A value of None means task will retry forever. By default, this option is set to 3.
A boolean, or a number. If this option is set to True, autoretries will be delayed following the rules of exponential backoff. The first retry will have a delay of 1 second, the second retry will have a delay of 2 seconds, the third will delay 4 seconds, the fourth will delay 8 seconds, and so on. (However, this delay value is modified by retry_jitter, if it is enabled.) If this option is set to a number, it is used as a delay factor. For example, if this option is set to 3, the first retry will delay 3 seconds, the second will delay 6 seconds, the third will delay 12 seconds, the fourth will delay 24 seconds, and so on. By default, this option is set to False, and autoretries will not be delayed.
A number. If retry_backoff is enabled, this option will set a maximum delay in seconds between task autoretries. By default, this option is set to 600, which is 10 minutes.
A boolean. Jitter is used to introduce randomness into exponential backoff delays, to prevent all tasks in the queue from being executed simultaneously. If this option is set to True, the delay value calculated by retry_backoff is treated as a maximum, and the actual delay value will be a random number between zero and that maximum. By default, this option is set to True.
List of Options
The task decorator can take a number of options that change the way the task behaves, for example you can set the rate limit for a task using the rate_limit option.
Any keyword argument passed to the task decorator will actually be set as an attribute of the resulting task class, and this is a list of the built-in attributes.
The name the task is registered as.
You can set this name manually, or a name will be automatically generated using the module and class name.
See also Names.
If the task is being executed this will contain information about the current request. Thread local storage is used.
See Task Request.
Only applies if the task calls self.retry or if the task is decorated with the autoretry_for argument.
The maximum number of attempted retries before giving up. If the number of retries exceeds this value a MaxRetriesExceededError exception will be raised.
You have to call retry() manually, as it won’t automatically retry on exception..
The default is 3. A value of None will disable the retry limit and the task will retry forever until it succeeds.
Optional tuple of expected error classes that shouldn’t be regarded as an actual error.
Errors in this list will be reported as a failure to the result backend, but the worker won’t log the event as an error, and no traceback will be included.
@task(throws=(KeyError, HttpNotFound)):
def get_foo():
Error types:
• Expected errors (in Task.throws)
Logged with severity INFO, traceback excluded.
• Unexpected errors
Logged with severity ERROR, with traceback included.
Default time in seconds before a retry of the task should be executed. Can be either int or float. Default is a three minute delay.
Set the rate limit for this task type (limits the number of tasks that can be run in a given time frame). Tasks will still complete when a rate limit is in effect, but it may take some time before it’s allowed to start.
If this is None no rate limit is in effect. If it is an integer or float, it is interpreted as “tasks per second”.
The rate limits can be specified in seconds, minutes or hours by appending “/s”, “/m” or “/h” to the value. Tasks will be evenly distributed over the specified time frame.
Example: “100/m” (hundred tasks a minute). This will enforce a minimum delay of 600ms between starting two tasks on the same worker instance.
Default is the task_default_rate_limit setting: if not specified means rate limiting for tasks is disabled by default.
Note that this is a per worker instance rate limit, and not a global rate limit. To enforce a global rate limit (e.g., for an API with a maximum number of requests per second), you must restrict to a given queue.
The hard time limit, in seconds, for this task. When not set the workers default is used.
The soft time limit for this task. When not set the workers default is used.
Don’t store task state. Note that this means you can’t use AsyncResult to check if the task is ready, or get its return value.
If True, errors will be stored even if the task is configured to ignore results.
A string identifying the default serialization method to use. Defaults to the task_serializer setting. Can be pickle, json, yaml, or any custom serialization methods that have been registered with kombu.serialization.registry.
Please see Serializers for more information.
A string identifying the default compression scheme to use.
Defaults to the task_compression setting. Can be gzip, or bzip2, or any custom compression schemes that have been registered with the kombu.compression registry.
Please see Compression for more information.
The result store backend to use for this task. An instance of one of the backend classes in celery.backends. Defaults to app.backend, defined by the result_backend setting.
If set to True messages for this task will be acknowledged after the task has been executed, not just before (the default behavior).
Note: This means the task may be executed multiple times should the worker crash in the middle of execution. Make sure your tasks are idempotent.
The global default can be overridden by the task_acks_late setting.
If True the task will report its status as “started” when the task is executed by a worker. The default value is False as the normal behavior is to not report that level of granularity. Tasks are either pending, finished, or waiting to be retried. Having a “started” status can be useful for when there are long running tasks and there’s a need to report what task is currently running.
The host name and process id of the worker executing the task will be available in the state meta-data (e.g.,[‘pid’])
The global default can be overridden by the task_track_started setting.
See also
The API reference for Task.
Celery can keep track of the tasks current state. The state also contains the result of a successful task, or the exception and traceback information of a failed task.
There are several result backends to choose from, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses (see Result Backends).
During its lifetime a task will transition through several possible states, and each state may have arbitrary meta-data attached to it. When a task moves into a new state the previous state is forgotten about, but some transitions can be deduced, (e.g., a task now in the FAILED state, is implied to have been in the STARTED state at some point).
There are also sets of states, like the set of FAILURE_STATES, and the set of READY_STATES.
The client uses the membership of these sets to decide whether the exception should be re-raised (PROPAGATE_STATES), or whether the state can be cached (it can if the task is ready).
You can also define Custom states.
Result Backends
If you want to keep track of tasks or need the return values, then Celery must store or send the states somewhere so that they can be retrieved later. There are several built-in result backends to choose from: SQLAlchemy/Django ORM, Memcached, RabbitMQ/QPid (rpc), and Redis – or you can define your own.
No backend works well for every use case. You should read about the strengths and weaknesses of each backend, and choose the most appropriate for your needs.
Backends use resources to store and transmit results. To ensure that resources are released, you must eventually call get() or forget() on EVERY AsyncResult instance returned after calling a task.
RPC Result Backend (RabbitMQ/QPid)
The RPC result backend (rpc://) is special as it doesn’t actually store the states, but rather sends them as messages. This is an important difference as it means that a result can only be retrieved once, and only by the client that initiated the task. Two different processes can’t wait for the same result.
Even with that limitation, it is an excellent choice if you need to receive state changes in real-time. Using messaging means the client doesn’t have to poll for new states.
The messages are transient (non-persistent) by default, so the results will disappear if the broker restarts. You can configure the result backend to send persistent messages using the result_persistent setting.
Database Result Backend
Keeping state in the database can be convenient for many, especially for web applications with a database already in place, but it also comes with limitations.
• Polling the database for new states is expensive, and so you should increase the polling intervals of operations, such as result.get().
• Some databases use a default transaction isolation level that isn’t suitable for polling tables for changes.
In MySQL the default transaction isolation level is REPEATABLE-READ: meaning the transaction won’t see changes made by other transactions until the current transaction is committed.
Changing that to the READ-COMMITTED isolation level is recommended.
Built-in States
Task is waiting for execution or unknown. Any task id that’s not known is implied to be in the pending state.
Task has been started. Not reported by default, to enable please see app.Task.track_started.
pid and hostname of the worker process executing the task.
Task has been successfully executed.
result contains the return value of the task.
Task execution resulted in failure.
result contains the exception occurred, and traceback contains the backtrace of the stack at the point when the exception was raised.
Task is being retried.
result contains the exception that caused the retry, and traceback contains the backtrace of the stack at the point when the exceptions was raised.
Task has been revoked.
Custom states
You can easily define your own states, all you need is a unique name. The name of the state is usually an uppercase string. As an example you could have a look at the abortable tasks which defines a custom ABORTED state.
Use update_state() to update a task’s state:.
def upload_files(self, filenames):
for i, file in enumerate(filenames):
if not self.request.called_directly:
meta={'current': i, 'total': len(filenames)})
Here I created the state “PROGRESS”, telling any application aware of this state that the task is currently in progress, and also where it is in the process by having current and total counts as part of the state meta-data. This can then be used to create progress bars for example.
Creating pickleable exceptions
A rarely known Python fact is that exceptions must conform to some simple rules to support being serialized by the pickle module.
Tasks that raise exceptions that aren’t pickleable won’t work properly when Pickle is used as the serializer.
To make sure that your exceptions are pickleable the exception MUST provide the original arguments it was instantiated with in its .args attribute. The simplest way to ensure this is to have the exception call Exception.__init__.
Let’s look at some examples that work, and one that doesn’t:
# OK:
class HttpError(Exception):
# BAD:
class HttpError(Exception):
def __init__(self, status_code):
self.status_code = status_code
# OK:
class HttpError(Exception):
def __init__(self, status_code):
self.status_code = status_code
Exception.__init__(self, status_code) # <-- REQUIRED
So the rule is: For any exception that supports custom arguments *args, Exception.__init__(self, *args) must be used.
There’s no special support for keyword arguments, so if you want to preserve keyword arguments when the exception is unpickled you have to pass them as regular args:
class HttpError(Exception):
def __init__(self, status_code, headers=None, body=None):
self.status_code = status_code
self.headers = headers
self.body = body
super(HttpError, self).__init__(status_code, headers, body)
The worker wraps the task in a tracing function that records the final state of the task. There are a number of exceptions that can be used to signal this function to change how it treats the return of the task.
The task may raise Ignore to force the worker to ignore the task. This means that no state will be recorded for the task, but the message is still acknowledged (removed from queue).
This can be used if you want to implement custom revoke-like functionality, or manually store the result of a task.
Example keeping revoked tasks in a Redis set:
from celery.exceptions import Ignore
def some_task(self):
if redis.ismember('tasks.revoked',
raise Ignore()
Example that stores results manually:
from celery import states
from celery.exceptions import Ignore
def get_tweets(self, user):
timeline = twitter.get_timeline(user)
if not self.request.called_directly:
self.update_state(state=states.SUCCESS, meta=timeline)
raise Ignore()
The task may raise Reject to reject the task message using AMQPs basic_reject method. This won’t have any effect unless Task.acks_late is enabled.
Rejecting a message has the same effect as acking it, but some brokers may implement additional functionality that can be used. For example RabbitMQ supports the concept of Dead Letter Exchanges where a queue can be configured to use a dead letter exchange that rejected messages are redelivered to.
Reject can also be used to re-queue messages, but please be very careful when using this as it can easily result in an infinite message loop.
Example using reject when a task causes an out of memory condition:
import errno
from celery.exceptions import Reject
@app.task(bind=True, acks_late=True)
def render_scene(self, path):
file = get_file(path)
# if the file is too big to fit in memory
# we reject it so that it's redelivered to the dead letter exchange
# and we can manually inspect the situation.
except MemoryError as exc:
raise Reject(exc, requeue=False)
except OSError as exc:
if exc.errno == errno.ENOMEM:
raise Reject(exc, requeue=False)
# For any other error we retry after 10 seconds.
except Exception as exc:
raise self.retry(exc, countdown=10)
Example re-queuing the message:
from celery.exceptions import Reject
@app.task(bind=True, acks_late=True)
def requeues(self):
if not self.request.delivery_info['redelivered']:
raise Reject('no reason', requeue=True)
print('received two times')
Consult your broker documentation for more details about the basic_reject method.
The Retry exception is raised by the Task.retry method to tell the worker that the task is being retried.
Custom task classes
All tasks inherit from the app.Task class. The run() method becomes the task body.
As an example, the following code,
def add(x, y):
return x + y
will do roughly this behind the scenes:
class _AddTask(app.Task):
def run(self, x, y):
return x + y
add = app.tasks[]
A task is not instantiated for every request, but is registered in the task registry as a global instance.
This means that the __init__ constructor will only be called once per process, and that the task class is semantically closer to an Actor.
If you have a task,
from celery import Task
class NaiveAuthenticateServer(Task):
def __init__(self):
self.users = {'george': 'password'}
def run(self, username, password):
return self.users[username] == password
except KeyError:
return False
And you route every request to the same process, then it will keep state between requests.
This can also be useful to cache resources, For example, a base Task class that caches a database connection:
from celery import Task
class DatabaseTask(Task):
_db = None
def db(self):
if self._db is None:
self._db = Database.connect()
return self._db
Per task usage
The above can be added to each task like this:
def process_rows():
for row in process_rows.db.table.all():
The db attribute of the process_rows task will then always stay the same in each process.
App-wide usage
You can also use your custom class in your whole Celery app by passing it as the task_cls argument when instantiating the app. This argument should be either a string giving the python path to your Task class or the class itself:
from celery import Celery
app = Celery('tasks', task_cls='your.module.path:DatabaseTask')
This will make all your tasks declared using the decorator syntax within your app to use your DatabaseTask class and will all have a db attribute.
The default value is the class provided by Celery: ''.
before_start(self, task_id, args, kwargs)
Run by the worker before the task starts executing.
New in version 5.2.
• task_id – Unique id of the task to execute.
• args – Original arguments for the task to execute.
• kwargs – Original keyword arguments for the task to execute.
The return value of this handler is ignored.
after_return(self, status, retval, task_id, args, kwargs, einfo)
Handler called after the task returns.
• status – Current task state.
• retval – Task return value/exception.
• task_id – Unique id of the task.
• args – Original arguments for the task that returned.
• kwargs – Original keyword arguments for the task that returned.
Keyword Arguments
einfoExceptionInfo instance, containing the traceback (if any).
The return value of this handler is ignored.
This is run by the worker when the task fails.
• exc – The exception raised by the task.
• task_id – Unique id of the failed task.
• args – Original arguments for the task that failed.
• kwargs – Original keyword arguments for the task that failed.
Keyword Arguments
einfoExceptionInfo instance, containing the traceback.
The return value of this handler is ignored.
on_retry(self, exc, task_id, args, kwargs, einfo)
This is run by the worker when the task is to be retried.
• exc – The exception sent to retry().
• task_id – Unique id of the retried task.
• args – Original arguments for the retried task.
• kwargs – Original keyword arguments for the retried task.
Keyword Arguments
einfoExceptionInfo instance, containing the traceback.
The return value of this handler is ignored.
on_success(self, retval, task_id, args, kwargs)
Run by the worker if the task executes successfully.
• retval – The return value of the task.
• task_id – Unique id of the executed task.
• args – Original arguments for the executed task.
• kwargs – Original keyword arguments for the executed task.
The return value of this handler is ignored.
Requests and custom requests
Upon receiving a message to run a task, the worker creates a request to represent such demand.
Custom task classes may override which request class to use by changing the attribute You may either assign the custom request class itself, or its fully qualified name.
The request has several responsibilities. Custom request classes should cover them all – they are responsible to actually run and trace the task. We strongly recommend to inherit from celery.worker.request.Request.
When using the pre-forking worker, the methods on_timeout() and on_failure() are executed in the main worker process. An application may leverage such facility to detect failures which are not detected using
As an example, the following custom request detects and logs hard time limits, and other failures.
import logging
from celery import Task
from celery.worker.request import Request
logger = logging.getLogger('my.package')
class MyRequest(Request):
'A minimal custom request to log failures and hard time limits.'
def on_timeout(self, soft, timeout):
super(MyRequest, self).on_timeout(soft, timeout)
if not soft:
'A hard timeout was enforced for task %s',
def on_failure(self, exc_info, send_failed_event=True, return_ok=False):
'Failure detected for task %s',
class MyTask(Task):
Request = MyRequest # you can use a FQN 'my.package:MyRequest'
def some_longrunning_task():
# use your imagination
How it works
Here come the technical details. This part isn’t something you need to know, but you may be interested.
All defined tasks are listed in a registry. The registry contains a list of task names and their task classes. You can investigate this registry yourself:
>>> from proj.celery import app
>>> app.tasks
<@task: celery.chord_unlock>,
<@task: celery.backend_cleanup>,
<@task: celery.chord>}
This is the list of tasks built into Celery. Note that tasks will only be registered when the module they’re defined in is imported.
The default loader imports any modules listed in the imports setting.
The app.task() decorator is responsible for registering your task in the applications task registry.
When tasks are sent, no actual function code is sent with it, just the name of the task to execute. When the worker then receives the message it can look up the name in its task registry to find the execution code.
This means that your workers should always be updated with the same software as the client. This is a drawback, but the alternative is a technical challenge that’s yet to be solved.
Tips and Best Practices
Ignore results you don’t want
If you don’t care about the results of a task, be sure to set the ignore_result option, as storing results wastes time and resources.
def mytask():
Results can even be disabled globally using the task_ignore_result setting.
Results can be enabled/disabled on a per-execution basis, by passing the ignore_result boolean parameter, when calling apply_async.
def mytask(x, y):
return x + y
# No result will be stored
result = mytask.apply_async(1, 2, ignore_result=True)
print result.get() # -> None
# Result will be stored
result = mytask.apply_async(1, 2, ignore_result=False)
print result.get() # -> 3
By default tasks will not ignore results (ignore_result=False) when a result backend is configured.
The option precedence order is the following:
1. Global task_ignore_result
2. ignore_result option
3. Task execution option ignore_result
More optimization tips
You find additional optimization tips in the Optimizing Guide.
Avoid launching synchronous subtasks
Having a task wait for the result of another task is really inefficient, and may even cause a deadlock if the worker pool is exhausted.
Make your design asynchronous instead, for example by using callbacks.
def update_page_info(url):
page = fetch_page.delay(url).get()
info = parse_page.delay(url, page).get()
store_page_info.delay(url, info)
def fetch_page(url):
return myhttplib.get(url)
def parse_page(page):
return myparser.parse_document(page)
def store_page_info(url, info):
return PageInfo.objects.create(url, info)
def update_page_info(url):
# fetch_page -> parse_page -> store_page
chain = fetch_page.s(url) | parse_page.s() | store_page_info.s(url)
def fetch_page(url):
return myhttplib.get(url)
def parse_page(page):
return myparser.parse_document(page)
def store_page_info(info, url):
PageInfo.objects.create(url=url, info=info)
Here I instead created a chain of tasks by linking together different signature()’s. You can read about chains and other powerful constructs at Canvas: Designing Work-flows.
By default Celery will not allow you to run subtasks synchronously within a task, but in rare or extreme cases you might need to do so. WARNING: enabling subtasks to run synchronously is not recommended!
def update_page_info(url):
page = fetch_page.delay(url).get(disable_sync_subtasks=False)
info = parse_page.delay(url, page).get(disable_sync_subtasks=False)
store_page_info.delay(url, info)
def fetch_page(url):
return myhttplib.get(url)
def parse_page(url, page):
return myparser.parse_document(page)
def store_page_info(url, info):
return PageInfo.objects.create(url, info)
Performance and Strategies
The task granularity is the amount of computation needed by each subtask. In general it is better to split the problem up into many small tasks rather than have a few long running tasks.
With smaller tasks you can process more tasks in parallel and the tasks won’t run long enough to block the worker from processing other waiting tasks.
However, executing a task does have overhead. A message needs to be sent, data may not be local, etc. So if the tasks are too fine-grained the overhead added probably removes any benefit.
See also
The book Art of Concurrency has a section dedicated to the topic of task granularity [AOC1].
Breshears, Clay. Section 2.2.1, “The Art of Concurrency”. O’Reilly Media, Inc. May 15, 2009. ISBN-13 978-0-596-52153-0.
Data locality
The worker processing the task should be as close to the data as possible. The best would be to have a copy in memory, the worst would be a full transfer from another continent.
If the data is far away, you could try to run another worker at location, or if that’s not possible - cache often used data, or preload data you know is going to be used.
The easiest way to share data between workers is to use a distributed cache system, like memcached.
See also
The paper Distributed Computing Economics by Jim Gray is an excellent introduction to the topic of data locality.
Since Celery is a distributed system, you can’t know which process, or on what machine the task will be executed. You can’t even know if the task will run in a timely manner.
The ancient async sayings tells us that “asserting the world is the responsibility of the task”. What this means is that the world view may have changed since the task was requested, so the task is responsible for making sure the world is how it should be; If you have a task that re-indexes a search engine, and the search engine should only be re-indexed at maximum every 5 minutes, then it must be the tasks responsibility to assert that, not the callers.
Another gotcha is Django model objects. They shouldn’t be passed on as arguments to tasks. It’s almost always better to re-fetch the object from the database when the task is running instead, as using old data may lead to race conditions.
Imagine the following scenario where you have an article and a task that automatically expands some abbreviations in it:
class Article(models.Model):
title = models.CharField()
body = models.TextField()
def expand_abbreviations(article):
article.body.replace('MyCorp', 'My Corporation')
First, an author creates an article and saves it, then the author clicks on a button that initiates the abbreviation task:
>>> article = Article.objects.get(id=102)
>>> expand_abbreviations.delay(article)
Now, the queue is very busy, so the task won’t be run for another 2 minutes. In the meantime another author makes changes to the article, so when the task is finally run, the body of the article is reverted to the old version because the task had the old body in its argument.
Fixing the race condition is easy, just use the article id instead, and re-fetch the article in the task body:
def expand_abbreviations(article_id):
article = Article.objects.get(id=article_id)
article.body.replace('MyCorp', 'My Corporation')
>>> expand_abbreviations.delay(article_id)
There might even be performance benefits to this approach, as sending large messages may be expensive.
Database transactions
Let’s have a look at another example:
from django.db import transaction
from django.http import HttpResponseRedirect
def create_article(request):
article = Article.objects.create()
return HttpResponseRedirect('/articles/')
This is a Django view creating an article object in the database, then passing the primary key to a task. It uses the transaction.atomic decorator, that will commit the transaction when the view returns, or roll back if the view raises an exception.
There’s a race condition if the task starts executing before the transaction has been committed; The database object doesn’t exist yet!
The solution is to use the on_commit callback to launch your Celery task once all transactions have been committed successfully.
from django.db.transaction import on_commit
def create_article(request):
article = Article.objects.create()
on_commit(lambda: expand_abbreviations.delay(
on_commit is available in Django 1.9 and above, if you are using a version prior to that then the django-transaction-hooks library adds support for this.
Let’s take a real world example: a blog where comments posted need to be filtered for spam. When the comment is created, the spam filter runs in the background, so the user doesn’t have to wait for it to finish.
I have a Django blog application allowing comments on blog posts. I’ll describe parts of the models/views and tasks for this application.
The comment model looks like this:
from django.db import models
from django.utils.translation import ugettext_lazy as _
class Comment(models.Model):
name = models.CharField(_('name'), max_length=64)
email_address = models.EmailField(_('email address'))
homepage = models.URLField(_('home page'),
blank=True, verify_exists=False)
comment = models.TextField(_('comment'))
pub_date = models.DateTimeField(_('Published date'),
editable=False, auto_add_now=True)
is_spam = models.BooleanField(_('spam?'),
default=False, editable=False)
class Meta:
verbose_name = _('comment')
verbose_name_plural = _('comments')
In the view where the comment is posted, I first write the comment to the database, then I launch the spam filter task in the background.
from django import forms
from django.http import HttpResponseRedirect
from django.template.context import RequestContext
from django.shortcuts import get_object_or_404, render_to_response
from blog import tasks
from blog.models import Comment
class CommentForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = Comment
def add_comment(request, slug, template_name='comments/create.html'):
post = get_object_or_404(Entry, slug=slug)
remote_addr = request.META.get('REMOTE_ADDR')
if request.method == 'post':
form = CommentForm(request.POST, request.FILES)
if form.is_valid():
comment =
# Check spam asynchronously.
return HttpResponseRedirect(post.get_absolute_url())
form = CommentForm()
context = RequestContext(request, {'form': form})
return render_to_response(template_name, context_instance=context)
To filter spam in comments I use Akismet, the service used to filter spam in comments posted to the free blog platform Wordpress. Akismet is free for personal use, but for commercial use you need to pay. You have to sign up to their service to get an API key.
To make API calls to Akismet I use the library written by Michael Foord.
from celery import Celery
from akismet import Akismet
from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
from blog.models import Comment
def spam_filter(comment_id, remote_addr=None):
logger = spam_filter.get_logger()'Running spam filter for comment %s', comment_id)
comment = Comment.objects.get(pk=comment_id)
current_domain = Site.objects.get_current().domain
akismet = Akismet(settings.AKISMET_KEY, 'http://{0}'.format(domain))
if not akismet.verify_key():
raise ImproperlyConfigured('Invalid AKISMET_KEY')
is_spam = akismet.comment_check(user_ip=remote_addr,
if is_spam:
comment.is_spam = True
return is_spam
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1. Sāriputta Sutta. The sixteenth sutta of the Atthakavagga of the Sutta Nipāta. Sāriputta asks the Buddha how a monk should conduct himself in order to achieve his goal. The Buddha explains that a monk must avoid the five dangers, endure heat and cold and other discomforts, and must not be guilty of theft, anger, lying or arrogance. He should be guided by wisdom and moderation (SN. 955 75). The Commentary explains (SNA.ii.569f ) that the sutta is also called the Therapañha Sutta, and that it was preached on the occasion of the Buddha's descent from Tāvatimsa to Sankassa. The Buddha desired that Sāriputta's wisdom should be adequately recognized, for Moggallāna’s iddhi, Anuruddha’s clairvoyance and Punna's eloquence were already famous, but Sāriputta's skill remained unknown. The Buddha therefore related the Parosahassa Jātaka in order to show Sāriputta's wisdom in a past life. At the end of the story, Sāriputta questioned the Buddha in eight stanzas, and the rest of the sutta was spoken by the Buddha in answer to these questions.
2. Sāriputta Sutta. The Buddha instructs Sāriputta on how to train oneself in order to get rid of notions of "I" and "mine." The sutta contains a quotation from the Udayapañha. A.i.133.
3. Sāriputta Sutta. Sāriputta relates to Ananda how once, when he was in Andhavana, he attained to perfect concentration. A.v.8.
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Waveform audio (WAVE) is a proprietary Microsoft and IBM audio container format that used to be the standard for storing uncompressed audio. WAVE is commonly known WAV due to its filename extension. The most common encoding format used with WAVE files is linear PCM encoding, but a WAVE file can contain bitstreams encoded with other codecs, both lossy and lossless. WAVE is the basis for the European Union’s Broadcast Wave (BWF) format, an open format that has become the de facto standard for audio preservation.
Although WAVE and BWF are based on the same format, migrating from WAVE to BWF can be problematic. The FFmpeg tool can help you to convert almost any audio and video file from the command line. It is free to use, and is available for Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems. However, before depositing audiovisual material in the DANS Archive, please always contact DANS for discussion on the available formats/containers and possible migrations.
WAVE is a DANS non-preferred container format for audio.
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India-China Ladakh face-off: New test ground for modern weapon systems
Photo: Pangong Tso in Ladakh, for representational purposes only.
(Editor’s Note: Opinions expressed are that of the writer’s)
By Lieutenant Colonel Manoj K. Channan
Since evolution, man has always been fighting a bitter battle for survival. Be it nature, wildlife, fellow human beings and now the minuscule and deadly Coronavirus. From stones to bones and the advent of weapons like spears, bows and arrows, and catapults increased the reach and ability to kill at a greater distance. The taming of the horses and elephants brought in a different dimension to war fighting capabilities and the manoeuvre element of warfare. Discovery of explosives added to the destructive capabilities.
World War-I saw the trench warfare and the use of Mustard Gas to kill the men. It also saw the invention of the ‘Tank’. “Through mud and blood to the greens beyond” was the motto of the Royal Tank Regiment in 1916. The air power too was used for reconnaissance and early use of aircraft to drop bombs.
World War-II saw a Nazi Germany wanting to avenge its defeat and gain world supremacy. It saw the advent of new weapon systems and the Blitzkrieg warfare of integrated battle groups punching through the defences or manoeuvring around them to annihilate the enemy. Naval and air power got developed and towards the end of World War-II, the nuclear bomb was used to bring Japan to its knees.
Post World War-II saw a period of the Cold War between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, led by the United States duly supported by the United Kingdom and France and on the other side, by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the USSR. This was a competition across all segments from trade to the race to put the first man on the moon.
The year 1991 saw the USSR disintegrating and the world became unipolar, with the US being the sole ‘Super Power’, who would police the world against all harm. The series of Gulf Wars in Iraq, the intervention in Afghanistan under a US-led coalition during an era of the George W. Bush diplomacy of “my way or the highway. You are with us or against us”. The Christian nations without much delay willingly joined in and paid for these wars under a common aim of ‘War on Terror’.
The US defence manufacturing companies fuelled the US economy and spent millions of dollars developing weapon systems and intelligence gathering capabilities to recognise a man from a drone flying at 60,000 feet and above, with a loiter capability of more than 24 hours, remotely and safely piloted from a US base, far away from the conflict zone.
In the last decade-and-a-half, China has been quietly achieving its aim of becoming a military and an economically strong nation. It became the manufacturing hub of the world.
Its population and dictatorial governance under the new ‘President for life’ Xi Jinping, drew a vision of an all-powerful China, wanting to announce its arrival on the global centre stage.
The use of surplus US dollars was used coercively to gain a back door entry (a new manoeuvre element) to help poor nations to build up infrastructure and alleviate poverty. Leaderships in the countries were bought over by heavy bribes or donation to party funds. Over the years, as political leadership changed, the countries realised that their independent sovereignty was compromised.
The oceans of the world were dominated by the powerful navy of the US and its military alliance partners, who dominated the sea lanes of communication, a jugular for the Chinese energy needs.
The Communist Party of China-initiated China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a collection of infrastructure projects that are under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. Originally valued at $46 billion, the value of CPEC projects was worth $62 billion as of 2017. CPEC is intended to rapidly upgrade Pakistan’s required infrastructure and strengthen its economy by the construction of modern transportation networks, numerous energy projects, and special economic zones.
On Nov. 13, 2016, CPEC became partly operational when Chinese cargo was transported overland to Gwadar Port for onward maritime shipment to Africa and West Asia. Modern transportation networks built under CPEC will link seaports in Gwadar and Karachi with northern Pakistan, as well as points further north in western China and Central Asia. Pakistan’s railway network will also be extended to eventually connect to China’s Southern Xinjiang Railway in Kashgar.
China under the guise of CPEC has arrived on India’s western borders, having developed the infrastructure through Aksai Chin.
The One Belt One Road (OBOR), the brainchild of Xi Jinping, is an ambitious project that focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among multiple countries spread across the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Dubbed as the ‘Project of the Century’ by the Chinese authorities, OBOR spans about 78 countries.
China’s attempts to get India involved failed, as the Indian government refused to be part of the grand design.
While the Economic persuasions were on, the Chinese military had initiated a strong posture in the arid desert region of Ladakh. In the summer of 2015 in the Pangong Tso (a lake, one-third of which is held by India and two-thirds by China), the clash took place between the patrol boats of India and China.
The Chinese physically rammed the Indian patrol boats and were met with an equally violent response by the Indians. The altercations between the patrols along the LAC continued, all along but not as bitter as at the LoC with Pakistan. The Doklam incident was probably another ruse to gauge the intent of the Indians, the stand-off settled without a shot being fired.
The increased altercations between the Chinese and Indian patrols were reported by the media since 2018 and the status this day is that the Chinese built up all along the LAC and have posed a challenge to the Indian government. The Chinese diplomats and their media have blamed India for intrusions in the disputed regions, which are being met with a resolve to contest the Chinese contentions.
Friendly foreign countries have been observing this conflict and have responded to the call by the Indian government at the highest levels to supply at the government-to-government level to plug the deficiencies of weapon systems in the Indian arms inventory. In March 2020, the Defence Procurement Procedure has an added clause of leasing equipment to make up for its deficiencies.
The French have speeded up the delivery of Rafale fourth generation fighter jets from four to six later this month; the Israelis are sending in air defence systems from their field army; the US has promised to augment its Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance support as well as the supply of precision guided ammunition for the BAE SystemsM777 ultralight howitzers; and Russia and others have responded to make up for the gaps in supply of spares and ammunition in the very near future.
While the Government of India is purchasing these off-the-shelf, it would be of interest to the Original Equipment Manufacturers to field their platforms in the highest battlefield of the world (13,000 feet to 19,000 feet) and assess their performance.
India becomes the ‘David’ of the world to stand up to the Chinese ‘Goliath’, as the world watches with bated breath and assessing if the two Asian giants will clash at a unique battlefield, where one can get sun burnt during the day and have chilblains at night.
(The writer is a retired Indian Army officer and currently works in the Indian corporate sector)
1 reply »
1. A well thought out suggestion. Infact , many agencies do give equipment on loan to be tried, tested and modified to suit operational environments.
However, the present situation leaves little time for this.
Leave a Reply
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Orthotics also known as insoles, orthoses or shoe inserts, are designed to correct foot mechanics and abnormal or irregular walking patterns. They are not just 'arch supports', although this term is often used to describe them.
They perform functions that make your everyday activities more comfortable and efficient, by altering the angles at which the feet strike the ground when standing, walking, jogging, running and jumping.
You don't have to have pain in your feet to benefit from orthotics. Wearing orthotics could help you improve your athletic performance by improving your mechanical advantage throughout the kinematic chain.
Why do I need Orthotics?
Orthotics are shaped insoles placed inside shoes with the purpose of restoring natural foot movement. There are 5 phases in a single set step during a normal gait pattern. Orthotics aid in making sure your foot goes through all 5 stages in order to maximize balance and stability in your spine, during standing, walking, and running. Orthotics also help prevent future injuries due to restrictions in the gait cycle and can prevent stress on the low back and pelvis.
Orthotics can be necessary when the natural balance of our lower body has been disrupted by overuse, injury, inflammation, surgery of the back, hip, knee or foot.
What conditions can orthotics help?
Heel pain (plantar fasciitis)
Knee Pain
Low back pain
Post- Op imbalances
Flat feet
High arches
Athletic performance and more...
What to expect when being fit for Orthotics?
Before fitting your orthotics, Dr. Josh or Dr. Ginger will perform a full gait analysis. This will include walking with your shoes on and with your shoes off to get a full evaluation of how you walk. Depending on you health goals, a running analysis will be performed at this time if necessary.
At Sport and Spine we custom make your orthotics here in our office. We use a special type of orthotic that can be heated up, inserted into your shoe, and by placing your foot into your shoe an exact mold of your foot can be created. Then using posts and metatarsal pads, Dr. Josh or Dr. Ginger can custom design your orthotic to fit your exact needs.
How much will my Orthotics cost?
Because we do all of our custom orthotics in house we are able to keep the cost down for orthotics. One pair of custom made orthotics is $95. Some people need different styles of orthotics for the different styles of shoes they wear, so we do have money saving packages if multiple orthotics are needed.
Call and schedule your orthotic fitting today!
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Make Controlled React Components with Control Props
Kent C. Dodds
InstructorKent C. Dodds
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Published 4 years ago
Updated a year ago
While the state reducer pattern gives users total control over how the state is updated internally to a component, it doesn't allow them to update state arbitrarily. Let's implement the control props pattern (found in built-in components like <input /> through the value prop) to give users complete control over the state of our component.
Instructor: [00:00] Here we have a simple toggle component that renders a switch, which when clicked, will switch the component on and off. What we want to be able to do is synchronize these so that one is turned on, the other is also turned on, and when one is turned off, the other is also turned off.
[00:15] How we want to accomplish this is whenever our on toggle prop is called, it will be called with the current state of on, and will set the state of both on. Then we'll provide that prop to both of our toggle components, and the toggle component should use the prop rather than internal state to determine what the state of on should be.
[00:33] To support this API is remarkably simple -- rather than determining our on state based off of internal state, we'll just get it from props. Now we have exactly what we're looking for.
[00:44] What we really want to do is support both, so that if one of these doesn't have an on prop, it still functions. To support this, we need to determine what the state actually is, whether it's coming from internal state or props.
[00:57] I'm going to create a function called get state, and this will return our current state. We'll say on is this.props.on, not equal to undefined.
[01:07] If it's not undefined, then it's coming from props. Otherwise, it's coming from state.
[01:13] Then in our render, we can call this.getstate.on. With that, we get our supported API. However, there's a further optimization that we can make here.
[01:23] Because this state is controlled, we don't actually need to call this.setstate. In our small example here, it's not really a big deal, but we could actually wind up re-rendering when it's not necessary.
[01:34] We could say if this.props.on is not equal to undefined, then we know that it's controlled. We can call this.props.on toggle with what we suggest the state should be -- the opposite of this.getstate.on.
[01:48] Otherwise, we can call this.setstate like we were before. Just for consistency, we'll call this.getstate.on. Now we're avoiding a potential unnecessary re-render.
[02:01] Because we're repeating ourselves here, let's just refactor this to a simple method called is controlled. That'll take a prop, and will return this.props at that prop.
[02:13] Then we can say this.iscontrolledon, and our API is working. If we remove the on prop from one of these, then it can be toggled individually from the other.
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How To Configure Dynamic DNS for a particular Interface
Jul 20, 2020 [Networking] Static IP vs Dynamic IP | by Avocado Aun | Medium Static IP is an IP address that is manually configured into the network setting on any host. Meanwhile, Dynamic IP is a random IP assigned by a DHCP server to any hosts (DCHP client) connected to Change dynamic DNS records to a static - Server Fault A static IP is a static IP. I think part of your misconception is that you misunderstand how DNS records are updated. Yes, you can have DHCP update your DNS records using the DnsUpdateProxy group, but this is bad bad bad and it's not the standard configuration, so unless you've explicitly configured this (which I'm betting you haven't), then Unable to configure static ip and dns. Reverts to dynamic Aug 16, 2014
Jul 20, 2020
How To Configure Dynamic DNS for a particular Interface This is an enhancement for DDNS. Dynamic DNS is a method, protocol, or network service that provides the capability for a networked device, such as a router or computer system using the Internet Protocol Suite, to notify a domain name server to change, in real time (ad-hoc) the active DNS configuration of its configured hostnames, addresses or other information stored in DNS. How to convert Dynamic IP Address to Static IP Address Aug 26, 2013
Dynamic DNS | Cloudflare
4. Install Dynamic DNS Client: To update domain DNS, you can simply login to your member account to edit DNS for the domain. However, to update your IP address automatically, you need to download one of our dynamic IP update clients and install it on any computer in your network. The software will detect your IP changes and automatically update your latest IP address to our name servers. Free Dynamic DNS service | ClouDNS Free Dynamic DNS by ClouDNS is often regarded as a much more portable option and it will continue to work whether you have a dynamic or static IP address. The way that Dynamic DNS works is by giving a network device the ability to notify DNS servers to automatically change in real time, alongside the active DNS configuration, IP addresses Static vs Dynamic IP: What Do You Really Need? | Udemy Blog There are two kinds of IP addresses- Static IP and Dynamic IP. In this intermediate level tutorial we walk you through the comparison between static IP address and dynamic IP address, and discuss the pros and cons of both. IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 uses 32 bits to create a single unique address on the network.
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How Does Power Steering Work?
Power steering works so well that it’s easy to take it for granted. But have you ever wondered just how it works? Let’s take a look.
How Does Power Steering Work?
Power steering makes it easier for you to control your car through channelling power directly from the steering wheel to the wheels. If your power steering system’s working like it should, then it should never be a strain to turn your wheel. Plus, your car will respond immediately to even the smallest of adjustments you make.
This makes it considerably easier to stay in your lane when you’re driving on the motorway, and carrying out complicated parking manoeuvres can become second nature.
Different Types of Power Steering
Power steering systems can either be hydraulic, electric, or a combination of the two.
How Does Hydraulic Power Steering Work?
The system uses fluid to amplify the force applied to turn your front wheels. Your car’s engine drives a pump, which provides hydraulic pressure to the steering system. When you turn the steering wheel, a hydraulic cylinder applies this hydraulic pressure to your steering gear, which turns your wheels. The whole system relies on the flow of fluid. The harder you turn your wheel, the more fluid flows to the hydraulic cylinder, so the more force is applied to your wheels.
How Does Electric Power Steering Work?
The system uses an electric motor in place of a hydraulic pump. Electric sensors detect the position of the steering column, and measure any force you apply to the steering wheel. A computer then draws force from your motor and applies the correct amount to your wheels. The major benefit of electric power steering over hydraulic power steering is that they can adapt to suit specific driving conditions. If you have an electric power steering system, you can usually choose, at the touch of a button, from numerous settings. A city driving setting, for example, might give you more control at slower speeds.
How Does an Electro-Hydraulic System Work?
These work in the same way as hydraulic systems. However, instead of the engine driving the hydraulic pump, the power comes from an electric motor.
Power Steering in your Driving Theory and Practical Test
Certain questions in your driving theory test might relate to your power steering system. None of them will ask you to give a detailed description of how the system works, so don’t worry about memorising any complex technical terms or mechanical processes. However, they might ask you how you’d tell if there was a problem with your power steering system.
Power steering might also come up in your practical test, as one of your show-me-tell-me questions. Your examiner might ask you to explain how you’d check your power steering is working before you start a journey.
How to Check Your Power Steering is Working
You can turn the wheel just after moving off, to check if the steering is light. You can also apply gentle pressure to the steering wheel after starting the engine, to see if the power steering engages. In each case, if there’s a problem with your power steering, you’ll feel a resistance when you try and turn the steering wheel.
How Can You Tell If There’s a Problem With Your Power Steering?
In short, if you’re finding it harder to turn than usual, then there’s probably an issue with your power steering. Your steering should be effortlessly responsive. If it’s not, it could mean you’re running low on power steering fluid, or there could be a leak or a blockage in your system. If you have an electric power steering system, tough steering could indicate a problem with the electric motor that drives your system.
In any case, if you suspect you have a problem with your power steering system, you should head to a mechanic as soon as possible. Head here to read our complete guide to what causes heavy steering.
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The Significance of African Lions for the Financial Viability of Trophy Hunting and the Maintenance of Wild Land
• Peter Andrew Lindsey,
• Guy Andrew Balme,
• Vernon Richard Booth,
• Neil Midlane
Recent studies indicate that trophy hunting is impacting negatively on some lion populations, notably in Tanzania. In 2004 there was a proposal to list lions on CITES Appendix I and in 2011 animal-welfare groups petitioned the United States government to list lions as endangered under their Endangered Species Act. Such listings would likely curtail the trophy hunting of lions by limiting the import of lion trophies. Concurrent efforts are underway to encourage the European Union to ban lion trophy imports. We assessed the significance of lions to the financial viability of trophy hunting across five countries to help determine the financial impact and advisability of the proposed trade restrictions. Lion hunts attract the highest mean prices (US$24,000–US$71,000) of all trophy species. Lions generate 5–17% of gross trophy hunting income on national levels, the proportional significance highest in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. If lion hunting was effectively precluded, trophy hunting could potentially become financially unviable across at least 59,538 km2 that could result in a concomitant loss of habitat. However, the loss of lion hunting could have other potentially broader negative impacts including reduction of competitiveness of wildlife-based land uses relative to ecologically unfavourable alternatives. Restrictions on lion hunting may also reduce tolerance for the species among communities where local people benefit from trophy hunting, and may reduce funds available for anti-poaching. If lion off-takes were reduced to recommended maximums (0.5/1000 km2), the loss of viability and reduction in profitability would be much lower than if lion hunting was stopped altogether (7,005 km2). We recommend that interventions focus on reducing off-takes to sustainable levels, implementing age-based regulations and improving governance of trophy hunting. Such measures could ensure sustainability, while retaining incentives for the conservation of lions and their habitat from hunting.
There is increasing scrutiny on the conservation status of African lions Panthera leo. Although few reliable data exist, it is suspected that the continental lion population has declined by at least 30% in recent decades, while the species' geographic range has shrunk by as much as 82% [1]. Key causes for the decline include conflict with pastoralists over livestock, habitat fragmentation, and the loss of available wild prey [2]. Commercial trophy hunting of lions represents an additional potential threat (or opportunity, depending on how it is managed) [3]. Lion populations are particularly sensitive to trophy harvests due to the social disruption and potential for infanticide by incoming males following removal of pride males [4].
Concerns over the impacts of trophy hunting prompted a proposal that lions be listed on CITES Appendix I at the 13th conference of the parties [5]. In theory, such a listing would not necessarily prevent hunting of lions if provision was made under the convention for trophy quotas of the species (as was granted for some leopard Panthera pardus and elephant Loxodonta africana populations). However, in practice, there is a chance that the US and other importing countries would introduce stricter domestic measures to limit lion trophy imports if the species was listed on CITES Appendix I [6]. There was general opposition to the proposal from the scientific community, due to a belief that declines in lion numbers were not trade-related [5]. There was also recognition among scientists that trophy hunting can create financial incentives for the conservation of lions and their habitats [1]. The CITES proposal was accordingly withdrawn but research has recently emerged suggesting trophy hunting may be more detrimental to lion populations than previously envisaged [7]. Trophy hunting appears to be the primary driver of lion population declines outside (and inside some) protected areas in Tanzania, a country that holds between 30–50% of Africa's lions [3]. Excessive off-takes from trophy hunting also lowered population density of lions, and altered sex-ratios and ranging behaviour of lions in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe [8], [9], South Luangwa National Park, Zambia [10], and the Bénoué Complex in northern Cameroon [11]. As a result of these findings and due to inherent opposition to sport hunting, a coalition of animal welfare organizations petitioned the US government to list lions as ‘endangered’ pursuant to their Endangered Species Act in 2011 (; accessed June 2011). An ESA listing would preclude the importation of lion trophies into the US (the largest market for African trophy hunting; [12], and thus significantly curb trophy hunting of the species, though would not necessarily prevent lions from being killed. In addition, there are concurrent efforts from animal welfare groups to pressure the European Union into banning lion trophy imports (, accessed November 2011). The recent research findings also suggest that there will be additional pressure in future for an elevated CITES listing for lions.
Prior to implementing far-reaching trade restrictions, an understanding of the potential impacts of such a decision is required. While the direct impacts of trophy hunting on lion populations is increasingly well understood, little is known about the financial significance of lions to trophy hunting, or the potential implications if lion hunting was discontinued. Lions are a key species for trophy hunting due to their iconic status as a member of the ‘big-five’ (a term denoting the five most dangerous African ‘game’ species) and due to the high prices obtained for lion trophies [13]. Consequently, restrictions on the trade of lion trophies may undermine financial incentives for the conservation of lions and their habitats. We assessed the significance of lions to the financial viability of trophy hunting in Africa as a contribution to the debate on the advisability of trade restrictions on lion trophies.
Income earned from trophy hunting
Hunting safaris are traditionally sold as ‘packages’ based on dangerous and charismatic key species (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo Syncerus caffer and rare antelope species) that demand higher prices and longer hunts. Income is accrued through daily rates, which are paid by clients regardless of whether hunts are successful, and trophy fees. We used data from standardized hunt reports (n = 267) submitted by clients (, accessed June 2011) to establish typical hunt packaging for the five main lion hunting countries (Table 1), and obtained mean prices (daily rates, trophy fees, and the minimum duration of hunts) for packages by surveying operator websites in 2005 (n = 114) and 2011 (n = 165). Operators were randomly selected from lists of those presenting at US and European hunting conventions and the websites of a minimum of 10–15 from each country sampled (where it was possible to find that number of sites). We compared the prices of key species hunts and assessed changes in prices from 2005–2011. We used the compound US inflation rate to convert 2011 hunt prices into 2005 US dollars, and compared these prices with actual 2005 hunt prices to determine the real increase or decrease in hunt prices during the period.
