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What is Ozone?
Inactivates or eliminates all kinds of pathogens such as bacteria, fungi and viruses microorganisms.
It is a special triatomic variety of oxygen, which is formed naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere and was discovered in 1840. Initially it was used as a germicide for its high potential. For medicine application (ozone) is produced from medical oxygen specially designed generators.
It increases the ability of the blood to absorb and transport more oxygen around the body, improving circulation and cellular functions in general. It also stimulates the enzymes involved in its metabolism. It stimulates glycolysis (use of sugars), which is the main energy source for all cells, thereby improving their overall functions.
Antioxidant (free radical scavenger)
It is the only way, to the known present, which is capable of stimulating all antioxidants cellular enzymes that are responsible for eliminating free radicals and other harmful oxidants body (Glutathione peroxidase, Catalase, Superoxide dismutase and other to ensure the functioning of the above). This is the most natural and effective means of achieving this, since the enzymes are much more efficient than any other vitamin or substance for this purpose. Therefore, also it retards the cellular aging processes.
It is able to promote the regeneration of different types of tissue, which is very useful in healing lesions from healing in ulcers of various kinds, in articular tissues, in aesthetic medicine, etc.
Analgesic and anti-inflammatory
In local application, it has these effects, acting neutralizing neurochemical mediators of pain sensation, and facilitating the metabolism and elimination of inflammatory mediators such as histamine, kinins, and interleukins.
Sprains, dislocations, fractures, muscle tears, tennis elbow, shoulder baseball, football knee and other applications of the active muscle metabolism by removing lactic acid produced by major sporting endeavors.
Many diseases can be successfully treated by ozone.
• Angiology and Phlebology
• Orthopedics
• Geriatrics or adulthood
• Neurology
• Rheumatology
• Dermatology
• Gastroenterology
• Endocrinology
• Immunology
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Essay, 9 pages (2000 words)
Merck and river blindness essay
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Introduction And Situational Analysis
The debate concerning social responsibility by corporate bodies has been there for decades and will most likely persist into the future. It is argued that, corporations just like individuals, are morally obligated to contribute to the society that upholds them. For this reason, companies should always strive to make their profits in the most ethical way. However at times a corporation may be faced with a tight ethical dilemma that requires a lot of critical thinking. An example of this situation is the ethical dilemma that once faced Merck . The ethical dilemma in the Merck pharmaceutical company was to whether pursue a research on River Blindness which may have resulted in minimal or no profit but help cure many people suffering from the deadly and detrimental disease or to play safe by not doing the research since it was not an economical endeavor. River blindness is a devastating disease that affects more than 80 million of poor people living in remote villages of Africa and Latin America (Singh, 2010, p291). It is a parasitic roundworm that is transmitted to human beings through a bite by a certain black fly. Once the roundworm is buried in an individual’s skin, it grows into a circular shape which could reach up to an inch in diameter before reproducing into millions of microscopic bacteria known as microfilia. These bacteria writhe the individual’s body causing a lot of itching, lesions and eventually leads to blindness (River blindness). These itching were so intense that at times could cause the infected person to commit suicide. Though most of the villagers fled the areas around the river, they eventually had to go back from the surrounding land was not fertile enough to sustain their basic needs.
In 1979 , A research scientist working for Merck pharmaceutical company , Dr. William Campell, discovered that one of the company’s animal drugs could be used to eliminate the roundworm that caused river blindness. Dr. Campbell and his research team appealed to the management of the company for financial support so as to develop a human version of the drug. The management analyzed the situation and had the following findings: The research and development of this medicine would cost the company more than $200million but the chances of making good profit out of it since their clients would be the impoverished people in Africa and Latin America who could not afford the drug (Singh, 2010, p291). Another finding was that, the distribution of this drug to the affected areas would require a significant level of investments into the infrastructure and distribution channels. In addition to the two findings , they still had the fear that in case the drug did not work as expected, there would be negative publicity about the company that would injure its reputation and consequently lead to lower sales in the animal version of the drug. Besides this three constraint facing them, a Congress had been prepared to pass the Drug Regulation Act , This piece of legislation would make the competition in the drug industry too shoot up through shortening of patent life. Given all these limitations, the managers of Maerck corporation were hesitant to fund the research project. However, without the drug, millions of people would lose their lives to river blindness or live with an itching effect, partial or complete blindness.
Stakeholder Analysis
During this dilemma, there were various parties with a stake in the organization’s actions or performance. These parties had a major impact in the decision that would be made in regard to the river blindness dilemma by the Merck pharmaceutical company. The major stakeholders involved were the shareholders of the company, the people suffering from the disease, governments of these patients, World health organization and perhaps the company’s competitors. The shareholders primary intention in any company is to invest their money with an expectation for profit. Since the research was not viable in terms of returns-to-investment ratio, the idea was not appealing to the shareholders of the company. However the witty chairman of the company, Dr. Roy Vagelos, son of the founder of the company George Merck, told the press and the shareholders at large that “ never try to forget that medicine is made for the people and not for profits, profits follow” His stand to be socially responsible led to the commencement of the project. If the shareholders had disagreed with their chairman, the ugly consequence of this disease would still continue to devour impoverished people in various parts of third world countries.
Merck company was expecting a major setback from the respective nations with people suffering from this disease. They knew that these countries would not be able to afford the drug for its people. The patients would not also be able to buy for themselves this drug. These two stakeholders would have been negatively affected by this dilemma if the company opted for profits instead of social responsibility, the people would suffer and their respective government’s would feel the negative impact too. Merck’s assistance with this issue is a priceless sacrifice since the drug business is a risky and expensive venture which has to protect its capital so as to invest in a lot of research and development.
Among the shareholders that were ready to work with Merck was the world health organization (WHO). Long before merck discovered the drug, WHO was actively involved in the issue and was making intensive efforts to eradicate the Black fly that causes river blindness. The program by WHO had already enabled farmers to return to their lands. “ The discovery of this drug is an answered prayer to the third world” Senator Edward Kennedy(Democrat-Massachusetts) said in a past news conference. “ Merck’s gift to WHO is more than a breakthrough in the medical field, it is a triumph of the human spirit’s”. The other probable stakeholder was the company’s competitors. Merck was very cautious about investing in a non profitable project that would make their competitors have a niche above them. But surprisingly, after Merck corporation volunteered to donate this drug to the helpless citizens, their success motivated their competitors to follow suit. In 1996, Glaxo Wellcome donated Malarone which for prevention of malaria, in 1998 SmithKline Beecham also donated Albendazole for the cure of a filarial parasitic disease (Schwartz, 2011, p 62). Therefore, the ethical dilemma which had hit merck and the courageous step they took in risking a huge part of their finances for the society, sets the precedent for others and we are still enjoying their fruits.
Analysis Based On Ethical Theories
Cultural relativism is the concept that revolves around the facts that different groups have different standards in determining what is morally right or wrong. The view that the rightful moral action yields ‘ the greatest happiness’ is what drove merck pharmaceutical to undertake this immense financial risk and donate their drugs to the people as a way to alleviate suffering among humanity. The opinion as to whether an action is right or wrong morally differs from one society to another. Mercks move of putting the welfare of the people above profits is a morally right action that is acceptable by every society. They had the option to ignore the whole situation since it was not favoring their business financially but since it was morally wrong, they opted to go beyond making profits. Though cultural relativism enables different cultures to coexist by differently determining what is morally right or wrong, critics of this type of relativism argue that though the moral practices may differ, most of the underlying fundamental principles do not and for instance, a practice which is morally wrong would be regarded as wrong irrespective of which society. Therefore, when analyzing the case of Merck ethical dilemma, arguably all the societies concerned would term their move as commendable and morally responsible to society.
When analyzing an ethical system, the system is usually broken down into three major categories, teleological, deontological and the ethical virtues. Teleological and deontological are action based theories of morality that focus purely on the actions that a person performs. If these actions are based or judged morally right because of their consequences, it is callesd teleogical or the consequentialist ethical theory. Thuis in order to make the right moral choice, we have to understand the consequences that would result from our choices. Just like how the management of this pharmaceutical company effectively analyzed the situation at hand and came up with three probable consequences for their action but still went for social responsibility. On the other hand, daentological appears when moral actions are judged based upon how they conform to various sets of duties. Merck pharmaceutical company and River blindess is a great example for consequentiolist and utilitarianism theorys because the actions they took on the issue resulted into much happiness for both the company and the people. There existed a mutual satisfaction between both parties. Dr. Roy Vagelos said that he was very happy because of their act of trying to alleviate suffering among the impoverished people and people will remember that it was Merck that helped them.
The virtue theory is a theory which is fully based on virtue ethics that involves human beings. To be an effective one must acquire various characteristics and habits that fellow human beings can term as praiseworthy. Despite the company’s loss, the company was morally obligated to undertake the seven years research that costs the company almost $200 that would lead to the discovery of the animal version of the drug. This was a great way by which this company sets the trend for other companies in upholding the virtue of ethics among business corporations that are now fully focused on maximizing profits and sidelining the welfare of the people. It is not unusual to see a company deliberately destroying the environment through the emissions of harmful gases to the atmosphere or directing harmful effluents into rivers and water catchment areas. They only wait for the government to regulate their behavior, this trait contravenes the ethical virtue.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Proper analysis of facts and consequences is vital to any corporation faced with any type of a dilemma, whether, ethical, production or human resource dilemma. Merck company had been faced with an ethical dilemma and regardless of the decision they would have made it would still result to the immense impact to their existence as a drug company. After carefully looking at the pros and cons of the situation, Dr. Vagelos and his management team concluded that their moral obligation to the suffering fellow human beings outweighed their slim chances of making profit. Later that year he approved a budget that saw the commencement of the seven years research on the development of the drug.
This morally right and ethical move by Merck pharmaceuticals led to the discovery of a single pill that has to be taken only once per year and could eliminate parasites that caused River blindness. What if they chose not to produce the drug? Probably people would still be losing their lives to the disease or leading life as blinds. Merck decided to donate the drug to the remote villages in Africa, Middle East and in Latin America. With the help of the World Health Organization (WHO) Merck financed an International Committee responsible for improving on the infrastructure so as to enable them deliver the drug to the infected people. By last year, the drug has relieved 60million poor people who previously underwent intense suffering and complete blindness.
In the ideal business world, things work out perfectly and all the involved parties always do the right thing, unfortunately, in the real world things do not work out as always as planned. There are instances when one ethical dilemma is a common happening in the workplace. So. how do you resolve an ethical dilemma? When faced with an ethical dilemma, I would recommend one to follow these guidelines in order to effectively solve the problem without causing any injustices as a result of their decision.
– Analyze the consequences
If there exists a variety of options, one should consider the range of the pros and cons in each situation. Who will benefit from your final decision? Who will be hurt?
– Analyze the Actions
The individual or business organization that has been faced with an ethical dilemma should at this point consider all the available options at a totally different perspective without thinking about the consequences. Instead, concentrate strictly on actions. You should determine how it measures up against moral principles like fairness, equality and the dignity of others.
– Make a decision
Do the actions that you are considering contravene any ethical principle? Does it cross the line in terms of simple human decency? This is the part that requires one to make the final decision based on the facts and analyses of probable actions.
Corporations have different cultures, some stresses on profits above everything else, But according to Merck Pharmaceutical company, life is more important than anything else. The company has over time become an epitome of ethical practices allegiance. When asked about his opinion as to why the company invested heavily in a product that wouldn’t even be bought, Dr. Vagelos replied that, once accompany realized that it had a solution to a certain problem affecting the people, the most ethical option is to produce or develop it (Schwartz, 2011, p 70). This philanthropic act of donating river blindness drugs that Merck did will always remain a legacy and in the memories of many human beings and a great example of ethical social responsibility among corporations.
Top of Form
LMA, LA (2009) Resolving An Ethical Dilemma http://www. lmu. edu/Page27945. aspx Retrieved
march 26, 2013.
Joe Musing,(2012), Merck Company: A Business Ethics Case
http://joe-renaissanceman. blogspot. com/2012/04/merck-company-business-ethics-case. html
retrieved March 27, 2013
Rosemary Drisdelle(2007), Eliminating River Blindness http://suite101. com/article/eliminating-river-blindness-a25397 retrieved march, 27, 2013
Top of Form
Schwartz, M. S. (2011). Corporate social responsibility: An ethical approach. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press.
Singh, K. (2010). Organizational behaviour: Text and cases. Chandigarh: Pearson.
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As per MIT, active principles of potentized drugs are MOLECULAR IMPRINTS of drug molecules formed in supramolecular matrix of water and ethyl alcohol. As per this concept, molecular imprints are hydrogen bonded networks of water and ethanol molecules, into which the conforformational properties of drug molecules are imprinted as three dimensional negatives. These molecular imprints work as therapeutic agents by acting by conformational properties as artificial binding pockets for original drug molecules as well as pathogenic molecules having conformations similar to those of original drug molecules. If this idea of MOLECULAR IMPRINTS is correct, potentized drugs should be experimentally proved to be capable of antidoting the biological effects of original drug molecules.
Can potentized drugs antidote or reverse the biological effects of crude forms of same drugs?
This question is of paramount importance when trying to prove the concepts of ‘molecular imprints’ proposed by MIT as part of scientific explanation for the molecular mechanism of homeopathic potentization and therapeutics.
Most homeopaths maintain that medicinal properties of crude drugs are transferred to the medium during potentization. They may call it ‘vibrations’, ‘electromagnetic signals’, ‘medicinal memory’, ‘dynamic power’ or anything like that. But all those theories are based on the concept that potentized medicines can ‘mimic’ the properties of parent drugs.
If potentized medicines were really ‘mimicking’ the medicinal properties of parent drugs, they should be able to produce similar biological effects. But we have before us a monumental work which proves through in vitro experiments that potentized medicines do not act the same way as parent drugs, but as their antidotes on biological molecules.
According to the hypothesis put forward by MIT, potentized medicines contains ‘molecular imprints’ of constituent molecules of parent drugs. As such, these molecular imprints can act as artificial recognition sites for parent molecules, and bind to them, thereby preventing them from interacting with biological targets.
If this concept of ‘molecular imprint’ is correct, potentized medicines should be capable of antidoting or reversing of biological effects of their parent molecules. If we prove this point, it would be a big step in favor of ‘molecular imprinting’ concept put forward by MIT.
Here I am reproducing a report regarding such a successful experiment published in 2001. This historic experiment was conducted by a team consisting of Swapna S Datta, Palash P Mallick and Anisur AR Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh of Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741 235, West Bengal, India and published online on 23 November 2001. Report may be read at this link:
They proved through strictly controlled experiments that potentized homeopathic drug, Cadmium Sulphoricum, could reduce the genotoxic effects produced by cadmium chloride in mice. They used potentized Cadmium Sulph because they could not get homeopathic potencies of Cadmium Chloride. Since Cadium Sulph and Cadmium Chlor contains Cadmium, and Cadmium is the real genotoxic factor, such an experimental protocol is acceptable.
Through these experiments, the team could prove that both Cad Sulph-30 and 200 were able to combat cadmium induced genotoxic effects in mice. From the results of the reported investigation it is revealed that both Cad Sulph-30 and Cad Sulph-200 showed remarkable potential to reduce genotoxic effects produced by CdCl2. In the study the homeopathic forms of cadmium could protect the structural integrity of chromosomes and sperm antidoting the destructive ability of CdCl2 in causing DNA damage by preventing cadmium molecules from binding to the enzymes involved. Even in the absence of a single original drug molecule both Cad Sulph-30 and 200 elicited spectacular ability of protection/repair to damaged chromosomes and sperm, a fact which would lead one to speculate that the the potentized of drugs must have acted as antidotes to the biological effects of cadmium molecules. This observation validates the idea of MIT.
We have also another relevant study conducted by a team consisting of Philippe Belon, Pathikrit Banerjee, Sandipan Chaki Choudhury, Antara Banerjee,Surjyo Jyoti Biswas, Susanta Roy Karmakar, Surajit Pathak, Bibhas Guha, Sagar Chatterjee, Nandini Bhattacharjee, Jayanta Kumar Das, and Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh of Boiron Lab, 20 rue de la Libėration, Sainte-Foy-Lės-Lyon, France, and Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India , published on December 26, 2005. Complete report is available at this link:
This team undertook a study to find out whether administration of potentized homeopathic remedy,Arsenicum Album, alter Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Titer in people living in high-risk arsenic ontaminated areas.
Thus, potentized Arsenicum album was proved to have great potential for ameliorating arsenic induced elevated ANA titer and other hematological toxicities.
Both these controlled scientific studies have proved beyond doubt that potentized homeopathic medicines can antidote or reverse the biological effects of parent drugs.
In the absence of original drug molecules, how could the homeopathic potencies exhibit such an action? The theory that potentized medicines ‘mimic’ the parent drugs is obviously disproved through these experiments. Only logical explanation we can provide for this phenomenon is the ‘molecular imprints’ of parent drug molecules being the active principles of potentized medicines. ‘Molecular imprints’ can specifically bind to the parent molecules, and thereby antidote or reverse the biological properties of parent molecules.
Author: Chandran Nambiar K C
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The Cuban Basslet (Gramma dejongi) is like a miniaturized golden version of the popular aquarium fish Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto). Genetic analysis shows G.dejongi is closely related to G.loreto, only recently evolving into a new species. Unlike its closest genetic cousin, the Cuban Basslet lacks the purple bicolored coloration and the black stripe across its eye and grows to half the size of the Royal Gramma – a maximum size of less then 2″ (45mm) in length. It represents the fifth species of Grammatids.
Gramma dejongi was first discovered by Dejong Marinelife in early 2010 and formally described later that year. Specimens were observed and collected in 65-100 feet (20-30 meters) deep, cohabiting with G.loreto as well as G.melacara (the Black Cap Basslet). FYI: The remaining two species of Grammatids are G.linki and G.brasiliensis.
Like Cuban Cigars …
This species is currently only known from Cuban waters, and as such, is prohibited from entering the United States due to the United States embargo against Cuba. Specimens have slowly made their way into the aquarium trade by way of Japan, where Reefbuilders reports have been selling for a princely sum of $4,500 USD. And now we have a video from B-Box Aquarium of a recently acquired G.dejongi. Beautiful fish! Alas, American aquarists will have to wait for either the lifting of the embargo or for captive bred specimens before we see Gramma dejongi in our aquariums. Prices are likely to plummet if either scenario pans out, which would mean this species may one day be more accessible to more hobbyists. Let’s hope!
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This Is the Real Reason Oktoberfest Is Celebrated—and It Has Nothing to Do with Beer
This party dates all the way back to 1810.
Shutterstock /Patino
When you hear the word “Oktoberfest,” your mind probably conjures up images of beer, pretzels, lederhosen, and more beer. (But America’s brews aren’t half bad either. These are the best craft beers from each state.)
The first Oktoberfest was held in October of 1810 to celebrate the wedding between Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, according to the official Oktoberfest website. The citizens of Munich were invited to the fields in front of the city gates, now called Theresienwiese (Therese’s meadow), to join the party. It lasted for five days—October 12-17—each filled with food, beer, parades, and music. The final event was a horse race around the edge of town.
Everything was such a success that it was decided to turn the horse race, along with the other merriment, into an annual spectacle. After a few years, carnival booths, swings, and bowling alleys were also added to the fairgrounds. Wine and beer vendors sold their goods to grateful patrons. After the city fathers of Munich took control of the festival, the starting date was pushed to the middle of September because the longer days and warmer weather would allow visitors to stay longer. Regardless of when it starts, the last weekend of Oktoberfest always takes place in October, keeping the tradition of the very first celebration.
Today, Oktoberfest lasts 16-18 days and still takes place on Theresienwiese, which the locals call Die Wiesn. It’s still famous for its multitude of beer; 7.7 million liters of it were sold at the 2013 celebration. The pretzels (Brezen), sausage (Würstl), and grilled ham (Schweinshaxe) are just a few of the traditional dishes served every year. (Want to host your own beer garden? Follow our tips for a flawless backyard party.)
And despite the common association with alcohol, Oktoberfest is actually a very family-friendly event. In addition to the amusement park attractions, the Oide Wiesn at the southern end of the fairgrounds transports people back in time with vintage costumes, antique rides, and tents that explain the entire history of the event. Now, everyone who visits Oktoberfest can know they have Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese to thank for their two weeks of merriment.
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Easy Hacks to Create an Annotated Bibliography
Home » Essay Examples » Easy Hacks to Create an Annotated Bibliography
Is college life amazing? Yes, it is, but is academic writing fun? No, it is not! You might find it difficult to follow all the rules involved in writing specific pieces of academic writing. When you have completed an essay, you must insert credible sources as evidence. You add a detailed bibliography at the end of your paper to inform the reader about the details of your sources and their relevance to your paper. You can also ask an essay writing service to complete it for you.
A detailed bibliography can be required by your instructor, at the end of your academic paper. To start this annotated bibliography, the first thing that you must do is make sure that all the sources have been cited in the required format. After that, compile all the sources in one place, for example, open all the websites in one window. Now you are ready to construct the perfect bibliography.
1. 1. Ensure proper formatting:
• Start on a fresh new page.
• Add the heading of the bibliography on the top.
• Properly double or single space as required by the paper format
• Place your reference in the correct format and start writing the summary of the paper below
2. 2. Author details:
Who are the authors of the source that you used? What year was the work published and who published it? What are the authors’ qualifications, and who is their target audience? By answering these questions, you make the reader realize that the source is authentic and useful. All of this should be done in 2 to 3 sentences.
3. 3. Brief summary:
You need to analyze 2 portions of the work. Firstly, read the abstract and then read the conclusion. You will thus get a basic idea of the report. Mention the purpose, methodology, and findings of the work. All of this should take around 100 words.
4. 4. Relate:
Now it's time to tell the reader of your work why you chose the particular source. Explain how your work benefits from this source. In what part of your work does this source help you? This part should take around 3 to 4 sentences.
5. 5. Limitations:
Finally, discuss any weaknesses in the paper. How is it slightly different from your paper's purpose? Critically analyze it. Is the methodology obsolete? Mention it.
If you rightly follow this guideline, your detailed bibliography will be done within no time. If there are multiple assignments to do and all of this still seems confusing to you, there’s another solution: Hire a free essay writer online. This writer will proofread your rough bibliography. These workers may also write up the whole bibliography themselves if they are paid.
Online help vs following the guideline Example :
For those who cannot afford online help, re-read the whole 5 mentioned steps in detail. If you still wish that others should “write my essay” just visit academic writing request websites. To completely understand the guidelines, an example of a bibliography citation is given in APA style. Suppose that you were to write an argumentative essay on the effects of school dress code on students, a research article that claimed that 90% of students oppose adhering to a boring ill-fashioned uniform would be very helpful to your argument.
Doe, J. (1998). School Uniform. Journal of education, 30(2), 212-220.
This research article is written by Professor John Doe, a professor of education at Brooklyn College in the year 1998. It was published in the journal of education for the general public. The article discusses the opinions of 1500 students regarding school uniforms. *Add summary of the paper* This work is important to my paper because of * add reasons*. The only problem is that * insert limitations*.
Details of the sources you used may be required at the end of the paper. Writing and ordering a bibliography may be difficult. It is better to get help from online writers if there’s a deadline. By following the mentioned guidelines, you will be able to draft a well-written bibliography. Lastly, you can always get help from the expert writers at a paper writing service.
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Let’s go way back. Historically, dairy farmers produced and distributed their own milk and other dairy products. As demand increased, transportation improved and dairy farmers became more involved in milk production, there was less time to distribute the products themselves1.
Enter the middleman. Milk dealers and distributors popped up to buy milk from farmers and get it to market. At the same time, some farmers formed cooperative associations to negotiate milk prices with dealers and distributors.
Woman milking a cow at a Lancaster dairy in 1938
Finding order
There was no standard milk pricing system before the 1930s. A few different schemes were attempted. Classified pricing emerged as the best approach.
In classified pricing, each dairy product was assigned to a class. Handlers paid for milk based on the amount of milk used in each class.
To keep things equitable, a cooperative pooled the revenue from all milk sales, and farmers received an average price. All farmers in the same cooperative would get the same price, no matter how their milk was used.
The government first entered the fray because of the Great Depression. Federal milk marketing orders were introduced through the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 and tweaked with the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937.
The goal of the federal orders was to ensure reasonable prices for farmers and consumers and ensure an adequate supply of milk for consumers.
Federal milk marketing orders are regional markets that enforce a classified pricing structure.
Dairy farmers can request and approve a federal marketing order, but it’s not mandatory to participate in one. Today, there are 11 federal orders.
War time poster reads: Raise more food for defense, 50 more chickens, two more milk cows, another brood sow
1940s – 1960s:
The government
jumps into dairy
During the world wars, the demand for milk increased dramatically.
During World War II, some of the government support mechanisms that would carry dairy into the next century were born. At that point, it was out of sheer necessity.
The Steagall Amendment of 1941 set a support price for dairy products and other non-basic commodities to help meet wartime demand. The federal government purchased butter off the open market.
Government support began in earnest through the Agricultural Act of 1949. The government decided there needed to be a steady supply of dairy products for Americans.
Enter the Milk Price Support Program.
The government didn’t pay farmers directly through this program. Instead, it purchased storable dairy products — butter, cheese and nonfat dry milk — at support prices through the Commodity Credit Corporation.
The price support system worked well for farmers for decades, said Dianne Shoemaker, dairy production economics specialist with Ohio State University Extension. It made sure that processors could at least pay farmers legislated support prices, if nothing else.
Farmers could count on the support price to come in and that was enough to make a living on, Shoemaker said. You could milk cows like your family had done historically and you could make a living. You wouldn’t get rich, but you could support your household.
“Milk pricing drove the way people ran farms,” Shoemaker said. “Before, people farmed for the love of it. If you needed to increase family living, you could work a little harder or add a few cows.”
That was part of the program’s eventual downfall as well.
Because there was no production control mechanism associated with the support program, dairy farmers could milk more cows and be certain they’d get more money.
After all, the federal government was buying its surplus off the market.
A woman holding an open box of USDA pasturized and processed American Cheese circa 1983.
1970s – 1980s:
A rollercoaster ride
In the early 1970s, there was a domestic dairy shortage. As a result, prices shot up. Milk prices went up 30% in late 19732. The government tried to intervene by relaxing import quotas and ended up dropping the price of milk.
President Jimmy Carter came into office in 1977 promising higher milk prices for farmers. He increased the milk support price. Congress used the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to maintain the higher milk prices and require a semi-annual adjustment.
The federal government pumped nearly $2 billion into the dairy industry as a result of those changes.
Then, things got crazy in the 1980s.
The legislated support price continued to increase each year, and the government continued to buy surplus dairy products.
These government dairy purchases increased from about $247 million in 1979 to a high of $2.7 billion in 1983.
Legislators froze the support price at $13.10 per hundredweight in 1981 and eliminated semi-annual adjustments. There were later reductions in support price.
By this point, the federal government had stockpiled millions of pounds of cheese and butter it had bought off the market. It had no idea what to do with it. The cheese was getting moldy.
“Probably the cheapest and most practical thing would be to dump it in the ocean,” one USDA official told The Washington Post in 19813.
President Ronald Reagan’s solution? Give the cheese away.
Starting in 1981, low-income families were given blocks of this commodity cheese through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program. The program distributed more than 300 million pounds of surplus cheese, which became known as “government cheese.”
Jersey cattle crazing in a field.
Production control
Next, the federal government tried to control production.
First, was the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983. Dairy farmers were offered direct payments to reduce their milk production through the Milk Diversion Program. The goal was to decrease milk marketed by 5 to 30%.
Did it work? Sort of. From January 1984 to March 1985, 20% of commercial dairies, or about 38,000, participated1. Production was reduced by 9.4 billion pounds in 1984 and the first quarter of 1985. The government paid $955 million to participating farmers.
But nonparticipating farmers increased their production during this time. So, the actual reduction was less than 7.4 million pounds1. And, after the program ended, participants upped their production again.
Cows being led to the slaughterhouse.
1985 – 2014:
The Dairy Termination Program and its aftermath
Next, the feds tried something a little more drastic. The Dairy Termination Program was part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The goal was to reduce production by nearly 9%4.
Under the program, the USDA paid participating farmers to slaughter or export their entire herd and get out of dairying for at least five years. Farmers submitted bids to get into the program.
Almost 40,000 farmers submitted bids for the program. The USDA accepted about 14,990 dairy farmers, with bids ranging from $3.40 to $22.60 per hundredweight, according to a 1988 report on the program from the General Accounting Office, the congressional watchdog agency4.
The federal government paid out about $1.8 billion to producers and took about 12.3 billion pounds of milk off the market. More than 1.5 million dairy cattle were slaughtered or exported between April 1986 and September 1987.
Did it work? Temporarily. “Nonparticipating dairy farmers continued to increase their production,” the General Accounting Office report found. In 1986, overall production actually increased by a fraction.
But there were decreases in production in 1987 and 1988. A second report from the General Accounting Office evaluating the program’s cost-effectiveness found the program saved the federal government $2.4 billion over four years5.
The support price continued to fluctuate through the 90s, mostly downward. 6
In 1999, it went down to $9.90. That’s where it remained until 2014 when the price support system finally died.
Dairy cows lined up eating feeding.
Starting over
The 2014 Farm Bill replaced it with something totally different — the Dairy Margin Protection Program. It worked like an insurance program for margins.
Farmers pay a premium to insure a margin. If the margin drops below the insured level, the farmer receives an indemnity, Shoemaker said.
It had good bones, but it didn’t work well for a number of reasons, she said. One of the biggest issues was the cost to participate and the coverage available.
The way it was set up, farmers would never reach the margin that was covered, Shoemaker said. So they’d never get the financial help they needed.
“The best thing it did was start the process of looking at supporting the dairy industry in a different way,” Shoemaker said.
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Rachel is a reporter with Farm and Dairy and a graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She married a fourth-generation beef and sheep farmer and settled down in her hometown in Beaver County. Before coming to Farm and Dairy, she worked at several daily and weekly newspapers throughout Western Pennsylvania covering everything from education and community news to police and courts.
1. I don’t know about others, but this gray screen is so hard to read I finally just gave up. Not sure if you posted it that way or the copy somehow changed color. Ruins what could be a VERY interesting article.
• I’m not 100% sure if this will fix your problem, but the images and copy are out of focus until you scroll so that the next timeline entry has reached the top of the page.
2. Rachel,your topic was dead on and like are conversation big banks will never let big dairys fail.Look into Dream street holsteins the vet lived 3 doors down from me after the collapse in the mid 90s.The GAO is looking into trump’s giving all this farmers aid to big Corp farmers in red states.The huge dairy kill they call it harvesting now has really effected beef prices look into that thanks mike c
3. if the government would reduce milk production by 10% and raise milk prices to offset that loss . this would reduce many of the farmers that are struggling .along with this there would be a penalty for producing over the previous years milk total . by doing this it would reduce the amount of manure that is running into our lakes and streams .the contaminated water which so many people are unknowingly drinking. the government could then spend more money on cleaning up our water ways. less manure tankers on our roadways would save our roads from being destroyed each spring when our roads are soft from frost and spring rains . less milk means less money spent on storage in large warehouses . which means a small step in a balanced budget .
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A strong memory depends on the vitality and health of your brain. The brain function peaked during early human body and then slowly declined, leading to lapses in brain and memory fog during your golden years. Memory, like muscular strength, Need you to “lose it or use it.” The more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to remember and process information. But not all activities are equal. The best brain work out break your routine and challenge you to use and develop new brain pathways.
Tips to Improve Your Memory :
1. Focus on what you’re trying to remember :
2. Take time to think about what do you need to remember, whether it’s a list of chores, names, or items to buy. Spending a few moments actively manage your thoughts can make it simple to recall what you need to remember in the future.
1. Get a Good Night’s Sleep :
2. For every single day of the week included weekends, what time would be good for you to go to sleep and wake up? Keep in mind you want to squeeze in about 8 hours of sleep a night. If you are going to bed at 11, that means going to bed at 11, It is good for your Brain and health. Good Night’s Sleep is helps set your body’s internal, external clocks and optimize the quality of your sleep.
1. Play mind games :
2. Mind games are usually simple in design but have a big impact. think, strategize and remember of your brain like your abs. If you work out your abs you are going to develop strong abs. However, if you do not work out your abs they will lose their strength and definition. Mind games are built to work your brain to keep it alert and sharp.The purpose of these games is to improve your thinking, memory, cognitive ability and reaction time.
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Can Dogs Eat Bones? Are Bones Safe or Bad for your Dog?
Many people give their dogs bones to chew to keep them happy and occupied. And in fact, there can even be some benefits of giving your dog bones. However, most veterinarians will advise against this practice.
This is because bones pose a pretty significant choking hazard for dogs and carry various risks to your pet’s health that you need to be aware of.
Yellow Labrador Retriever chewing bone
However, many dogs get hold of bones by accident, leaving their owners wondering if they need to be concerned.
Keep reading to discover more about why bones are so bad for dogs and the risks of giving your dog bones as a treat.
Why Bones Can Be Dangerous for Dogs
Border Collie feeling guilty
A guilty look of Border Collie dog leaning on a chair
Unfortunately, bones in most forms are not safe for your dog to consume, and this is because bones pose a severe choking risk to dogs and can cause serious internal damage.
There are also numerous other risks associated with feeding your dog bones which we will detail below.
1. Bones can cause choking
Unfortunately, there’s always an increase in vet visits around the holidays due to dogs getting hold of bones and table scraps.
Although some bones, like ham bones, look to be the right size and shape to serve as a chew toy for your dog, they’re not suitable for this purpose. They can cause blockage in our dog’s intestines or cause your dog to choke.
2. Bones can cause broken teeth
Tough bones could cause damage to your dog’s teeth. As your dog bites down on these hard bones, his teeth may break off, which is painful for your dog and will make eating more difficult.
Broken teeth may also need to be extracted or have a root canal done to save the tooth, both of which can be pretty expensive.
3. Bones can cause injuries to the mouth and tongue
Dogs that are left unsupervised with bones can gnaw on them too aggressively, which can cause damage to the mouth and tongue as the bones can break off into very sharp pieces.
These sharp pieces can injure the cheeks, soft palate, and tongue.
Only letting your dog chew bones for ten to fifteen minutes and keeping a close eye on them the entire time will help to minimize injury.
4. Bones can get looped around the lower jaw
Round bones can get stuck around your dog’s lower jaw behind your pet’s canine teeth. This can cause your dog to panic, and he may need to be sedated to remove the bone.
5. Bones can cause injuries to the stomach and intestinal lining
Sad Labrador lying on bed
Labrador Retriever not feeling well lying on the bed
Giving your pet cooked bones to chew on can be hazardous. This is because bones become soft when they are cooked.
These softer bones can splinter or break apart easily. Small fragments of bone can cause your dog to choke and can cause damage to the stomach and intestinal lining, causing severe harm to your pet.
6. Bones can get stuck in the stomach
Dogs can swallow bones that are too big to pass through their system could end up with the bones getting stuck in their gut.
This can lead to intense stomach problems such as chronic vomiting. Your vet will need to perform an endoscopy or abdominal surgery to remove these bones.
7. Bones can cause a blockage in the small intestine or colon
Along with getting stuck in the stomach, bone fragments can get trapped in the small intestine or colon.
This can lead to severe constipation or colon damage which is exorbitantly painful for your pet. An enema may be required, or your vet may need to remove these bones surgically.
8. Bones can cause contamination with pathogens on raw bones
Raw bones or uncooked meat could carry various bacteria like salmonella, which can end up poisoning your dog, making him very sick. Some types of meat, such as pork, also carry worms which are dangerous for dogs.
Which Types of Bones Dogs Can’t Eat?
Raw pork knuckle for cooking
A big chunk of a raw pork knuckle
Unfortunately, bones in most forms are not safe for your dog to consume. However, certain bones should be avoided for dogs.
1. Pork bones
The pork hock is the part of the body where the pig’s foot attaches to the leg. Also known as pork knuckles, these hocks should be treated like bones.
They are not suitable for your dog when cooked due to the splintering risk and when raw, they could lead to bacterial infection. Either way, they are also a severe choking risk for your dog.
2. Ham bones
As discussed, raw ham is not safe for your pet to consume. Raw ham and ham bones are a breeding ground for bacteria, parasites, and worms and can cause severe salmonella poisoning.
Ham is also very high in fat and salt. Too much fat in your pet’s diet could cause obesity while too much salt will increase your pet’s thirst or lead to sodium ion poisoning.
Are There Any Health Benefits of Bones?
Brown dog laying while eating a bone
A brown dog enjoys eating a bone inside the house
Despite the risks mentioned above, some pet parents argue that there can be benefits to giving your dog bones.
Chewing bones can stimulate your dog’s saliva enzymes which can help prevent the buildup of tartar on your dog’s teeth and gums, leading to better dental hygiene
Bones are also a great source of calcium and other minerals that can help satisfy your dog’s appetite, while dogs that regularly chew bones have been found to lick and scratch less frequently.
Bones can also keep your pet entertained.
Which Types of Bones Are Safe for Dogs?
If you’re considering giving your dog bones to gnaw on, there are some rules you want to follow to ensure your pet’s safety. This includes providing your dog with the right type of bones.
A raw lamb leg meat
A raw skinned lamb leg meat
You know that pork and ham bones are not suitable for your pet, but what bones can you give your furry friend?