Table 1. Mean price (daily rates, minimum number of days required, trophy fees) and number of key species and plains game typically hunted on safari packages as determined from hunting operator websites and standardized hunt return forms (The Hunting Report website,, accessed 2011, June 5).
Estimates for income earned from trophy hunting in each country were obtained by collecting data on hunting quota and off-takes from as many different hunting areas as possible. In Tanzania, hunting quotas were available from all 143 of the hunting blocks in the country from 2007 (since when, some blocks have been subdivided, taking the total number of blocks in the country to 176, V. Booth unpublished data). Mean percentage utilization of quotas for each species was obtained from the Tanzanian Wildlife Division and applied to quotas in each block to provide an estimate of typical off-takes. In Zimbabwe, data on percentage utilization of quotas were provided by hunting operators for 23 hunting blocks. Mean quota utilization of each species was then applied to the 2011 quota data for all (state owned) safari and forestry areas in Zimbabwe (provided by the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority), and the two largest private conservancies in the country. Community and privately owned hunting blocks (except large conservancies) were excluded from this analysis in Zimbabwe (except for cases where actual off-take data were available) because the status of wildlife in such areas is highly variable so we did not feel confident applying mean quota utilization data to them. For Zambia, 2007 quota data were obtained for the Game Management Areas, excluding a small number of private ranches on which hunting occurs. Mean percentage off-takes (derived from 13 areas, R. Martin unpublished data), were then applied to quotas from Zambian game management areas. In Namibia, data were only available for community conservancies, and so state and privately owned hunting areas were excluded from the analysis (though lions are not hunted in state concessions, and the species only occurs on 8.2% of Namibian farmlands so are rarely hunted, [14]. For Namibian communal conservancies, we only had quota data, and no information was available on the percentage utilization of quotas. Consequently, we used mean quota utilization for each species from the other countries in the analysis. For species that were unique to Namibia, we applied the percentage utilization value from the most ecologically similar species (e.g. for Hartmann's mountain zebra Equus zebra, we used the percentage utilization value for plains zebra Equus burchelli). In Mozambique, hunting quota data were available for all hunting blocks in the country (from the Ministry of Tourism), but data were excluded for all areas except those for which quota utilization data were available because many hunting areas in that country are severely depleted and quotas bear little resemblance to actual off-takes. Off-take data in Mozambique were limited to the Niassa Reserve (9 blocks, V. Booth unpublished data) and the Coutada 9 and 13 hunting blocks (data provided by operators).
We estimated income (sum of daily rates and trophy fees) accrued per block using off-take data and hunt package prices obtained from the 2011 online survey. We assumed that animals would always be hunted in the most lucrative package available, with excess non-key species hunted in 7-day specialized ‘plains-game’ (primarily antelope) hunts (with the exception of Tanzania and Zambia where plains game hunts are rarely sold). To estimate the total number of packages sold, we multiplied off-take of key species by the mean success rates of hunts (calculated from the hunt return data). This ensured we accounted for daily rates earned from unsuccessful hunts where safaris for key species are paid for by clients, but the target animals are not successfully hunted. To estimate the financial value of each species to a given hunting block, we estimated earnings from trophy fees and daily rates for key species (i.e. those used to sell hunt packages) and non-key species, as follows:
Financial contribution of key species = (% of total trophy fee income comprised by that species*daily rate income from all key species hunts)+(trophy fees from that species*off-take of that species)
Financial contribution of non-key species = (% of total trophy fee income comprised by that species*daily rate income from all plains-game hunts)+(trophy fees from that species*off-take of that species).
Costs incurred by trophy hunting
Data on the start up and running costs of trophy hunting operations were obtained through a randomized survey of hunting operators at US hunting conventions (Dallas and Houston Safari Clubs, Atlanta Africa Hunting Show), using a structured questionnaire survey following methods outlined in [12] (Table 2). At the shows, an attempt was made to survey every African operator present that sells lion hunts, resulting in coverage of 73.8% of the operators present who offer lion hunts and a sample of n = 111 operators. Operators were asked to determine the length of lease of their hunting block(s), and provide an estimate of the total start-up and annual running costs (split into fixed and variable) associated with their hunting operation.
Table 2. Costs data used to estimate potential earnings from trophy hunting.
Financial Viability
When assessing the viability of hunting operations under different scenarios of lion hunting, we assumed a capital structure of 50% equity and 50% debt for initial investment. Start up costs were calculated by multiplying the concession size by the mean start up costs/km2, within bounds set as the minimum and maximum estimates made by operators for start up costs in each country. We split start up costs into lease acquisition costs (60%), camp (10%) and vehicles and equipment (30%). Projected income from trophy hunting was used to calculate income per km2 in each hunting area, followed by a mean for each country. We calculated Net Profit Before Tax (NPBT) by subtracting depreciation, interest, and running costs from Revenue. Depreciation on capital investments was calculated by dividing the cost of the investment by the term of the lease, except for vehicles and equipment, which were depreciated over a 5-year period. Interest was calculated at 4.25%, (the US prime interest rate plus one percent, which is the mean rate for commercial loans of medium risk in the US (, accessed July 2011). A standard rate was used for all countries, as hunting operators are often not from the country in which they operate and are thus likely to source funds outside of those countries. Running costs were split into fixed (61%) and variable (39%) based on the mean of estimates from the operator survey, and were converted to a ‘cost per client day’ based on estimated client days in each block (estimated as the number of hunts of each type sold multiplied by the number of days for which such hunt packages are sold). Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) was calculated by reducing NPBT by the country-specific corporate tax rate (assuming NPBT was positive).
For each block, we divided NPAT by the start up costs to calculate Return on Investment (ROI). ROI was compared with a hurdle rate to evaluate financial viability of operations. For this hurdle rate, we used the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of a major tourism company, which it uses to evaluate new projects in sub-Saharan Africa, adjusted to accommodate our assumed capital structure and cost of debt, which resulted in a WACC of 6.96%. The adjust WACC of 6.96% is used as the hurdle rate to evaluate financial viability of the hunting operations. We acknowledge that, in addition to financial considerations, there is a “lifestyle” element to the decision to invest in a hunting operation, but we have ignored this for the purposes of our analysis, as it is impossible to quantify. We calculated ROI under three scenarios: i) current lion off-takes, ii) off-takes reduced to 0.5 lions/1000 km2 (the recommended sustainable off-take for lions in Tanzania, excluding the Selous Game Reserve; [3], and iii) universal discontinuation of lion hunting. The recommended harvest rates are more conservative than those advised by other authors [15], [16] and would thus likely be safe to apply in other countries.
The price of hunting packages for key species is influenced by the country and the species involved (F = 13.7, d.f. = 2, p<0.001, Figure 1); hunts in Tanzania and those involving lions were typically the most expensive (Figure 1). The rate of price increases of key species hunt packages during 2005–2011 varied among species (highest for leopard and lion hunts) and countries (highest in Botswana, and lowest in CAR and Cameroon) (F = 11.8, d.f = 2, p<0.001; Table 3).
Figure 1. Mean price for the cheapest trophy hunting packages (daily rates and trophy fees) for each of four key species.
Table 3. Mean annual changes in the price of hunts of key hunting trophies (including trophy fees, and daily rates) during 2005–2011, adjusted for inflation (see footnote).
The key species that generate the largest proportion of trophy hunting income are: elephants in Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, buffaloes in Tanzania, and sable antelopes Hippotragus niger in Zambia (Table 4). Mean percentage of overall income that comes from lions is highest in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia (Table 4). If lion off-takes were reduced to 0.5/1000 km2, the impact on proportional income from lions would be greatest in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (Table 4). Lions are on quota in the highest proportion of hunting block quotas in Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique (Table 4).
Table 4. Percentage of Income from trophy hunting that is derived from each of a number of key species in several countries.
Estimated gross incomes per km2 from trophy hunting are highest in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Namibia and lowest in Mozambique and Zambia (Table 5). In all countries there was marked disparity between minimum and maximum incomes, related to the size of quotas and off-takes per km2 (Table 5). The presence of lions had the greatest proportional impact on incomes in Mozambique and Zambia (Table 5). The presence of lions on quota had a much larger percentage impact on net income (15.0–75.0%) than on gross income (4.2–16.9%, Table 5). Removing lions from quota all together had a much greater impact on gross and net incomes than reductions in lion off-takes to sustainable levels (Table 5).
Table 5. Gross and net earnings (US$/km2) from trophy hunting with and without lions on quota (± S.E., the ‘with’ scenario includes areas which do not normally have lions on quota – and for those areas, calculations were made without lions on quota for both scenarios).
Estimated mean returns on investments (ROIs) from trophy hunting were highest in Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe, and were negative in Zambia and Mozambique (Table 6). The majority of hunting blocks in Tanzania and (to a lesser extent) Zimbabwe were estimated to be viable, whereas the majority of those in Zambia and Mozambique were estimated to be unviable regardless of the status of lion hunting. If lion hunting was banned the proportional impact on ROI would be highest in Tanzania and Namibia (Table 6). The impact of closure of lion hunting on the proportion of hunting blocks that are viable would be greatest in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (Table 6). If lion hunting were precluded, trophy hunting could become potentially financially unviable across 43,828 km2 in Tanzania, 10,280 km2 in Zambia, 3,310 km2 in Zimbabwe and 2,120 km2 in Mozambique (or 59,538 km2 in total – which is equivalent to ∼4 times the area of Serengeti National Park) (Table 6). Reducing off-takes to 0.5 lions/1,000 km2, however, would only potentially render trophy hunting financially unviable across 7,005 km2 (affecting only Tanzania and Zimbabwe) (Table 6).
Table 6. Mean predicted returns on investment from trophy hunting under three lion hunting scenarios, percentages of hunting blocks in which trophy hunting operations are predicted to be financially viable, and the minimum area in which trophy hunting is predicted to be viable (excluding some areas in each country that were excluded from the analyses).
Limitations of our analyses
Key weaknesses in our analyses were estimates of start-up and running costs of hunting operations, where we applied mean values across hunting blocks within each country. In reality, costs vary among blocks due to the varying prices and remoteness of concessions. This weakness affected the accuracy of predictions of profitability of individual blocks, and the proportion of blocks that are estimated to be profitable. However, variation in these parameters did not affect the key conclusion: that the presence/absence of lions on quota affects the proportion of hunting blocks across which trophy hunting is viable.
We used mean percentage utilization of quotas to estimate off-takes, which may have introduced error in estimates of revenue in some blocks. For Namibia, we lacked data on actual off-takes and had to rely on estimates of the proportions of quotas utilized from other countries. For Tanzania and Zambia, the most recent quota data was from 2007 (though the pricing data for all countries was from 2011), and quotas may have changed since then (for example, lion quotas in Zambia were cut in 2011, although the effect on estimated profits is presumably small as percentage utilization would likely increase when quotas are lowered).
The subset of hunting blocks for which we had data may not be entirely representative in some cases: for Namibia and Zimbabwe, private land was largely excluded from the analyses, and in Mozambique we had a relatively small sample of (albeit large) blocks in our analysis. Finally, hunt reports were submitted voluntarily by clients and it is difficult to gauge how representative the sample was of the total number of hunts conducted (for most species, they represented <10% of hunts undertaken annually). However, these were the only standard data available (reporting of hunt composition, duration and success is notoriously poor among statutory authorities) and we confirmed the accuracy of packaging and relative success of hunts with multiple operators from each of the countries assessed. Despite these shortcomings, the data presented provide novel and robust insights into the financial significance of lions to the viability of trophy hunting.
Pricing of lion hunts
With the exception of rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum and Diceros bicornis) in Namibia and South Africa and exceptionally large elephant trophies, lions generate the highest revenue per hunt of any species in Africa. Prices for lion hunts are particularly high in Tanzania and were also costly in Botswana prior to the moratorium (up to $140,000/hunt, G. Rann, Rann Safaris, pers comm.), presumably because of the renowned trophy quality of Kalahari lions (; accessed June 2011). The price of lion hunts has increased faster than most species, and this will likely continue as the supply of wild lion trophies declines (3). Lions have the potential to suffer from an anthropogenic Allee effect, where consumers place disproportionate value on rare animals, driving a cycle that could theoretically lead to a species' extinction [17]. However, contrary to that suggestion, the cheapest lion hunts offered are from West Africa where the species is considered Regionally Endangered [18]. The future for major increases in the price of lion hunts is also likely to be undermined by the rapid increase in availability of cheap, high quality trophies from captive-bred lions in South Africa (Lindsey et al. unpublished data) which will assumedly undermine the financial value of wild lions.
Importance of lions for the financial viability of trophy hunting
The proportional financial significance of lion hunting is highest in Mozambique because quotas are low for most other species, lions are on quota in most hunting areas, and few elephants are hunted (32.8±3.0 elephant trophies were exported during 2005–2009, c.f. Botswana 177±22, Zimbabwe 150±43, Tanzania 58.8±14.3, Namibia 30±4.0 and Zambia 3.6±1.8;, accessed April 2011). Most Mozambican hunting areas analyzed appear to generate negative ROI; the presence of lions on quota simply affects the scale of losses. Many Mozambican wildlife areas were depleted during and after the civil war through illegal bush-meat hunting [19], and some hunting operators are investing in unprofitable concessions on the assumption that wildlife populations will recover [20]. While our analysis probably excluded some areas that are profitable in Mozambique (e.g. some game ranches and blocks around the Zambezi Delta; N. Duckworth, Mokore Safaris pers. comm.), the general picture is one of low or negative returns due to depressed wildlife populations. The presence of lions on quota in Mozambique may be important for operators to minimize losses during the rehabilitation of hunting blocks, and to incentivize continued investments. Another key factor limiting the profitability of hunting in Mozambique is that the US Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits the import of Mozambican elephant trophies, and that the CITES export quota for leopards is small (120, c.f. Namibia 250, Tanzania 500, Zambia 300, Zimbabwe 500,, accessed April 2011).
Lions generate a large proportion of income from hunting in Tanzania because they are on quota in nearly all hunting blocks, quotas of the species are high, and relatively few elephants are hunted there. If lion hunting were ever banned, there could be severe consequences for the viability of trophy hunting across large areas (∼44,000 km2) of Tanzania, which could have serious consequences for wildlife conservation if alternative land uses arose as a result. That said, current profits from trophy hunting in some parts of Tanzania are probably unsustainable due to excessive harvests of lions [3]. Tanzania has recently introduced a 6-year age minimum for lion trophies [21] which would make harvests more sustainable despite uncertainties on the sizes of hunted populations [4]. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if such a management-intensive system can be effectively applied in a country with a poor record of hunting governance [22]. Sustainability could also be achieved by reducing quotas countrywide to 0.5 lions/1000 km2, which was identified as a simple, conservative metric that could be applied to all lion populations to enhance the prospects of achieving sustainability of off-takes [3]. Such a quota reduction would affect the viability of hunting across an area of just ∼4,000 km2 and thus would be preferable to a moratorium from a conservation perspective. Alternatively, a short-term moratorium on lion hunting could be considered to allow lion populations to recover, as was implemented in Zimbabwe, followed by reinstatement of trophy hunting based on reduced quotas.
Most Zambian concessions appear to be running at a loss, probably as a result of the depletion of prey populations due to human settlement and the bush-meat trade in GMAs [23], [24]. In some cases, our methods may have made viable blocks appear unviable by overestimating the start-up costs (we assumed that hunting operators use entire concessions, but in reality many Zambian operators only actually hunt in the portions of GMAs where wildlife persists (C. Burton, S&S Safaris, pers. comm.). Nonetheless, the stark difference in mean returns per unit area between Zambia and neighbouring Zimbabwe provide insight into the effects of inappropriate policies which marginalise communities (which occupy most GMAs) and prevent them from benefitting sufficiently from trophy hunting (thus encouraging illegal harvest for bush-meat) [24] (B. Child, pers comm.).
Lions are relatively significant components of financial returns from trophy hunting in Zambia, due to the low quotas of most species, and low off-takes of elephants. Zambia has a low CITES elephant quota, and their sale is hindered by the fact that the US currently prohibits the import of Zambian elephant trophies. As with Tanzania, a lion hunting ban would potentially undermine the viability of trophy hunting across a large area (10,280 km2). Conversely, a reduction of quotas to sustainable levels is not predicted to render trophy hunting unviable in any blocks.
Lions are of relatively minor importance to the overall financial viability of trophy hunting in Namibia due to the fact that quotas for the species are low. Lion populations, and those of other wildlife, have experienced a marked recovery on Namibian communal land where they coexist with people and their domestic stock [25]. Increased diversity of hunting quotas on Namibian communal conservancies has resulted in increased revenues from hunting, and increased incentives for conservation [26]. Restrictions on hunting of the species may reduce the perceived financial value of lions, encouraging increased retaliatory killings for livestock depredation [27].
Lions are relatively unimportant for the viability of trophy hunting in Zimbabwe due to the abundance of buffaloes, elephants and leopards on quota, and high quotas of other species. Aside from some conservancies, lions are rarely hunted on private land and so the overall significance of lions to the hunting industry is likely lower than our estimate. Lion off-takes in Zimbabwe are typically well above estimated sustainable levels (Balme et al. unpublished data), with the effect that trophy quality has declined in some blocks and negative population impacts have been observed in Hwange National Park [28]. In response to these trends, a moratorium was imposed on lion hunting in North West Zimbabwe for four years (2005–2008), which combined with the subsequent implementation of sustainable quotas resulted in rapid recovery of lion populations. These experiences highlight the resilience of lion populations and indicate that problems caused by excessive harvests can be rectified if addressed soon enough [28]. In Zimbabwe, a lion hunting moratorium would affect the viability of hunting across ∼3,310 km2, whereas quota reductions to sustainable levels would affect viability over an area of 2,800 km2.
Potential for compensating for income from lions
If lion hunting was restricted there would be scope in some places for compensating for lost income through more strategic packaging of quotas, and by increasing quotas and off-takes of other key species. In Tanzania and Zambia, the government imposes tight restrictions on the way in which trophy hunts can be packaged and sold, through dictation of hunt lengths and species compositions of certain packages. If operators were free to market hunts as they wished and in response to market forces, quotas could be sold more efficiently and profitably [29]. Elephant off-takes in Mozambique (32.8/year from a population of 14,079, Blanc et al. 2007), Tanzania (58.8 from 108,816), and Zambia (3.6 from 16,562) are less than the 0.5% that is considered to be sustainable for trophy off-takes and could potentially be increased in some areas [30], [31], [32]. In other cases, trade restrictions on key species imposed by hunting import countries such as the US could be removed to elevate profitability of trophy hunting. However, there is a limit to the extent to which other species can be used to compensate for income from lion hunting as homogenization of the trophy product among countries may compromise the viability in less popular and accessible countries [12].
Potential conservation implications of reductions in lion hunting
The trophy hunting industry is not dependent on lions for viability in most areas, and other species (notably elephant, buffalo and leopard) are more important in financial terms. However, in a significant minority of hunting areas lions are of key importance, and if hunting of the species was discontinued, hunting operations comprising approximately 59,538 km2 could potentially become unviable in the countries assessed, posing a risk that those areas could be lost as lion habitat. This represents 11.5% of the 516,738 km2 where lions are currently hunted in the countries included in the analysis (Balme et al. unpublished data), and at least 3.6% of total lion range (1,674,664 km2; [33]). Furthermore, lions are hunted across ∼94,000 km2 in Central African Republic, ∼7,000 km2 in Burkina Faso and ∼4,000 km2 in Benin (Balme et al. unpublished data) and inclusion of those countries in the analysis would have likely significantly increased the size of the area across which viability of trophy hunting would be lost if lion hunting was banned (particularly given the low numbers and diversity of other key species hunted in those countries). Even where viability is predicted to be retained, restrictions on lion hunting would affect the overall profitability of trophy hunting and thus reduce the competitiveness of wildlife-based land uses relative to alternatives such as livestock production. Net returns from livestock in semi-arid African rangelands ($10–$30/km2/year in areas with 400–800 ml of annual rainfall [34]) are similar to those from trophy hunting in some areas (mean $–24 to $164/km2); hence, maximizing returns from hunting is key to ensuring competitiveness of wildlife-based land uses.
In addition to the potential loss of habitat, restrictions on lion hunting could potentially reduce the tolerance of communities in some areas, such as on private land or in Namibian conservancies where land holders are the effective owners of the wildlife resource [25]. Restrictions on lion hunting may also reduce the funds available for management activities such as anti-poaching and community outreach. State budgets for most African parks are below that required to protect them effectively and there is typically little state funding for hunting blocks [35]. In some cases, investments from hunting operators in anti-poaching activities are notable. For example, trophy hunting generates $380–400,000/annum for Niassa National Reserve, almost 20% of the total funds required to maintain the 42,000 km2 protected area [36]. Niassa is the focus of lion distribution in Mozambique and the large population (730–1,000 individuals) is believed to be stable or even increasing [37]. Hunting operators in Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) in Zimbabwe (who removed livestock and reintroduced wildlife, including lions) invest $546,000/annum on anti-poaching and employ 186 permanent scouts, enabling the lion population to increase [38] (Ox Hacking, SVC CEO pers. comm.). Similarly, operators in Coutada 9, Mozambique invest $60,000/annum on anti-poaching, have removed 5,000 gin traps, and have reintroduced lions [20]. However, returns from trophy hunting in most concessions are low, reducing available funds for anti-poaching, regardless of whether lions are hunted. Recent estimates suggest that as much as $1,000/km2 may be required to maintain lion populations at a density of at least 50% of their potential carrying capacity (C. Packer, unpublished data) suggesting that hunting may generate a fraction of the funding needed to protect lions effectively in the long term. Similarly, in some countries (notably Tanzania and Zambia), leases of hunting concessions are short, undermining incentives for operators to invest in protecting wildlife. In countries where earnings from hunting are centralized (notably Tanzania and Zambia), wildlife is likely to disappear from hunting blocks in the absence of reform to make communities the primary beneficiaries of trophy hunting (in areas where hunting occurs on community lands) (22, 23, 39).
While trophy hunting could survive without lion hunting in most areas, the species is an important financial component of an industry which is marginal in some areas and vulnerable to reductions in profitability. Blanket trade restrictions would unfairly punish countries where lion hunting is well managed, and could be negative for lions by undermining the competitiveness of wildlife-based land uses and by undermining tolerance for lions which are typically a high-cost species due to their tendency to kill livestock. A preferable alternative would be the introduction of recommended quotas (0.5 lions/1000 km2) as such an intervention would allow lion hunting to be sustainable, while retaining conservation-incentives from trophy hunting. Sustainability would be enhanced further if age-based regulations were implemented (e.g. as in Niassa National Reserve) [37] and if governance of the industry was improved to provide communities with greater stakeholdings. Temporary moratoria on lion hunting could be used to allow recoveries in areas where hunting is implicated in negative lion population trends. Lion populations recover quickly when the pressure of excessive harvests is removed. Consequently, over-hunting is likely to pose little threat to the long term persistence of lions so long as interventions are made to address excessive quotas where they occur. Conversely, if lion hunting was banned, and wildlife-based land uses were replaced by alternatives in some areas, the long term prospects for lion conservation in those areas would be poor and reversing negative trends would be unlikely. Precluding lion hunting may therefore be a greater long term risk to lions than over-hunting. That said, urgent efforts are needed by range states to reform lion hunting management, and temporary moratoria could be considered for use as levers to promote such changes.
Thanks to: survey respondents; Dallas Safari Club; Houston Safari Club; African Sporting Gazette; CAMPFIRE Association; Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority; D. Oppenheimer; M. Sommer; C. Weaver; G. Matongo; C. Burton; L. Muller; M. Allard (Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris); R. Martin; and to D. Cumming and B. Child for providing valuable feedback on the manuscript.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: PAL GB VB NM. Performed the experiments: PAL GB VB NM. Analyzed the data: PAL GB VB NM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: PAL GB VB NM. Wrote the paper: PAL GB VB NM. Provided background data: VB PAL.
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10 Incredible Facts About Ravens
by Melynda Sorrels
fact checked by Jamie Frater
Ravens have long been associated with darkness, foreboding, and death. Long before Poe immortalized ravens in the horror genre, they appeared in the Old Testament in reference to the destruction of Edom.
In the smoldering remains of wrathful destruction, nothing was permitted to pass through except ravens. It was totally cool if they lived there. As you can imagine, this didn’t do much to bolster their image.
Beyond acting as harbingers of death and adorning spooky Halloweenscapes, ravens are actually highly intelligent, adaptable, and truly fascinating creatures.
SEE ALSO: 10 Shockingly Creepy and Bloodthirsty Birds
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10 They Are Crazy Smart
African raven works a puzzle
People have always known that ravens are smart. That’s nothing new. But we are just beginning to discover exactly how smart these common scavengers really are. Ravens are now said to have “humanlike” intelligence, which is actually a big deal. The Corvidae family, of which ravens are a part, includes crows, magpies, jays, and jackdaws. This entire family of birds holds the prestigious title of being considered among the smartest birds in the world.
A 2002 study in Science showed that a New Caledonian crow could bend a piece of wire into the shape of a hook so that it could retrieve food from a narrow space. Young children were presented the same puzzle and were unable to match the mental dexterity of our feathered friends.
A study conducted by researchers in the biology department of a Moscow university proved that crows are capable of analogical reasoning after testing the birds with a series of flash cards in a matching game. When correct matches were made, the crows were rewarded with mealworms. Matching things is considered to be a higher-order reasoning process, and these birds already possessed the capacity without extensive training.[1]
Ravens have been seen sliding on snow with makeshift sleds made of bark and examining human-made objects that they find. They’re creative and adaptable, and they’re disproving one hater at a time that “birdbrained” is not really an insult.
9 They Have A Special Friendship With Wolves
There’s no doubt that wolves possess the strength and savvy to hunt by themselves, but it is not the most efficient method for them thanks to their feathered friends. During a recent study, it was observed that within a minute of wolves dropping a moose, ravens were already on it. It is estimated that a pair of wolves will lose almost 40 percent of that moose to ravens. With six wolves, on the other hand, ravens are only able to make off with about 17 percent of it.
Though ravens and wolves may seem like unlikely bedfellows, it is a mutually beneficial relationship even if it looks like wolves are getting the short end of the straw here.
For ravens, it makes sense to follow wolves around and scavenge the remains of their kills. One raven can scavenge 1.8 kilograms (4 lb) in a day from a 450-kilogram (1,000 lb) moose. Now imagine what several ravens could do. Scientists believe that this is exactly why wolves hunt in packs.[2]
To pull their weight in this friendship, ravens lead wolves to animal carcasses that the ravens can’t eat because their beaks aren’t strong enough to break through the bodies of the dead animals. When wolves are preoccupied with their kill, ravens also alert them to suspicious sounds and potential danger.
8 They Can Talk
Amazing Talking And Singing Raven!
Though ravens may seem like they’re making a series of random “kraas,” their varied sounds are believed to contain meaning. In the wild, ravens communicate with each other through a wide range of vocalizations. They can express emotions such as tenderness, happiness, anger, and surprise.
They can also alert each other to danger by clucking like hens and make trill sounds when ready for battle. They have a specific “haaa” sound that they use for meat.[3] Within their own social groups, they have been shown to have their own dialects.
In captivity, ravens can learn to talk better than a lot of parrots can. Human speech isn’t the only things these guys can imitate. Ravens can also replicate wolves (which comes in handy when trying to lure them to carcasses that the ravens can’t cut open on their own), other birds, garbage trucks, and toilet flushing.
7 They Are Often Seen As Omens
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Maybe it is the darker-than-night plumage or their habit of hovering over corpses. Whatever the reason, ravens have played a key role in mythology and superstition since ancient times.
In Celtic mythology, ravens were said to be an omen of battle and bloodshed. The Irish believed that the war goddess would call ravens down from the sky to eat the corpses of the fallen. This actually made sense because this is exactly what ravens do, goddess or no goddess.
The Hindus see ravens as the souls of the deceased which represent bad or good luck. In Germany, ravens are believed to hold the souls of the damned. Arabs call the raven “Abu Zajir” (“Father of Omens”).[4] Swedish folklore tells us that ravens are the ghosts of those who were murdered and did not receive proper burials.
6 They Enjoy Getting Stoned
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Obviously, this does not mean kicking back with some reefer and a 40—that just is not their style. What they do enjoy is really freaking weird: They partake in something called anting. This involves smashing ants and rubbing them all over the ravens’ bodies. Ants produce formic acid when smashed, which is absorbed into the ravens’ skin and apparently feels incredibly good to them.
Why do they do this?
No one knows for certain, but there is no shortage of theories. One idea suggested that anting was a form of prey preparation that makes ravens immune to the formic acid. That way, ravens can eat ants without any ill effects.
Some believe that anting is a learned behavior. Others think it’s instinct and the birds just can’t help themselves. Maybe the formic acid acts as a sort of weird bath oil and has a soothing effect on the skin.[5]
Birds who engage in anting appear to be in total bliss and high as a kite. Maybe it really is that simple. We humans do have a tendency to overthink things. Perhaps the real reason that ravens and other birds (such as the crow pictured above) cover themselves in squashed ants is that it just feels good.
5 They’re Empathetic
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Though a group of ravens is called an “unkindness,” ravens are actually highly empathic. A study published in PLOS One in 2010 found that ravens console the victim of an act of aggression.
For two years, Orlaith Fraser and Thomas Bugnyar observed the behavior of 13 hand-reared ravens. During that time, they observed 152 fights. They categorized the ravens as aggressors, victims, and bystanders depending upon their role in the altercation.
Ravens that spent the most time with the victims showed the greatest likelihood of engaging in consoling behavior, which includes beak-to-body touching, sitting close to the victim, and preening. Though not as likely to engage, bystanders at least took notice that the victim was in distress.
Previously, we hadn’t given ravens credit for the higher thought processes associated with empathy. To display empathy, they must be able to comprehend the situation and then adjust their behavior toward the victim accordingly.[6]
4 They’re Secretly Pirates
Maybe they aren’t out pillaging and plundering across the seven seas, but they have a couple of skills that are important for any proper pirate. One of those skills is bargaining and the ability to think ahead.
An experiment conducted by Can Kabadayi and Mathias Osvath at Lund University in Sweden proved that ravens possess the cognitive ability to preplan and bargain for what they want. Kabadayi and Osvath trained a group of ravens to use a specific tool on a box to retrieve a treat. Then the researchers took the box away and came back an hour later with a selection of objects for the ravens to choose.
One of those objects was the tool needed to open the box. Eighty percent of the time, the ravens selected the tool and were able to perform the task to retrieve the treat when the box was returned to them 15 minutes later. The experiment was conducted again with a 17-hour delay, and 90 percent of the time the ravens got it right. The birds also used tokens to barter for food.
Another ability possessed by ravens that make them a much better choice than parrots to sit on a pirate’s shoulder is their intolerance for cheaters. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden conducted an experiment that involved trading with ravens and then cheating them to see if they’d remember.
They remembered.
In the first phase, one researcher handed the raven a piece of bread that he could take to the second researcher for a more appealing piece of cheese. In the next phase, the raven would bring the bread to the second researcher for exchange. Rather than hand over the cheese, the researcher popped the yummy morsel of cheese into his mouth.
After a couple of days, the experiment was conducted again with a neutral third researcher. The ravens hadn’t worked with this person earlier. Six of the seven birds chose to trade with the researcher they considered “fair” (the one who didn’t eat the cheese), and one of the ravens chose the “neutral” researcher. A month later, only one chose the “unfair” researcher while the rest still wouldn’t trust him.[7]
If ravens could force someone to walk the plank, the “unfair” researcher would be the first into the drink.
3 Ravens Protect The Tower Of London
Photo credit: The Telegraph
Although no one knows how the rumor started, it is said that the presence of ravens in the Tower of London ward off bad fortune. Should the ravens ever leave, the tower and the monarchy would fall.
One theory gives credit to author Geoffrey of Monmouth who wrote about King Bran Hen of Bryneich. Bran, which means “raven” in Welsh, requested that his head be buried at the tower to act as a talisman against invasion. Ravens have been there ever since. In 1661, Charles II ordered that six ravens must be kept at the tower constantly. They are still there.[8]
2 They Are Tricksters
Photo credit:
The cunningness of ravens has long been incorporated into mythology and lore. Many Native American tribes believed the raven to be a trickster and even a shape-shifter.
The raven’s non-secretive ways made it easy for the casual observer. The Sioux told of a white raven that would warn buffalo of nearby hunting parties, which would cause the buffalo to stampede. According to the legend, an angry shaman got fed up with the raven and tossed him into the fire, which caused his feathers to turn black.[9]
Since scientists have been paying more attention to ravens, they have noticed some rather trickster-like behavior. A study by the University of Vermont showed that juvenile ravens will make a big fuss when feeding on a carcass to attract other juvenile ravens to join them. This helps to ensure their safety against adult crows and other scavengers. Ravens have also been observed pretending to hide food in one place before quietly hiding it in another to throw off other ravens.
1 They Recognize And Remember Your Face
Photo credit:
Next time you contemplate chasing ravens from your yard, you may want to stop and rethink your strategy. Ravens, crows, and other corvids are not keen on forgiving or forgetting. Wildlife biologist John M. Marzluff put this idea to the test at the University of Washington campus in Seattle.
Seven crows were tagged and released on the campus by researchers wearing masks. Dangerous (scary) and neutral masks were worn around campus to provoke a reaction from the birds. Sure enough, people wearing the “dangerous” masks were scolded by the crows by swooping and dive-bombing the masks.
Keep in mind that the researchers weren’t messing with the birds at this point, just walking from one point on campus to another. Those birds were not having it with the scary masks, although the people who wore neutral masks were left alone.
Over time, crows told their friends, who then told their friends. At one point while Dr. Marzluff was taking a stroll in his “dangerous” mask, 47 of the 53 crows he encountered were ready to throw down.
Aesop had it all wrong. In his fable “The Fox and the Crow,” the unsuspecting corvid plays right into the fox’s silly game by dropping his food so the fox can take it. The fox leaves after some snide parting remarks about the crow’s intelligence.[10]
Had this been real life, the fox would not have made off with the meal. Meanwhile, the bird surely would have held a grudge, dive-bombed the fox, and stolen his next meal with the aid of his equally angry crow gang.
Melynda Sorrels is a writer, student, reckless blogger, dreamer, and an aficionado of all things funny or caffeinated.
Read more bird facts, including some that could save you from injury or death, on Top 10 Birds Most Likely To Kill You and 10 Crows And Ravens From World Religion.
fact checked by Jamie Frater
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A species of CAPRIPOXVIRUS causing a cattle disease occurring in Africa.
A poxvirus infection of cattle characterized by the appearance of nodules on all parts of the skin.
Any inflammation of the skin.
Skin diseases caused by ARTHROPODS; HELMINTHS; or other parasites.
Tumors or cancer of the SKIN.
Skin diseases caused by viruses.
Diseases of the skin with a genetic component, usually the result of various inborn errors of metabolism.
Uptake of substances through the SKIN.
Skin diseases caused by bacteria.
Group of genetically determined disorders characterized by the blistering of skin and mucosae. There are four major forms: acquired, simple, junctional, and dystrophic. Each of the latter three has several varieties.
Any horny growth such as a wart or callus.
A form of lupus erythematosus in which the skin may be the only organ involved or in which skin involvement precedes the spread into other body systems. It has been classified into three forms - acute (= LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, SYSTEMIC with skin lesions), subacute, and chronic (= LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, DISCOID).
Coloration of the skin.
A genus of the family POXVIRIDAE, subfamily CHORDOPOXVIRINAE, comprising poxviruses infecting sheep, goats, and cattle. Transmission is usually mechanical by arthropods, but also includes contact, airborne routes, and non-living reservoirs (fomites).
Component of the NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH. It supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress. It was established in 1986.
Visible accumulations of fluid within or beneath the epidermis.
Dermatological pruritic lesion in the feet, caused by Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, or Epidermophyton floccosum.
Photochemotherapy using PSORALENS as the photosensitizing agent and ultraviolet light type A (UVA).
A contagious cutaneous inflammation caused by the bite of the mite SARCOPTES SCABIEI. It is characterized by pruritic papular eruptions and burrows and affects primarily the axillae, elbows, wrists, and genitalia, although it can spread to cover the entire body.
A family of structurally-related short-chain collagens that do not form large fibril bundles.
A slow-growing mycobacterium that infects the skin and subcutaneous tissues, giving rise to indolent BURULI ULCER.
A term used to describe a variety of localized asymmetrical SKIN thickening that is similar to those of SYSTEMIC SCLERODERMA but without the disease features in the multiple internal organs and BLOOD VESSELS. Lesions may be characterized as patches or plaques (morphea), bands (linear), or nodules.
Biological activities and functions of the SKIN.
A desmosomal cadherin that is an autoantigen in the acquired skin disorder PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEUS.
Synthetic material used for the treatment of burns and other conditions involving large-scale loss of skin. It often consists of an outer (epidermal) layer of silicone and an inner (dermal) layer of collagen and chondroitin 6-sulfate. The dermal layer elicits new growth and vascular invasion and the outer layer is later removed and replaced by a graft.
Any of a variety of eruptive skin disorders characterized by erythema, oozing, vesiculation, and scaling. Etiology is varied.
Diseases of the skin associated with underlying metabolic disorders.
Congenital structural abnormalities of the skin.
Separation of the prickle cells of the stratum spinosum of the epidermis, resulting in atrophy of the prickle cell layer. It is seen in diseases such as pemphigus vulgaris (see PEMPHIGUS) and DARIER DISEASE.
A desmosomal cadherin that is an autoantigen in the acquired skin disorder PEMPHIGUS VULGARIS.
Infections to the skin caused by bacteria of the genus STAPHYLOCOCCUS.
Infestations with arthropods of the subclass ACARI, superorder Acariformes.
A chronic suppurative and cicatricial disease of the apocrine glands occurring chiefly in the axillae in women and in the groin and anal regions in men. It is characterized by poral occlusion with secondary bacterial infection, evolving into abscesses which eventually rupture. As the disease becomes chronic, ulcers appear, sinus tracts enlarge, fistulas develop, and fibrosis and scarring become evident.
Virus diseases caused by the POXVIRIDAE.
A lesion in the skin and subcutaneous tissues due to infections by MYCOBACTERIUM ULCERANS. It was first reported in Uganda, Africa.
Benign epidermal proliferations or tumors; some are viral in origin.
Agents that soften, separate, and cause desquamation of the cornified epithelium or horny layer of skin. They are used to expose mycelia of infecting fungi or to treat corns, warts, and certain other skin diseases.
A type I keratin that is found associated with the KERATIN-5 in the internal stratified EPITHELIUM. Mutations in the gene for keratin-14 are associated with EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA SIMPLEX.
A rapid onset form of SYSTEMIC SCLERODERMA with progressive widespread SKIN thickening over the arms, the legs and the trunk, resulting in stiffness and disability.
Loss of scalp and body hair involving microscopically inflammatory patchy areas.
An extremely variable eczematous skin disease that is presumed to be a response to prolonged vigorous scratching, rubbing, or pinching to relieve intense pruritus. It varies in intensity, severity, course, and morphologic expression in different individuals. Neurodermatitis is believed by some to be psychogenic. The circumscribed or localized form is often referred to as lichen simplex chronicus.
A group of desmosomal cadherins with cytoplasmic tails that resemble those of classical CADHERINS.
Skin diseases of the foot, general or unspecified.
Agents, usually topical, that relieve itching (pruritus).
47-amino acid peptides secreted by ECCRINE GLANDS and having a role in innate cutaneous defense, being antimicrobial to some pathogenic BACTERIA. They are overexpressed by some primary BREAST CANCER cells. They are derived from 110 residue PROTEIN PRECURSORS.
A chronic, congenital ichthyosis inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Infants are usually born encased in a collodion membrane which sheds within a few weeks. Scaling is generalized and marked with grayish-brown quadrilateral scales, adherent at their centers and free at the edges. In some cases, scales are so thick that they resemble armored plate.
Inflammation of follicles, primarily hair follicles.
Absence of hair from areas where it is normally present.
A naturally occurring furocoumarin compound found in several species of plants, including Psoralea corylifolia. It is a photoactive substance that forms DNA ADDUCTS in the presence of ultraviolet A irradiation.
Restoration of integrity to traumatized tissue.
Infections caused by nematode larvae which never develop into the adult stage and migrate through various body tissues. They commonly infect the skin, eyes, and viscera in man. Ancylostoma brasiliensis causes cutaneous larva migrans. Toxocara causes visceral larva migrans.
Drugs used to treat or prevent parasitic infections.
A form of congenital ichthyosis inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and characterized by ERYTHRODERMA and severe hyperkeratosis. It is manifested at birth by blisters followed by the appearance of thickened, horny, verruciform scales over the entire body, but accentuated in flexural areas. Mutations in the genes that encode KERATIN-1 and KERATIN-10 have been associated with this disorder.
A mixture of mostly avermectin H2B1a (RN 71827-03-7) with some avermectin H2B1b (RN 70209-81-3), which are macrolides from STREPTOMYCES avermitilis. It binds glutamate-gated chloride channel to cause increased permeability and hyperpolarization of nerve and muscle cells. It also interacts with other CHLORIDE CHANNELS. It is a broad spectrum antiparasitic that is active against microfilariae of ONCHOCERCA VOLVULUS but not the adult form.
A chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease usually affecting the female genitalia (VULVAR LICHEN SCLEROSUS) and BALANITIS XEROTICA OBLITERANS in males. It is also called white spot disease and Csillag's disease.
Infection with nematodes of the genus ONCHOCERCA. Characteristics include the presence of firm subcutaneous nodules filled with adult worms, PRURITUS, and ocular lesions.
An autosomal dominant skin disease characterized by transient and variable noninflammatory ERYTHEMA and hyperkeratosis. It has been associated with mutations in the genes that code for CONNEXINS. Erythrokeratodermia variabilis inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion has also been reported. Affected individuals often develop PALMOPLANTAR KERATODERMA.
Form of epidermolysis bullosa having onset at birth or during the neonatal period and transmitted through autosomal recessive inheritance. It is characterized by generalized blister formation, extensive denudation, and separation and cleavage of the basal cell plasma membranes from the basement membrane.
Operative procedures performed on the SKIN.
A form of epidermolysis bullosa characterized by serous bullae that heal without scarring. Mutations in the genes that encode KERATIN-5 and KERATIN-14 have been associated with several subtypes of epidermolysis bullosa simplex.
A group of lymphomas exhibiting clonal expansion of malignant T-lymphocytes arrested at varying stages of differentiation as well as malignant infiltration of the skin. MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES; SEZARY SYNDROME; LYMPHOMATOID PAPULOSIS; and PRIMARY CUTANEOUS ANAPLASTIC LARGE CELL LYMPHOMA are the best characterized of these disorders.
Abnormal responses to sunlight or artificial light due to extreme reactivity of light-absorbing molecules in tissues. It refers almost exclusively to skin photosensitivity, including sunburn, reactions due to repeated prolonged exposure in the absence of photosensitizing factors, and reactions requiring photosensitizing factors such as photosensitizing agents and certain diseases. With restricted reference to skin tissue, it does not include photosensitivity of the eye to light, as in photophobia or photosensitive epilepsy.
A water-soluble medicinal preparation applied to the skin.
Photography of objects viewed under a microscope using ordinary photographic methods.
Mutant strains of mice that produce little or no hair.
Histochemical localization of immunoreactive substances using labeled antibodies as reagents.
A species of mite that causes SCABIES in humans and sarcoptic mange in other animals. Specific variants of S. scabiei exist for humans and animals, but many have the ability to cross species and cause disease.
Substances that reduce or suppress INFLAMMATION.
Irritants and reagents for labeling terminal amino acid groups.
A class of non-sedating drugs that bind to but do not activate histamine receptors (DRUG INVERSE AGONISM), thereby blocking the actions of histamine or histamine agonists. These antihistamines represent a heterogenous group of compounds with differing chemical structures, adverse effects, distribution, and metabolism. Compared to the early (first generation) antihistamines, these non-sedating antihistamines have greater receptor specificity, lower penetration of BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER, and are less likely to cause drowsiness or psychomotor impairment.
Transmission and interpretation of tissue specimens via remote telecommunication, generally for the purpose of diagnosis or consultation but may also be used for continuing education.
Inflammation of the OUTER EAR including the external EAR CANAL, cartilages of the auricle (EAR CARTILAGE), and the TYMPANIC MEMBRANE.
A species of parasitic nematodes widely distributed throughout central Africa and also found in northern South America, southern Mexico, and Guatemala. Its intermediate host and vector is the blackfly or buffalo gnat.
Peptides and proteins found in BODILY SECRETIONS and BODY FLUIDS that are PROTEASE INHIBITORS. They play a role in INFLAMMATION, tissue repair and innate immunity (IMMUNITY, INNATE) by inhibiting endogenous proteinases such as those produced by LEUKOCYTES and exogenous proteases such as those produced by invading microorganisms.
A chemotherapeutic agent that acts against erythrocytic forms of malarial parasites. Hydroxychloroquine appears to concentrate in food vacuoles of affected protozoa. It inhibits plasmodial heme polymerase. (From Gilman et al., Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed, p970)
Mice bearing mutant genes which are phenotypically expressed in the animals.
Linear furanocoumarins which are found in many PLANTS, especially UMBELLIFERAE and RUTACEAE, as well as PSORALEA from which they were originally discovered. They can intercalate DNA and, in an UV-initiated reaction of the furan portion, alkylate PYRIMIDINES, resulting in PHOTOSENSITIVITY DISORDERS.
A circumscribed benign epithelial tumor projecting from the surrounding surface; more precisely, a benign epithelial neoplasm consisting of villous or arborescent outgrowths of fibrovascular stroma covered by neoplastic cells. (Stedman, 25th ed)
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859827154Asexual ReproductionOnly one cabinet (parent cell) compelled to reproduce, accomplished by cell division.
You are watching: Synapsis occurs during _____.
859827155Sexual ReproductionTwo cells (2 parent cells) required. Will certainly not be genetically identical.2
8598271561. Arbitrarily Fertilization2. Independent Orientation3. Cross OverWhat space the 3 ways in which hereditary diversity will be accomplished within a population?3
859827157Asexual reproductionWhat kind of reproduction takes ar when a plant"s arm drops off and also buds in a various area to make a brand-new plant?4
859827158MeiosisHuman gametes are produced by _____.5
85982715923Normal human gametes carry _____ chromosomes6
859827160Meiosis I and Meiosis IIWhich of phases (are) haploid?7
85982716116A diploid organism whose somatic (nonsex) cells every contain 32 chromosomes to produce gametes containing _____ chromosomes8
8598271622; haploidMeiosis i produces _____ cells, every of which is _____.9
8598271634; haploidMeiosis II frequently produces _____ cells, every of i m sorry is _____.10
859827164anaphase IIDuring _____ sister chromatids separate.11
859827165Telophase IAt the end of _____ and also cytokinesis, haploid cell contain chromosomes the each consists of two sister chromatids.12
859827166Prophase ISynapsis occurs during _____.13
859827167synapsisDuring prophase I, replicated homologs pair up and also held together. Castle are organized in what form?14
859827168Anaphase IHomologous chromosomes migrate to the contrary poles throughout _____.15
859827169Metaphase IIDuring _____ chromosomes align single record along the equator of a haploid cell.16
859827170Telophase IIAt the end of _____ and also cytokinesis there are 4 haploid cells.17
859827171Prophase IIDuring _____ a spindle creates in a haploid cell.18
85982717244 autosomes and 2 sex chromosomesWhat number and species of chromosomes are found in a person somatic cell?19
859827173SynapsisWhich the the following occurs throughout meiosis however not throughout mitosis?20
8598271742 diploid cell ... 4 haploid cellsMitosis results in the development of how many cells; meiosis outcomes in the development of how many cells?21
859827175The exchange that DNA portions in between non-sister chromatids in a homologous pairWhat is cross over?22
859827176SpermA person cell comprise 22 autosomes and a Y chromosome is23
859827177Sister chromatids separate throughout anaphaseMeiosis II is comparable to mitosis in that24
859844054Sexual reproductionWhat type of reproduction takes place when a mother and father gamete come together?25
859844055FertilizationThe union that gametes i beg your pardon produces a zygote happens in what process (2n)?26
859844056MeiosisA cell department process the will create gametes (1n)?27
859844057The sexual Life CycleThis procedure alternates between cells that room 2n and 1n. What is the called?28
859844058SynapsisThe state whereby paired homologous chromosomes end up being physically associated to each other along their size by a zipper-like protein structure.29
859844059Synaptonemal ComplexWhat is the zipper-like framework that physically bag homologous chromosomes together?30
859844060TetradThe bundle the 4 chromatids which might participate in crossing over is referred to as what?31
859870992ChiasmataThe X shaped areas where a crossing over has actually occurred32
859870993Crossing overA hereditary rearrangement in between non-sister chromatids entailing the exchange of corresponding segments the DNA molecules. "Gene swapping"33
859870994Law or rule of independent AssortmentThis regulation states that the arbitrarily alignment of one pair the homologous chromosomes is live independence of the arbitrarily alignment that a 2nd pair.34
859870995Prophase IWhat stage does crossing over take place, gene swapping?35
859870996Telophase IThis is the second department of Meiosis36
859870997Reduction DivisionThis is the first department of Meiosis37
859870998ClonesGenetically the same organisms38
859870999Anaphase IThe certain stage whereby sister chromatids room pulled apart and move to opposite poles39
859871000Telophase IThis meiotic department results in cells the go from 2n to 1n.40
859871001Metaphase IThe details phase in which the chromosomes line up in a single record at the equator41
859871002Metaphase IIThe certain phase in which chromosomes line up ar the equator in Homologous pairs.42
859871003Metaphase IIThe hereditary rearrangement and also exchange that DNA between non-sister chromatids. "Gene swapping." no identical43
859871004Law or rule of SegregationLaw states that paired homologous chromosomes will relocate to the contrary poles and end up in different cells.
See more: " Forged In Fire Season 4 Episode 7 ), Forged In Fire Talwar (Tv Episode 2017)
859871005Metaphase IWhich phase does the law of live independence Assortment take place in?45
859871006Anaphase IWhich step does the law of Segregation happen in?46
859871007Telophase IIThis meiotic division results in cells that start out together 1n and also produce cell that space 1n.47
8598710081. Fertilization2. Legislation or principle of elevation Assortment3. Cross OverWhich 3 processes contribute to the genetic selection in a population?48
859872533Locus(i)The details location of a gene top top a chromosome49
859872534Maternal SetThe chromosomes that were inherited indigenous a mother50
859872535Paternal SetThe chromosomes the were inherited from a father51
859872536DiploidHaving 2 to adjust of chromosomes52
859872537HaploidHaving 1 collection of chromosomes53
859872538AutosomesNon-sex chromosomes that determine sex. (y and also x)54
859872539KarotypeA screen if every pair that homologous chromosomes withing a cell, orgaized according to size and shape55
859872540MaleSex chromosome Y. Male or female?56
859872541FemaleSex chromosome X, masculine or female?57
859872542CircularProkaryotic chromosome, direct or circular?58
859872543LinearEukaryotic chromosome, linear or circular?59
859879454Multicellular haploidWhich life cycle phase is discovered in plants however not animals?a. Gameteb. Zygotec. Multicell diploidd. Multicell haploide. Unicellular diploid60
859879455Meiosis IHomologous chromosomes relocate toward the opposite poles that a separating cell throughout what?61
859879456Sister chromatids separate throughout anaphaseHow is mitosis and meiosis II similar?62
8598794572xIf the DNA contents of a diploid cabinet in the G1 step of the cell cycle is x, climate the DNA contents of the same cell at metaphase that meiosis I would certainly be what?a. 0.25xb. 0.5xc. Xd. 2xe. 4x63
859879458xIf we continued to monitor the cell family tree from vault question, the the DNA contents of a solitary cell in ~ metaphase that meiosis II would be what?64
85987945916How many different combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes have the right to be packaged in gametes made by one organism with a diploid number of 8(2n=8)?a. 2b. 4c. 8d. 16e. 3265
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All Projects and Incentives
Make you own mosquito trap (Ovitrap) for 50 cents!
This project can be downloaded here: Ovitrap Directions
Did you know that most of those sprays being done by mosquito companies not only can harm you, kids. and pets, but that they actually kill all the beneficial insects in your yard? We’re not just talking about the obvious pollinators like bees, butterflies, and dragonflies, but there are dozens to hundreds of species of insects and spiders that are smaller and spend a good part of their life hunting and eating bad insects that attack and damage flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and trees! Reports have gone up in recent years from people seeing insect damage on their ornamental and vegetable plants, loss of honey bee hives, and declining birds, much due to the overuse of pesticides.
The number one way to control mosquitoes in our yard is to eliminate standing water, starting with the gutters and also emptying pots, toys, or other items in the yard that hold water. Next best, though, is to make a population sink for mosquitoes, to get them to lay their eggs but the adults will never escape!
Get your crafting gear out, and make a simple Ovitrap for less than a dollar! How do we know these work? Because they are used by the military around the world successfully! And there’s no need for any nasty chemicals. Hang a few around the yard for maximum effectiveness–all you have to do is make sure they always have water (shady areas help them from drying out fast).
These Ovitraps act as a “population sink” for mosquitoes–the short-lived adults lay their eggs on them, the larvae crawl through to the water below, and when adults hatch they cannot escape and die in the trap, ending the population cycle of mosquitoes! Since one adult can lay 50 to 500 eggs, in just a few weeks you could come close to eliminating the local population–now there’s something fun to tell your neighbors about. Maybe craft some extras as gifts for the nearby houses?
Here’s what you’ll need in the picture!–almost everything can be gotten at a dollar store, I drank a big bottle of water for my container (you can also use one of those plastic cups from a sporting event), and I got my window screen free by asking on my local listserve if anyone had some spare bits.
First, cut your bottle, or if you have a big plastic cup, you can use that. Make sure the cup is deeper than a “Solo” cup, you need space for the water and air.
Next, cut a 1/4″ drain hole about 20% below the top of the container, this is to allow water to overflow if it rains, because you’ll need airspace between the screen and the water. Punch two small holes opposite each other for your wire or string hanger.
Next, trace the opening of the container on a piece of paper, cut that circle, and use it to cut a piece of window screen:
Take your black sock, put some rocks in it, put it in the container, then stretch the top of the sock up and over the outside. My sock fit tightly because it was long, but you might need a rubber band to hold it to the outside. Your container will now look like this, but with the rocks holding down the very bottom of the sock:
Pour in your water! Ideally use stagnant water from a pond or container that has been out for a while, or put a little dry dog food or bread crumbs in tap water so it will create smells that attract mosquitoes.
Insert your screen, making sure it’s above the drain hole, but below the rim, because the mosquitoes will need to lay their eggs on the wet rim above the screen. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae will crawl through the screen to the water below.
Wire works best for a handle, because you can poke it through your hanger holes as well as the sock, but you can force a hole through the sock and just use string as a hanger. Ask a neighbor for bits of wire, or use the wire from a paper take out rice container!
Here is my finished Ovitrap! The water will wick through the sock to keep the top moist, which is where the mosquitoes will lay their eggs.
Put these around your yard–they are best hung in the shade or the water will evaporate too fast from the sock. Be sure to add more water every few days, especially when it is warm, so the sock stays wet!
mosquito trap
Remember, these are population sinks–meaning the eggs will turn into larvae, but once the mosquitoes turn into adults they are below the screen and cannot get out so they die quickly. These will take a few weeks before you see results–once a mosquito lays an egg, it is 7 days before they morph to larvae to adults. You’ll be able to see if the water below the screen gets too full of dead adults, and can just dump it out and refill as necessary.
Comment with pictures and success stories of your own Ovitrap, and spread the word by sharing this blog!
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When my grandfather was alive, as a Polish soldier who had fought in the defence of his country from the 1st September, as someone who by 1940 had fought, escaped and got to re-join the Polish ranks in France and then in Britain, he was proud to have served alongside the Polish Airforce and then with those airmen who made it to Britain.
Ignorance often rears its ugly head when people ask, what did the Poles ever do for us? They do not realise that the Poles were the largest contingent of foreign airmen to serve in the RAF during the Battle of Britain. This excellently researched book sets the record straight and highlights the role of the 145 Polish airmen who took part in the Battle of Britain.
This book explains how for over a thousand years Poland had always had problems with her powerful neighbours, and had often had to defend herself from them. In 1792, Poland had been conquered and divided by Russia, Austria and Prussia/Germany. It was not until 1918 that Poland once again came blinking out into daylight, and once again a country in her own right.
Once free, Poland always knew she may have to defend her borders and while they had an army of sorts, they would need an airforce. She built an airforce on the backs of pioneers, veterans of the First World War, who had been forced to fight each other under different empires.
By the time the Poles arrived in England in late 1939 early 1940, they were already battle-hardened and had fought the Luftwaffe over the Skies of Poland. It was this experience that came to fruition during the Battle of Britain, as the Poles pushed themselves hard and hard to kill the enemy. Both Churchill and Air Chief Marshall Dowding acknowledged the work of the Poles in defending Britain.
This excellently researched and written book is an in depth look at those 145 Polish airmen and their service in the Royal Air Force. Even giving accounts of each individual pilot, this really is a magnificent book. Highly recommended book for those interested in the Battle of Britain and Polish Armed Forces.
Paul Diggett 5/5
The Polish Few by Peter Sikora
Frontline Books 9781526714855 hbk Oct 2018
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Is your child capable of writing a passage in its correct format, articulating ideas in the proper order? Is he/she able to properly comprehend everything they read out of the textbook? Just reading is not enough with the present competition in all fields. Preparing your children for the modern world requires a little more than what they get from schools.
This is where the role of reputed study enhancement programs like Write on Q comes in. With companies like Write on Q, it is perfectly possible to prepare your child for the competitive world out there.
What is an enrichment education program?
An enrichment education program is an after-school tuition scheme where the language skills of your child are improved with the help of expert language teachers. It is necessary because the school curriculum, as far as the English language is concerned, is very basic.
Your child needs to be trained in all four verticals of the English language, to excel in school, college and professional life.
What are the four verticals of language?
The main four aspects of any language, be it English, French or Japanese, are:
• Reading
• Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
These four verticals have to be mastered right from a young age to become successful in the modern world.
Your child might be able to read a text from the first word till last. They might even be capable of reading it fast and with proper pronunciations. But are they really able to comprehend what they read out of a text? This question needs to be answered in order to understand where your child stands in terms of reading abilities.
Similarly, the listening skills of your ward is crucial in becoming an expert in English. He/she might be listening to instructions and other detailed speeches, but how much they understand is something to be tested and found out.
Listening skills in your ward can affect the speaking skills they develop too. This is why kids should be properly trained right from a young age to properly listen and understand a language and then respond with the best possible answer.
Writing skills and speaking skills can be developed easily if your child has proper reading and speaking abilities. This is because if your ward can read and understand a text with its full meaning and gist, then he/she will be able to reproduce it while writing. The same goes for speaking as well. The better your ward is at listening skills, the better speaking skills he/she shall possess.
In short, give your child that extra push and enrol them in experienced language enhancement programs.
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.9999+ – refers to a level of purity called “four nines” pure. It is the same as 99.99+% purity.
99.99+% – refers to a level of purity called “four nines” pure, but is written as a percentage figure. It is the
same as .9999+ purity.
Au – the chemical symbol for silver derived from the Latin word for gold, aurum.
Anion – an atom with an extra valence electron – giving it a negative charge such as Cl –
Bio-available – refers to whether or not an atom, group of atoms or molecule is in a form that can be
adsorbed by, and used by, a biological entity such as a human being.
Bio-availability – see “Bio-available”
Cation – an atom with a missing valence electron – giving it a positive charge such as Au+
Colloid – a substance microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance 1
Gold – a metallic chemical element with the symbol Au (Latin: aurum “gold”)and atomic number of 79. Gold
Nanoparticle – A nanoparticle (or nanopowder or nanocluster or nanocrystal) is a microscopic particle with
at least one dimension less than 100 nm
Tyndall Effect – also known as Tyndall scattering, is light scattering by particles in a colloid or particles in
a fine suspension. It is named after the 19th century physicist John Tyndall. It is similar to Rayleigh
light is scattered much more strongly than red light 1
1 – Wikipedia March 10, 2012
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Did Katerince Change In Taming The Shrew How Did Katerine Change In Taming Of The Shrew Essay
485 words - 2 pages
Shakespeare prd#3
Did Katherine Change In Taming of the Shrew?
Many people are expected to act a certain way based on their race,gender and age. During the
1500-1600s women were expected to act disty, sweet, kind and submissive. In the book taming
of the shrew”written by William Shakespeare Katherine is the shrew in the begging of the book
and at the end of the book she is tamed. Katherine shifted to the gender norms during that time
Katherine was a very disrespectful, smart, aggressive she is stubborn, is sometimes obnoxious,
and does not allow herself to be ordered around by men which women did not normally do
during the time period. In act one after Baptista said Bianca (Katherine's sister) can’t marry until
Katharine does gremio said “she’s too rough” which in other word she acts like a “man” or more
manly than him. Gremio continues to say “though her father be very rich,any man is so very a
fool to be married to hell”. (124-126)Gremio insist that Katherine is a devil. During the first
meeting with her and Petruchio who is her soon to be husband she hits him while his giving her
all the attention and compliments she never had before. she proceeds to talk very rude to him.
But Petruchio doesn’t care and tells her about their plans of marriage. Petruchio is the only guy
who can handle her aggression because he has the same personality as her. Even on ...
Assignment On Taming Of The Shrew
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929 words - 4 pages they don’t want to be left out of the group. We will be talking about how we can make the numbers decrease even more in our youth. Alcohol drinking can cause many deaths, assaults and sexual assaults. According to an article on ABC news in 1998 the death toll of alcohol related death was 1440 and in 2005 it increased to 1825. 69600 students have reported that they have been assaulted by another student, and 97000 students have reported that they
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Motivation Moving Us To Take Action
2608 words - 11 pages
Jeremy Q. Brooks
Monday June 7, 2010
A.P. Psychology
Period 5
Moving us to take action
Motivation can be defined as the driving force behind all the actions of an individual. The influence of an individual's needs and desires both have a strong impact on the direction of their behavior. Motivation is based on your emotions and achievement-related goals. There are different forms of motivation including extrinsic, intrinsic, physiological, and achievement motivation. There are also more negative forms of motivation. Achievement motivation can be defined as the need for success or the attainment of excellence. Individuals will satisfy their needs through different means, and are driven to succeed for varying reasons both internal and external.
Motivation is the basic drive for all of our actions. Motivation refers to the dynamics of our behavior, which involves our needs, desires, and ambitions in life. Achievement motivation is based on reaching success and achieving all of our aspirations in life. Achievement goals can affect the way a person performs a task and represent a desire to show competence. These basic physiological motivational drives affect our natural behavior in different environments. Most of our goals are incentive-based and can vary from basic hunger to the need for love and the establishment of mature sexual relationships. Our motives for achievement can range from biological needs to satisfying creative desires or realizing success in competitive ventures. Motivation is important because it affects our lives every day. All of our behaviors, actions, thoughts, and beliefs are influenced by our inner drive to succeed.
Motivational researchers share the view that achievement behavior is an interaction between situational variables and the individual subject's motivation to achieve. Two motives are directly involved in the prediction of behavior, implicit and explicit. Implicit motives are spontaneous impulses to act, also known as task performances, and are aroused through incentives inherent to the task. Explicit motives are expressed through deliberate choices and more often stimulated for extrinsic reasons. Also, individuals with strong implicit needs to achieve goals set higher internal standards, whereas others tend to adhere to the societal norms. These two motives often work together to determine the behavior of the individual in direction and passion.
Explicit and implicit motivations have a compelling impact on behavior. Task behaviors are accelerated in the face of a challenge through implicit motivation, making performing a task in the most effective manner the primary goal. A person with a strong implicit drive will feel pleasure from achieving a goal in the most efficient way. The increase in effort and overcoming the challenge by mastering the task satisfies the individual. However, the explicit motives are built around a person's self-image. This type of motivation shapes a person's behavior based on their own self-view and can influence their choices and responses from outside cues. The primary agent for this type of motivation is perception or perceived ability. Many theorists still cannot agree whether achievement is based on mastering one's skills or striving to promote a better self-image. Most research is still unable to determine whether these different types of motivation would result in different behaviors in the same environment.
Achievement motivation has been conceptualized in many different ways. Our understanding of achievement-relevant effects, cognition, and behavior has improved. Despite being similar in nature, many achievement motivation approaches have been developed separately, suggesting that most achievement motivation theories are in concordance with one another instead of competing. Motivational researchers have sought to promote a hierarchal model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation by incorporating the two prominent theories: the achievement motive approach and the achievement goal approach. Achievement motives include the need for achievement and the fear of failure. Theorists have proposed that people's achievement goals affect their achievement-related attitudes and behaviors. Two different types of achievement-related attitudes include task-involvement and ego-involvement. Task-involvement is a motivational state in which a person's main goal is to acquire skills and understanding whereas the main goal in ego-involvement is to demonstrate superior abilities. One example of an activity where someone strives to attain mastery and demonstrate superior ability is schoolwork. However situational cues, such as the person's environment or surroundings, can affect the success of achieving a goal at any time.
Self-worth theory states that in certain situations students stand to gain by not trying and deliberately withholding effort. If poor performance is a threat to a person's sense of self-esteem, this lack of effort is likely to occur. This most often occurs after an experience of failure. Failure threatens self-estimates of ability and creates uncertainty about an individual's capability to perform well on a subsequent basis. If the following performance turns out to be poor, then doubts concerning ability are confirmed. Self-worth theory states that one way to avoid threat to self-esteem is by withdrawing effort. Withdrawing effort allows failure to be attributed to lack of effort rather than low ability which reduces overall risk to the value of one's self-esteem. When poor performance is likely to reflect poor ability, a situation of high threat is created to the individual's intellect. On the other hand, if an excuse allows poor performance to be attributed to a factor unrelated to ability, the threat to self-esteem and one's intellect is much lower.
In everyday life, individuals strive to be competent in their activities. In the past decade, many theorists have utilized a social-cognitive achievement goal approach in accounting for individuals striving for competence. An achievement goal is commonly defined as the purpose for engaging in a task, and the specific type of goal taken on creates a framework for how individuals experience their achievement pursuits. Achievement goal theorists commonly identify two distinct ideas toward competence: a performance goal focused on demonstrating ability when compared to others, and a mastery goal focused on the development of competence and task mastery. Performance goals are hypothesized to produce vulnerability to certain response patterns in achievement settings such as preferences for easy tasks, withdrawal of effort in the face of failure, and decreased task enjoyment. Mastery goals can lead to a motivational pattern that creates a preference for moderately challenging tasks, persistence in the face of failure, and increased enjoyment of tasks.
Intrinsic motivation is defined as the enjoyment of an interest in an activity for its own sake. Fundamentally viewed as an approach form of motivation, intrinsic motivation is identified as an important component of achievement goal theory. Most achievement goal and intrinsic motivational theorists argue that mastery goals are facilitative of intrinsic motivation and related mental processes and performance goals create negative effects. Mastery goals are said to promote intrinsic motivation by fostering perceptions of challenge, encouraging task involvement, generating excitement, and supporting self-determination while performance goals are the opposite. Performance goals are portrayed as undermining intrinsic motivation by instilling perceptions of threat, disrupting task involvement, and creating anxiety and pressure.
An alternative set of predictions may be derived from the approach-avoidance framework. Both performance-approach and mastery goals are focused on attaining competence and foster intrinsic motivation. More specifically, in performance-approach or mastery orientations, individuals perceive the achievement setting as a challenge, and this likely will create excitement, encourage cognitive functioning, increase concentration and task absorption, and direct the person toward success and mastery of information which facilitates intrinsic motivation. The performance-avoidance goal is focused on avoiding incompetence, where individuals see the achievement setting as a threat and seek to escape it. This orientation is likely to elicit anxiety and withdrawal of effort and cognitive resources while disrupting concentration and motivation.
Motivation is an important factor in everyday life. Our basic behaviors and feelings are affected by our inner drive to succeed over life's challenges while we set goals for ourselves. Our motivation also promotes our feelings of competence and self-worth as we achieve our goals. It provides us with means to compete with others in order to better ourselves and to seek out new information to learn and absorb. Individuals experience motivation in different ways, whether it is task- or ego-based in nature. Some people strive to achieve their goals for personal satisfaction and self-improvement while others compete with their surroundings in achievement settings to simply be classified as the best. Motivation and the resulting behavior are both affected by the many different models of achievement motivation. These models, although separate, are very similar in nature and theory. The mastery and performance achievement settings each have a considerable effect on how an individual is motivated. Each theorist has made a contribution to the existing theories in today's achievement studies. More often than not, theorists build off of each other's work to expand old ideas and create new ones. Achievement motivation is an intriguing field, and I find myself more interested after reviewing similar theories from different perspectives.
Emotion is different from motivation in that there is not necessarily a goal orientation affiliated with it. Emotions occur as a result of an interaction between perception of environmental stimuli, neural/hormonal responses to these perceptions (often labeled feelings), and subjective cognitive labeling of these feelings. Evidence suggests there is a small core of core emotions that are uniquely associated with a specific facial expression. This implies that there are a small number of unique biological responses that are genetically hard-wired to specific facial expressions. A further implication is that the process works in reverse: if you want to change your feelings, you can do so by changing your facial expression. That is, if you are motivated to change how you feel and your feeling is associated with a specific facial expression, you can change that feeling by purposively changing your facial expression. Since most of us would rather feel happy than otherwise, the most appropriate facial expression would be a smile.
Most motivation theorists assume that motivation is involved in the performance of all learned responses; that is, a learned behavior will not occur unless it is energized. The major question among psychologists, in general, is whether motivation is a primary or secondary influence on behavior. That is, are changes in behavior better explained by principles of environmental/ecological influences, perception, memory, cognitive development, emotion, explanatory style, or personality or are concepts unique to motivation more pertinent.
For example, we know that people respond to increasingly complex or novel events (or stimuli) in the environment up to a point and then responses decrease. This inverted-U-shaped curve of behavior is well-known and widely acknowledged. However, the major issue is one of explaining this phenomenon. Is this a conditioning (is the individual behaving because of past classical or operant conditioning), a motivational process (from an internal state of arousal), or is there some better explanation?
The theoretical issues proposed in motivational theories such as the economic man developed by McGregor and the benefits of setting specific and difficult goals are important. The distinction on how they motivate an individual is a major influence on behavior. Applying motivational theory to an educational context we draw our attention toward skill development, satisfaction and achievement. It is believed that "individuals are mutually motivated to learn when they do not have to fear failure, when they perceive what they are learning as being personally meaningful and relevant and when they are in respectful and supportive relationships with teachers". Therefore, by using a goal setting approach to motivate students, student participation in selection of objectives in as "research on the motivational value of goals, both the check-mark and behavioral/performance objective systems seem to motivate students to improve performance". However, with today's rapid change and emergence of new knowledge and theory, universities will have more concepts on which to build and develop on "motivating the school's participants so as to obtain the best possible educational results".
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1142 words - 5 pages your life but it should give you motivation to go and probe everyone that has doubted you wrong. Not every kid grows up as blessed as others. It's always another way out you just have to use your brain and over come all the doubt and take that as motivation to make yourself better. We can do anything we put our mind to we just have to believe in ourselves. There is nothing in this world you should tell yourself no about. As a young black African
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Blog Editor’s Note: A good overview article based on a conversation with Dr. Brad Parkinson.
Of special interest are comments near the end about drones and their use of GPS. Such vulnerable signals in unmanned systems, especially drones, poses serious questions about safety, security, and overall viability of the technology.
While drone operators and manufacturers are very much aware of the problem, they are not eager to discuss in public. To quote one industry representative “We have enough problems with public acceptance of our services and products. Why would we want to raise yet another issue?”
GPS inventor: We need to fix GPS’s jamming problem
As we become ever-more reliant on GPS, the prospect of it going down seems increasingly worrying.
Almost half a century ago, the US Department of Defense started working on an experimental project to launch a series of satellites into space to make it possible to pinpoint any location on Earth.
Fast-forward 47 years, and the Global Positioning System (GPS) is everywhere and in everything from the activity-tracking applications in our smartphones to the navigation systems found in airplanes.
Ahead of receiving the £1 million Queen Elizabeth Award for Engineering last week, the chief architect of GPS, Bradford Parkinson, told ZDNet that making the tool accessible to all was part of his plan from the earliest stages of the project.
And it became part of the US government’s plan, too: in 1983, the Reagan administration declared that it would effectively guarantee and provide GPS for both military and civilian purposes.
“President Reagan established that reliable knowledge of your position is something that the government should provide as much as lighthouses for ships or navigation lights for planes,” said Parkinson. “And here we are: now the whole world takes GPS for granted.”
Reagan couldn’t predict, at the time, that engineers would develop chips cheap and sophisticated enough to power more than five billion smartphones across the world, all fitted with GPS and contributing to a global dependence on the technology.
And now, Parkinson argues that the technology has to be protected from its biggest threat: jamming.
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Federalism and the New Economy:
Sovereignty as a moving target
A lecture at the Aix-en-Provence Summer University 2000 on the theme of Subsidiarity
by Brian Lee Crowley, Ph.D.,
President, Atlantic Institute for Market Studies
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to be back with you for my second and final lecture at the Summer University.
In the short time that is available to me, I am going to divide my remarks on Federalism and the New Economy into three parts.
Part One: Federalism and the New Economy
Federalism, as it is practised in North America, is a system of government that very clearly shows its roots in the old economy.
remember that federalism is a system for dividing sovereignty — it is not administrative decentralisation, where central government lends some of its powers to local or regional governments. Rather, each level of government is granted sovereignty in its respective spheres of authority by a constitution that is superior to all governments and from which they derive their legitimacy.
When I say that our types of federalism are stamped with the features of the old economy, what do I mean? That federalism was based on a 19th century model of economic production that looked roughly like this:
Mass production, chiefly of good
Markets were primarily national and geographical circumscribed
Transport and mobility costs were high
Returns to capital were maximised by economies of scale
Manufacturing techniques were inflexible, resulting in production of large quantities of uniform goods
Capital was chiefly physical, fixed and easily taxed
Capital was scarce, labour plentiful
National economies sought to exclude goods from other nations to achieve internal economies of scale
National governments, aside from providing national defence and the like, had primarily the roles of 1) excluding foreign products, thus ensuring a captive market for local goods and 2) preventing local governments from pursuing policies that divided national markets into purely local ones that would not support efficient levels of capital investment and mass production. These tendencies toward centralisation of economic policy were reinforced by the inevitable centralisation that wars entail, as well as by the centralisation of monetary policy and the rent-seeking capacities created by national governments’ access to rich national tax bases.
But I would draw your attention to the fact that the economic model on which this whole approach to central government within the nation-state is based is falling down all around us.
Contrary to what we saw of the old economy, the new economy has the following features:
Production is hugely diversified and customised
Production is chiefly services, not goods
Transport and mobility costs are low
Capital is chiefly intellectual and mobile and hard to tax
Labour is scarce while capital is abundant
Economies benefit from openness and mutual access to world markets
Production cannot be contained within national borders of even largest states
The effect of these differences is that the old divisions of power between governments under federalism are just as outdated as the economy to which they were tailored.
Sovereignty is thus being pushed in several directions, and away from central governments. Most notably:
National and local sovereignty is more and more constrained by market-opening rules (trade agreements) as we move toward an expanded international rule of law
National and local taxation power is being reduced by footloose economic activities
Costs of national isolationism and protectionism are growing
The ability of national and local governments to restrict inward and outward access is rapidly declining
Thus sovereignty is moving, in part, to individuals and voluntary groups. Under a regime of robust property rights and intellectual freedom in a wired world, communities are more and more constituting themselves on a non-geographic basis, as people are better able to connect cheaply and quickly with those with whom they share interests, rather than those with whom they happen to share a given piece of territory.
Part Two: What should government look like in a world like this?
My second set of comments has to do with the kind of government that is appropriate in a world in which economic sovereignty is being transferred down to individuals and corporations and other voluntary organisations (‘civil society’). By the way, the struggle over Internet taxation is one such struggle between governments on the one hand and civil society on the other.
The most successful governments, the ones that make the greatest contribution to the well-being of their citizens, will be those who )1 make the greatest transfers of sovereignty to their citizens and to civil society; and 2) who facilitate the emergence of the rule of law at the international level, thus helping to create an economic world in which transactions across international borders are as easy and inexpensive as possible, including movements of capital and workers.
It is these forces that have driven governments, often in spite of themselves, towards greater privatisation and greater efforts in the field of regional and global reduction of barriers to trade.
But there is a great danger that governments will simply use globalisation and the new economy to push, not for the evolution of the rule of law, but for something else. After all, the rule of law is not very sexy politically; it merely provides a framework for the members of civil society to pursue their objectives.
Instead, governments can and will use the emergence of globalisation and the rule of law as an excuse to augment their power, on the following grounds:
they need to “harmonise” standards, practices and goods, including currencies, to allow greater economic exchanges and co-operation across political boundaries; and
they need to restrain some governments from engaging in “unfair practices”, such as “tax competition” and “social dumping”.
Do not be fooled.
The new economy, given its characteristics that I have already outlined, has no need of government imposed harmonisation, which is the very opposite of the dynamic energies that are driving growth and progress. Harmonisation is the death of diversity, experimentation and innovation.
Moreover, competition between governments — competition for enterprises, for workers, for investment — is precisely what reveals to us the jurisdictions that are pursuing sensible policies. Remember what I said about competition being a discovery procedure. This is just as true in government as in the private sector. If a government offers better value for lower taxes, if it draws fewer people into welfare and dependence, and more into education and work, then this is a comparative advantage that must be known and put to work.
I don’t say this because I want to see the populations of uncompetitive jurisdictions harmed. On the contrary, I want them to be able to learn where they have gone wrong, by being able to compare the costs of the policies their governments pursue, in comparison with the costs and benefits of policies pursued by others. I want their rulers to be accountable for their policies and their effects, and I want their populations to be able to point to other countries and demand that their governments put in place policies that will help them to succeed as well. Competition between countries doesn’t drag them down to the lowest common denominator — it lifts them up towards the highest common denominator, because the costs of bad policies are fully revealed.
Part Three: Canadian federalism: a rent-seeker’s paradise
My third series of remarks is drawn directly from Canada’s experience with federalism: namely that governments are the best organised, most powerful and most successful rent-seekers of all, especially when they can exploit some powerful social division, such as ethnicity or economic disparity.
After all, federalism by definition confers constitutional power and legitimacy on a democratic government speaking for a particular segment of the national population. Since the Civil War, this problem has not really troubled US federalism, because the US population is relatively homogeneous. US politics and federalism would be radically different, however, if, say, there was one state which contained 25% of the population, and that population had a huge majority distinctly different from the national majority — say a black or a Hispanic majority.
In my country, the French-speaking province of Québec occupies just such a position, and has exploited it brilliantly in order to capture huge economic and political rents for itself, quite disproportionate to its economic or political weight in the federation.
In fact, the result has been a kind of destructive competition between governments, in which the federal and Québec governments have engaged in a kind of bidding war for the political loyalty of the Québécois, with most of the booty taking the form of social benefits. And of course once Ottawa decided that it needed to buy the loyalty of the Québécois with a spending programme, logic and politics required its extension to the country as a whole, whether it was wanted or not. Ethnic conflict within our state has been a huge motor for the growth of the welfare state.
Let’s take a moment to look at a slightly different example, that of the region where I live, Atlantic Canada.
This region is the poorest in Canada, and has used its relative underdevelopment as a ground for claiming huge benefits from the rest of the country, chiefly in the form of transfers to persons and provincial governments. Provincial governments have in fact been the chief spokesmen claiming greater transfers for the region, a strategy that has proven wildly successful for them: federal transfers represent, on average, 40% of the budget of each of the four provincial governments in my region.
This strategy has also been seemingly wildly successful in another sense: Atlantic Canada has been the most subsidies region in the Western world — more heavily subsidies than the west of Ireland, than the south of Italy or the east of Germany.
Let me give you a sense of the scale of these transfers. They have reached a height of 40% of GDP, which meant that at one point all-government spending was the equivalent of two-thirds of GDP.
Net transfers (federal spending in the region less taxes paid by the region to the federal government), had they been invested in US 90-day T-bills over the last 30 years or so, would now amount to the colossal sum of $1-trillion CAD, enough to pay off the entire national debt of Canada and have over $400-billion left over. Put another way, the 2.3 million people of my region could each have about $400,000 in their retirement account today.
What has this money bought us? Well, economic theory and empirical evidence both suggest that lagging economies should normally grow faster than leading edge ones — this is know as the phenomenon of convergence. With just normal policies, one can expect such convergence to operate at the rate of around 2-3% annually. That’s if you do nothing special by way of “economic development” measures.
We sought to close the economic gap by government spending. The effect? My region is closing the gap at less than half the rate convergence theory and the empirical evidence of its effects would predict, for reasons fully explored in a book by my Institute called Retreat from Growth. Our unemployment rate diverged from the national rate and has remained stubbornly higher. Private investment has declined. Dependence on government has grown.
Let me close with this remark. There are many of you here from Eastern Europe where people are seeking early membership in the European Union. This “urge to merge” is driven in part by a desire to capture huge transfers from wealthy regions through the Common Agricultural Policy, the structural funds and so forth.
My message to you, based on our experience in Atlantic Canada: be very careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Thank you.
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Why Regular Eye Exams are So Important for Diabetes Management
High blood sugar can trigger changes to your eyes. Fortunately, a simple eye exam can detect problems before they become serious
Finding and treating diabetes-related eye problems early can save your vision. Close up of eye.
Diabetes-related eye disease is no joke. By 2050, as more Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, the number of adults with diabetic retinopathy—a condition that can erase your eyesight—is expected to almost double, to more than 14 million cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is a big deal because diabetic retinopathy is also the most common cause of vision impairment and blindness in the working-age population.
Interestingly, a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University who published a report in 2016 in the journal Circulation Research, noted that retinopathy can occur as early as seven years before the onset of type 2 diabetes—when a person is prediabetic but may not even know it. According to the CDC, approximately 84 million Americans are prediabetic, and 90 percent of those individuals have no idea that anything is up with their health.
A great way to stay on top of your eye health and overall health is to get regular checkups. Book your next exam today
What may seem odd, at first glance, is that something related to your blood sugar can cause problems in your eyes. But the connection is real. Fortunately, so are the steps you can take to save your sight.
Diabetes Management 101: How Blood Sugar Impacts Vision
“Basically, when blood sugar goes high, that causes damage to the blood vessels, including ones in the retina,” says Rahul N. Khurana, M.D., a vitreoretinal surgeon with Northern California Retina Vitreous Associates Medical Group and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
The retina is the part of the eye that senses light and sends signals to the brain about what we see. “When these blood vessels are damaged, they can swell, leak fluid, or close up,” says Dr. Khurana. “All of these changes can steal your vision.”
Here’s how these three symptoms can mess with your vision:
1. Your eyeglass prescription can change more often.
Initially, high glucose levels can cause fluid levels to change in the body, causing the lens of the eye to swell, resulting in blurry vision. Luckily, this type of swelling can ease after about six weeks, once blood sugar is brought down to healthy levels.
But you may actually need a different prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses after your blood sugar levels have stabilized. The old prescription may have been better suited to the swollen eye lens.
That’s why diabetes experts at Kaiser Permanente Health Foundation encourage people with diabetes to hold off on getting new glasses or contact lenses until their blood sugar has been under control for at least two months.
2. Driving might become dodgy.
Over time, poorly managed diabetes can lead to a weakening and thinning of the walls of blood vessels. Sometimes, weak blood vessels can start to leak a fluid called exudate, which is made of proteins, cells, and solid materials, into a part of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for central vision—what you see right in front of you. It’s a condition called macular edema
And, no surprise, poor central vision can put a serious crimp in your ability to read, drive, do your job, take care of your family, and generally enjoy your day.
“People don’t realize it, but diabetes is the leading cause of vision loss among working adults,” says Dr. Khurana. “These are not older adults; they are people in the prime of their lives. Obviously, vision is such a precious sense, and to lose it is terrible at any stage of life, but it has even more of a profound impact when you’re younger and you’re working.”
3. You may start to see spots.
As it progresses, diabetes-related eye damage sometimes causes blockages and scarring, which can stop the flow of blood—and therefore nutrients and oxygen—to the retina. The retina tries to grow new blood vessels as a workaround, but these are “abnormal” and weak, and they can leak blood into the jelly-like fluid (vitreous jelly) that fills the inside of your eyes, causing floaters.
Floaters are exactly what they sound like: floating dark spots, specks, or cobweb-like shapes that dart in and out of your field of vision as you move your eyes. No fun! And a sudden occurrence of floaters may be a sign of a burst vessel.
Good news, a fix is emerging: According to an overview of diabetic eye disease research published in Diabetes Forecast in January 2018, some of the diabetes eye medicines formerly approved to treat macular edema are also proving effective at stopping the growth of these wonky blood vessels.
The Best Way to Save Your Sight? Regular Eye Exams
With so much at stake, it’s easy to see why you need to do all you can to protect your eye health.
Fortunately, all three of the scenarios above can be spotted early with a comprehensive yearly eye exam, says Dr. Khurana.
This type of eye check involves more than measuring your prescription: It must also involve a look at your retinas, using a dilated eye exam or retinal imaging.
Retinal imaging allows your eye doctor to scan the retina to create a high-definition digital image. It’s increasingly being used to check for damage to the back of the eye—an honor once reserved for the dilated eye exam. The images can easily be compared from one visit to the next. Plus, you can see for yourself how your condition is impacting your eyes.
Recent research published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering notes that retinal imaging scans are also being used to help doctors predict cardiovascular risks among those with diabetes.
You can also do your eyes a favor by incorporating some simple lifestyle changes into your daily routine, like taking more walking breaks and eating more vegetables to help control your blood pressure.
Finding and treating problems early, says Dr. Khurana, may save your vision.
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As It Happens
This 'Megaspider' was anonymously donated to a nature park — and it could save lives
The Australian Reptile Park received an anonymous package this month that might make some people scream if they opened the box.
The Australian Reptile Park has been collecting funnel web spiders for decades to milk them for anti-venom
A funnel web spider, pictured here on a ballcap, was anonymously donated to the Australian Reptile Park. (The Australian Reptile Park)
Story Transcript
Inside was a venomous female funnel web spider that the park says is the biggest its ever received in its 40 years of accumulating the eight-legged creatures. They've named it Megaspider for its "gargantuan size and massive fangs."
"We actually collect funnel web spiders in order to milk their venom," Jake Meney, a keeper and reptiles supervisor at the park, said.
A bite from some funnel web spiders can be deadly, but the venom collected by the park is used to make antivenom — and saves lives.
Meney spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off about the tantalizing gift. Here is part of their conversation.
You've dubbed it Megaspider and described it as what nightmares are made of. Just describe it for us, if you would.
Funnel web spiders are relatively common in our local area and throughout New South Wales. But this spider is probably about twice to three times the size of the normal funnel webs that we typically see.
OK, so somebody captured this creature.... How did they get it to you?
They actually managed to catch it up and get it into a small plastic container. And then it was carefully delivered to us.
We've since moved it into a larger enclosure and it's living here now amongst probably another 200 or 300 of its friends. We have a very large collection of funnel webs here.
Jake Meney, the reptiles supervisor at Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, Australia, holds the eight-legged creature in a cup. (The Australian Reptile Park)
You got an eight-centimetre long deadly spider that arrived in a Tupperware container, basically?
Yes, exactly.
How does one go about catching one of these things?
Well, the obvious answer is very carefully.
Whilst these funnel web spiders that we work with are so dangerous and potentially quite large like this individual, they're actually quite a slow spider and they can't jump and they can't climb.... It is actually quite easy to encourage one into a Tupperware and get it to us here.
How deadly is this spider?
Certainly the most deadly spider in Australia.
We've only ever had two spiders which have caused deaths in humans. And the funnel web spider [was] certainly one of those, prior to the anti-venom ... [which] became available about 40 or so years ago. There was quite a number of funnel web spider deaths.
How do you milk it for its venom?
We ... encourage the spider to get defensive, and it will basically almost stand up and raise its front legs and expose its fangs. Then they're actually so grumpy that they'll begin to produce venom just on the tip of the fang.
We can visibly see the drops.... Then we will go along with a small glass pipette and move those drops of venom into the pipette. And then [when] we've collected it safely ... the spider will go away and we will give it a feed.
But that venom that we collect, we then send away and then the process of the anti-venom production begins.
The deadly funnel web spiders common throughout New South Wales. According to Meney, the newly donated one, right, is two or three times the size of an average one, pictured on the left for comparison. (The Australian Reptile Park)
How big are these fangs that you are milking?
The fangs on this particular one are about two centimetres long. Typically, the funnel web spider fangs are about one centimetre long. So even on an average-sized one, the fangs are very, very large and scary.
And so what do you now do with that milk that you got from the fangs?
We send it to another state in Australia, and then they will take that venom that we've supplied and they will actually inject a very, very tiny amount of it into a rabbit.
The rabbit isn't overly affected by the venom, but what it does is it actually starts to slowly produce antibodies within its body. And then they will actually draw some blood from the rabbit and separate out those antibodies.... and they'll process those antibodies into ... a drug that can be given to humans if they're bitten by a funnel web.
How often, say in a year, would you need to use that anti-venom in Australia?
The funnel web spiders are quite common, particularly along the east coast, which is our most populated region of Australia. So each year we might see between 20 and 30 funnel web spider bites.
Many of those would have proven fatal without the anti-venom. In fact, if you're bitten by a male funnel web spider, which is the more toxic of the two, it's almost a 100 per cent fatality rate without the anti-venom being administered. So it is very, very important to save lives.
So whoever delivered the spider to you, this Megaspider, anonymously, that person probably saved some lives.
Anyone that donates a spider to us is directly contributing to that anti-venom program — and we've been involved with that right from the very beginning.
So over 40 years now, we've been milking the funnel web spiders here at the Australian Reptile Park.
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Model Organisms: Cell Biology and Genetics
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Model Organisms: Cell Biology and Genetics
Model organisms are used to study basic mechanisms common to many forms of life and to experiment with biological processes that may be difficult or unethical to study in humans. Model organisms are usually chosen for some combination of ease of study (for example, the transparent bodies of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans or the zebrafish Brachydanio rerio ), ability to grow and reproduce quickly in a small space (Arabidopsis thaliana, a four-inch plant with a life cycle of four to six weeks), prominent cell structure of interest (the giant chromosomes of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster ), or ability to closely model some aspect of human biology (the mammalian genome and complex brain of the mouse). Most model organisms combine many if not all of these characteristics.
Escherichia coli bacteria provide an especially important model for studies of gene regulation. Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) are used for a wide variety of studies in eukaryotic chromosome structure and gene regulation, as well as virtually every aspect of cell function, including the control of the cell cycle and signal transduction . The slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is used to study cell motility and other aspects of cell function, especially those with applications to cancer. C. elegans has provided a window on the fate of individual cells during development, as each cell can be followed as it is formed, takes its place, and begins to function. Drosophila is central in the study of chromosomes and molecular aspects of development, especially development of the nervous system. Zebrafish and the frog Xenopus laevis are used most often to study vertebrate development. Arabidopsis is the major model of plant cell biology and genetics. Finally, cultures of human cells are often used to examine response to drugs, effects of genetic mutations, and other aspects of health and disease.
German biologist who won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1995 with Edward Lewis and Eric Wieschaus. In her lab, she and Wieschaus studied how genes affect the way a fly egg turns into an adult fly. They found that specific gene mutations cause specific defects in the number of wings, antennae, or legs of fruit flies. Many of these mutations turned out to be mutations in "regulatory genes," genes that control other genes.
The genomes of each of these organisms are either fully sequenced or soon will be, allowing further investigation of the links between gene expression and cell function. This will make these models even more valuable, and also allow investigation of fundamental questions about the similarities and differences among all types of organisms.
see also Model Organisms: Physiology and Medicine
Richard Robinson
The WWW Virtual Library: Model Organisms. <>.
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“Romeo and Juliet” Essay
Published: 2021-09-10 10:05:09
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Category: Literature
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‘The tragic end of Romeo and Juliet is inevitable because of fateful influence of the stars over the young lovers’ future.’
The story of Romeo and Juliet, set in the sixteenth century, inevitably ended in tragedy. This was not all due to the control of the stars, otherwise known as, and generally believed in at the time, as fate. “A pair of star-crossed lovers.” (Prologue, line 6.) This quote is found at the beginning of the play and accurately describes Romeo and Juliet; it says that the lovers were in a predicament from the beginning because of being doomed by fate. It is the main meaning of the prologue, because it verbalizes that the end was inevitable and that fate controlled the eventual outcomes.
Fate may play a large part in the couple’s story, but so does choice, chance and characters. All of these components go together to make up the eventual outcome. Friar Laurence chooses to try to help reconcile the two feuding families by marrying two of their offspring. It is by chance that Friar John could not deliver the note to Romeo due to him being put into quarantine at the last moment, leaving Romeo unaware of Juliet’s fake state of death. Finally, the personalities of the characters made the ending unavoidable, by acting in their own way according to how their character is.
Shakespeare used the belief of fate from the audience to introduce drama into the character’s lives and their actions. The audience as a whole accepted fate as part of their own lifestyles, so therefore Shakespeare could easily manipulate this belief to make a certain action happen, and put it down to fate, this could then get him a desired effect. Some, I think were even led by these beliefs to change their actions, either to go with or rebel against the ‘fate’, which had been chosen for them. Romeo chooses to oppose fate when it comes to being kept away from his beloved Juliet, “Then I defy you stars.” (Act5, Scene1, Line24.) says Romeo as he decided not to succumb to what seemed destined to be; Romeo decides to take his life when he cannot spend it by Juliet’s side. This is where the other themes merge with fate to complete the ultimate outcome. It is not at any point in the story, clear what theme is being displayed, and it is normally a mixture of fate and another one theme or more. The chance of events also comes into the different outcome; if the chance of things had been different then this might have allowed proceedings to change.