1. Raw Chicken Bones
Cooked chicken bones can splinter, but raw bones can cause salmonella poisoning. You also need to be careful of feeding small chicken bones to large dogs, as these tiny bones can easily cause an obstruction.
Sharp chicken bones can also pierce the esophagus or cause damage to the lungs and heart.
If you want to feed your dog raw chicken bones, opt for hollow, non-weight-bearing bones such as chicken wings or chicken necks, which are softer and can easily be ground down by your dog.
They are also a great source of calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals
2. Raw Turkey Bones
While it may seem tempting to give your dog a turkey leg from your Thanksgiving bird, hard drumsticks can cause a choking hazard for most dogs.
Like chicken, you will be much better off serving your dog the softer turkey necks. These bones do not contain any marrow and so can be readily crushed.
3. Raw Lamb Bones
Raw lamb bones are safe for your pup to consume as long as they’re big enough not to present a choking hazard.
You can leave some meat and cartilage still attached to the bones you give your dog as crushing this will help clean your dog’s teeth and prevent gum disease.
4. Raw Beef Bones
Raw beef bones are some of the best options if you want to feed bones to your dog. Beef or bison femur bones and hip bones will be filled with marrow which can be a delicious treat for your dog.
These bones are not meant to be chewed up and swallowed and don’t provide any essential nutrients for your dog, but your pet will enjoy gnawing on these bones.
Summary Overview: Safe and Unsafe Bones
As you have read, there are safe and unsafe bones to feed your dog. Pork, ham, and chicken bones carry the most significant risk of salmonella poisoning and should be avoided if possible.
If you want to feed your dog bones from birds, like chicken and turkey, opt for the softer, flight-based bones, which are easier to digest.
Types of Bones Safe for your Dog?
Pork Bones No
Raw Ham Bones No
Cooked Chicken Bones No
Raw Chicken Wings or Necks Yes
Raw Soft Turkey Necks Yes
Raw Lamb Bones Yes
Raw Beef Bones Yes
That said, large raw bones from beef, bison, and lamb are some of the safest options for giving to your dog.
While these bones don’t provide nutritional value, they pose the benefits of keeping your pet entertained while helping to keep their teeth free of plaque buildup.
How to Serve Bones to your Dogs?
A Collie dog eating a bone
A Collie dog seriously eating a bone – Image source
Now you know which type of bones are best for your dog, it’s vital to cover a few ways to serve these bones to your pet. Keep reading for some tips on how best to serve bones to your dog.
1. Always Feed Your Dog Raw Bones
If you’re going to serve your dog bones, raw bones are the best option. Cooked bones are always a risk to feed your dog as they become soft and can splinter, which can be dangerous for your pet as these sharp pieces can pierce your dog internally or lead to blockages.
2. Your Pet Should Gnaw Bones
Bones are meant to be given to your dog purely to gnaw on. If your dog has a habit of actually trying to eat or swallow the bones, instead remove them. Bones that are chewed into smaller pieces can cause blockages or injuries.
3. Serve Bones Alone
Like food, dogs can be pretty territorial over their bones. Don’t give your dogs bones to chew if other pets are visiting, as this could lead to a fight.
4. Supervise Your Pet
You need to oversee your dog when eating bones to ensure that he doesn’t break them down into smaller pieces. Also, try to limit the time your dog spends with a bone to about 10 or 15 minutes.
Watch your dog if he buries his bones as bones left in the garden can start to rot, and if your dog digs up the bone later, he could get very sick.
5. Store Raw Bones Properly
After your pet is done with his bone, you can wrap it up and store it in the refrigerator. Leaving it outside could attract insects which bring disease. Only keep your pet’s bones for three or four days before disposing of them.
How Many Bones Can You Feed Your Dog?
Jack Russell Terrier enjoying the big bone
A hungry Jack Russell Terrier dog enjoys eating the big bone – Image source
Ensure to feed any treats to your dog in moderation and follow the 10% rule. This means that any unbalanced treats should only account for ten percent of your pet’s daily calories.
You will need to consider the extra calories your dog may get from the marrow or leftover meat on the bone but these will be negligible as your dog isn’t meant to actually eat the bones so much as just chew on them.
When should dogs eat bones?
No particular time of day or day of the week would be better for giving your dog a bone.
Some people wonder if they can give their dogs ham or turkey bones around the festive season, but this practice is ill-advised due to the reasons mentioned above.
Also, try and avoid giving your dogs bones off your own plate. Bones from food prepared for yourself can splinter and likely have added seasoning and ingredients that aren’t good for your pet.
Also, you don’t want your furry friend to develop any annoying or bad habits.
When should dogs not eat bones?
While like risks likely outweigh the benefits of feeding any dog bones, if your dog struggles with weight issues, then perhaps it’s best to refrain from feeding bones to your furry friend due to the excess fat usually found on bones.
Also, be sure not to feed bones to dogs that are chewers or already struggle from stomach problems.
What Happens If Your Dog Eats Too Many Bones?
Veterinarian checking up the sick dog
Veterinarian and the assistant in the veterinary clinic checking the ill dog
Dogs have a habit of eating what they shouldn’t. If your dog gets into the trash and gets hold of bones, be sure to contact your vet.
Some pet owners report that their dogs are perfectly fine after consuming a bone, primarily due to the number of bones consumed, the type of bone, and the size of the dog.
While all dogs are different, studies suggest that even consuming one or two bones can have fatal consequences for dogs.
No matter the size of your dog, bone consumption should be handled as a serious and urgent matter by all pet owners.
What to Do If Your Dog Eats Toxic Bones?
Beagle dog being check on veterinary clinic
An ill Beagle dog is being checked at a veterinary clinic
If your dog ate toxic bones like pork bones, be sure to contact your vet immediately. There is no guarantee of how your dog will react to eating these bones, and he may not react at all or may experience signs of poisoning.
If your dog accidentally gets hold of some toxic bones, you can follow these steps.
1. Don’t Panic: Firstly, it’s important not to panic. If you’re anxious and scared, you won’t be able to help your dog rationally, and he may pick up on your energy, causing him to become stressed.
2. Contact Your Vet: If your dog eats bones, be sure to get hold of your vet right away. Your vet will be able to advise on the best course of action for your particular pet and situation.
3. Know The Details: Your vet will want to know how many bones your dog ate and how long ago, and it’s essential to record these details.
4. Follow Your Vet’s Treatment Advice: Your vet will provide treatment based on the severity of your dog’s symptoms and the number of bones consumed. You will likely need to take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.
How Do I Prevent My Dog From Eating Toxic Bones?
As you can see, toxic bones are hazardous for dogs.
The best way to ensure your dog doesn’t consume poisonous bones is to ensure that any bones are stored in a safe place and disposed of in a container your dog can’t reach or get into.
What are Safe Alternatives to Bones for Dogs
Golden Doodle having a celery snacks
A Golden Doodle dog having a healthy celery snack – Image source
Instead of feeding your dog bones, there are other foods you can consider that will make a tasty treat for your pet.
1. Cashews: Dogs can eat plain, unsalted roasted cashews or xylitol-free cashew butter. Cashews are a great source of potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and Vitamins K and B6 for dogs.
They also have a high-fat content and are packed with calories, so be sure not to let your pet overindulge on these delicious nuts.
2. Peanuts: One of the most common nuts, dogs can eat peanuts. Peanuts are safe to feed your dog raw or roasted, as long as they are removed from their shell and unsalted.
Peanut butter can help fight off disease, act as a delicious treat in training or when attempting to medicate your pet, and can supply your dog with plenty of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
3. Sweet chestnuts also make a good treat for your dogs. Chestnuts offer your dog about 3 grams of fiber per 100 grams, which can help your dog to build a robust digestive system and reduce constipation or diarrhea.
Chestnuts are also a great source of omega fatty acids to keep your pet’s skin and coat looking and feeling great.
4. Celery is an excellent alternative to bones. Eating celery is good for your dog’s teeth. Although not a substitute for brushing, feeding your dog celery can help keep your dog’s teeth healthy and clean due to its crunchy texture.
Chewing the fibrous texture of celery stimulates your dog’s gum, further reducing tartar build-up.
What’s the Verdict? Can Dogs Eat Bones?
As you have read, while giving your dogs bones to gnaw on can benefit your dog, most vets advise against giving pets bones, and this is because bones pose a significant health risk for your dog.
If your dog has accidentally got into your trash and consumed some bones, it’s best to consult with your vet, as he will be able to advise the best course of action.
Has your pet ever eaten bones? Please share your experiences in the comments below so that we pet owners can learn from each other.
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What Knowledge Is Needed To Write Music?
What do you need to become a songwriter?
Becoming a songwriter requires patience and practice. Work at your craft, write lots of songs, co-write, expand your horizons, and learn how to create your own recordings, and you ‘ll be well on your way to a great career. To me, if you can do all of that in a masterful way, you can be a professional songwriter.
Do you need to know how do you write music to make music?
Technically speaking, very little music theory knowledge is “required” to compose music. Frankly, you don’t even need to know how to read music. If you have an idea for a tune and some way of recording it or getting it on paper… voila!
What are the basics of songwriting?
Update: 8 Steps to Learning Basic Songwriting
• Continue developing yourself as a musician.
• Start with a title and hook.
• Develop your theme.
• Ask yourself questions about the title/hook.
• Find your melody and chords.
• Work on the parts of your song.
• Use technology and don’t get discouraged.
How do you write music?
6 Tips for Writing About Music
1. Buy a box of reporter’s pads immediately.
2. Listen to all types of music.
3. Constantly read about music.
4. Experience live music as often as possible.
5. Write about what you don’t like.
6. Google “ music magazines” and “ music blogs.”
You might be interested: FAQ: How To Write Out A Legible Music Chart?
How much money does a hit song make?
What is a songwriters salary?
Songwriter Salary
Annual Salary Hourly Wage
Top Earners $96,500 $46
75th Percentile $61,000 $29
Average $51,826 $25
25th Percentile $29,500 $14
How do I learn music?
How do Beginners start songwriting?
Songwriting Tips for Beginners
1. Which Comes First? Melody or Lyrics?
3. Be Passionate.
4. Tell Your Story.
How many words are in a song?
There are between 400-500 words in the average rap song, with some songs reaching word counts past 1,000. This is much more than other genres like rock or country, both of which average under 200 words.
What is writing music called?
You might be interested: FAQ: How To Write A Prelude Music?
Is there an app that writes music as you sing?
How do you describe music in writing?
Loud Soft Brassy
Gentle Natural Melodious
Raucous Strong Smooth
Rich Distinct Deep
Thick Mellow Shrill
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Vegan, with a thyroid condition?
Are you a vegan with a thyroid condition? Want to keep your symptoms at bay?
Read below to find out how the food you eat impacts your autoimmune condition.
What does the thyroid do?
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland found in the neck, below the Adam’s apple. Its main function is to create thyroid hormones, T4, and T3. To convert calories into energy the body releases these hormones. Each cell in the human body has receptors for thyroid hormones.
Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are sensitivity to the cold, weight gain, constipation, muscle cramps, and aches and slow movements (NHS, 2017).
How plant-based diets affect the body
There is increasing awareness that a plant-based diet decreases morbidity and mortality within a range of chronic diseases. Veganism does not include the consumption of animal meat or dairy products.
Vegan and vegetarian diets may cause those who have thyroid include exacerbated blood sugars. Animal products are a rich iodine food source. Non-meat protein sources such as legumes, dairy, grains, soy, and nuts may prevent the gut from healing, especially leaky gut. These foods are found to be reactive and can perpetuate the intestinal permeability.
Many studies indicate those who follow a vegan diet are more likely to develop hypothyroidism, as well as nutritional deficiencies iron the main one. Iron is essential for thyroid hormone production as it converts T4 to T3. Beef, chicken liver, and shellfish are all excellent sources of heme iron, a form of iron that is easily absorbed by the body. On the other hand, iron-rich plant foods, e.g.spinach, contain the non-heme form of iron, which is less readily absorbed and utilized by the body. Many vegans find it hard to absorb the required amount of iron from plant foods, putting them at greater risk for thyroid disease. A study looked at the effect of low iron in young women and found participants with lower iron levels had higher amounts of T3/T4 suggesting an impairment in thyroid metabolism.
Can too many vegetables be a bad thing?
Cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy may affect thyroid of getting enough iodine. The presence of thiocyanates in this food group can affect iodine consumption. Eating too much of these vegetables could be a problem for people with too little iodine and selenium in their diet. A lack of both of these minerals can increase the risk of hypothyroidism.
If you have hypothyroidism or family history, you can minimise the risk of developing this condition by:
1. Mixing up your choice of vegetables so you aren’t eating a lot of the same vegetables every day,
2. Cooking your vegetables and chewing them thoroughly which helps to break down some of the active substances.
3. Lightly steaming these vegetables can deactivate the thiocyanates.
Most of us are at minimal risk of vegetable induced hypothyroidism. A study concluded there was no adverse effect on thyroid function from consuming cooked Brussel Sprouts every day for four weeks.
Some experts claim eating these cruciferous vegetables could be beneficial. If you have autoimmune hypothyroidism, thiocyanates may slow the absorption of iodine. This is particularly important for those who eat a Western diet of fast food, processed products, or are heavy-handed with the salt shaker. However, the isoflavones in soy-based products (e.g.tofu, soy protein, tempeh, and edamame) inhibit thyroid peroxidase (TPO), an enzyme involved in the production of thyroid hormones. Tests for autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s measure levels of TPO.
Should I just stop eating cruciferous vegetables?
Eliminating whole food groups or specific food groups (soy, gluten, or cruciferous vegetables) is not the answer to thyroid health. There is insufficient evidence to suggest ‘fad-diets’ are beneficial for overactive or underactive thyroids. Those with thyroid-related should eat a well-rounded, balanced diet and avoid any unnecessary dietary restrictions. Nonetheless, it is crucial that you are not having too much iodine as well as not being deficient. For those with dietary restrictions, such as vegans, we recommend 150 mcg of iodine.
What will help my thyroid?
In effect, there is no specific diet or single vitamin/mineral supplement that will eliminate or ‘cure’ thyroid conditions. If you would like more guidance on the right diet to meet your individual needs, consider working with a registered Nutritionist or Functional Medicine Practitioner. We can guide you with the right foods to maintain your condition and keep symptoms at a minimal.
Simply book in using our contact form below.
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The Problem of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Teens
The Problem of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Teens
One high school senior says the decision to vaccinate should rest with teenagers
Ava Kreutziger, 14, gives Croix Hill, 15, a high five after Croix received her first COVID vaccine at the Ochsner Center for Primary Care and Wellness, in New Orleans, Louisiana, May 13, 2021.
Here is a short list of the important life decisions that teenagers living in Santa Clara County, California, like me, can make without the permission of a parent or guardian: drive a car, access birth control, and have an abortion. I can even decide for myself whether to get vaccinated for Hepatitis B and HPV—because California law allows teens to be vaccinated for sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent.
But at 17, I can't decide for myself whether to be vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has killed 745,000 Americans and that has disrupted so many lives and families, including mine and many teens like me.
46 Percent
46 percent of U.S. teens ages 12 to 17 are vaccinated
Don't get me wrong, I consider myself extremely lucky in this pandemic. I am alive as is every member of my immediate family. While we are mostly concerned about the threat of pandemic illness affecting our loved ones, teens also, selfishly, mourn the loss of a time in life that we will never get back: a time of proms, class trips, graduation parties with friends and extended family.
Why Is Teen Vaccination Low?
My friends and I can certainly understand our lives being disrupted by a once-in-a-century pandemic event. What is harder to understand is that disruption continuing now that there is widespread availability of safe, effective, and free vaccines. That disruption is occurring because of the poor decisions of adults and teenagers around us. Many teens, like myself, are tired of it.
Everything I read and hear tells me that COVID vaccines can return our world back to normal (or close to it) if enough people get them. I know there are many people in many countries who don't have access to the vaccine, but it amazes me that only 56 percent of all eligible Americans—who have free access to COVID vaccines—have chosen to be vaccinated. Teen COVID-19 vaccine rates are even lower, with only 46 percent of those aged 12 to 17 vaccinated nationwide.
A teenager receives a vaccination against the coronavirus disease, in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 24, 2021. Photo by REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
While teen mortality from COVID-19 is low compared to that of the elderly and the immunocompromised, it is not zero. The numerous anecdotes about perfectly healthy, unvaccinated teenagers being hospitalized and even passing away due to COVID-19 are heartbreaking. Children under the age of 18 represent 16.2 percent of all COVID cases and 22 percent of the total population. Teen COVID infections have been rising since the emergence of the Delta variant in the United States in March and the return to in-person school in August 2021.
Roadblocks to Teen COVID-19 Vaccination
Teens may not be able to convince adults to get vaccinated, but we can at least do our part. Accordingly, it is important that we investigate and understand the barriers to teen vaccination so that they can be addressed by public health officials and policymakers. The biggest barrier to teen vaccination is their parents and guardians.
When I ask my friends why they got vaccinated, a majority say it was because their parents wanted them to. This aligns with research published by Kaiser Family Foundation showing that parents' intentions for having their kids vaccinated against COVID-19 largely line up with whether they are vaccinated themselves. Only 4 percent of parents who received the COVID-19 vaccine stated that they will not have their children vaccinated. Similarly, 58 percent of parents who have decided not to get the COVID-19 vaccine themselves won't vaccinate their children, and an additional 22 percent will only get them vaccinated if it is required.
Teen vaccination rates tend to vary with the political preferences of the adults in their state, with the highest percentages of fully vaccinated teenagers in Vermont (69 percent) and Massachusetts (67 percent). On the opposite end of the spectrum are states such as Wyoming (25 percent) and West Virginia (24 percent). Based on voting patterns in the 2020 election, 53 percent of teens in blue states are vaccinated compared to an average of 36 percent of teens in red states. If we compare teen and adult vaccination rates in the same state (Figure), we can see a trend toward a wider discrepancy—lower teen to adult vaccination rates in red versus blue states.
Though there are clearly many confounding factors that track with voting patterns, COVID vaccination should not be a political issue. It's a health issue that affects everyone in the world and rigorous research shows that vaccines really work to decrease the severity of COVID cases and stop the spread.
U.S. Vaccine Rate by Age Group and State
Vaccine hesitancy—the percentage of people hesitant or unsure about being vaccinated—is lower among unvaccinated U.S. teens than it is among parents of unvaccinated teens. My classmates who are vaccinated say that they want to be able to see their friends and not have to worry about getting COVID themselves or spreading it to their family members. Some believe that the risks associated with getting the vaccine are lower than the risks of having COVID illness or, potentially, the long-term effects of infection. Some of my classmates approached it, you could say, in an even more noble and selfless way and were vaccinated because they believe it is their personal responsibility to help end the pandemic.
There are risks to COVID-19 vaccination, but teens can weigh them, especially with access to accurate medical information. A few of my friends who are not vaccinated cite worries of rare vaccine side effects such as the heart-related conditions myocarditis and pericarditis (16 to 35 cases per million after a second doses in those under the age of 30). But if teens can weigh the risks and decide for themselves whether or not to drive a car (teen driving killed nearly 2,400 U.S. teens and seriously injured 258,000 teens in 2019), then we should be able to make the decision to be vaccinated against COVID-19 too. Yet, few U.S. counties permit us to do so—San Francisco County is one of the rare exceptions.
Increasing Teen Vaccine Rates
What else can we do to improve vaccine rates? Disseminating reliable information to educate parents and teens about the importance of vaccination is the first step. To counter misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, perhaps public health officials and educational efforts like can work with schools to spread scientifically sound information and organize vaccination events.
If education isn't enough to increase vaccination rates, better access to medical services and incentives could help, too. Parental decisions are not the only challenge for many low-income teens, who may not regularly visit physicians or have a parents who can take time off from work to bring them to a vaccine appointment.
We learned from experiences in Ohio and other states that lottery-based incentives do not significantly increase vaccination rates for adults. Teens might be motivated by financial incentives, but I suspect peer motivation would work better. Punitive actions may also influence vaccine rates; schools could prohibit participation in extracurricular activities or sports if students are not vaccinated. Counties and states could go so far as to mandate COVID-19 vaccination in order for teens to attend school as Governor Newsom has proposed in California.
Teens, like everyone else, want this pandemic to end. Allowing us to become vaccinated without parental permission, focusing education efforts, and making the vaccine available at schools may get us closer to that goal. I don't doubt that politicians, health officials, and other adults are doing their best to keep everyone safe, but now they need to let us do our part, too. I hope officials can figure this out before my senior prom next spring.
Laszlo Bollyky is a senior in high school in San Jose, California. He's a volunteer Spanish translator for COVID-19 research at Stanford University, and he hopes to make an impact in global health policy one day.
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I love leg yields. They are the most basic lateral movement, and for that reason, an incredible tool for green horses and riders new to dressage. To do a leg yield is not real hard, but does require an understanding of a few somewhat complicated concepts. Most people can relatively easily understand the concepts and how to do a leg yield, but then find carrying it out to be slightly counter-intuitive, which is what makes leg yielding such a great exercise. Once it “clicks” for a horse or rider, it’s like a big light bulb turns on, and from there the rest of dressage starts to fall into place.
The concepts that a leg yield requires a horse or rider to gain an understanding of mostly hinge around the use of the outside rein. When asking for a leg yield, the horse should be gently flexed away from the direction the horse will be moving in. Alone, flexing the horse gently in either direction is not hard, but when adding the leg yield, the idea of bending the horse into the *outside rein* becomes critical. As the rider asks for the first steps of leg yield, just closing the inside leg is again usually not difficult for the rider, but riding from the inside leg to the *outside rein* is usually a light bulb moment. Then, after the leg yield is finished, straightening the horse not just by ceasing to ask with the inside leg, but also straightening with the *outside rein* is the final ah-ha!
What a Leg Yield Should Look Like:
When the horse does a leg yield, his body will move both forward and sideways, so if he is parallel to the long side of the arena, he travels a line diagonal across the arena. Let’s say, for example, we are riding a leg yield from the quarter line (half way between the center line and rail) to the rail, tracking right. The horse starts on the quarter line, traveling straight forward, body parallel to the rail. The horse flexes gently to the right, filling the outside rein. The rider can best influence the inside hind leg to move sideways as it is in the air stepping forward (vs when it is planted on the ground and the outside hind is stepping), so if the horse is walking, as the front left leg steps forward, the next step will be the right hind, and if the horse is trotting the front left and right hind step at the same time, and this would be when to ask the right hind to step under the horses body to cross in front of the left hind. As the horse moves sideways, his body stays parallel to the wall, he maintains the right flexion and contact in the left rein. When the leg yield is finished, the rider straightens the horse with the outside rein and may close both legs to send the horse forwards.
horse leg yielding
Leg yield- horse is flexed right but basically straight through his body, his right hind steps in front of and across his left hind.
Here is Remy doing his first attempts at leg yields. He is about 15 rides off the track here, and as you can see, just starting to understand contact in a dressage sense (vs what he knew at the track) and is learning to go on the bit but is not yet consistently there. He already understands to move away from the pressure of my leg and move under my weight, and I am using the leg yield to help him to understand going on the bit by coming over his back, versus asking him to go “on the bit” by putting his head down (a common error). Here his leg yields are not show ring perfect, but really darn good considering his lack of strength and training (both for dressage vs what he had for racing).
Common Errors and “Ah-ha!” Moments:
Most riders are taught to ride with their inside rein by pulling it to turn the horse. And in the first leg yield attempt, most riders will pull the inside rein for the inside flexion and then apply the inside leg to move the horse sideways. And, obediently, most horses will swing their nose to the inside (following the inside rein) and go sideways through their outside shoulder (since they are not bent into the outside rein), haunches trailing to the inside instead of inside hind stepping under the horse’s body and crossing in front of the outside hind.
Usually if the rider notices this happening, they are aware the front end of the horse is moving away from the inside leg faster than the back end of the horse, so they pull the inside rein in an effort to stop the horse from running through the outside shoulder. This is the counter-intuitive part. Only when the rider takes a hold of the outside rein can they catch the outside shoulder and keep it under the horse, straightening the horse so the inside hind will step under the horse correctly. The first time the rider pulls the outside rein and feels the inside hind leg step way under the horse’s body they usually go “Ah-ha!” and they understand what is meant by “inside leg to outside rein”.
The same thing will happen trying to end a leg yield. A novice rider will try to stop the sideways motion of the horse by pulling the inside rein (sending the horse through his outside shoulder) instead of straightening him with the outside rein, and again, this will be an “Ah-ha!” moment when the rider gets it right. Once the rider understands this idea, the more difficult lateral work will fall into place, as well as more basic work like bending and making circles and good transitions.
Other Uses and Variations for Leg Yields:
Leg yields teach a green horse about moving away from the inside leg, stepping into the outside rein, lifting the back and stretching into the contact, and allowing the rider to influence the hind end instead of the horse just throwing the shoulders around, as many horses try to do both through ignorance and as an evasion. Leg yield can be used to teach a rider all the same things.
During the leg yield, the rider often learns:
• the feeling of the horse lifting his back under the rider
• the rider learns to feel where the shoulders and haunches of the horse are (moving sideways, moving forward in a straight line, haunches falling to the inside, etc)
• the rider learns how to put the horse on the bit by riding the back end of the horse and bringing the horse’s back up, which creates a round horse reaching into the bit
• the rider understands the use of diagonal aids (inside leg to outside rein), which can then be used for a half-halt and all future lateral work
Leg yields can also be used on a circle, where they help a horse learn to bend correctly (into the outside rein) vs either following the inside rein in to make the circle smaller, or folding in half at the withers instead of bending correctly, which is usually followed by drifting through the outside shoulder to make the circle bigger. Leg yields into corners can help horses that want to fall onto their inside shoulder and “motorcycle” around corners, or dive in to cut off a corner completely.
Ending leg yields is also a useful exercise for both horse and rider, and again reinforces the importance of outside rein contact vs just drifting away (endlessly) from the inside leg. This can be done on a circle, say by beginning with a 10 m circle, leg yielding out to a 15 m circle and remaining there for twice around, then leg yielding out to a 20 m circle, and so on. This can also be done by leg yielding from the center line to the quarter line, or quarter line to *just inside* the rail (horses/riders that don’t understand the outside rein seem magnetically sucked to the wall, which acts in place of the rider’s outside aids, and have a very hard time riding almost-but-not-quite on the rail – try it!).
An even more difficult leg yield is to go from the rail to the quarter line, straighten for a few steps, then continue to leg yield to the center line, straighten again, then continue to the next quarter line, straighten again, then finish the leg yield on the rail across the diagonal from where you started. By straightening the horse for a few steps as you do this exercise, you may not make it across the full diagonal (unless your arena is very long or narrow), but more important training is accomplished than just allowing your horse drift all the way across the diagonal even once the quality of the connection (from the inside leg over the back to the outside rein) has been lost.
An easier variation of the leg yield is to ride it along the wall, with the horse’s body positioned at an angle to the wall, haunches stepping on the track to the inside of the rail. This is easier because the wall blocks the horse from going forward instead of forwards/sideways, making it easier for the rider to figure out how to coordinate all the aids, and it also gives the rider a visual reference point to determine if the horse is going sideways or not… if the front legs are on the rail and the back legs are not, then the horse can’t be going straight forward! But if the horse bends his neck towards the wall, and yet those hind legs don’t step off the rail, then he’s just going forward with his neck bent.
I also love leg yields for a horse that is spooking at something that isn’t scary, as a way of evading work or making the rider nervous. By bending the horse away from the scary object (sometimes a shadow in a corner, a mounting block, a chair, etc) and leg yielding towards it, the rider remembers to RIDE past the object, and by taking control usually gains confidence. The horse’s mind is also occupied by the rider’s aids, so the horse has less mental energy left to think about things to spook at. And, if the horse tries to spook anyways, while he’s in the position bending to the inside of the arena and around the rider’s inside leg, the horse is unable to run through his inside shoulder when he spooks, usually making a far less dramatic spook attempt.
You might also enjoy:
1. […] This was a revelation, because I started to think more about where and how the resistance was happening – whether it was on one side, or whether Derby was pulling from the center, from the underside of his neck. Christy had me apply the leg that was opposite the resistance and within short order I had a much more compliant and soft horse. (Related reading: Christy’s discussion of leg yields.) […]
2. This was exactly what I need! Thank you so much. I’m trying to work on slowing down all of my horse’s gaits…to which everyone says “do circles!” Well…my horse likes to, as you call it, “motorcycle” through circles and frankly it’s frightening (he’s small and very agile) haha. Yesterday we worked on just trotting a large circle without leaning in, but I didn’t feel like he quite got the message and I ended up relying on my reins WAY too heavily. I had just read your article of bending exercises when I came across this and I can’t wait to *attempt* to put it all together. Thanks!
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Understanding digital cable
From LinuxMCE
Revision as of 01:42, 21 January 2009 by Afkpuz (Talk | contribs)
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In the United States, a transition to digital cable is being made on February 17th, 2009. Many people have been giving confusing information about who will need converters and this also affects LMCE's tv recording. Here are the answers that LMCE users will need to know about the switch.
OTA: This is shorthand for "Over the Air". This refers to any tv channels which are broadcast for free. They are over the air in the sense that all you need is an antenna plugged into your tv to access them. There is no need for a subscription to a cable company in order to receive these stations. However, some cable companies provide these channels in their tv line up.
Broadcast Television: This is the another way to say OTA.
A Coax cable: This is the standard tv cable. When going from a wall jack to the tv, you use a coax cable. It's basically an insulated piece of copper wiring with an attachment on the ends to hold it in the plug.
Analog cable: This refers to the type of signal that comes through the coax cable. It is very similar to a radio signal in that multiple channels (or stations) can be carried through the wire on different frequencies. You don't need a wire for each tv station. This is why we use the term "tv tuner". A tuner is able to lock onto different frequencies carried through the coax cable. This is simplified definition. If you have any more details, please add them.
Digital cable: This also refers to the type of signal that comes through a coax cable. But with digital tv, 1s and 0s are sent through the coax cable. Thus, a different type of tuner is required to understand this stream of data.
NTSC: Another name for analog cable
ATSC: Another name for digital cable
Qam: Qam is a format for digital information. Just like there are multiple types of file formats for an audio file, (mp3, wma, ogg, flac, etc) there are formats for digital television. Qam seems to be becoming the standard format in the US. More information is needed here, so please help out.
Encrypted signal: If a piece of data is encrypted, that means that the information is sent in code which only a few people are allowed to know. Cable companies often encrypt their cable signal in order to prevent stealing. If the signal cannot be decrypted, the tv signal is not viewable.
Clear QAM: Clear QAM is basically a television signal in QAM format that is not encrypted. Virtually all of the OTA stations in the U.S.A use this format.
What does it mean for LMCE users?
First and foremost, it is essential that your tuner first be compatible with LMCE. Before asking the question "Will I be able to record my television?", you must first ask "Will my tuner work at all with LMCE?" For that, please check TV Cards
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What does ecotourism mean?
With the rise of ecological trends, the word ecotourism is one of the terms that you could hear coming and coming again during convention. Many people may ask themselves what possibly that word could mean. For those in need to learn more about this concept, this article may please you. You could find here the meaning and the importance of ecotourism.
What is ecotourism?
As the word indicates, ecotourism is an ecological tourism. Ecotourism occurs in an undisturbed environment, and respect the environment and the local communities. The primary aim of ecotourism is to travel and visit destinations where fauna, flora, and the cultural heritage are untouched. During the adventure, everything is done to limit the impact of tourists’ actions on those natural environments. For example, ecotourists are educated to protect the environment and are taught ethical and environmentally friendly practices. As a result, people are able to see the impacts of human actions in nature and to appreciate the natural habitat of organisms. This trend of tourism is an alternative to mass tourism which can have severe damaging effects on the environment and local area.
Benefits of ecotourism
The goal of this trend of tourism is to leave a protected and untouched environment to future generations. Its benefits could profit to the world as a whole, since climate conditions are very bad. Firstly, it enables people to explore untouched nature and to feel all the good effects related to. Thanks to the education given to ecotourists, the issue of greenhouse is reduced, since people learn how to improve their footprint. Combined with the actions taken to preserve the environment, the local flora and fauna, but also ecosystems can be sustained in their natural state. The benefits on the local population are also real. Thanks to the jobs that it could create, many people can earn money and make a living out of it.
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Question: Why is the biodiversity in danger?
What are the main dangers for biodiversity?
6 Main Threats to Biodiversity – Explained!
• Human Activities and Loss of Habitat: …
• Deforestation: …
• Desertification: …
• Marine Environment: …
• Increasing Wildlife Trade: …
• Climate Change:
Why the Earth’s biodiversity is in danger give three causes?
Human activities such as acidifying water systems, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution, over-fishing, poaching, and the deliberate and indirect destruction of natural systems have contributed to the loss of biodiversity.
What are effects of biodiversity?
Even though only a minority of humans realize it, biodiversity provides humans with food, water, oxygen, energy, detoxification of waste, stabilization of earth’s climate, medicine, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and many more things (Secretariat, 2000).
What is the most serious threat to biodiversity?
Climate change was ranked as a 6% risk to Earth’s biodiversity. WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 has ranked the biggest threats to Earth’s biodiversity. The list includes climate change, changes in land and sea use and pollution. The WWF used data from over 4,000 different species.
How are we losing biodiversity?
The main cause of the loss of biodiversity can be attributed to the influence of human beings on the world’s ecosystem, In fact human beings have deeply altered the environment, and have modified the territory, exploiting the species directly, for example by fishing and hunting, changing the biogeochemical cycles and …
IT IS INTERESTING: Quick Answer: What is the health of an ecosystem directly related to?
Why should we worry about the loss of biodiversity?
Biodiversity loss disrupts the functioning of ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to perturbations and less able to supply humans with needed services. … To stop ecosystem degradation, the full contribution made by ecosystems to both poverty alleviation efforts and to national economies must be clearly demonstrated.
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The South Georgian shag (Phalacrocorax georgianus) shows a remarkable diving ability comparable to that of penguins, yet nothing is known of the physiology of these birds. In this study, heart rates and abdominal temperatures were recorded continuously in four free-ranging South Georgian shags using an implanted data-logger. A time­depth recorder was also attached to the back of the implanted birds to record their diving behaviour. The diving behaviour of the birds was essentially similar to that reported in other studies, with maximum dive durations for individual birds ranging between 140 and 287 s, and maximum depths between 35 and 101 m. The birds, while at the nest, had a heart rate of 104.0±13.1 beats min-1 (mean ± s.e.m.) and an abdominal temperature of 39.1±0.2 °C. During flights of 221±29 s, heart rate and abdominal temperature rose to 309.5±18.0 beats min-1 and 40.1±0.3 °C, respectively. The mean heart rate during diving, at 103.7±13.7 beats min-1, was not significantly different from the resting values, but the minimum heart rate during a dive was significantly lower at 64.8±5.8 beats min-1. The minimum heart rate during a dive was negatively correlated with both dive duration and dive depth. Abdominal temperature fell progressively during a diving bout, with a mean temperature at the end of a bout of 35.1±1.7 °C. The minimum heart rate during diving is at a sub-resting level, which suggests that the South Georgian shag responds to submersion with the 'classic' dive response of bradycardia and the associated peripheral vasoconstriction and utilisation of anaerobic metabolism. However, the reduction in abdominal temperature may reflect a reduction in the overall metabolic rate of the animal such that the bird can remain aerobic while submerged.
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...by Daniel Szego
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
Leonardo da Vinci
Friday, May 29, 2020
Blockchain and identity
Today’s systems for managing digital identity and identity are deeply rooted in the analog world and can only be used sparingly online. The most common authentication solution is to enter a username and password, where you usually need to enter an additional phone or email. The real role of this is not only the possible password reset, but also that the email or phone number provider has a good chance of doing some kind of additional offline identity verification. On the one hand, this makes the person using the service somewhat traceable to the extent absolutely necessary, and on the other hand, the system prevents so-called sybil hacking: a person creates a large number of anonymous users. In more critical cases, credit card or bank information is also used for a similar purpose.
However, username-based authentication solutions have several problems. With the proliferation of online solutions and the increasing complexity of password requirements, most users use a single username, email, phone number, and, in the worst case, the same password for most services. This poses a serious privacy and security risk. Of course, users can also be blamed for this, but it is not necessarily realistic to securely store 200 completely different names and passwords for two hundred different online services. On the other hand, basically neither the email nor the SIM nor the credit card system is designed to identify users, so their use for this purpose is difficult in most cases.
On the other side of the scale are classic paper-based documents, either identity documents or digital versions of them. Scanning or photographing any such paper document does not implement exactly the same mechanism as the original paper-based certificate. The problem is that the digital copy can be duplicated and easily modified. This again raises some serious security and privacy issues. In a slightly different perspective, the Internet was unfortunately designed 30-40 years ago with the built-in support of digital identity not being a priority, so any such but basically analogue-based solution is only moderately workable.
Technologies that combine blockchain and digital signature (so-called Blockchain Identity Stack) try to provide a solution to the two major issues mentioned above and to digital identity and authentication in general. The main building blocks of such systems are:
Decentralized Identifiers (DID): Identification is based on a public and secret key pair, similar to blockchain systems. In a blockchain system, my public key, or the address generated from it, shows exactly who I am and, blockchain rules (or eg smart contracts) describe what I am entitled to. The fact that I “physically” really belong to that address is evidenced by signing a message with my secret key (which, ideally, only I have). In this sense, in blockchain systems, a digital signature is actually personal identification.