It was not entirely because of fate or choice that Mercutio was killed by Tybalt, by chance more than anything else, that as Romeo intervened, Tybalt was able to stab Mercutio under Romeo’s arm, “I thought it all for the best.” (Act3, Scene1, Line 104.) Was what Romeo desperately said, whilst trying to make amends for his best friends death. It shows Romeo’s desperation after realising that the fault was mainly on his part that someone had died. Romeo did not mean for Mercutio to be killed, it was an accident. It may have been by chance that Tybalt killed Mercutio due to Romeo, but Romeo choose to try and intervene, therefore changing the future.
Romeo’s character affects the turn of events as he forgets his calm resolve and chooses to let “fire-eyed fury be my conduct now! (Act3, Scene1, Lines119-120). This meant that he allowed his character to control his conduct. Like usual, Romeo was hotheaded and passionate about his decision.
Romeo choose to take revenge for Mercutio’s death, and possibly to deal with his own guilt surrounding the events. He does this by ultimately deciding to murder Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, and by this point in the play, his own cousin. In his fit of rage, Romeo gave himself the future of banishment, making the lovers’ outlook even bleaker. He knew the consequence of disrupting the peace in the town of fair Verona. For the Prince warned them all what will happen to the people involved in the next brawl, “If ever you disturb our streets again, / Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.” (Act1, Scene1, Line96-97.) Even though knowing this, Romeo still carried on and killed Tybalt, not caring for the outcome of his or anybody else’s future. This was a downfall of his character coming through in the story, he was hasty whilst making this decision, and later regretted doing it because of the consequences. Although he could not think about that while he was still reeling in anger for Mercuitio’s death. Therefore, it was his choice to make; he either was killed, or exiled himself, “Mercutio’s soul is not but a little way above our heads, / Staying for thine to keep him company.” (Act3, Scene1, Line126-128)
Romeo was angry, and knew in his mind he was definitely going to kill Tybalt because he was sure that Tybalt’s soul would be travelling with Mercutio’s, Mercutio was dead, therefore meaning that according to Romeo there was only one outcome; Tybalt was to die. Romeo could act impulsively and was impetuous; this allowed his character to kill Tybalt with his wrath. He did this without really thinking of the consequences. All the character’s personalities changed their actions and the outcomes.
Romeo did not really change throughout the play, his character remained emotional and spontaneous. He makes rash decisions and does not really think about anything surrounding the rest of the events involved, past, present or future. This contributes to him killing himself by his what he though to be his dead wife’s body. On the other hand, Juliet matures and gains the strength to rebel against her family, which she would not have dared think about doing nearer to the beginning,
It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate,
Rather than Paris.
(Act3, Scene5, Line121-123.)
Her standing up to her father about marrying Paris shows her maturity and courage. Juliet refuses the arranged marriage when her father informs her of the plans She demonstrates her hatred of the forthcoming events by saying she would sooner marry her supposed enemy, but whom we know is her secret husband, before she would marry Paris. Being confronted with a thirteen-year-old girl soon to be part of an arranged marriage, the audience would not have been shocked, as people in the western culture may be today. Although they probably would have been surprised by her rebellion against her father’s decision. Her father’s choice to try and arrange for he marriage to Paris only drives her further on in her plight to living with her husband, Romeo, and therefore pushes her into putting herself into a state of living death. This eventually created dead ‘star-crossed lovers’. The age of the couple may also have affected the way they conducted their selves, not only does Romeo and Juliet’s characters influence the ending, but so does nearly every other character in the whole anecdote. Everything contributes to the final, inevitable ending.
In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet’s ending was inevitable, but it cannot all be justified by fate. As proven by the evidence and explanations of the quotes, other components are involved, such as choice, chance and character. They all played large parts in the inescapable ending. The belief in fate did play a central part in controlling the different outcomes, but it was not the only theme involved.
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Journalism has traveled a long way over the years; there is no denial. Every part of the world has promoted operations of journalists owing to the fact that the public needs to know what happens behind the pretense being put up on the stage. Career options for journalism kept developing with every passing decade as the technology was gradually advancing. Although the particular sector has several drawbacks in terms of the risks involved, the demand for information will never fade, and so will be the dream of many aspirants to venture into journalism. The print media shaped public opinion as newspapers dropped in at the doorstep every morning to push out all the current affairs.
What initially was believed to have been a self-built empire developed educational requirements to find a place in the industry. All of this can only be the result of a growing population. Journalism education is believed to have been introduced in the nineteenth century. Professionals who were creating wonders and history in journalism with their talent had to go through several stages of debates to conclude that the aspirants need an arts degree to be qualified for a job in the journalism sector.
These discussions in the past did, however, bring many relevant topics to the front. Casteism and racism were subjects that always occupied the minds of the public. When it was about journalism education, equal rights for everyone became an issue. Countless problems were on the way to prosperity. Let us look at a brief history of journalism education.
journalism education
The Beginning and the Journey of Journalism
Professionalization was the topic that led to many protests and movements in the nineteenth century. The years following the Civil War had many groups of people vying for the top positions of the highest paid jobs. Everyone, including social workers, lawyers, business people, and journalists, wanted to have a separate class for their expertise. With this came higher authority in every field, meaning all the professionals wanted to be a part of the higher sect of individuals. For them to be raised over to such pedestals, training was imperative. Journalists also had to go through several stages of training to meet the accepted standards of the sector.
Universities and experts in the industry had to discuss the potential of the development of journalism education. Editing, writing, and copy reading weren’t all about the talent one possesses; instead, the candidate must have the skills to tackle every challenge with ease. Since many professionals recommended education as a crucial stage in the learning process, the government and universities agreed upon the programs to be offered. Since the welfare of the society had one of its pillars built on journalism, the establishment of its position in the structure was crucial.
It was in 1908 that the first journalism program was introduced. However, no much traction was developed in these programs until the mid-nineteenth century. Accreditation of journalism schools also began only in the late 1940s. It all led to the release of several theory-based and skill-based books and content for the aspirants to peruse. A balance was found in education over the years.
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Study Guide
Year of Wonders Herbs
By Geraldine Brooks
We're talking about medicinal herbs, folks, so don't get it twisted.
Medicinal herbs in this novel are associated with independent, seemingly dangerous women. It's Anys and Mem Gowdie who are Eyam's resident herb experts before their untimely deaths, and it's Anna and Elinor who pick up where they leave off. As we know, not everyone thinks that this is a good idea. As Anna says: "I knew how easy it is for widow to be turned witch in the common mind, and the first cause generally is that she meddles somehow in medicinals" (2.2.50).
In this society, a skilled woman is something to be feared. Sigh. Those are some swell gender roles, huh?
Herbs thus represent a world that exists outside of certain societal constraints. They represent how the women we meet in the novel—Anna, Elinor, Anys, and Mem—must overstep the boundaries placed in front of them by their society in order to create their own sense of community and strength.
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Passage-Based Indexing graphic
Passage-Based Indexing: Understanding Google’s New Method of Indexation
Google has rolled out passage-based indexing, its most incredible search innovation, across the world. It is a breakthrough in the Google ranking system. This recent move of Google offers the less well-known sites having high-quality content to gain ranking in search results. However, the latest announcement of Google passage-based indexing has caused some level of confusion.
What exactly is passage-based indexing?
Image from Google's Passage-Based Indexing Patent
Passage-based indexing is also known as passage-based ranking. It means Google uses web pages of specific passages for ranking. Google will look for particular passages and understand if that text answers the corresponding search query.
Google’s passage-based indexing is when Google analyzes a passage’s context concerning its place in a whole webpage’s intent. Thus, passage-based indexing looks for the best answer on a page instead of the best result for a query. Google will go through the whole web page topic and understand the information, but also check if specific subtopics relate to the passage or not.
Google will consider the passage’s meaning and give relevant results for a query. It means the products you receive will be query-oriented. Passage indexing is also known as “passage-based ranking.”
How is Google passage-based indexing different than regular indexing?
Google passage-based indexing differs from the normal method of rankings webpages. Now, Google will index the web pages and also the passages of those pages. It will go through the entire web page. Thus, Google will understand individual passage’s relevancy to present the query result relevant to the search user’s intent. It is like finding a significant item and is a form of checking done as good intelligence.
Search engines with this capability acquired a methodology to determine a passage’s relevance to the entire web page query. Google will index web pages entirely. The search systems will take out the essence of the passage after analyzing the content and decide if it is relevant. Thus, it is necessary to know that Google’s passage-based indexing will go through all the passages and the entire web pages.
How will Google determine which query uses passage indexing?
Google earlier considered page titles and headings to understand if the content has related information to the search query. These are important, while the new addition is to find if the web pages have individual passages answering the search query. Google will do passage-based indexing means a passage-based search to find an answer to a user’s question. In theory, recent results will pull answers from web passages on-page, even if the remaining content is a little off-topic or less relevant.
Why this change to passage-based indexing?
Google announcement of passage-based indexing mainly for two reasons:
• It wants to give accurate search results focusing on the search terms. The results will be a result of an improved search featuring focused content from the specific passages. It may include even less authoritative websites that are much behind in the ranking order. This way, Google will attract searchers offering specific answers query-related and improve middle to local web pages’ prospects.
• Google is using AI and natural language. Thus, the content creators must understand Google will find out from any of the passages the related information. Conversely, your content page cannot have the same keyword variations. The SEOs can concentrate on offering well-structured, relevant content.
Tweet from Google Search Liaison account confirming passage-based indexing roll out
Google rolled out the English language update in the US and plan to release this on international English language versions of the search engine. Additional language support will also be rolling out soon in 2021.
Features of Passage-indexing
Now that you know what Google passage-based indexing is, passage ranking is also known as passage indexing, but the fact remains that it has no relevance with indexing. The passage-indexing features are:
• To surface the web pages and to find if it lacks unclear sections or no headings, lack of SEO optimizations, or does it cover various topics. The search results will go through each passage and determine if the goal of the subject is met or not.
• Passage-based indexing does not ask you to optimize passage ranking. However, once it is rolled-out, nearly 7% of queries will get affected. Google is trying to help the searchers by offering the right results. Thus, Google is going through passages to get the information and meaning of the individual passage. Eventually, the aim is to give the most relevant results for user queries.
Which are the web pages that will benefit from passage-based indexing?
Google’s passage-based ranking latest innovative change for serving users diversified search engine results pages. It will offer an opportunity that has web pages:
• Diluted content that isn’t in direct alignment with the main topic.
• Covering several topics under one heading
• Providing poor structure of information such that it lacks headings, paragraphs, or subheadings
• Covering a straightforward and general topic
• Not SEO optimized.
Both small and big websites will find the passage-based indexing beneficial. They can see the benefit here:
• A travel blogger. A blogger having a small travel blog may be handling it individually. The blog may have lots of travel details to different countries, but it is not SEO-optimized. It means the blog posts are less focused on a particular topic but has much information, tips, and hands-on experience. With its passage-based indexing or ranking, Google will surface and bring such points out in the results. The hunt is for the right keywords and information from the web pages.
• High-quality long-form content now has an opportunity to diversify the organic keywords related to page rankings. Google’s ability to understand a passage’s context will give more sites a better chance to rank.
Conclusion: Summarizing Passage-Based Indexing
Google passage-based indexing is a support system for the searcher to receive exact results. The websites will also notice improvements as they will focus on relevant keywords. It is beneficial to have long-tail keywords encircling the aim of the search for a topic and not relating only to the topic.
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What Are Warts or Verruca?
A wart is an infection caused by a virus, which can invade your skin through small cuts or breaks. Over time, the wart develops into a hard, rough growth on the surface of the skin. A wart is most commonly seen on the bottom of the foot (known as a plantar wart), but can also appear on the top. Children, teens, and people with allergies or weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to the wart virus.
Are warts contageous?
YES!!! Because warts are caused by a virus, they are highly contagious; and will usually become present at times where our immune system may be a little compromised. The most common way to get one is direct skin-to-skin contact. However indirect contact such as being barefoot in wet areas, sharing towels, socks and shoes with someone who has a wart, will highly increase your chances of becoming infected with the HPV (wart) virus.
How do I know if I have a wart?
Diagnosis of a wart should always be made by a professional,;especially before attempting to use store bought products to treat your wart. Most plantar warts are diagnosed based on their appearance. In some cases, your podiatrist may scrape a sample of skin cells from the wart and send the sample to a pathologist for microscopic evaluation.
Wart Treatment:
Warts will often relieve themselves as our body fights off the virus. However this can be a slow process and can take months or even years. This plus the fact they can be painful when on weight-bearing areas, is why many people decide to 'take action' and see a podiatrist or doctor to help them find the best option to treat their wart.
There are plenty of old wives’ tales out there about treating warts — we’ve heard everything from applying duct tape, banana peels or even selling their wart! All treatments used on warts aim disrupt the area so the immune system will act to eliminate the virus. Many people try over-the-counter treatments first; however most are made of low-concentration salicylic acid, which often isn’t strong enough to kill the warts and often damages the healthy, surrounding skin. In our opinion warts should always be treated by a professional.
Our podiatrists at Sydney Podiatry Co like to treat warts in a holistic manner and try to provide a comfortable and painless experience for both kids and adults. Our treatments may include:
• Discussing the current state of your immune system and looking at ways to boost your immunity. This may include collaboration with other health professionals. Since warts are a virus it may be recommended to boost the immune system and leave them to heal spontaneously. However since they are highly contagious, painful and can spread, it is often recommended to keep a close watch of them and seek help if they become unmanageable.
• Chemical cautery is often the first line of treatment used for plantar warts. Specific chemicals are used under close supervision in conjunction with careful debridement in an effort to breakdown of wart tissue and initiate an auto-immune response. Single warts usually require between 4 and 8 treatments. Multiple warts may be more resistant and take longer to eradicate.
• Beetle Juice (cantharadin), yes thats right we use a diluted compound that in nature is secreted by many species of blister beetle including the Spanish fly. In our opinion cantharadin is the most effective and painless topical treatment for warts. Children rarely complain of pain following treatment and adults tend to experience, if any, very mild discomfort the next day.
• Prescribed Medications; for those who have many warts numbering in the dozens if not hundreds, simple acids or surgery will not work due to the large amount of warts that need to be treated. In these cases a your doctor may prescribe medications such has high doses of Vitamin A or Cimetidine.
• If all else fails, you may need to have a minor surgical procedure called curettage.
With so many treatment options available, you can be pretty confident you’re dealing with a common but tricky problem. The best line of treatment is to make a booking with one of our Podiatrists at Sydney Podiatry Co who will ensure that the most effective treatment plan is put in place from the get-go. This could save you a lot of time, frustration and money.
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15 Awesome Dog Facts That Kids Will Love
Because what's cooler than a dog 🐶
dog and girl
You probably think your dog is the most special pup in the world — but did you know that your dog actually has three eyelids? It’s true — and there are plenty more amazing and fun dog facts that show just how special your dog really is!
You might think you know all there is to know about your pup, but there’s so much more cool stuff to learn about him. Here are 15 fun and kid-friendly facts about dogs that prove he really is the best friend there is.
Your dog’s sense of smell is at least 40 times greater than yours.
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell. They can even use it to help people! Dogs like bloodhounds work with police forces to help find missing people. And some dogs can even smell certain medical conditions, including types of cancer, malaria and Parkinson's disease. Other dogs can even be trained to use their powerful sense of smell to remind their human family members to take their medication!
Dogs can breathe out through their noses and mouths at the same time.
It might sound easy, but most humans can’t do it. We dare you to try it!
All puppies are born deaf.
Hearing is the last sense to develop after puppies are born, and it usually takes puppies about three weeks to begin hearing. However, once hearing kicks in, your puppy will be able to hear about four times better than you can!
Most dogs can learn over 160 words.
The average dog can learn 165 words and signals whereas “super dogs,” who are in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence, can learn up to 250 words. Researchers believe that a dog’s intelligence is about the same as a 2-year-old child’s.
A dog’s nose print is as unique as our fingerprints.
No two dog noses are alike!
Greyhounds can run faster than a cheetah (kind of).
Although a cheetah, who is the fastest land animal, can run upwards of 70 miles per hour, they can only run that fast for about 30 seconds at a time. A greyhound, however, can run upwards of 45 miles per hour and keep going for over seven miles.
Dogs sweat through their paws.
You might know that dogs pant to stay cool, but did you know that dogs actually sweat through their paws? It’s thought that dogs sweat through their paws not only to stay cool, but to help them better grip the ground as they walk.
Our dogs see different colors than we do.
You might have heard that dogs are colorblind, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Dog eyes don’t have the same amount of cones' as human eyes do, which are a type of cell that helps us see color. So while your dog can see color, we’re just not entirely sure which colors he can see.
The tallest dog in the world stood at over 7 feet 4 inches tall!
His name was Zeus and he was a Great Dane. Zeus holds the world record for being the tallest dog ever — when he stood on his back legs, he was taller than a human! He was so tall he could drink from the kitchen faucet, and his family had to buy a new van because he wouldn’t fit in a normal car!
Australian shepherds aren’t actually Australian.
Australian shepherds — which were often the companions of choice of cowboys — were actually bred in California during the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s.
Dalmations are all born white.
As dalmatians grow up, they begin to develop their unique black spots.
Dogs dream just like we do.
It’s believed that puppies and senior dogs actually dream more than adult dogs do. And yes, most dogs twitch in their sleep because they’re acting out whatever is happening in their heads — chasing a toy, getting belly rubs or barking at that pesky squirrel.
Yawning is contagious for dogs, too.
If you yawn, science shows that your dog will probably yawn soon after. Try it out and see if it’s true!
Newfoundlands make the best lifeguards.
That’s because they have water-resistant fur and webbed toes and have been bred to save people from drowning.
Dogs have three eyelids.
Dogs have an upper eyelid, a lower eyelid and a third inner eyelid called the “nictitating membrane” which acts as a third protective layer and helps keep your pup’s eye moist.
And you thought your dog was cool because he could sit and stay! After learning these fun facts about your dog, we think he deserves an extra treat.
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In the past, artists were known by different names. According to Henry M. Sayre, “artists were people who used their creativity to record their surroundings, express their emotions, reveal universal truths, and help people understand the world differently.” These roles are still prevalent in the art world today, but artists today often incorporate these traditional aspects and define their functions in accordance with the type of art they produce. Whether you’re an amateur or an established artist, you can find a job that suits your creative vision.
Artists can be classified in a variety of ways, based on the work they create. For example, some artists create their own music while others work with other musicians to create their work. Some artists start with a musical idea and then develop it into a full song. Others have a variety of talents, ranging from performing arts to learning multiple instruments and music production. Some artists are great singers while others are skilled at several. Charlie Puth is a prime example of an artist who has a broad skill set.
While many artists may not be aware of it, the federal government considers themselves artists. The Census Bureau conducts a broader national survey every ten years, and the American Community Survey asks about paid employment in the arts. Using hard numbers would disqualify most applicants. Moreover, there are many other ways to define an artist. While this is not the only criteria for determining a career as an artist, it is a good indicator for the success of the field.
An artist is someone who creates art. The definition of an artist is subjective, but it is not necessarily confined to painting. There are other types of artists, including screenwriters, authors, musicians, and dancers. The distinction is important because of the copyright issues. An artist is not a human photocopier. They make art for a reason, and attempt to communicate their ideas with others. They observe the world around them, and take inspiration from things such as color, texture, contrast, and emotion.
An artist’s definition depends on how much time the artist spends in their studio. Some artists choose to create a large body of work while others prefer a smaller and more focused artistic expression. This is why artists must have a lot of time to produce art. They are not just working on one piece. Aside from being an artist, they must be creative. For instance, if an artist has a studio, it can be a photographer.
An artist can be a professional in a variety of fields. If they’re not represented by a gallery, they must market themselves. This means marketing themselves. Some artists blog, perform interviews, and sell their art. Self-promotion is crucial for an artist because it helps them build their reputation. In the end, it’s important for artists to be part of a community. An art community helps artists get the exposure they need to reach the people they want.
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Exercise 2: past continuous/progressive
(Practise your skills in forming the past continuous)
Past progressive (ing form) – cloze test (difficulty: 3 of 5 – medium)
Fill the gaps with the correct verb form of the past progressive or continuous combined with the information in brackets. Pay attention to the interrogative sentences and their word order. Do not use short or contracted forms for the gaps.
• Example: “____________ on the phone?” (she, talk) → Was she talking on the phone?”
You can check your results with the button below after you have finished. If you still need help with the topic, reread the use and formation of the past progressive/continuous as well as the word order in questions. You may also use the hint button, but note that you will lose points for that.
1. a lot of beer. (they, drink)
2. to music? (she, listen)
3. with his brother. (he, play)
4. A: that scary movie? (she, watch)
B: No, she wasn’t. yoga. (she, do)
5. They were not at home. their parents. (they, visit)
6. Where were Sue and Allen? their new bikes? (they, ride)
7. when you came home? (your mother, cook)
8. in the garage. (my dad, work)
9. on the bench when I saw that rare bird. (I, sit)
Further exercises and explanations related to the ‘Past continuous’
The following exercises and explanations are related to the English tense ‘Past continuous/progressive’ and also test your knowledge:
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Winners and losers in nature’s battle with the British weather
This year's bad weather has proved “almost apocalyptic” for much of the UK's wildlife, according to one charity.
Many birds, bats, butterflies, bees, amphibians and wildflowers have been struggling in the cold wet conditions and the National Trust warns that the outlook for some species next year is bleak.
The Trust's conservation adviser Matthew Oates warns of local extinction of species of rare and isolated insects such as butterflies. Wet weather has hit the breeding attempts of a wide array of wildlife, with puffins drowned in their burrows, sea birds being blown off cliffs by gales and garden birds struggling to find enough food for their young.
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Puffins on the Farne Islands off the north-east coast, managed by the National Trust, have had a catastrophic breeding year, with 90 per cent of burrows lost on Brownsman Island and around half of burrows flooded on the other islands.
The cool conditions have also affected bats, in particular lesser and greater horseshoe bats, whose pregnancies will have slowed down.
Pups will be born underweight and will not get enough nutrition from their mothers to grow properly in preparation for hibernation.
Butterflies, bees, bumblebees, hoverflies and moths have all become scarce in the wet conditions.
The dry start to the year dried up pools for amphibians to breed in, and when the rain arrived in April it filled up ponds with water too cool for frogs, newts and toads.
"For many species prospects in 2013 are bleak. Our wildlife desperately needs some sustained sunshine, particularly beneficial insects. A good summer next year would also allow species such as insects which have been in decline after two bad years to begin to rebuild populations in areas from where they have been lost.
There have been some wildlife winners from the wettest April to June on record and the second dullest June ever recorded, but they are hardly Britain's most-loved species, with slugs and snails thriving in gardens.
Gardeners have also been battling to keep their fast- growing lawns mown, while bracken, nettles and brambles are all doing well in the countryside.
The wet weather has also been good for mosses and plants such as early gentian and bee orchids.
“A lot of wildlife runs back and forth between boom and bust,” says Oates. “Nature doesn’t really do ‘balance’, although it’s talked about a lot.
“Bad summers are nothing new in Britain, but nonetheless the impact on wildife, especially on winged insects and species that eat insects, is serious.
“For example, the shortage of caterpillars for small birds like blue tits and grey tits to feed to their young in early summer means that these birds give up and don’t breed.
“If such birds, which only have a lifespan of two or three years, don’t breed for a year then the effect on the population is huge. Larger birds like terns live for up to 20 years so it’s no great problem if they lose a breeding season.
“Wildlife and humans are in this together. If the bad spell persists and farmers can’t get machinery onto the sodden land to harvest then the knock-ons are very serious.”
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Everything moves fast and yet, nearly not fast enough...
An opinion piece about how the pace of the modern world makes us underestimate how difficult the energy transition is
Oct 4, 2021
Back to the blog
Let’s start with a paradox. The planet we’re living on, Earth, since terraforming and colonizing Mars is currently not possible, is slowing down. 500 million years ago, a day was22 hours long. Given that the change is about a millisecond per century, it is very unlikely that any of us will feel that effect. It is, however, all the more surprising if one considers the evolution of human activity and the fact that things seem to always go faster. And indeed, the ‘Great Acceleration’ is the expression used to describe the spectacular development since the 1950s, of the world economy, population, energy demand, trade, and… of the human impact on the environment.
Lightning speed of information
What better example than the flow of information to characterize the speed at which things can go in our modern world?
All major media continuously diffuse information and news on their website. A study made with data from 2013 which analysed 2.5 million news articles, showed that in average it took 175minutes for a piece of news appearing on one website for the first time to be repeated on another news channel. For a quarter of those events, the time was less than 4 minutes! Somewhat ironically, fake news actually diffuse much faster than real information. On Twitter for example, studies show that fake information propagates 10 to 20 times faster than a real news. On financial markets, reaction times for high frequency trading are of the order of milliseconds.
In very different fields, the Covid-19 virus propagated throughout the whole world in hardly a few months after its discovery in humans. Things which appeared impossible have been realized on very short timescales. 8years elapsed between John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s speech announcing, in 1961, the decision to land a man on the Moon and Neil Armstrong’s first step on our satellite in 1969.
Adoption speed of new technologies
The speed at which certain technologies are adopted can also make one dizzy. In 2000, there were about 730 million mobile phones in the world. 16 years later, there are about 7.4 billion, as many as there are inhabitants. This of course does not mean that every inhabitant has got one- many people own at least two. Over the same period, the fraction of American households owning a tablet went from3 to 64%. The pace at which new objects are released is also breathtaking. Mobile phone manufacturers update their flagship model every year. The number of pixels on smartphone cameras has been multiplied by 35 in 10 years, and the trend is now the multiplication of camera sensors themselves.
But nothing beats Moore’s law, postulated on the basis of empirical observations by Intel’s co-founder in 1965 and revised 10 years later. It states that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every 2 years- an annual growth rate of 41%. A growth rate which has been maintained over almost50 years, resulting in a multiplication factor of 25 million!
Energy transition: fast and easy ?
From the above figures, the total transformation of our energy system might seem possible in a fast fashion. This energy system is still currently based for 80% on fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) that we consume at a rate of about 15 billion tons per year (2019 number). As stated in the recent IPPCC report, the remaining carbon dioxide budget to have a reasonable change to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees is about 460 billion tons- while our annual emissions are about 40 billion tons.The budget gets larger if one considers 2 degrees as a target, with all the dire consequences it implies. A drastic reduction of our emissions is in any case required within the next 30 years- a reduction which has yet to start.
It is true that in their phase of exponential growth, energy technologies such as nuclear, wind or solar photovoltaic grew at about 25-40% per year. For nuclear that growth has stopped rather abruptly towards the end of the 1980s. In 2019, nuclear accounted for about 4% of the world energy demand (10% electricity). Although nuclear has very beneficial advantages to decarbonize electricity production, it is currently hard to see signs of a coming renaissance- but some countries seem to be changing their mind. Wind and solar represent 1 and 2% of our primary energy.A recent study done across 60 countries showed that wind and solar typically deploy at a rate between 0.8 and 1.8% of the total installed capacity per year. While this is fast, it is not fast enough to be compatible with most envisaged net-zero scenarios. In addition, many countries tend to observe a slowdown of renewable deployment rates despite the relatively low penetration in the electricity system.
Finally, in the energy world, contrary to what happens for mobile phones, infrastructures and power plants require significant investments (of the order of 1 billion euro per GW for coal) and they are designed to operate for a long time. Closing power plants earlier than anticipated potentially represent a significant cost. A country building coal power plants in 2021, and about 500GW of new coal capacity is being considered, will certainly not close them in 2025. By its size, our energy system- the world primary energy demand is about 160 000 TWh- is therefore much closer from a giant container-ship than a jetski…
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Identifying unemploymentMinimum-wage lawsUnions and also collective bargainingThe theory of performance wagesJob search
If a country keeps that workers completely employed, it achieves a higher level of GDP than if it leaves many workers idle. In this chapter, we are came to largely through the natural rate of unemployment, which is the amount of unemploymentthat the economic climate normally experiences. ‘Natural’ does no mean consistent or impervious to economic policy. It method that that is the unemployment that doesn’t walk away ~ above its own. This chapter addresses the measurement and also interpretation of joblessness statistics, and also some causes and cures because that unemployment.
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Identifying unemployment
The Australian bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides the Labour force Survey to categorise all surveyed adults (15 and older) together employed, unemployment or not in the work force.
employed: worked at least one hour of the vault week at a paid jobunemployed: on short-lived layoff, or searched for a job or waiting to begin a brand-new jobnot in the work force: no in previous two categories (student, homemaker, retired)
The ABS climate computes:
labour pressure = number of employed + variety of unemployedunemployment price = (number of unemployed/labour force) x 100labour-force participation rate = (labour force/adult pop.) x 100
The work force consists of all civilization who have actually made themselves obtainable for work. The unemployment rate is the percent the the labour force that is unemployed. The labour-force joining rate is the percent that the full adult population who are in the work force. The joblessness rate and also the labour-force participation rate vary widely throughout demographic groups. Women have lower labour-force participation rates than men, however once in the labour pressure they have comparable unemployment rates. Migrants come Australia have lower joining rates and also lower unemployment rates, while teens have reduced participation prices but higher unemployment prices than the population as a whole.
The normal rate of unemployment roughly which the unemployment price fluctuates is the natural price of unemployment. The deviation in joblessness from the organic rate is well-known as cyclical unemployment. In recent history, the herbal rate of joblessness in Australia has actually been about 5%. This thing is pertained to with explaining the characteristics and also causes that the natural rate.
Because people move into and also out that the labour force so often, joblessness is challenging to measure and interpret. Because that example, end one-third that the unemployment are recent entrants to the labour force and fifty percent of every spells that unemployment end when the unemployed human leaves the work force. In addition, unemployment may be inaccurately measure up because:
Some people are count in the labour force however unemployed also though they are only pretending to look for job-related so the they have the right to collect government assistance or since they space being paid ‘under the table.’ This action biases the unemployment statistics upward.Some human being have had actually an unsuccessful search for a job and also have offered up looking for work therefore they space not counted in the work force. These people are dubbed discouraged workers. This behaviour biases the unemployment statistics downward.
Knowledge around the duration of joblessness spells may aid us design corrective plans for unemployment. Evidence argues that most spells are short-term, yet most unemployment at any type of given time is long-term. This way that many world are unemployment for quick periods, however a couple of people are unemployed for very long periods. Economic experts think short-lived unemployment is much less of a social difficulty than irreversible unemployment.
In most markets, prices change to balance supply and demand. In the ideal work market, salaries would change so the there would be no unemployment. However, even when the economy is act well, the unemployment rate never falls to zero. The complying with sections address four factors why the labour market falls short of the ideal sector - minimum-wage laws, unions, performance wages and job search.
Minimum-wage laws
Structural unemployment results once the number of jobs is poor for the number of workers. Recall from thing 6 the minimum-wage laws pressure the fairy to remain over the equilibrium wage. This reasons the quantity of work supplied come exceed the amount of work demanded. There is a surplus of labour or unemployment. Due to the fact that the equilibrium wage for most workers exceeds the minimum wage, the minimum wage has tendency to reason unemployment only for the the very least skilled and also least experienced, such as teenagers.
Although just a small section of complete unemployment is due to the minimum wage, an evaluation of the minimum fairy points the end a general rule: If a fairy is held above the equilibrium level, the result is unemployment. The following two sections build two additional reasons why the wage may be held above the equilibrium level.
Unions and collective bargaining
A union is a worker association that engages in collective bargaining with employers end wages and also working conditions. A union is a cartel due to the fact that it is a team of sellers organised come exert industry power. If the union and firm fail to reach an agreement, the union have the right to strike - the is, withdraw its work services indigenous the firm. Since of the threat of a strike, workers in unions earn higher wages 보다 non-union members. Less-educated workers gain a better financial benefit from union member than execute better-educated workers.
Unions benefit insiders (members) in ~ the price of outsiders (non-members). When the union raises the wage above the equilibrium wage, unemployment results. Insiders earn greater wages and also outsiders space either unemployment or have to take jobs with non-union firms. This increases the it is provided of labour in the non-union sector and also lowers the wage additional for non-union workers.
There is tiny agreement about whether union are great or negative for the economy. Critics argue the unions are cartels that raise the price of labour above the competitive equilibrium. This is inefficient (causes unemployment) and inequitable (insiders acquire at the cost of outsiders). Pendant of unions argue that firms have market power and also are may be to depress the wage, so union are simply a counterbalance come the that company power. This is most likely to it is in true in a company town whereby one firm hires many of the employees in the region. Supporters additionally argue the unions are efficient due to the fact that firms don’t have to bargain through individual workers about salary and also benefits. That is, unions might reduce transaction costs.
The theory of effectiveness wages
The theory of efficiency wages argues that firms may intentionally host wages over the competitive equilibrium because it is efficient for them to execute so. Performance wages are similar to minimum-wage laws and also unions because, in all three cases, unemployment outcomes from incomes being held above the equilibrium wage. However, an effectiveness wage is inexplicable in that it is payment voluntarily by the firm. Below, we resolve four factors why that company may uncover it reliable (or profitable) to salary a fairy in overfill of the competitive equilibrium:
Worker health may be boosted by paying a greater wage. Better-paid employees eat a far better diet and are more productive. This is an ext applicable come firms in developing nations and is most likely not relevant for this firm in Australia.Worker turnover might be diminished by payment a greater wage, due to the fact that workers will find it difficult to find different jobs in ~ the higher wage. That company may uncover it rewarding to minimize worker turnover because there is a cost linked with hiring and also training new workers and also because new workers space not as experienced.Worker effort may be increased by paying a greater wage. Once a worker’s effort cannot be conveniently monitored, workers might shirk their responsibilities. If caught and also fired, a worker earning the compete equilibrium fairy can conveniently find another job in ~ the very same wage. Greater wages make employees eager to save their jobs and also work hard.Worker quality deserve to be enhanced by paying a higher wage. Firms cannot perfectly gauge the quality of their task applicants. Higher-quality workers have actually a greater reservation wage - the minimum wage they space willing come accept. By paying a wage above the competitive equilibrium, firms have actually a greater probability the attracting high-quality applicants because that a project opening.
Job search
Job search is the process of corresponding workers and also jobs. Just as workers differ in their skills and tastes, tasks differ in their attributes. Moreover, information about jobs disseminates slowly. Therefore, the takes time for job candidates and also job vacancies to match.
Job-search joblessness is unavoidable in a dynamic economy. Together the demand for products changes, part industries and regions will certainly experience growth while others will contract. These alters in the ingredient of demand amongst industries or areas are dubbed sectoral shifts. Sectoral shifts reason temporary job-search unemployment as employees in contracting sectors lose their jobs and also search for occupational in the cultivation sectors.
Job-search unemployment may be diminished by improved information about job openings provided by the Internet. Federal government may have the ability to lower job-search unemployment by engaging in tasks that shorten the job-search time. 2 such programs room (1) government-sponsored employment agencies to help match workers and also jobs; and (2) public-training program to retrain workers laid turn off from contracting sectors. Movie critics argue that government is ill-suited to carry out these things and also that the industry does a much more efficient project at matching and retraining.
See more: Watch Wwe Raw June 22 2015, Wwe Monday Night Raw: June 22, 2015
Unemployment benefits rise job-search unemployment because unemployed employees are much more likely come (1) dedicate less effort to their job search; (2) rotate down unattractive task offers; and (3) it is in less pertained to with project security. This does not median that paying joblessness benefits is bad. Unemployment benefits carry out workers with partial protection versus job loss and may enhance the performance of the job sector by permitting workers to search longer for the best job match.
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What is a Mandala?
Loosely translated, Mandala means “sacred circle” and consists of patterns of designs that radiate out from a unified center.
The mandala is an ancient art practice for healing, meditation and enlightenment, which originated in India and Tibet over 6,000 years ago, and has been used in cultures and religions all over the world.
Mandalas in Nature
Mandala patterns can be seen all around us in nature — right down to the cells in our body and out into the cosmos, and everywhere in between
Personal Mandalas
Swiss psychologist Carl Jung brought the Mandala from the East to the Western world, and used it to help diagnose his patients. He believed the mandala is “symbolic of the inner process by which individuals grow toward fulfilling their potential for wholeness.”
Through his own daily practice of creating mandalas, Jung witnessed how his creations reflected his mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and that the subconscious and conscious self is always seeking balance. He used the art form with patients to aid in self-expression, discovery and healing.
CMP Mandala Workshops for Wellness
At CMP, we don’t diagnose or heal anyone. Participants do create personal mandalas, and may engage in their own self-healing. Teaching since 2004, we have witnessed first-hand how profound, enlightening, uplifting and transforming the experience can be.
Read Testimonials and view Art Experiences to get more of a feel for what this fun, meaningful activity is like for participants.
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There is nothing grammatically wrong with starting a sentence with a conjunction like but, and, or or. Not only, but also examples.
Pin On Conjunctions In English
But this answer comes with a warning.
Start a sentence with but example. The first printable shows eight ways to begin sentences. Example sentences with the word but. She followed him out the door and watched as he hopped into the truck and started the engine.
According to the chicago manual of style, the belief that beginning a sentence with and, but, or so is an error “has no historical or grammatical foundation.”. With any of these examples, you can still use the sentence starters in this article to make your sentences pop out. For example, i often suggest that students start with a personal example of the situation to draw in the reader's attention and then have them give statistics to show the scope of the problem.
Good sentence starters for contrasts and abrupt transitions. The short answer is yes; How to use but in a sentence.
According to a usage note in the fourth edition of the american heritage dictionary, but may be used to begin a sentence at all levels of style. and in the king's english, kingsley amis says that the idea that and must not begin a sentence or even a paragraph, is an empty superstition. Lisa started to get up but howard motioned her to sit still while he answered the door. While it is never advisable to use the word never when it comes to english grammar rules, many grammarians still considered it unacceptable to start a sentence with and, but or their opinion, doing so creates a sentence fragment, not a complete.
Some soldiers started running away in a group. Then, he breaks the pattern by using a different sentence structure. In effect, they are being used as follows:
In this location it can be used to emphasize the second of two nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. Michael pollick starting a sentence with and, but or because may not be discouraged when it comes to informal writing. It might be right for your blog posts, whereas more formal coordinating conjunctions like “additionally” or “however” might read better in a white paper.
i studied for the test, but i don't think i did well. Mark and dawn (here, and joins two nouns.) rich but sad (here, but joins two adjectives.) quickly or slowly (here, or joins two adverbs.) when a coordinating conjunction starts a sentence, it is not being used to join like terms but as a link between two sentences (i.e., like a conjunctive adverb). The exception, in my opinion, is with the word “so.” i like a little comma action when i start a sentence with “so.” and this guy at just publishing advice agrees with me:.
The use of “and” or “but” at the start of a sentence sometimes brings a sense of informality. Many grammar buffs will slap you on the hand with a ruler for starting sentences with a conjunction—to them, placing the conjunction (but, and, yet, etc.) first creates a grammatically incomplete thought like a sentence fragment. Basically you’d start a sentence with this phrase if your answer is something your conversation partner isn’t expecting:
The bottom line is though, it’s never truly off limits. But the sentence fragment in the second example (a fragment because it is missing a subject), is not ok. Have students take this simple sentence, and rewrite it using a variety of beginnings.
For this example, the basic sentence is…. It's perfectly acceptable to begin a sentence with and, as well as the other words that we are often taught to avoid such as but or or. writing samples tracing back to the 9th century, including bible translations, break these sacred rules, which stem from attempts to curb school children from stringing too many unrelated sentences. Indeed either word can give unimprovably early warning of.
But also is most often used in the middle of a sentence. i want to go to the party, but i am so tired. I’ve been taught since elementary school to never start with conjunctions, mainly and, but, or.
I had a speaker going on and on and on connecting clauses and phrases with and. So i’ve gone ahead and not start sentences with and, but as the speaker gone on, i resumed doing a comma followed by an and. Without them, the text becomes jarring and scattered, so use them to keep your reader on the right path, especially when contrasting topics.
It’s fine to use a coordinating conjunction to launch an independent clause (a group of words with a subject and a verb that could stand alone as a sentence), such as the one we have in the first example. In this example, nabokov creates a pattern in the first two sentences. The same goes for but.
“but god remembered noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” The idea that you shouldn't begin a sentence with a conjunction is one of those rules that really isn't — along with some others you've probably heard, like never split an infinitive and don't end a sentence with a. Sentence starters work best at times when you must change topics abruptly.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t do it. i like her, but i don't like her friend. i'm hungry, but i have nothing to eat.
The word but helps to show a contrast between ideas, and. The most voted sentence example for but is she objected at first, but fin.
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Story: Sarinthorn Ratjaroenkhajorn
Palliative care, a framework of caregiving that is making rapid progress in healthcare institutions and communities across the country, can raise the quality of life of many severely ill patients. Though if we look around ourselves, aren’t there certain groups of patients that are still neglected. They may become seriously ill and ultimately die alone… on the other side of the wall.
Palliative care is becoming more important in the public health landscape; it was reified in the National Strategic Plan For Enhancing End of Life Well-being (2013-2016). In 2015, the government issued a decree for all hospitals (hospital centres, general hospitals and community hospitals) across the country to establish a palliative care unit. Currently, the majority of hospitals (over 90%) do offer palliative care services, in addition to improving their palliative care knowledge and skill set with the intention of caring for every aspect terminally-ill patients’ quality of life. Their end-of-life care encompasses physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being, ensuring that patients pass away in peace and dignity — as human beings.
Therefore, patients do have access to palliative care services and a good quality of life at the end of their lives. However, there is a group of patients that has been forgotten, simply because they have made some mistakes in life. Living behind iron bars and barbed wire, they are our incarcerated population. Naturally, they also get sick, and within our prisons, there are undoubtedly people who are terminally-ill. They deserve to receive palliative care as well.
The Correctional Hospital is a prison that performs a unique duty. That is, it confines and provides treatment to incarcerated people who are sick. The hospital is located at Lat Yao prison, Bangkok (Khlong Prem Prison). When incarcerated individuals fall sick, they usually receive treatment at the healthcare centre at their facility. When a case exceeds the capacities of the healthcare centre, the patient is either sent to a hospital outside the correctional system or to the Correctional Hospital.
Currently, the Correctional Hospital has a 500-patient capacity and is divided into different departments: the outpatient department, dental clinic, and the inpatient ward, which is split into the psychiatric ward, surgery ward, internal medicine ward, tuberculosis ward and HIV ward. There are around 20 doctors in total (an approximate number, since there is a rotation of interns that come through the hospital), 120 nurses, and additional helpers, who are incarcerated individuals that have been trained in patient care, and attend to the patients.
“Palliative care is new to the Correctional Hospital,” reflects Tiparpa Yeunyang, a nurse practitioner at the hospital. “We began offering it 2-3 years ago, starting with chronically-ill patients with conditions that couldn’t be cured. We tried to look after them holistically, but there needs to be a system in place, and nurses need to be trained. So the hospital began sending its nurses for further training in palliative care”. Tiparpa had previously nursed cancer patients, and had therefore encountered terminally-ill patients before. Transferring to the Correctional Hospital, and seeing certain patients die alone, roused her interest in palliative care. She sees it as delicate work that takes time and comes from the heart: “it’s not just a matter of prescribing medication. After the medication we must evaluate its effect not only on the patient’s physical health, but in other areas too, because some things aren’t treated with medicine, but with conversation.”
At the moment, the Correctional Hospital is in the early stage of developing its palliative care services, and therefore does not yet employ any doctors specialised in palliative care nor have a ward dedicated to terminally-ill patients. However, the hospital continues its efforts to ensure that incarcerated, terminally-ill individuals have a good quality of life and pass away peacefully.
Their first task is pain management for cancer patients, which has proven to be extremely difficult. Since the morphine is classified as a category 2 narcotic, the hospital has to carefully monitor its use. The prescription of morphine requires expertise in assessing the appropriate dosage and treating side-effects. The hospital has solved this problem by partnering with the Cancer Foundation, which sends experts from the Pain Clinic to make rounds at the hospital once a week. The partnership has helped incarcerated patients receive morphine through the appropriate form of patches, oral capsules and injection, which mitigates patients’ suffering from pain. Moreover, the hospital is trying to look after their patients’ emotional well-being through a variety of different formats such as inviting monks to receive alms from patients at the beginning of every month, with the content of the patients’ alms supplied by the department of social work and various charities. Once the alms have been placed in the alms bowl, the monks return them for the patients to use.
Another activity which has had a tangible spiritual impact for patients is family visits. Originally, relatives were allowed only a 5-10 minute bedside visit. Nowadays, relatives can visit seriously-ill and terminally-ill patients for a half hour to an hour each time. Of course, patients want their families to be with them all the time, but this is not something the Correctional Hospital can do, and it has the duration of visiting time instead. Furthermore, 1 out of 3 of incarcerated, terminally-ill individuals are considered for compassionate release — that is, they will be allowed to live at home for the remainder of their lives.
In the event that an incarcerated individual passes away, the nurses are required to notify relatives and the forensic department. Though the hospital police know that the patient succumbed to their disease, an autopsy has to be performed on the body, and the cause of death formally determined, because they were incarcerated. Neither the nurses or helpers are allowed to move or even touch the body. Everyone has to wait for the forensic team to examine and remove the body. That being said, what nurses can do, and consider part of their practice of care, is to follow the tradition of asking for forgiveness for the deceased and place flowers around the body. The nurses tell the deceased that they have done their best to take care of them and to forgive them if they were remiss; they pray that the deceased has departed to a good place.
In the beginning, working in palliative care at the Correctional Hospital often entails facing no small number of obstacles. A significant limitation for caregivers are the various laws and regulations that need reviewing. For example: “the granting of compassionate release for terminally-ill patients, so that patients get to pass away at home. I want patients who receive a terminal diagnosis to be able to go home. But it’s difficult because we have to look at the regulations/laws to see what is preventing that from happening”.
Another issue is with the disorganization of the information network, as there are still obstacles to the coordination between different institutions in the community that the patient returns to, whether that is the patient’s former prison, or the the local healthcare centre at the patient’s home (in the event that the patient is released), in order to monitor the patient’s symptoms with continuity. There is also the problem of a shortage of necessary equipment for terminally-ill patients, such as air mattresses for bedridden patients, to give one example.
Another obstacle is the lack of knowledgeable palliative care doctors at the Correctional Hospital that would be able to treat patients and further develop its palliative care services. On the same note, the nurses, as colleagues in the same field, should have an understanding of palliative care as well, so that they can appropriately provide a good quality of life and a peaceful death for incarcerated patients just like all other patients. Regardless, the Correctional Hospital finds itself constantly presented with this question about inmate care: “They’ve committed crimes, so why look after them”? To this, Tiparpa responds: “But for me, they come to me sick, and I must take care of them. I don’t look at what they’ve done”. And it’s exactly like she says — she isn’t interested in the fact that the being in front of her is an incarcerated individual, but that they are a patient that needs to be fully cared for. She remembers one foreign incarcerated patient who was an atheist, but asked to touch a statue of the buddha before they took their last breath. When asked what the patient was serving time for, Tiparpa thought for a long time, but ultimately didn’t have an answer. She genuinely didn’t know what it was.