This concept is generalized by decentralized identifiers. Compared to the foregoing, such identifiers may contain, in addition to the public key or address, a number of different pieces of information, such as data relating to a particular person or entity, in the form of a document. For more information on such an identifier, what blockchain solution it supports: most productive systems are optimized for one blockchain type, such as Ethereum, but there are initiatives for those used in multiple blockchains. Last but not least, some systems also support so-called organizational IDs, where you have to sign not only with one but also with several private keys to prove your identity.
Decentralized identifier (DID)
Verifiable Credential: The verifiable certificate model is the digital equivalent of paper-based certificates. In the model, the Issuer issues a Credential to a Holder, and then this certificate is verified by a third party. A classic example is the issuance of a university degree: here the issuer is a university, the owner is the student who received the degree and the certifier is, for example, an employer who wants to verify the authenticity of the degree. In contrast to the paper-based solution, however, here we identify each actor with decentralized identifiers:
- Diploma handover: the university enters its public ID in the diploma and then signs it all with its secret key
- Diploma receipt: the owner attaches his own public ID to the previous data and then signs it with his secret key.
The blockchain in the system serves to ensure the consistency of the certificates as a public and difficult to hack database. Thus, when an identifier such as an employer verifies the authenticity of a diploma, it checks the consistency of the data on the blockchain and that it was indeed signed with a secret key that belongs to the university. And for the fact that the diploma really belongs to the owner, the owner has to produce a separate signature with his secret key.
With the above building blocks, a system with several pleasant properties can be implemented:
- We do not use a username, password, phone number or credit card or other inappropriate information for identification, only secret keys.
- Not only the entire certificate can be submitted for validation, but also parts of it. So, for example, it is possible to share with the prospective employer, in the verifiable way mentioned above, when the person graduated and where, without having to share the specific grade. Because the blockchain also contains only the hash values of the certificates, maximum GDPR compliant systems can be implemented.
- The DID that forms the basis of the identification can be generated by everyone themselves, in fact, the key pair generation is the basis. It does not work by assigning these IDs in a centralized way to “someone”. This is why these systems are also called “self sovereign identity”.
The issued certificate can be revoked, usually by a blockchain entry revoking the issue.
- Although its system is based on the secret key that players store in their digital wallets, losing the key is not as critical here as it is with a cryptovalent. For example, if my secret key to owning a degree is stolen, I can go in person to the university, where I can revoke the diploma certificate from the lost key and re-issue it to a newly generated decentralized ID. Of course, it involves pursuit, but it is by no means impossible or critical.
- I can make my own separate decentralized ID for each online service I use. Thus, each service can be used with maximum privacy.
Overall, it is worth noting that such an implementation of digital identity goes far beyond storing a digital identity on a mobile phone. Although secret keys can of course be stored on a mobile phone, in real use cases, some secret keys will probably be stored in several different places, such as laptop, special hardware device, cloud solution. In addition, several different solutions will be available in case some identity-related keys are stolen or lost.
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The relationship between cannabis and humans goes back thousands of years. Cannabis is a plant with many benefits, ranging from utilitarian to therapeutic purposes. Cannabis fiber is very strong and can be used to create rope and for weaving. Cannabis seeds are highly nutritious and provide protein and fatty acids. When it comes to medical, peer reviewed research on cannabis and human health, there is not a lot of material due to restrictions on research. The prohibition of cannabis in the modern era is ending in several places in the United States and elsewhere; this allows for scientific research into the health benefits of cannabis. While the exact medical benefits of cannabis are yet to be determined, there have been many studies demonstrating that cannabis holds therapeutic potential across a variety of ailments and conditions.
All humans have an endocannabinoid system (ECS) which is composed of CB1 and CB2 receptors embedded within the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. These receptors bind with cannabinoids, or compounds found in cannabis, and produce an effect. These effects can range from psychoactive effects to anti-inflammatory effects. While research is underway in understanding the exact mechanisms of cannabinoids within the ECS, here are some potential health benefits of the cannabinoids found in cannabis:
Tetrahydrocannabinol: Also known as THC, there is evidence supporting the effectiveness of the cannabis extracts in treating certain symptoms of multiple sclerosis, spasticity, pain, and nausea. It can also help improve appetite in persons with HIV/AIDS.
Cannabidiol: CBD is another cannabinoid that is already utilized in prescription medicines. It canin multiple ways, including smoke or vapor inhalation, and oral ingestion. CBD does not have the same psychoactivity as THC but may change the effects of THC on the body if both compounds are present. A pharmacological version of CBD is currently used in the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex.
Tetrahydrocannabivarin: Commonly known as THCV, this lesser known cannabinoid has gained attention due to its appetite suppressing properties. It is currently being evaluated for potential in treating type 2 diabetes.
From a health benefit perspective, another important component of cannabis are terpenes. Terpenes are aromatic compounds that provide cannabis with its unique smell. Here are some common terpenes and associated potential health benefits:
Limonene Limonene is the major component in the oil of citrus fruit peels. It is thought to improve mood and relieve stress.
Myrcene is a terpene that has a scent best described as earthy and musky. It is believed to reduce inflammation and chronic pain.
Caryophyllene is a terpene with spicy and peppery notes. It may help relieve inflammation and anxiety.
Alpha-pinene -is a terpene with pine notes. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and is thought to be a bronchodilator.
Research on the health benefits of cannabis is ongoing, with new cannabinoids being discovered.
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How To Brush Your Dog’s Teeth: 5 Key Steps
• By: Robert Mealson
• Date: October 10, 2021
• Time to read: 4 min.
A common question we get here at is: “How do I brush my dog’s teeth?” We have spent years working with owners in understanding dental hygiene and how to help your pup the most. Here is how to brush your dog’s teeth:
Dogs suffer from all the same dental problems that we do, such as tartar, plaque, and calculus buildup; broken or fractured teeth or roots; developmental or orthodontic problems; abscesses or infected teeth; cysts or tumors in the mouth; and gum disease or gingivitis, which can lead to chronic infections that can affect your dog’s heart, liver, and kidneys. That means failing to brush your dog’s teeth could eventually be fatal.
Why is it so important to brush your dog’s teeth?
According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, over 80% of dogs have some kind of dental issue by age three. Dogs also usually hide their pain, including dental pain. Even a mouth full of abscessed teeth may not stop them from eating.
If you notice any of the following symptoms, you should take your dog to the vet before beginning a toothbrushing routine: bad breath; excessive drooling; swollen or bleeding gums; loose, broken or missing teeth; teeth covered in tartar or discolored; abnormal chewing or dropping food; refusal to eat; pain, bleeding, or swelling around the mouth; or tumors or cysts inside the mouth. These can all be signs of very serious health problems and should be addressed by your veterinarian as soon as possible.
If you want to prevent a lifetime of possible dental problems, pain, and even life-threatening infections, it’s important to brush your dog’s teeth every day, just as you brush your own teeth every day.
Do my dog’s teeth get cleaned just by eating and playing with toys?
Does eating hard pretzels clean your teeth? Dry food has not been shown to make a significant positive impact on dental health, and wet foods may even contribute to dental problems, so you can’t rely on your dog’s food alone to clean his teeth.
Long-lasting chew toys such as bully sticks or rubber toys can offer some benefit if your dog spends at least 30 minutes a day chewing on them, especially if you add virgin coconut oil since it has antibacterial properties. Always supervise your dog when he’s chewing on something like this, though, and remove it if it becomes small enough to become a choking hazard.
5 key steps to brushing your dog’s teeth:
1. Set up a daily routine.
Dogs thrive on routine, and daily toothbrushing is the best way to prevent – or even notice – dental problems in your dog. If daily brushing is not possible, try for three times a week.
2. Get a product specifically designed to clean with bristles or floss.
It’s not enough to just put the toothpaste directly into your dog’s mouth. You need a toothbrush or other tool with actual bristles to get the tartar off. Dogs have sensitive gums, so be sure to choose a toothbrush with soft bristles.
3. Use a dog-approved toothpaste.
Never use human toothpaste on a dog, as most human toothpaste contains fluoride, which is toxic to dogs. Others contain the deadly artificial sugar, xylitol, and other potentially dangerous chemical agents.
Dog toothpaste is not only safe, it comes in tasty flavors like beef or poultry. It’s also usually enzymatic, which means that the enzymes generate hydrogen peroxide that targets plaque and tartar, so your toothbrushing efforts are even more effective.
You can also make your own homemade dog toothpaste using common household ingredients like coconut oil, baking soda, and parsley such as the recipe below.
4. Make it fun – the better the experience you make it, the more they will look forward to it.
The last thing you want is for your dog to go running every time he sees the toothbrush. Use lots of praise before, during, and after brushing your dog’s teeth. You can reward your dog afterward with their favorite game or a special treat that they only get after having their teeth brushed.
5. Monitor your dog’s teeth and breath and see your vet if needed.
Some dogs need more toothbrushing than others. If you start to see more plaque and tartar building on your dog’s teeth, it may be time for a professional cleaning from the vet. These six tips may help keep your pup’s teeth clean between veterinary dental procedures.
(H/T: WebMD Pets, Rover, AVMA, Animal Planet, The Nest)
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Banal nationalism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Made in West Germany" on a cassette deck manufactured from the 1980s. Subtle references to the nation like these can be examples of banal nationalism, instilling a sense of pride through everyday items without overt proclamations of love for one's country.
The Pledge of Allegiance in the United States is one of the most overt forms of banal nationalism – most are less obvious.
Banal nationalism refers to the everyday representations of the nation which build a shared sense of national belonging amongst humans, a sense of tribalism through national identity. The term is derived from English academic, Michael Billig's 1995 book of the same name and is intended to be understood critically. Billig's book has been described as 'the fourth most cited work on nationalism ever published'.[1] Billig devised the concept of 'banal nationalism' to highlight the routine and often unnoticed ways that established nation-states are reproduced from day to day. The concept has been highly influential, particularly within the discipline of political geography, with continued academic interest since the book's publication in 1995.[2] Today the term is used primarily in academic discussion of identity formation, geopolitics, and the nature of nationalism in contemporary political culture.[3]
Examples of banal nationalism include the use of flags in everyday contexts, sporting events, national songs, symbols on money,[4] popular expressions and turns of phrase, patriotic clubs, the use of implied togetherness in the national press, for example, the use of terms such as the prime minister, the weather, our team, and divisions into "domestic" and "international" news. Many of these symbols are most effective because of their constant repetition, and almost subliminal nature. Banal nationalism is often created via state institutions such as schools.[5] It can contribute to bottom-up processes of nation-building.[6]
Michael Billig's primary purpose in coining the term was to clearly differentiate everyday, endemic nationalism from extremist variants. He argued that the academic and journalistic focus on extreme nationalists, independence movements, and xenophobes in the 1980s and 1990s obscured the strength of contemporary nationalism, by implying that nationalism was a fringe ideology rather than a dominant theme in contemporary political culture.[2][3] Billig noted the almost unspoken assumption of the utmost importance of the nation in political discourse of the time, for example in the calls to protect Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War, or the Falkland Islands in 1982. He argues that the "hidden" nature of modern nationalism makes it a very powerful ideology, partially because it remains largely unexamined and unchallenged, yet remains the basis for powerful political movements, and most political violence in the world today. Banal nationalism should not be thought of as a weak form of nationalism, but the basis for "dangerous nationalisms".[7] However, in earlier times, calls to the "nation" were not as important, when religion, monarchy or family might have been invoked more successfully to mobilize action. He also uses the concept to dispute post-modernist claims that the nation-state is in decline, noting particularly the continued hegemonic power of American nationalism.
Further reading[edit]
• Billig, Michael (August 1995). Banal Nationalism. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 208. ISBN 9780803975255.
1. ^ Michael Skey and Marco Antonsich, Everyday Nationhood: theorising culture, identity and belonging after Banal Nationalism. 2017, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 1.
2. ^ a b Koch, Nathalie; Anssi Paasi (September 2016). "Banal Nationalism 20 years on: Re-thinking, re-formulating and re-contextualizing the concept". Political Geography. 54: 1–6. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2016.06.002.
3. ^ a b Sophie Duchesne, 'Who's afraid of Banal Nationalism', Nations and Nationalism, 2018, 24, pp. 841-856.
4. ^ Penrose, Jan (November 2011). "Designing the nation. Banknotes, banal nationalism and alternative conceptions of the state". Political Geography. 30 (8): 429–440. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2011.09.007.
5. ^ Piller, Ingrid (12 May 2017). "The banal nationalism of intercultural communication advice". Archived from the original on 12 May 2017.
6. ^ Mylonas, Harris; Tudor, Maya (11 May 2021). "Nationalism: What We Know and What We Still Need to Know". Annual Review of Political Science. 24 (1): 109–132. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719-101841. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
7. ^ Wade, Lisa (4 July 2014). "Banal Nationalism". Sociological Images. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
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Home » Internet & Telecom » Mobile & Wireless » Mobile & Wireless Accessories » Where Did the Bluetooth Name and Symbol Come From?
Where Did the Bluetooth Name and Symbol Come From?
Bluetooth technology has been around for quite some time. Back in 1994, Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia developed the technology to replace RS-232 cables by using short ranges UHF waves. How did they come up with the name bluetooth.
The name Bluetooth came from Harald Gormsson who was the king of Denmark from c. 958 to c. 986. He was known for 2 things: uniting Denmark and Norway, and his dead tooth that turned dark blue which earned him the name “Bluetooth”.
Who is Harald Gormsson?
King Harald “Bluetooth” Gromsson was a Viking King who ruled over Denmark in 958. He is responsible for introducing Christianity to Denmark as well. Following the assassination of King Harald Greycloak of Norway, Bluetooth took over and found a way to unite the tribes of both countries. (Source: The Westologist)
During his reign as king, Gormsson oversaw reconstruction and development of several infrastructure in Scandinavian country. He was thought to be responsible for building the oldest bridge in Southern Scandinavia called the Ravning Bridge. (Source: Skalk)
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communications technology that was intended to replace cables that connected devices. This allowed people to phones conversations using a headset, connect a wireless mouse or keyboard to your computer, and also sync information from one device to another. (Source: Scientific American)
The technology behind the device depends on the principles of inquiry and inquiry scan. The scanning devices look for frequencies from devices that are open for active inquiry. Once the inquiry is received, the scanning device sends a response back. (Source: Scientific American)
Today we use bluetooth for many things. As users we don’t really dwell on the complexity of what goes on behind the technology we use, but at the end of the day, these small innovations are the real game changers.
How Did the Developers Choose the Name?
Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia were in the planning stages of developing short-range radio technology. Jim Kardach from Intel suggested using Bluetooth as a temporary name. It was only intended to be a placeholder until the marketing team could come up with a better alternative. (Source: Bluetooth)
Later on, Kardach was quoted saying, “King Harald Bluetooth was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as we intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link.” (Source: Bluetooth)
By the time they were ready to launch the product the names: RadioWire or Personal Area Networking were considered. PAN was highly considered to replace Bluetooth, but had so many hits online that they decided to use RadioWire instead. Unfortunately, the full trademark on RadioWire couldn’t be done by the time of the launch. Bluetooth was the only name they could use. Lucky for them, the name caught on fast. They didn’t need to change it. (Source: Bluetooth)
How Was the Bluetooth Logo Made?
The Bluetooth logo is actually a bind rune combination of the Younger Futhark symbols that represents Harald Gormsson’s initials; Hagall (ᚼ) and Bjarkan (ᛒ). (Source: Bluetooth)
In 2018, estimates show that there are about 10 billion Bluetooth devices sold worldwide. This means that the technology is here to stay regardless if it was developed over 20 years ago. (Source: Android Authority)
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fbpixel Market Organization and Structure | IFT World
IFT Notes for Level I CFA® Program
R33 Market Organization and Structure
Part 5
12. Orders and Execution Instructions
Brokers, dealers and exchanges arrange the trades between buyers and sellers by issuing orders.
All orders specify the following basic information:
• What instrument to trade (name of the stock, ETF, bond, etc.)
• How much to trade (quantity such as 500 socks of Microsoft Corp.)
• Whether to buy or sell (example: sell Oracle stock)
Most orders have additional instructions:
• Execution instruction: How to fill the order.
• Validity instruction: When the orders may be filled.
• Clearing instruction: How to arrange the final settlement.
In many markets, dealers are willing to buy/sell from traders. The dealer creates the market. Some important terms:
• Bid and ask price: The prices at which dealers are willing to buy are called bid prices. The prices at which dealers are willing to sell are called ask prices. The ask prices are usually higher than the bid prices.
• Bid and ask size: Traders often trade various quantities of a stock at various prices. The quantities for a bid offer are called bid sizes and the quantities for an ask offer are called ask sizes.
• The highest bid in the market is called the best bid and lowest ask in the market is called the best ask. The difference between the best bid and best offer is the market bid-ask spread.
12.1 Execution Instructions
Execution instructions types are:
Market Orders:
• The order is immediately executed at the best price available.
• It executes the order quickly. However there can be substantial slippages in execution price if a stock is thinly traded.
Limit Orders:
• Sets a minimum execution price on sell orders and maximum execution price on buy orders.
• The order ensures that an investor never exceeds his price limit on a transaction.
• However, there is a possibility that the order may not execute at all if the markets are fast moving or there isn’t enough liquidity.
All-or-Nothing Orders:
• These orders will be executed only if the entire quantity can be traded.
• Are beneficial when the trading costs depend on the number of executed trades and not on the size of the order.
Hidden Orders:
• These are large orders that are known only to the brokers or exchanges executing them until the trades are executed.
Iceberg Orders:
• A small visible portion of a large hidden order is executed first to gauge the market liquidity before the entire order is executed.
From a testability perspective, it is important to note the difference between a market order and a limit order.
Market order Limit order
Execution Executed at the best available market price. Sets a minimum execution price on sell orders and maximum execution price on buy orders.
Advantages Quick execution when a trader believes that the prices are volatile. Avoids slippages as the orders are executed at the pre-determined or better prices.
Disadvantages Quick execution can lead to unfavorable trade prices and has trade price uncertainty. In a volatile market, the order might be partially filled or not filled at all, making the possibility of missing out on trade.
Additional information Trader sacrifices price certainty for immediate liquidity. Types of limit orders:
· Marketable or aggressively priced: Limit buy order above the best ask or a limit sell order below the best bid. It will be immediately executed.
· Making a new market or inside the market: Limit price is between the best bid and the best ask.
· Behind the market: Limit buy order with limit price below the best bid, and limit sell order with limit price above the best ask. If the limit prices are way behind the market, they are termed as far from the market limit orders.
13. Validity Instructions and Clearing Instructions
Validity instructions types are:
• Day orders: Orders that expire if unfilled for the trading day on which they are submitted.
• Good-till-cancelled orders: Orders that last until the buy or sell order is executed.
• Immediate or cancel (fill or kill) orders: These orders are to be immediately filled, i.e., when they are received by the broker or exchange. If it fails to execute, the order is canceled from the system.
• Good-on-close (market-on-close): These orders can only be filled at the close of trading. Mutual funds often rely on this order type.
13.1 Stop orders
Also called stop-loss orders, this order comes with a trigger price. Stop-sell order executes only if the price is at or below the stop price or trigger price. Stop-buy order executes only if the price is at or above the stop price or trigger price.
13.2 Clearing Instructions
Clearing instructions tell brokers and exchanges how to arrange final settlement of trades. These instructions convey who is responsible for clearing and settling the trade.
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File(s) stored somewhere else
Three computational systems for disclosing medical data in the year 1999
journal contribution
posted on 01.01.1998, 00:00 by Latanya Sweeney
Today most organizations release and receive medical data with all explicit identifiers, such as name, address, and phone number, removed in the incorrect belief that patient confidentiality is maintained because the resulting data look anonymous. We examine three computer programs that do maintain patient confidentiality when disclosing electronic medical records: the Scrub System which locates personally-identifying information in letters between doctors and notes written by clinicians; the Datafly System which generalizes data within the record based on a profile of the recipient at the time of access; and, the μ-Argus System which is becoming a European standard for disclosing public use data. The techniques presented in these systems help protect confidentiality in the face of a changing globally-networked society with immediate access to volumes of personal data.
Usage metrics
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Research from Walker College sustainability director supports case that consumers can affect corporate climate action
In a recent post entitled Climate Change: The Ball Is In Our Court, Erik Kobayashi-Solomon cited Dr. Rajat Panwar, associate professor of Sustainable Business Management at Appalachian State University, to explain why greenhouse gas emissions are steadily rising despite growing public awareness of the scientific certainty of climate change. The article points to a low level of corporate awareness of the carbon footprint associated with supply chains and a shift toward "the offshoring of manufacturing to low-income countries in the developing world." Kobayashi-Solomon uses Amazon, one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world, as an example.
Amazon AMZN -0.1% reported at the end of last month that its GHG emissions had risen by 15% compared to the previous year’s, despite its highly-publicized Climate Pledge.
Dr. Panwar, who serves as director for Appalachian's sustainable business collaborative, housed in the Walker College of Business, commented in a recently published a research paper on supply chain-related emissions.
"The Amazon situation is just an example of the bigger problem surrounding corporate claims of environmental responsibility. Most global corporations now make such claims, but the reality is that half of the carbon emissions since the industrial revolution have happened within the last 30 to 35 years. It seems that corporate environmental disclosures hide more than they reveal.”
Related: Sustainable business professor advises corporations to develop local production and supply networks
According to Kobayashi-Solomon, Panwar says one problem is that corporations often outsource much of their work, which not only reduces their control over the environmental impact they have, but also their very knowledge of that impact. One study Panwar cites revealed 80 percent of 1,300 firms submitting data to the SEC could not even determine the country of origin of their products, let alone any information about their carbon footprint. Panwar’s research found that companies that build vertically integrated supply chains are measurably more socially and environmentally responsible than those who outsource to third-party vendors. In the words of the old business adage, if you want to manage it, you have to measure it. A vertically integrated supply chain forces a company to measure their production process carefully; armed with these measurements, they can decide how best to manage and reduce GHG emissions.
Kobayashi-Solomon concludes that corporations aren't better managing their supply chains due to consumer demand. Companies only do what we as consumers and investors reward them for doing. If we reward them for systematically making our planet unlivable, they'll do it...
Read the complete post at
Published: Jul 28, 2020 11:58am
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Radical solution could avoid depletion of natural resources
A radical new approach to managing ecosystems reveals how society’s use of forests, fisheries and other natural resources could be inspired by nature, which creates sustainable ecosystems amid intense species competition for limited resources. It had its origins in my work on Serengeti herbivores and the realisation that the ‘harvesting niche’ of humans exploiting natural resources was equivalent to the ‘ecological niche’ found in natural communities, and that the whole ecological model of niche, community, species diversity and competition could be ported across to human systems of resource-use.
Niche grazing in East Africa
diagram from Vesey-Fitzgerald’s East African Grasslands
Resource competition lies behind many of today’s environmental problems: shrinking forests, disappearing lakes and rivers, collapsed fisheries, overgrazed pastures, eroded soils and declining productivity, together with their aftermath of poverty, conflict and hostilities. The problem is set to intensify this century because the abundance of Earth’s natural resources is declining whilst demand from a developing and expanding human population is growing. Yet curiously the driving influence of competition has been largely absent from theories on natural resource use, including the ecological theory of wildlife harvesting and the approaches of green economics and bioeconomics.
Twin beam trawling damages marine habitats
One negative consequence of resource competition is the emergence of technological ‘arms races’ that lead to environmental degradation. Examples are the drying up of shallow hand-dug wells in arid countries when deeper drilled wells cause water tables to fall, and displacement of otter trawlers by modern twin-beam trawlers in the North Sea which increased the harvest of flatfish but damaged seabed communities.
Another kind of problem arises in the case of competition over weakly-governed resources which predominate over much of the globe. The self-interest of commercial users typically drives a ‘tragedy of the commons’ in which sustainable offtake is sacrificed for short-term gain. However real commons are rarely of the kind described by Garrett Hardin – a uniform pasture shared by a collective herd of cattle (one individual puts on an extra cow and all users pay the cost of its grazing). In the mediaeval commons, there were cowherds, shepherds, goatherds, swineherds, gooseherds, horsemen and so on, each with livestock exploiting a different niche – sheep on hills, cows in valley meadows, horses on floodplains, and pigs in woodlands. It provides the first clue as to how the sustainability of wild animal and plant communities, which is based on the separation of ecological niches, might be mirrored in a managed human system based on the separation of harvesting niches.
Tragedy of the Commons: Left – Hardin-type pasture at risk
Right – niche-partitioned pasture that is protected. Elaborated in Murray 2016
The history of humanity is littered with examples where natural resources and entire ecosystems have failed, from the collapse of ancient forest-dependent civilizations to over-exploited wildlife populations today. In the past, we have have often failed to find sustainable solutions to resource use.
In marked contrast to the human-led catastrophes, ecologists have observed that many wild species thrive in natural communities despite intense competition for limiting resources. The rival species share ecosystems by developing narrow ecological niches, as for example when songbirds share forests by feeding and nesting at distinctive heights in the trees. New research suggests that man’s impact on the environment could be tempered by partitioning natural resources into selected parts and licensing users according to different “harvesting niches”, mimicking the ecological niches of wild species. For example, independent fishing vessels could be licensed with exclusive long-term rights to harvest single demersal fish species by using a combination of traditional practices and improved gear selectivity.
An array of advantages over unselective harvesting leaps out. Foremost of these is a reduction in the ‘arms race’ for harvesting technology that, if left to itself, causes increasingly serious damage as it extracts greater quantities of resource. Just as critical, the partitioned resource offers a robust solution to the ‘tragedy of the commons’. This is because the entire cost of overharvesting is born by the individual user within its partition. The individual therefore faces the full consequences of his or her selfish actions. It is a powerful disincentive to overharvesting.
Discarded catch from unselective North Atlantic trawl
Image: Mike R. Jackson
A third significant advantage of selective harvesting in a partitioned resource is rarely mentioned – it allows for a higher sustainable yield from the ecosystem. Take the current unselective trawling of demersal fish: a quota that is adjusted for the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of a fast-growing fish species risks overharvesting slow-growth ones, whereas a quota that protects a slow-growing species will harvest most fish at below the MSY. By contrast the partitioned fishery can match the effort of each user to the MSY of each species. This achieves a higher overall sustainable yield from the marine ecosystem.
Yet another favourable outcome of the partitioned ecosystem is that the small users are protected from the competitive dominance of larger ones. They are more likely to persist in the long-term providing local communities with jobs and a rewarding lifestyle opportunity.
Wheat fields of South Moravia
Image: Martin King
Modern agricultural development is eroding the number of harvesting niches in the countryside with potentially far-reaching consequences for society. Medieval guilds and niches of rural life, which still exist in parts of Europe and elsewhere, are lost in the process of modernisation leaving little more in the farmed environment other than machinery operators and intensive rearing sheds.
400 tons of jack mackerel caught by Chilean purse seiner
400 tons of jack mackerel caught by purse seiner
Image: C. Ortiz Rojas>
The same process of simplification is taking place in fisheries. It feels so much like normal progress that it passes by without much comment, but I think it exposes a bifurcation point which needs to be thought about by society.
Following along one branch we soon reach industrialised agriculture and fisheries in niche-poor land and seascapes where people are separated from land and sea, and suffer from simplified ecosystems and lost biodiversity.
Vertical organic sea-farmingImage by Bren Smith
Vertical organic sea-farming
Image by Bren Smith
Agroecosystem approach to farming (Coeur de Chaman)
Agroecosystem approach to farming
(Coeur de Chaman)
The other branch leads to partitioned, niche-rich land and seascapes with more diverse, smaller-scale, user groups and greater connectivity of people with land and sea.
Salmon ladder at Rocky Reach Dam, Washington, USA
Salmon ladder at Rocky Reach Dam, Washington, USA
Wildlife Crossing, Banff National Park, Canada
Wildlife Crossing, Banff National Park, Canada
Partitioned ecosystems can protect against biodiversity loss and many other environmental problems whilst assisting in UN Sustainable Development Goals to promote peaceful, prosperous and inclusive societies. In addition to these worthy aims, I would suggest they have value in advancing one important goal not mentioned in the 2030 Agenda: attaining greater niche diversity in work, in the environment and in society.
Murray, M.G. (2016). Partitioning ecosystems for sustainability. Ecological Applications, 26: 624–636. [ doi:10.1890/14-1156.1 ].
About Martyn Murray
This entry was posted in Conservation, Nature, Threats and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
4 Responses to Radical solution could avoid depletion of natural resources
1. recently heard that cattle peeing on grass emits a potent global warming gas that offgasses into the atmosphere: nitrous oxide I think. Is there an idea that would allow more of that to be absorbed by soil, or offgassed in another way. I appreciate your work on looking at the whole ecosystem.
• Roger Ruess and Sam McNaughton looked at the +ve response of natural pastures to urination and trampling by wildebeest herds in Serengeti when I was there. Ruess is now working in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has I think studied effect of fertilization on N2O release. He would be a good person to write to about your question.
2. Noa says:
I feel like this work ignores the reasons why we transitioned away from niche operation in the first place – that when things go bad in the natural systems that you propose to mimic there are, for instance, massive die offs of animals. I donʻt think humans want to return to that level of dependence on natural cycles and variations, even it is is one of the only ways that we will truly be able to live in a sustainable way on the planet. It also seems to assume that everyone is going to stay in their own niche. Part of the reason why weʻve gotten to where we are, and why we continue on the path, is that when localized groups over-exploit their own resources there is impetus to then take over the next groups resources. Finally, how do we fairly allocate the niche use? Some areas are more productive than others…who gets to decide who gets what niche?
I like the concept, and indeed my work on indigenous agriculture and as an indigenous person myself this is how we think. But watching the real power in the world I do not see that this can ever exist with massive and long term cultural.
• Thanks for your interesting comment. I agree that some species do have more pronounced fluctuation in numbers than others, and that this makes their harvest less predictable. However, there are ways to manage fluctuations. People living in semi-arid and arid environments, for example, are used to annual fluctations in their harvests: they have adapted by building storage devices to carry them over famine years, or by adopting nomadic lifestyles etc. Furthermore, it would be quite possible for a single harvesting group to have more than one license (more than one niche-species) which would spread its risk arising from natural fluctuations. I think the main reason for widespread adoption of unselective harvesting is that it enables large profits in the short-term. As for who decides who gets what license, that will depend on the local management authority. Some may be representative of local communities and other stakeholders, and transparent in their decision-making, others less ideal. The method that I outlined in the blog can assist management authorities that wish to improve sustainability.
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Porcine Circovirus
From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource
This student page has not been curated.
1. Classification
a. Higher order taxa
Viruses do not have a domain, phylum or class. Thus, the taxa begins at order. Porcine circovirus is classified as follows:
Viruses; ssDNA viruses; Circoviridae; Circovirus; unclassified Circovirus
b. Species
2. Description and significance
A Circovirus is a small ssDNA virus which can inhabit and infect several hosts. Porcine circoviruses commonly infect swine (2). There are two main serotypes: Porcine circovirus 1 (PCV1) and Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2). There is current research into another emerging serotype, Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3), which is very similar to PCV2, but is not yet an epidemic in swine (13). PCV1 is not known to demonstrate any sign of disease, whereas PCV2 can cause an illness called Porcine circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD), which causes Post Weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS) (3, 4). Porcine circovirus has one of the highest evolution rates of DNA viruses and also has the capability to co-infecting hosts along with other pathogens. This can lead to more severe outbreaks and complex syndromes involving reproductive failure, enteritis and pneumonia (5).
The Porcine circovirus has the smallest genome of any autonomously replicating virus (5). The small size of the genome presents many challenges when attempting to study the pathology of the virus in livestock. The circovirus can affect a variety of hosts (mostly livestock); moreover, Porcine circovirus infection can have detrimental effects on agricultural business as it can kill off an entire swine herd, and hence cut into profits (6). Infection results in a high fatality rate in swine populations, even though a vaccine has been created to protect against PMWS. The circovirus’ small genome allows for fast evolutionary adaption, permitting the virus to quickly gain resistance to these vaccines (5, 7). This is due to the fact that one or two mutations could have a huge effect on the virus, such as making a benign circovirus pathogenic (3).
3. Genome structure
The Porcine circovirus has two major serotypes, type 1 and type 2 (PCV1 and PCV2) and one emerging serotype, type 3 (PCV3) (13). PCV1 is known to be benign, while PCV2 is pathogenic (3, 4). Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is a small, non-enveloped virus with a circular single-stranded DNA genome which is 1.76kb (6, 8). Since the genome of circovirus is small it also allows for more recombination events with other similar viruses. For example, it has been shown historically through phylogenetic analysis that a nanovirus and a circovirus at some point recombined, as a circovirus has some RNA segments in its genome even though it is a ssDNA virus (2). The DNA sequence similarity between the two serotypes, PCV1 and PCV2, is about 76% (9).
4. Cell structure
Porcine circovirus has a diameter of around 17 nm, thus making it the smallest animal virus studied with the capability of independent replication (8). Porcine circovirus is a non-enveloped virus assembled into a single capsid.
5. Metabolic processes
Viruses do not have their own metabolism, but instead take advantage of their host cells to replicate, transcribe, and translate. The PCV genome enters the host cell nucleus by inserting into daughter nuclei at the end of mitosis (10). The two proteins Rep and Rep’ are the replication initiator of Open Reading Frame (ORF) C1 transcript, which code for the capsid protein for porcine circovirus (10).
6. Ecology
Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is highly infectious to swine. Studies determined that Porcine circovirus is a derivative of a former swine virus. The genome of the microbe and the cap (capsid) sequences of PCV2a and PCV2b viral genomes were aligned to determine any possible location of recombination in the sequence (11). Furthermore, circoviruses have been coevolving with many different vertebrate organisms for millions of years (2, 11). In fact, the current evolutionary model of the Porcine circovirus is as follows: PCV2 is a virus that has long been associated with swine, and only recently has become infectious (11).
7. Pathology
Evidence shows that Porcine circovirus acts as an immunosuppressive agent which can open up the host to a secondary infection (3). It can lead to the development of Porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD) which are connected to many varying swine diseases (6). The most common disease that develops, within swine, is Post Weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS). PMWS is commonly found in swine 6-8 weeks with enlarged lymph nodes, jaundice, and extreme loss of weight (3). Some swine show symptoms of respiratory distress and interstitial pneumonia (3). PMWS has a high fatality rate with infected swine. To prevent this disease vaccines and prevention strategies for PCV2a were developed. Prevention strategies included monitoring the health of weaning swine, avoid having a high density of swine together, and control the movement of swine between batches (3). This however has caused the evolution of the virus to serotype PCV2b in swine populations, thus reducing the potential for prevention (6, 7).
Porcine circovirus is not a zoonotic agent, and therefore there is little concern for possible infection to humans (12).
7. Epidemiology
Porcine circovirus is a global disease. In the United States and Italy, PCV3 was isolated and identified in 2015 (13). Researchers are currently working to reduce the rate of infection of PCV3 with epidemiological analysis of the virus. Ultimately, epidemiologists hope the virus will not spread as quickly as PCV2 and will therefore avoid becoming an epidemic in swine populations around the globe. As of 2017 Italy was the only EU country with PCV3 which seemed to have similar genetic properties to the virus found in the US (13).
8. Current Research
Currently, researchers are trying to characterize the complete genogroup of Porcine circovirus and its associated disease which may be involved in the epidemic of swine populations in many countries. This will help establish the preventive methods like vaccine production to resist the global outbreak of Porcine circovirus pathogens (14).
There is also current research in the epidemiology of an emerging serotype PCV3, and through the use of epidemiological analysis will keep the virus from becoming a new epidemic like PCV2 (13).
9. References
(2) Gibbs, Mark. Weiller, Georg. 1999. Evidence that a plant virus switched hosts to infect a vertebrate and then recombined with a vertebrate-infecting virus. PNAS 96 (14) 8022-8027; doi:10.1073/pnas.96.14.8022
(3) Ellis, J. Hassard, L. et al. 1998. Isolation of circovirus from lesions of pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 39 (1) 11-51.
(4) Opriessnig, T., Gerbera, P., Matzinger, S., Meng, X., Halburb, P. 2017. Markedly different immune responses and virus kinetics in littermates infected with porcine circovirus type 2 or porcine parvovirus type 1. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 191(51).
(5) Ramamoorthy, S. Meng, XJ. 2009. Porcine Circoviruses: a Minuscule Yet Mammoth Paradox. Anim Health Res Rev 10 (1017)
(6) Hung, Ling-Chu. Cheng, Ivan-Chen. 2017. Versatile carboxyl-terminus of capsid protein of porcine circovirus type 2 were recognized by monoclonal antibodies with pluripotency of binding. Molecular Immunology 85; 100-110.
(7) Karuppannan, A K. Opriessnig, T. 2017. Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) Vaccines in the Context of Current Molecular Epidemiology. Viruses 9 (5): 99.
(8) Tischer, I. Gelderblom, H. Vettermann, W. Koch, MA. 1982. A very small porcine virus with circular single-stranded DNA. Nature: 295: 64-66.
(9) Morozov, I. Sirinarumitr, T. Sorden, SD. Halbur, PG. Morgan, MK. Yoon, K. Paul, PS. 1998. Detection of a novel strain of porcine circovirus in pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. J. Clin. Microbiol: 36: 2535-41.