People who have done wrong, who have been convicted, and incarcerated are like everyone else that suffers from illness and death. The commitment to making sure that patients have a good quality of life at the end of their lives should be extended to all people from all walks of life, with not even one exception.
Thiparpa Yeunyang, nurse practitioner at the Correctional Hospital, interviewed on 9/10/2018.
The Correctional Hospital’s website, Accessed on 26/10/2018.
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What is lead used for in Canada?
In Canada, the major use of lead is in the manufacture of (lead-acid) batteries, used in automobiles. It is also used in ammunition and solder. Lead pigments are added to glass to prevent radiation exposure from television and computer screens, storage containers for nuclear waste and x-ray shielding aprons.
What is lead still used for?
What products is lead used for?
Lead is still used in paint and surface finishes of cars and boats. Flaking or peeling paint, or renovation activities, may generate dust or chips of paint containing lead which can then be inhaled by adults or inhaled or eaten by children.
Is lead Found in Canada?
Production. In 2019, Canadian mines produced an estimated 22,608 tonnes of lead in concentrate. Canada operates two primary and five recycled lead smelters. Recycled lead accounted for 60% of Canada’s total refined lead production in 2019 partially because of substantial recycling of lead-acid batteries.
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How is lead being used?
Lead and lead compounds have been used in a wide variety of products found in and around our homes, including paint, ceramics, pipes and plumbing materials, solders, gasoline, batteries, ammunition and cosmetics. Lead may enter the environment from these past and current uses.
Why is lead so widely used?
What jobs use lead?
Jobs That May Have Lead Exposure
• Artists (materials used may contain lead)
• Auto repairers (car parts may contain lead)
• Battery manufacturers (batteries contain lead)
• Bridge reconstruction workers (old paint may contain lead)
• Construction workers (materials used may include lead)
Is lead still used in products?
Why is lead so toxic?
Lead is bad for humans because it interferes with numerous enzymes inside the cells of these organs. This results in symptoms such as muscle and joint aches as well as constipation and overall fatigue. It damages our brains by interfering with how brain cells send messages and communicate.
IT IS IMPORTANT: Your question: How can I correct my study permit mistake in Canada?
Why is lead banned?
The United States banned the manufacture of lead-based house paint in 1978 due to health concerns. Lead has long been considered to be a harmful environmental pollutant. … These can be through air, drinking water, food, contaminated soil, deteriorating paint, and dust.
How common is lead poisoning in Canada?
But severe cases of lead poisoning are rare in Canada. You can be exposed to lead by sucking, chewing, or swallowing products that have lead in them, or breathing lead fumes. Lead can stay in your body for over 25 years following exposure.
When did Canada stop using lead paint?
Lead paint was banned in 1978 in the United States after studies showed it could cause neurological problems and even death in children. Health Canada says long term exposure could cause anemia and damage the brain and nervous system. Lead paint was restricted in Canada in 1976 to 5000 parts per million for interiors.
What Canadian cities have high lead in water?
Five cities — Montréal, Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Rupert, B.C. and Moose Jaw, Sask. — had levels of lead in their water that were comparable with Flint, Mich., during its peak period of water contamination.
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NASA Katherine Johnson Supply Ship Departs ISS
A unmanned NASA resupply ship, docked at the International Space Station (ISS) since February, departed Tuesday on one last mission to deploy satellites before burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.The Cygnus supply ship, built by the Northrop Grumman aerospace company, is named the S.S. Katherine Johnson, after the African American NASA mathematician whose work was made famous in the movie Hidden Figures. Her calculations contributed to the February 20, 1962 mission in which John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.After departure from the space station, the Katherine Johnson was to remain in Earth orbit to deploy five cube satellites, including one designed to study the Earth’s ionosphere, a layer of electrons in its upper atmosphere, along with an educational satellite from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.Thursday evening, the supply ship fires its engines one last time and re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere where it will burn up. The ship is filled with several tons of waste from the orbiting outpost.Another supply ship bound for the ISS is scheduled to be launched later Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
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General description:
TIG is a welding process that uses a tungsten electrode.
The electrode, arc and weld seam are protected from oxygen by ARGON gas.
The filler material in the same alloy as the workpiece is added manually or automatically with a cold wire feed.
TIG welding is mainly used in the food industry, chemical industry, interior construction companies, there are 2 main groups DC and ACDC, where DC stands for all Ferrous and non Ferrous materials, and the ACDC is used exclusively for welding ALU.
The TIG welding process is characterized, among other things, by a slow welding speed, but a quality weld is obtained.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Curious about the possibilities?
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AIM: This session ‘King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba’ Children’s Lesson (1 Kings 10:1-13) is aimed at teaching the children to use the gifts that God has given them to help others.
1. ‘Standing’ by eKids of Elevation Church
2. ‘For Your Glory’ by eKids of Elevation Church
3. ‘I Am Yours’ by Kids on the Move
1. Quiz Time. Create a fun and easy quiz to demonstrate how knowledgeable the children are. The winning team/player can win a prize. Explain that knowledge and wisdom are very different.
2. Capture the Crown. Play a game of capture the flag, but instead of using a flag, use a crown for each team! You can find the rules for capture the flag here.
3. Run Around the Room. Use picture of crowns to stick around the room and have children run around the room trying to find them. Choose a couple of contestants or use everyone in a relay format.
SPOT the Simple Meaning:
You will need 4 presents wrapped with gift wrap. Attach one folded piece of paper to each present. On each of the folded pieces of paper have one of the four words below written. Have children or volunteers dress up as King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
What is the best gift you have ever been given? [get feedback] Today we’re going to be looking at the gifts that were given between God, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
King Solomon was the son of the most famous biblical king; King David. Solomon knew that his father was going to be a hard act to follow. The people had loved him and he had served the Lord. King Solomon knew that to be a great king he would need to serve the Lord too, so he decided to give God a gift. The gift Solomon gave God was… [have King Solomon hold up the first gift and then…]
WORSHIP – [open up the ‘worship’ flap on the first present]
The gift that Solomon gave to God was… [get feedback] Worship, that’s right! Worship is when we show something or someone that they mean a lot to us, they matter. In fact, we worship the things that matter most to us. It is the thing or person that we make number 1 in our lives. We can make football, dance, TV or anything number 1 in our lives by thinking and talking about them or doing things that involve them more than anything or anyone else. Who and what we choose to give our gift of worship to is really important!
When King Solomon had given God his worship, he went to bed. As he was dreaming, God came to him in a dream and said. “Solomon, I want to give you a gift. What would you like?”
What would you have said if God asked you this question? [get feedback]
We could ask for all sorts of things couldn’t we?! Yet Solomon asked for….
WISDOM – (open up the ‘wisdom’ flap on the second present and get the kids to shout out what it says)
What does wisdom mean? Or to be wise? [get feedback] Wisdom does mean to know a lot, but it also means that you can know what to do in difficult situations, to do the right thing and not the wrong thing. King Solomon knew that to lead his people, he would need to know what to do when facing tough problems. King Solomon said something like this: “God, I have all these people to lead, too numerous to count, but I have no experience, I’m young and I don’t really know what I’m doing. Please give me wisdom to reign and lead these people well.”
God replied to Solomon saying, “I will give you wisdom. And because you have not asked for your enemies to die, for a long life or for much wealth I am going to do something for you. I am going to give you wisdom [hand the wisdom present to Solomon] and I am also going to give you… “
WEALTH – (open up the ‘wealth’ flap on the third present and have the kids shout it out)
Exactly! God gave Solomon lots and lots of wealth. What does it mean to be wealthy or to have wealth? [get feedback – it means to be rich, have lots of money]. God also promised Solomon that if he obeyed God’s laws he would also have long life.
Well, over the years King Solomon became very famous for being such a wise King! So much so that everyone was talking about him… even the Queen of Sheba’s servants. The Queen of Sheba lived far away from King Solomon. The Queen had heard the rumors of this great, wise and godly king and wondered if the rumors were true. Could King Solomon answer her hard questions? She decided to find out. So, she got her servants to start loading the camels with gifts of gold and spices. Her country was well known for the great spices that they made. Once the camels were loaded the Queen of Sheba began to make the long journey to see King Solomon.
When the Queen of Sheba got to the King’s palace she was amazed at the beautiful throne room! She asked King Solomon all her difficult questions and nothing was too hard for him to answer! Then the Queen said to the king:
(1 Kings 10:6-9)
So the Queen of Sheba left many gifts for the King, including the gold and the rich spices. Yet the best gift she gave him was her very kind:
WORDS – (open up the ‘words’ flap on the fourth present)
That’s right! The Queen of Sheba left good words with King Solomon! She had said kind and encouraging things to him. We all need kind and encouraging words and it is great that we can bless each other with our words.
So these are the gifts that were given by God, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Yet the gift that God gave to King Solomon came with something amazing, because the gifts that God gives always leave us with a:
WOW – (open up the ‘wow’ flap on the first present – hidden on the opposite side of the present to the ‘worship’ side.)
Everyone said wow when they heard about Solomon’s wisdom. Whether we have been given wisdom like Solomon or other talents, every gift we get given from God can be used in a way that would bless others so that they will say wow! We don’t want them to say wow! Look at you! We want them to say wow and look to God! The best gift God ever gave us was the gift of his son Jesus. Each of us has done wrong, but because of Jesus we can have peace and forgiveness knowing that God sent his son to die for each of us, so that we might know God. When we receive the gift of Jesus we can spend every day getting to know him and growing in our love for him, using the gifts he has given us to point others back to him.
SEARCH the Scriptures:
Have a big pile of gifts (wrap up some old boxes) around the room. Have words hidden inside them. The children must try and earn points that are inside the box by answering a question before opening it. The questions are all gifts that God gives to us. The team/player with the most points at the end of the game is the winning team/winner.
What gifts does God give to us?
1. This gift is the people we love to hang out with. You’ll find them at school or at church, they may let you down, but they will always try to be there. (Friends)
2. These are the ones that we grow up with, we can’t choose them ourselves. (Family)
3. This is a gift that we can try hard to keep by brushing our teeth and doing jumps and a leap. (Health)
4. These gifts can be found in 1 Corinthians 12, they help us live for God and show the world all around that Jesus is Lord! (Spiritual gifts)
5. What was Solomon’s first gift from God? (wisdom)
6. What spiritual gift did Joseph have from God to help him become Pharoah’s advisor? (interpreted dreams)
7. What gift have we all been given a measure of, that helps us to believe in God? (Faith)
8. What is the greatest gift that God ever gave to us? (Jesus)
SENSE How You Feel:
How would it feel to be given something you needed from God?
Rotation Stations to express how they would feel:
1. Using Perler or hama beads make a picture pattern with your chosen colors
2. Using musical instruments (shakers, bells, drums etc) create a rhythm or song
3. Using ribbons and flags dance how you would feel
4. Draw, write or paint how you would feel
5. Using clay or playdough mould how you would feel
Come together and discuss what you would have felt.
Then ask, what is it that you are asking God for at the moment? Pray together about those things.
Hand out some encouragement cards that you have previously cut out (use the back side of the postcard) and some markers/pencils.
Say: Is there someone that needs your kind and encouraging words? The Queen of Sheba encouraged King Solomon with the words that she said. Ask God to show you someone that is needing encouragement today. Then, we’re going to write an encouraging note on the back of these postcards before giving the person our card later on today.
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Wonders of a Wet Nose: Bomb Sniffing Dogs
Labrador Retriever sniffs for bombs in airport luggage.
Did you know that a dog’s wet nose could save your life? Bomb sniffing dogs are working day and night all over the world to protect innocent lives from danger. This amazing feat is only possible thanks to these dogs’ wet noses!
Talented Noses Keep Airports Secure
In March of 1972, bomb detecting dogs received some of their earliest national recognition when a German Shepherd named Brandy prevented a major incident on an American jetliner. After receiving numerous bomb threats, officials at John F. Kennedy airport in New York grounded all planes to track down the potential danger. TWA Flight 7 had just begun a direct flight all the way to California with over fifty people on board but was ordered to return to JFK for an emergency landing.
German Shepherd bomb sniffing dog inspecting airport luggage carousel.
The bomb sniffing dogs patrolling airports today can thank Brandy for their very important jobs!
At this time, the science behind training dogs to detect explosives, drugs, and other dangers was still being tested and researched in the United States. By pure coincidence, two of these new, specially trained explosive detection canines were at JFK for a scheduled demonstration of their abilities by the Federal Aviation Administration. They had just begun the exercise, using their keen sense of smell to track down drugs hidden in planted luggage, when airport officials rushed them to Flight 7. An unusual black case had been discovered in the cockpit of the plane, so Brandy and her partner sprung into action.
Using over 300 million olfactory receptors in her nose, Brandy quickly sniffed out the explosive device. As she had been trained, she sat definitively in front of the live bomb to indicate what she had found to her handler. Bomb squad detectives then worked quickly to remove the case containing 5 pounds of C-4 explosive—more than enough to destroy the plane and all lives on board—and deactivated the bomb with only 5 minutes to spare. This incident validated the use of canines for bomb detection on planes and in airports, leading to the official use of canine detection agents by the FAA.
The Science Behind a Wet Nose
The super sniffing abilities of explosive detection dogs like Brandy are enhanced by their cold, wet noses. A dog’s nose is wet due to a thin layer of mucus secreted by their delicate nasal tissue, as well as frequent nose-licking. This moist surface collects scent particles from the surrounding environment much better than a drier nose, allowing the dog’s complex olfactory system to detect even more odors. A dog’s sense of smell is so powerful that they can detect the tiniest particles even when inundated with other scents—dogs can easily detect a literal needle in a haystack!
Can my dog detect bombs?
Technically, yes, almost any dog of any breed could detect the explosive materials that make up a bomb, but they wouldn’t be inclined to alert you to these scents without rigorous training. Explosive Detection Canines, or EDCs, are prestigious working dogs who have completed months of training and conditioning to hone their skills for the job.
How are bomb sniffing dogs trained to detect explosives?
Most bomb sniffing dogs are trained using operant conditioning training protocols, which boil down to, “do something good, get a reward.” This positive reinforcement encourages them to be successful, keeps morale up, and gets them excited about going to work every day. Before they even begin their job-specific training, EDCs are highly socialized as puppies and evaluated for temperament and stability—not all dogs have what it takes to remain calm and focused in a loud, bustling airport!
German Shepherd bomb sniffing dog checking luggage for explosives at an airport.
Explosives Detection Canines are trained to sniff around zippers and other areas where smells would escape luggage.
Early in their olfactory training, EDCs are exposed to the specific materials found in various types of bombs and improvised explosive devices. The distinct scents of these materials are “imprinted” on them by combining the smells with a food or toy reward, so they know that when they find those odors, it’s a big deal. The burgeoning bomb dogs are then trained to sit calmly near the imprinted scent, indicating its presence to their human handler and allowing the item to be carefully removed or evaluated.
Once the dogs have learned which smells to seek, EDCs learn where and how to investigate the items they will commonly be searching, like luggage, parcels, even people walking past. Most dogs are trained for a single, specific environment including airports, train stations, stadiums, city streets, even war zones.
Each EDC is paired with a single handler early on in their training program, and they will work and live with their handler every day for the rest of their lives. Their structured sniffing skills will be tested and proofed regularly throughout their careers, which usually last 8-9 years. Virtually all EDCs retire into a pampered home life with their handler.
German Shepherd bomb sniffing dogs working airport security with their handlers.
German Shepherds are often used for explosives detection due to their drive and intelligence.
Which breeds make the best bomb dogs?
While all dogs possess the sniffing power to detect explosives, some breeds are better suited to the job. The most important canine soft skills for explosive detection dogs are intelligence, drive to work, and stability under pressure. Labrador Retrievers are most common as airport EDCs because of their non-threatening appearance and willingness to work for a simple food reward—labs love to eat! German Shepherds are also commonly trained as EDCs, but they often prefer a play-based reward, so their handlers stay stocked up on tennis balls! Other breeds such as Beagles, spaniels, Belgian Malinoises, and more may also be used for this work depending on their individual temperament.
Keep those Noses in Tip-Top Shape!
Wet noses are important for all dogs, from the working dogs patrolling airport security to the house-pet lounging on your couch. Just as explosive detection canines need healthy noses to do their best work, your dog needs a moist nose to live their best life. If your dog has a dry, cracked, or crusty nose, our award-winning dog nose balm is the remedy! Snout Soother® is a synergistic blend of organic, plant-based ingredients working together to treat, heal, and moisturize your pup’s sniffer. With hundreds of real reviews, the results speak for themselves!
German shepherd dry, flaking dog nose
Jordan’s snout was so dry to the point it was cracked, flaking, and bleeding. The after photo was taken just 8 days from starting to use the Snout Soother. Her dry dog nose looks and feels so much healthier. — Lauren; Lake in the Hills, Illinois
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Impact of Lockdown on art and culture
(GS Paper 1: Art and Culture )
Context : A painting of Renowned artist Ramchandran entitled ‘Subaltern Nayikas & Lotus Pond’ is exhibiting in Exhibition which shows that Indian art and culture is overcoming from corona pandemic for almost two years
Art and culture are very significant elements for any country and the first time the British East India company had understood its significance therefore Asiatic Society of Bengal was established in 1784 by Warren Hastings . In independent India , our government was also aware of the significance of Indian culture. Many provisions are also given in our constitution regarding the protection and preservation of Indian culture
Art 29 is also related to preservation and protection of the culture of minorities . Minorities are given the right to conserve their distinct language , script etc.
Art 49 als discusses the protection of monuments and places and objects of national value . Simultaneously , Article 51 A (f) explains about the duty of every citizen is to preserve the rich heritage of Indian culture
Government of India is also preserving our ancient art and culture through various acts like The Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological sites and Remains (Declaration of National Importance) Act 1951, Antiquities and Art treasures Act 1972 and Public Record Act 1993 and promoting through various awards like bharat rant and Padma awards. Apart from the efforts of Government many private institutions are doing good works regarding preservation of the ancient art and culture
Impact of Corona Pandemic
But during this codorna pandemic, the effort of the government definitely impacted. Many artisans had left their professions and they shifted their profession. The areas and museums which were developed as tourist places were badly impacted during this pandemic . Private art galleries and museums are facing the problem of fund scarcity . Venue based sectors like performing arts, museum art galleries , festivals and cinema were more influenced sectors from corona
In metropolitan areas, because of the corona, many people associated with museums and various cultural activities , theatre (Apart from the artist who ) had lost their jobs . many other sectors which had directly and indirectly associated with various arts were impacted during this period
Again government is trying to promote and uplift art ancient cultural activities because government is very well aware with the significance with art and culture .Government of India is funding and promoting to organise many cultural fairs and festivals to revive cultural activities because through this sector Government can not only boost tourism sector but also boost in entire economical sector .
Government is intended to increase the amount of fellowship in the field of various cultural activities and also start new fellowships also. Government is giving several relief to film industries for the shooting and other activities. In the matter of entertainment tax, the government is also giving some relief to the festivals and cultural organisations, fairs and other cultural activities. To promote art and their artis , this year the government of India has awarded many artists and social workers with various Padma Awards .
Definitely, Indian art and culture had to suffer in this corona pandemic and the government of India is again trying to revive it to boost the Indian economy .
Question for PrelimsProvision of Constitution related to protection and preservation of culture
Mains: Discuss the significance of culture. How the art and culture were impacted during this corona padenic and discuss the measures taken by the government to revive art and culture.
Download plutus ias daily current affairs 26 November 2021
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The True Origin of Christianity
It isn’t a secret as the evidence is everywhere. Christianity started with the Roman Catholic Church after Constantine established it in 325 AD. The trick as used many times by chiefs, kings, emperors, and others supposedly brought the god to earth to gain credibility and power. Prior to his murderous raids and seizing of the Roman Empire, this emperor was needful of such a positive stamp on his activities.
A look back into his history shows that Claudius Constantine was an Amorite by descent. His ancestors were the Amor who ran the Persian Empire and their original Capital was Babylon. Yes, he was Islamic by religion and birth.
The Amor occupied a large portion of the Mediterranean and built Roma (reverse Amor) as their new capital after Mary, the next capital created after Babylon was destroyed. The name Mary crops up many times in the progress of the Islamic religion and is a common name among its worshippers.
Linguistically the name is from ‘ma-r-I’ which means ‘mother’s powerful eye’. That is the sun and the Islamic flag bears the ‘sun-star’ of five points cradled inside the crescent moon. The same 5-point star is an iconic symbol globally for the law, police, military, and other institutions. The number 5 is sacred in both Islam and Catholic worship.
Both religions pray 5 times a day and the commonalities between them is striking. Even the law, costumes, symbols, festivals, calendar, and instruments are similar because they came from the same source.
The bible supports this claim and calls Constantine the Second Beast with the number 666 to his name. A beast is a devourer and in this setting, he devours the ‘spirit’ connection between the real God, the Spirit of the Universe, and the spiritual people.
My reincarnation memory is very strong and explains why there is no heaven or hell, the two weapons of religion to force people to believe. They also represent the trap or prison from which it becomes impossible for many to break. Common sense will tell those who have a mind that no such places exist because they have no presence.
Religious teachers tell followers to have faith. My definition of that is ‘belief in the ridiculous without proof’. How can one believe in something they cannot see, hear, touch, or feel? That is why the Catholic religion produces statues and copies of artwork depicting what some have described as Mary and angels and so on.
The cover-up comes in the brain-washing of children and the constant bombardment by members of one’s community. If one fails to believe or accept the ‘norm’ than ostracism and loss of friends and family can result.
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How to Breed & Farm Catfish
Catfish farmers can sell their stock to processors for as much as $1 a pound. On a successful farm, that can translate into catfish-pond yields of more than $2,000 per acre. You can raise catfish in tanks, underwater cages and other vessels, but the common approach is to raise the fish on farms large enough to hold several acres of catfish ponds. There are more than 2,000 catfish species with more than 40 species in the United States. The channel catfish is the main commercial species.
Acquire a stretch of farmland large enough to hold suitable catfish ponds. You can grow catfish successfully in ponds as small as .25 acres, but ponds of 1 to 5 acres in surface area are preferable. You can use natural ponds or dig your own.
Provide an adequate supply of water. For a commercial catfish pond, that means a flow of about 20 to 30 gallons per minute per acre. You can dig a channel to a creek or well, or use any source that's free of pollutants and chemicals; if you use a natural source, screen out any fish that might try to swim in.
Aerate and heat your pond. There are pump, propeller and paddlewheel aerators that stir the water and circulate dissolved oxygen for your channel cats to breathe. Keep the water at 82 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit for optimum growth; spawning ponds should be at 77 to 81 degrees.
Stock your pond with fingerlings, baby catfish about 4 to 6 inches long. It's common for catfish farms to stock ponds to a level of 1,500 fish per acre, but fewer fish will need less dissolved oxygen. With a smaller than maximum population, you save yourself the cost of aerating the ponds.
Feed your fish every day, letting them have everything they can eat for 20 to 25 minutes. Food pellets should contain all the vitamins and minerals necessary for health, and consist of around 32 percent protein, though 36 percent protein levels in the first month will boost fingerling growth.
Add spawning containers to your pond. The containers can be ceramic pipe, metal cans, kegs or plastic barrels, as long as they're large enough that a male and female catfish can both go inside to breed. Do not use containers that have held PCBs, industrial chemicals or anything else that is potentially harmful to your fish.
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Spanish Lessons
The Many Nuances of Spanish Subject Pronouns
In this lesson, we will talk about Spanish subject pronouns. Let’s first review what subject pronouns are and enumerate the subject pronouns in English.
What is a subject pronoun in Spanish?
Since the definition of a subject pronoun is "a word that takes the place of a noun acting as the subject of a clause or sentence," we must first understand what a subject is.
Most simply stated, the subject of a sentence is what it's about, the noun that is being or doing something. Here are some examples of sentences with their subjects indicated beneath them:
Samantha is studying Spanish.
Subject: Samantha
The tango is a beautiful dance.
Subject: Tango
Marina, Liam and I went to the movies.
Subject: Marina, Liam and I
Edison is from the Dominican Republic.
Subject: Edison
The chocolates taste amazing.
Subject: The chocolates
In order to avoid, for instance, repeating “the chocolates” over and over in a paragraph where we wish to thoroughly describe them, we could replace the subject, “the chocolates,” with the subject pronoun, “they.” Below, within the structures of the previous sentences, the subjects have been replaced with their equivalent subject pronouns:
She is studying Spanish.
It is a beautiful dance.
We went to the movies.
He is from the Dominican Republic.
They taste amazing.
Subject pronouns in English and Spanish
A complete list of the English subject pronouns is as follows: I, we, you, he, she, it, they.
Now, let’s take a look at how the English subject pronouns correspond to their Spanish counterparts:
- First person (singular / plural): EN: I / we | SP: yo / nosotros, nosotras
- Second person (singular / plural): EN: you / you | SP: tú, usted, vos / vosotros, vosotras, ustedes
- Third person (singular / plural): EN: he, she, it / they | SP: él, ella / ellos, ellas
Looking at them side by side, you may notice that there are far more Spanish subject pronouns than English ones due to the many nuances they express when compared to their less specific English equivalents. Some differences you may notice between the English subject pronouns and the Spanish ones are as follows:
1. The first person plural (“we” in English) in Spanish distinguishes between masculine and feminine in the sense that, if the “we” refers to a group of only males or a mixed group of males and females, nosotros is used, whereas if the group is all female, nosotras is employed. Since English does not make this distinction, nothing can be told about the gender of the group upon simply hearing a sentence beginning with “we.”
2. The second person singular (“you” in English) has three different Spanish translations: , usted, and vos. So, what’s the difference between them? Generally speaking, and vos are employed similarly to address people with whom one is more familiar — a less formal “you” — whereas usted is a more formal and respectful “you,” typically reserved for people we don’t know as well or, for example, for our elders.
Keep in mind that while is more commonly employed as the informal “you” in many Spanish-speaking countries, vos is typically used in other countries or regions. In contrast, the English subject pronoun “you” can be employed regardless of the relationship we have with the person we are addressing, their age, or the formality of the situation.
3. The second person plural also has several distinctions in Spanish not present in English. Whereas “you” is both singular and plural in English, Spanish requires a different subject pronoun to indicate that more than one person is being spoken to. Ustedes, vosotros and vosotras are the three second-person plural subject pronouns in Spanish, which take both gender and formality/familiarity into account.
In most Spanish-speaking countries, ustedes is the only second person plural subject pronoun utilized and can thus be used regardless of the formality of the situation or the gender of the people being addressed. Things are different in Spain, where usted would be used to address a single person in a more formal situation. Ustedes would then be its extension when addressing more than one person.
Speaking familiarly, with , the plural used in Spain would be vosotros and vosotras. These second person plural pronouns work the same way as the first person plural pronouns, nosotros and nosotras: Vosotros is used to address more than one male or a mixed group, familiarly, while vosotras will refer to more than one female.
4. The same kind of situation presents itself in the third person plural. The English “they” does not consider gender, but its Spanish equivalents ellos and ellas, do take gender into account, just as nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras do. Ellos is used for an all-male or mixed group, while ellas is used for more than one female.
What about "it" in Spanish?
The English subject pronoun “it” generally replaces a subject that isn't a person or animal. Since there is no such subject pronoun in Spanish, how is the idea of “it” expressed? Let’s look at an example from a Yabla Spanish video:
¿El favorito mío? Y el dulce de leche bombón. Es mi debilidad.
My favorite? "Dulce de leche bombon." It's my weakness.
Captions 35-36, Buenos Aires - Heladería Cumelen
Play Caption
You can see that, although we would say “It’s my weakness” in English when referring to the yummy dulce de leche ice cream, “it’s” being a contraction of “it is,” in Spanish, the “it” is simply omitted, and the verb, “es” (the third person singular conjugation of ser, or “to be”) is sufficient.
Because of this, a common error for Spanish speakers learning English is to try to replicate this structure in English by saying or writing something like, “Is my weakness.” However, this is not grammatically sound and, although it is often acceptable to omit a subject pronoun in Spanish, the same is not so in English, where the “it” is indeed necessary.
Let’s look at one more example:
Pero cuando llueve no hay otro remedio.
But, when it rains, there isn't any other choice.
Caption 86, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
Play Caption
Note that in English, since “it” in this example does not actually refer to anything concrete (does not replace a particular word), it is known as a “dummy” (or expletive or pleonastic) pronoun, which is still necessary to express this idea correctly. In contrast, in Spanish, the verb “llueve” (the third person singular conjugation of llover, or “to rain”) can simply be used without a pronoun to express the idea of “it.”
Omitting the subject pronoun
Even in cases which don’t involve “it,” due to the more specific manner in which Spanish verbs are conjugated according to their subject pronouns, it is not always necessary to write out the subject pronoun:
Mientras leo el diario, respondo los correos electrónicos.
While I read the newspaper, I respond to emails.
Caption 9, GoSpanish - La rutina diaria de Maru
Play Caption
Although this could also be written as Mientras yo leo el diario, yo respondo los correos electrónicos, the first-person singular verb conjugations leo and respondo let us know that the subject pronoun is yo, and thus, it's not necessary to include it.
This is not the case in English, as the subject pronoun “I” is indeed necessary in order for the sentence to make sense (“While read the newspaper, respond to e-mails” would definitely not fly). One reason for this is that verb tenses in English tend to be much less specific to their subject pronouns.
To reiterate this idea, let’s contrast the English present and past verb tenses with their Spanish equivalents:
ENGLISH (present / past):
I speak / spoke
You speak / spoke
He speaks / spoke
She speaks / spoke
It speaks / spoke
We speak / spoke
You speak / spoke
They speak / spoke
SPANISH (present / preterite):
Yo hablo / hablé
Tú hablas / hablaste
Vos hablás / hablaste
Él, ella, usted habla / habló
Nosotros/as hablamos / hablamos
Vosotros/as habláis / hablasteis
Ellos/as, ustedes haban / hablaron
You may notice that the English present tense conjugations are limited to just “speak” (for “I,” “you,” “we” and “they”) and “speaks” (for “he,” “she” and “it”), while there is no variation whatsoever for the past tense, which regardless of the subject pronoun, is “spoke.”
In Spanish, on the other hand, we see a total of seven different conjugations in the present tense and six in the preterite, a revelation which may seem daunting to many English-speaking students of Spanish! And those are just two out of the fourteen Spanish verb tenses.
To conclude, let’s look at one last example:
Y, ¿va a pedirle a Lisa Bernal que sea su pareja en la fiesta?
And, are you going to ask Lisa Bernal to be your date at the party?
Caption 1, Los Años Maravillosos - Capitulo 6
Play Caption
Unlike the previous case in which the verb conjugations leo and respondo were specific to the Spanish subject pronoun, yo, this one is a bit more ambiguous, as the verb conjugation va (of the verb ir, or “to go”) could correspond to the Spanish subject pronouns él, ella, or usted. So, if this sentence were encountered in isolation, the possible translations could be as follows:
- And, is he going to ask Lisa Bernal to be his date at the party?
- And, is she going to ask Lisa Bernal to be her date at the party?
- And, is it going to ask Lisa Bernal to be its date at the party?
Although the last option does not seem logically plausible, how do we know which one of the others is correct in the absence of a subject pronoun? Context. Often in print or video media or even in conversation, the subject is introduced in a previous sentence.
However, since this is the first sentence in this video, we are left to infer from the characters’ subsequent dialogue that the correct translation is, “And, are you going to ask Lisa Bernal to be your date at the party?” where Kevin’s friend, Fede, is addressing him as “usted” (as a side note, even close friends and family members often address one another as “usted” in certain parts of Colombia).
Although many beginning Spanish students might feel overwhelmed by the multitude of Spanish subject pronouns and the task of having to conjugate verbs based upon them, we hope that this lesson has shed some light on some of the many fascinating differences between subject pronouns in English and Spanish. And don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.
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DENTAL CARIES: Overview, causes, prevention, complications and treatment
Content table
How sugar affects dental caries?
Causes of dental caries
Prevention against dental caries
Complication in dental caries
Possible dental caries treatment
Medication for dental caries
Dental caries or cavities are widely known as tooth decay, which is caused because of breakdown of the tooth enamel. When we eat food then the bacteria present on our teeth produces acid and breakdown the food, this acid can destroy tooth enamel and result into tooth decay.
Dental caries can also lead you to a small hole in your teeth and afterwards it can result into teeth loss. People of all age group can get affected by this disease. When the babies are affected by this then that is called baby bottle tooth decay.
Sugars are one of the major factor which contributes to dental caries. Dental caries is developed when the bacteria present in the mouth starts metabolizing sugars to produce acid, this acid demineralizes the hard tissues of the teeth and lead you toward tooth decay.
Sugar-sweetened beverages, dairy products, cakes, biscuits, toffee, chocolates, fruit based sweetened drinks, 100% fruit juices, sweetened cereals, sweet desserts, honey, Sucrose, syrups are the major source of sugar in our diet.
If you limit your sugar intake by less than 10% of total energy intake then it can reduce the risk of dental caries and eventually you can reduce the amount of sugar by 5% slowly to avoid more risk.
Consumption of fluoridated water and proper nutritious diet can protect you from dental caries.
· Plaque forms: Eating lot of sugars and starch forms a thin sticky film around teeth, when it is not cleaned properly it forms dental plaque. Bacteria starts feeding on the layer and forms plaque. If plaque stays for very long on teeth untreated then it may cause tartar. Tartar make a shield for bacteria and it becomes hard to treat them.
· Plaque attacks: Tooth’s hard and outer enamel is demineralized by the acids in plaque. Once the enamel is affected too much, it can lead you to dentin which is the next level of plaque, it can cause tiny holes and opening in the tooth which can lead you to cavity. Dentin is attached to the enamel nerve which causes sensitivity in teeth if not treated properly. Here the first level of cavity develops.
· Untreated plaque: When the plaque is left untreated in its first stage it begins to spread throughout the enamel, pulp and blood vessels of your teeth. It can result into nerve pain since the nerves gets pressurized when bacteria enters around them. It can irritate your teeth and nerve.
· Good oral health: Brush regularly and rinse your mouth with mouthwash. Brush at least twice a day to avoid plaque or dental caries.
· Brush with fluoride tooth paste: Brushing with toothpaste which contains fluoride works as a protective shield against bacteria. One should brush their teeth with this paste twice a day and especially after having meal.
Get a plethora of varieties of toothpaste and mouthwash on India’s best online pharmacy store, 3MEDS and get them delivered at your door step.
· Regular check-ups: Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleaning of your teeth which will prevent almost all kinds of tooth disease. You can also ask for a healthy schedule for your teeth.
· Tap water: Along with mineral water you should also drink tap water sometimes since mineral water do not contain fluoride. Drinking tap water gives body fluoride which gives you good oral health.
· Avoid excessive sugary foods: Items that contain high amount or sugar or sucrose should be avoided since it creates a thin layer where bacteria can develop. Avoid sweetened beverages, 100% fruit juice etc.
· Pain
· Tooth abscess
· Damage or broken teeth
· Chewing problems
· Swelling around the tooth
· Weight loss
· Tooth loss
· Fillings: In this procedure doctors remove the deposited material in the cavity by drilling and use appropriate filling as per as the problem. Composite resin is the most common filling material to treat cavities.
· Root canal: When the tooth decay reaches to the roots of tooth that is to the nerves, then root canal procedure takes place.
· Crowns: When a large proportion of tooth is destroyed by the dental caries then doctors put alloy covering in the form of crown.
· Extraction: In some cases when the tooth defect becomes out of control, then extraction of that tooth is the only option.
Some common medicines for dental caries are:
· Penicillin
· Amoxicillin
· Metronidazole
· Acetaminophen
Order online and get genuine medicines from3MEDS, the best online chemist shop and get your medicines delivered at your door step.
In short, we can say that it can be prevented by following given tips and brushing regularly. Don’t ignore the cavity at its first stage to prevent the tooth extraction. Follow a healthy schedule and go for check-up at regular intervals. Be positive be healthy.
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March 27th is National Spanish Paella Day
Paella (/paɪˈɛlə/ py-EL-ə, Valencian: [paˈeʎa], Spanish: [paˈeʎa]) is a Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia.
Paella is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. For this reason, many non-Spaniards view it as Spain's national dish, but Spaniards almost unanimously consider it to be a dish from the Valencian region. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.
Paella takes its name from the wide, shallow traditional pan used to cook the dish on an open fire. Paella means "frying pan" in Valencian, Valencia's regional language.
As a dish, it may have ancient roots, but in its modern form it is traced back to the mid-19th century, in the rural area around the Albufera lagoon adjacent to the city of Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.
Paella valenciana is the traditional paella of the Valencia region, believed to be the original recipe, and consists of round grain rice, bajoqueta and tavella (varieties of green beans), rabbit, chicken, sometimes duck and garrofó (a variety of lima or butter bean) cooked in olive oil and chicken broth. The dish is (sometimes) seasoned with whole rosemary branches. Traditionally, the yellow color comes from saffron, but turmeric and calendula can be used as substitutes. Artichoke hearts and stems may be used as seasonal ingredients.
What will you be celebrating? How will you do it?
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Acidity in wine
It's one of the easiest flavours to perceive in a glass of wine. Do you know which one we mean? Exactly! Acidity. Learn about all the secrets behind this flavour and why it’s so important to us. A new episode of WineClass is here!
As always, we’ll teach you a fail-safe trick to detect it in any kind of wine. Let’s get started!
Wine tastings get better the more we know about the secrets of the wine world. And there are a lot of them! We took a look at all there is to know about the visual and smelling stages of a tasting. But we know that the tastings stage is definitely one of your favourites.
In today’s WineClass, we’ll be discussing one of the most characteristic flavours in wine: acidity. Learn where acidity in wine comes from and a simple trick to detect it. Don’t forget to watch episode then of El Coto de Rioja’s mini wine lessons. Hit play!
Aromas primarios herbaceos vino
Why is wine acidic?
As you may have noticed before, when sampling a wine, specifically a white wine, you pick up on an acidic or acidic flavour. Have you ever wondered what causes that acidity?
As with most other flavours, this acidity comes from a natural source, specifically the grapes. When they are crushed, we get a juice made up of different types of organic acids, as well as other substances and phenolic compounds.
There are many types of acids in grape juice, but there are the main types, and each of causes a completely different sensation in the mouth. They are:
• Tartaric acid: the hardest and most structured
• Citric acid: the one that gives it is freshness
• Malic acid: more metallic
We should point out that some acidity in wine comes from the fermentation process.
What does acidity do in wine
Acidity is a crucial feature of any wine, for two main reasons.
Firstly and most importantly, acid has a protective function, since it protects wine from certain bacteria that could harm it. As such, only wines with a certain level of acidity can last over time.
But that’s not all! Acidity also has an organoleptic function. Specifically, it’s what makes wines fresh and balanced. As such, its balance with the rest of the flavours is crucial for creating quality wines, such as one of our own delicious Rioja wines.
How to tell if a wine is acidic
There are different ways of knowing or guessing at the acidity of a wine, even before you try it. Here are five basic tips for easily spotting an acidic wine:
1. Red wines are always less acidic than white wines or rosés. But that doesn't mean that there’s no acidity in red wine.
2. Acidic wines are livelier.
3. Think about the type of grapes: some are more acidic than others Sauvignon Blanc or Viura de Rioja.
4. The riper the grape in the wine, the greater the concentration of sugars, making the wine less acidic.
5. The soil in which the vines grow also affects the acidity. If the wine is from a cold zone, it will probably keep more natural acids than wines from warmer zones.
Discover the fresh acidic kick in our wines
Vino blanco beneficios salud
Sabor ácido en vino
Tip for finding the acidity in wine
As you know, the taste buds are what help us to perceive each of the flavours. What area of the tongue is stimulated by the acidity in wine? It’s easy: the sides of the tongue, behind where we notice saltiness
The simplest way to do this is with our own wine. We used El Coto Blanco, a zingy fresh wine with citrus notes, which is just what we need for this test.
Just swill the wine around in your mouth, specifically on the sides of your tongue. Spit the liquid out, lower your jaw and open your mouth. You’ll see where you’re salivating more than normal. This shows that you’re drinking an acidic wine.
Do you want to go back over any classes? You can find all of the WineClass episodes on the El Coto de Rioja YouTube channel. If you don't want to miss any new posts, don't forget to click on the bell icon.
Until then, take a look at some more fun facts about the world of wine with the content on our blog. Here’s a little recommendation:
Decanting wine, what does it involve and why do we do it??
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Techno-economic analysis of power‑to‑heat‑to‑power storage for a residential building
University essay from Högskolan Dalarna/Institutionen för information och teknik
Abstract: Despite the share of renewable energies worldwide is increasing, which can help in reducing the CO2 emissions, their unpredictability has become a problem due to the mismatch between generation and demand. Among the different alternatives to solve this problem, energy storage is a very interesting solution. Depending on the aim of the storage, there are two types: intra‑day or seasonal. The former corresponds normally to a highly efficient and high‑cost storage, such as the Li‑ion; whilst the latter is a low efficient and low‑cost storage. An example of this second type of storage is the power‑to‑heat‑to‑power storage, whose efficiency is mainly determined by the heat‑to‑power converter, and it can be increased if the waste heat produced in the converter is reused in a combined heat and power system.Given that the residential sector represents a large amount of the global energy use (both electricity and heat), this study has considered a power‑to‑heat‑to‑power storage in a fully electrified residential building with a PV installation in order to increase self‑consumption and reduce the cost. Both the heating, electricity and cooling demand are supplied by the system.As this storage technology is currently under an early stage of development, this project aims to understand the main challenges for this storage and the advantages over a very well settled technology, such as the Li-ion. In order to achieve this objective, a model has been created in Matlab. A parametric study has been conducted in which optimum sizing of the components for several scenarios have been considered, as a means to identify the most important parameters that could hinder the feasibility of the power‑to‑heat‑to‑power storage system.From the optimization it was concluded that the scenarios with a thermally driven heat pump for cooling, resulted in larger installations leading to higher cost due to the low coefficient of performance. Regarding the other scenarios which consider an electrical heat pump for cooling, this technology can surpass the Li-ion performance for heat‑to‑power efficiencies over 20 %. In these cases, the feasibility is clearly hindered by the cost per energy capacity, which must be below 5 €/kWh and could be achieved with silicon; and the cost per power capacity that must be around 300 €/kW. An example of a heat‑to‑power converter could be the TPV technology which is a solid‑state converter, whose efficiency is currently around 30 % and is expected to reduce its cost up to 300 €/kW. In smaller systems, in which the stand‑by heat losses have more impact over the system’s feasibility due to the larger surface to volume ratio, it is imperative to reduce these heat losses, as well as reduce the cost per energy and power capacities. In addition, it is remarkable that there is no significant improvement when increasing the heat‑to‑power efficiencies over certain values. To finish, as this technology increases its feasibility when implemented in large systems, further studies should be done in the industrial and tertiary sector.
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The dangers of British drinking habits have been well catalogued throughout history. Ancient Brits would drink to oblivion at feasts. In the Middle Ages, men, women and children drank beer because it was safer than water.
By the 17th century, ale was seen as a drink for commoners while wine was for their superiors.
Tobias Whitaker extolled the virtues of wine in 1638. Wine drinkers were: “Faire, fresh, plumpe, and fat.” Beer drinkers, on the other hand: “Look like Apes.”
A century later, beer was viewed as the healthy during what became a gin epidemic.
Gin was cheap and easy to produce. A dram cost a penny and was available at almost 7000 gin shops in the city of London. The tradesman's slogan was: “Drunk for one penny, dead drunk for two.” Pharmacists sold it to women to “soothe the nerves” and it became known as Mother's Ruin.
A campaign leaflet of the period described ae gin den: “In one place not far from East Smithfield, a trader has a large empty room where, as his wretched guests get intoxicated, they are laid together in heaps, men, women and children, until they recover their senses, when they proceed to drink on, or having spent all they had, go out to find the means to return to the same dreadful pursuit.”
Repeated legislation was introduced to control gin drinking but in 1751 it was estimated that 9000 children in London alone died of alcohol poisoning that year.
Gin rose in price and lost its attraction but alcohol remained a problem, particularly during the Industrial Revolution when living and working conditions drove many to drink. The problems also prompted the rise of the Temperance movement.
Alcohol consumption by factory workers even threatened national security during the First World War when Prime Minister David Lloyd George said Britain was fighting: “Germans, Austrians and Drink and, as far as I can see, the greatest of these foes is Drink.”
He reduced the strength of beer, restricted pub opening times and banned the buying of rounds. I've met a few people during my time at the bar who still drink by Lloyd George rules and have never bought a round in their life.
The alcohol debate continues today. Health experts recommend men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol a week, which is 10 and a half pints of ordinary strength beer. No more than four units – two pints – in any one day, and have at least two alcohol free days a week.
Women should have less: no more than 14 units a week and no more than three units a day – that's two small glasses of wine – and also have at least two alcohol free days a week.
How does your consumption rate?
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Today we talk about the Spanish adverbs DENTRO y ADENTRO. If you still do not how to use them properly, El Rincón del Tándem Spanish school will give some useful tips to master them in no time 🙂
Spanish prepositions DENTRO y ADENTRO might lead to confusion or error. In fact, they are frequently used interchangeably in colloquial Spanish.
Neverthless, once you learn their meaning and usages, you will be able to easily avoid any mistake.
To start with, dentro is a Spanish adverb of place, meaning the “inside”.
Adentro, instead, indicate the direction and means towards the inner part of something, inside.
Let’s learn more!
Dentro can be translated in English with Inside, in, within.
It is mostly used with the preposition DE or without it when the place we refer is implicit in the sentence.
• El gato está durmiendo dentro de su casita = The cat is sleeping in his little house
• Ana ha puesto los regalos de Navidad dentro de la maleta = Ana has put the Christmas presents in the suitcase.
• Fuera hace mucho frío, pero dentro se está bien = It’s very cold outside, but inside it’s nice.
Dentro can be also used with other prepositions, like: desde, hacia, hasta, para o por.
The prepositions indicate different directions in regard to the place we refer to and are placed before the adverb:
• Caminamos hasta dentro de la cueva = We walked into the cave
• Cuando leí tu carta me alegré por dentro = When I read your letter, I was happy inside
Lastly, when dentro is followed by the preposition de + noun with a time-related meaning, it indicates the time left until something happens.
• La clase de español empezará dentro de diez minutos = Spanish class will start in ten minutes
• Nos vemos dentro de dos semanas = See you in two weeks
It Indicates the movement towards the interior of something, therefore is used with verbs of movement.
It can be used with the prepositions de, desde, hacia, hasta, para o por, however that is more frequent in some South American speaking countries than in Spain.
Neverthless, it must never be preceded by the preposition A.
• ¡Está lloviendo! Vamos adentro = It’s raining! Let’s go inside
Adentro cannot be used with possessive. In this case we should use dentro de +possessive: dentro de mi/ti/, etc
Tengo mucha esperanza dentro de mí = I have a lot of hope deep inside
Finally, adentro, in the plural form, is also used as a noun and refers to the one’s mind, thoughts. In this case, it is normally preceded by the possessive adjectives (i.e. mis adentros, tus adentros, etc.)