(10) Tischer, I. Peters, D. Rasch, R. Pociuli, S. 1987. Replication of porcine circovirus: induction by glucosamine and cell cycle dependence. Arch. Virol; 96: 39-57.
(11) Firth, C. Charleston, MA. Duffy, S. Shapiro, B. Holmes, EC. 2009. Insights into the Evolutionary History of an Emerging Livestock Pathogen: Porcine Circovirus 2. J. Virol 83 (24) 12813-12821.
(12) Burbelo, P. Ragheb, J. Kapoor, A. Zhang, Y. 2013. The serological evidence in humans supports a negligible risk of zoonotic infection from porcine circovirus type 2. Biologicals 41 (6): 430-434.
(13) Faccini, S. Barbieri, I. Gilioli, A. Sala, G. Gibelli, LR. Moreno, A. Sacchi, C. Rosignoli, C. Franzini, G. Nigrelli, R. 2017. Detection and Genetic Characterization of Porcine Circovirus in Italy. Transbound Emerg Dis 10 (1111).
(14) Afolabi, KO. Iweriebor, BC. Okoh, AI. Obi, LC. 2017. Global Status of Porcine circovirus Type 2 and Its Associated Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. Adv Virol 2017: 6807964 doi: 10.1155/2017/6807964
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Can Cockatiels Eat Raspberries (Are They Safe)?
Cockatiel owners often wonder whether their birds should eat raspberries or other fruits.
Are they safe for them?
Raspberries are high in vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
These nutrients are essential for cockatiel health.
The fruit also contains tannins, which can cause digestive problems in some birds.
While it is true that cockatiels can eat berries, they should only be fed fresh ones.
If you see your bird eating something that looks rotten or moldy, don’t feed it to him/her
Are raspberries good for cockatiels?
Raspberries are safe for cockatiels, but they do not like eating them. The reason is that they are too tart. Cockatiel’s digestive system cannot handle the acidity of the raspberry.It would make them sick if they ate them. Instead, they prefer to eat fruits such as apples, pears, oranges, bananas, grapes, peaches, strawberries, and melons.
Are raspberries bad for cockatiels?
No, they are not harmful to cockatiels. However, they are not beneficial either. They are just not what cockatiels crave.
Can cockatiels eat raspberry leaves?
Yes, they can. Raspberry leaves contain vitamin C, which is essential for healthy skin and feathers. It is important to note that these leaves do not taste good to cockatiels, and they will only eat them if they are given the opportunity. You can offer them fresh fruits such as apples or grapes, or dried fruits such as raisins. These are much tastier to cockatiels, so they will happily eat them.
Can cockatiels eat raspberry stems?
No, they cannot. The stems contain tannin, which is toxic to parrots. However, you can still feed them other types of berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
What kind of fruit can cockatiels eat?
Cockatiels love fruits, especially grapes and bananas. They also love bread, crackers, cheese, and other types of baked goods. However, they do not like raw foods, such as apples, carrots, celery, etc.
What are cockatiels favorite things?
Cockatiels love fruits, especially grapes, apples, pears, bananas, and oranges. They also love other types of fruit such as plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, strawberries, melons, and mangoes. They also love bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, and many other foods.
What are the best fruits for cockatiels?
Cockatiels love fresh fruits and veggies. You can feed them any kind of fruit or vegetable. Some people prefer to use baby foods, while others prefer to feed them whole pieces of fruit or veggie. The best thing about feeding your cockatiel fruits and veggies is that it keeps them healthy and happy. It helps prevent obesity and other health problems.
What is the favorite food of cockatiel?
Cockatiels are omnivorous, meaning that they can eat both plant and animal matter. In general, they prefer fruits and vegetables, but they do eat eggs, fish, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, turkey, cheese, milk, yogurt, bread, pasta, rice, beans, peas, lentils, potatoes, carrots, apples, pears, bananas, oranges, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries, strawberries, melons, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, onions, garlic, peppers, olives, honey, molasses, syrup, sugar, salt, pepper, spices, herbs, tea, coffee, chocolate, and many other foods. The best thing about feeding cockatiels is that they don’t require any special diets. You can feed them whatever you would feed yourself.
What human food can cockatiels eat?
Cockatiels love fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, pears, cherries, strawberries, melons, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, kiwis, mangoes, figs, and dates. They also love bread, crackers, pasta, rice, noodles, corn flakes, oats, oatmeal, and many other foods. They do not like meat, fish, cheese, eggs, milk, butter, peanut butter, chocolate, coffee, tea, cola, soda, alcohol, and any other type of food.
What fruits and vegetables are good for cockatiels?
Cockatiels love all kinds of fruits. You can give them apples, pears, grapes, cherries, strawberries, oranges, bananas, melons, kiwis, peaches, plums, apricots, tangerines, mangoes, papayas, figs, dates, persimmons, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and many other fruits. The only thing you shouldn’t feed your parakeet is citrus fruits because they contain high levels of vitamin C, which can cause diarrhea.
What is cockatiel Favourite food?
Cockatiels love to play! They are playful animals who love to chase each other through the house, and jump from perch to perch. They also love to climb, and will spend hours exploring all the nooks and crannies of their cages. They also love toys, and will happily chew on them for hours. They also love music, and will dance along to any song that plays on repeat.
What are cockatiels favorite snacks?
Cockatiels love all kinds of fruits, especially apples, oranges, grapes, pears, peaches, bananas, strawberries, cherries, plums, apricots, and mangoes. You can feed them any type of fruit, but make sure that it has no pesticides on it. It would be best if you could find organic produce.
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So, I understand that the intensity should be the only factor increasing the current as the answer to a similar question (Photoelectric Effect - Dependence of current on frequency) wisely explained, assuming that the Cathode, from which the electrons are leaving, is kept at a lover or same potential as the anode. If it was the opposite case However, as far as I know and the simulator shows, current would depend on the voltage because not every released electron would reach the anode because of the braking electric field.
My actual question however is: Can anybody explain me why does the PhET simulator (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/photoelectric) show that current does depend on frequency, but not seemingly linearly. The current on a constant intensity seems to reach its peak at the wavelength of 196nm corresponding the frequency of 1,53 x 10^15 Hz, which is UV.
I even made some rough measurements on the amount of electrons leaving the cathode in 20 second interval. My result was: At the wavelength of 196nm 21 electrons were released. At 345nm only 13 electrons were released.
So my point here is that we are told that the current doesn't depend on the frequency, furthermore the amount of electrons released from cathode doesn't depend on frequency. Is there something wrong in my measurements or does the simulator take something into account that a basic school book doesn't tell?
2 Answers 2
Although the intensity may be the same the lower wavelength photons have more energy and so can give more energy to an electron.
An electron with more energy has more chance of escaping from the metal.
So although more electrons per second may be given energy by the higher wavelength photons their chances of escape are less that the fewer electrons per second given by the lower wavelength photons.
Overall more electrons per second, which have acquired a greater amount of energy, escape.
So the saturation current does depend on the wavelength of the incident radiation but in a non-linear way.
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There are some tips for teachers available but if you cannot register here are the relevant three paragraphs:
• Electrons are emitted with a range of energies because photons can eject electrons with a range of binding energies. If more of a photon’s energy is used to release an electron, the emitted electron will have less kinetic energy. Note that this behaviour is different from the simplified model used by some textbooks, in which all electrons are emitted with the same kinetic energy. If you want to use this simplified model, you can check the “show only highest energy electrons” option. This option does not change the graphs because current is still calculated based on all the electrons.
• Not every photon emits an electron, even if the photons have enough energy to emit electrons. If a photon is absorbed by an electron with binding energy greater than the photon energy, the electron will not be released. Photons with higher energies are more likely to release electrons because a greater proportion of the electrons in the metal have binding energy less than the photon energy. Therefore, as you increase the frequency, the number of emitted electrons (and therefore the current) will increase until all photons are emitting electrons. Note that this behaviour is different from the simplified model used by many textbooks, in which every photon with frequency greater than the threshold frequency releases an electron, so the current is constant above the threshold frequency.
• In the default setting, since the intensity of light is proportional to the number of photons times the frequency, if you increase the frequency while holding the intensity constant, the number of photons will decrease. Therefore, if you increase the frequency past the point where all photons are emitting electrons (see previous bullet), the number of emitted electrons (and therefore the current) will start to decrease. Note that this is different from the simplified model used by many textbooks, in which current is constant above the threshold frequency. If you want to be able to change the frequency without changing the number of photons, select “Control photon number instead of intensity” in the Options menu.
The last bullet point gives you a way of finding out for the Phet simulation the average number of electrons emitted by a photon as a function of the wavelength of the photon.
The greater the frequency of the light the greater the amount of energy per photon. The threshold frequency has just barely enough energy per photon to eject electrons, and can only eject the electrons in the metal that have the highest amount of energy. (Imagine the electrons in a valance shell or the top of a valence band, although that's too simplistic as electrons are being given energy by the collisions of the atoms and being "excited" a bit.) The main thing is that photons with a higher frequency have more energy and therefore can eject electrons that were a little lower in energy as well. So these photons have a higher probability of ejecting electrons. It's like lowering a rope down from a window to pull people up. There's a minimum length that will work, but a longer rope can reach not only the tallest people but some of the shorter ones too. So the odds that each photon (rope) can "pull up" an electron goes up as the frequency and therefore energy per photon goes up.
In the simulation, with the intensity at 100% the number of photons emitted each second goes DOWN as the frequency increases. The intensity staying constant means the energy emitted per second is the same. So, since higher frequency photons have more energy each, then the number of photons being emitted each second must be less. If you go to Options and select "Control photon number instead of intensity" then the current won't drop when the frequency goes above ~196 nm. (It does seem to reach a maximum, though, and a higher frequency doesn't affect the current. I can only assume the "rope" is now so long that it's hitting the ground and so a longer rope isn't helping anyone.)
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COVID-19: the individual v the population
COVID-19: the individual v the population
Last week, on the 12th March 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic. A pandemic signifies worldwide spread of a disease. This is in contrast to an epidemic, which means an outbreak of disease that has grown out of control but may only be confined to certain parts of the globe.
The last time we had a pandemic was in 2009 with the H1N1 virus (Swine flu). Australia had 37,636 cases and there were 191 associated deaths. Most people reading this lived through that pandemic and you can probably vaguely remember hearing about it in the media, but it didn’t really affect our lives too much, unless you were one of the families of the 191 who died. This time it might be different.
Coronaviruses are a big family of viruses, many of which cause respiratory illnesses. Most are mild, and related to the common cold but some cause worse illnesses such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). COVID-19 is the disease caused by the most recent strain of coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, with the first case identified on New Years Eve 2019.
COVID-19 causes fever, dry cough and tiredness. Other symptoms include sore throat, aches and pains and nasal congestion. Most cases are mild and the symptoms are non specific so if you’re not very unwell, it’s hard to distinguish the disease from other illnesses such as the common cold. It seems that 80% of people recover from the mild illness without needing treatment. Unfortunately the other 20% (1 in every 5 cases) become very unwell and need medical treatment. A quarter of those very unwell might end up on a ventilator in ICU.
The difficult thing about a pandemic (and any spread of disease in a certain population) is balancing the risks of each individual with the risks of the whole population. This might seem like it’s the same thing, but for governments and health officials this can be two very different approaches.
At the individual level, it doesn’t really matter if you have the disease or not. This may sound silly, but if you are feeling unwell with a fever, or a sore throat or a cough, then as long as you don’t develop any breathing difficulties (ie you’re not sick enough to see a doctor in normal times outside the pandemic) then you should just stay at home and rest until you feel better. This will be the case for 80% of the population who are exposed to this coronavirus and get COVID-19. If you do develop breathing difficulties then you should go straight to hospital, whether it’s caused by COVID-19 or another illness. So as I pointed out, at an individual level, it doesn’t matter if you are diagnosed with the disease or not, what is important is that you seek help when you need it and you’re treated appropriately for your condition.
The story is very different, however, when considering the health of the population as a whole. This is because COVID-19 is much more likely to cause serious disease in the elderly population and those who already have other chronic diseases such as heart and lung diseases. The problem with coronavirus is that the 80% of the population who get COVID-19 and have mild symptoms or none at all (asymptomatic cases) can still spread the disease to others. So you might think that your mild sore throat and cough isn’t that big a deal, but if you go out into the community and you cough into your hand and then touch something, the virus can live on that object for hours to days depending what the object is. Then someone else comes along, touches that object and then touches their mouth or another part of their face, and catches the virus. They might already have heart disease and be over 70 years old and end up getting very sick from COVID-19.
This is why social distancing is so important. It’s not about you as an individual, it’s about the health of the population as a whole. We need to stop thinking about ourselves and start protecting our most vulnerable. So next time you leave the house, stop worrying about whether you’re going to catch the disease and start acting like you have it. What’s the difference? You still won’t get the disease if you don’t have it, but you also won’t spread it if you happen to have a mild or asymptomatic case. This is the only way to slow down the spread of disease. If we don’t do this, our health system will be overwhelmed and the sickest people might miss out on an ICU bed that will be needed to save their lives. Imagine if that was your relative. Stay at home unless you really have to go out. If you do go out, stay 1.5m away from people. Wash your hands frequently. Try not to touch your face.
These are all simple things to do to potentially save thousands of lives but it takes an unselfish gesture to make it work.
As of yesterday there were 234 073 confirmed cases world wide and 9840 deaths. 709 of these cases were in Australia including 6 of the deaths. We’re in a lucky position to be able to learn from other countries and act early to limit the effect of this disease on home soil. Now more than ever, we need to see the Aussie spirit in action. Protect your mates by staying away from them.
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6 Weird Animals in the Amazon Rainforest
The mighty Amazon Rainforest stretches across the length and breadth of the northern half of Latin America, encompassing parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, and more countries across the continent. Often referred to as the “lungs of the Earth”, the forest is one of the world’s most important ecosystems. Iconic species such as the jaguar, tapir, and caiman crocodile inhabit the rainforest, but there are many lesser-known species too. In this article, we’ll introduce you to six weird animals in the Amazon Rainforest. Including many lesser-known and more bizarre species, only found in the Amazon rainforest and its rivers.
Harpy Eagle
Weird Animals in the Amazon Rainforest
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
What sets the Harpy Eagle apart from other birds of prey is its sheer size. Females are much larger than males and can weigh in at a whopping 12kg. It is one of the largest birds in the world, and certainly the largest in Latin America, feeding on large prey animals including sloths and monkeys. Only very rarely are the eagles preyed on themselves, with inexperienced youngsters sometimes becoming dinner for an opportunistic jaguar. Found most commonly in Brazil, the species has been the beneficiary of significant conservation efforts to boost its depleted numbers.
Glass Frogs
Conservation Status: N/A
The glass frog isn’t a single species. But rather a group of amphibians known to inhabit the northern Amazon region. What makes these frogs unusual is the fact that their abdominal skin is transparent, meaning their internal organs are visible from the outside. The heart, liver, and more can actually be seen in real-time, working inside still-living animals. Is this cool, creepy, or what?! These frogs are hard to spot in the dense jungles, tend to live in trees, and only come out during their brief mating season.
Bull Shark
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
A large and impressive shark species, the bull shark isn’t actually that unique in its looks. What makes it fascinating is that these usually saltwater species have been recorded living in the freshwater ecosystems of the Amazon. The Peruvian city of Iquitos is more than 2,500 miles from the coast. However, the waters here are home to a population of bull sharks, which thrive on freshwater prey, perfectly at home in the murky waters. There are other examples of bull sharks living in freshwater, such as in Lake Nicaragua and the Brisbane River. This fact demonstrates just how versatile this wonderful shark is.
The Arapaima ranks high on the weird animals in the Amazon Rainforest list
Conservation Status: Data Deficient
Growing up to three meters in length, the arapaima is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish. Recognizable for its flashy red tail. Found throughout the Amazon basin, population numbers are unclear. Nonetheless, overfishing is a worry. This is due to the fact that the arapaima is commonly caught for food by people living in the region. Feeding mainly on fish, crustaceans, insects, and more, arapaima has been known to torpedo out of the water to snatch small mammals from the shore. This feeding-frenzy is a terrifying but incredible spectacle to behold.
Amazon River Dolphin
Conservation Status: Endangered
Long thought of as the stuff of fairy tales. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that the existence of these gorgeous pink river dolphins was confirmed in the Amazon basin. Feeding on fish, crabs, and other river creatures, it is the pink color that makes the Amazon River Dolphin so popular with travelers. Tourists come from around the world hoping for a glimpse of these beautiful animals. Habitat loss is a threat to the dolphins, as is the accidental entanglement in fishing gear. Both pose a significant threat to the survival of the dolphins. Conservation work aims to slow deforestation in the rainforest to preserve the pristine freshwater habitat that the dolphins need.
Mata Mata
The Mata Mata is one the top weird animals in the Amazon rainforest
Conservation Status: Slight Concern
The Mata Mata turtle has been the butt of some cruel jokes in Latin America for decades. Thanks to its strange and ugly appearance. Men in the Amazon region have long been using the term “mata mata” as an insult for women they find unattractive! Looking like a cross between a crocodile and a turtle, this freshwater species is common across the Amazon region. With a neck that stretches out further than other turtle species and a wide, flat head, it really is an odd-looking creature. Nature has an explanation though. The appearance of the mata mata can easily be confused for a rotting bit of foliage. This concealing trait assists the creature to blend into its surroundings and avoid predation.
Weird Animals in the Amazon Rainforest Recap
In the final analysis, the Amazon is home to perhaps the highest density of wildlife species to be found anywhere on Earth. So it’s not surprising that there are some oddballs in there too! Unfortunately, the Amazon is under siege, with illegal logging, mining, wildfires, and ever-encroaching cattle ranches all posing a threat to the creatures that live here. Conservation work is ongoing and the public mood does seem to be shifting. So let’s hope that the Amazon can still have a bright future, and all of these wonderful albeit weird animals in the Amazon Rainforest can thrive for many years to come.
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How Deep Can I Cut with My Circular Saw Blade?
how deep can a circular saw cut
A standard circular saw blade is 7 ¼” with a cutting depth of 2 ½” at maximum.
This size is typical for most home uses, but there are other sizes that you may prefer depending on the job that you are trying to accomplish.
Generally speaking, the greater the size of the blade, the deeper the cutting depth.
But there is more to it than just the cutting depth.
There are special sizes that are mostly used for professional work such as on construction or demolition sites where the blades range from 10 ¼” up to 16 5/16”.
Such blades of this size are rarely on the consumer market, but they do have cutting depths that range from 4 /14” up to 7 5/16”.
In some cases, you may notice that the cutting depth is less than half the radius of the blade.
That is because the pivot that holds the blade is wider and only allows for a certain depth to be reached.
But if you are doing work around the home, then standard-size blades are all you’ll ever need.
Circular Saw Cut Depth: Min & Max
Blade SizeCut Depth at 90°Cut Depth at 45°
5 ½ inch1 ¾″ (1.75 inches)1 3/16″ (1.1875 inches)
6 ½ inch2 13/32″ (2.4 inches)1 11/16″ (1.6875 inches)
7 ¼ inch2 ½″ (2.5 inches)1 13/16″ (1.1875 inches)
8 ¼ inch2 7/8″ (2.875 inches)2 ¼″ (2.25 inches)
10 ¼ inch3 11/16″ (3.6875 inches)2 ¾″ (2.75 inches)
Different Types of Circular Saw Blades
There are different types of circular saw blades available that specialize in different types of cuts.
And obviously, if you want the best cuts with accurate depth, you will need to find the right circular saw blade for your needs.
What follows are the types of circular saw blades you can find at your local hardware store.
1- Standard Blades
Standard blades are the most versatile and designed to cut wood in a variety of ways.
Crosscut: You’ll find a lot of teeth on this type of blade with some versions going up to 80.
The high number of teeth allows you to make sharp, fine cuts with precise depth into the material.
However, they take much longer to cut compared to a rip-cut or framing blade.
Framing: This is similar to a rip-cut blade as they have a low number of teeth, usually around 24.
Framing and rip-cut blades are perfect when you need to cut a large amount of material quickly.
Plywood: This type of blade has the most teeth, often up to 100 on a blade.
They are designed to make the finest cuts into material that might otherwise be damaged by rip-cut or even crosscut blades.
Rip-Cut: These circular blades have a low number of teeth, some as little as 16, and are designed to rip through wood quickly.
This type of blade is perfect for making large, quick cuts.
You will often find this type of blade on a job site when cutting large amounts of material quickly is needed.
2- Diamond Blades
As the name suggests, this type of blade is made out of steel and has synthetic diamond interlaces along the edge and sides.
This type of blade is mainly used to cut through masonry, but it can also work for other materials such as stones, tile, and concrete.
Some of the different types of diamond blades include the following.
Continuous Rim: You will not find any teeth on these blades.
They are primarily designed to cut through the tile. So, do not try to use them on materials such as wood.
Segmented: This type of blade does not have teeth per se but is segmented with edges covered in diamonds.
A small gullet separates each segment which does provide advantages you find in blades with teeth.
Segmented blades are not as accurate and clean as other types of blades, but they are fast.
You can slice through brick, concrete, and hardwoods quickly, but the edges of the material will be messy.
Turbo-Rim: Like continuous-rim blades, turbo-rims have no teeth.
However, they are serrated which provides considerably more cutting potential.
Usually, these blade varieties are better suited to slice through brick and concrete.
3- Abrasive Blades
These blades are more akin to grinders rather than saws.
Most of them are made with aluminum oxides and silicon carbide to “grind” their way through hard materials such as steel.
So, they do not use teeth in the traditional sense.
In addition to metals such as steel, you can use abrasive blades to cut through masonry, but diamond blades are better for that type of work.
Types of Circular Saw Blades
How to Choose the Right Blade?
Circular blades come in different sizes, thicknesses, and the number of teeth.
The number of teeth is important because the fewer, the faster it will cut through the material.
Although that will lead to a rougher cut.
While a blade with more teeth can make sharp, fine cuts into the material, but it will take longer to accomplish.
1- Size
You’ll find that circular saw blades come in several different sizes.
So, you will need to limit the size selection to the saw that you own.
When picking check the arbor size and maximum diameter of the blades that your saw can take.
Small blades that are only 7” in diameter will only work in handheld models of circular saws.
While larger 12” blades are best suited for table saws.
Smaller blades as you might guess make shallower cuts compared to larger blades.
2- Wet or Dry Cutting
Some saw blades are designed to be cut wet while others cut when dry.
Knowing this will help you choose the right type of saw blade.
Dry cutting is for intermittent use and is best suited for smaller jobs such as home improvement projects where space may be limited.
This type of cutting is the only option if you are using small handheld saws or cordless versions.
This type of cutting absorbs the excess heating that occurs when the blades slice through materials.
It also washes away the debris created by the materials that have been cut.
Wet cutting is used mostly for masonry and tile, which helps make the process go faster and cleaner.
In addition, wet cutting helps preserve the life of the blade since it keeps the heat created by friction down to a minimum.
However, keep in mind that wet cutting is only for saws that are designed for that purpose.
Trying to wet cut using circular saws only designed for dry cutting may result in an electric shock.
3- Hook Angle and Kerf Number
When you are selecting between different types of blades, there are two additional considerations that you need to make.
First is the hook angle which affects how quickly the blade will move through the material.
The higher the hook angle, the faster it will rip.
The lower the hook angle, the cleaner the cut will be.
The kerf number is also important. This refers to the thickness of the blade.
The thicker the blade, the better they will cut through tough materials.
They also tend to last longer as well. The thinner the blade, the more accurate and deep the cut will be.
However, thin blades are less durable and not well suited for cutting lots of material.
What can you cut with circular saw blades
What Can I Cut with a Circular Saw Blade?
Circular saw blades can cut through different types of material.
Although they are mostly associated with wood, they can also cut through concrete, masonry, and metal.
Because the blade spins from a center point, it offers plenty of power to cut into thick materials if you are using the right type of blade.
When buying blades for the deepest cutting circular saw, look for different types of materials you will be using it for.
Standard circular saw blades are well-suited for wood.
You do not need a fancy or expensive saw blade to cut through wood.
The main consideration is the number of teeth on the blade.
If you are doing lots of cutting in a short time, then you’ll want a saw blade with fewer teeth.
If precision cutting with clean edges is your priority, then you’ll want more teeth in the saw blade.
Although plywood is wood, it is a different type of wood.
You will need a specialty blade that is specifically designed for plywood.
Otherwise, standard blades will tend to destroy the plywood and not just cut it.
The blades used for plywood tend to have a high number of teeth, low kerf number and make fine, precision cuts that preserve the integrity of the wood.
Ferrous Metal:
If you are cutting steel, then you will need an abrasive blade.
This type of blade is perfect for cutting harder metals such as steel.
Non-Ferrous Metal:
If you are cutting softer material such as brass, bronze, or aluminum, then using carbide-tipped non-ferrous blades is perfect.
You’ll want to choose a blade that has an anti-kickback design so that you are not surprised by any sudden movement from the material itself.
For this type of work, you will need a turbo-rim or segmented diamond blade.
You will need to check the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that you choose the right type that delivers the cut you want.
Segmented blades are perfect for demolition work, cutting quickly through the concrete.
While turbo-rim blades are better for cutting concrete with precision.
Tiles and Masonry:
Diamond blades and wet cutting are best suited for cutting through tiles along with some types of concrete cutting as well.
And for masonry, you’ll want to use an abrasive disc to do the cutting.
Abrasive discs are well suited for cutting masonry and cost far less compared to diamond blades.
The only downside is that abrasive discs can wear out quickly, so have extras on hand if you are doing a lot of masonry work.
when to sharpen circular saw blade
Is it Worth Sharpening My Circular Saw Blades?
This depends on how much you paid for the saw blades.
If they are of low quality and inexpensive, it is generally better to replace the blades.
However, if they are more expensive and of higher quality, then sharpening them will be cost-efficient.
It will save you money and reduce waste. This is especially true of carbide blades that can be quite expensive.
But how do you know when the blades will need sharpening?
The first thing you will notice, although it will be subtle at first is the quality of the cuts.
The overall quality will slowly degrade over time as the teeth get duller.
For reference, take a photo of a cut you made with the blade fresh from the box.
Every so often, compare the photo to a cut you recently made into similar material.
You should be looking for any burr or lessening of quality on the surface. If it is noticeable, then you should sharpen the blade.
Motor Noise:
If the motor is starting to work harder, then it may mean the blade is becoming duller.
Of course, there might be something wrong with the motor itself, but it’s far more likely that it is having to work harder to cut through the material.
If you are smelling burning oil, that is a sign of the motor working harder as well.
As soon as you notice a difference in how the motor is working, particularly if the sound is a higher pitch when cutting, that is the time to sharpen the blade.
You can either sharpen the blade on your own or hire a professional.
A professional will do an expert job, but you can expect to pay from 25 up to 50 cents per tooth.
This will result in a like-new blade that should last about as long as if you purchased another one.
But keep in mind that carbide-tipped blades will be more expensive to sharpen.
Given the expense, that is why sharpening a low-quality, the inexpensive blade is not worth the cost.
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out a cheap blade if it can still cut safely.
You should use such blades for demolition work where the quality of the cut is not relevant.
But if you paid more than $50, then consider getting it sharpened by a professional as the cost will be lower compared to buying a new blade.
This is especially true if you paid $100 or more.
how to adjust the depth of circular saw blade
Can I Adjust the Depth of My Circular Saw Blade?
Yes, next question?
Seriously, you can adjust the depth the blade cuts into the material.
You just need to make the proper adjustments to get the depth that you desire.
In most cases, you will need to loosen the baseplate located on the back of the saw.
Next, put the baseplate on top of the material and then move the blade either up or down to get the depth of cut that you want.
Once you are finished with the alignment, replace the shoe level back to lock the blade into position.
When you are changing the depth of the cut, you do not want to go too deep as the cut will not be as smooth.
Plus, with the teeth exposed at the bottom you may put yourself in danger, so be sure that the blade does cut all the way through with about a quarter inch sticking out below.
For example, if the material is two inches thick, then set the blade to cut at 2 ¼”.
This will provide a smoother, cleaner finish to your cuts. It will reduce the friction and help prevent creating a lumpy surface area.
But what if you need a larger blade to cut through the material?
That is no problem as long as the blade size does not exceed the maximum size the saw itself will allow.
So, if you have a saw size of 2 1/4″, then the blade size cannot be any larger, but it can be smaller.
Final Thoughts
Circular saws are easy to use.
But choosing the right type of saw blade is vital to getting the type of work you want to complete accomplished.
If you do not use the right saw blade, you can do more than simply make a bad cut.
Additionally, you may be putting yourself in danger if you have no idea what blades to use and their cutting depth.
The overall depth of the cut will depend on the size of the blade itself.
Be sure to align the blade properly so that it just cuts through the material itself without too much exposure to the risks involved.
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A kingdom of legendary traces.
Like those many ancient legends, the origins of the Scottish are lost in the mists of time. According to the most common legend, a Scythian leader named Gaythelos (Gollam) married Scota, the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh Symedes. The couple, along with the Scythian clan of her husband, ventured through the Mediterranean and finally arrived to Portugal, where they settled. According to the Scythian traditions, the clan took the name of the wife of their leader as their own, hence the origin of the name Scots. Subsequently, these people would move to Ireland to finally drop anchor in Scotland, a region that would take its name precisely from them, even though in their original language, Gaelic, the name of the new Kingdom was Alba.
However, history is more interesting than the legend. It seems the Scots, indeed, were a people who dwelled somewhere in Spain, although there is nothing to prove the relationship with Egyptians. What is clear is that it’s origin was Scythian and, therefore, they were Celts. So all the legend does is relay to us the migrations of the Celts who ended up occupying much of Europe. They moved to Ireland and eventually founded two Kingdoms, one in Scotland, called Dal Riata, and one in Wales. They shared the territory with the Picts (another people of Scythian origin), while the south of the island was occupied by the Britons. So, Scots and Picts are the earliest known inhabitants of Scotland.
After the Roman conquest of Britain and in order to prevent incursions from the north - called Caledonia by the Romans for the huge number of Caledonian pines that covered it - Romans built the famous Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.
The arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in the Fifth century ended the Scot and Pict rule in the territory. Both nations were fragmented into small clans and fought each other. This is a dark age, full of legends and mythological characters, Kings that tried again and again to unify the Kingdom but failed in the attempt. Finally, in 847 Kenneth MacAlpin achieved the union of the Scottish clans and submitted the last Pict King, Drest IX, thus founding the Kingdom of Scotland and becoming its first King.
A rising dynasty
The dynasty founded by Kenneth, the MacAlpin, is thus the first Scottish royal dynasty, and remained on the throne until 1034. The MacAlpins provided Scotland a total of 16 Kings, the last of them Malcolm II. Under their leadership, the Kingdom was consolidated and began to expand gradually toward the south while fighting against the Viking invaders. It would be Malcolm II who moved the border to the Tweed River after conquering the Lothians, allowing access to the region of Northumberland.
However, it will be the Atholl dynasty, founded by Duncan I in 1034, that would take the Kingdom to its current borders, after conquering the Strathclyde region in the twelfth century. Since then, the wars against the English from the south will be constant because they will at all times attempt to conquer Scotland, to achieve the unification of the island. There were 14 Kings from this dynasty. Perhaps the most important is David I, during whose rule, feudalism and privileges of cities, known as boroughs, were introduced.
Scottish gloom
The death without male issue in 1286 of Alexander III of Scotland will plunge the Kingdom into a period of chaos that will be used by King Edward I of England, who after conquering Wales, once again had his eyes on the northern Kingdom. First he tried to marry one of his sons with the heiress to the Kingdom, Margaret Maid ( the only granddaughter of Alexander III) but once that failed, he stimulated strife between the major Scottish clans and the different pretenders to the throne. He then immediately supported Count John Balliol, who reigned for a few years, after which the Kingdom fell back into chaos, from which it finally emerged with the appointment as King of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick. This is the era of the legendary William Wallace, personified by Mel Gibson in a bad movie, Braveheart, which completely distorts history.
The Bruces ruled in a very difficult time for Scotland. David II, the son and heir of Robert the Bruce, had to flee the Kingdom after the invasion of the British led by their King Edward III. He subsequently lived as a prisoner in England for over 10 years before being able to recover his throne in 1357. When he died without heirs in 1371, the throne went to Robert II Stuart, who was the son of Mary Bruce, sister of David II.
The glory of Scotland
The Stuarts would thus become the last dynasty of Scottish Kings This dynasty had, however, an English origin. In the twelfth century Walter and William FitzAlan supported the Empress Mathilda in her struggle against Stephen I for the throne of England. When she was finally defeated, the FitzAlans took refuge in Scotland under the protection of King David I Atholl, whom gave them land in Renfrewshire and the title of Earls of Steward. Soon they changed their surname to Steward, which then led to Stuart.
The Stuarts staged the most glorious era in Scotland. The first Kings of the dynasty were Robert II (1371-1390), Robert III (1390-1406), James I (1406-1437), James II (1437-1460) and James III (1460-1488). They brought the Kingdom to a time of prosperity, although not without some fighting against the English. However, the conflicts that England had against France in the so-called Hundred Years War (in which Scotland supported France) as well as the civil war between the Lancaster and York houses for the English throne made the border conflicts no more than simple skirmishes. With this, Scotland understood the importance of the alliance with France to confront a common enemy: the British.
The accession in 1485 to the English throne by a new dynasty, the Tudors, marked the beginning of a new conflict between the two Kingdoms; it would end in the early seventeenth century with a completely unexpected ending. The Tudors took advantage of the strife between the two main branches of English royalty, the Lancaster and the York, to gain access to the throne. Actually their right to the throne was very doubtful. King Henry V was married to Princess Catherine of France with the French King’s promise to inherit the throne to him at his death, passing over the rights of the dolphin Charles, the rightful heir to the French throne. But Henry V died soon after marrying, leaving a newborn child as his heir, Henry VI. Catherine left the court and secretly married one of her servants, Owen Tudor, a rundown Welsh nobleman.
When the Lancaster and York were bled out in their struggles, Henry Tudor, grandson of Owen, married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, and after defeating Richard III - his wife’s uncle- took the throne.
At first, the Stuarts and Tudors tried to reach a compromise. To do this, James IV of Scotland married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England. But peace did not last long. At the death of the English King, James IV again sought an alliance with France and renewed the war with England. From there, misfortune gorged on the Stuarts. The King died in the battle of Flodden Field, leaving James V as his heir, a one year old child. The queen mother, the sister of the English King, made peace, but when her son grew up, he resumed hostilities. Morover, after being defeated in the battle of Solway Moss, King James fell ill with cholera and died a few days after the birth of his heiress, the famous Mary Stuart. Once again, the struggle for the regency brought chaos to the country.
A new chapter
The life of this queen deserves a separate study. Suffice to say that she had to abdicate the throne and leave it to her son, James VI, also a year-old child. Years later, she would die beheaded by orders of her aunt the Queen of England. However, in the end the Stuarts gained an unexpected victory. On the death of Elizabeth I, James VI inherited the throne because he was her closest relative, becoming James I of England. The old unifying dream came true and for the first time the entire island had a single King.
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Begonia abdullahpieei is one of many begonias in Peninsular Malaysia that are threatened and have a conservation status of Critically Endangered. It is endemic to a single locality in Lata Hijau, Bukit Bintang. In this area, B. abdullahpieei grows on slippery rocks of swift and fast-flowing waterfalls. It was published by Ruth Kiew, Begonias of Peninsular Malaysia, Natural History Publications, Borneo, 2005.
B. abdullahpieei has a compact growth. Its leaves are emerald green, growing from 3 to 9 inches long, and have minute spike-like hairs. Beneath, the leaf vein is red and hairy. The flower is either white or pinkish bearing yellow stamen or stigma. The male flower will open first, followed by the female flower.
This vulnerable Begonia species is grown by the ABS Seeds for Conservation Committee. A committee member who grows it reports, “I have been able to propagate leaves using wet paper towels. Roots and tiny leaves formed within 35 days of putting a leaf on a piece of paper towel that was moistened with distilled water, and placing it into a clear plastic bag that sat by a window.”
B. abdullahpieei is named for Abdullah Piee, an experienced and dedicated forest guide who has made great contributions to the research of Malaysian begonias. This Begonia is known as “Piee’s Begonia.”
Begonia abdullahpieei | Photo: Harmony Begonias
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Private market investing explained
Articles & stories
Private market investing explained
Private markets refer to investments in equity and debt of privately owned companies.
Private equity is equity capital invested in private companies. Investors hope that by investing in private companies they can increase a company's value and sell their stake at a later stage through a trade sale, buyout, a recapitalization or through listing the company on public markets through an initial public offering (IPO). Private debt funds typically target the ownership of credit issued by private companies that either seek more flexible financing terms or are neglected by banks due to the complexity of transactions. Private equity investments represent the majority of investments in private markets.
Portfolio companies
Portfolio companies are the end recipients of any private equity investment. General Partners (private equity firms) spend a great deal of time identifying the companies that have growth potential through very stringent due diligence processes.
Direct investments
Investing directly into private companies is known as direct or co-investments where there is no middleman. In this instance, it is important to have a deep knowledge of the sector of the company you are investing in. This allows the investor to be directly involved in the growth story of a company and realize returns on exit.
Are private markets for you?
• Long-term investment horizons and related illiquidity risk - Private equity investments are long term and should be viewed as having a 6-10 year investment horizon.