• Ana guardó lo que sentía por Lucas para sus adentros = Ana kept her feelings for Lucas to herself
We really hope our post on the Spanish adverbs dentro y adentro will be helpful to you 😊
As usual, we invite you to expand your knowledge during Spanish lessons and practicing the language every day, inside and outside the school.
Finally, our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem would be happy to provide you with Spanish courses here in Valencia.
Have a good day!
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Often asked: What Must You Do When You See A Stopped School Bus With Its Lights Flashing?
What must you do when you see a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing quizlet?
Yes, you have to stop for a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing whenever you come upon it from behind. It does not matter how many lanes the road has. A flashing red light at an intersection means: Stop and yield the right of way.
How do you respond to a school bus with flashing lights?
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Remember, a school bus driver signals you to stop by turning on flashing red lights and extend the stop arm. When no lights are flashing and stop arm is withdrawn, you may proceed with care.
You might be interested: How Many Seasons Are There Of The Magic School Bus?
What do you do when bus lights are flashing?
You must slow down to 40km/h when bus lights flash. Drivers should look out for children who are crossing the road or waiting to cross. Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children.
When a school bus has its light flashing and its stop arm extended?
What must a driver do at a flashing yellow light?
Can you go around a school bus with yellow flashing lights?
You might be interested: Often asked: How Much Do School Bus Drivers Make A Year?
When yellow lights are flashing on a school bus it means?
If you see flashing yellow lights, that means the school bus is about to stop. If you’re behind it, it’s illegal to pass on the right side. If you’re going the opposite direction, though, passing a school bus with flashing yellow lights is okay.
How do school bus lights work?
Bus Light System The two amber lights on both the front and the rear of each school bus are Warning Lights used just before the bus comes to a stop to load or unload children. The driver activates the amber lights in rural areas a distance of 500 feet from the stop.
When you see these lights flashing on the back of a bus?
They keep flashing for about 30 seconds after the door closes and continue even after the bus moves off. This is to warn you that children might be crossing. School buses will also have flashing headlights. Children can be unpredictable and may try to cross the road when it’s not safe to do so.
What color lights do school buses flash?
You might be interested: Magic School Bus Volcano Adventure What Season?
When you see a stopped local bus?
When driving on a one way street and an emergency vehicle with flashing lights is behind your car you must?
If an emergency vehicle using its lights or siren approaches while you are driving on a one-way street, you must drive toward the nearest roadside and stop.
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Dentures Dentist in Gaithersburg, Potomac, Rockville
Senior Man
What are dentures (plates)? How do dentures work?
Dentures are a removable appliance used to replace missing teeth. They are made of plastic, metal, or a combination of the two. Dentures do not feel like natural teeth, and will take a while to get used to. They can often feel awkward or uncomfortable at first.
Dentures have a pink acrylic that looks like gums, with acrylic teeth chosen to match your face shape and personal esthetic. The pink acrylic base on top covers the roof of your mouth to provide suction to keep it in place. The lower denture is shaped like a horseshoe.
Complete denture
A complete denture is made of resin and plastic. It replaces all of the teeth in your mouth.
Partial denture
A partial denture is made of metal and plastic. The metal skeleton is a framework with clasps and features that interact with your remaining teeth to hold the denture in place and keep it from moving around too much as you talk and chew.
When do I need a denture?
You can choose to have a denture made when you are missing teeth in your mouth. Dentures are often the most economical option to replace multiple missing teeth. Dentures will not prevent bone resorption and can even contribute to faster bone resorption in your jaws.
How to get a denture
Denture fabrication involves multiple fitting visits to ensure the proper shape and position of the teeth in your denture. The denture must be carefully fitted in to work in harmony with skeletal and muscular elements in your face. The teeth must be in a precise, unique location for you to be able to make accurate sounds in speech.
After your denture is initially delivered, you will need a follow up adjustment visit 1 week later. It is normal to have sore spots in your mouth when you receive a new denture. Your dentist will relieve these areas when you return for an adjustment.
In the Gaithersburg, Potomac, and Rockville areas, dentures may cost anywhere between $1500-3000 per arch (upper or lower).
How long do dentures last?
Over time, your denture will need to be relined, adjusted, or remade due to normal wear on the prosthesis and natural changes in your mouth. If your denture feels loose, worn, or is irritating your gums, schedule an appointment with your dentist to have your denture fitted.
If you have questions about dentures or need an appointment for denture adjustment or fabrication, contact us here.
How long before I get used to my dentures?
It could take weeks or months to fully adapt to your new set of dentures. New dentures often feel bulky, loose, or uncomfortable as your cheek and tongue muscles get used to holding the dentures in place. You may also feel like you have excess saliva.
If you are experiencing denture irritation, contact us for an appointment here.
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'Charging of electric vehicles while driving will soon become a reality'
News - 16 January 2017
Pavol Bauer (Electrical Sustainable Energy) is involved in an H2020 project with 13 partners focusing on the metrology for inductive charging based on resonant coupling.
Pavol Bauer : "Inductive charging of electric vehicles is rapidly becoming a reality. The biggest advantage of this technology is that a car can be charged in a parked state, without a plug or even while driving. But the technology is also highly autonomous, needs smaller batteries and has a high-efficiency power transmission. Add the reduction of CO2 emissions and oil consumption and you see why we need to get a move on with inductive charging.
The accepted H2020 project with 13 partners and total budget of 1,8 million euro focuses at measuring the efficiency of the inductive power transfer (IPT) and the actual transferred power to the vehicle. It also enables reliable demonstration of compliance with existing safety standards for human exposure. The consortium will develop the metrology support for this purpose and for the development of high-efficiency couplers for inductive charging of electric vehicles (EVs)."
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Riparian Buffers PSA
Riparian buffers are important for good water quality in Montana!
We worked with Sunrise Flyshop, a leading guide and outfitter shop located in Melrose, Montana, to put together this Riparian Buffers video showing incredible flyover footage of the Big Hole and other tributatries in Southwest Montana. Watch it below!
Riparian zones help to prevent sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides and other pollutants from reaching a stream. Riparian buffers are most effective at improving water quality when they include a native grass or herbaceous filter strip along with deep rooted trees and shrubs along the stream.
Riparian vegetation is a major source of energy and nutrients for stream communities. They are especially important in small, headwater streams where up to 90% of the energy input may be from woody debris and leaf litter. Overhanging riparian vegetation also keeps streams cool, this is especially important for Montana’s trout populations who are extremely sensitive to temperature!
Riparian buffers likewise provide valuable habitat for terrestrial wildlife. In addition to providing food and cover they are an important corridor or travel way for a variety of wildlife. Forested streamsides benefit game species such as deer, rabbit, quail and nongame species like migratory birds.
Riparian vegetation is also a benefit for private landowners! They slow floodwaters, thereby helping to maintain stable streambanks and protect downstream property. By slowing down floodwaters and rainwater runoff, the riparian vegetation allows water to soak into the ground and recharge groundwater – upstream water storage via natural sinks like wetlands and riparian zones may be a key solution to combating Montana’s changing climate and water demands!
Likewise, slowing floodwaters allows the riparian zone to function as a site of sediment deposition, trapping sediments that build stream banks and would otherwise degrade our streams and rivers. Trapping sediment and nutrients is key to decreasing those pollutant in SW Montana’s waterways, the vast majority of which already suffer from too much nutrient and sediment pollution!
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Birmingham Employment Lawyers
Retaliation Under the Fair Housing Act
Fair Housing Act: Historical Perspective
One week after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act of 1968 (“FHA”). This came after many unsuccessful attempts throughout the years to end discriminatory practices related to housing, in addition to the many other attempts to address other forms discriminatory practices in the United States.
Retaliation in Violation of the Fair Housing Act
So, you reported discriminatory housing practices on behalf of someone else, but now you have experienced an adverse employment action. Do you have a claim? The answer: possibly. Although the primary purpose of the FHA is to address discriminatory practices regarding housing itself, the FHA also provides remedies for those who have been retaliated against due to reporting such discriminatory practices.
The FHA makes it unlawful to retaliate “against any person because that person has made a complaint, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in a proceeding under the Fair Housing Act.” The Act also makes it unlawful to retaliate “against any person because that person reported a discriminatory housing practice to a housing provider or other authority.”
Burden Shifting Analysis
An individual asserting a claim under the FHA can produce direct evidence in support of their claim(s), but the majority of cases rely upon circumstantial evidence. When analyzing a retaliation claim under the FHA that rests upon circumstantial evidence, courts apply the same methods of analysis used when asserting claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. This approach, known as the McDonnell Douglas Burden Shifting Framework, requires that the plaintiff first establish a prima facie case of retaliation. Upon establishing a prima facie case, the burden then shifts to the defendant to produce a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the adverse employment action. If the defendant can do so, the burden then shifts back to the plaintiff to demonstrate that the defendant’s reason(s) is merely pretext or, in other words, to discredit the employer’s reason(s).
In Hall v. Lowder Realty Co., a real-estate agent sued her former employer after they engaged in racially discriminatory referral practices and then retaliated against her for opposing this practice by terminating her employment. The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama noted that the FHA “has been interpreted to prohibit retaliation against employees who advocate for the fair-housing rights of others.” The court further stated that “[i]t is apparent from the language of [the FHA] and the HUD regulations that a plaintiff need only show (1) that she ‘aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise’ of certain FHA rights and (2) that, ‘on account of’ such, the defendant ‘interfered’ with that effort or ‘retaliated’ against the plaintiff.”
In Hall, the employee repeatedly complained about the employer’s racial discrimination against herself and her clients, including in the employer’s referral practices. Without even counseling the employee, who was the number two producer, the employer terminated her employment. The court ultimately allowed the employee’s FHA retaliation claim to proceed by denying the employer’s motion for summary judgment.
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From Mill Computing Wiki
Revision as of 19:13, 20 December 2014 by Jan (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
A slot is actually two things:
• for one it is a defined subsection in an instruction block that encodes an operation
• and it is also the piece of Decode hardware that decodes and dispatches the operations in this subsection of the instruction block (and only this subsection)
Each slot has a limited set of operations that can occur in it, and only those operations can appear. For a specific core every slot can have it's unique own set of available operations. But especially on the big cores there are several slots with the same population.
The operation population of a slot depends on the Functional Units added to the Pipeline dedicated to this slot in the Specification. Often this whole chain of decoder and pipeline with its funcitonal units is called a slot.
Each slot can issue one new operation each cycle, all of which are executed in parallel and independently to all the other operations in the parallel slots. Well, apart from a few exceptions like unconditional branches, of which there can only be one executed in each instruction, but which can appear in any of the branching slots of the instruction. This is an optimization though.
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Meirchion Meirionydd, King of Meirionydd
(Born c.AD 435)
(Latin: Marcianus; English: Mark)
Meirchion was the son of Cunedda Wledig's eldest boy, Typipion. Typipion had died some years prior to Cunedda's migration south from Manau Gododdin, so it was left to Meirchion to take his father's place in fighting the invading Irish. He killed their leader, Beli mac Benlli Gawr (the Giant), and drove them from North Wales. As a reward, his grandfather handed over to him, the area that became known as Meirionydd in his honour. Meirchion ruled wisely for many years and had three sons: Cadwaladr (father of Gwrin Farfdrwch), Cadwallon & Bleiddud. The dynasty continued under the shadow of Gwynedd for several centuries.
Records of King Meirchion date back to the 11th century. He is generally considered legendary.
© Nash Ford Publishing 2001. All Rights Reserved.
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Home 7 Benefits Of Playing Video Games
Thursday27 January 2022
7 Benefits Of Playing Video Games
Video games might help kids develop plenty of good skills provided they play these games in moderation. Dad and mom focus more on the hazards of these games. What they should do is consider the doable benefits of enjoying them on smartphones, PC and other platforms. As a matter of truth, video games can make kids develop certain skills that can help them lots in their lives. Given below are a number of the benefits that kids can enjoy if they play games in moderation.
Problem-fixing Skills
As far as the brain development of kids goes, video games play an incredible role. As an example, the game Legend of Zelda requires its players to plan, negotiate, search and use various approaches to go to the next levels. Aside from this, many latest games like Defenders of the Core and Bakugan trigger problem fixing skills.
Interest in Culture and History
Some video games spur on kids to research and read. For instance, Age of Empires, Civilization and Age of Mythology might encourage a kid to take curiosity in historic cultures, worldwide relations, geography and world history. Typically, these games let kids design or swap maps and completely different types of content. As a result, they acquire a variety of technical and artistic skills. At the same time, they have lots of fun.
Make New Buddies
Unlike parents, kids take videos games as a type of social activity. As a matter of truth, these activities allow kids to make new friends to hang out with. Based on research research, boys are likely to play with a big group of their online friends.
Encourage Train
In a research examine, boys learned new moves from video games, especially ones in the sports category. The fantastic thing about it is that they were able to observe the moves on skateboards or within the basketball courts. Aside from this, some players adopted new sports when they performed new video games.
The Sense of Competition
For boys, competition is a good thing, especially when they have fun at the similar time. So, pc or smartphone games is a great way of triggering the sense of competition in kids. The good thing is that these games are a safer way of expressing their competitive urges.
Likelihood to Lead
When played in groups, kids take turns primarily based on their skunwell levels. In response to some specialists, kids that play online games in groups have a tendency to achieve leadership skills like motivating and persuading others. As a matter of fact, multi-player games give boys a chance to take part within the affairs of a combined-age team.
Opportunity to Educate
Kids help one another play a new game. Consequently, they develop another essential skunwell: teaching. Teaching is an artwork and not everybody is an effective teacher. Another benefit of these games is that they assist kids develop communication and social skills.
So, this was a short description of the benefits of video games for kids. In case your kid is fascinated about one, make positive you purchase him that game. This will benefit him a lot.
If you have any queries concerning where and how to use Steam Awards, you can make contact with us at the web page.
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How is shear centre of a wings calculated? i.e. how can I calculate the wing shear centre of a two spar wing with main spar at 0% of wing chord and rear spar at 75% of wing chord? (Assuming the two spars have the same stiffness.)
I implemented a program using Matlab for S.C calculus purposes (I'm actually involved in an aircraft project and, fortunately (or not), I'm the structures guy. I have based the code and the theory in a PDF bibliography that is linked w/ the .zip folder. You'll notice two matlab codes:
-One is named "Load_Airfoil_Coordinates_using_MATLAB.m". It loads any .dat file (i.e., if you have your airfoil points, you can plot it using this code);
-Another is named "Matlab_script_for_the_shear_center.m". It calculates, beyond your airfoil's C.G (Xcg,Ycg), the shear center (Xsc,Ysc) - probably you'll need to change some of the inputs to agree with your problem, specifically. Despite I've commented the most part of this code, I recommend you to follow Perini's theory (PDF bibliography) to understand the steps.
To download the .zip folder, please click my OneDrive link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aqqj-vTtH2vbomM9cVTInsHp7dbn?e=PMFudZ.
If you're just focusing on the theory, I recommend you some bibliographic references, such as:
1. T.H.G. Megson - Introduction to Aircraft Structural Analysis
2. David J. Peery - Aircraft Structures
3. B. K. Donaldson- Analysis of Aircraft Structures
Hope I was helpful.
Best regards, João Cioffi
Your Answer
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These conditions include not having enough space, being in barren environments bereft of stimulation and being denied the opportunity to perform their natural behaviours. In addition to this, many piglet’s tales are docked (80% of piglets in the UK), they have their teeth clipped, and males are castrated without anaesthetic (now banned in the UK but still legal throughout much of Europe).
One recent study looked specifically at one aspect of pig rearing: how enriched the pigs’ environment was, to see its effects on the animals' cognition. In particular, they looked at the effect of enrichment on the pigs' spatial memory: the ability to remember where an object is.
Two groups of pigs were tested: one from ‘barren’ housing and one from ‘enriched’, which contained wood shavings, peat, straw and branches.
The task consisted of sixteen buckets, four of which had chocolate raisins in them (extremely yummy to pigs). The pigs were given access to these buckets over 30 trials, to see if they remembered where the chocolate was between trials, and how long it took them to learn this. To make sure that the pigs were actually remembering where the chocolate was and not just smelling it, all buckets had chocolate raisins placed under them under a mesh (to allow the odour through but not allowing the pigs to access them).
The pigs housed in the barren pens were actually faster to reach the first baited bucket than the pigs from the enriched housing. This agrees with previous findings, and is thought to be because barren-housed animals are basically bored, and will work harder for food due to the lack of stimulation in their own pens. Additionally, the barren-housed pigs were just as good at remembering where the food was between the trials (using their long-term memory) as the enriched pigs. However, the barren-housed pigs had a worse short-term memory within each trial for the chocolate-rewarded buckets they had already visited and emptied, revisiting these buckets more often than the enriched pigs. The fact that the pigs’ housing condition affected short- but not long-term memory is interesting and supports the fact that these are different memory systems are underpinned by different neural substrates.
Rather than thinking of the enriched environment as enhancing the pigs’ cognitive abilities, the scientists instead present the poorer performance of the barren-housed pigs as a symptom of stress at their housing situation. This kind of ‘barren’ housing is common for pigs in many farms, and although consumers may not care if the pig they are eating is cognitively inferior to an enriched pig, they should care if the reason for this is due to stress or suffering caused to the animal.
Bolhuis, J. E., Oostindjer, M., Hoeks, C. W., de Haas, E. N., Bartels, A. C., Ooms, M., & Kemp, B. Working and reference memory of pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a holeboard spatial discrimination task: the influence of environmental enrichment. Animal cognition DOI 10.1007/s10071-013-0646-7
Kornum, B. R., & Knudsen, G. M. (2011). Cognitive testing of pigs (Sus scrofa) in translational biobehavioral research. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(3), 437-451.
Photo credits
Meat graph by Angela Wong at NPR, data taken from here
Pig brain taken from Kornum & Knudsen (2011)
Pig with piglets: woodlywonderworks
Pig in house (photo not from experiment): Sean
German saddleback, a breed of domestic pig: Silke
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Studying Religion in the Age of a ‘White-Lash’
by Tenzan Eaghll
On Byzantine Apocrypha and Erotapokriseis Literature
by Tony Burke
As I work through the contributions to the second volume of New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, I am struck by how many of them are related to a genre of literature that has not been discussed much in connection with apocryphal texts. This genre is erotapokriseis (question-and-answer) texts. For an introduction to this literature, see Péter Tóth, “New Wine in Old Wineskin: Byzantine Reuses of the Apocryphal Revelation Dialogue,” in Dialogues and Debates from Late Antiquity to Late Byzantium(ed. Averil Cameron and Niels Gaul; New York: Routledge, 2017), 77–93 (available on and Yannis Papadoyannakis, “Instruction by Question and Answer: The Case of Late Antique and Byzantine Erotapokriseis,” in Greek Literature in Late Antiquity: Dynamism, Didacticism, Classicism (ed. Scott Fitzgerald Johnson; London/New York: Routledge, 2006), 91–105 (also online HERE).
The genre can be defined widely enough to include any dialogue literature, going as far back as Pseudo-Aristotle’s Problemata (compiled over a period stretching from 300 BCE to 600 CE) and, in their early form, are structured as an exchange between a master and his disciples. This should be familiar to readers of such apocryphal texts as the Dialogue of the Savior and the Letter of Peter to Philip, in which a (typically) post-Easter Jesus responds to a series of questions from his disciples. Kurt Rudolph called these texts “apocryphal revelation dialogues,” Helmut Koester, more provocatively, “dialogue-gospels.” The prevalence of the form among the so-called “gnostic” texts of the Nag Hammadi Library led to a belief that it was particularly favored among gnostic Christians. But the form is also used in the more orthodox Epistle of the Apostles and the Questions of Bartholomew, and to some extent in tour of hell apocalypses, such as the Apocalypse of Paul or the Apocalypse of the Virgin, in which various locations of punishment are explained in response to questions from the visionary of the text.
Non-revelation erotapokriseis include works by Origen and Eusebius. On their models evolved in late antiquity a flexible form of numbered questions and answers that allowed for adaptation and supplementation. One of the first of these is the Quaestiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos attributed to Justin. It features 161 questions and answers (in the long recension) dealing with themes such as eschatology, cosmology, demonology, magic etc. It has an apologetic dimension, asserting orthodox teachings against the views of well-known critics of Christianity (Celsus, Porphyry, and Julian) and of heretics. It is these Byzantine question-and-answer texts that have some kind of relationship to contemporary apocrypha.
The erotapokriseis texts included in MNTA 2 include one text closely aligned with the early “gnostic” dialogues. It has appeared in previous editions and collections, including the German collection edited by Schneemelcher (by Henri-Charles Puech, see pp. 388–90 in the English translation) and its revision by Markschies and Schröter (by Hans-Martin Schenke, see pp. 1217–19). In both collections the text is called “Fragments of a Dialogue between John and Jesus,” but Philip Tite, who has provided an extensive introduction and new translation of the text for MNTA, prefers to keep the identity of the revealer anonymous, simply calling the text the Dialogue of the Revealer and John. The fragmentary manuscript, in Coptic, is a single page broken up into smaller pieces. It likely derives from the Monastery of Apa Apollo at Deir el-Bala’izah, which seems to have been abandoned by 750 CE. The remaining portions of the text comprise a series of questions about Genesis—the fall of humanity, Cain and Abel, the Flood, and Melchizedek—answered by the Revealer with hints of Sethian theology (the mention of five seals, the terms “silence” and “rational power”).
Tite’s work on the Dialogue of the Revealer and John is followed in MNTA 2 by a series of Byzantine Johannine apocalyptica. Most of these have appeared previously, most prominently in John M. Court’s collection The Book of Revelation and the Johannine Apocalyptic Tradition (JSNTS 190; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000). Court republished earlier editions and provided English translations and notes. The first of these Johannine apocalyptica, 1 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John, is the most widely known as it is included in Constantin Tischendorf’s Apocalypses Apocryphae, from which it was translated into English in Alexander Walker’s Apocryphal Gospels, Acts, and Revelations. In the text, John sits with the resurrected Jesus on Mount Tabor and asks a series of questions about the fate of the soul, the form of the body in the afterlife, and about the anti-Christ. My favorite section is the answer to John’s question on the form taken by the righteous after resurrection:
For even as the bees are, and are no different one from another, but are all one appearance and one stature, in the same way, even those in the resurrection will all be human. They will be neither fair of skin, nor red of skin, nor black of skin; neither will they be (like the) Ethiopian with different facial features; 5but all will rise in one appearance and one stature. (11:2–4)
Many new manuscripts of the text have been found since Tischendorf’s day—he used seven in Greek, but Rick Brannan’s introduction for MNTA 2 lists an additional 27, and likely there are more. The text is known also in Arabic, Garšuni, Armenian, and Slavonic. It was certainly popular. With a new critical edition still a desideratum, Brannan provides only a new translation of Tischendorf’s text. He has also published a Greek reader of the text (more on this HERE). Besides the question-and-answer structure of the text, 1 Apocr. Apoc. John also intersects with the erotapokriseis genre in a number of parallels of content with the Quaestiones ad Antiochum ducem, attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria but likely composed in the seventh century. Both texts share material in their answers to whether the dead will be able to recognize each other in the afterlife (Quaest. ad Ant. 22; cf. 1 Apocr. Apoc. John 12) and about the number of the angels (Quaest. ad Ant. 6; cf. 1 Apocr. Apoc. John 26). The parallels are noted in work on the text in the nineteenth century in Russian by Vassily Mochulsky but have only been brought into Western scholarship recently by Péter Tóth (“New Wine in Old Wineskin,” 82–84) and Laurence Vianès (“Les citations bibliques dans la Première Apocalyse Apocryphe de saint Jean et dans les Quaestiones ad Antiochum Ducem,” in Soyez des changuers avisés. Controverses exégétiques dans la littérature apocryphe chrétienne, ed. Gabriella Aragione and Rémi Gounelle [Cahiers de Biblia Patristica 12; Strasbourg: Université de Strasbourg, 2012], 145–612, also available on
The second Byzantine Johannine apocalypse is known, appropriately enough, as 2 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John, though it is attributed in the manuscripts to John Chrysostom, not John the Theologian. It is possible that the attribution to Chrysostom is a secondary development in the tradition, though the content of the text—questions about the Byzantine liturgy—is certainly appropriate to Chrysostom, who was instrumental in its development. This text was first published by Russian scholar N. Th. Krasnoseltsev in 1898 but readers in the West became aware of it from an edition by François Nau in 1914. Janet Spittler and two of her students, Rebecca Draughon and Jeannie Sellick, have prepared for MNTA 2 a synoptic translation of both editions, which vary from one another significantly. At least four other manuscripts are known, one from the new finds at St. Catherine’s Monastery, but these have yet to be evaluated or published. The fragmentary St. Catherine’s manuscript should be important since it dates from around the eighth or ninth century. As with 1 Apocr. Apoc. John, there are several Byzantine erotapokriseisworks, indicated by Krasnoseltsev, that share content with 2 Apocr. Apoc. John. As Tóth notes (p. 83), the Various Questions and Answers on Priests contains the questions, “What is the church? What is the sanctuary? What is the altar?” and the answers sometimes agree verbatim with 2 Apocr. Apoc. John 3:1–3. Parallels to the apocalypse can also be found in commentaries on the liturgy, such as Germanos of Constantinople’s Ecclesiastical History and Mystical Contemplation.
MNTA 2 features also, for the first time, a translation of a new text: 3 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John. This text has been prepared by Chance Bonar and I from two error-ridden Greek manuscripts; it is available also in 24 Slavonic manuscripts. 3 Apocr. Apoc. Johnhas some clear connections with 1 Apocr. Apoc. John: the dialogue occurs on the Mount of Olives after the resurrection and overlaps in content with the question on the form of post-resurrection bodies. But in this text, John asks questions of Abraham, not Jesus. The patriarch is an appropriate choice for interlocutor given the tradition in ancient Jewish and Christian tradition of the “bosom of Abraham,” which holds that after death the righteous are separated from the unrighteous and cross over to an area of Hades/Sheol where Abraham dwells. So Abraham is fully qualified to answer questions about the nature of souls and the afterlife, such as will the Jews find mercy in the afterlife? What will happen to the impious on judgment day? Will the righteous be separated from family and friends? And do deceased children go to heaven? Some questions also deal with the conduct of priests and other church officials, with a particular interest in their conduct and who will speak for whom on judgment day. It is not known yet whether this particular apocalypse has any connection to other erotapokriseis texts. Perhaps scholars who work closely in that area will see some parallels when the text is published.
The last of the texts in this cluster of Johannine apocalyptica is the Questions of James to John, prepared by Kathleen Gibbons. The text was first published from one Greek manuscript by Athanasius Vassiliev in 1893 in his collection Anecdota graeco-byzantina; an English translation was provided by Court. An additional seven manuscripts are known, and Kate drew upon four of these for her translation. As of yet no versions have been found in other languages. The questions posed by James focus again on the fate of the soul after death, but this time attention is paid to what happens to sinners (in typical tour-of-hell fashion they are placed in a fiery river where they are consumed by a sleepless worm) and on the possibility of repentance. A number of examples are presented of notorious sinners who received forgiveness, both biblical (Peter, Manasseh, David, and the Good Thief) and nonbiblical (Mary of Egypt, Andrew of Crete, and Cyprian of Antioch). Tóth does not mention any connections between Quest. James and other erotapokriseistexts, and very few other scholars have worked on this text. The repentant late antique saints given as examples of repentance certainly indicate use of another source—that John would have knowledge of these figures is peculiar and not explained in the text—but so far no one has pursued parallels.
Two other apocryphal erotapokriseis texts are mentioned in Tóth’s study: the Revelation on the Lord’s Prayer (BHG 821x–y), which entails a post-Easter discussion between Peter and Jesus about the interpretation of the prayer (e.g., “what is ‘they kingdom come’?”), and the Dialogue of Mary and Christ on the Departure of the Soul, which is attributed to John. The first of these texts was published by Krasnoseltzev from two manuscripts, and a third is known. It also appears appended to Quest. James in one of the manuscripts used by Kate for her translation. The Dialogue of Mary was found by Tóth in two manuscripts but has yet to be published. I wish we had known about these two texts earlier in the process of compiling MNTA 2! Ah well, there’s always vol. 3 (if indeed there is a vol. 3).
One more text to appear in MNTA 2 relates to erotapokriseis literature, but this one is not a Johannine apocalypse. It is the unpublished Martyrdom of Zechariah, translated by Sarah Veale and I from two Greek manuscripts. It is extant also in 18 Slavonic manuscripts. The text compiles traditions about Zechariah’s death and episodes from the life of John the Baptist. Some of this material appears also in an exchange between Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil the Great known as Quaestiones ac responsiones. One question addresses how long the Holy Family spent in Egypt, with the answer given as 12 months. Another addresses where Jesus lived while there, with the answer given as “the house of Alphaeus,” and a partial exchange refers to the murder of Zechariah by Herod. All of this information appears in the early chapters of Mart. Zach. Another erotapokriseistext extant in Slavonic under the title “Narrative from the unknown, true books of Genesis” includes a question about the baptisms of Zechariah and John; the response, corresponding to the narrative in Mart. Zech. 5–6, is given as:
The Lord baptized the two after he came out of Egypt with the four angels. After Zechariah had been killed in the temple, he baptized the two there, after he raised Zechariah from the dead. But he brought John out of the mountain, and again sent him into the mountain. Zechariah, however, fell asleep again and was buried under the altar. The Lord himself went to Egypt. But all this happened in one night.
Two other Slavonic manuscripts have the same question and answer but in these manuscripts the question is posed by Gregory of Nazianzus, suggesting that it has some association with the Greek Quaestiones ac responsiones.
Opinions vary as to the direction of dependency of the erotapokriseis texts and their related apocrypha. Vianès reserves judgment about which of the two texts he examines, 1 Apocr. Apoc. John and Quaest. ad Ant., is primary, or whether they depend on a third, unknown source, whereas Tóth concludes that 1 Apocr. Apoc. John is a transformation of Quaest. ad Ant. As for Mart. Zech., it appears to me far more likely that the questions addressed to Gregory are based on Mart. Zech. than the reverse. Regardless of the answers on dependency, the relationship of apocrypha and erotapokriseis texts begs for further exploration. In cases were the apocryphal texts are primary, the examples show that Byzantine writers were willing to draw upon apocrypha as sources for questions about the afterlife, the liturgy, and the lives of saints; where erotapokriseis texts are primary, we see the transformation or adaptation of one type of literature into apocrypha, presumably because doing so would give it a wider hearing or appeal. As Tóth writes, “The close dependence of the Apocalypse to the Quaestiones seems to indicate a certain permeability between the two literary forms. The dry and impersonal series of questions and answers could easily be turned into a more lively dialogue form resulting in a, so-to-say, ‘apocryphised’ version of the erotapokriseis” (p. 84).
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Discourses of Religion and the Non-Religious/Secular in Islamic Contexts: Call for Expressions of Interest
Proposed New Network:
Please send expressions of interest to Dr Alex Henley ([email protected]).
A critical school has emerged in the Study of Religion that identifies the category of ‘religion’ as a modern concept inseparable from its post-Enlightenment twin, ‘the secular’ (Asad 1993; Fitzgerald 2000). Pioneering work has been done on the invention of ‘religion’ in various colonial contexts (Chidester 1996; King 1999; Masuzawa 2005; Josephson 2012; Horii 2018), but few sustained studies have been undertaken for Islam. An early study by WC Smith (1964) identified a modern shift in Muslim discourse around ‘Islam’ as a category, but nevertheless argued it to be a special case. Certainly we see classical formulas such as ‘din wa dunya’ that seem to suggest an existing, perhaps even original, distinction between religion and non-religion. Whether or not ‘religion’ has been invented wholesale in Islam as in Hinduism, Buddhism, etc, a study of such discourse among Muslim intellectuals by Tayob (2009) has highlighted significant innovation in the modern period.
A new academic network based at the University of Oxford will provide a forum for discussion of these questions: To what extent, if any, is ‘religion’ a useful category of analysis in Islamic Studies? Was there an Islam ‘before religion’ (Nongbri 2013)? In what changing or varied ways do we see ‘religion’ as a bounded category of practice articulated, operationalised and institutionalised by or for Muslims in recent centuries? What distinctive characteristics and functions (e.g. rights, freedoms, authority, privatisation) does ‘religion’ have as a reified subject in Islamic discourse, that distinguish it from ‘non-religious’ or ‘secular’ domains? Does a ‘religion-secular’ dichotomy operate also in contexts where ideological secularism is rejected as un-Islamic? What role have colonial and post-colonial modernity or states played in Muslim (re)formulations of ‘religion’ and its others? Do such trends in Islamic contexts compare to the invention of ‘religion’ in other colonial contexts, or should we see Islam as exceptional in some way? What new methodologies may shed light on these dynamics? What implications may the critical study of ‘religion’ have for the way Islam is taught in schools and universities?
Please let us know if you would be interested in this network by emailing Alex Henley ([email protected]). Participation is invited from scholars interested in these kinds of questions in any period or regional context. As we are trying to gage the level and type of interest, we would also welcome any suggestions on its direction, specific themes for workshops, collaborations with other organisations, etc.
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A Review of Emily Ogden’s Credulity: A Cultural History of US Mesmerism
Credulity: A Cultural History of US Mesmerism. By Emily Ogden. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018. Pp. xiv + 268. $27.50 (paperback), $82.50 (hardcover).
by Charles McCrary
It can be a terribly tenuous thing, being modern. It slips. To be a secular liberal subject, a choosing agent, a person in control of faculties and wits, requires diligence. But if you’re ever unsure of your own enlightenment, it can be reassuring to find someone unenlightened. Even Benjamin Franklin, a healthy, wealthy, wise man—in modern parlance, very much on top of his shit—needed to consider his others. As a reminder of his own rationality, or perhaps as a way of establishing it, he took to identifying, studying, and debunking the irrational, the credulous. Credulity, like superstition or fanaticism or idolatry, emerged as a category for understanding what others do, and what’s wrong with them. But, as Emily Ogden shows in her brilliant book Credulity, demarcating the modern from the primitive was only the first of credulity’s uses.
Ogden investigates the various ways nineteenth-century US American mesmerists and their skeptics played seriously with credulity, navigating secular subjectivity and modernity in a supposedly-but-clearly-not-totally disenchanted age. Enchantment was useful, but it had to be studied and understood in order to be managed. “Mesmerists,” Ogden writes, “did not believe in magic, but they did believe in the utility of others’ belief. They were not enchanted themselves, but they were eager to use the enchantment of others” (3). What can a modern subject do with a credulous dupe, a primitive animist, a believer in magic? Credulity demonstrates how “the skeptic of this period sought to manage enchantment, not to suppress it. To confine, explain, and redeploy primitive religious power: these were the quintessential aspirations not just of mesmerists in particular but also of antebellum secularism in general” (5). The secular subject lives on one side of the “line between modernity and credulity” (24). About that line antebellum fiction authors and Ogden together ask, “how, by whom, and for what purposes it had been put there” (24). The answer is secularism, in so many words, the project of drawing the line and policing it, working to remember who’s on which side. In these ways, modern secular subjects are modern and secular because of this line—“enchantment can only be modern” (9)!—and, more specifically, their regulation thereof.
The first chapter focuses on the 1784 reports from a Parisian commission led by Benjamin Franklin on the new European fad of animal magnetism, popularized by Franz Anton Mesmer. Franklin and his fellow debunkers claimed that animal magnetism “did not exist.” But something was having effects on people. As Moderns, in Bruno Latour’s sense, the debunkers could not believe in the efficacy of material objects, but they could believe in the efficacy of others’ beliefs. “Thanks to its initial debunking,” Ogden writes, “animal magnetism could eventually become an instance of credulity deliberately practiced” (34). When a credulous believer believes—knows—that, say, an iron rod is controlling them through animal-magnetic power, they give in to it and then are in fact controlled. “Imagination did not merely trick them into thinking they were feeling heat in a magnetized part of the body, or convulsing; it tricked them into actually feeling heat and convulsing” (34). However, this worked only on subjects who were susceptible to this sort of control, those who were somehow weak-minded, primitive, or impressionable. It still could be used “to constitute the community of the enlightened by excluding the dupes” (52). And here we see an early example of the comparative study of religion, as certain commentators noticed that a variety of practices, from Indigenous rituals to camp-meeting revivals, looked awfully like animal magnetism (53).
Mesmerism developed into an American science in the 1830s, when Charles Poyen, a Creole sugar planter who learned about animal magnetism while in medical school in France, decided to put the practice to use. If, due to their not-so-buffered selves, “primitives” were susceptible to becoming mesmerized—somnambulant and suggestible—such a practice could become quite useful for controlling populations. And in this way, Ogden is careful to note, Poyen was not so different from the earlier generation of debunkers. They “thought credulity was primitive but so did Poyen: he wanted to control it in others, not succumb to it himself” (70). The goal was not to enlighten the whole population but, rather, to leverage enlightenment and to keep enchantment around insofar as it was useful. As other scholars have argued, secularization is not about eradicating religion or superstition, but about managing them. So, US mesmerists sought the disenchantment of the world, but not the whole world. “If disenchantment was supposed to liberate humanity from superstition’s spell, mesmerism did not aspire to set everyone free. No more did it envision a modernity in which everyone was subject to incantations. Mesmerism’s efficacy depended on keeping just certain people—somnambulists—enchanted” (83). The population whom Poyen was most keen on keeping enchanted were the enslaved persons who worked in his sugar fields.
Other Americans found other uses for mesmerism, though. And here, in chapters three and four, Credulity turns directly toward the ambiguities and anxieties of agency. Though Poyen and his colleagues wrote manuals and developed methods, the science of controlling others remained inexact. Chapter three offers an extended consideration of Loraina Brackett, a blind clairvoyant who while in a magnetic state could travel to faraway cities, describing accurately the geography and sensory experiences of the place. William Leete Stone, already renowned for exposing humbugs, investigated Brackett. What he found, though, was that in order to induce belief in her, so as to leverage her credulity, he too had to use his imagination. Stone and Brackett ended up telling stories together, operating in a “world of interdependency and playing along,” in which the tug and pull of agency and control—leader and follower, studier and studied, modern and credulous—was more complicated than Stone had anticipated (155). It’s all so hard to pin down. But, as Ogden describes in chapter four, people tried. Phrenomesmerists, with their psychrometers and sundry other tools and methods, “aimed to use mesmerism to map the phrenological organs more accurately, thus furnishing a tool for self-culture and education” (165). What mesmerism did better than phrenology was change subjects, not just measure them. It was a practical science.
What does it mean to be free, to be a secular agent in this context? Drawing from Talal Asad, Ogden writes, “The paradox at the heart of secular agency—that the self, to be free from external control, must already be subject to the control of a self fully free and aware—means that the agent can never quite pin down that part of itself that is fulfilled and in control” (177). According to Latour, Moderns have two options: “either you are cynically pulling the strings, or else you are being had” (quoted on 43).[1] Stone and Brackett’s collaborative world-making hints toward other options. In an insightful and fresh reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Blithedale Romance (1852), Ogden insists that the much-maligned Miles Coverdale, accused by modern critics of failing to exercise enough agency, instead undertakes “an experiment in a kind of selfhood that neither veils nor enslaves others” (183). He is “not much of an agent” (184). But, again, what exactly is the character of secular agency and freedom?
By the 1850s, Spiritualists had superseded mesmerists in popularity and influence in the United States. Spiritualists had different political goals, beliefs, metaphysics, and practices, but, Ogden notes, in at least one key way they continued mesmerists’ project: “Spiritualists, too, believed in belief and thought it could be put to use” (203). In this chapter, Ogden’s main contribution to the already robust literature on US (and British) Spiritualism is to trace their lineage through the mesmerists and the debunkers. They are part of the same secularization story. “Spiritualists shaped a narrative in which mesmerism was the primitive practice that they had rationalized” (224). Were Spiritualists really secular, working to bring about disenchantment? How does this type of disenchantment work? Here, a well-placed quotation from John Modern’s Secularism in Antebellum America (2011), makes the point: for the influential Spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis, disenchantment “was not the vanquishing of ghosts. Rather, it was a matter of calculating them” (224).[2] And, as Ogden stresses throughout, it was a matter of putting them to work. This is what mesmerists and Franklin had in common; they studied credulous subjects and reassured themselves of their own modern, rational, secular subjectivities. But now, for Spiritualists, mesmerists were the credulous ones. Spiritualists spoke both with and in “the Spirit of Benjamin Franklin.” Franklin’s spirit was one of the most popular visitors to nineteenth-century American séances. When he spoke to antebellum Spiritualists, he sometimes made the same anti-mesmerist arguments as the earthly Franklin had. Unlike credulous mesmerists, the Spiritualists and (spirit-)Franklin were modern.
Credulity is an extraordinary achievement. It is the best kind of interdisciplinary American studies scholarship, deftly navigating canonical American literature, critical theory, and archival sources, presenting them in sharp and engaging prose. Very few works of scholarship are both intensely smart and deeply pleasurable to read (and most are neither), but Credulity surely is, and it repays close, careful reading and rereading. Its clearest critical intervention, at least for this reader, is in secularism studies. Specifically, Ogden clearly and creatively applies Latour’s insights on scientism and the Moderns to work on secularism by Modern, Asad, and others. Secularization is not the disappearance of religion but the management of it, the processes of separating it from the secular and, just as importantly, the troubling slough-off third categories like magic and superstition. By zeroing in on credulity, Ogden both excavates a key nineteenth-century category and offers new analytical vocabulary. By focusing on mesmerists, she highlights previously understudied historical actors and texts, and when discussing more familiar material she does so with fresh lenses and questions. She treats her subjects, even fictional ones, with generosity and grace. But the book’s contributions go beyond even that. Rather than a formal conclusion restating the book’s claims, Ogden gifts the reader a truly stunning coda on Ann Braude’s Radical Spirits (1989) and Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick (1851) that works simultaneously as historiographical corrective, critique of second-wave feminism, and meditation on freedom itself. I don’t want to spoil the whole thing, which I implore you to read, but here is a snippet: “There is no special reason why you would be freer from your idol when your idol is your freedom of choice than when it is your little wooden god. The problem with the empowerment argument is that it assumes that freedom is a better master. On the Pequod, freedom is the worst master” (235). These are not strictly nineteenth-century issues—subjectivity, agency, freedom. Like credulity, or religion, it’s not just about who has them and who doesn’t, but how they get them, and how they use them.
[2]John Lardas Modern, Secularism in Antebellum America(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011), 179.
Charlie McCrary is a postdoctoral fellow at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.
Name it and Disclaim it: A Tool for Better Discussion in Religious Studies
by Joseph P. Laycock and Natasha L. Mikles
Anyone who has led discussion in an introductory undergraduate Religious Studies class has experienced frustrating comments from students such as, “Jews practice empty ritual,” or “Buddhists are more spiritual than other religions.” It seems that regardless of efforts to set up “ground rules” at the beginning of the course, comments likes these still show up. The worst is when they appear in final exam essays and one wonders if all of their instruction has fallen on deaf ears.
In fairness to our students, doing analysis within a religious studies classroom is a unique beast. It may seem comparable to discussions they have in a philosophy class or a history class, but there are subtle differences. Unfortunately, by the time most students have any sense of how to do religious studies, the semester is over. This problem is even worse in a World Religions class where the students must master course content at the same time they are learning to think like a religion scholar.
While everyone must muddle through, certain students demonstrate assumptions and patterns of thinking that are uniquely aggravating to religious studies professors. Usually what makes these patterns so exasperating is that they conceal some form of intellectual laziness: The problem is not that the student has some unique perspective the professor disagrees with, but rather that they are deploying a rhetorical maneuver to avoid the hard work of critical analysis.
The challenge for faculty lies in identifying these patterns and explaining to the student what we want them to do differently. This is especially the case when, say, grading a mountain of blue books. What follows is an experiment in identifying certain recurring patterns that emerge in religious studies classes and creating labels for them. These labels are a heuristic. They provide a vocabulary to discuss these patterns more easily. The list below is inspired in part by a poster created by School of Thought International designed to help people hone their critical thinking skills by identifying and naming specific logical fallacies.
Our labels are, of course, arbitrary. The purpose is not to perfect a taxonomy of poor approaches to religious studies but rather to create a tool that can expedite the process of learning to think like a religious studies scholar. We encourage pedagogues in religious studies to identify the patterns that occur most often in their courses, name them appropriately, and then share this vocabulary with the students as needed. These terms can be introduced early in the course and then referred to again, especially during discussion or when giving feedback on student writing. They could also be included on the syllabus or a course website for future reference. Again, their purpose is to help students apprehend larger patterns in what makes a strong or weak argument when doing religious studies.
Square Peg, Round Hole: This label refers to analyzing a religious tradition in terms of another religious tradition––and almost always this tradition is Protestantism. Describing religious beliefs and practices in terms “empty ritual,” “superstition,” or “a lack of morality” are all examples of “Square Peg, Round Hole.” So too are comparative essays with statements like this, “Instead of a church, Jews have a synagogue. Instead of the Bible, Jews read the Torah. Instead of a pastor, Jews have a rabbi.” All of this is technically correct, but it doesn’t demonstrate much understanding of Judaism as a tradition.
“Square Peg, Round Hole,” should not be misconstrued to say that we never use comparisons in our classroom. Students are always making comparisons, whether we ask them to or not, so it behooves us as educators to embrace the comparative strategy when appropriate. What “Square Peg, Round Hole” challenges is comparisons that tacitly and uncritically take one tradition as the norm and everything else as a distortion or aberration of that norm. “Square Peg, Round Hole,” is also not making the claim that we must take religious traditions at their word or can never apply the hermeneutics of suspicion. We reject William Cantwell Smith’s assertion that “No statement about a religion is valid unless it can be acknowledged by that religion’s believers.” But before we can apply critiques we need some understanding of the internal logic and worldview of the tradition. It is hard to do this if we are constantly contorting the data so that we can measure it solely in terms of some other religious tradition.
No Good Scotsman: This well-known fallacy takes its name from an anecdote in which a Scot claims that Scotsmen never put sugar in their porridge. When shown another Scotman who does put sugar in his porridge, the first Scot specifies that no good Scotsman puts sugar in his porridge. In other words, any counter example to the original claim is dismissed ipso facto.
Franklin Graham invoked this argument in 2009 when he stated that “true Islam” is about beating your wife and murdering your children. Presumably an infinite number of peaceful Muslim counter-examples would be irrelevant to this claim because they are not practicing “true Islam” as defined by Graham.
Unchallenged, the “No Good Scotsman” argument is very effective for belief perseverance. As such, students may be tempted to reach for it when their preconceived notions about a religious tradition are challenged. Just as Franklin used this argument to dismiss peaceful Muslims, students may claim that Buddhists who support nationalism or who are more interested in blessed amulets than meditation are not “good Buddhists.”
The “No good Scotsman” argument is also frequently applied to the category of religion itself. In his essay “Everyday Miracles” Robert Orsi describes how his students felt Catholics in the Bronx using holy water from a replica of the Lourdes grotto was not an example of religion. This led Orsi to ask, “So if this is not religion, what is?” Orsi’s work demonstrates that numerous labels including “cult” and “superstition” serve the same function as the “No Good Scotsman” argument, preserving biases about what religion is and does by screening out counter examples. But we cannot get into the hard work of doing religious studies until we have stopped making such excuses with the data. As Jeffrey Kripal states in his book Super Natural, “It is very easy to explain everything on the table if you have just taken off the table everything that you cannot explain.”