• Be aware of the J-curve effect – this refers to the cash flows for investors associated with a typical private equity investment. Investments are generally made in years 1–6 and realizations generally occur in years 3–10. Capital is "called" from investors as the general partners need it to make investments. When portfolio companies are exited or recapitalizations occur then investors receive payouts known as distributions. The "J Curve" effect can be minimized by making several private equity investments.
• Private equity is a complex asset class, which requires carefully considered and well-diversified allocation following a structured approach and investing over the cycle.
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Kinds of Food Service in a Restaurant
eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story.
A waitress stands in front of outdoor tables.
There are many different types of restaurants and they can be classified by the type of cuisine they serve, such as Mexican or Italian, the menu style, such as a la carte or blackboard, and the pricing. They can also be classified by how the food is served to the customer.
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Full Service
A waiter serves a dessert to a woman at a table.
Full-service restaurants are where diners are seated at tables and are waited on. Their orders are taken while they are at the table, and the food and drink is delivered to the table. Full-service encompasses fine dining, silver service and casual dining geared toward families. In some cases, food is cooked at the table, but in all cases there is no requirement for guests to leave the table once they have arrived.
Counter Service
A woman places her order at the counter.
Counter service requires diners to walk up to a service counter to place their order. Often the menu is displayed on a blackboard. Diners' food is brought to their table when ready, or they are given a ticket number which is called out or displayed electronically when the food is ready, then collected by the diner from the counter. Payment is normally made at the service counter before the food is ready.
Buffet Service
A buffet in a restaurant is ready for patrons.
A variety of food is displayed and guests either take a plate and serve themselves from the buffet then return to eat at a table, or waiters behind the buffet serve items such as meat which they carve as you select it. Buffets are usually a set price, which is paid before you get your plate. It is basically a self-serve kind of food service.
Quick Service
A fast-food employee hands a customer her order from a drive-thru window.
Quick service is where there is a service counter with one or more cashiers working to take orders. They are known as fast-food or convenience outlets. Customers normally order from a menu that is displayed behind the counter or on a wall. Quick service restaurants often have a drive-thru so you can order from a car. There are a limited number of menu items constantly being prepared. McDonalds is an example of a quick service restaurant.
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Helps for Homeschoolers
My sympathies go out to all those who have been thrust into the world of homeschooling unprepared. I searched different blogs and came up with some ideas that could help.
A. Keep a Portfolio (by Misty Bailey)
1. Select a binder (1 1/2")
2. Select dividers and choose how to organize them.
3. What to include?
a. important docs
b. curriculum
c. school calendar
d. math drill sheets, grammar tests, book reports, science experiment papers, artwork, history notes, field trip pamphlets.
e. snap shots of kids
B. Homeschool Activities (www.digitalmotherhood.com)
1. Read a book, practice times tables, create fact sheets on favorite animals, paint a picture, write a story, make a model of an animal or building, learn about a new country, complete a jigsaw puzzle, do a science experiment, write a letter to a friend or relative, create a collage of your favorite things, write a poem, do yoga, go on a bug hunt, made a bird feeder, play a musical instrument, learn origami, make a flipbook.
C. Mix It Up (from Homeschool Mastery Academy)
1. Here are six routines to help keep it from getting boring:
a. Hold a cooking class 2 or 3 times a week
b. Create your own art gallery
c. Move your lessons outside
d. Use video games to make learning more interesting
(1) Look online for educational ones
e. Go on nature hikes to learn about science
(1) Study different trees, plants and flowers
f. Take breaks for exercise
D. Old-Fashioned Skills That Kids Need to Know (by frugalfun4boys.com)
1. How to write a letter; make a phone call; take a message; get to know an older person; play with a baby; sew on a button; make a genuine apology; read out loud; hammer a nail; shake hands; introduce yourself; take notice of needs around you; make scrambled eggs; balance a checkbook; see a job through; write a thank you note; do laundry; take care of a garden; fix something; plan a healthy meal; hang a picture; wash dishes; make a budget; wait and save for something; check tire pressure; ask questions to get to know something; read a map; find a book in the library; seek counsel from someone more experienced; care for a pet; select a gift someone will appreciate; admit a mistake; set the table; iron a shirt; give someone the benefit of the doubt; weigh out pros and cons of a decision; have good table manners; read a recipe; attend a concert or performance; do something well even if no one is watching; be KIND!
Having more time to spend with your kids could be a blessing in disguise. As frustrating as it may be at times, this is a priceless opportunity to teach them life skills one on one that there might not ordinarily be time for, with all the previous hectic schedules of running them here, there and everywhere. Cherish the time and get to know your kids on an even deeper level. Forge bonds that will last a lifetime and beyond! You might even learn a thing or two in the process.
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Essay 5
Essay plan
Mind Map by annamo, updated more than 1 year ago
Created by annamo over 6 years ago
Resource summary
Essay 5
1. Although there is an absolute truth in natural sciences that can not be reached, there can't be one in ethics because the construction of ethics is human, and is valid only to humans. Therefore in ethics there can never be a conclusion that is correct.
1. "There is no right or wrong, it is thinking that makes it so. "
1. Different ethical theories and stances will lead to different ethical conclusions, both of which can be 'right' in their line of thought
1. Difference between a utilitarian approach and a kantian approach. Depending on your own personal moral code you can reach different conclusions which can all be reasoned to be correct
1. both will reach a moral decision/conclusion that can be correct in their line of thought, but will be different.
1. Different scientific theories will shape different conclusions
1. Different theories of evolution lead to different conclusions on evolution
1. However they are not all conclusions at the same tome, one theory will disprove the previous and a new conclusion will be formed
1. "A wiseman therefore proportions his belief to the evidence"
1. This conclusion accepted will be the one with a) the most evidence (suporrted with reasoning/) or b) with the most support/majority
1. However since conclusions in NS can be disproved, no conclusion can be reached, as there is always potential for it to be disproven.
1. "Science is a very human form of knowing we are always at the brink of the known."
2. To what extent do the concepts we use shape the conclusions we reach?
1. To what extent do the concepts we use in the natural sciences and ethics shape the conclusions we reach?
2. Concepts are a human form of knowledge and although there is a 'conclusion' it can not be reached by humans due to the limitations in the formation of concepts.
1. CONCEPT
1. A concept is an abstract idea or theory that is a product of a perspective.
1. Different concepts stem from different ways of thinking and different perspectives.
1. Different perspectives can lead to different conclusions
1. Therefore different concepts will lead to different conclusions
2. CONCLUSION
1. Multiple conclusions can be reached,most of which could be valid when shaped from the concepts used.
1. Different AOK's will lead to diff conclusions, and diff concepts in the same AOK can lead to diff conclusions
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alaska ice melting
Source: istock
All the Sea Ice Surrounding Alaska Has Melted — Here's What It Could Mean
Aug. 7 2019, Updated 3:40 p.m. ET
Sea ice in Alaska is melting faster than ever before. As reported by The Independent, Alaskan climate specialist at the Alaska Centre for Climate Assessment and Policy Rick Thoman shared the alarming news on Twitter earlier this week. According to Thoman, all the ice within 150 miles of Arctic water surrounding Alaska has completely melted. The alarming melting rate is a result of July's sweltering hot weather, with rising temperatures strongly linked to the climate crisis.
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"Alaska waters now completely clear of sea ice as last ice in the Beaufort Sea offshore Prudhoe Bay melted away," Thoman tweeted on Aug. 4. "The closest ice to Alaska is now about 150 miles (240km) northeast of Kaktovik."
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As Mashable pointed out, this is not the first time Alaska's waters have been completely free of ice — in fact, just two years ago, in the summer of 2017, the same thing happened. But what's notable is that during the 2017 melt season, the ice melted much later in the summer. "It's cleared earlier than it has in any other year," Thoman told Mashable.
The ice is expected to re-form in the fall — however some experts are worried that this year's particularly strong melting rate could delay that. “I have to wonder how much it’s going to affect and delay freeze up this fall,” Zack Labe, a climate scientist at the University of California Irvine told Motherboard last week. “There’s so much open water.”
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Labe also explained to Motherboard that the rapid melting this year is just a part of the larger picture of the climate crisis. As the outlet pointed out, Arctic temperatures are rising at double the rate of the global average — and if that rate continues, the world could be in serious trouble.
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Peter Wadhams, a professor of Ocean Physics at the University of Cambridge, spoke with The Independent about the issue. “At this time of year ‘normally’ (i.e. 30 years ago) there would be sea ice in southern Alaska waters but, more importantly, sea ice across the north coast of Alaska leaving only a narrow slot between ice and land for ships attempting a northwest passage," he told the outlet. “The latest shrinkage is part of an Arctic-wide phenomenon which is leading towards an ice-free summer as the future norm.”
So if this really is the new norm for summers in Alaskan waters, what does this mean? For one thing, melting ice caps means ocean water is expanding, which means sea levels are rising. As explained by National Geographic, rising sea levels can have a number of consequences, such as erosion, soil contamination, loss of habitat for sea animals, birds, and plants, and stronger natural disasters like hurricanes and typhoons. Additionally, the less ice there is on Earth, the more heat the Earth will absorb from the sun — further warming the globe, as explained by Carbon Brief.
Alaska's waters are not the only place experiencing abnormal melting this summer. A few weeks ago, an alpinist trekking the French Alps noticed that so much snow melted on the top of a mountain in response to Europe's massive heatwave, that a lake had actually formed.
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Latest Climate Change News and Updates
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Okuyucular soruyor: How Do Piranhas Eat Fish?
Are piranhas the only fish with teeth?
Piranhas are South American fish with razor-sharp teeth and a reputation for feeding frenzies. In fact, piranha means “tooth fish” in the Brazilian language of the Tupi people. However, not all piranha species have a taste for blood; some are vegetarian.
Why are piranhas so vicious?
Piranhas can be dangerous when they are hungry, which is usually when water levels are low and food is scarce. They don’t seem to be attracted to the scent of blood, though splashing around gets them excited. Piranhas do have sharp teeth and powerful jaws and will eat larger animals like birds or capybara.
Are piranhas scared of humans?
The real truth is that piranhas are relatively calm fish. In fact, if you fell into a pool of piranhas, chances are they’d actually be scared of you! Piranhas aren’t really interested in humans unless they are extremely hungry, and the human is already dead.
Will piranhas eat live fish?
Piranhas in the wild are generalists, feeding on fish, crustaceans, insects, plants, fruits, nuts and seeds. Do not feed your piranhas live goldfish or other feeder fish if you can help it! They can transfer diseases and are not nutritionally balanced. Avoid buying adult piranhas that will only eat live feeder fish.
You might be interested: FAQ: How Fishing Affects Coral Reefs?
Do piranhas eat their babies?
Heck, they don’t kill their prey first, they just start eating the victim alive – that’s what makes them so ferocious. Adult piranha have been known to eat their own babies.
Which fish has the sharpest teeth?
The most infamous is the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri), with the strongest jaws and sharpest teeth of all.
Can a piranha bite your finger off?
Are piranhas worse than sharks?
Here’s what he had to say about them in his bestseller, Through the Brazilian Wilderness: “They are the most ferocious fish in the world. Even the most formidable fish, the sharks or the barracudas, usually attack things smaller than themselves. But the piranhas habitually attack things much larger than themselves.
Are there piranhas in the US?
Current Distribution. Piranhas are not currently found in California or elsewhere in the United States. Two piranhas were reported and one collected in a park pond in Santa Barbara County, California in 1989, however experts suggest that these fish may have actually been pacu.
Can piranhas bite through steel?
Can you swim with piranhas?
You might be interested: Soru: Don't Starve Fish Stick?
What are piranhas scared of?
They are terribly scared of human hands – at best, they are not interested at all. But I have to admit that I, too, had to find this out for myself. In January this year, I happened to get unusual pets: seven Pygocentrus nattereri, also known as red-bellied piranha.
Do piranhas eat bananas?
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas.
Can you keep a single piranha?
Room to Move They come from river environments and live best in large tanks — a 100-gallon tank suits a single adult piranha; add 20 gallons for each additional piranha. If you’re keeping a black piranha as a pet, house him alone — he’s just as likely to eat another piranha as the dinner you provide him.
What fish can you keep with piranhas?
Tank Mates for Piranhas Large Cichlids, armored Catfish, and related fish like Pacus and Silver Dollars are your safest choices. However you can also try keeping them with tiny fish that are beneath their notice. Guppies, Zebra Danios, and the like are often too small to be worth chasing if your Piranhas are fed often.
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Los Alamos National Labs with logo 2021
Los Alamos pursues technology for more affordable fuel cell electric cars
New work at Los Alamos will create polymer fuel cells designed to make electric cars less expensive.
November 30, 2018
Yu Seung Kim
Yu Seung Kim has been working on research in the Materials Synthesis and Integrated Devices group for 16 years.
• Communications Office
• (505) 667-7000
Teaming up with Toyota and universities
New work at Los Alamos National Laboratory will create polymer fuel cells designed to make electric cars less expensive.
The Laboratory will receive $2.9 million from the Department of Energy and ARPA-E (Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy) for the three-year project, slated to begin on Feb. 1, 2019.
Other institutions that are helping the Lab with this project include Toyota, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Texas at Austin, University of New Mexico and Xergy Inc.
A fuel cell car is an electric car that will only run if the operating temperature of the engine is hydrated and below 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). If the internal temperature goes above 100 degrees Celsius, the water will evaporate and the car won’t run.
Lowering temperature, going waterless
Yu Seung Kim and his team’s job is to create a fuel cell that will allow an electric car to run without having to keep the engine cool or using water.
“I proposed to make a fuel cell that will work above 100 degrees Celsius, up to 230 degrees Celsius (446 degrees Fahrenheit) without using water,” Kim said.
Kim said that if they could develop the fuel cells successfully, radiators in electric cars could be smaller, and even eliminated.
The radiator in a vehicle keeps the engine cool. But with the new fuel cells, the engine won’t have to be as cool, and the radiator could be much smaller.
According to Kim, a smaller radiator would make the vehicle lighter and less expensive by creating room for the fuel cell stack, which would increase the power by 20-30 percent. Kim added that using the new fuel cell technology would also allow other components such as the humidifier and demister to be removed.
Striving for luxury
The fuel cells will be made of an ion-pair coordinated polymer membrane that is designed to provide a higher rate of proton conductivity across a wide range of temperatures. The new fuel cells also will help increase the power of car.
“We can increase the power to make a Tesla-like fuel cell car,” Kim said. “People think of Tesla as a fancy car, and people like to have a fancy car. They have a nice design, power, speed and luxury.”
While the new fuel cells will certainly make electric cars fancier, Kim says his goal is to make a fuel cell car that is affordable, as opposed to a battery-powered electric car.
“This will be a very challenging project, but the reward will be great. If successful, this will change the paradigm of fuel cell technology,” Kim said.
He has spent his entire 16-year career at Los Alamos in the Materials Synthesis and Integrated Devices group. Developments from this project can be used for other conversion technologies, such as ammonia production and high-temperature direct liquid fuel cells.
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Evidence suggests that talk therapy, second-generation antidepressants, and a CNS stimulant used for ADHD are all safe and effective treatments for adults with binge-eating disorder. The systematic evidence review and meta-analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder, affecting about 3 percent of the U.S. population. Binge-eating disorder is characterized by recurrent, brief, psychologically distressing episodes of out-of-control eating. During a binge-eating episode, patients eat larger amounts of food than most people would consume under similar circumstances. Binge-eating disorder is associated with poorer psychological and physical well-being and may result in chronic health conditions. Treatment for binge-eating disorder aims to reduce binge frequency and disordered eating-related conditions, improve metabolic health and weight, and regulate mood. Treatment approaches include psychological and behavioral treatments, pharmacologic treatments, and combinations of the two, but the best treatment options are unclear.
Researchers reviewed published evidence to summarize evidence about the benefits and harms of psychological and pharmacologic therapies for adults with binge-eating disorder. They found strong evidence that therapist-led cognitive behavior therapy, second generation antidepressants, and lisdexamfetamine (a CNS stimulant commonly used for ADHD) all reduced the frequency of binge eating, increased the likelihood of achieving abstinence from binge-eating, and improved other eating-related psychological outcomes. There was less compelling evidence for other forms of cognitive behavior therapy and topiramate (an anticonvulsant commonly used to treat seizure disorder). This evidence will help to inform recommendations for treating adults with binge-eating disorder.
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Menopause is not a disease!
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) describes a woman’s life in 7year cycles. This means that the normal time for menopause to occur is around 49 years. Menopause is not a disease, instead it is a process that may take some years to complete.
TCM believes that menstrual blood is the physical form of the “pure essence” of the body. When a woman ceases to lose this precious essence each month, it rises to nourish the brain, hence menopause signals the beginning of woman’s time of great wisdom. Ladies, if we don’t believe tthis, who will?
However menopause can be a very uncomfortable time. Simply devastating hot flushes, mental vague-outs and emotional confusion, can make us question our very sanity. All these problems can have a simple physical basis and can be overcome with acupuncture and herbs:
Hot flushes, Night-sweats
Mood swings, Irritability, Poor memory
Dryness, Tiredness, Weight gain.
Most of the menopause symptoms result from a weakened Kidney Yin (reproductive energy). While Kidney Yin naturally lessens with age, some things make it wear out faster: dietary habits, childbirth, overwork, worry, modern fast lifestyle, contraceptive pills. Luckily it can be replenished.
Acupuncture and herbs provide an alternative to chemical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) without risk of breast cancer, depression and weight gain. Herbal support will be needed periodically during the menopause time to ensure a successful transition. Because menopause affects each woman differently, treatment must be tailored to suit each individual woman.
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Restless leg syndrome could be a vein issue
Dr. Joseph Magnant
Special to The News-Press
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Restless legs syndrome symptoms start or become worse when a patient is resting.
Restless leg syndrome (RLS) or Willis-Eckbom disease is a neurological disorder in which the person who suffers from it has a constant urge to move his or her legs.
RLS most strongly affects people during times of inactivity and can make it extremely difficult for a person to relax, rest, or sleep. While RLS can appear in a person at any age, it is considered both a progressive disease and a spectrum disease. RLS symptoms can either become worse over time or better, depending on the patient, and the severity of symptoms also varies strongly from patient to patient.
What is RLS?
In order for patients to be officially diagnosed with restless legs syndrome, they must meet the following criteria:
• Patients have a strong urge to move their legs, which they may not be able to resist.
• RLS symptoms start or become worse when a patient is resting.
• RLS symptoms get better when patients move their legs. Relief persists as long as the motor activity continues.
• RLS symptoms are worse in the evening, especially when lying down.
Many cases have shown that RLS occurs as a result of and is associated with venous reflux disease or venous insufficiency.
Swollen, achy legs could be vein disease
Venous contribution
Veins are blood vessels that are specially designed to pump blood back toward the heart, against the force of gravity. Inside the veins are a series of one-way valves that open and close with the rhythm of muscle contractions. Healthy valves close tightly, keeping blood moving upward toward the heart. With vein disease or venous insufficiency, the valves do not close properly, causing symptoms.
Venous insufficiency has many signs and symptoms and they go beyond the visible varicose veins. They include swollen, achy and heavy legs, skin discoloration and ulceration. Vein disease can be a contributing factor in the development of RLS.
With venous insufficiency, the valves of the deep and/or superficial veins of the lower extremities are either stuck or scarred in the open position or, more often, are floppy and continue to open, or prolapse, beyond the closed position. This results in reflux, or backward blood flow in the veins, which produces increased hydrostatic pressure in the downstream venous system.
Typically, the normal pressure in healthy veins is approximately 10 millimeters of mercury at the level of the ankle when a patient is standing. If the valves are leaking from the groin all the way down to the ankle, by the end of the day the pressure could be as high as 50 or 60 millimeters of mercury. All of that extra pressure causes fluid to leak out of the veins into the skin, fat and muscle, causing pain and swelling.
It is thought that the return of this fluid, which contains water and protein, from the muscles back into the lymph vessels at night, when the legs are elevated, can trigger a cellular electrolyte imbalance and the symptoms of RLS. Thus, RLS symptoms often go hand-in-hand with venous insufficiency. However, not everyone with RLS has venous insufficiency, and not everyone with venous insufficiency has RLS.
We recommend that, before patients start taking prescription medication for restless legs syndrome, they request a consult by a qualified vein specialist. He or she will likely perform ultrasound evaluation to identify whether there is significant underlying venous insufficiency that might be causing or contributing to their problem.
There is no downside to getting an ultrasound; there is no radiation involved, no needles, no pain and it is a physiologic test that reveals which veins are leaking and how much they are leaking. Venous ultrasound for insufficiency is conservative and noninvasive, and it accurately identifies which patients are most likely to benefit from treatment.
Clearly, other causes of RLS exist, however, we encourage patients to consider venous insufficiency as a contributing factor and to request a venous insufficiency evaluation by an experienced vein specialist prior to undergoing a million-dollar workup for other diagnoses or initiating medical therapy for RLS.
One such treatment for varicose veins is endovenous ablation therapy, a procedure that uses heat in either lasers or radio frequencies to seal off and close affected veins. Many patients report immediate relief in their symptoms, and, because the procedure is minimally invasive and relatively painless, most patients are able to resume their normal activities almost immediately and experience no interruption in their work or home life as a result.
If you are experiencing RLS, seeing a physician who specializes in vein disorders could be the most important step you take toward alleviating your discomfort.
-- Dr. Joseph Magnant is a vascular surgeon and vein expert with Vein Specialists, 1510 Royal Palm Square Blvd., #101, Fort Myers and 3359 Woods Edge Circle, #102, Bonita Springs.; 239-694-8346
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Montaigne on the work of human reason
The sixteenth-century philosopher Michel de Montaigne pondered human reason. He observed:
I was recently letting my mind range wildly, as I often do, over how human reason is a vacant and rambling instrument. I normally see that men, if you ask them about facts, occupy themselves most willingly in searching for reasons rather than in searching for truth. They ignore the things that exist right there, and occupy themselves with examining causes … They pass over the actualities, but they examine carefully consequences. They begin normally in this way: “How does this come about?” — But does it actually exist? That is what should be said! Our discourse is capable of decorating a hundred other worlds and discovering their principles and foundations.
{ Je ravassois presentement, comme je faicts souvant, sur ce, combien l’humaine raison est un instrument libre et vague. Je vois ordinairement que les hommes, aux faicts qu’on leur propose, s’amusent plus volontiers à en cercher la raison qu’à en cercher la verité : ils laissent là les choses, et s’amusent à traiter les causes. … Ils passent par dessus les effects, mais ils en examinent curieusement les consequences. Ils commencent ordinairement ainsi: Comment est-ce que cela se faict? — Mais se fait il? faudroit il dire. Nostre discours est capable d’estoffer cent autres mondes et d’en trouver les principes et la contexture. }[1]
Montaigne respected Greek and Latin classics as repositories of human experience and wisdom. He preferred specific things and events embedded in narrative over speculative theory. In short, he recognized value in realistic stories.
Portrait of Michel de Montaigne about 1565
Sex with a lame person has long been regarded as more pleasing than sex with a non-lame person. The eminent Christian theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam early in the sixteenth century cited in Greek and Latin the proverb, “The lame man best performs as a man {Ἄριστα χωλὸς οἰφεῖ / Claudus optime virum agit}.”[2] This classical wisdom wasn’t merely elite thinking. Drawing upon the authority of Erasmus, Montaigne declared:
It’s said that in Italy a common proverb asserts that one who hasn’t had sex with a lame woman doesn’t know sex in its sweet perfection. Chance, or some particular incident, long ago placed that saying in the mouth of the common people. And this is said for males as well as females, for to the Scythian who solicited her for sex, the Queen of the Amazons responded, “The lame man does it the best.”
{ on dict en Italie, en commun proverbe, que celuy-là ne cognoit pas Venus en sa parfaicte douceur qui n’a couché avec la boiteuse. La fortune, ou quelque particulier accident, ont mis il y a long temps ce mot en la bouche du peuple ; et se dict des masles comme des femelles. Car la Royne des Amazonnes respondit au Scyte qui la convioit à l’amour: Ἄριστα χωλὸς οἰφεῖ, le boiteux le faict le mieux. }[3]
The Amazons rejected their male children and attacked any men who entered their land. Amazons liked to dominate men. They could more easily dominate lame men.
Montaigne reasoned about the sexual superiority of lame persons. He explained:
I would have said that the erratic movement of the lame woman brought some new pleasure to the work and some prick of sweetness to those who tried it, but I have just learned that ancient philosophy itself has decided the cause. Philosophy says that the legs and thighs of lame women cannot receive, because of their imperfection, the nourishment that normally goes to them. It thus occurs that the genitals, which are above, become more full, more nourished, and more vigorous. Or it could well be that, since this defect inhibits exercise, those who are marred by it dissipate less of their strength and thus come more fully to the games of sex. That is also the reason why the Greeks proclaimed women who worked at the loom to be more hot in lust than other women. It was because of the sedentary job that these women did, a job without major exercise of the body.
{ J’eusse dict que le mouvement detraqué de la boiteuse apportast quelque nouveau plaisir à la besongne et quelque pointe de douceur à ceux qui l’essayent, mais je viens d’apprendre que mesme la philosophie ancienne en a decidé: elle dict que, les jambes et cuisses des boiteuses ne recevant, à cause de leur imperfection, l’aliment qui leur est deu, il en advient que les parties genitales, qui sont au dessus, sont plus plaines, plus nourries et vigoureuses. Ou bien que, ce defaut empeschant l’exercice, ceux qui en sont entachez dissipent moins leurs forces et en viennent plus entiers aux jeux de Venus. Qui est aussi la raison pourquoy les Grecs descrioient les tisserandes d’estre plus chaudes que les autres femmes: à cause du mestier sedentaire qu’elles font, sans grand exercice du corps. }[4]
One might question the validity of this reasoning. Montaigne noted:
About what could we not reason in that way there? About those weavers, here I could also say that the back-and-forth movement of their seated work therefore gives them arousal and stimulation, like the jerking and shaking of coaches does for ladies. Do not these examples serve to show what I said at the beginning: our reasons often go before the actuality, and have the extent of their jurisdiction so infinite, that they judge and apply themselves even to the void itself and to the non-existent?
{ De-quoy ne pouvons nous raisonner à ce pris là? De celles icy je pourrois aussi dire que ce tremoussement que leur ouvrage leur donne ainsin assises les esveille et sollicite, comme faict les dames le crolement et tremblement de leurs coches. Ces exemples servent-ils pas à ce que je disois au commencement: que nos raisons anticipent souvent l’effect, et ont l’estendue de leur jurisdiction si infinie, qu’elles jugent et s’exercent en l’inanité mesme et au non estre? }
Such working of reason can even colonize immediate experience. Montaigne observed:
Outside of the flexibility of our inventiveness in forging reasons for all sorts of fancies, our imagination similarly can find itself easily receiving false impressions from very fanciful appearances. Based on the sole authority of ancient and widespread repetition of that saying about a lame woman, I once made myself to believe that I had received more pleasure from a women because she wasn’t rightly formed, and I even accounted this among her graces.
{ Outre la flexibilité de nostre invention à forger des raisons à toute sorte de songes, nostre imagination se trouve pareillement facile à recevoir des impressions de la fauceté par bien frivoles apparences. Car, par la seule authorité de l’usage ancien et publique de ce mot, je me suis autresfois faict à croire avoir reçeu plus de plaisir d’une femme de ce qu’elle n’estoit pas droicte, et mis cela en recepte de ses graces. }[5]
The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing and explains only capriciously. Humans are a rationalizing animal.
the evidence suggests that disabled people were ironically seen as more unreal or inhuman than the anatomical drawing or the mythical figure of Adonis in the garden. It was only in this way that the idea of a ‘natural’ individual, one whose body and desires fit within accepted parameters, could be maintained. To allow the disabled individual to live and love without comment was to accept a continuum wherein no one fit the physical or erotic ideals that accompanied the changing beliefs of the spirit or the emerging science of the body. In Garland-Thomson’s terminology, the anatomical standard had to be ‘shored up’ by the infinite variety of the lecherous grotesque and the sexual sinner, in order to eventually emerge in the form of the normate, the socially sanctioned object of erotic desire.[6]
Reason’s best hope is in studying imaginative literature created before today’s dominant ideologies colonized our minds. Reason can then better perceive lack of imagination.
* * * * *
Read more:
[1] Michel de Montaigne, Essays {Essais}, Book 3, Chapter 11, “On the lame {Des boyteux},” French text from the Villey & Saulnier (1965) version of the 1595 edition of Essais, my English translation, benefiting from that of Screech (1993). Subsequent English translations from Montaigne’s Essais are similarly sourced.
[2] Erasmus of Rotterdam {Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus}, Adages {Adagia}, 1849 (2.9.49), Greek and Latin text via Corpus Corporum (alternate source), my English translation. An alternate, moralizing translation: “The lame man makes the best lecher.” Mynors et al. (1982-2006) vol. 34, p. 108.
Erasmus provided a general sense of the proverb:
Customarily used when someone prefers his own lot, though it may be far from grand, to another man’s, though it seems preferable.
{ Dici solitum, ubi quispiam suam sortem vel parum egregiam anteponit alienae tametsi praestantiori. }
But Erasmus also provided an explanation for the literal sense, apparently under the assumption that the literal sense is true:
The same thing has been observed in our own day. Those who have deformed legs or lack some other limb are often sexually more effective than the rest of men, presumably by way of some natural compensation.
{ Animadversum est etiam illud nostris temporibus, plerunque qui tibiis sunt mutilis aut quopiam membro trunci, eos ad usum Veneris reliquis magis idoneos esse, nimirum paria faciente natura. }
Id. pp. 108-9. Montaigne may have been mocking Erasmus for his reasoning about a lame man’s sexual superiority.
Erasmus first distributed his Adagia in 1500. He subsequently expanded it until his death in 1536. Here’s a list of all Erasmus’s adages in Latin.
[3] Montaigne, Essais, from “Des boyteux.” All subsequent quotes from Montaigne are also from this chapter.
[4] In reference to ancient philosophy, Montaigne follows Erasmus’s explanation of better sex with the lame from Problemata attributed to Aristotle.
[5] Runyon (2013) detected symmetry in Montaigne’s Essais in chapters around the center chapter of each book. In Book 3 (consisting of 13 chapters), the symmetric chapter to “Des boyteux” (chapter 11) is “Of three kinds of intercourse {De trois commerces}” (chapter 3). In “De trois commerces,” Montaigne wrote:
On my part, I no more know Venus without Cupid than a maternity without offspring. These are things that lend and owe their essence to each other.
{ De moy, je ne connois non plus Venus sans Cupidon qu’une maternité sans engence: ce sont choses qui s’entreprestent et s’entredoivent leur essence. }
Montaigne apparently is saying that he no more knows sex without love than maternity without offspring. Here the phrase “ne connois non plus Venus” connects to “ne cognoit pas Venus” in “Des boyeux.” Id. pp. 203-4. Montaigne apparently didn’t just have casual sex with a crippled woman; he also loved her. Cf. id.
[6] McLelland (2017) p. 204.
[image] Portrait of Michel de Montaigne. Painted about 1565. Via Wikimedia Commons.
McLelland, Kaye. 2017. “The lame man makes the best lecher: Sex, sin, and the disabled Renaissance body.” Pp. 189-209 in Lidman, Satu, Meri Heinonen, Tom Linkinen, and Marjo Kaartinen, eds. Framing Premodern Desires: sexual ideas, attitudes, and practices in Europe. Crossing Boundaries: Turku Medieval and Early Modern Studies 9. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
Mynors, R.A.B. et al. 1982-2006. Erasmus. Adages. Vols. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 in Collected Works of Erasmus. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Runyon, Randolph Paul. 2013. Order in Disorder: intratextual symmetry in Montaigne’s Essais. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press.
Screech, M. A., trans. 1993. Michel de Montaigne: the Complete Essays. London, England: Penguin Books.
Villey, Pierre, and Verdun Louis Saulnier. 1965. Les Essais de Michel de Montaigne. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
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St. Kitts and Nevis, also known in the country’s constitution as Saint Christopher and Nevis, has been independent since 1983 and forms part of the group of islands known as the Lesser Antilles located some 2,000 km to the southeast of Miami. The Federation comprises two islands: Nevis with an area of some 93.2 km2 and St. Kitts with 168.4 km2.
St. Kitts is 23 miles long and 5 miles across at its widest, encompassing an area of 69 square miles. Nevis, the smaller island, lies to the south and is approximately 7 miles in diameter, covering a total of 36 square miles. The two islands support a population of about 46,000, of whom about 35,000 live on the island of St. Kitts and 11,000 live on the island of Nevis. Both islands are volcanic in origin, with central mountain ranges that dominate the landscape and radiate downward to the coasts. Most flat or moderately sloped land occurs near the coast, and as a result, most urban and agricultural developments and settlements are established in that geographic area.
The official and business language is English. The Federation is a member of the United Nations (UN), of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the British Commonwealth, CARICOM and many other international organisations. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has its headquarters on St. Kitts. It maintains the stability of the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$), the national currency of most Eastern Caribbean countries. St. Kitts and Nevis is a well-functioning democracy based on the British parliamentary system.
The country has a pleasant climate, particularly during the cooler months from December to March. Humidity is relatively low, and constant northeast trade winds keep the islands cool.
Learn more about St. Kitts and Nevis by visiting: and
Christchurch Bridge
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A variable is assigned when it is assigned to a value. A literal is the value a variable is assigned to. The literal of a variable must be a type of data that matches the data type of the variable. //declared datatype identifier; //assigned identifier = literal; float a = 2.004F
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24/7 news has inundated us with stories from the U.S. and across the globe of natural disasters and their effects on terrain, climate, municipal systems, and residential and commercial property. The news is not exactly uplifting, but it has raised the overall awareness on the importance of humanitarian engineering and the benefits it brings. While disasters raise the consciousness of the population and shed light on the topic, humanitarian engineering is most often utilized in the context of ordinary day-to-day life; it can, though, be utilized in the school setting.
What Is Humanitarian Engineering?
According to The Greek Herald, “Humanitarian Engineering involves the design, building, and use of machines and structures to assist communities at risk.”
Humanitarian engineering seeks out solutions for improving access to sanitation, heat, water, shelter, and larger markets tied to the developed world. Humanitarian engineering has been around for a long time, but the actual term wasn’t commonplace until the early 2000s, as it became a defined area of specialization.
What are the Benefits to High School Students?
Many colleges and universities have humanitarian engineering programs. It is a reputable program of study that prepares students for life-improving and life-saving work. Even if students choose another field of study in college, exposure and awareness of humanitarian engineering and its various purposes give students a wider and more comprehensive view of the world and challenges that many developing nations face. In short, it makes them better global citizens: they may choose a field of study indirectly related to humanitarian engineering, volunteer their time, or become a financial contributor to related causes.
Ways to Embrace Humanitarian Engineering in High School
While there is not a lot of literature on humanitarian engineering as it relates to high school courses of study, this does not mean it is not being discussed or included in high school coursework. Within the high school curriculum, the potential uses for it within student learning are plentiful.
Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning has been a common mode of study for a couple of decades now. It would be an excellent way to incorporate the field of humanitarian engineering in actual and hypothetical scenarios. If going off campus to other community locations is possible, students would have hands-on experiences in aiding communities of need as they learn alongside professionals doing the work.
Hypothetical scenarios are also a possibility as the work of humanitarian engineering is simulated for students through instructional technology and other means. While this would not include a real scenario, it would put students in a position to have to think through and problem solve as humanitarian engineers regularly do.
Distance Learning
Technology can facilitate links to areas where the work of humanitarian engineering is being done. Observing work being done and interacting with professionals on site are possibilities.
STEM classes are excellent opportunities to learn about the latest advancements in technology and how that is being used by humanitarian engineers across a wide array of platforms.
Course Specific
High schools can create specific humanitarian engineering courses, and the vocational “schools of technology” can add humanitarian engineering as a field to major in.
Cross-Curricular Units
Math, language arts, science, civics, and social studies can each cover an angle of humanitarian engineering, whether it’s about the actual math and science that goes into solving the challenges of engineering, the role politics plays, or the human element as communities, families, and individuals face real adversity on a daily basis.
Schools can facilitate humanitarian engineering experiences as part of a student’s required community hours needed to graduate. This would be a great civic learning opportunity for students.
As the field of humanitarian engineering grows, more high school students will readily identify it as a potential field of study for college. Consequently, high schools will add more courses that cover this topic, as it becomes as commonplace as teaching, law, medicine, law enforcement, and other fields.
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Stress of dealing with flooding can be overwhelming to farmers
April 19, 2019
Image with file name: Field.jpg
NOTE: In light of the recent Midwest floods, this is the second in a series of safe flood recovery stories to assist people in their recovery efforts.
Nebraska’s farmers had more than enough stress to manage before this year’s flooding events ravaged a huge swath of farm properties, businesses and communities. Now the uncertainty farmers face in crop and livestock operations may seem overwhelming.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Nebraska Extension want farmers and their communities to know "You are not alone. We care about you!" and help is just a call - or even a text - away.
"We know it’s sometimes difficult to talk about the stress we experience," said Susan Harris-Broomfield, Nebraska Extension Educator - Rural Health, Wellness and Safety. "Reaching out can be as simple as texting ‘GO’ to 741741 to connect with the National Suicide Prevention Crisis Text Line. It’s free, and there’s 24/7 support to crisis counselors."
The initial effects of the March 14 collapse of the Spencer Dam were traumatic enough, wiping out bridges, roads, buildings and animals. But, the effects of that catastrophic event will greatly intensify the stress farmers and farm communities will undergo for years to come.
The Life Change Index is a scale that rates the impact individuals experience with different life changes. Sudden change has a physical, emotional and psychological effect on our body. It reorders important routines, sending our physical being into turmoil and resulting in significant stress.
"Cortisol is our built-in ‘fight-or-flight’ alarm system, our body’s main stress hormone," Harris-Broomfield said. "It works in conjunction with our brain to control mood, motivation and fear. When it’s at normal levels, it aids a number of body functions. But when stress remains and we continue to overproduce cortisol, it has significant damaging effects."
Excess levels of cortisol can disrupt normal body functions, leading to anxiety and depression, headaches, heart disease, memory and concentration problems, digestive problems, insomnia and weight gain.
"When cortisol levels remain high, it can increase blood sugar levels, putting a strain on your pancreas," Harris-Broomfield said. "It can suppress your immune system and cause high blood pressure, setting the stage for a heart attack or stroke."
While cortisol wreaks havoc with important body functions, emotional and psychological functions also suffer. The effects that prolonged stress has on our brain may not be highly visible in the early stages of a stressful event. However, over a period of time, the effect of mental stress can lead to depression, anxiety and personality disorders.
"While we sleep, our brain flushes out harmful toxins that build up there each day," Harris-Broomfield said. "A good night’s sleep boosts memory, concentration and learning. Someone constantly under major stress is losing the benefits sleep provides."
When stress is prolonged, people can become physically exhausted, experience forgetfulness and high levels of anxiety. A person who was typically well-balanced, friendly and outgoing may find they lose their sense of humor, desire to isolate themselves from others and develop a negative outlook on life.
"If the stress continues, it becomes a downward spiral that individuals can’t pull themselves out of unless they have help to do that," Harris-Broomfield said.
"Active listening" is the approach Harris-Broomfield recommends for family members and friends of those under stress. Active listening techniques include demonstrating concern, gathering information to help you understand, giving nonverbal cues such as nodding and leaning forward, and restating what you heard in your own words.
"Listen without judgment," Harris-Broomfield said. "If you see any sign that suggests a person may be considering suicide, just ask them, "Are you having thoughts of suicide?"
Warning signs of suicide include someone threatening to hurt or kill himself/herself; talking about wanting to die, especially if someone is wielding a weapon and intending to harm himself/herself with it.
Additional signals include talk of feeling hopeless or being a burden, giving away possessions, using alcohol or drugs excessively, acquiring a firearm and having questions about insurance in the event of a death. These signs should be especially concerning if these kinds of actions are out of the ordinary for that person.
"A lot of people are shocked if you ask them whether or not they’re considering suicide, but often, if they are, they will answer yes," Harris-Broomfield saif. "Don’t worry that you’re putting the idea in their head. Just ask. If they answer ‘yes,’ don’t leave them alone. Immediately call or text someone for help. It’s very helpful to have hotline phone numbers in your phone, so they’re readily available if you need them."
Harris-Broomfield emphasized that all available extension resources for Nebraska farmers, ranchers and their families are free.
"We’re rolling out a new webinar for farm and ranch families," she said.
Nebraska Extension Educators Glennis McClure and Brandy VanDeWalle will present "Wellness in Tough Times," a free webinar that will provide strategies for dealing with the stress of farming or ranching in today’s difficult economic environment. The live webinar will air at noon (CDT) on April 23 and can be accessed at
Following the April 23 airing, the webinar can be watched at
For more information, contact VanDeWalle at or (402)759-3712.
"Communicating With Farmers Under Stress" is a Nebraska Extension program intended to help agribusiness professionals as they meet and work with farmers and ranchers. The two-hour workshops, which will be held in five different locations across the state, will help build awareness around potentially stressful conditions some farmers are facing.
"The workshop will help participants identify stress triggers and signs of stress," Harris-Broomfield said. "Presenters also will talk about helpful techniques for responding to people under stress. Some farmers may struggle to effectively cope with stress, and presenters will talk about how to identify, approach and work with them. We’ll also provide information on where to turn for additional help and provide resources information for many different situations."
Dates and locations for the workshops will be released soon. For more information on the workshops, contact Harris-Broomfield at
Harris-Broomfield said machinery breakdowns, debt loads, volatile markets, sleep deprivation, changing regulations and the pressure to hold onto multi-generational farms are just some of the issues Nebraska’s farmers will deal with over coming weeks, months and years.
"Don’t be ashamed to reach out for help," she said. "All of these things impact us as much mentally as physically. We’re Nebraska Strong, but sometimes that might mean having the strength to reach out for help."
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At 32 degrees Fahrenheit water can exist as a fluid, a gas, and also as a strong 보험디비 판매. It is a popular reality that the freezing point of water is 32 levels.
This is just one of those widely known science things that are not actually real. Water can exist at that temperature yet that does not indicate it freezes at that temperature. The melting point of ice is likewise 32 levels and also clearly. It can not be both melting and freezing at the same time. In fact, water can exist in the fluid state at 50 below zero. It all relies on the purity of the water. The freezing point of water in the ocean has to do with 28.4 levels as a result of the salt. When water ends up being gas, it is stated to evaporate. When the ice goes straight to gas it is claimed to sublimate.
Many people in my house state of Alaska think that when it is below freezing as well as fog exists. It is an Ice Haze (a haze composed of ice crystals). That is not true. Ice fog does not form until the temperature reaches around 25 below zero F. The very same point happens with clouds. Cloud beads do not come to be ice till the temperature reaches concerning 25 below. Reduced as well as Middle-level clouds (approximately 20,000 feet) are made up of water droplets and also High clouds. Such as Cirrus is made up of ice crystals.
It is common early in the morning
point of water
in the past, much sound is being produced as well as when it is really cold. For a disturbance to cause ice fog to form. For example. When a plane starts up. The disturbance in some instances will quickly cause ice haze to form over the whole flight terminal. To put it simply, the wetness existed in a fluid state. However the disturbance or sound created it to freeze and also became visible. In Fairbanks, Alaska where it gets extremely cold and also there is hefty ice fog you can drive up capital. As well as get over the fog due to the fact that you have actually climbed up over the temperature level inversion. It has actually warmed up.
It is rather fascinating to watch a thermostat placed on a little plane as you come in for a touchdown on a very cool day. The temperature level might drop 20 or 30 levels in just a couple of secs.
One more interesting sensation is the Rime Ice point of water
When it is unclear as well as really chilly as well as air relocates the water bits and also strikes an object, ice crystals form on the things as well as can be several inches thick and also can be rather gorgeous.
Humidity is the measure of the quantity of water vapor airborne and is expressed as a percentage of what the air can hold, from 0 to 100 percent. In the desert moisture of less than 10 percent is common, whereas in tropical climates 90 percent is common. When the air gets to 100 percent it is stated to be filled and it will certainly form haze or rainfall will occur.
Dew Point is the temperature level at which condensation will certainly take place if other variables are held continuously. If the temperature level is 80 and also the humidity is 70, condensation will certainly take place if the air temperature level is reduced to 70. This can be seen when you have a glass of your favored beverage with ice in it as well as condensation forms beyond the glass. The air around the glass has actually been decreased to the dew point as well as the water airborne has compressed on the glass.
Freezing rain takes place from warm air aloft and afterward, is up to a much cooler surface area where it freezes. Freezing rainfall is really unsafe for aircraft, trees, and also power lines. In addition to driving on icy roads.
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Schonbrunner Zoo Is The World’s Oldest Zoo
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A 260th anniversary is momentous for any establishment but it is particularly impressive for a zoo and this is exactly what the Schonbrunner Zoo at Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, was celebrating in 2012. This historic zoo has gone on a long journey from old-fashioned menagerie to modern conservation park via some highs as a Victorian fashion spot and some lows where its future was uncertain. Today the zoo is highly commended and makes many must-see lists.
Schonbrunner Zoo is probably most famous for being the oldest zoo in the world, having been officially founded in 1752, but some visitors are unaware of how long a history this wildlife park really has. Forms of animal husbandry have been practiced in one form or another since the 1500s and the 1750s was just the turning point from menagerie to fully fledged zoo and visitor attraction. One of the most iconic structures in the zoo is the Kaiser Pavilion café in center, which was built in 1759 and can now be rented for private functions, but there are reminders of the zoo’s past everywhere, from the farmhouse dating back to 1722 to the stylish, 19th century monkey house. From its official birthday to the start of the 20th century, the zoo has built up an impressive collection of species – 717 by 1914 – and has had some key moments, such as the fashion trend sparked by the arrival of the giraffes in 1828 and the first birth of a captive elephant in 1906.
When modern visitors learn a zoo’s age there is often some concern about how well the establishment has adapted to modern conservation ideas, changing visitor expectations and new techniques in habitat management; conservation and old Victorian cages do not go together so what should visitors expect from a zoo founded in the 18th century? The answer is a surprising amount because even though there was a crisis in 1987, when visitor numbers declined due to the zoo’s standards and the park faced closure, major renovations and rescue efforts in the 1990s brought it to a new level and the Schonbrunner Zoo transformed into the well-loved, award-winning conservation park it is today. These modern changes included new, enriched habitats for its animals – such as a suitable outdoor area for orangutans – increased use of renewable energy with a solar roof on the elephant house and greater conservation efforts for rare species. Giant pandas were introduced to the zoo in 2003 and are one of the few groups to be breeding successfully.
The Highlights
Today the zoo is very proud of its many specialized areas and habitats, such as the refurbished aquarium, but two areas that are sure to impress and excite visitors are the rainforest exhibit and the polarium. This air-conditioned polarium was constructed in 2004 as a way of providing better habitats for sea lions, king penguins and rockhopper penguins and showcasing more natural behavior. These tailor-made areas include rocks and vegetation at the optimal temperature and a large pool for catching the fish being thrown to them. Over at the 1000 square meter rainforest, which was built for the 250th anniversary, there is a rich ecology to observe with mammals like otters and gliders, beautiful birds, pythons and iguanas and a range of amphibians, fish and insects. What makes this center even more incredible is the computer controlled weather system for extra realism.
With so much to see and so many different areas and houses it is important that visitors give themselves enough time to explore, especially when the houses close earlier than the park itself, and that they take advantage of all the opportunities on offer. As well as the cafes, gift shops and other traditional facilities, guests can enjoy special days and packages that present the animals and environments in a new light. A great example of this is the Dive package in the polarium where people can watch the seals in a specially lit viewing area with added commentary.
Historical Zoo with Modern Edge
When you take into account all the changes that have been made in this environmental park over the last 260 years, it is not hard to see why it makes peoples’ must see lists and wins numerous awards. It has certainly come a long way since the days when the zoo was only open one day a week to the “decently dressed” and the combination of the successful breeding programs, change of image, rare species and beautiful historic grounds are a hard act to follow.
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A Todo Color
Feature Documentary Film
Music / Social-Political
In the 90's, during the most devastating crisis in Cuban history, a generation of musicians had to sacrifice home to free their art and survive. Through intimate interviews, these artists chronicle their defiant personal journeys that changed the history of Cuban music.
A Todo Color also includes concert scenes that capture the dynamism and prowess of these talented musicians.
It was a time dubbed as “The Special Period”, Cuba was suffering a fierce economic, political and social crisis that drowned the country in misery, hunger and desperation. Cubans turned to music once again as their only means of expression during the most oppressive times in the nation's history. As a result, a new generation of talented musicians and songwriters arose, carrying the torch for a people desperately seeking freedom.
The Cuban government decided to freeze all exportation of art and shut off the world from the rich evolution that music was experiencing within the country's borders. This led to decreasing career opportunities for Cuban musicians, on the island and abroad. While some chose to stay and fight the oppressive system from within, others felt forced to flee the island in hopes to save their art and survive. A Todo Color is a feature documentary that chronicles the story of these musicians.
Why this period of Cuban music? Why these characters?
All the artists in this film are my personal idols. Habana Abierta, Gema Corredera, Horacio El Negro, Roberto Carcasses, Pavel Urkiza, all of them, I'm very passionate about their music and very intrigued by them. Their music is rich and complicated and take lyrics very seriously. I'm very vocal in my dislike for the music my generation continues to make popular nowadays and I waive the music the artists in our film make as a desperate cry to save an art form.
More importantly, their stories are fascinating, and capture the reality of an entire generation of Cubans, my parent's generation.
Why is the social aspect important for this documentary?
Art has always been what we use to reflect the moment we are in, to celebrate the virtues we enjoy and to give voice to the crisis that we undergo, or at least that's how I see it. So if we don't understand the reality that surrounds the artists, their music is less relevant. To understand the power that the music in our film has, you have to understand the social implications that it carries with it.
What are the origins of the film's aesthetic?
We set out to make a film that would mix Woodstock with Baraka, which are possibly two of the greatest films ever made but also two films that enjoyed real motion picture budgets. We were aiming to mix the two on our first ever film and with no money, so we understood we were going to have to make significant sacrifices. Woodstock does a great job of putting the viewer in a place where you feel you are at the concert. It covers the performances beautifully, its very organic, and we wanted to take that into our concert scenes, we wanted our viewers to feel like they are in attendance at the concerts. Baraka, on the other hand, is a great film that uses the power of motion photography to capture the human world.
Randy Valdes
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Size / / /
Imagine such a closed environment, hurdling through space, several generations on. What interesting possibilities we have here, both narratively speaking as well as culturally and scientifically! It’s a unique concept for certain, one that poses questions you won’t get in regular secondary world-building in science fiction or fantasy. It’s like a terrarium amongst the stars. But how possible is it? And can we create one with simple extrapolations of our known technology of today?
It’s an interesting thought experiment, isn’t it? Strip out the extremely speculative works, dial back the projection for possible and impossible far-future technology, and focus entirely on speculation based on present knowledge. Could we create a sustainable environment that would travel amongst the stars? And would we want to?
It would be a huge financial expenditure, no doubt, and a lot of the technology used would have to be tested, tried out, and invented first. I think that’s an issue with most generation ship stories—they tend to speculate the generation ship and only the generation ship and nothing else. Like, "oh, here’s our one ticket to the stars and that’s it, we’re escaping earth because earth has been used up and ruined by the humans. Bye bye."
An artist's impression of a Generation Ship. Credit: Adrian Mann.
But that’s not how this works, that’s not how science evolves. We’re constantly reusing technology, especially those developed in our current space program. And of course, if we build a generation ship (or ships, depending), we would either reuse already existing technology from terraforming to biomes, or we would create new technology that could be reused on earth (to create a more sustainable existence on our own planet), or in our local solar system (for a human settlement on local planets, like Mars and Venus).
This kind of iterative design can lead to all sorts of interesting futuristic scenarios. With a generation ship acting as the penultimate human achievement, launching us outside of our completely inhabited solar system and into the next stage of species development. So let’s get down to it: what technologies can we make use of to build our generation ship?
This will be the biggest hurdle for interstellar travel, and one that would need to be solved before we even consider a ship that would be travelling for generations upon generations to the nearest solar system. We don’t know all of the effects of low gravity or zero gravity on the human body, but we’re starting to get a larger picture of what happens for prolonged stays, and it’s not good. Not good at all.
Bone loss, muscle loss, a change in the shape of the eyes, genetic damage, odd rashes and the like have all been experienced from extended stays on the ISS. Even with daily exercise, it’s a losing war against attrition. This is something that needs to be solved before we even consider hopping around our own solar system, let alone going the long slow travel to another star. We have no idea how an infant would be affected, going from birth to death with low or zero gravity. Could humans survive this? Would we evolve into weird floating blobs over multiple generations and genetic mutations, in order to better fit our new environment? Best not to walk down that road, with all its thorny ethical considerations.
So what to do? There are several different possible solutions, each of these with a large number of drawbacks. The most common one is the idea of linear acceleration—where the propulsion from the ship creates the near-earth gravity necessity for human existence. This kind of propulsion requires a lot of thrust, which can only currently be achieved using rocket fuel. This is a huge issue, one that cannot be easily engineered away. There is the increase of weight, the fact that a lot of rocket fuel would be required for a multi-generational trip, and the very likely possibility of running out of said fuel before the end of the voyage make this a very unlikely idea.
It’s sad, though, since linear acceleration provides a very natural alternative to earth’s gravity, one with the least amount of drawbacks and possible quirks. The other kind of artificial gravity is one that most people know about in some way or another—rotational gravity. Unlike the flaws in gravity caused by linear acceleration, the flaws in rotational gravity can be engineered away. We’ll just have to keep a few things in mind when building our generation ship, so that the gravity feels natural and earth-like, and minimizes the Coriolis effect (which can cause dizziness, disorientation, and the like, things that would make long term, multi-generation travel practically impossible).
The size of the rotating part of the ship is super important. This is where we’re starting to get closer to a super-structure, and perhaps will need to be built off-planet, just because of the sheer size of it. What would be key here is to get it as close to possible as earth gravity (g) with as low a rotation speed as possible. The lower the rotation, the less of a Coriolis effect; and it seems that the sweet spot for human habitation is around 2 rotations per minute (rpms).
The rotating spaceship in Interstellar
Another issue with rotational gravity is the energy required to keep it spinning, as we’re looking a large super structure here, that needs to hold multiple generations, a breathable atmosphere, and the 2rpm speed. The most common design for a ship like this would be a ring shape, or a wagon wheel with zero gravity tubes acting like spokes towards the center, a propulsion system. The most common example of this basic design is the Stanford Torus, and if you’ve ever seen the ending of the movie Interstellar, you’ve seen these in action.
Propulsion and Energy
Next up we’ve got the thorny issue of what to use for propulsion. The size of this ship, and fuel conservation, are going to cause a lot of issues when it comes to ways of piloting it through the cosmos. A Bussard Ramjet is a concept that’s usually tossed around, where the ramjet scoops up hydrogen, compresses it, and uses it as thermonuclear rocket. This always felt a bit perpetual-motion-ish for me to feel feasible, and it has been proven that the region surrounding our solar system has nowhere near enough hydrogen to make this work in a practical, and efficient way.
A solar sail. Art by Andrzej Mirecki, from Wikimedia Commons.
What then? A solar sail? There might be long points in this voyage without access to solar energy. The same could be said for using solar power at all for technology on board our generation ship. In a way, these two ideas are tied up together when talking about our generation ship—we’re going to need both fuel as propulsion and some form of energy for powering the interior of the ship itself.
Even if we have humans doing the brunt of the work, and AI/machination doing the bare minimum (to save on energy expenditure, among other things), we’re still going to need a form of artificial light, one that can provide humans, plants, and animals on board with the required nutrients they need to survive out in space. The usual Stanford Torus design uses mirrors to reflect sunlight into the interior, but again this won’t be feasible for long journeys between galaxies, since there will be long stretches of time when we wont have access to any sun, at all. We could use battery walls to store energy between the solar systems, but this probably wouldn’t last the several decades (or more) we would need for a generation ship style voyage.
Recently there was a proposal for a kind of nuclear fusion propellent called the Ghost Ship. It’s an interesting concept, not using the normal ignition of nuclear bombs for propulsion, but instead using nuclear lasers to create a Deuterium reaction. This kind of propulsion uses a fast ignition scheme, where fusion conditions are created through ignition instead of compression. Think of it like adding a fuse to the rockets, using a high powered laser for ignition. Instead of carrying around weighty fuel, we can use compressed fuel pellets that simply need to be ignited. the reaction itself will propel the ship forward, and the cast off energy of the fusion reaction could be stored in a battery wall, for powering the ship as well as igniting the next fuel pellet. This would allow a good deal of thrust without carrying a lot of heavy fuel around with us in space. It also has the built in bonus of allowing the ship to use the castoff neutrons from thrust to power the ship itself. It’s a win-win that tidily solves two issues. But the downside to this is that it’s untested and mostly theoretical. I have a suspicion that this might be another ramjet situation, where an ideal solution turns out to be less practical the more we learn about our universe.
Either way, energy conservation aboard the ship itself will also be key, no matter what system we use.
Also related to energy and propulsion is the necessity of shielding. Luckily for us, our current space technology of today has sufficient shielding for most interstellar crafts, by using a Whipple Shield (thin metallic bumpers, set off at some distance from the ship, which diffuse or break down the energy, so that the fragments scatter along the bumper wall.)
Resource Management
And with that said, I’m going to go on a bit of a rant for a moment, here. One of the key issues that bugs me when we discuss generation ships, or when generation ships are used in fiction, is that the idea of resource management seems to go out the window. We act like 3D printers will solve all ills, and that energy and objects are pretty much as plentiful as they would be on earth. Water, in our minds, would need to be reusable. But plastic waste from 3d printing? And how could complex technology be commonplace and bountiful?
That doesn’t make sense. We would not only need to have technology that’s built to last, but also technology that’s easy to fix. We would need technology that helps us conserve energy instead of wastes it. This, of course, brings its own issues to bear.
An interesting, and fun experiment to think about here would be the use of clockpunk-style technology for day-to-day tasks, while the main ship itself (the propulsion, navigation, atmospheric regulation, heat, light, etc) relies on our current technology. This way, the most important functionality of the ship can be as up to date as possible before launching out of our solar system, while energy conservation for individuals on board the ship will allow them to have some modern conveniences powered by wind-up springs.
It would require advances in a different kind of technology altogether. Everything would be built to last, and easy to fix once one learned the necessary tricks and tools. This is quite different from the micro-engineering that’s necessary on most breadboards these days (and that technology is always going obsolete, so it’s built to last maybe a decade, tops. If you’re lucky, you could stretch that out longer, but not by much).
This does pose some interesting thought experiments about what a culture that lived like this for several generations would be like. And it raises some interesting questions on the nature of society, and how prepared they will be for landing, and then populating an off world planet.
Biomes, Food, and Artificially Closed Loops
Here is where a generation ship has a lot in common with other aspects of space travel and colonization. We need a complex ecosystem that will keep humans alive within a closed loop. That is, it will provide enough calories, oxygen, and water that humanity can survive several generations, without any input from the outside world itself. It needs several reacting biomes that would create an atmosphere that can create its own water and oxygen levels, as well as other biological necessities for earthling life. It needs to be self-sustaining in all ways, and this requirement here seems to be the most tricky when it comes to getting humans off this rock and elsewhere.
Biosphere 2: An experimental closed system
We’ve already begun work on several different closed ecological systems. The most popular was the one failure from the 80’s called Biosphere 2. It got a lot of press coverage, which made its very public failure ingrained into the public mind. When most people think of a closed biological system, they think of what happened here, the risks and the issues, the petty fighting, and the fact that it had to close early.
But what most people don’t know, is that there have been many other attempts at creating a self-sustaining closed ecological system. Some of them very successful in their meager attempts. Of course, these were far less flashy, and have been building up incrementally over the years. MELiSSA, BIOS-2 and BIOS-3, have all been far more successful, albeit less flashy and farther from the public eye.
We still have a way to go before we find the right combination of plant life, bacterial life, and insect life that would work well on an interstellar mission and keep humans alive for a long period of time. But from what we’ve seen so far, it is very possible. It’s just not going to be a quick solution to a problem. I think that’s the case with most of the technology we’re going to use to build our (speculative, for the time being) generation ship. We’re looking at iterative technologies, built over long periods of time for various uses throughout our exploration of our own solar system.
One of the key benefits our generation ship will have over other space missions will be the sheer size of it. As we said above, the size will be important in so many different ways. But when it comes to controlled environment agriculture (for growing food, using hydroponics and other methods), this will be to our benefit: large fields of environmentally controlled closed loop systems. Vats of algae, hydroponic forests producing oxygen rich atmosphere, and tubes of hanging gardens, with fruit and vegetables growing in waste-reused gardens. Plains of grass and wheat fields, with herds of cattle, pigs, and the like grazing slowly and waiting to give humans the required nutrients for long travel through space.
We already have the technology for most of this, the tricky part will be making certain that it’s self-sustaining. It needs to act like a terrarium in the stars, self-sufficient, with each organism containing a purpose to help all the other organisms live in this artificial environment. The size of the ship will be very helpful here, since we’re looking at a mega-structure for the various reasons we listed before: the plant life, farm life, and the rest have room to grow, flourish, and thrive (unlike smaller closed systems, where the encapsulation itself is part of the issue). Artificial wind, light, gravity, and weather can also help the various flora and fauna in our proposed spaceship survive.
Culture, Society, and Economy
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now. We have yet to come up with cryogenic sleep that doesn’t kill us. One that would also stop ageing, stop the body changing, growing old, etc. Using what we know of our current possible technology, we would need to have everyone alive, thriving, and moving about on this generation ship if it is to be a true colony ship.
Hence the need for a sustaining ecosystem on the ship itself. This sustaining ecosystem, a terrarium in space, would also work as a stop-gap once we reach our foreign star, allowing us to slowly terraform outwards from where we land, giving us a living environment that’s proven to work for at least two or three generations of space travel, if not more.
But this raises the questions of culture, society, and economy. One of the benefits of our generation ship will be its massive size, since we won’t have to worry so much about issues of confinement on the human psyche. It will be no less of a stress on an individual’s frame of mind than living in an isolated, small town or community.
When it comes to the economy, capitalism and laissez-faire free market just wouldn’t work in an environment like this one. Money itself as a form motivation and work brings out the worst in humanity, a competitive gaming of abilities and competition wouldn’t be the way to run a ship like this.
Instead, we should limit work. Do only what’s necessary, split between the people, with lots of free time for study, preparing for landing, and the rest. With enough people on the ship, minding the farmlands and the various technological needs, the amount of time regulated to work would be minimal, while free time would be plentiful. Since we’re using a mega structure to house our portable world, we could have a decent number of people on board the ship, even at the start of the journey from earth. We’re looking at maybe a modestly-sized agrarian city of people at the start, with the population growing slowly over the years.
I say "slowly" because the low amount of work and high amount of free time for study, pleasure, and the like, as well as a longer life-span (since there will be advances in technology by the time, and we could keep these advances separate and powered by the power we get from the thruster runoff), our society would be akin to any industrialized society on earth with a strong middle class. And one thing we know from monitoring earth’s fertility rates is that this kind of social and economic environment naturally reduces birthrates. So the need for population control is practically non-existent.
The actual governing of a generation ship like this would require a democracy with a well-founded charter and set of rules, to keep it from devolving into a dictatorship or a feudal system. Pure democracy with vigilant debate might be the best way to go, but since a large number of any population experiences vote fatigue (and lack of knowledge of issues), it might be prudent either to set aside certain times on the on-ship calendar (would they even use years?) to address certain issues. The leadership would exist only to enforce the basic structures of democracy itself, making sure the quorum is counted properly, and the various legislature follows the existing rules.
The need for an AI to control everything, including birthrates, marriages, and the like makes no sense and seems like an arbitrary SFnal idea, in order to add conflict into this society for the needs of fiction and plot. That’s not so say there won’t be conflict, but that conflict doesn’t need to an AI as a dictator to resolve.
From an anthropological standpoint, what would arise on the ship after several generations of life like this would be extremely interesting. Most sfnal versions of this concept seems to leave religion out, or have them be a-religious. But since so much of terrestrial life seems to focus on religion of some sort, it makes it hard for me to believe that there would be none in such a unique environment. How would it evolve through the generations on the spaceship? Would we see a kind of neo-paganism erupt out of the needs of this primarily agrarian community? If so, would religion create a different societal hierarchy outside of whatever democratic government set up on the ship itself?
Of course, these issues are no different than issues we face daily on earth, only magnified. Visit any small town and you can see exactly what I’m talking about here. One of the benefits of a small town is that when democracy works, it really works and has a direct effect on the population. It’s not some distant abstract thing, but rather some close and personal.
In Conclusion
Paul Jessup
A generation ship is not the solution to our problems on earth, but instead should be seen as an end-goal for our current space technology. It won’t be a technology built all at once and spat out to the stars, but instead would be the culmination over the years, perhaps several generations and iterations of various technology used for space travel and habitation.
This is necessary for cutting down costs, and working out any issues that would happen on a long, one way journey across the stars. Don’t get me wrong, one of the biggest roadblocks to creating a generation ship will still be cost, and even though reusing technology we discover and test out elsewhere will cut down the cost significantly, a project of this size would still be extremely expensive and without any way of making a profit from such a journey.
Our free market and capitalism being what it is, we can’t expect super rich CEOs to fund a generation ship. It would need to be backed by one or several governments, and without any expectation of a return on investment. In other words, the time and price to build something like a generation ship or a colony ship would mean that it could not be a solution to our current environmental crisis. That should be priority number one. The nice thing about that, though, is that the technology we use to rebuild and save our own planet could be reused very easily into space travel as well as slow interstellar voyages.
Of course, that has the same issue that a generation ship has when it comes to cost. It will be expensive, with little to no projected return on investment. Well, except for the obvious—by saving the planet we can live and make more money in the future for these same CEOs, instead of dying in a long drawn out dumpster fire of a burning world.
Though that doesn’t seem to be motivating them right now, does it?
Paul Jessup is a critically acclaimed/award-winning author of strange and slippery fiction. His novel Close Your Eyes is currently out from the Apex Book Company. You can visit him at or on Twitter at @pauljessup.
Current Issue
23 May 2022
My family and I / lived and dined / and enjoyed sunny picnics / and celebrated Christmas / with the bones inside us / silently howling
Would the rightful owners of these 17 bodies please turn up to claim them?
"When I can't move, I write, and those two things are deeply connected."
Upstairs, the prime minister is meeting with all the party members because they are worried about how to save themselves. As in, just themselves and no one else. Because they are selfish fucks.
Let’s strive to make the best art we can, but never from the starting point of fear, but of personal honesty.
Wednesday: The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel
Friday: To Climates Unknown: An Alternate History of a World Without America by Arturo Serrano
Issue 16 May 2022
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Podcast: 9 May Poetry
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Podcast read by: Ciro Faienza
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By: Devin Miller
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The Physics of Spin on a Tennis Ball
There are two types of spin that a player can apply to a tennis ball, those being topspin and backspin. What prompted my thoughts on this idea would be my attendance of the University of Rochester tennis match today against Nazareth. As these advanced players made the ball skip and flip and kick every which way, my mind went crazy! :labmate)
A topspin shot is hit by sliding the racquet up and over the ball as it is struck. By dragging the racquet over the ball, the friction between the racquet’s strings and the ball is used to make the ball spin forward, towards the opponent. The shot dips down following impact with the court and also bounces at a lower angle than would a shot with no spin applied to it. As a ball travels towards a player after bouncing, it has natural topspin that is caused by the friction of the tennis court. When hitting a topspin shot, the player is reversing the spin of the ball, which requires more energy. This change in energy from potential to rotational kinetic energy allows the player to effectively execute the top spin shot.
A backspin shot is hit in the opposite manner, by sliding the racquet underneath the ball as it is struck. This causes the ball to spin towards the player who just hit it as it travels away. What is very interesting about the back spin shot and has been proven by physicists all over the world is that hitting this shot requires only roughly about half of the raquet speed of a top spin shot, for to execute this shot the player does not change the rotation of the ball. The oncoming ball bounces off the court with topspin, spinning from top to bottom as it comes toward the player. When a player returns the ball with a slice shot the direction in which the ball spins around the axis of rotation is maintained. From the players perspective, it actually seems as if the ball is moving away from them.
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Beluga Caviar Price
The beluga or European sturgeon is a species of anadromous fish in the sturgeon family (Acipenseridae) of order Acipenseriformes. Heavily fished for the female’s valuable roe– known as beluga caviar— the beluga is a late-maturing and huge fish that can live for 118 years. The most similar to the Huso huso beluga is the Huso dauricus kaluga, also referred to as the “river beluga“.
Beluga caviar is caviar consisting of the roe (or eggs) of the beluga sturgeon Huso huso. Beluga caviar is the most expensive type of caviar, with present market prices ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 per 1 kg (2.2 lb) or $200–$300 per ounce.
Harvesting Beluga:
The Beluga sturgeon is currently considered to be critically endangered, causing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to ban in 2005 the importation of Beluga caviar which originated in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basin. In 2006, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) suspended all trade made with the traditional caviar-producing sturgeons of the Caspian and Black Seas (Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga), (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine) due to the producing countries’ failure to apply international regulations and recommendations. Caviar from Iran is exempted from the ban. Iran is considered by CITES to practice effective conservation and policing of its fisheries. In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15 per cent below the official 2005 level. CITES maintained the 2007 quotas for 2008, drawing criticism for doing little to protect the declining sturgeon population.
The Beluga sturgeon can take up to 20 years to reach maturity. A pearly white variety, called Gawad, taken from a centennial female sturgeon, is the rarest type of Beluga available, with an extremely small production and prices reaching almost 25,000 per kilogram ($39,500 per kg).
Any additions by producers diminish the value of the roe, and the caviar usually reaches the market without any additions or processing whatsoever.
Beluga Behavior:
The beluga is a large predator which feeds mostly on fish. Fish up to 40 pound are ingested. They also eat waterfowl and seal pups. Due to its aggressive behavior and large mouth, it is a potential man-eater, but no attacks have been confirmed.
As do many sturgeons, the beluga travels upstream in rivers to spawn. Accordingly, sturgeons are sometimes likened to sea fish; however, most scientists consider them to be river fish.
Size of Beluga
These great sizes mark the beluga as the largest freshwaterfish in the world, and as a rival in size to the ocean sunfish among all extant bony fishes. The Beluga also rivals the Great White Shark, the Greenland shark, and the Tiger Shark for the title of largest predatory fish. The giant belugas are much larger than the Mekong giant catfish or the arapaima.
Beluga of such great sizes are very old (continuing to grow throughout life) and have become increasingly rare in recent decades due to the heavy fishing of this species. Today, belugas that are caught are generally 142– 328 cm (4.66– 10.76 ft) long and weigh 19– 264 kg (42– 580 lb). The female beluga is typically 20 % larger than the male.
Uses of Beluga
Beluga caviar is considered a delicacy worldwide. Beluga caviar has long been scarce and expensive. Its air bladder is said to make the best isinglass.
Endangered Status
IUCN classifies the beluga as critically endangered. It is a protected species listed in appendix III of the Bern Convention, and its trade is restricted under CITES appendix II. The Mediterranean population is strongly protected under appendix II of the Bern Convention, prohibiting any intentional killing of these fish. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has banned imports of beluga caviar and other beluga products from the Caspian Sea since October 6, 2005 after listing beluga sturgeon under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Servicing of Beluga:
As with most caviars, Beluga is usually handled with a pearl spoon made of mother of pearl, bone, or other non-metallic material, as metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste to the expensive and delicate roe. Beluga caviar, unlike less expensive varieties, is usually served by itself on toast, whereas other caviars can be served in a variety of ways, including hollowed and cooked new potatoes, on a blini, or garnished with sour cream, minced onion or minced hard boiled egg whites. The higher-grade caviars, including Beluga, usually receive very little embellishment. These items can, however, be served with Beluga to be used as palate cleansers.
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Great Essay Question Tips
An article is overview a literary piece that provide the author’s point of view, but the precise definition is somewhat vague, encompassing all of those of a personal letter, a newspaper article, an essay, a book, as well as a brief fictional tale. Essays tend to be categorized as formal and academic, with the former often comprising scholarly prose that introduces a point of view in a formal setting. This type of essay demands particular formatting, which ought to adhere to a general guidelines for article writing. Because it generally requires extensive research, the design should be clear, simple, and without unnecessary wordiness. Pupils should always write their own essay in their own words rather than plagiarize someone else’s work.
The most common method of composing essays is to outline the topic and then develop a detailed, researched desktop to support the main factors. To be able to write a persuasive argument, you have to give enough attention to the details and supporting details to justify your own position. But you must also show your reader your primary objective isn’t to only express an opinion, but to present a deeply entrenched and researched standpoint. If you’re asked to write an essay on the grounds of”plagiarism,” it’s important to determine if your planned quote or piece contains such a phrase. By way of instance, if you are writing an essay about the impact of microwaves on human wellbeing, you would not always be accused of plagiarizing if you didn’t include certain quotes attributed to a source that’s just like another person’s work.
Another frequent approach to compose essays is to begin with a highly original and intelligent paragraph, creating the ideas from the paragraph so the end is a brilliant essay of its own right. The idea here would be to build the whole debate on previous paragraphs in which the writer has provided supporting evidence for his or her main purpose. For instance, in the next paragraph of the second paragraph of the last article, the author has explained the advantages of the microwave to the wellness of individuals. The prior paragraph offers additional information and argument in favor of the claim. The next paragraph presents new evidence supporting the initial claim. The ending of the essay is based on the new evidence supplied.
An additional common approach to write essays would be to utilize the introduction to make an impression, followed by the body of the essay. The thesis statement in the introduction is designed to offer you a robust and central purpose, backed up by the rest of the essay. The principal points are developed in the body of the report. This process is frequently used for introductory material which requires extensive research.
1 approach to compose essays is to write them using a strong conclusion. The conclusion is just the finish of the prior introduction. It’s employed as a summarizing statement to summarize and finish the whole article. The good thing about this procedure to writing essay is that it allows one to develop all the ideas that were introduced via the introduction and through the article. The author need not repeat these points in the body of their writing.
Another popular way to compose essays would be to formulate a research question or essay question. This query is designed to prompt and stimulate the author to further explore and examine available information. The purpose of the sort of writing exercise is to encourage the student to take part in the research procedure. The student can do the research using resources already available in the home or from the net. Another benefit of this style of writing is the fact that it requires very little research, because the majority of the queries are fairly simple and intuitive.