Loaded Questions: The classic example of a loaded question is the prosecutor asking, “Do you still beat your wife?” We find these kind of indictments framed as questions are often coupled with anecdotal evidence. For example, one student asked, “I went to Turkey and everyone glared at me. Why are Muslims so intolerant?” Invoking a completely subjective experience of Muslim intolerance reinforced a rhetorical maneuver in which the class was pressured to accept the claim that Muslims are intolerant instead of challenging this idea.
But the loaded question can also take a more subtle form. Instead of just trying to mask a claim, in a religious studies class it can also be used to abdicate the burden of analysis. When a student asks, “Why would anyone believe that?” they are actually making the statement, “This tradition is inscrutable and making sense of it is not my responsibility.” But when students sign up for a religious studies class they forfeit the ability the make these kinds of dismissals. As long as they are in the course, it is their job to figure out why anyone would believe that.
Medical Materialism: This term, famously coined by William James, refers to the practice of “explaining away” religious experiences in terms of medical diagnoses. Common examples include the claim that Paul was epileptic or that Islam arose because, “Muhammad suffered a hallucination from too much sun.”
As James noted, the problem with medical materialism isn’t that these diagnoses are necessarily incorrect (although they are usually made with minimal evidence or medical expertise). Rather, the problem is that they function to dismiss the cultural significance formed around these experiences. James noted that all thoughts and mental states can be reduced to the functions of the nervous system, but we only engage in this analysis when examining ideas we don’t like.
The Dumb Ancestors Assumption: Related to medical materialism is a facile attempt to explain all accounts of the supernatural as a misunderstanding of mental illness or some other natural phenomenon. This maneuver conceals a certain smugness that we have greater powers of reasoning and familiarity with the natural world than our ancestors. The Dumb Ancestors Assumption is particularly an obstacle when interpreting myths or accounts of the supernatural. Our ability to imagine the significance of these stories is limited if our default assumption is that these are just-so stories told by intellectually primitive people to explain the natural world. Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan alludes to this lack of imagination when he writes, “My point is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are now smart enough to take them symbolically, but that they told them symbolically and we are now dumb enough to take them literally.”
Dan Brown Syndrome: This label refers to an assumption that a historical claim about a religious tradition is more likely to be true if it is not believed by the tradition’s practitioners or if the claim would upset them. The most common examples of Dan Brown Syndrome concern early Christianity and include simplistic mythicist claims about the historicity of Jesus or claims that Jesus studied mysticism in India. Less common examples of Dan Brown Syndrome include hyper-diffusionist theories used to explain, for example, why there are five pillars in Islam and five skandhas in Buddhism. Of course, there is evidence for many historical claims that contradict the official histories of religious institutions. The problem with Dan Brown Syndrome is that it eschews reasoned historical arguments in favor of contrarianism.
Epistemological Nihilism: This label refers to claims that we cannot engage in any sort of analysis or discussion unless we have perfect empirical knowledge. One student told an author it was unreasonable when she was asked questions during class discussion like, “What would Bertrand Russell say about this?” because only Bertrand Russell could ever answer this. Another student chose to write an essay on Elie Wiesel’s exegesis of the Book of Job and wrote that Wiesel did not live in the time of Job and therefore was utterly unqualified to say anything about this story and arrogant for attempting to.
This is one of the most galling maneuvers because, while these arguments are often framed in terms of critical thinking or the scientific method, their function is usually to dodge the hard work of analysis. If we can know nothing, claims the epistemological nihilist, then attempting to learn or understand anything is a waste of time.
This list is just a preliminary exploration, and we encourage colleagues to add their own commonly encountered fallacies and biases in the comments below. Above all, we hope that by labeling these patterns, we can better communicate to our students how to sharpen their analyses. We all were students once and probably at least a little bit intellectually lazy until someone pushed us; we hope to do the same for our students now.
by Merinda Simmons
Criticism is not cynicism.
Criticism is not religious reductionism.
Criticism is not advocacy or retail (etc).
So You’re Not a Priest? Scholars Explain What They Do to Outsiders: James Crossley
by James Crossley
Do you want to hear my anecdote about my favourite experience along the lines (though admittedly not the same as), “So you’re not a priest?” Of course you do. I was reading a book on the development of the study of Christian origins in the nineteenth and twentieth century (Ward Blanton’s Displacing Christian Origins) in a dentist waiting room and I was asked by the receptionist what I was reading. No-one wants to engage with fellow human beings and I did keep the cover deliberately obscured (great book though it is) but I nevertheless tried to explain what I hate explaining. Yet it turned out to be a humbling experience because she responded by telling me that she hoped rich people would burn in hell, starting with the Rolex-wearing dentist who underpays his staff. I could only agree with the sentiment.
Most reactions to what I do (assuming I tell the truth) to people outside universities are usually unsurprising ones of indifference or bafflement. Countless times colleagues have spoken about the question, “So you’re not a priest?”, or variations on the theme. While not professing to know what people think, I tend to assume cynically that the question often functions as code for, “look how obscure I am and our little group I’m a part of is!” Maybe I’m wrong in plenty of instances and I actually do like the idea of valuing things deemed obscure, useless, and without obvious economic value. And, in fact, one reason I value such things is because in my previous academic experience there was pressure on my economic valueless subject which was therefore not deemed worthy by influential figures in management. Put another way, my embarrassment outside the workplace is the opposite of my proudly self-identifying with biblical studies against certain universities who treat such a subject with contempt because it does not bring in much money.
Let’s take a look at these two tendencies and some of their ramifications.
Category One: being embarrassed outside university about the subject we study. I always struggled understanding why I am (and others are) socially awkward when it comes to discussing what I/we do. I have always known that it would be deemed weird to admit my interests but I would also read things like the majority of people identifying as “Christian” in answer to the question, “What is your religion?” According to Census 2011, this figure was 70.7% in my hometown of Barrow (a little higher than the national percentage, though notably down from 81% in Census 2001), and might be compared with 22.1% identifying as “No Religion”. This surprised me because I do not seem to know anyone in my hometown who goes to church and very few who care about what I do. I have also read articles and books arguing (not always unreasonably) that the past forty years may have seen a sharp decline in identification with a church but yet people identify as “religious” in a host of different ways. This seemed a little closer to my experiences but still: why would my job be embarrassing in these context if lots of people were now claiming to be SBNR (Spiritual, But Not Religious) or whatever? Well, questions and answers in the context of e.g. the Census only tell a story in one particular context. The British Social Attitudes survey asked a different question (“Do you regard yourself as belonging to any particular religion?”) and it suggests a national and regional decline in identification with Christian churches (especially the Church of England) and a rise in those identifying with “No Religion” (44.2% in the North West of England, slightly lower than the national percentage). I am not suggesting that one question is necessarily better or worse but rather both provoke different answers and identity performance in different contexts. One seemed to be a little closer to helping me understand my anxieties but, ultimately, I wasn’t too much the wiser.
Over the summer I decided to find out more about this in Barrow and in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. I asked about thirty people what they thought of the following from the now former British Prime Minister, David Cameron:
[From] human rights and equality to our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy…the first forms of welfare provision… language and culture… [T]he Judeo-Christian roots of the Bible also provide the foundations for protest and for the evolution of our freedom and democracy…[They form] the irrepressible foundation for equality and human rights, a foundation that has seen the Bible at the forefront of the emergence of democracy, the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of women… Responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, self-sacrifice, love, pride in working for the common good and honouring the social obligations we have to one another, to our families and our communities these are the values we treasure. Yes, they are Christian values. And we should not be afraid to acknowledge that. But they are also values that speak to us all – to people of every faith and none.
The reactions were telling. Certainly there were constructions of, and assumptions about, what the Bible and Christianity is (e.g. a morally decent something corrupted by later interpreters). But the near-universal response was disbelief that a politician would dare justify political views with the Bible or Christianity which were deemed largely irrelevant. In contrast to immediate answers about politics, almost all participants were puzzled, baffled, and paused for some time to think, and some thought that I even invented the quotation from Cameron (I didn’t, incidentally). Several answers mocked the perceived hypocrisy and stupidity, as well as using industrial language to describe Cameron for doing this. There was little in the way of hatred for what they assumed the Bible or religion to be though little in the way of nostalgia for a lost past either. One of the few generalisations possible is that there was that shoulder-shrugging indifference about something that might once have been influential. I looked at hundreds of related examples in the context of social media over the summer and there were only occasional examples that might commonly be categorised as “religious” of “biblical”. This is, of course, only one town with its own peculiarities. But at least it seemed to confirm some of my own suspicions and experiences (on all this, the article is freely available for download here).
Why might this be relevant? This brings us to Category Two: we demand religion and the Bible be studied, not because we are necessarily wanting to be priests but because it’s all very important. A standard justification (at least in the UK) for a field or fields feeling under threat is to say that the Bible has had a hugely important influence and continues to have a hugely important influence. But what if the puzzlement about the priestly question, the common anxieties biblical studies types talk about, and the sample of people I interviewed and looked at, reveal something more worrying for the future of the field than being red faced? Might it reveal that there are a lot of people for whom the Bible or religion isn’t as important as some scholarly rhetoric would have us believe? Might it reveal that the Bible and religion is actually important for people who think a bit like the academics who insist that the Bible and religion is important, whether in terms of theological commitments or aesthetic tastes? All this could provoke questions and explanations as to why. Yet the claim of cultural importance isn’t exactly wrong either. It is easy enough to find the Bible and understandings of religion present among politicians, on TV, in music, and so on. This in turn might lead us to complicate the standard claim that “the Bible and religion are very important” and think more about these disjunctions and why and for what reasons is the Bible cited as a higher authority or used in the name of subcultural chic when plenty of people don’t care or notice. In the case of political discourse, why is the Bible invoked when the British electorate, as Tony Blair’s spin doctor Alastair Campbell speculated, do not “want their politicians banging the Bible [British English equivalent of “thumping the Bible”] all the time. They hated it, I was sure of that’? (Alastair Campbell, The Blair Years [Hutchinson: London, 2007], pp. 111-12].
That answer is for another context but clearly such questions that complicate the case for importance. Yet the argument of importance has a pragmatic function. I know I am not alone in having experienced a university management who likewise have no interest in the Bible and religion, and some such figures push certain negative subtexts that sometimes lurk behind the question asked in this series. This is starting to have ramifications for degree programs and, most worryingly, jobs in the UK, some of which are being lost. This is where the “importance approach” can be significant, at least if allowed to be put into practice, and at least for those who want the field(s) to survive. The UK model of the study of religion is (largely) tied in with subjects having discreet departments with their own courses for student recruitment. The increasing neoliberalization of universities (especially since 2012) has also contributed to the anxieties about the future of the field(s) based on income. While complicity with (what to some of us is) an unfortunate economic turn would be inevitable for those who wish to continue in the conventional university setting, there are still ways of surviving. By embedding the subject in other academics fields (e.g. English, History, Anthropology, etc.), scholars of religion can put the “importance argument” into practice and help with staff-student ratios for colleagues in other departments and faculties. This might not be as pressing for North American colleagues but there is an intellectual argument that might be of relevance. It seems clear enough (to me at least) that in some areas of the humanities and social sciences there is little knowledge of the deconstruction and genealogy of discourses about “the Bible” or “religion” and too much work which assumes some peculiarly essentialized notions. But so does a great deal of biblical studies and religious studies, you might respond. Certainly. But that does not mean limiting debates and intellectual engagements. On the contrary. There is an opportunity to embed the subject(s), inform other subjects, and learn from other subjects.
So, if anyone is working in a context where the priestly question (particularly when spoken with a derogatory subtext) is too easily assumed, answer: “Not necessarily. Now, sit back, relax and let me tell you all about it…”
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Five Promising Sustainable Innovation Areas for Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres
What Are “Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres”?
Cellulose is one of the most abundant biopolymers in the world, occurring naturally in most plants. It is the major component of natural cotton, linen and hemp fibres. It is also transformed into man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF), also known as ‘rayon’ in the viscose, lyocell and cupro chemical fibre-spinning processes that typically use wood-pulp feedstock. This wood pulp is produced using well-established chemical processes known as the kraft and/or sulfite pulping processes. In this process, chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide are used to break down the naturally occurring bio-polymers lignin and hemicellulose that are present in wood, liberating pure cellulose.
The main impact hot-spots in the production of man-made cellulosic fibres or rayon are the production of pulp from wood and the fibre spinning process itself, particularly in the case of the viscose process. Discharge of and the use of hazardous chemicals during the viscose process, as well as the sourcing of wood pulp from ancient and endangered forests, is also a critical issue in the supply chain which needs to be addressed.
Some of these issues can be solved by innovation, for example by focusing on cleaner fibre spinning processes, using alternative feedstocks, incorporating recycled content, improving the pulping process, and utilising traceability solutions. In this article, we break down five of the most promising innovation areas in man-made cellulosic fibres.
Five Promising Sustainable Innovation Areas for Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres
1. Cleaner fibre spinning processes and alternatives to viscose
These technologies use different, cleaner and greener chemistry to dissolve cellulose by either exploiting physical properties to directly dissolve the cellulose in a solvent or to ‘liquify’ the cellulose via a chemical reaction, similar to the way viscose is made. There are also developing technologies that use a completely different mechanism to spin cellulose-based fibres which fall somewhere between man-made cellulosic fibres and natural fibres.
Alternatives to Current Technologies
Companies such as TreeToTextile, based in Sweden, directly dissolve cellulose in novel solvents, in this case, a water-based alkali solvent, producing a new kind of rayon fibre that has properties similar to both viscose and cotton. The Finnish university spinout Ioncell is another example that uses a novel ionic solvent to produce a strong, light alternative to lyocell that can also utilise waste cotton as a feedstock. By pursuing a direct dissolution approach, these processes are analogous to the lyocell process, which is already considered as one of the lowest impact man-made cellulosic fibres. It, therefore, remains to be seen what the specific impact potential of each technology is compared to lyocell – the case for comparison to viscose is a lot easier to make. The commercialisation of these technologies will be driven by the specific aesthetic quality of the resulting fibres.
Alternatives to the much older and ‘dirtier’ viscose process also exist. Infinited Fiber Company modifies cellulose with urea, a relatively harmless chemical, instead of the hydrogen sulfide used in the viscose process, to form cellulose carbamate. After this, the cellulose carbamate is spun into an acidic water bath, leaving a pure cellulose fibre. The process is said to produce a very “cotton-like” fibre, unlike viscose.
Novel Technologies
Finnish company Spinnova is developing a unique type of fibre spinning process which is entirely water-based and requires no chemicals. They exploit the properties of microfibrillated cellulose from wood pulp in water to spin a unique kind of cellulosic fibre without any kind of chemical reaction or dissolution process. It produces a fibre that is somewhere between a rayon like viscose or lyocell and natural cotton.
2. Alternatives to wood as a feedstock
Food and agricultural waste
The cellulose present in food and agricultural wastes can also be extracted to be used as a feedstock for rayon fibre spinning. This both valorises an otherwise low-value waste product, whilst reducing the demand for wood logging and conventional pulping. Orange Fibre, for example, extracts cellulose pulp from waste orange peel, abundant in their region of Italy, which is then used as a feedstock to produce a conventional viscose fibre. In a recent collaboration, Tencel manufacturer Lenzing produced a lyocell fibre with pulp extracted from both orange peels supplied by Orange Fibre and wood pulp. There are other companies, for example, extracting cellulose from wheat and rice straw, sugarcane bagasse, switchgrass and other waste biomass feedstocks. Key criteria in the successful commercialisation of these technologies are the yield, quality and purity of the cellulose extracted from the waste biomass.
Bacterial Cellulose
Certain bacteria such as Komagataeibacter xylinus (K. xylinus) can create cellulose when fed sugars. These bacteria have traditionally been used in the production of the jelly-like Filipino dessert Nata de Coco from coconut water. However, the same bacteria can also be used to produce cellulose for use in spinning man-made cellulosic fibres. Nanollose is one company commercialising the production of bacterial cellulose for use in man-made cellulosic fibre production, using organic waste.
3. Better pulp production processes
In addition to utilising a biomass source other than wood, we can also innovate on the pulping process itself. There are alternatives to kraft and sulfite pulping such as the so-called organosolv-type processes which use less harmful chemicals and, for example, operate under milder conditions requiring less energy. Historically these alternative pulping technologies have been difficult to commercialise, and a key challenge is achieving the purity needed for ‘dissolving’ grade pulp, which historically comes from the sulfite pulping process. Conventional pulping processes are currently very established and highly optimised, which makes displacing these technologies very difficult. However, some companies around the world such as Chemopolis, in Finland or Green Whisper, in the USA, are attempting to commercialise alternative and cleaner pulping processes, some with alternative feedstocks.
4. Recycled cotton content
The easiest way to incorporate recycled content comes from the use of pre-consumer or post-industrial cotton waste – industrial scraps and offcuts that are of known quality and purity. The producer of Tencel branded lyocell fibre Lenzing produces a lyocell fibre with pre-consumer cotton content called Refibra and companies such as Renewcell have purified post-consumer cotton from denim to produce viscose fibres with recycled cotton content along with viscose spinning partners Tangshan Sanyou. Other pulp and viscose fibres companies such as Birla Cellulose are following with recycled-cotton content rayon fibres.
For most cotton-to-MMCF (rayon) recycling processes, the cotton undergoes a chemical pre-treatment, after which it can substitute the wood-pulp feedstock normally used to create viscose or lyocell fibres. The key advantage is that cotton is already pure cellulose and can therefore bypass the energy and chemical-intensive pulping of wood, reducing the overall environmental footprint of the pathway. However, as always, this depends on the specific recycling process being compared in contrast to the conventional system.
5. Traceability solutions
One way to trace the origin of the wood feedstock for man-made cellulosic fibre production is the use of traceability solutions that trace the origin of the material back to its source.
This helps identify and validate wood pulp that has not been sourced, for example, from ancient or endangered forests. For this, we can consider both digital solutions such as blockchain-enabled traceability solutions in combination with a physical tracer technology such as DNA. Blockchain traceability solutions such as TextileGenesis aid in the auditing and traceability of the physical supply chain, allowing the movement of material between supply chain partners to be validated.
However, it may still be possible for fraud and mistakes to creep in, so physical tracers are one way in which the origin of a material may be tested in a laboratory, by matching the information contained in the tracer to a database of tracers used by the original producers.
Improving the sustainability of man-made cellulosic fibres production is not something that can be solved with one innovation alone. There are, inevitably, many caveats and trade-offs to consider with every new innovation and technology and the sustainability impact in many cases is not always understood in-depth. Economic feasibility and marketplace acceptance are key factors to consider too, and should not be taken for granted in the long run.
This article is a brief overview of the general areas of innovations that are of importance right now and is not a comprehensive overview of every key innovator or innovation and the possible impact of each. Rigorous analysis with life-cycle assessment is needed, not only in terms of individual innovations but also the knock-on effects on the wider system if they were to be implemented and widespread.
Circuvate is supporting the industry by undertaking and providing services for evidence-based, critical analysis of new materials, chemical technologies, and other innovations in terms of both sustainability impact (via life-cycle assessment), and their market and economic feasibility.
Dr. Ashley Holding
Principal Consultant @ Circuvate
Circuvate provides consulting, training and advisory services to the fashion and textiles sector.
Are you looking for a more in-depth look into the future of man-made cellulosic fibres?
Register your interest in our 10-week intensive online course “Innovation in Bio-Based Materials for the Fashion Industry” which includes a detailed module on this topic.
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How floating islands can make urban waterways green and clean
(CNN)Many of the world's cities are built around waterways. Paris and the Seine, Allahabad, India and the Ganges, Cairo and the Nile -- these rivers, at one time the life-force of their city, are now so polluted they're unfit for swimming and host very little natural wildlife.
After a year and a half of highly restricted movement, many people have been confined to the gray spaces of the inner city with little opportunity to escape to the countryside. A report published in April found that frequent visits to nature improved psychological well-being and reduced mental distress. Now more than ever the need for relaxing green spaces in cities is clear.
Biomatrix Water, a biological technology company based in Scotland, says it has developed a solution using a system of floating modular plant platforms that green and clean urban waterways.
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non-cellular, submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism
(Redirected from Viruses)
• A virus is a form of life with very simple requirements. The basic needs of a virus are a nucleic acid to be transmitted from generation to generation (the genome) and a messenger RNA to direct the synthesis of viral proteins. The critical viral proteins that the messenger RNA must encode are those that coat the genome and those that help replicate the genome. One of the great surprises of modern virology has been the discovery of the variety of genetic systems that viruses have evolved to satisfy their needs. Among the animal viruses, at least 6 totally different solutions to the basic requirements of a virus have been found.
• Why has it been so difficult to identify infectious agents as cancer-inducing factors in humans? Because there is no human pathogenic infectious agent causing cancer as the acute consequence of infection ... Infections linked to human cancers are common in human populations, most of them were present during the whole human evolution,and only a small proportion of infected individuals develops the respective cancer type ... Except for rare germline mutations, (XLLP), cancers linked to infection commonly occur decades after primary infection ...
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On the fifth of June, 1783, the Montgolfiers' hot-air balloon rose at Versailles, and in its rising divided the study of the conquest of the air into two definite parts, the one being concerned with the propulsion of gas lifted, lighter-than-air vehicles, and the other being crystallised in one sentence by Sir George Cayley: 'The whole problem,' he stated, 'is confined within these limits, viz.: to make a surface support a given weight by the application of power to the resistance of the air.' For about ten years the balloon held the field entirely, being regarded as the only solution of the problem of flight that man could ever compass. So definite for a time was this view on the eastern side of the Channel that for some years practically all the progress that was made in the development of power-driven planes was made in Britain.
In 1800 a certain Dr Thomas Young demonstrated that certain curved surfaces suspended by a thread moved into and not away from a horizontal current of air, but the demonstration, which approaches perilously near to perpetual motion if the current be truly horizontal, has never been successfully repeated, so that there is more than a suspicion that Young's air-current was NOT horizontal. Others had made and were making experiments on the resistance offered to the air by flat surfaces, when Cayley came to study and record, earning such a place among the pioneers as to win the title of 'father of British aeronautics.'
Cayley was a man in advance of his time, in many ways. Of independent means, he made the grand tour which was considered necessary to the education of every young man of position, and during this excursion he was more engaged in studies of a semi-scientific character than in the pursuits that normally filled such a period. His various writings prove that throughout his life aeronautics was the foremost subject in his mind; the Mechanic's Magazine, Nicholson's Journal, the Philosophical Magazine, and other periodicals of like nature bear witness to Cayley's continued research into the subject of flight. He approached the subject after the manner of the trained scientist, analysing the mechanical properties of air under chemical and physical action. Then he set to work to ascertain the power necessary for aerial flight, and was one of the first to enunciate the fallacy of the hopes of successful flight by means of the steam engine of those days, owing to the fact that it was impossible to obtain a given power with a given weight.
Yet his conclusions on this point were not altogether negative, for as early as 1810 he stated that he could construct a balloon which could travel with passengers at 20 miles an hour - he was one of the first to consider the possibilities of applying power to a balloon. Nearly thirty years later - in 1837 - he made the first attempt at establishing an aeronautical society, but at that time the power-driven plane was regarded by the great majority as an absurd dream of more or less mad inventors, while ballooning ranked on about the same level as tight-rope walking, being considered an adjunct to fairs and fetes, more a pastime than a study.
Up to the time of his death, in 1857, Cayley maintained his study of aeronautical matters, and there is no doubt whatever that his work went far in assisting the solution of the problem of air conquest. His principal published work, a monograph entitled Aerial Navigation, has been republished in the admirable series of 'Aeronautical Classics' issued by the Royal Aeronautical Society. He began this work by pointing out the impossibility of flying by means of attached wings, an impossibility due to the fact that, while the pectoral muscles of a bird account for more than two-thirds of its whole muscular strength, in a man the muscles available for flying, no matter what mechanism might be used, would not exceed one-tenth of his total strength.
Cayley did not actually deny the possibility of a man flying by muscular effort, however, but stated that 'the flight of a strong man by great muscular exertion, though a curious and interesting circumstance, inasmuch as it will probably be the means of ascertaining finis power and supplying the basis whereon to improve it, would be of little use.'
From this he goes on to the possibility of using a Boulton and Watt steam engine to develop the power necessary for flight, and in this he saw a possibility of practical result. It is worthy of note that in this connection he made mention of the forerunner of the modern internal combustion engine; 'The French,' he said, 'have lately shown the great power produced by igniting inflammable powders in closed vessels, and several years ago an engine was made to work in this country in a similar manner by inflammation of spirit of tar.' In a subsequent paragraph of his monograph he anticipates almost exactly the construction of the Lenoir gas engine, which came into being more than fifty-five years after his monograph was published.
Certain experiments detailed in his work were made to ascertain the size of the surface necessary for the support of any given weight. He accepted a truism of to-day in pointing out that in any matters connected with aerial investigation, theory and practice are as widely apart as the poles. Inclined at first to favour the helicopter principle, he finally rejected this in favour of the plane, with which he made numerous experiments. During these, he ascertained the peculiar advantages of curved surfaces, and saw the necessity of providing both vertical and horizontal rudders in order to admit of side steering as well as the control of ascent and descent, and for preserving equilibrium. He may be said to have anticipated the work of Lilienthal and Pilcher, since he constructed and experimented with a fixed surface glider. 'It was beautiful,' he wrote concerning this, 'to see this noble white bird sailing majestically from the top of a hill to any given point of the plain below it with perfect steadiness and safety, according to the set of its rudder, merely by its own weight, descending at an angle of about eight degrees with the horizon.'
It is said that he once persuaded his gardener to trust himself in this glider for a flight, but if Cayley himself ventured a flight in it he has left no record of the fact. The following extract from his work, Aerial Navigation, affords an instance of the thoroughness of his investigations, and the concluding paragraph also shows his faith in the ultimate triumph of mankind in the matter of aerial flight: -
'The act of flying requires less exertion than from the appearance is supposed. Not having sufficient data to ascertain the exact degree of propelling power exerted by birds in the act of flying, it is uncertain what degree of energy may be required in this respect for vessels of aerial navigation; yet when we consider the many hundreds of miles of continued flight exerted by birds of passage, the idea of its being only a small effort is greatly corroborated. To apply the power of the first mover to the greatest advantage in producing this effect is a very material point. The mode universally adopted by Nature is the oblique waft of the wing. We have only to choose between the direct beat overtaking the velocity of the current, like the oar of a boat, or one applied like the wing, in some assigned degree of obliquity to it. Suppose 35 feet per second to be the velocity of an aerial vehicle, the oar must be moved with this speed previous to its being able to receive any resistance; then if it be only required to obtain a pressure of one-tenth of a lb. upon each square foot it must exceed the velocity of the current 7.3 feet per second. Hence its whole velocity must be 42.5 feet per second. Should the same surface be wafted downward like a wing with the hinder edge inclined upward in an angle of about 50 deg. 40 feet to the current it will overtake it at a velocity of 3.5 feet per second; and as a slight unknown angle of resistance generates a lb. pressure per square foot at this velocity, probably a waft of a little more than 4 feet per second would produce this effect, one-tenth part of which would be the propelling power. The advantage of this mode of application compared with the former is rather more than ten to one.
'In continuing the general principles of aerial navigation, for the practice of the art, many mechanical difficulties present themselves which require a considerable course of skilfully applied experiments before they can be overcome; but, to a certain extent, the air has already been made navigable, and no one who has seen the steadiness with which weights to the amount of ten stone (including four stone, the weight of the machine) hover in the air can doubt of the ultimate accomplishment of this object.'
This extract from his work gives but a faint idea of the amount of research for which Cayley was responsible. He had the humility of the true investigator in scientific problems, and so far as can be seen was never guilty of the great fault of so many investigators in this subject - that of making claims which he could not support. He was content to do, and pass after having recorded his part, and although nearly half a century had to pass between the time of his death and the first actual flight by means of power-driven planes, yet he may be said to have contributed very largely to the solution of the problem, and his name will always rank high in the roll of the pioneers of flight.
Practically contemporary with Cayley was Thomas Walker, concerning whom little is known save that he was a portrait painter of Hull, where was published his pamphlet on The Art of Flying in 1810, a second and amplified edition being produced, also in Hull, in 1831. The pamphlet, which has been reproduced in extenso in the Aeronautical Classics series published by the Royal Aeronautical Society, displays a curious mixture of the true scientific spirit and colossal conceit. Walker appears to have been a man inclined to jump to conclusions, which carried him up to the edge of discovery and left him vacillating there.
The study of the two editions of his pamphlet side by side shows that their author made considerable advances in the practicability of his designs in the 21 intervening years, though the drawings which accompany the text in both editions fail to show anything really capable of flight. The great point about Walker's work as a whole is its suggestiveness; he did not hesitate to state that the 'art' of flying is as truly mechanical as that of rowing a boat, and he had some conception of the necessary mechanism, together with an absolute conviction that he knew all there was to be known. 'Encouraged by the public,' he says, 'I would not abandon my purpose of making still further exertions to advance and complete an art, the discovery of the TRUE PRINCIPLES (the italics are Walker's own) of which, I trust, I can with certainty affirm to be my own.'
The pamphlet begins with Walker's admiration of the mechanism of flight as displayed by birds. 'It is now almost twenty years,' he says, 'since I was first led to think, by the study of birds and their means of flying, that if an artificial machine were formed with wings in exact imitation of the mechanism of one of those beautiful living machines, and applied in the very same way upon the air, there could be no doubt of its being made to fly, for it is an axiom in philosophy that the same cause will ever produce the same effect.' With this he confesses his inability to produce the said effect through lack of funds, though he clothes this delicately in the phrase 'professional avocations and other circumstances.' Owing to this inability he published his designs that others might take advantage of them, prefacing his own researches with a list of the very early pioneers, and giving special mention to Friar Bacon, Bishop Wilkins, and the Portuguese friar, De Guzman. But, although he seems to suggest that others should avail themselves of his theoretical knowledge, there is a curious incompleteness about the designs accompanying his work, and about the work itself, which seems to suggest that he had more knowledge to impart than he chose to make public - or else that he came very near to complete solution of the problem of flight, and stayed on the threshold without knowing it.
After a dissertation upon the history and strength of the condor, and on the differences between the weights of birds, he says: 'The following observations upon the wonderful difference in the weight of some birds, with their apparent means of supporting it in their flight, may tend to remove some prejudices against my plan from the minds of some of my readers. The weight of the humming-bird is one drachm, that of the condor not less than four stone. Now, if we reduce four stone into drachms we shall find the condor is 14,336 times as heavy as the humming-bird. What an amazing disproportion of weight! Yet by the same mechanical use of its wings the condor can overcome the specific gravity of its body with as much ease as the little humming-bird. But this is not all. We are informed that this enormous bird possesses a power in its wings, so far exceeding what is necessary for its own conveyance through the air, that it can take up and fly away with a whole sheer in its talons, with as much ease as an eagle would carry off, in the same manner, a hare or a rabbit. This we may readily give credit to, from the known fact of our little kestrel and the sparrow-hawk frequently flying off with a partridge, which is nearly three times the weight of these rapacious little birds.'
After a few more observations he arrives at the following conclusion: 'By attending to the progressive increase in the weight of birds, from the delicate little humming-bird up to the huge condor, we clearly discover that the addition of a few ounces, pounds, or stones, is no obstacle to the art of flying; the specific weight of birds avails nothing, for by their possessing wings large enough, and sufficient power to work them, they can accomplish the means of flying equally well upon all the various scales and dimensions which we see in nature. Such being a fact, in the name of reason and philosophy why shall not man, with a pair of artificial wings, large enough, and with sufficient power to strike them upon the air, be able to produce the same effect?'
Walker asserted definitely and with good ground that muscular effort applied without mechanism is insufficient for human flight, but he states that if an aeronautical boat were constructed so that a man could sit in it in the same manner as when rowing, such a man would be able to bring into play his whole bodily strength for the purpose of flight, and at the same time would be able to get an additional advantage by exerting his strength upon a lever. At first he concluded there must be expansion of wings large enough to resist in a sufficient degree the specific gravity of whatever is attached to them, but in the second edition of his work he altered this to 'expansion of flat passive surfaces large enough to reduce the force of gravity so as to float the machine upon the air with the man in it.' The second requisite is strength enough to strike the wings with sufficient force to complete the buoyancy and give a projectile motion to the machine. Given these two requisites, Walker states definitely that flying must be accomplished simply by muscular exertion. 'If we are secure of these two requisites, and I am very confident we are, we may calculate upon the success of flight with as much certainty as upon our walking.'
Walker appears to have gained some confidence from the experiments of a certain M. Degen, a watchmaker of Vienna, who, according to the Monthly Magazine of September, 1809, invented a machine by means of which a person might raise himself into the air. The said machine, according to the magazine, was formed of two parachutes which might be folded up or extended at pleasure, while the person who worked them was placed in the centre. This account, however, was rather misleading, for the magazine carefully avoided mention of a balloon to which the inventor fixed his wings or parachutes. Walker, knowing nothing of the balloon, concluded that Degen actually raised himself in the air, though he is doubtful of the assertion that Degen managed to fly in various directions, especially against the wind.
Walker, after considering Degen and all his works, proceeds to detail his own directions for the construction of a flying machine, these being as follows: 'Make a car of as light material as possible, but with sufficient strength to support a man in it; provide a pair of wings about four feet each in length; let them be horizontally expanded and fastened upon the top edge of each side of the car, with two joints each, so as to admit of a vertical motion to the wings, which motion may be effected by a man sitting and working an upright lever in the middle of the car. Extend in the front of the car a flat surface of silk, which must be stretched out and kept fixed in a passive state; there must be the same fixed behind the car; these two surfaces must be perfectly equal in length and breadth and large enough to cover a sufficient quantity of air to support the whole weight as nearly in equilibrium as possible, thus we shall have a great sustaining power in those passive surfaces and the active wings will propel the car forward.'
A description of how to launch this car is subsequently given: 'It becomes necessary,' says the theorist, 'that I should give directions how it may be launched upon the air, which may be done by various means; perhaps the following method may be found to answer as well as any: Fix a poll upright in the earth, about twenty feet in height, with two open collars to admit another poll to slide upwards through them; let there be a sliding platform made fast upon the top of the sliding poll; place the car with a man in it upon the platform, then raise the platform to the height of about thirty feet by means of the sliding poll, let the sliding poll and platform suddenly fall down, the car will then be left upon the air, and by its pressing the air a projectile force will instantly propel the car forward; the man in the car must then strike the active wings briskly upon the air, which will so increase the projectile force as to become superior to the force of gravitation, and if he inclines his weight a little backward, the projectile impulse will drive the car forward in an ascending direction. When the car is brought to a sufficient altitude to clear the tops of hills, trees, buildings, etc., the man, by sitting a little forward on his seat, will then bring the wings upon a horizontal plane, and by continuing the action of the wings he will be impelled forward in that direction. To descend, he must desist from striking the wings, and hold them on a level with their joints; the car will then gradually come down, and when it is within five or six feet of the ground the man must instantly strike the wings downwards, and sit as far back as he can; he will by this means check the projectile force, and cause the car to alight very gently with a retrograde motion. The car, when up in the air, may be made to turn to the right or to the left by forcing out one of the fins, having one about eighteen inches long placed vertically on each side of the car for that purpose, or perhaps merely by the man inclining the weight of his body to one side.'
Having stated how the thing is to be done, Walker is careful to explain that when it is done there will be in it some practical use, notably in respect of the conveyance of mails and newspapers, or the saving of life at sea, or for exploration, etc. It might even reduce the number of horses kept by man for his use, by means of which a large amount of land might be set free for the growth of food for human consumption.
At the end of his work Walker admits the idea of steam power for driving a flying machine in place of simple human exertion, but he, like Cayley, saw a drawback to this in the weight of the necessary engine. On the whole, he concluded, navigation of the air by means of engine power would be mostly confined to the construction of navigable balloons.
As already noted, Walker's work is not over practical, and the foregoing extract includes the most practical part of it; the rest is a series of dissertations on bird flight, in which, evidently, the portrait painter's observations were far less thorough than those of da Vinci or Borelli. Taken on the whole, Walker was a man with a hobby; he devoted to it much time and thought, but it remained a hobby, nevertheless. His observations have proved useful enough to give him a place among the early students of flight, but a great drawback to his work is the lack of practical experiment, by means of which alone real advance could be made; for, as Cayley admitted, theory and practice are very widely separated in the study of aviation, and the whole history of flight is a matter of unexpected results arising from scarcely foreseen causes, together with experiment as patient as daring.
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The Canadian Epilepsy James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) have today published their Top 10 Research Priorities for epilepsy. The Canadian Top 10 initiative was led by EpLink in collaboration with the James Lind Alliance (JLA) and the Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI). The process took two years and saw Canadians submit and prioritise their most important questions relating to epilepsy and seizures.
The Top 10 Research Priorities were developed together with members of the epilepsy community and includes a broad range of priorities including genetic markers of epilepsy, long term impact of anti-epileptic drugs, the efficacy of epilepsy surgery and the relationship between epilepsy and memory. The Canadian Epilepsy PSP said: “This Top 10 list is an important first step in ensuring that funds and resources are genuinely focused on the issues that will benefit people living with epilepsy, their caregivers, and clinicians.”
We would like to congratulate our colleagues in the Canadian Epilepsy James Lind Alliance PSP on the completion of this important project.
1. Can genetic markers be used to diagnose and treat epilepsy and seizure disorders?
2. What are the impacts of long-term use of anti-seizure drugs, the causes of side effects of these treatments and how can we prevent the side effects?
3. What are the long-term impacts of seizures on a person’s brain, and overall health and development?
4. How can the risk of SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) be reduced in people with epilepsy?
5. What is the most effective testing protocol for determining causes of seizures and/or a diagnosis of epilepsy or other seizure disorders and to reduce time to diagnosis?
6. What are the brain changes, on a cellular level, that lead to seizure development?
7. How effective is surgical treatment for adult and children who experience seizures/epilepsy?
8. What causes memory problems associated with seizures? Can these memory problems improve over time and what are the best treatment options for memory loss in people who experience seizures?
9. Aside from anti-seizure drugs and some brain lesions, what causes behavioural changes in people who experience seizures? What is the best way to treat behavioural issues?
10. What is the efficacy (i.e., the effectiveness of reducing seizures) of adding a second anti-seizure medication compared to changing to a different anti-seizure medication? How can we determine which combinations of anti-seizure drugs are effective?
UK Epilepsy PSP
On Monday, Epilepsy Research UK announced the launch of a James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) to establish the future research priorities of epilepsy in the UK. This Partnership will bring together clinicians, patient groups and people affected by epilepsy to identify and prioritise areas of healthcare that can be improved by research. Leading UK epilepsy charities Epilepsy Action, Young Epilepsy, SUDEP Action, Epilepsy Society and Epilepsy Research UK will work together to oversee this milestone investigation into the priorities of people living with epilepsy.
What do the Canadian findings mean for the UK Epilepsy PSP?
We will now be able to learn from the experiences and findings of the Canadian Epilepsy PSP, and use them to accelerate our own efforts and inform how we will structure the survey. There are many differences between the clinical management of people with epilepsy in the UK and in Canada, and so we anticipate differences in the priorities also.
You can read more about the UK Epilepsy Priority Setting Partnership here.
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Are Dragons Evil, Part 5 – Chinese
Chinese dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs. Dragon is yang, and complements a yin fenghuang (phoenix). Dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers – usually, control over water, rainfall, hurricane and floods. Dragon is also a symbol of power, strength and good luck, of wealth, wisdom and nobility, heroism, perservance and divinity. Dragon is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious. Emperor of China usually used the dragon as symbol of his imperial power and strength. In Chinese language, outstanding people are compared to dragon while those with no achievments are compared to other creatures. Presented together with phoenix, dragon represents union of yin and yang, and a happy marriage – dragon being the male element and phoenix the female one.
Creator of the Universe P’an Ku is also often shown as a dwarf with two horns, or else with dragon’s head and snake’s body. Dragons are often shown with the dragon’s pearl, a symbol of yin and yang, in their hands. They represents the active and creator principle, holding both divine power and spiritual force. As a celestial symbol and a power of life and manifestation, the dragon spits out either primordial waters or the egg of the universe. Dragon also represents the kian principle, origin of the heaven and bringer of rain. It brings the essence of life in the form of its celestial breath, known as Sheng Chi. It yields life and bestows its power in the form of seasons, bringing water from rain, warmth from the sunshine, wind from the seas and soil from the earth. Dragon also protects all those who carry its emblem.
Dragon with its pearl
In general, Chinese dragons have oxen ears, tiger’s legs, hawk’s claws, deer’s horns, rabbit’s eyes, camel’s head, devil’s eyes, snake body and fish scales. This is believed to be because ancient Chinese tribes used different animals for their sigils – a dragon made of mussel shells, 6 000 years old, was unearthed in a tomb from Yangshao culture. The first legendary Emperor, the yellow Emperor, used a snake as a totem. He launched a series of wars against the nine tribes in Yellow River valley, and every time he defeated a tribe he incorporated defeated enemy’s emblem into his own. Dragons also have 117 scales. Of these, 81 have yang essence (positive energy) while 36 have yin essence (negative energy). As a result, most dragons are wise, kind and just, but are also terribly destructive when angered. Floods, tidal waves and storms occur when humans anger a dragon, a prospect which is very likely due to dragons’ general vanity.
Above also displays dragons’ connection to number nine. Yellow Emperor launched a series of wars against nine tribes in Yellow River valley. Dragons have 117 scales – 81 (9×9) male and 36 (9×4) female. There are nine forms of dragon, and the dragon has nine children. The “Nine Dragon Wall” is a screen wall with images of nine different dragons, and is also found in imperial palaces and gardens. As nine was considered the number of the emperor, only the most senior officials were allowed to wear nine dragons on their robes – and even that only with the robe completely covered with the surcoat. Junior officials had eight dragons under surcoat, and even the Emperor had to have one of his nine dragons hidden from the view.
Chinese dragons may have originated from dinosaur fossils, snakes or saltwater crocodiles. Ancient Chinese referred to unearthed dinosaur bones as dragon bones, and modern Chinese word for dinosaur is konglong (“terrible dragon”). Depictions of dragons however own a lot to stylized depictions of modern animals, such as snakes, fish or crocodiles. He Xin advocates view that the early dragon depicted a spieces of a crocodile – Crocodylus porosus, the saltwater crocodile and the largest existing crocodilian. The crocodile is known to be able to accurately sense changes in air pressure, and be able to sense coming rain, which may be the origin of Chinese association of dragons with weather and water. At any rate, Chinese dragons evolved from their origins as totems of natural animals into highly stylized mythological beings.
Dragons are deeply interwoven into Chinese culture – dragons control water, and China had always depended heavily on water due to its rice-based agriculture. Existence of China itself depends on dragons. They fly across the sky, collecting clouds to give earth the needed rain. A divine dragon rises from the sea up into the sky in the spring, and descends back to ocean in the fall. Its breath turns into the cloud and rain, thus allowing rice farming. Dragons are also rulers of moving bodies of water, such as waterfalls, rivers or seas. They can show themselves as water spouts. Many Chinese villages had temples dedicated to their local “Dragon King”. Four major Dragon Kings represent each of the four seas: East, South, West and North, which themsevles correspond to modern seas as follows:
1. Dragon King of the East Sea (East China Sea)
2. Dragon King of the South Sea (South China Sea)
3. Dragon King of the West Sea (Indian Ocean and beyond)
4. Dragon King of the North Sea (Lake Balakai)
These dragon kings can appear as dragons, but also have a human form with dragon head. They live in an underwater crystal palace, commanding an army of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
Dragon Kings
Chinese call themselves “descendants of the dragon”. Dragon is a symbol of the ruler, and it represents qualities of a just rule. It is connected to Tao, Chi and Feng-shui. In the Zhou Dynasty, the 5-clawed dragon was assigned to the Son of Heaven, the 4-clawed dragon to the nobles and the 3-clawed dragon to the ministers. In the Qin dynasty, the 5-clawed dragon was assigned to represent the Emperor while 4- and 3-clawed dragons were assigned to the commoners. The dragon in Qing dynasty appeared on national flags, but in general, dragon is symbol of culture. It is a god that embodies the will and ideals of the Chinese people.
Dragon as an imperial symbol goes back a long time. According to a Chinese legend, both Chinese primogenitors – the earliest Emperors, Yandi and Huangdi – were closely related to “Long” (Chinese dragon). At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor, Huangdi, was immortalized as a dragon, and ascended to heaven. The other emperor, Huangdi’s brother Yandi, was concieved through telepathic communication between his mother and a dragon. As Chinese consider Huangdi and Yandi their ancestors, they sometimes refer to themselves as “the descendants of the dragon”. This legend also contributed to usage of a dragon as an imperial symbol, as through this descent Chinese Emperors considered themselves “sons of heaven”. In some Chinese legends, an Emperor might be born with a birthmark in the shape of a dragon: in one example, a peasant born with such a birthmark eventually overthrows the existing dynasty and founds a new one.
In astrology, dragons are heralds of good fate, and are among the twelve animals that had come to show respects to dying Buddha. Dragon is the fourth sign of the zodiac, and is considered a powerful sign under which to be born – one that represents ambitious, headstrong, courageous but also reckless and stubborn character. The Azure Dragon (Qing Long) is the primary of the four (five) celestial guardians, the others being Zhu Que (red bird), Bai Hu (white tiger) and Xuan Wu (black tortoise), as well as Yellow Dragon. Azure Dragon, or Blue-Green dragon, symbolizes Wood, East, Spring, and generative force, the coming of new life. Vermillion Bird (Red Bird) symbolizes Fire, South, Summer, and explosive force, the blooming of life. Yellow Dragon symbolizes Earth, center, change of seasons, stabilizing force and ripening of life. White Tiger symbolizes Metal, West, Autumn, the contracting force and the withering of life. Black Tortoise symbolizes Water, North, Winter, the conserving force and dormancy of life. Yellow dragon is superior to the remaining four, being in the center and also symbolizing wisdom and wealth. It is also associated with the Imperial family of China.
Five Chinese Elemental Dragons
However, while Chinese dragons were originally benevolent, wise and just, Buddhists introduced the concept of malevolent influence among some dragons. Just as water destroys, so can dragons destroy via floods, tidal waves and storms. Some of the worst floods were thus a consequence of mortals upsetting a dragon. Dragons laid eggs alongside rivers and disguise them as stones. It takes up to 4 000 years for an egg to hatch, and hatching is accompanied by a storm – thunder, lightning, torrential rain and floods.
According to the one legend, Emperor of Jade had punished four dragons, Long, Yellow, Black and Pearl, by trapping them underneath four mountains because they had drank the water from the Eastern Sea and released it as rain to help the people. But dragons did not regret their decision and continued to help the people, thus turning into four largest Chinese rivers.
Dragons have important role to play in divine matters. Immortals reached heavens by riding dragons, and Huangzi was able to defeat the forces of evil with help of the dragons. And with help of a dragon, Emperor Yu defeated the universal flood and restored order to the cosmos. The coming of spring, and therefore renewal of nature, happens with dragon flying to the heavens at the time of spring equinox, and it disappears into abyss in autumn. Dragon is a symbol of divine protection and vigilance, and regarded as a supreme being among all creatures. It has the ability to live in the seas, fly up to the clouds, or live coiled up in the mountains.
There are four major types of dragons, all of which have an important role to play in human life. Tien Lung, or heavenly dragon, lives in the clouds and guards heavenly palaces. Shen Lung, or God Dragon, brings rain and controls weather. Ti Lung lives underwater and control rivers. Futslang Lung is underworld guardian of treasure, jewels and precious metals. These are the four most recognizable, but there are five less common types, for a total of nine:
• Tianlong, The Celestial Dragon
• Shenlong, the Spiritual Dragon
• Fucanglong, the Dragon of Hidden Treasures
• Dilong, the Underground Dragon
• Yinglong, the Winged Dragon
• Jiaolong, the Horned Dragon
• Panlong, the Coiling Dragon: inhabits the waters
• Huanglong, Yellow Dragon, which emerged from the River Luo to show Fuxi the elements of writing
• Dragon King
In addition, there are also Nine Dragon Children of the Chinese dragon king, which play important role on monuments and decorations:
• The first son is called Bi xi, which looks like a giant tortoise and is good at carrying weight. It is often found as the carved stone base of monumental tablets.
• The second son is called Bi’an, looks like a tiger, and is powerful. It is often found on prison doors to frighten the prisoners, but also in courts of justice. Its main characteristic is steadiness, and can be trusted with security and justice.
• The third son is called Chi wen, which is a hybrid between a fish and a dragon. It likes to swallow evil spirits to keep them away from humans, so its statues are placed on roofs. Chi wen himself is said to live in the ocean.
• The fourth son is Pulao, which looks like a small dragon (or a dog combined with a dragon). His power is to scream to warn people if disaster is coming. Thus it is always found on bells.
• Fifth son is Qiu niu, who is a hybrid between a dragon and a cow, though there is no clear clue on his exact physical appearance – he may also be a yellow dragon. What is clear is that he loves music and plays it very well, and is thus found on many musical instruments.
• Sixth son is Taotie, a hybrid between a wolf and a dragon. He is said to be guardian of wealth and well-being, loves food, and is very greedy and gluttonuous. He is found depicted on ritual bronze vessels, and nowadays his name is used to describe people who are fond of good food.
• Seventh son is Suanni, a hybrid between a lion and a dragon, with body covered with flames. He is viewed as a dragon of wisdom and knowledge, likes to sit cross-legged and spend his days smelling incense calmly. He is depicted on incense burners and seats in Buddhist temples.
• Eighth son is Yazi, who has leopard’s head on dragon’s body. He gets into fights all the time and enoys killing. Logically, he is Chinese god of battles and wars, and is found on sword ornaments.
• Ninth son is Gongfu or Ba xia, dragon god of water. He is half-snake and half-dragon, an excellent swimmer and said to live near the bridges.
Not all Chinese dragons are good, however. Jiaolong was believed to cause flood whenever it hatched. Jiao was described as having a small head, narrow neck, white scales, is oviparous, can grow up to ten meters long and eats people. Wolfram Eberhard quotes the 11th century definition which states that jiao “looks like a snake with a tiger head, is several fathoms long, lives in brooks and rivers, and bellows like a bull; when it sees a human being it traps him with its stinking saliva, then pulls him into the water and sucks his blood from his armpits.”. Its role in mythology is similar to that of post-Christianization European dragons: it is a villain, creating floods and other troubles, and sometimes demanding human sacrifice as a bribe. Consequently, it requires a human hero to finish it off.
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Practice Mindful Eating this National Nutrition Week
Mindfulness is about being present and bringing awareness to feelings, emotions and thoughts. Mindful Eating is therefore being aware how food makes you feel, slowing down and enjoying every bite. Eating mindfully helps to reduce the impact of stress on your digestion, leads to an improved relationship with food and may help with overeating or emotional eating.
How can we practice mindful eating?
#1 Eat without distractions
When we eat our food with distractions around us it can prompt faster easting which may lead to overeating or unwanted digestive symptoms. For one meal of the day, try sitting down with no distractions and focusing on the present moment and meal.
#2 Take a few deep breaths and pause for calm before you eat
Taking a moment to pause and breathe helps to position your body and mind into a restful state and allows for proper digestion of your food. This means your body can utilise all of the the nutrients from the food. Before starting your meal, try taking 5 deep breaths.
#3 Eat slowly, take your time and appreciate each bite
Slowing down when eating helps to improve digestion, which may lead to weight loss and higher levels of satisfaction with your meal. Aim to finish your first mouthful before starting another one.
#4 Identify how foods makes you feel and choose food that nourishes your health and soul
Take note of how different foods make you feel and choose the ones that make you feel good. We know there is a link between your gut and brain, so selecting food that supports digestion and benefits your health will lead to overall wellbeing.
#5 Honour your hunger and fullness cues
Listen to the cues your body is giving you while eating. Does your stomach feel too full…or is it just right? Rather than overeating on certain foods as an emotional response, try and tune into your hunger signals and honour when you have either had enough or need more.
It’s important to remember that mindful Eating isn't a new diet, it's a new skill to bring into your day. Any new habit takes time and practice, so be patient with yourself and over time you will develop a mindful way of eating.
Last updated:
12 October 2021
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Is melanoma from the sun?
What percent of melanoma is caused by sun?
An estimated 7,180 people will die of melanoma in 2021. Of those, 4,600 will be men and 2,580 will be women. The vast majority of melanomas are caused by the sun. In fact, one UK study found that about 86 percent of melanomas can be attributed to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
Why is melanoma found in areas with no sun exposure?
But melanomas can occur in hidden parts of the body even where there isn’t any obvious family history. It’s possible a small proportion of skin cancers unrelated to sun might also arise because of factors like viruses, chemicals and environmental pollutants.
Is sun exposure a risk factor for melanoma?
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays is a major risk factor for most melanomas. Sunlight is the main source of UV rays. Tanning beds and sun lamps are also sources of UV rays. While UV rays make up only a very small portion of the sun’s rays, they are the main cause of the damaging effects of the sun on the skin.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Is malignant melanoma painful?
Can you have melanoma for years and not know?
Where does melanoma usually start?
Can you get melanoma without sun damage?
Spending time in the sun without protection increases the risk of melanoma, but the potentially deadly skin cancer can occur even on sites with minimal sun exposure, doctors warn.
What does lentigo melanoma look like?
The visual symptoms of lentigo maligna melanoma are very similar to those of lentigo maligna. Both look like a flat or slightly raised brown patch, similar to a freckle or age spot. They have a smooth surface and an irregular shape. While they’re usually a shade of brown, they can also be pink, red, or white.
How long does it take for melanoma to spread?
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Can U Get rid of cervical cancer?
How do you know if melanoma has spread?
For people with more-advanced melanomas, doctors may recommend imaging tests to look for signs that the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. Imaging tests may include X-rays, CT scans and positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
What foods help fight melanoma?
Antioxidants and Melanoma
How does melanoma typically start?
Melanoma occurs when something goes wrong in the melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) that give color to your skin. Normally, skin cells develop in a controlled and orderly way — healthy new cells push older cells toward your skin’s surface, where they die and eventually fall off.
Can you live a long life with melanoma?
almost all people (almost 100%) will survive their melanoma for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed. around 90 out of every 100 people (around 90%) will survive their melanoma for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Is melanoma raised or flat?
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Whether you have a lot of money or not, you have to know how to spend it wisely, save and invest prudently. Here are mistakes often made with money, but luckily, easy to avoid.
1. Plan for the short term
It is always better to plan an annual budget rather than day-to-day, because of the tendency to overstate monthly expenses but to underestimate those that spread out over the year, resulting in a bad budgetary surprise…
2. Put your head in the sand
It’s easy not to be overly concerned with finances; do not look at their account statements, invoices and even, do not discuss money with their partners for fear of conflicts or disinterest. Many use these strategies to avoid financial management. But better to spend some unpleasant moments there than to avoid the situation, which can get worse.
3. Not knowing what you are spending
Many know the amounts in their checking accounts, bills, rent or mortgage to pay each month. But what about the smallest expenses? From groceries to clothing, entertainment and restaurants, it’s important to keep track of the bill, as the bill can go up quickly.
4. Depend on credit
Using credit to pay for things you can’t otherwise get can be handy, but many do it without a plan or intention to pay off credit purchases. One day, however, it will be necessary, because you must not forget that credit is borrowed money that does not belong to you.
5. Pay no attention to gift cards
Several big-box stores now offer gift cards, which are actually credit cards. They generally push, according to several analysts, to overconsume and spend unnecessarily, and this, at an accelerated rate to have faster access to bonuses. These cards also have a very high-interest rate.
6. Not having an “emergency fund”
Having savings in a fund set aside for this purpose is not just about buying a last-minute plane ticket, but more importantly, it will allow you to survive if you get seriously ill, have an accident, or any other emergency. an order that will ask you to miss work for an indefinite period.
6 common mistakes we make with money
6 common mistakes we make with money 3 Money more life
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6 common mistakes we make with money 4 Money more life
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Monism and meaning
Monism must refer to something that actually exists. What is it?
Matter. Material monism is by definition referring to matter.
I am not sure what the confusion is here.
Every instance of Meaning must have something “that means”.
How is meaning related to ontology? Monism is a about what exists, not what something means. Semantics is the domain for this.
As I have said before, we ask what exists (ontology), how do we know (epistemology) and what is its meaning (semiotics). Together then we ask what is the meaning (semantics).
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Learn the Herbs: Hawthorn
Hawthorns, Crataegus spp., are essentially a large group of plants from the rose family. However, the name Hawthorn is generally used to refer to Crataegusmonogyna; a species generally known as common hawthorn.
Common Hawthorn produces small red berries that are packed with plenty of nutritional and health beneficial compounds. Hawthorn berries are consumed as fruits and are also used in jams, jellies, and candies. All parts of common Hawthorn plant are used in the herbal world for various ailments and health issues.
What Does Hawthorn Contain?
The berries, flowers, and leaves of common Hawthorn are packed with flavonoids and polyphenols. The flowers also contain high amounts of ascorbic acid and tocopherols whereas unripe fruits have polyunsaturated fatty acids. Chlorogenic acids and tirterpenes are also some other active constituents of Hawthorn plant.
A Brief History of Hawthorn Use
Hawthorn plant has traditionally been used to improve digestive, kidney, and heart health. However, it is most highly valued for its heart beneficial properties. The use of Hawthorn for improving heart health can be traced as far back as 1st century Rome. During the Middle Ages,the plant was widely used for a heart condition, called dropsy, which we now know as congestive heart failure. It was also used as a cardiac tonic, to strengthen heart.
The first scientific study regarding the heart beneficial properties of Hawthorn was published in 1896, which means the traditional use wasn’t based on just anecdotal evidence; it was also backed by science.
Health Benefits of Hawthorn
Some of the amazing health benefits of Hawthorn include:
It Improves Heart Health
The traditional use of Hawthorn i.e. for improving cardiovascular health, has also been confirmed by science. Many scientific research studies have investigated the many benefits of Hawthorn plant for heart health and they have found positive evidence. The various beneficial compounds present in Hawthorn berries, leaves, and flowers help improve blood circulation and maintain healthy heart rhythm. The plant has also been found to help improve heart health physically, by improving muscle tone and oxygenation. These heart beneficial properties of Hawthorn are believed to come from oligomeric procyanidins and flavonoids that it contains. It also helps maintains blood pressure and is highly effective against chronic congestive heart failure. Scientists have also found some evidence regarding Hawthorn’s potential for helping with CVDs.
It’s Packed with Antioxidants
Hawthorn berries are one of the best natural sources of polyphenols. These are powerful antioxidants that can offer several benefits to human body, but the most important one is their ability to prevent and fight against free radical damage. Free radicals are the root cause of many chronic health issues.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information on the use of a surgical Mouth Mask
Ever since the outbreak of Covid-19, the need to wear Surgical Mouth Mask has become essential. The WHO has made the usage of surgical masks mandatory to one and all. As the virus is known to spread through the air droplets from the infected person, wearing these masks can act as preventive measures.
A few countries have not made the usage of Surgical Mouth Mask mandatory because they don't find the need for everyone to wear them. Generally, the surgical masks are worn by those infected to prevent the air droplets from reaching the others when they cough or sneeze.
• People that should wear Surgical Mouth Mask mandatorily.
• When worn by doctors, nurses, and other people that come in direct contact with the patients, the Surgical Mouth Mask must and should wear the masks. This rule has to be followed to avoid any sort of infection from spreading mutually.
Health workers should wear masks all the time, especially during the treatment of the patients, as they would be at high risk at all times. The doctors would be attending to critical patients, and for them having surgical masks of different types is essential.
A Strapit makes these specialized masks, and the medical practitioners can approach them to fulfill their requirements. Doctors need surgical masks that are of different levels. They also need sanitizers, 30-Day Surface, and Protectants, and all these things are made available easily by Strapit.
• People that have traveled from different countries
• Surgical Mouth Mask is to be worn by people that have traveled to their native land or returned from a region where COVID-19 is spread moderately or widely though these people might be asymptomatic as a precaution wearing the Government of Australia has enforced the masks.
There could be many chances with these people coming in contact with a person diagnosed positive for COVID-19. Hence, wearing masks can help them stay safe. Some people that return to their homelands might have to isolate themselves for 14 days or more. During the home isolation period, the person is expected to wear a surgical mask in certain situations, and they are as mentioned below:
• If you have to visit the medical practitioner to get a health check-up done or for any other reasons
• If you have to leave home for some time and need to step out for buying some essentials
• If you feel that you have symptoms of COVID-19 and you are living amidst a group of people under the same roof
At all these circumstances, wearing Surgical masks become mandatory in order to stay safe and not spread the virus further to someone else.
• Suspected cases of COVID-19
• During a test, if a person is diagnosed as a suspect of COVID-19, surgical masks would be handed over to you by the caretakers. These people are expected to wear their surgical masks without fail when they are visiting an emergency department for their health check-up. These things are to be followed strictly in order to avoid the spread of the disease further to anybody else.
• Confirmed cases of COVID -19
• People that test positive for COVID-19 must and should wear the surgical masks when you are stepping out of your homes. You need to go out only to visit the medical facilities and get your health check-up done. It is recommended that you stay indoors. Following the instructions are given by health care professionals is mandatory to fight the disease.
• Surgical Mouth Mask to be used by the Health care professionals
• This is a group that is most at risk as they are regularly exposed to the infected people. Apart from the Surgical Masks Melbourne, the health care workers are expected to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) like gloves, eye shields, and gowns. These things are made in order to avoid infections.
• Where do we get the Surgical masks?
• For people that are suspected with Coronavirus, seeking treatment from a hospital is mandatory, and this is where the information on the surgical mask is available as well. A lot of GPs that are falling short of surgical masks can get in touch with the Primary health networks (PHNs) to gather information regarding the Surgical Mouth Mask
But, for those who are hale and hearty, wearing a surgical mouth mask is of no use. Also, evidence that supports the usage of masks in eradicating the pandemic isn't many. Thus, using masks unnecessarily isn't required.
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• (GA) IPA: /ˈhɑɹdn̩/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈhɑːdn̩/
harden (hardens, present participle hardening; past and past participle hardened)
1. (intransitive) To become hard (tough, resistant to pressure).
2. (transitive, ergative) To make something hard or harder (tough, resistant to pressure).
3. (transitive, figurative) To strengthen.
4. (transitive, computing) To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.
5. (ambitransitive, dated) To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.
Synonyms: inure
• KJV, Exodus 4:21
6. (ambitransitive, phonology) To become or make (a consonant) more fortis.
Translations Translations Translations
• Russian: ожесточиться
1. Alternative form of hurden#English|hurden (“coarse linen”)
Proper noun
1. Surname
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Tiberius Gracchus
Last updated
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
Bornc. 163 BC
Died133 BC (aged probably 29)
Cause of deathBeaten with clubs
OccupationPolitician and soldier
Known forAttempted agrarian reforms
Office Tribune of the plebs (133 BC)
Political party Populares
Children3 sons (died young)
Parent(s) Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and Cornelia
Relatives Gaius Gracchus (brother)
Sempronia (sister)
Scipio Nasica Serapio (cousin)
Scipio Africanus (grandfather)
Military career
Rank Military tribune and quaestor
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (163/162–133 BC) was a populist Roman politician best known for his agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from the Roman state and wealthy landowners to poorer citizens. Against stiff opposition in the aristocratic Senate, this legislation was carried through during his term as tribune of the plebs in 133 BC. Fears of Tiberius's populist programme, as well as his uncompromising behavior, led to his being killed, along with many supporters, in a riot instigated by his senatorial enemies. A decade later his younger brother Gaius attempted similar legislation and suffered a similar fate.
Portrayal in the Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum Tiberius Gracchus.jpg
Portrayal in the Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was born in 163 or 162 BC, being "not yet thirty" at his death. [1] He belonged to the highest aristocracy of the Roman Republic: his identically named father came from one of Rome's leading plebeian families, and had been a consul, while his patrician mother, Cornelia, was the daughter of the renowned general Scipio Africanus, the hero of the Second Punic War. His own sister Sempronia was the wife of Scipio Aemilianus, another important general and politician. Tiberius was raised by his mother, with his sister and his brother Gaius Gracchus. Later he married Claudia, daughter of Appius Claudius Pulcher and Antistia. [2] [3]
Military career
Tiberius' military career started in the Third Punic War, as military tribune appointed to the staff of his brother in law, Scipio Aemilianus. During his tenure as military tribune under Aemilianus, Tiberius became known for his bravery and discipline, recorded as the first to scale the enemy walls of Carthage during the Roman siege in 146 BC. [4] In 137 BC he was appointed quaestor to consul Gaius Hostilius Mancinus and served his term in Numantia (Hispania province). The campaign was part of the Numantine War and was unsuccessful; Mancinus's army suffered major defeats and Mancinus himself had tried disgracefully to withdraw at night and caused his rearguard to be cut to pieces and the Roman camp looted. [5]
Roman Land Crisis
Lex Sempronia Agraria
Tiberius Gracchus canvassing. Image by John Leech, from: The Comic History of Rome by Gilbert Abbott a Beckett. The top hat worn by Gracchus is a deliberate anachronism intended to compare him to 19th Century British politicians. Comic History of Rome p 238 Tib Gracchus canvassing.jpg
Tiberius Gracchus canvassing. Image by John Leech, from: The Comic History of Rome by Gilbert Abbott à Beckett. The top hat worn by Gracchus is a deliberate anachronism intended to compare him to 19th Century British politicians.
Seeking to improve the lot of the poor, Tiberius Gracchus proposed a law known as the Lex Sempronia Agraria. The law would reorganize control of the ager publicus, or public land, meaning land conquered in previous wars that was controlled by the state. Previous agrarian law specified that no citizen would be allowed to possess more than 500 jugera (that is, approximately 125 hectares or 311.5 acres) of the ager publicus and any land that they occupied above this limit would be confiscated by the state. However, this law was largely ignored [10] and rich landowners continued to acquire land through fictitious tenants initially before transferring the land directly to themselves. [11] They then began to work it with slave labour, giving rise to latifundia, alienating and impoverishing free Roman citizens.
Tiberius saw that reform was needed, and he had support from three prominent leaders: Publius Licinius Crassus, the Pontifex Maximus, the consul and jurist Publius Mucius Scaevola, and Appius Claudius, his father-in-law. [12] Together, the men formulated a law which would have fined those who held more than their allotted land and would require them to forfeit illegal possessions to the ager publicus, for which they would be compensated. The people simply wanted assurances of future protection, but the senatorial elites opposed the law, claiming Tiberius was seeking a redistribution of wealth, thereby shaking the foundations of the Republic and inciting social revolution. [13] He proposed his law in 134 BC, and to mollify these landowners, they would be allowed to own their land rent-free, and would be entitled to 250 jugera per son above the legal limit. [14] They would also be paid for the land they had to forfeit. [15]
Furthermore, Tiberius Gracchus called for the redistribution of the re-confiscated public land to the poor and homeless in Rome, giving them plots of 30 jugera upon which to support themselves and their families, not to mention that the redistributed wealth would make them eligible for taxation and military service. The law sought to solve the twin problems of increasing the number of men eligible for military service (thereby boosting Rome's military strength) and also providing for homeless war veterans. [16]
The Senate and its conservative elements were strongly against the Sempronian agrarian reforms. Tiberius knew the Senate wouldn't approve his reforms, therefore he sidestepped the Senate altogether by going straight to the Concilium Plebis (the Plebeian Assembly) which supported his measures. This action insulted the Senate and alienated Senators who otherwise might have shown support. However, it has been interpreted that Tiberius simply followed the precedent of C. Flaminius "whose land law had been carried in 232 BC without previous consultation of the Senate". He may have simply wanted to pass his legislation without delay. [17]
However, any tribune could veto a proposal, preventing it from being laid before the Assembly. In an effort to stop Tiberius, the Senate persuaded Marcus Octavius, the other tribune of the Assembly, to use his veto against Tiberius to prevent the submission of the bills. In response, Tiberius moved that Octavius should be immediately deposed, arguing that Octavius, as a tribune, acted contrary to the wishes of his constituents. Tiberius argued that Octavius violated a basic tenet of the office of the tribune, which was to ensure the protection of the people from any political or economic oppression by the Senate. Octavius remained resolute in his opposition to Tiberius' law. The people began to vote to depose Octavius, but he vetoed their actions, as was his legal right as tribune. Tiberius, consigning himself to the worst situation, had him forcibly removed from the meeting place of the Assembly and proceeded with the vote to depose him. [18]
The forcible removal of a tribune violated Octavius' right of sacrosanctity, because a tribune by law was never to be physically touched. These actions worried Tiberius' supporters, and so instead of moving to depose him, Tiberius proceeded to use his veto on daily ceremonial rites that tribunes conducted, such as the opening of key public buildings such as markets and temples. Since these buildings required both tribunes to agree to open the public facilities, Tiberius effectively shut down the entire city of Rome, including all businesses, trade and production, with the support of the people. Tiberius continued to do this until both the Senate and the Assembly passed the laws. The Assembly, fearing for Tiberius's safety, formed a guard around Tiberius and frequently escorted him home. [18]
Tiberius justified the expulsion of Octavius by stating that a tribune was
Appian presents a slightly different version of events. In Appian's account, Tiberius Gracchus only moved to have Marcus Octavius removed from office after a vote was put to the Assembly. In Appian's version, after 17 of the 35 tribes voted in favor of Tiberius, Tiberius implored Octavius to step aside lest he be deprived of his office. When Octavius refused, the 18th tribe voted in favor of Tiberius, giving him the majority and the resolution, which included both his land law and the abrogation of Octavius' office. It was only after this, according to Appian, that Octavius slinked away unnoticed and was replaced as tribune by Quintus Memmius. [19] This version effectively mitigates the accusation that Tiberius ever laid hands on an inviolate person such as Octavius, instead showing that Tiberius won his support with full legality. Having passed his law, Tiberius was lauded as a founding hero not just of a single city or race, but as the founding hero of all the Italians, who, along with citizens of the city of Rome proper, had come to endure immense poverty and deprivation. Both Italians and citizens of Rome were denied of their rightful land because of their military service and were not able to find work work because of the influx of slaves. In their eyes, slaves were loyal to no man while citizens were loyal to the state. In Appian's account, Tiberius Gracchus is seen as a popular hero, and there is no account given of Tiberius' justification for deposing Octavius. [19]
It is not know for certain which account, Plutarch's or Appian's, is more historically accurate. However it happened, the Lex Sempronia Agraria passed in both the Senate and the Assembly and became law. The Senate gave trivial funds to the agrarian commission that had been appointed to execute Tiberius' laws. This commission was composed entirely of members of Tiberius' family, including Appius Claudius, his father-in-law, Tiberius and his brother Gaius. This, of course, did little to soothe the bitterness between the Gracchi family and the Senate, and the Senate and conservatives took every opportunity to hamper, delay, and slander Tiberius. [20] However, late in 133 BC, King Attalus III of Pergamon died and unexpectedly left his entire fortune (including the whole kingdom of Pergamon) to Rome. Tiberius saw his chance and immediately used his tribunician powers to allocate the fortune to fund the new law. This was a direct attack on Senatorial power, since the Senate was traditionally responsible for the management of the treasury and for decisions regarding overseas affairs. The opposition of the Senate to Tiberius Gracchus' policies increased. Quintus Pompeius addressed the Senate and said that he "was a neighbour of Tiberius, and therefore knew that Eudemus of Pergamon had presented Tiberius with a royal diadem and a purple robe, believing that he was going to be king in Rome." [9] The implication of a purple robe and a diadem were a reference to kingship and were greatly feared in Rome. Pompeius's rumors were reflective of a growing number of senators who were afraid that Tiberius was claiming too much power for himself. [21] They feared that Tiberius was seeking to become King of Rome, a loathed office which had been dismantled with the ousting of the Tarquins and the establishment of the Republic. Such fears tipped the Senate from hatred and paranoia into committing the first outright act of violence that resulted in bloodshed in Republican politics.
Tiberius Gracchus' overruling of the tribunician veto was illegal, and his opponents were determined to prosecute him at the end of his one-year term, since he had violated the constitution and had used force against a tribune. In one stand-off between Tiberius and Titus Annius, a renowned orator, Annius argued that if a colleague of Tiberius stood to defend him and Tiberius disapproved, he would simply in a passion physically remove the man. Tiberius realized that his actions against Octavius had won him ill repute among the Senate and even among the people. [22]
After the death of a friend of Tiberius, rumours circulated that the man had been poisoned. Seizing the opportunity to win sympathy with the people, Tiberius dressed in mourning clothes and paraded his children in front of the Assembly, pleading for the protection of him and his kin. [23] He sought to repair the perception of his error against Octavius by arguing that the office of the tribune, a sacrosanct position, could be acted upon if the holder violated his oath. To support this he posited that other sacrosanct office holders were seized when they violated their duties, such as Vestal Virgins or the Roman kings, done so the state would benefit from their removal. [24] To protect himself further, Tiberius Gracchus stood for re-election to the tribunate for 132 BC, promising to shorten the term of military service, abolish the exclusive right of senators to act as jurors and include other social classes, and admit allies to Roman citizenship, all moves popular with the Assembly. [25] Tiberius continued to plead with the people, lamenting that he feared for his safety and that of his family, and moved them so much that many camped outside his house to ensure his protection.
Following the massacre, many of Tiberius' supporters were sent into exile without a trial, while others were arrested and executed, including being sewn up in a bag with poisonous vipers. [30] The Senate attempted to mollify the people by allowing the agrarian law to go into effect and a vote to replace Tiberius on the commission; the job fell to Publius Crassus, father-in-law of Tiberius' brother Gaius. When threatened with impeachment, Nasica was reassigned to Asia to remove him from the city. The people made no attempt to conceal their hatred of him, accosting him publicly, cursing him and calling him a tyrant. Nasica wandered, despised and outcast, until he died shortly later near Pergamum. [31] Even Scipio Aemilianus who had formerly enjoyed the love of the people, incurred their wrath when he said he disapproved of Tiberius' politics, and was thereafter frequently interrupted when giving speeches, causing him to only lash out more at them.
Later, following the murder of his brother, statues of both were placed throughout the city in prominent locations, where they were worshipped as heroes of the people, sometimes even being sacrificed to as if they were gods. [32]
The Senate sought to placate the plebeians by consenting to the enforcement of the Gracchan laws. An increase in the register of citizens in the next decade suggests a large number of land allotments. [33] Nonetheless, the agrarian commission found itself faced with many difficulties and obstacles.
Gracchus Babeuf
The French revolutionary François-Noël Babeuf took up the name "Gracchus Babeuf" in conscious emulation of the Roman brothers, and published a newspaper, Le tribun du peuple ("the tribune of the people"). Ultimately he, like them, met a violent end.
See also
1. Astin 1958, p. 53.
2. Plutarch, Parallel Lives , "The Life of Tiberius Gracchus," 4.
3. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. I, p. 209 ("Antistius")
4. Plutarch, Ti. Gracch. 4,
5. The Great Books, p. 673
6. 1 2 3 The Great Books, p. 674
7. 1 2 Plutarch, Ti. Gracch. 5
8. 1 2 3 Plutarch, Ti. Gracch. 7
9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Plutarch • Life of Tiberius Gracchus". uchicago.edu.
10. Scullard 1982, p. 18.
11. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 8
12. Crook et. al. 1992, p. 65.
13. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 9
14. The Great Books, p. 675
15. Swords Against the Senate, p. 38 Erik Hildinger
16. The Great Books, p. 676
17. M.Cary, A History of Rome, second Edition 1954 Macmillan
18. 1 2 The Great Books, p. 677
19. 1 2 Appian, The Civil Wars, 1.12-13
20. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch 13
21. The Great Books, p. 679
22. Plutarch, Tib, Gracch. 14-15
23. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 13
24. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 15
25. T. Mommsen, The History of Rome, (Meridian Books, 1958), ch. I., p. 43
26. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 18
27. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 19
29. Plutarch - Life of Tiberius 20.1
30. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 20
31. Plutarch, Tib. Gracch. 21
32. Plutarch, Gaius Gracch. 18
33. Scullard 1982, p. 26.
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Question: What are the major causes of Man wildlife conflicts discuss the remedial steps that can curb the conflict?
What are the major causes of Man wildlife conflicts discuss remedial steps that can curb the conflicts?
Discuss – human population growth and expansion, habitat degradation and fragmentation, land use transformation and increasing densities of livestock grazing in protected areas are considered as major causes of man-carnivore conflicts. Suggest ways to prevent them; take cues from the article and list down solutions.
What are the main causes of human wildlife conflict?
Human–wildlife conflict is borne out of a competition for limited resources, including water to drink, food to eat and space to live. As human settlement increasingly expands, areas that have been historically inhabited by wildlife are converted into agricultural plots or grazing areas for livestock.
What are the causes of man and animal conflict?
The key reasons for human-animal conflict are encroachment of human being in wildlife habitat for development purpose & survival purpose as well as allowing livestock for grazing purpose in the forest area, forest fire. This conflict leads to loss to both human & animal.
IMPORTANT: What does ecology definition mean?
What is human/wildlife conflict how it can be resolve?
The most widespread methods for lessening human-wildlife conflict come in the form of mitigation, or finding ways to keep wildlife out of areas with high human population or agricultural density. Farmers often defend their crops from wildlife by guarding their land personally or by using fencing or scarecrows.
What is the major cause of wildlife reduction?
Clearing areas for agricultural purposes is the main cause of habitat destruction; other principal causes include mining, logging, and urban sprawl. The primary cause of species extinction worldwide is habitat destruction.
What are the causes of human conflict?
Causes of Conflict
• Conflicting resources. Employees rely on accessing resources, such as technology, office supplies and meeting rooms, to perform effectively. …
• Conflicting styles. …
• Conflicting perceptions. …
• Conflicting goals. …
• Conflicting pressures. …
• Conflicting roles. …
• Different personal values. …
• Unpredictable policies.
What are the remedial measures to curb the man animal conflict?
Avoid feeding wild animals, securely store your garbage, and feed pets indoors to avoid attracting unwanted visitors. Fence in your garden, and plant unpalatable vegetation to discourage browsing. Be prepared – Before camping, hiking, or venturing into natural areas, learn about the animals that you might encounter.
What is man wildlife conflict give one incident of India regarding man wildlife conflict?
Sundarbans National Park. The largest Swamp and mangroves forest of India is also home to over 500 Bengal tigers, who killed from 50-250 people per year in India and Bangladesh. Tiger attacks in the Sundarbans is the best example of human interaction and conflict between local people and wild animals.
IMPORTANT: Frequent question: Is packing Styrofoam recyclable in NC?
How are wildlife conflicts a major threat to wildlife?
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) occurs when animals pose a direct and recurring threat to the livelihood or safety of people, leading to the persecution of that species. Retaliation against the species blamed often ensues, leading to conflict about what should be done to remedy the situation.
What are the effects of human wildlife conflict?
Effects. Man animal conflict leads to crop damage, animal deaths, loss of human life, injuries to people, injuries to wildlife, livestock depredation, and low compensation for such incidents further leads to degraded living standards of the affected population.
What is the meaning of human wildlife conflict?
Definition. Human and wildlife conflict (HWC) is defined as any human and wildlife interaction which results in negative effects on human social, economic, or cultural life, on wildlife conservation, or on the environment.
Why should we care about human/wildlife conflict?
Wildlife and the communities that live near it are most directly impacted by human-wildlife conflict. While human-wildlife conflict can result in the decline and potential eradication of species, communities can experience financial losses and threats to health and safety, livelihoods, food security, and property.
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Sustainable Leadership
Updated: Jul 16, 2021
Author: Tiran Mohan
Sustainability is a long-term endeavour that demands long-term leadership, responsible decision-making, and a thorough understanding of sustainability ideas and commitments. Leaders that utilise sustainable leadership are more likely to make strategic decisions that include the economic, social, and environmental components of such decisions.
Corporate governance nurtures corporate sustainability as it aids companies in achieving their goals, can reduce risks and attract new investors and shareholders. As stated in Elkington’s “Triple Bottom Line” theory, profit, people and planet must work together to truly measure the financial, social and environmental performance of a company (Berry-Johnson, 2021). This analysis will explore the characteristics, benefits and evolution of sustainable leadership in organizations today. According to (Bergsteiner, 2011), “Sustainable leadership values people and considers the enterprise as a contributor to social well-being whilst incorporating characteristics of humanistic management. These activities constitute a self-reinforcing leadership structure that improves a company's performance and chances of survival.”
Many organizations today have recognized the importance that leadership plays as the drivers and motivators for adopting CSR practices to achieve sustainable development. Leadership is pivotal in creating a culture that promotes shared values, ethical behaviour and enhanced relationship with stakeholders. (Petrini, et al., 2021) Sustainable leadership values human development and the environment without ignoring the importance of the capital structure of the organization. These values strengthen the internal resources of the organization to resolve social and environmental challenges. Leaders have a strong duty towards the well-being of others in the organization, promoting the development of strength, resilience and vitality in people and highlighting interpersonal relationships grounded in ethical principles that are community and environment focused. (Iqbal, et al., 2020)
According to, (G.Tideman, et al., 2013) the economic theoretical paradigm is changing and it is not only important to know what is produced and consumed by organizations, but also understanding the way of thinking and level of awareness of social interactions.
Leadership Theory and Sustainable Leadership
There are many leadership theories that organizations base their leadership styles on, one of these is transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is frequently adopted in businesses today. Leaders and followers aid each other in achieving a stronger motivation to address unsatisfied social needs by revamping the status quo. They inspire followers with a mission and vision and encourage them to find new creative ways to change the environment to help people meet their needs. This form of leadership has a long-term perspective and a sense of continuity, as well as open-mindedness, moral courage, and a high level of self-awareness. This mind-set can be summed up in three Cs: context, consciousness, and continuity; (G.Tideman, et al., 2013)
Context covers interdependence within the organization, complexity, ambiguity, interconnection, resource constraints, regulators, and mega-trends. Consciousness addresses organizational mindsets, worldviews, beliefs, mental models, and attitudes. Continuity requires the establishment of a long-term horizon, courage, strength, unity of purpose, centering, and changing processes.
However, best practices utilised at High Sustainability Organizations (HSO’s) indicate that leadership needs a change in business thinking, mind-sets, awareness, and an evolved consciousness and skill set birthed from this consciousness (Moreno, et al., 2021).
Tomorrow's leaders must be able to incorporate changing business contexts, social, and environmental trends into strategic decision making, as well as the challenges and opportunities these trends present, the ability to balance short- and long-term considerations, and an understanding of the range of consequences that decisions can have. Only through the adoption of Sustainable Leadership can this be achieved. (Kanters, 2013)
Successful succession for sustainable leadership is achieved by grooming successors which promotes business continuity through new ways of thinking and doing. These new ways require development of three additional mind-sets and skill sets; connectedness, creativity and collectiveness. (G.Tideman, et al., 2013)
Leaders need to exemplify connectedness through instilling a sense of intrinsic drive in their followers by making them feel valued and bringing out the best in others through long and short term influencing, teamwork, trust, justice, altruism, relatedness, and addressing needs rather than wants. The spark of creativity should be ignited. Sustainable leaders should excel at taking chances, challenging followers' worldviews, and encouraging creativity through the stimulation of independent thought. Business models, new value measurement methods, flow and innovation for long-term shared value generation all fall under the banner of creativity. Being able to scale up for collective impact, incorporating sustainability in company structures, and sustainable consumption all fall under the umbrella of collectiveness.
As stated by (Hargraves & Fink, 2003) sustainable leadership, organizes and prepares for succession from the first day of a leader's appointment, therefore, Sustainable Leadership needs to be broader in scope and depth.
Further Characteristics Needed for Sustainable Leadership
(Roberts, 2012), suggests that transformational leaders should model the following competencies; holistic thinking looks at the “big picture” rather than being stuck in a siloed type of thinking, systems thinking allows leaders to recognise relationships between the parts of the organisation which fosters breakthrough innovation, humanistic thinking recognises the emotions of others and are able to connect on an emotional level when dealing with teams and groups of people, social optimism allows leaders to realistically envision big problems being solved and use this vision to overcome pessimism and authentic filtering enables leaders to quickly perceive the motives of others and react accordingly in difficult social situations.
However, sustainable leadership pushes the boundaries of these competencies and expands them further, specifically focusing on three areas. As investigated and discussed by (Burns, et al., 2015), a living process paradigm underpins leadership for sustainability: complex living processes reveal sustainable features and patterns, as well as crucial leadership methods. Leaders who want to be sustainable, must approach work from a holistic perspective, collaborating across boundaries. (Pearse & Dimovski, 2015) have explained that leadership that dries out its followers isn't going to stay long. Leaders develop sustainability in their organizations by how they approach, commit to, and protect deep learning; by how they sustain themselves and others around them to promote and support that learning; by how they are able and encouraged to sustain themselves, so that the organization can stick to its vision and avoid burnout; by how organizations ensure the improvements leaders bring don't diminish; how sustainable leaders evaluate the impact of their leadership on departments around them; how sustainable leaders foster and preserve ecological diversity inside their organizations rather than uniform prescription; and how sustainable leaders pursue activist interactions with their environs.
Leaders of the past thought in terms of pieces and boxes. (De Haan, et al., 2015) Systems Thinking for today's leaders must encompass seeing the big picture relationships between system elements and how these parts work together to create the emergent features of the whole. Cross-boundary collaboration for leaders today must enable thinking in a bigger, more expansive mind-set of "thrive and help thrive," which allows them to work across traditional corporate and social divides. Adaptability comes from the ability to create and adjust. Leaders in the past prioritized linear problem-solving and meticulous execution of specified plans; today's leaders must adopt a more creative mind-set, re-contextualizing old issues and allowing the inherent structural friction between their future vision and current reality to propel crucial objectives forward. (Roberts, 2012)
Benefits of sustainable leadership
In exploring the “why” of sustainable leadership, (Prakash-Mani, et al., 2002), highlighted the benefits of sustainable leadership. Sustainable leadership reduces costs by reducing environmental impacts and providing excellent service to employees. Businesses may cut costs by improving the environment, which has a direct influence on the financial bottom line. There is also evidence that treating people well can result in financial gains by increasing productivity i.e., creating more with fewer resources resulting in direct cost savings.
Revenue can be increased through existing items being made more appealing to concerned customers by innovating and inventing new products, perceiving "trash" as potentially saleable by-products, and improving procedures that generates revenue and benefits the environment.
Stakeholder engagement in businesses can reduce financial, reputational, and political risks. Recognizing the concerns and interests of employees, customers, NGOs, politicians, and business partners assists a corporation in better managing environmental and social standards, reducing the danger of civil action or death of a brand.
Improving your reputation by enhancing your environmental efficiency is important for organizations today; as new markets develop, organizations will certainly witness an increase in brand interest, which they should factor into their strategies even now. Environmental efficiency weighs heavy within society and even within companies as they move towards becoming more sustainable.
For crucial components of competitiveness including productivity, product quality, and innovation, a high-quality staff is essential. Therefore, sustainable leadership that exhibits human resource management can develop human capital.
Sustainable leaders can improve access to capital by reassuring excellent corporate governance standards that inform sustainability leadership such as, having the board is properly constituted, shareholder and stakeholder rights being honoured, and that the highest levels of transparency and disclosure are maintained.
Sustainable leadership provides more opportunities from engaging in community development and environmental products. Many firms, particularly those in the extractive industries, have established separate community development departments and/or foundations, allowing them to scale up strategic initiatives that maximize positive returns for both the community and the business.
Challenges faced on the journey to sustainable leadership
Leaders that use a sustainable and servant leadership approach are more likely to make strategic decisions including the associated economic, social, and environmental components, as voiced by diverse stakeholders (Hargraves & Fink, 2003). Sustainable leadership must also be a basic focus of the institutions in which leaders operate if change is to matter, spread, and last. Sustainable leadership leads to sustainability as environmental diversity and capacity expand however, there are challenges that leaders would face along the journey to achieve sustainability.
When an organization is mostly unprepared to deal with sustainability, making a clear and convincing argument for change is a major task. Because the organization is only reactive to the problems of sustainability (and sometimes oblivious of the opportunities), the sustainability leader must be skilled at collaborating and persuading people during the transition from unconscious to conscious behaviour. Once this is achieved, the next challenge faced is to turn high-level commitments into a comprehensive transformation program with well-defined actions and measurable commercial goals. To accomplish this, sustainability leaders must excel at delivering results and have a strong commercial awareness. Sustainability leaders must be able to identify and evaluate long-term sustainability trends, as well as spot new possibilities and implement strategies to reposition the organization to take advantage of them. The challenge is to integrate sustainability, like quality or financial management, in the DNA of the organization, so that it becomes a core value enabling the organization to be unconsciously proactive. (Kim & Phan, 2019)
As sustainable leaders, aspirations to make a difference, encourage others to follow in your footsteps, and leave a legacy should be tantamount. This legacy should encompass the shifting of the context of the organization, interdependency between stakeholders, longevity of an organization, meeting needs of all stakeholders, shared value creation and collective scalability of the organization. Organizational difficulties are complex and linked, necessitating everyone's cooperation to achieve a more sustainable future. I believe that long-term leaders should encourage people to collaborate and come up with their own solutions. They should assist people, embrace a connection with uncertainty, turmoil, and emergence, as well as bring people together and stimulate creative activity. It is known that even when values are shared; working together to address challenges can be a tough task. However, if sustainable leaders recognize that the stress, conflict, and uncertainty that arise from differences can be used to generate driven innovative solutions, this would benefit both the organization and society at large.
Tell us about your experience with sustainability leadership in your organization.
#sustainableleadership #contemporarybusinesses
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Museum of Science and Industry
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MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY (MSI) occupies the structure built as the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago; until 1920, the site in Jackson Park housed the Field Columbian Museum. Inspired by the hands-on displays at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, Julius Rosenwald, the chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Company and a prolific philanthropist, donated several million dollars to found a similar industrial museum for Chicago. When MSI opened to the public on 1 July 1933, most of the building renovations were still incomplete, but a reconstructed southern Illinois coal mine was ready for visitors in the basement.
During the depression of the 1930s, the staff collected spectacular artifacts more successfully than they balanced the budget. It was not until Lenox Lohr became the full-time president (1940–1968) that the museum achieved financial stability. Lohr, former president of the National Broadcasting Company, forged a close relationship between MSI and the companies whose research and products the museum celebrated. Corporations like General Motors and International Harvester signed long-term agreements to develop and sponsor exhibits about achievements in their fields. To assure these companies that their public relations dollars were well spent, Lohr increased museum attendance with interactive displays, blockbuster exhibits such as a lavish "Fairy Castle" donated by the silent-movie star Colleen Moore and a German submarine captured intact during World War II, and annual festivities such as the "Christmas Around the World Celebration," begun in 1941.
Lohr's successors sought to broaden the museum's popular and financial bases. They encouraged attendance by African Americans, Latinos, and girls by running programs featuring their artistic, cultural, and scientific endeavors. They also located noncorporate funds, raising new money from wealthy individuals, private foundations, and the museum's first general admission fee.
Kogan, Herman. A Continuing Marvel: The Story of the Museum of Science and Industry. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1973.
Pridmore, Jay. Inventive Genius: The History of the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Chicago: Museum of Science and Industry, 1996.
Amanda I.Seligman
See alsoScience Museums .
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The findings, which will be published in the August 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research and are available online, are the first to show that it is possible to therapeutically target cancer cells to keep them from entering a cellular state called quiescence, or "cell sleep." Quiescence can be a dangerous source of tumor recurrence because cancer drugs don't typically destroy quiescent cells.
"Successful cancer therapy often is hampered by tumor cell quiescence because these cells remain viable and are a reservoir for tumor progression," said Anette Duensing, M.D., assistant professor of pathology at UPCI. "By inhibiting a key regulator of quiescence, we are able to kill a larger fraction of cancer cells."
"When we disrupted the DREAM complex in the lab, we significantly increased cancer cell death using Gleevec," said Dr. Duensing. "This underscores the importance of the DREAM complex as a novel drug target worthy of preclinical and clinical investigations."
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how to increase ground water level?
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Rain water harvesting arrangements, construction of dams,canals
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* By allowing to percolate water in to ground by means of percolation tanks
* Sub Surface irrigation wil increase ground water level.
* Penetration of water in ground...by providing percolating pipes as in subsurface irrigation
* Through "water banking" in the ground or by allowing water to percolate to the ground by various mechanisms..also by direct recharge through open wells
* Rain water harvesting is the economical form of increasing ground water level
* Direct recharge 2ru open well or near by river
* Avoid Bore wells and start to construction of wells Growth trees, and save water then it happens and save rainwater harvesting it is economical method
* Make dams it will create reservier and it will inrease the water table
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Why won t my computer connect to the Wi-Fi? - HP ZBook 15 - iFixit
What is the Wireless Network Adapter?
Adapter / December 30, 2019
Many of us use the Internet on a daily basis. You may wish to connect wirelessly to the Internet, or without a physical connection from your personal network to another network. You use a wireless network adapter to establish a wireless Internet connection.
A computer can use a wireless network adapter to receive a wireless signal.
A wireless network adapter is a computer hardware component device designed to enable computers to communicate wirelessly over a network.
Wireless network adapters function by connecting to the computer via expansion card devices, or cards designed to expand computer functionality, such as memory cards or PC cards. You can also connect a wireless network adapter via a USB port on the computer or via an internal adapter already contained within the computer.
Wireless network adapters pick up signals that a wireless network broadcasts. A Wi-Fi "hotspot, " or location, typically broadcasts radio waves through an area with a range between 75 and 150 feet. A wireless network adapter within range picks up the signal and establishes a wireless connection.
Source: www.techwalla.com
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