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Mark Twain's Mississippi
Cults of Personality
by Gregg Camfield, PhD, University of California-Merced
Mark Twain began writing the novel Pudd'nhead Wilson, first published serially in 1893 in The Century magazine, as an extravagant burlesque, in which the plot turned around the adventures of a Siamese twin with two heads (named Angelo and Luigi), four arms, and one set of legs. As the novel evolved, the role of this multiple-personality character diminished, and when Twain finally published the novel as the story of David “Pudd'nhead” Wilson solving a murder, he had separated the Siamese twin into fraternal twins. But when Twain came to publish the novel in its own volume as a subscription book, he needed it to be longer, in accordance with the traditions of subscription publication. So he picked up the discarded scraps of the original burlesque and published them as an addendum to the finished novel and titled the entire volume Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins. The latter story is certainly extraordinary, since Twain found in that conjoined twin a powerful metaphor for many aspects of the American experience, an experience of deep division and profound connection. The two heads, as Twain envisioned them, had distinctly different personalities, personalities that represent, among many other things, American politics. Two days before they arrive in a small Mississippi River town in Southern Missouri, their letter announces their coming and begs for lodging. They appear to be Italian noblemen, and Aunt Patsy Cooper and her daughter Rowena, are in ecstasies over the distinction to be brought to their boarding house. Here Twain comments on the persistent interest in royalty and in distinctions of birth that American politics could not eradicate. But when the Twin arrives and shows itself to be two personalities in one, the town does not know how to react. At first, the idea that from many, one (e pluribus unum), strikes everyone as grotesque. Americans seem to want distinctions; they want to put individuals into classes. As the town gets to know the two, it sees, in fact, the distinctions it desires, and breaks into factions following the one or the other. Luigi is a popular figure, committed to a worldly life in all of its vigor; Angelo demonstrates refined tastes and is committed to every sort of moral reform in keeping with high-toned manners and principles. As their lives develop in the town, they become committed to politics:
They appeared on the street on Friday, and were welcomed with enthusiasm by the new-born parties, the Luigi and Angelo factions. The Luigi faction carried its strength into the Democratic party, the Angelo faction entered into a combination with the Whigs. The Democrats nominated Luigi for alderman under the new city government, and the Whigs put up Angelo against him. The Democrats nominated Pudd'nhead Wilson for mayor, and he was left alone in this glory, for the Whigs had no man who was willing to enter the lists against such a formidable opponent. No politician had scored such a compliment as this before in the history of the Mississippi Valley.
The political campaign in Dawson's Landing opened in a pretty warm fashion, and waxed hotter every week. Luigi's whole heart was in it, and even Angelo developed a surprising amount of interest — which was natural, because he was not merely representing Whigism, a matter of no consequence to him, but he was representing something immensely finer and greater — to wit, Reform. In him was centred the hopes of the whole reform element of the town; he was the chosen and admired champion of every clique that had a pet reform of any sort or kind at heart. He was president of the great Teetotaller's Union, its chiefest prophet and mouthpiece.
But as the canvass went on, troubles began to spring up all around — troubles for the twins, and through them for all the parties and segments and fractions of parties. Whenever Luigi had possession of the legs, he carried Angelo to balls, rum shops, Sons of Liberty parades, horse races, campaign riots, and everywhere else that could damage him with his party and the church; and when it was Angelo's week he carried Luigi diligently to all manner of moral and religious gatherings, doing his best to regain the ground he had lost before. As a result of these double performances, there was a storm blowing all the time, an ever rising storm, too — a storm of frantic criticism of the twins, and rage over their extravagant, incomprehensible conduct.
Luigi had the final chance. The legs were his for the closing week of the canvas. He led his brother a fearful dance.
But he saved his best card for the very eve of the election. There was to be a grand turn-out of the Teetotaller's Union that day, and Angelo was to march at the head of the procession and deliver a great oration afterward. Luigi drank a couple of glasses of whiskey — which steadied his nerves and clarified his mind, but made Angelo drunk. Everybody who saw the march, saw that the Champion of the Teetotallers was half seas over, and noted also that his brother, who made no hypocritical pretensions to extra temperance virtues, was dignified and sober. This eloquent fact could not be unfruitful at the end of a hot political canvass. At the mass meeting Angelo tried to make his great temperance oration but was so discommoded by hiccoughs and thickness of tongue that he had to give it up; then drowsiness overtook him and his head drooped against Luigi's and he went to sleep. Luigi apologized for him, and was going on to improve his opportunity with an appeal for a moderation of what he called "the prevailing teetotal madness," but persons in the audience began to howl and throw things at him, and then the meeting rose in wrath and chased him home.
In this little parable, Twain displays the workings of American politics in a two party system, in which each party is a complex compromise of different sub-factions, all coalescing around cults of personality. Republican Party Banner, 1860These disputes exaggerate differences and hide from view similarities.
In Samuel Clemens's own experience of politics in Missouri, this is a valuable parable. While the Twins' putative nobility gives them their first entree into society, their success depends on fitting in to some aspect of village life. Luigi takes a route that makes him a natural member of the Democratic Party; Angelo of the Whig. Neither touches on the big issues the parties pursued: the Whigs by tradition and class background, generally pursued politics in support of a representative republic, in which social hierarchies would be maintained, and order would be preserved, noblesse oblige, through the ministrations of an educated elite. Whigs generally feared the rule of the people as “mobocracy.” But one doesn't win popular elections by attacking the mob. Whigs found that the common touch in electioneering was essential even as they found — and were sincerely committed to — alternative issues that would symbolically displace their fundamental concern. Moral reforms of various kinds — attacks on “intemperance,” gambling, dueling, cursing, spitting, etc., were meant to “civilize” society and in the process restrain democratic excess. The Democrats, on the other hand, found themselves arguing for the value of the exuberance of the people. They pushed policies of Western expansion, a freer money supply, the active participation of larger numbers of people in governance, all to expand the franchise, to more fully democratize American politics.
So it would seem that the lines were clearly drawn, that the opposition was total. Yet ironically, the overlaps between the parties blurred such distinctions. For instance, the Whigs, with their reformist agenda, tended to oppose slavery. They saw the evils of slavery as one of the democratic excesses that they feared. Thus, the more elitist party became deeply connected with a democratic position, i.e. the liberation of slaves. Of course, the Whig party collapsed in 1854, but its remnants, for the most part, flowed into the Republican Party, and the Radical Republicans, after the Civil War, were responsible for passing the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, amendments that have legally secured equal rights and access to the franchise for millions of Americans over time.
On the other side, the Democrats, believing in the power of the people over propertied interests, were the ones who pushed most energetically for internal improvements and national expansion. They were the natural party of a strong government to promote broad social interests, yet with the outbreak of the Civil War, they were the party of states rights and weak government.
Twain's parable suggests the impossibility of these entanglements, of how truly confused American politics always are when elections come down to choices between two apparent opposites that are nonetheless deeply linked. So it should comeGrover Cleveland as no surprise that, for the most part, Twain's Mississippi writings avoid explicitly partisan political statements. After all, he began his life as a Whig, following in his father's footsteps, and then supported the Know-nothings when he, like his brother, came to identify his interests as those of a member in a craft guild. In the election of 1860, Twain refused to choose between the polar opposites of Republican and Democrat, which was a choice between a more powerful central government and opposition to slavery on the one hand, and of dissolution of the Union and support of slavery on the other. Twain chose a 3rd party, the Constitutional Union party, in favor of a status quo that could not be maintained.
After the Civil War, he joined the Republican Party (at lleft), and for a while, he seemed content to subscribe to its essentially Whiggish ways. He promoted a franchise that would reward the propertied and the educated in a parable called “The Curious Republic of Gondor,” which appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1875. Yet his 1875 series of Atlantic Monthly sketches “Old Times on the Mississippi” celebrates a more democratic Western world, one in which a working man could play gentleman, as long as his power and prestige were protected by a powerful union. Not surprisingly, then, his allegiance to the Republicans waned over time. He became a Mugwump, voted for Grover Cleveland (at right) three times for president, and, by the end of his life, supported Democrats regularly as he feared the Republicans were bringing about a national monarchy. Clemens's vacillating political loyalties show his deep ambivalence about the two entwined choices in American public life.
But while Twain's works do not spend much ink on the particulars of tariffs, currency, taxation, or on promoting one party over another, they do address the grand concern of American politics: the degree to which the U.S. should be a democracy and what it would mean for it to have a culture that valued democracy. All of his Mississippi writings are keen in depicting American attitudes toward social class. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in particular is instrumental in exposing to the United States and the world the artistic potentials in American vernacular, the generosity of common folk, and, most importantly, to show the need for racial rapprochement if America is to be truly a democracy. Yet he showed, too, the underside of democracy — the exaltation of ignorance in pap Finn, the mob violence in Bricksville, the chicanery, cupidity, and crudeness of the worst of the West. But by the 1880s, he did not seem to find a return to Whiggish aristocratic ideals the solution to the problems of democracy; indeed, he found the aristocratic impulse to be the worst feature of Western social mobility, the flaw that corrupts American society altogether. In the characters of the King and the Duke, he revealed the great puzzle of American democracy, the obsession with titles and status. He showed how we refuse, ultimately, to accept a society of equals, and the worst of us are often the most pretentious. In Chapter 46 of Life on the Mississippi, he denounced this pretense as “Sir Walter disease,” because, he argued, Sir Water Scott, through his “jejune” feudal fictions, “created rank and caste” in the South. By contrast to what he depicts as a truly democratic, modern and civilized North, Twain suggests that civilization can only be built on a foundation of democracy.
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Page:Robert the Bruce and the struggle for Scottish independence - 1909.djvu/251
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1314 A.D.]
The Battle of Bannockburn.
regards the strength of the Scottish host. Barbour puts it at 30,000, but it is difficult to believe that Bruce had anything like that number under arms. Admitting, as nearly all authorities agree to do, that the English army bore to the Scottish the proportion of three to one, it seems reasonable to put the latter at 20,000 at most. Both hosts, no doubt, were followed by a huge swarm of "pitaille"—camp-followers and rascals of all sorts, who always gathered in the wake of mediæval war.
As St. John's day—June 24th—drew near, on which it had been appointed that the destinies of the two nations were to be decided, the King of Scots encamped with all his forces in the Torwood, between Falkirk of gloomy memories and Stirling of happier associations. In the presence of the overwhelming odds brought against him, it must have taxed even his stout spirit and well-proved courage to keep foreboding at bay, when he remembered the result of the last great trial of strength between the hosts of England and Scotland—the overthrow of Wallace at Falkirk. Every advantage gained since the death of the mighty Edward, the future of his country, and his own fate—all were to be put to the hazard of a contest between two vastly unequal armies. But his nerve never forsook him. There were other memories for the King besides those of Falkirk and Dunbar. Stirling Bridge, Loudon Hill, Glentrool—each had taught the same lesson, namely, that military skill in the choice and preparation of position might, and often did, prevail against superiority of numbers and
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The recent discovery of scutoids in biological structures is fascinating. Two scutoids are depicted below (from Scientists Have Discovered an Entirely New Shape, And It Was Hiding in Your Cells), each with a pentagon on one side (top or bottom) and a hexagon on the opposing side. A scutoid could be viewed as a linking of the vertices of the 2-dimensional associahedron in one plane to those of the 2-D permutohedron / permutahedron in a parallel plane through edges extending in the dimension orthogonal to the planes. (The pentagon is also a 2-D stellohedron / stellahedron.)
Is there a natural (hopefully interesting by retaining some optimization properties) generalization of scutoids to higher dimensions?
Two scutoids
• $\begingroup$ I'm not sure what linking means here. From the context I would guess that linking means take the convex hull of a pentagon and hexagon embedded in parallel planes in $\mathbb{R}^3$. But a scutoid has a vertex between these two planes, so this can't be the right definition of linking. What am I missing? $\endgroup$
– Aaron Dall
Aug 2, 2018 at 22:11
• $\begingroup$ @AaronDall: The links, i.e., edges, for the 3-D scutoid are explicitly drawn and explained in the references to the article. The question is whether a natural extension to a 4-D structure and beyond can be devised, which of course would involve a prescription for making edges to any vertices. $\endgroup$ Aug 2, 2018 at 23:07
• $\begingroup$ It would be nice to read a precise definition of a scutoid somewhere. For me, the original article is not clear: Figure 1(c) is clearly described, you start with a Voronoi tesselation on a curved surface and translate the seeds in normal direction. But what people seem to call scutoid is the object in figure 1(d) where the base is now flat. In this situation the above construction does not work and it's not clear to me what properties this object should satisfy. For example, whether all the edges should be straight lines or not. $\endgroup$
– gsa
Aug 22, 2018 at 15:46
1 Answer 1
It's not clear from the linked article that the hexagon is a permutahedron, so we don't restrict to that case for starters. For our construction of higher dimensional scutoids we need a couple of standard polytope operations:
Prism: For a $d$-polytope $P$ let $\mathrm{prism}(P)$ be the $d+1$-dimensional prism over $P$ given by $P \times [0,1]$.
Vertex Truncation: For any vertex $v$ of $P$ let $E(v)$ be the edges of $P$ incident to $v$ ordered by length. Let $H$ be any affine hyperplane such that $v$ is the only vertex of $P$ lying on one side of $H$. Then the truncation $\mathrm{trunc}_{v,H}(P)$ is the subpolytope of $P$ that lies on the side of $H$ not containing $v$.
A $d$-scutoid is any polytope $Q$ that can be written as $Q = \mathrm{trunc}_{v,H}(\mathrm{prism}(P))$ for some $d-1$-dimensional polytope $P$ (called the base polytope) and some vertex $v$ of $P$. So a $3$-scutoid is combinatorially equivalent to a scutoid (in the sense of the linked article in the OP) when the base polytope is a pentagon.
If the above definition of a $d$-scutoid is not refined enough for some purpose one can always restrict to various families of allowable base polytopes. One chain of families that gets us from arbitrary polytopes to associahedra is $$\text{arbitrary polytopes} \supset \text{fiber polytopes} \supset \text{associahedra}.$$
Edit: As @MarkS points out in a comment below, scutoids are not polytopes: for scutoids to pack correctly some of their faces must be curved. (For visualizations see page 9 of the original article in Nature or this video.) Since the $3$-scutoids with pentagonal base polytopes described above are polytopes, they are technically not scutoids, but rather combinatorially-equivalent polytopal approximations.
Edit: An earlier version of this answer incorrectly identified the base polytope of a (combinatorial) scutoid as a hexagon instead of a pentagon.
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$\begingroup$ The scutoid is not a polytope; the side faces are not flat. youtube.com/watch?v=2_NZ1ql8B8Y $\endgroup$
– Mark S
Aug 4, 2018 at 12:20
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$\begingroup$ @MarkS: Excellent point. I've added an edit explaining that the construction in the answer only gives scutoids up to combinatorial equivalence. $\endgroup$
– Aaron Dall
Aug 4, 2018 at 23:19
Your Answer
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ba421 leadership organizations 0
This week you learned about the importance of shaping culture and how it is a critical function of leadership.
Write a 2 page paper on “Organizational Culture”.
Address the following in your paper:
· * What is Culture
· *Why is it important
· * Internal Integration
· * External Adaptation
· * Also include a description of a culture for an organization you are familiar with. Identify some physical artifacts—such as log, mascot, building, advertising images—associated with the company and discuss what underlying values these suggest.
Include a title page and 2-3 references. Only one reference may be from the internet (not Wikipedia).
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Prefabricated Architecture
Architects are incorporating modern designs into the prefabricated houses of today. Prefab housing should no longer be compared to a mobile home in terms of appearance, but to that of a complex modernist design. There has also been an increase in the use of “green” materials in the construction of these prefab houses. Consumers can easily select between different environmentally friendly finishes and wall systems. Since these homes are built in parts, it is easy for a home owner to add additional rooms or even solar panels to the roofs. Many prefab houses can be customized to the client’s specific location and climate, making prefab homes much more flexible and modern than before.
Prefabricated construction is the practice of assembling a variety of components of a structure at a manufacturing site and transporting those sub-assemblies to the location of the construction jobsite. Prefabricated construction is sometimes thought of as a low-end and mass produced mode of construction. Prefabricated construction is becoming more common, improving in quality and has become available in a variety of budgets. Despite the perception of prefabrication, there are numerous benefits to this type of construction.
Modular construction is often commended for energy efficiency and sustainable construction. Traditional construction methods require extra materials that lead to increased waste. However, since prefabricated sub-assemblies are constructed in a factory, extra materials can be recycled in-house. This is a considerable improvement over sending waste directly to a landfill from a traditional construction site. Also, the controlled environment of a factory allows for more accurate construction, tighter joints and better air filtration, which in turn allows for better wall insulation and an increase in energy efficiency.
Financial Savings
One of the greatest advantages of prefabricated construction would be financial savings. Although the perception of custom-made pieces may seem expensive, with prefabricated or modular construction, this is not the case. Modular construction targets all budgets and price points, creating an affordable option. Prefabrication manufacturers often receive bulk discounts from material suppliers which then trickle down to the cost of a construction project. Modular construction also sidesteps the possibility of unreliable contractors and unproductive staff. Additionally, the reduction in construction time can significantly save on construction financing costs.
Modular construction can be easily be disassembled and relocated to different sites. This significantly reduces the demand for raw materials, minimizes expended energy and decreases time overall. Also, modular construction allows for flexibility in the design of the structure allowing for a limitless number of opportunities. Since prefabricated construction units can be used in different spaces, its neutral aesthetics is able to blend in with almost any building type.
Consistent Quality
Since prefabricated construction occurs in a controlled manufacturing environment and follows specified standards, the sub-assemblies of the structure will be built to a uniform quality. Construction site-built structures are dependent upon varying skill levels and the schedules of independent contractors. All this contribute to the craftsmanship and overall quality of given structure. With prefabrication, each sub-assembly is built by an experienced crew in a weather-resistant factory, with multiple quality checks throughout the entire process. Some components of the building are constructed using precise machine equipment to ensure conformity to building code.
Reduced Site Disruption
Since many components of a building are completed in the factory, there is significantly less truck traffic, equipment and material suppliers around the final construction site. This limits the disruption of traditional jobsites that suffer from noise, pollution, waste and other common irritants. This streamlined approach to construction provides a far more efficient atmosphere for productivity, and eliminates unnecessary distractions and interference that are typical of construction sites.
Shorter Construction Time
Portable construction takes significantly less time to build than on-site construction. In many instances, prefabrication takes less than half the time when compared to traditional construction. This is due to better upfront planning, elimination of on-site weather factors, subcontractor scheduling delays and quicker fabrication as multiple pieces can be constructed simultaneously. Shorter construction times allows construction companies to take on multiple projects at once, allowing businesses to grow rather than putting all their focus and resources on one or a few projects at a time.
Since sub-assemblies are created in a factory-controlled environment utilizing dry materials, there is less risk for problems associated with moisture, environmental hazards and dirt. This ensures that those on the construction site, as well as a project’s eventual tenants are less likely to be exposed to weather-related health risks. Also, an indoor construction environment presents considerably fewer risks for accidents and other liabilities. There are strict factory processes and procedures that protect the worker from on-the-job injury. At a construction site, although safety is of utmost importance, workers are subjected to weather-related conditions, changing ground conditions, wind and other crew members who are at the site.
With the continued popularity of prefabricated construction, it is likely that it will only continue to grow in popularity. Customers who choose this option are able to enjoy a high quality, quicker, cost-effective, and eco-friendly construction method. Furthermore, construction companies may soon increase their investment in modular construction processes, benefiting both their business and customer relationships. Prefabricated construction is proving to be an extremely viable option, and as manufacturing technology continues to improve, expect to see its benefits and advantages rise in the future.
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A supernova (from the Latin nova, new) is the death or explosion of a star whose mass is at least eight times that of the Sun. These bursts throw the matter contained in the star in all directions.
Scientists have always wondered why stars explode in this way when they are already dying. It is known that a star explodes when the fuel that generates energy in the core of the star runs out. This causes the radiation pressure that is continuously preventing the star from collapsing to run out and the star yields to gravity.
When this happens, it gives rise to stellar debris that is not stable in the face of gravity that does not cease at any time. After all, just like many things we have here on Earth that depend on fuel, the same thing happens in a star. Without that fuel that is feeding the star, it cannot continue to shine in the sky.
La supernova más brillante de la historia
Astronomers have been able to advance in the understanding of how type 1a supernovae are created, after observing the collision of one of them against another star in its first moments of life, which supports one of the theories about its formation, but without invalidating the other.
This theory talks about the binary systems of stars, this is a more violent process and happens when a white dwarf receives mass from its companion, this mass must help to surpass the limit of Chandrasekhar.
This generates an internal compression that triggers thermonuclear reactions and causes the white dwarf to explode, usually taking its sister with it; rarely is there any trace of its companion.
La astronomía ha estado ligada al ser humano desde la antigüedad y todas las civilizaciones han tenido contacto con esta ciencia. (Foto: Flickr)
The classification of the different types of supernova explosions is made on the basis of the different spectral lines (in emission or absorption) that can be observed superimposed on their continuous emission, as well as the light curves in the optic (that is, the temporal evolution of its brightness).
Type I Supernovae
These are the ones that do not show hydrogen emission lines during the evolution of their brightness. Within this type of supernovae we find three other subclasses:
Type Ia. They show a deep absorption line of silicon, specifically the SiII ($\lambda$6200Å), when its brightness is close to the maximum. Later, their spectrum becomes dominated by iron and cobalt lines.
Type Ib. They do not show the SiII line, but other lines typical of neutral helium (HEL) that do not appear, or are very weak, in Ia supernovae. Later, the emission lines of many elements of intermediate mass, such as oxygen or calcium, become very visible.
Type Ic. They do not show, neither the line of SiII, nor those of neutral helium along the evolution of their brightness. Like type Ib supernovae, these supernovae also show emission lines of intermediate mass elements over time.
In contrast to their spectra, the light curves of type I supernovae are very similar to each other.
Type II Supernovae
Type II supernovae are those that show hydrogen-specific spectral lines in their spectra. Such lines remain in the spectra for very long periods of time.
The light curves of this type of supernova reach their maximum very quickly; in times ranging from a few days to even a few hours. In addition, the light curves produced in these explosions are more varied than those corresponding to type I explosions.
Roughly speaking, we can subdivide type II supernovae precisely according to the shape of their light curves, even differentiating them into
Type II-L (II-Linear). The light curves in these cases are similar to those of type I, although the fall in brightness after the maximum is more abrupt.
Type II-P (II-Plateau). The light curves of these explosions are characterized by maintaining a very constant brightness level after the maximum, starting to fall after a plateau interval of a few months.
The explosion of a supernova generated by the depletion of fuel in its core generates the cessation of its gravity and the irradiation of stellar residues composed of heavy elements, dust and gas.
Astrofísica y Física: Si pudiéramos ver la explosión de una supernova, ¿qué escucharíamos?Explosión espacial 4K de MacroLogic en Envato Elements
The temperature of supernovas varies depending on their mass and the energy of their nucleus. A typical type II supernova can reach 100 billion degrees Celsius and when its core collapses it can reach 3 billion degrees.
Qué es una supernova y cómo se forma? nnda nnlt | RESPUESTAS | MAG.
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Indonesia to Impose Carbon Tax in April 2022, Starting with Coal Power Plants
Indonesia will begin to tax coal-fired power stations in April 2022 using a tax mechanism based on emission limits, or cap and tax, to start the implementation that will eventually reach all sectors of the economy to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia’s carbon tax is a strong signal that will encourage the development of carbon markets/carbon emissions trading, technological innovation, and more efficient and eco-friendly investments in the country.
The carbon tax was part of the country’s tax reforms, the latest in a series of legislation overhauls that aim to make the country more attractive for investment. The carbon tax is imposed on the carbon content of fossil fuel. It is based on the notion that charging polluters based on how much they pollute will result in behavioral change toward greener practices.
Under the law, every kilogram of carbon equivalent emissions that exceed a certain cap will be subjected to a Rp-30 (0.21 cent dollar) tax. That is roughly equal to about $2.1 per metric ton of carbon equivalent. The government hopes the tax will restrict greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes to an increase in global temperature, and will ultimately reduce the risk of climate disasters in Indonesia.
According to Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) plan, the country aims to reduce carbon emission without outside help by 29 percent compared to the business-as-usual level by 2030. With international support, Indonesia aims to reduce its emissions by 41 percent of the business-as-usual level.
The government has been working on a carbon tax roadmap since the beginning of this year. The inclusion of carbon tax in the country’s tax code was its first milestone. Next, the government plans to finalize a presidential decree on the economic value of carbon and develop a carbon tax and carbon exchange mechanism. Finally, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will launch a pilot project for carbon trading in the energy sector by the end of this year.
The Finance Ministry claims that putting a price on carbon is a policy that Indonesia should adopt for a number of reasons. First, it is an effective climate change mitigation strategy. Second, it provides significant revenue that can solve budget deficit problems. Lastly, it can be implemented simultaneously with the removal of fossil fuel subsidies to achieve a sustainable low-carbon economy. All of these points are valid and justified as long as the carbon tax policy is carefully designed.
The government is aiming to have the carbon tax fully implemented by 2025 through the carbon exchange, where companies can trade their emissions permits. That will be done through the gradual expansion of the carbon taxation sector, depending on how ready it is and the creation of carbon tax management regulations.
Should you wish to know more about carbon tax in Indonesia, please drop us an email at
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Science of Hangovers: What are They and How You Can Prevent Them?
Though alcohol is recreational, many people experience discomfort after consuming it, known as a hangover. We all are familiar with the extensive list of hangover symptoms that commonly follow a night of excessive drinking, including constant headaches, stomach pain, exhaustion, and irritability.
Although there are too many alleged home remedies for hangovers, like consuming pickle juice or putting a lemon in your armpit, nothing is scientifically proven. For excellent results, try Morning Aid, a ginger-based hangover cure drink with all-natural ingredients.
Here is a quick take on what are hangovers and how can you effectively prevent them:
What is a Hangover?
A hangover is a situation or a set of symptoms that occur when you drink too much alcohol. It is characterised by unpleasant physical and mental symptoms, including fatigue, vertigo, weakness, thirst, etc. Hangovers start several hours after you stop consuming alcohol. The severity of the symptoms on the individual and the type and amount of alcohol ingested.
What Causes a Hangover?
It is difficult to understand the science behind hangovers as the nature of hangover science will vary from person to person. While some people are immune to hangovers, others get them too frequently. Hangovers can happen due to various reasons depending on your body type. Few reasons that may cause hangover are:
• Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic and suppresses your vasopressin, the antidiuretic hormone that causes your body to produce more urine. This leaves you dehydrated. The more you urinate, the more fluid you lose from the body. This can cause you to feel thirsty and weary and even get a thumping headache.
• Electrolyte imbalance: Electrolytes are required by the body to function properly. If you consume too much alcohol, the electrolytes in your body become unbalanced because of frequent urination.
• Indigestion: Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach and intestines, causing digestive issues. It delays digestion by increasing the amounts of fatty compounds in your liver, stomach, and pancreas secretions. This can lead to nausea and an upset stomach.
• Inflammation: Drinking alcohol causes inflammation in your body, causing the general sensation of ill health and giving you a hangover.
• Low blood sugar: When you consume alcohol, your body starts producing lactic acid. The production of lactic acid in the body causes you to feel dizzy, fatigued, drained, etc. In some extreme cases, this can reduce blood sugar and cause shivering.
Symptoms of a Hangover
The symptoms of a hangover usually subside within eight to 24 hours. In this period, your body detoxifies, rehydrates, mends tissues, and restores its normal functioning and activities. Following are some of the symptoms that reflect a few hours after the alcohol consumption:
• Irritation from light and sound: Alcohol is related to the glutamate activity in the brain. It reduces brain activity, and your body tries to compensate by increasing glutamate production when you stop drinking.
• Headache: According to hangover science, alcohol may disturb your immune system by releasing chemicals that irritate blood vessels and neurons, resulting in pain, including headaches.
• Symptoms of the stomach: Because alcohol affects the lining of the stomach and intestines, it can cause diarrhoea and nausea. It may also cause some irritation in your pancreas.
How to Avoid a Hangover?
The hangover is the aftermath of alcohol, which everyone wants to avoid. Naturally, you can wait for the body to eliminate the toxic by-products of alcohol, regain metabolism, rehydrate, repair inflamed tissue and restore normal immunological and brain activity. However, Sipwise Morning Aid – a natural anti-hangover cure with no added sugar, has proven beneficial in preventing intense hangovers.
All Sipwise beverages contain vegan, natural, and herbal ingredients that can prevent and reduce hangovers.
Following are some tested and evidence-based treatments to cure hangovers:
• Avoid too many congeners: Hangovers become a common and intense occurrence if you consume alcoholic drinks with high quantities of congeners. Although alcoholic beverages have ethanol as the principal active element, they also have a high level of congeners. Congeners are linked to hangover symptoms. Whiskey, cognac, and tequila are all high in congeners, and you could avoid drinking these to prevent a hangover.
• Stay hydrated: Alcohol is a diuretic that causes dehydration, a prime cause of hangovers. Drinking enough water — or any other non-alcoholic beverage — in between the alcoholic drinks and at least one glass of water before bedtime can help reduce hangovers.
• Get enough sleep: Although lack of sleep is not the main source of a hangover, staying up too late can affect sleep quality and duration. It adds to your exhaustion and irritability and gives you a headache.
• Eat a filling breakfast: After a night of heavy drinking, the body may suffer from hypoglycaemia, a condition marked by low blood sugar, sometimes linked to hangovers. It may not be the primary cause of hangovers and can exacerbate symptoms like lethargy and headache. So, it is advisable to keep your blood sugar levels in check by having full meals the next day.
Apart from these cures, a natural treatment of hangover from Sipwise known as Morning aid is also available. It is a natural hangover cure with active ingredients like ginger and prickly pear that relieve nausea and fatigue instantly. The hangover drink gives your body an instant boost, relieving you of tiredness and headache.
Alcoholic hangovers cause unpleasant symptoms, such as dizziness, headache, weariness and, nausea. Several methods can lessen the severity of hangovers. Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, drinking lots of water, and avoiding drinks high in congeners are just a few of them. However, the best method to avoid a hangover is to drink in moderation. If you had a night of fun, choose Morning Aid – a hangover cure drink.
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Key Points:
• A jammed finger occurs with direct impact to the tip of a finger and is generally a mild sprain that resolves in a few days
• Some finger injuries can be more serious and require urgent evaluation. Examples would include complete tendon tears, joint dislocation, or broken bone.
• Use The SAFE Method? (Story, Appearance, Feel, Effort) to rapidly evaluate an injured finger
Catching or getting hit by a ball on the tip of a finger-?a football, volleyball, or basketball-?is generalyouthbasketball?a common way kids and young adults can injure a finger. Fortunately, most finger injuries are reasonably mild and will allow for a quick return to sport. A ?jammed finger? is a sprain of the soft tissue structures surrounding a joint. But sometimes a tendon (a structure that links muscle to bone, and cause fingers to move) can be torn, or a joint can be dislocated, or one of the bones broken.
There are some simple steps you can take to rapidly evaluate an injury and make a reasonable determination about whether it?s safe to continue play, or perhaps whether you should seek urgent physician evaluation. At Sideline Sports Doc, we use a simple evaluation for sports injuries that we call The SAFE Method?. The SAFE Method? is an acronym for Story, Appearance, Feel, and Effort. You use these four points to evaluate pretty much any sports injury. Here?s how you use it for a jammed finger.
Basically this means ?how did it get hurt?. Most of the time there will be direct contact to the tip of the finger, that?s pretty obvious. But here you want to be on the lookout for things such as very severe pain, whether you may have heard a pop, or whether you may have felt something crack. Those are all ?red flags? indicating that you might have a significant injury. If you have any of those red flags I?d recommend evaluation in an urgent care facility. And if you don?t have any red flags, move on to?
What does it look like? In most typical jammed fingers your finger should look pretty normal in the first several minutes after the injury, this is common with a simple jammed finger. (It may get swollen an hour or two later?) But what if it is rapidly becoming swollen, or if it?s bent at an unusual angle, or if the joint is obviously out of position? If any of those things are what you?re seeing then go to an emergency room for proper treatment. Does it look normal? That?s good, so move on next to Feel.
In ?feel? you want to press lightly on the injured joint. Generally this will produce mild soreness with a common jammed finger. But if your light touch feels really painful that?s a red flag indicating the need for urgent evaluation. Significant pain with light touch is often present with broken bones. Are you still doing ok? Then move on to the last evaluation step, Effort.
In this last step you want to make an effort at moving the injured area on your own. For hand injuries this is done by making a fist and opening the fingers out straight. If you?re able to do this fairly easily, that?s good and generally goes along with a jammed finger. But what if you can?t make a fist, can?t open the fingers, or if the joint just won?t move? That could mean a torn tendon, or possibly another significant injury. Get yourself to an urgent care facility.
So if you pass each of the four steps without any red flags or areas of concern youSideLineSportsDoc probably have a sprain or a jammed finger. Get home and apply RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and monitor your progress each day. But if things don?t start turning back to normal in the next few days, or if you have concerns that it isn?t healing as you?d expect then it?s always safe to seek proper physician evaluation.
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Remember names easily - these 5 methods make it work
Mann und Frau nimmt VITPEB® BRAIN, Hände, Kennenlernen
Such situations are familiar to everyone: You're at an event and you're standing in a casual conversation circle. This familiar face joins in. Surely the name of the person is already on the tongue - but it just does not come to mind.
While you yourself are greeted with the name friendly, you now try under pressure to cover the fact that you could not remember the name of the counterpart. But do not worry: So it goes very many people. According to studies, most people find it difficult to remember names. How the memory performance can still be improved and thus the forgetfulness can be beaten, we show in this article, with our 5 methods to remember names better.
Why is remembering names so important?
Names are abstract entities. People can therefore remember faces much easier and memorize. There is even a separate area in the brain that is only responsible for recognizing faces. However, the lack of or difficulty in remembering names is also due to evolution: here, faces came first and then names.
Nowadays, however, being able to remember names is part of etiquette. Especially in business circles it is often a big faux pas if you can't remember the names of your business partners or can only remember them incompletely. But even in private circles it can be very unpleasant if you can't remember a person's name. This often comes across as disrespectful - even if it's not really your fault.
Remembering names is worthwhile
Besides the social aspect, remembering names is also beneficial for joint cooperation. In one study, some participants took part completely anonymously, while others learned each other's names. The result: "We found that when participants knew the other person's name, they were much more likely to cooperate. And that paid off for everyone," said Marko Jusup, co-author of the study.
By remembering names, we respect our counterpart and perceive them as a person and as an individual. Not that this would not be the case without the name, but with names even more. This can bring advantages and opportunities in both private and business life. Remembering names is therefore always worthwhile.
Fortunately, remembering can be trained. Let's take a closer look at exactly how this works in our method overview.
"For every man, his name is the most beautiful and meaningful word in his vocabulary" - Dale Carnegie
Method 1: Immediately say names out loud
So, if you've been invited to another party and new people are being introduced, you can already start by saying out loud the names you've just heard. This also shows the other person that he or she is really taken seriously as an individual. Instead of shaking hands with the next person in your mind, you should focus on the person you are introducing. This way, the name is already in the short-term memory.
Method 2: Search for a suitable picture
Once the name has been spoken aloud, you look for a picture that matches the person. The picture does not have to represent the person 100%, but only remind of the person. Does the other person have special characteristics, such as a big nose, an unusual hair color or a style of clothing that you don't see every day? Here you can memorize a visual, external feature that will only be associated with this one person.
Method 3: Mnemonic devices help
Remembering names is easiest when mnemonic bridges have been built. Let's look at an example: A Roger Bauhaus introduces. Perhaps one thinks then directly of the tennis player Roger Federer. With Bauhaus, it could be that the particular style of the modern school in architecture comes to mind, or it could be the DIY chain. Fortunately, you can let your imagination run wild here, as long as it helps you remember names more easily.
Method 4: Let the person do something
We don't mean this literally, of course. Instead, you should have the person you just met do something in your mind - something that fits the name picture. For example, our Roger Bauhaus might be swinging a tennis racket in his mind. Mr. Baker might be baking a loaf of bread while Mrs. Müller knits a bright red sweater. By making these multiple associations, you catapult the name from short-term memory into long-term memory, and that's exactly where it should end up for sure.
Method 5: Remember and repeat
In order to really memorize the name, you have to train regularly: After all, the brain is a big muscle that needs to be exercised like arms, legs and all other muscles so that it can perform at full capacity and not even lose power.
So after the party, you can lie down comfortably in bed and go over in your mind's eye who you have met. While doing this, it is best to imagine the appearance of the persons and recall the mnemonic bridges - you are already a big step closer to remembering names.
"A good name is lost in moments; a bad one does not become a good one in years" - Jeremias Gotthelf
No more forgetfulness: remembering names with training
Remembering names has already been made more difficult by evolution. It is therefore hardly surprising that many people forget names or are unable to remember them. But this ability can be trained consciously. With our tips and tricks, we have presented five proven methods to remember names easily.
Nutritional supplements for better memory
In addition to training, memory performance can also be improved with natural nutritional supplements. VITPEB® BRAIN supports mental retentiveness with all-natural ingredients and provides more concentration and focus, as well as improved mental strength.
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Region, Nature, Science
How to save the cattle industry? A group of ranchers in Guanacaste bets on soil regeneration
Esta publicación también está disponible en: Español
Translator: Arianna Hernández
Javier Baltodano bends down and breaks a piece of dried manure with his fingers. He looks at it carefully and his face lights up with some hope as he sees a tiny white speck growing like a spider’s web. “There they come, there they come,” he whispers as he points to what looks like filaments of fungus.
Less than a year ago, he started changing the diet of his cattle and using organic fertilizers on his farm’s soil. Doing this, he’s trying to recover microorganisms that decompose the manure in a short time and quickly return these nutrients to the soil.
The faster the manure decomposes in the pastures, the more certain he is that he’s getting closer to the cattle raising model he longs for. And that fungus in the manure is a sign that he is succeeding.
The survival and profitability of cattle ranching are walking a tightrope due to the high prices of supplies and the climate crisis.
The director of the Nicoya branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG for the Spanish abbreviation), Carlos Briceño, explained that the paradigm is changing for those who thought that environmental sustainability was for dreamers.
You can no longer buy a sack of compost. Before it was more romantic. Now it’s a necessity,” emphasized Briceño.
This isn’t a new problem in the province. Between 2014 and 2016, Guanacaste suffered the worst drought in the last eight decades. The government declared a drought emergency and budgeted more than ¢3,540 million (about $5.4 million) to deal with the crisis, which persists year after year almost a decade later.
Despite the difficult outlook, Briceño explains that it’s very difficult to suddenly change the culture of conventional cattle ranching in the province. “But there are already people who have been taking the step,” he said.
According to data from MAG, the cattle ranches that take measures to mitigate extreme droughts and rains increase profitability (the ability to generate income with their available resources) by 18%.
Ganaderia Regenerativa
Some microorganisms begin to recover within the soil on Javier’s farm thanks to organic fertilizers.
Photo: Cesar Arroyo
In the quest for alternatives to survive, Javier and other ranchers are betting on regenerative cattle raising, a method that imitates the dynamics of nature to recover pastures and soil microorganisms. At the same time, the model promises profitability and combats global warming.
“Caution: Deer Giving Birth”
Javier is a biologist and he worked as one all his life, until 12 years ago, when he took over El Encanto, his family farm. This land was bought by his grandfather, Aristides Baltodano, an educator and former legislator from Liberia (who also wrote one of the most beloved songs of our popular music).
The property is an hour and a half from downtown Liberia, heading towards La Cruz. A sign on the open gate warns “Caution: deer giving birth.” The same message is repeated multiple times within the property.
“The idea is to put hunters on alert. A no hunting sign isn’t going to stop them. On the other hand, with this sign, at least they can pay attention to not kill the females that are pregnant,” he explained.
Ganaderia Regenerativa
The El Encanto farm is on the slopes of the Cacao and Orosi volcanoes, which are part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area. For 30 years, its owners have allocated a portion of the land to recovering a forest area called Los Manantiales. Photo: Cesar Arroyo
The farm’s gravel road crosses a patch of secondary forest that now ensures drinking water for them. This same area was a pasture that his family used for extensive cattle ranching until 30 years ago. Beyond that, like guardians, lie the Orosi and Cacao volcanoes.
Javier’s green and dense pastures begin to appear in the outskirts of the Guanacaste Conservation Area.
Less than a year ago, he made the decision to implement regenerative cattle raising, a movement promoted by ranchers themselves and technicians worldwide that seek to have more biodiverse soils, better water quality, healthier animals and, at the same time, a healthier ecosystem.
Fernanda Pia, master in leadership and sustainability, is director of Suelos Vivos (Living Soils), an initiative of the University for International Cooperation that trains those who seek alternatives such as regenerative cattle raising.
“If we don’t have fertile and living soils, we aren’t going to have healthy plants and therefore we won’t be able to have healthy animals,” said Pia.
Pia said that she considers herself a standard bearer for this model for several reasons. One is the possibility that the ranchers find what they need to produce in the environment itself and thus depend less and less on external supplies, such as balanced feed, anti-parasitic medication, herbicides and fertilizers.
We become dependent on these supplies because if the plants can’t take the nutrients from the soil, they need more and more nutrients that come from outside,” she added.
It goes beyond betting on the land. It also has to do with profitability. Implements are getting more and more expensive and recent events such as the war in Ukraine and the shipping container crisis have made prices shoot up even further around the world.
Even Regenerating the Soil
Javier puts the piece of dung back on the damp ground. The beetles he used to find in the manure recently disappeared because of the anti-parasitic medication he administered to his cattle in the past. But he’s trying to get them back by changing his cows’ diet and making his own fertilizers for the pastures.
He keeps everything in the farm’s galley. He has a tank full of phosphate rock fermentation called biol with which he fertilizes his pasture, as well as a fermentation of rice semolina with honey and microorganisms from the mountain that they take from the humic layer of the forests, in other words, where fungi, yeasts and microorganisms that decompose the leaves are concentrated.
That is fermented for a month and fed to the cows to enrich their digestive systems. Then their manure nourishes the pastures more.
That’s not the only way Javier plans to improve his pastures. Regenerative ranching has also helped him move his cattle around more efficiently and take better advantage of the space where the cows graze, thus avoiding another common error in ranching in Guanacaste: overgrazing.
Ganaderia Regenerativa
12 years ago, Javier Baltodano left his work as a biologist to take over the family farm. Photo: Cesar Arroyo
The leader of Suelos Vivos, Fernanda Pia, explained that overgrazing occurs when cattle are allowed to remain for long periods of time in the same place.
The cows then eat only the youngest and most tender grass, and this weakens the roots until finally the grass dies. In other words, the grass never reaches its full potential.
At the same time, older plants will continue to grow in areas and become so stringy that cattle won’t eat them.
The other form of overgrazing occurs when ranchers move animals from one paddock to another before the grass reaches maturity.
Another practice that can be changed to avoid overgrazing is to have less animal groups and groups of more animals. Instead of keeping a few animals in one place for long periods, Pia explained that regenerative cattle raising attempts to simulate the ancient behavior of wild herds, like the large herds of herbivores that populated the African savannas or the pastures of North America, like the buffalo.
These groups grazed together and moved from one place to another due to the change of seasons and to escape their predators. With each migration, they left feces and urine that nourished and moistened the soil.
“So during all that time until they came back, the grass had already grown. That is what we want to do, but now it doesn’t happen naturally,” explained Pia. Now, that rotation must be directed by the rancher.
Javier uses the same principle on his farm. He moves the 80 cows through 33 pastures when he sees that they have already eaten the grass exhaustively and uniformly. This grazing with large herds, or groups of cattle, and long periods of rest for the grass have also caused leguminous plants that enrich their diet to grow and the cattle themselves become responsible for eliminating the “weeds.”
“We put all the cows together and that makes them voracious. They start eating what they don’t normally eat. That helped us a lot to dig into the problem of the tall, thick grass, the pitilla and the bramble,” explained Javier, referring to species that otherwise would have to be eliminated by chopping it down or with herbicides.
Through rational grazing, Javier has managed to get the cows to eat more than one type of grass known as pitilla, which they normally don’t touch. Photo: Cesar Arroyo
Although he hasn’t yet done tests to verify what changes the farm has undergone, he said he has been able to see a greater diversity of plants, one of the objectives of regenerative cattle raising.
Javier knows how to be patient to assimilate the changes, but he knows that taking better care of the environment won’t automatically bring him profitability.
Checking How the Farms are Doing
Within regenerative cattle raising, there are several management and decision-making tools. One of them is a management methodology called holistic management.
Agronomist Marco Gomez uses this tool to give advice on regenerative production systems in livestock and agriculture.
Planning is done at several levels: grazing, the land, biological monitoring and finances, Gomez explained. The latter, financial planning, is very necessary for regions with long dry seasons like Guanacaste. In this way, ranchers can know in advance how much food they need to generate and if that amount of food can come from their own farms or if they need to buy it.
There are more people in Guanacaste who are applying holistic management on their farms, like Enrique Castegnaro. His pasture land is on the slope of another volcano, Miravalles.
Castegnaro participated in a forum last year in November to share his experience in regenerative cattle raising with other meat producers in Latin America. During that forum, he explained that when applying planning and observation to his cattle, he noticed that he had more grass than he was taking advantage of. That’s why he was able to increase his head of cattle by 50% in the middle of the dry season compared to the previous year.
Enrique is a civil engineer who has managed his family’s farm for 10 years. In his talk, he explained that he isn’t an expert but that in 2020, he began his path in regenerative cattle raising, when he trained as an associate educator at the Savory Institute.
Suelos Vivos, where Fernanda Pia works, is Savory’s regional connection in Costa Rican. The institution promotes training and implementation of holistic management worldwide through a network of regional connections. Another important point within this methodology is being able to measure results.
That’s why they have people who work as “verifiers.” Marco Gomez, is one of the Suelos Vivos verifiers, in addition to being associated with Agro Regenera, a group of ranchers and producers who decided to unite to train and share the results that they have achieved with this model.
Ganaderia Regenerativa
Javier planted Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) around his pastures. Regenerative cattle raising looks for a diversity of grasses, legumes and herbs to create a much more balanced diet for animals. Photo: Cesar Arroyo
Biological monitoring verifies changes in pastureland health, along with measuring carbon and biodiversity in the soil in the short and long term, explained Gomez, adding that generating data and evidence is one of the great challenges involved in this livestock model.
“It wasn’t until relatively recently that there were tools that made it possible to measure this regeneration within the landscape. Lacking a consensus about the benefits of regenerative cattle raising could fall precisely on how little data has been generated to date,” he pointed out.
Fight Climate Change with Cows?
Both Gomez and Pia are confident that regenerative cattle raising is essential to achieve the objectives of the National Decarbonization Plan, an instrument to turn Costa Rica into a modern, green and emission-free economy. The long-term goal is to have net zero emissions by 2050.
But along the way, the national plan seeks to gradually generate some changes. One of them is for 60% of the area dedicated to livestock to implement low-carbon technologies by 2030.
The country has made progress in this area in recent decades. According to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory, emissions from the agricultural industry were reduced by 20.9% between 1990 and 2017.
In this direction, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has promoted the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Measures, better known as the Livestock NAMA.
These measures seek to reduce GHG emissions resulting from livestock activity, increase the resilience of the livestock industry and generate higher income for producers.
Currently, 1,800 cattle ranching farms around the country form part of the Livestock NAMA low-emissions program, 402 of which are within the Chorotega region. The region will add 50 more farms this year, according to MAG’s national coordinator, Jorge Segura.
Since the program started in 2019, the ministry registered a decrease of 37,500 tons of CO2eq (equivalent of carbon dioxide) in the region.
According to Fernanda Pia, the role of livestock in climate change isn’t just to stop emitting, but also to trap carbon in the soil.
When the grass grows, it sucks up carbon and incorporates it into the soil. So the more you let it grow, the more it can do that process. What is looked for is allowing it to grow to its potential to activate this carbon pump,” she explained.
And it goes further. “At the same time, it helps reverse desertification. And by not having bare soil, water penetrates the grounds and the humidity stays in place. This is going to prevent soil erosion and is going to improve aquifers.”
She thinks there are livestock models, like regenerative cattle raising, that can play a big key role in conservation by maintaining Guanacaste’s forested territory, water springs and, therefore, the biological corridors of many animals.
In the sector that Javier calls Los Manantiales, within Finca El Encanto, they’ve used camera traps to be able to see pumas, tolomucos (tayras, from the weasel family), deer and tapirs, animals that lost a good part of their habitat when the province’s forests were cut down and converted into vast uninhabited fields for cattle.
MAG plans to recognize the efforts that ranchers like Javier are making, paying them for capturing carbon in the soil. They also promise to give them an environmental seal that will give them greater economic support for their activity.
In the room that Javier uses as an office, which he calls “the farm’s brain,” he has shelves full of books on biology, veterinary medicine, and raising cattle. Beneath the family photo that hangs on the wall to remind him who he makes all that effort for, there is a painting with a caption: “Everything’s ready, the water, the sun and the clay… but if YOU are missing, there won’t be any miracle.”
Ganaderia Regenerativa
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Why train with Wide Reach?
Have you ever considered if the water you rely on every day is safe to use?
Water is all around us. It’s an important part of our lives and we often take for granted having access to clean, safe and pure water for our everyday needs. However, one of the biggest misconceptions is that all processed water in Australia is safe because it’s regulated by water authorities.
While it is true that drinking water quality is carefully monitored and maintained within the water supply network of a city or town, who is responsible if the source of bacteria or contaminant making people sick comes from a private building’s infrastructure?
Contaminated Water – Understanding the Risks
Washing Hands Pathogen Awareness
Legionella Awareness Shower Outlets
Legionella Training Ice Machines
In recent years, the world has become increasingly aware of the dangers associated with harmful bacteria residing in a residential, domestic or industrial water distribution system. Opportunistic bacteria, known as pathogens, can establish themselves in showers, hot water systems, water cooling towers, dental chairs, ice machines and even water misters at public events.
It is a fact that scores of Australians contract water borne diseases each year, which can lead to severe medical implications and even death. In the case of Legionnaires Disease, a person simply needs to breathe in water vapour containing Legionella bacteria to become infected.
The risk from these pathogens applies to people of all age groups. Unfortunately, it does increase for infants and older people, chronic illness sufferers and those with suppressed immune systems. Studies have shown that people who smoke or consume alcohol are also at a dramatically increased risk.
Water borne pathogens are just one of many aspects that can affect water quality and safety. Other aspects include cheap imported mixing valves contaminating water with lead and zinc, or corroding pipework releasing unacceptable levels of copper.
Maintaining water quality is an end-to-end process which starts with the water authorities and finishes with the proper management of individual water outlets.
Wide Reach
Wide Reach – bridging the skills gap for the benefit of public health
At Wide Reach, we have observed an alarming shortfall in the training and support provided to the people responsible for identifying the risks and maintaining the safety of water distribution systems in our hospitals, aged care facilities, schools, public places and broader communities.
Developed by industry professionals with over 50 years experience in the field, our engaging, in-depth and innovative online training courses are specially designed to bridge this gap.
Who are our online training courses for?
Water Quality Training Safety Professionals
Water Quality Training for Nurses
Plumbing Inspectors Water Quality Training
Our courses are designed to provide essential skills and knowledge in the area of water quality that are crucial to a wide range of industries and roles.
This includes plumbing inspectors, plumbers, engineers, hospital and aged care staff, water treatment providers, laboratory sampling personnel, swimming pool operators, all the way through to facility/maintenance managers and building owners.
Managing a complex water distribution system requires a team based approach. We have found that once members of a team know the importance of why they are doing something, that it will get done more reliably and with better quality. Training does matter and training works.
Wide Reach Online Courses
Legionella and Pathogen Awareness
Writing & Maintaining a Water Risk Management Plan (WRMP)
Got Questions? Connect with our team.
With years of industry experience, our highly qualified staff are on hand to answer any questions you might have. We pride ourselves on ensuring Australians always have access to the highest quality water training, wherever they are.
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Agrisolar Clearinghouse Icon
Identifying Photovoltaic Water Pumping (PVWP) Systems Opportunities in Albanian’s Agriculture Context
A lot of economic analyses have been conducted in the last ten years to establish the most cost-effective solution for irrigation and evaluation of the project profitability. The benefits generated by the PVWP providing water by a submersible pump located inside a deep well have been highlighted for Divjaka region. The solar potential in the site is quite enough to be used to pump water from the deep well into the tank positioned at an effective altitude which can provide the water quantity and pressure by gravity. The study shows that installing a PVWP system represents the best technical and economic solution to drive a water pump that provides water for sprinkler irrigation. The economic benefits have been also addressed, evaluating the energy production and distribution throughout the year and the specific cost per m3 of water supplied (€/m3). Renewables are the key to enhance food and water security, drive agri-food productivity, leading to socioeconomic benefits in recovering from post-Covid-19. By combining our knowledge, data collected, surveys together can contribute to economic growth of our community-ensuring access to clean and affordable energy and raising the standard of living of rural and most vulnerable communities. In the area there are used two types of water pumping for irrigation purposes: Diesel driven water pumps and electricity powered water pumps. Both systems are very costly due to the high fuel cost and on the other hand self-investment to bring electricity from the national distribution lines are needed. The study shows very good results compared to the existing water pump systems (totally based on fossil or electricity from the grid) applied for irrigation purposes in Albania. Further investment in RES is essential for agri-food systems transformation and development, climate resilience and net-zero strategies by 2030 in Albanian context, as the majority of the rural population lies their economy on agriculture. The use of this kind of system could have an important contribution in the diversification of energy sources, mitigation of GHG, social and economic development of our country.
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Company Explanations
Company is the effect of accompanying (being with another person, adding something to something else, or existing with them). The term has different uses according to the context. The company can be the subject or subjects accompanying another or others. For example: “Excuse me, but right now I can’t talk to you: I have company”, “I’m going to keep grandmother company for a while”, “The young woman came to the place in the company of an older man.
The concept of companion animals refers to those members of human families that belong to other species and are generally called pets, such as dogs and cats. This term is used very often in the real estate field, to indicate if an owner admits them in their home.
Older people and those who suffer from diseases that prevent them from making full use of their faculties or their bodies often require the assistance of company people, whose tasks usually include preparing the different meals of the day, helping their employers in such activities. basic food, grooming, dressing and moving around the house, as well as taking them for walks to avoid the depression that confinement can bring and to get in contact with the sun and fresh air.
According to DigoPaul, the position of companion person is usually reserved for women, even when the individual requiring assistance is a man. On the other hand, it is a job that is generally intended for foreign women: in some European countries, for example, it is common for young Latin American women to do it. It goes without saying that supporting an elderly person or an adult with reduced mobility is not easy and involves a great physical and mental effort, much more than when raising a child.
The notion of company can also be used as a synonym for company, since it allows to name the society of different people who come together for the same purpose: “I worked for fifteen years in a telephone company until I was fired and now I am looking for a new job “, ” Vituflexsy is the largest industrial company in the country “, ” A group of criminals stormed the headquarters of the oil company and took more than half a million euros.
Among the most important companies in the world are the following:
Apple: it is a North American multinational company known all over the world thanks to its peculiar and successful computer products and the field of mobile communication, such as its iPhone and its iMac series;
Samsung Electronics: This Korean company produces a wide range of mid- and high-end items with an excellent quality / price ratio, including its televisions, tablet PCs and phones;
Volkswagen Group: one of the world’s most recognized automobile manufacturers, it focuses on the European market and owns brands such as Audi, Bugatti, SEAT and Ducati;
The body of dancers and actors that is formed with the intention of representing a play is also called a company: “The San Jerónimo Dance Company is touring the country to present its new show”, “My dream is to join a company circus ”, “ The municipality distinguished the members of the troupe of actors ”.
In the military sphere, a company is a unit (infantry, engineers or a service) that is usually commanded by a captain and is part of a battalion: “Company 342 has not yet been reported”, “Three companies are fighting on the northern front ”.
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How to Compare Rates Between FX Brokers
Updated: Apr 6
Comparing Rates Between FX Brokers
An exchange rate indicates how much your currency is worth in another currency. Consider it to be the cost of purchasing that currency. For example, in January 2022, one euro was equivalent to $1.13 US dollars, and one US dollar was equal to 0.88 euros. Most currencies' exchange rates are determined by foreign currency merchants. They trade currencies around the clock, seven days a week. This market was worth more than $6.6 trillion each day in 2021.
There are two types of exchange rates.
Exchange rates are classified into two types: flexible and fixed. Flexible currency rates are continually changing, but fixed exchange rates are rarely changing.
Flexible exchange rates are the kind most used in the world. They are the rates used in the foreign exchange market. They change based on supply and demand of the foreign currency and the currency being exchanged.
Fixed exchange rates are set by the government of a country. The government agrees to exchange its currency for another in a fixed amount. Most countries have abandoned fixed exchange rates, but many developing countries still use them. This is because they make it easier for businesses to plan ahead.
The Chinese yuan was formerly a stable currency. The Chinese government is now gradually moving toward a flexible exchange rate. This means that it fluctuates less frequently than a flexible exchange rate but more frequently than a set exchange rate. As of January 21, 2022, one US dollar was worth around 6.36 Chinese yuan.[4] The US dollar has depreciated against the yuan since February 2003. At the time, one US dollar could be swapped for 8.28 yuan. The US dollar has depreciated because it can now purchase less yuan than it could 200 years ago.
What Affects Exchange Rates?
Currency exchange rates are influenced by interest rates, money supply, and financial stability. As a result of these variables, the demand for a country's currency is affected by what is going on in that country.
Interest rates
Interest rates are the amount of interest a country pays to borrow money. They are set by the government and are one of the main factors affecting currency exchange rates. A government may increase interest rates to encourage growth or to fight inflation. It may decrease them to reduce inflation or to encourage business growth.
Higher interest rates make borrowing money more expensive for a country, so less money will be borrowed. A country's money supply decreases when it borrows less money. This causes the exchange rate of the country's currency to fall.
Money supply
The money supply is the total amount of money circulating in a country. The US money supply is the total amount of money in the US economy. It includes cash and loans. It can be transferred from one person to another through a bank. The money supply is not the same as the stock market.
If the government issues too much money, there will be far too much of it chasing far too few goods. The prices of goods and services will rise as currency holders bid up the value of their currency. This leads to inflation. Hyperinflation occurs when much too much money is printed.
Financial Stability
The currency exchange rates of a country are influenced by its economic development and financial stability. Investors will purchase the country's goods and services if its economy is healthy and rising. They'll need more of their cash to do so. They will be less eager to invest in a nation if its financial stability appears to be in jeopardy. They want to know that if they own government bonds in that currency, they will be paid back.
How Forex Rates Affect You
The quick answer is that it all depends on who you are.
You are more likely to notice the currency rate when you travel abroad. When the pound is strong versus the dollar, for example, you will receive more dollars in exchange for your pounds. As a result, the stronger the pound, the lower the cost of purchasing goods overseas.
The same is true for items purchased in the UK imported from other countries. For example, when the pound strengthens, food and other imported goods become less expensive.
The currency rate has an impact on businesses as well. Many businesses purchase items from other countries (imports) and use them to manufacture goods in the United States. Because the pound is stronger, these imports are less expensive.
Other companies sell their products to people worldwide (exports). A rising pound makes these items more expensive for foreigners to purchase, perhaps resulting in decreased sales for UK exporters.
In general, those who purchase more than they sell overseas like it when the pound is strong. People who sell more than they purchase overseas usually favour it when the pound is weak.
How to Compare Rates Between FX Brokers
When you are comparing currency exchange rates and transaction fee rates, keep in mind that there is no one standard for these rates among FX and CFD brokers.
A common mistake beginners make is to look at the fee per trade rate. Comparable rates aren't always seen among FX brokers. For example, some brokers charge a commission on trades executed in the local currency of a client's account, while others charge a commission in the currency of their own accounts. This can make it more difficult to compare the fees and rates of FX brokers.
One of the best ways to compare currency exchange rates is to take a look at the exchange rate history. This can be a great way to determine the overall trend of a currency. Most currency exchange sites have a historical chart that can be used to compare the current currency exchange rate against the historical rate. It can help you determine if the currency is over-priced or under-priced.
The transaction size is another important rate to compare when you're looking at FX brokers. For example, not all brokers offer competitive rates on small transactions. Make sure a broker offers competitive rates on small transactions, especially if you are interested in trading small amounts regularly.
The cost of executing a trade is essential. However, fees are not the only thing you should consider. The quality of customer service, the trading platform, the convenience of opening an account is also essential to consider, and the types of assets available to trade are other essential factors.
The execution speed of a trade is an important consideration. You want to know that your FX broker can execute your trades quickly. This can help you to avoid losses due to slippage.
Top tips on how to get the best available exchange rates
1. Plan ahead
Avoid exchanging your money at the airport when going on holiday as it will cost you more than if you plan ahead. If you can't avoid it altogether, make sure you pre-order your travel money for collection at the airport to get a slightly better exchange rate.
2. Don't rely on your credit or debit card
Credit and debit cards charge you a foreign exchange fee, which is typically about 3%. When you pay for your holiday using your credit card, it often seems to be a great way to get the best exchange rate, but in reality, you pay an extra 3% on top of it, so in the long run, you lose out.
How can you prevent paying foreign transaction fees? Before travelling, do your homework and study the fine print on your bank and credit card accounts. Inquire with your bank about foreign transaction costs.
If you have time before your trip, you should consider opening a new account with a credit card that does not impose foreign transaction fees, especially if it is a decent travel reward credit card.
3. Be aware of your ATM fees and limits
Whether you need cash from an ATM in another country, discover if your bank has ATMs in your destination city—you may be able to avoid paying expensive ATM fees. Remember that your bank may charge you a fee if you use an out-of-network ATM. This is in addition to any local fees levied by the international ATM. The exchange rate obtained from a foreign ATM is likely to be a better overall value than that obtained from an airport kiosk, but ATM fees can mount up, so make sure you withdraw enough cash to cover the cost.
Before your vacation, contact your bank to inquire about your account's daily ATM withdrawal restrictions. If your daily withdrawal limit is presently set too low, consider requesting that it be increased so that you can withdraw what you need while travelling.
4. Opt to pay in the local currency
Some shops will let you pick whether you wish to pay in local currency or pounds.
This is not the case with every transaction. However, occasionally after swiping your card, the store may show you a screen with two options: pay in pounds equivalent or pay in the local currency amount.
If you find yourself in this scenario, always prefer to pay in the local currency. You will be charged an additional currency conversion fee if you opt to pay in dollars. You will also most likely receive a low exchange rate. The merchant's point of sale system may make it appear like paying in dollars rather than the local currency is a more convenient option, but it will ultimately cost you more. When using your card, just pay in local currency.
5. Consider using a forward contract
Consider utilising a currency forward contract to swap your money if you are purchasing a home in another country. This allows you to lock in a favourable exchange rate for up to two years, ensuring that you don't miss out if the FX market swings against you and that you know the amount you'll pay when the time comes to settle. This is also handy at other times when you need to stick to a budget, such as when starting a business overseas or organising a destination wedding. Please keep in mind that forward contracts may demand a deposit.
6. Take note of the timeframes.
Allow plenty of time if you need to exchange your money by a specified date. Instant transfers might be significantly more expensive than ones that take a few days. Being organised will also assist you in obtaining the best foreign exchange rate and avoiding unnecessary fees. Conveniently, most currency specialists provide their customers with speedy transfers and automatic recurring payments, so you can be confident that your transfer will arrive on time. You may also make payments yourself 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using a secure online platform, providing you with complete control.
7. Make use of International Banking Apps
If you frequently travel internationally, consider utilising an international banking app like TransferWise (formerly known as Wise), Revolut, or others to handle your money. These applications make it easy to move money between nations and maintain several currency accounts.
You can, for example, maintain some money in several currencies with multiple currency accounts. It's helpful if you often go to Canada or Mexico or spend your summer vacations in Spain. This allows you to escape the volatility of foreign conversion rates because you'll always have some cash on hand for your next trip.
8. Use a market order to get the right rate
Consider utilising a market order to ensure you obtain the desired pricing. Market orders enable you to select the currency exchange rate you want to use for your transaction, and they will execute automatically when your target rate is met. This relieves you from continually monitoring the markets and provides you peace of mind that you won't lose out on your perfect rate, allowing you to return to your hectic schedule without losing out.
If you were struggling to understand the foreign exchange market, we hope you now have a better idea of how it works. Exchange rates are important. They affect your business and personal life, as well as international trade. If you have any questions about exchange rates or would like to ask about FX and CFD broker comparisons, please leave a comment below.
Bound is a specialist foreign exchange hedging firm that offers currency protection for businesses.
We help companies that are at risk of losing money to changes in the exchange rate to protect themselves against these losses.
By using the services that Bound provides, UK companies of all sizes are able to conduct business in foreign currencies with complete certainty about the exchange rates that they will receive. Subscribe to our newsletter or watch a demo of our product today!
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Bound can integrate directly with your accounting platform.
Our integrations can enhance your existing tools to streamline the process and make manual hedging a thing of the past.
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A Federal Policy Action Plan to Accelerate Local Climate Resilience
Communities across the United States are facing catastrophic extreme weather events that are growing in intensity and frequency due to climate change. Improving climate resilience can alleviate the impact of these events, but federal policies and programs fall short of supporting the level of action needed to help communities overcome planning and implementation challenges. This brief provides an action plan for how the federal government can accelerate local climate resilience. This plan includes: working effectively and strategically to administer government resources; providing leadership to address gaps and drive the direction of resilience action; addressing inequities that put low-income and marginalized communities at higher risk; and acting as a strong partner to catalyze resilience action by local, tribal, and state governments and the private sector.
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10 Hilarious Binary Jokes That Will Make You Laugh
Robot telling a joke in binary code to another robot
Check out these 10 hilarious binary jokes that will make you laugh so hard, you’ll see binary code!
A great way to have fun with binary code is to laugh at a few of the funniest math jokes rounded up from all over the internet.
Most binary jokes are a fun play on the fact that binary numbers have a different meaning in decimal form.
These jokes are fun among computer programmers, but you can also use them with your friends to make them feel dumb for not getting it!
Binary joke #1: “There are only 10 kinds of people in the world…”
There are only 10 types of people in the world – those who understand binary, and those who don’t.
The pun is that the binary translation for decimal digit 2 is ‘10’. Not decimal TEN, but a binary one-zero. Only people who understand binary code would know that, everyone else would be thinking there is a mistake in the joke! Head on over to the binary to decimal converter to convert 10 to decimal number system.
Binary joke #2: “The other day I told my friend…”
The other day I told my friend 10 jokes about binary.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get either of them!
In this joke, everyone is expecting ten jokes! However, the friend doesn’t understand “either” of them. The term “either” implies that there are only two jokes, while everyone is expecting ten jokes. This joke uses the principle that 10 is the binary translation of the decimal number 2.
Binary joke #3: “I signed up for…”
I signed up for binary 101, but it turns out it’s a level 5 course.
When people sign up for a 101 class, it is usually a beginner-friendly crash course on a certain topic. The pun is that the binary 101 class was supposed to be easy. However, the decimal form for 101 is actually 5! So, the class turned out to be a level 5 class, and it was very hard!
Binary joke #4: “Learning binary…”
Learning binary is as easy as 01, 10, 11!
This is read as: “Learning binary is as easy as zero-one, one-zero, one-one!” The original phrase would be: “Learning binary is as easy as 123!”. In the joke, every decimal digit is converted to the binary base. 1 is converted to 01 (zero-one), 2 is converted to 10 (one-zero), and 3 is converted to one-one (11).
Use this joke to confuse people who don’t know binary code!
Binary joke #5: “I wanted to become a programmer…”
I wanted to become a programmer, so I decided to learn binary code.
You could say I learned bit by bit.
When you want to become a programmer, the first numeric system to learn is the binary numeral system. Every binary digit is called a “bit”. The pun is that when the programmer learns bit by bit, they also mean they are learned binary digit by binary digit. Only the real programmers would know that! Everyone else will be none the wiser.
girl laughing at binary joke
Binary joke #6: “Why can’t Buddhists…”
Why can’t Buddhists learn binary code?
Because they are at one with everything.
This joke is pretty simple. Binary means two, and Buddhists are all about being at one with everything. That means Buddhists can’t learn binary code! Get it? Haha.
Binary joke #7: “I can speak…”
I can speak 10 languages. English and Binary.
When you tell this joke, your friends will be waiting for you to list the remaining eight languages you can speak. But your joke is over and you’re telling the truth! You can only speak one-zero languages! Recall that 10 means 2 in binary code. Only the nerds will get it.
Binary joke #8: “Would you like to try some…”
Would you like to try some binary cake?
Sure, I’ll have a little bit.
A bit is the smallest unit of storage in a computer. “Bit” is actually the short form for the words “binary digit”. A little “bit” is an ode to the fact that binary code uses bits, but a bit also means a little piece. The joke will fly over the heads of people who don’t know binary code, but the geeks will know.
Binary joke #9: “I’ve got 1100011 problems…”
I’ve got 1100011 problems but binary isn’t one of them!
This is a popular phrase based on a song by Jay-Z. The original phrase is to say “I’ve got 99 problems but binary isn’t one of them”. The joke here is that 99 is converted into binary code to translate as “1100011”. Most people won’t get the joke, but people who have a hint about numeric systems will understand.
Binary joke #10: “A binary mathematician walks into a bar…”
A binary mathematician walks into a bar and asks for 10 drinks. The bartender says okay and gives him two beers.
This is a great addiction to “A man walks into a bar…” type of jokes. When a binary mathematician asks for drinks, you have to be careful when taking his order, lol! 10 drinks is a lot of drinks, but the bartender appears to know binary code so he gave the guy two beers. Remember that 10 is binary code for number 2.
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After 74 years, the remains of a Tuskegee airman lost over Europe may have been found
Tuskegee Airmen Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson was finally found after almost 74 years of searching.
On July 27th Dickson’s remains were discovered and recognized by the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency (D.P.A.A.), an agency which investigates and recovers fallen militaries.
Dickson had been declared missing since his plane crossed the borders of Austria and Italy on Dec. 23, 1944, and was one of the famous Tuskegee Airmen, the first black military airmen to be operated by the military in the United States.
He was just 24 at the time of the crash but was already an accomplished pilot, having received the Distinguished Flying Cross for meritorious service.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, Dickson’s 68th and final mission was to escort a photo-reconnaissance plane toward Nazi-occupied Prague.
Dickson experienced some engine trouble towards the beginning of his trip and it eventually escalated to catastrophic during his trip back to his base in Italy. He was left with no other option than to bail out of his plane.
Members of the graduating class at Tuskegee Army Flying School including Alwayne Dunlap, Lawrence E Dickson, Wilmeth W Sidat Singh, and Elmer L Gordon, in pilot’s uniforms standing with airplanes during World War 2, Tuskegee, Alabama, 1942.
Unfortunately, Dickson’s wingmen lost sight of him, his parachute, and his plane after it went down. No other attempts were made at the time of his crash to locate him and so Dickson was listed as M.I.A.
According to the Washington Post, later attempts to locate Capt. Dickson was made by searching around Tarvisio and nearby Malborghetto, Italy, where Dickson’s plane was believed to have gone down. However, their attempts came up short and in 1949, the Army declared his remains “nonrecoverable.”
In 2011, Joshua Frank, a research analyst with the D.P.A.A., was tasked with investigating cases of military plane crashes in Italy, according to The New York Times.
Frank used eyewitness reports and military records to help fill in gaps of missing information about Dickson’s crash, which eventually lead to the agency discovering the plane’s crash site.
Then, in the summer of 2017 researchers from the University of New Orleans and the University of Innsbruck formed an excavation team and worked together to sift through the believed crash site in Hohenthrun, Austria. They eventually made a long-awaited discovery: human remains.
Marla Andrews, Dickson’s only child who was just 2 years old when Dickson disappeared, received a call from the Army’s Past Conflict Repatriations Branch in August 2017.
They told her that experts were now investigating her father’s case again after the excavation team’s discovery in Austria. According to The New York Times, Andrews eagerly submitted her DNA for analysis and then waited for the results.
The remains were sent off for analysis in November and last week the results came back that the remains did indeed belong to Capt. Dickson.
“I had given up a long time ago,” Andrews told The New York Times. “Now, I don’t have to worry.”
Marla Andrews holds a photograph of her father Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson (back row, third from left).
The pioneering Tuskegee Airmen hold a special place in American history. The all-black team of aviators flew more than 15,000 sorties during World War II and their performances earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Their impressive achievements also helped to encourage the integration of the U.S. armed forces in 1948 by President Harry Truman.
With the identification of Capt. Dickson’s remains, it is now believed that he is the very first missing Tuskegee Airmen to be recovered since the end of World War II. There are still 26 of the Tuskegee Airmen missing, though Frank says that they have possible leads on four of the other missing aviators.
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How Did Beethoven Lose His Deafness
Good Essays
Ludwig van Beethoven is considered by many performers, historians, and music critics to be one of the most famous musical artisans in the history of music composition and performance in the western world. He is very well known for his world famous symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, and concertos. However famous Ludwig van Beethoven’s music might be, he is also very well known for his very ironic, considering his lifetime profession and amazing musical talents, disability. Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing, in the form of extremely deafening tinnitus that had developed as possibly the result of lead poisoning, around 1796 and then it developed into total deafness around 1816 when he was 41 years of age. Although the famous composer and performer lost his ability to hear, he still composed for years after the he had become deaf. How could someone whose profession relies so heavily upon the sense of sound be able to cope with such an extraordinary loss and how did…show more content…
Many theorists and historians believe that because of this inability to hear higher pitches, Beethoven had begun to compose his string quartets with more focus on the lower voices, like the cello, as opposed to the more traditional higher ones, like the violin. There is in a fact a historical account that whenever Beethoven would receive visitors that would visit him for social or performance affairs, he would often play obnoxious, thundering bass notes on the piano and would ironically declare about how wonderful and beautiful the music sounded because it was all he could hear. Beethoven eventually decided to cease performance after a devastatingly pathetic piano performance. He could not very well hear what he was playing due to his deafness and became
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Health Insurance: How something so good has gone so bad
The Origins of Health Insurance
On July 16, 1798, President John Adams signed the first Federal public health law, "An act for the relief of sick and disabled Sailors." This assessed every seaman at American ports 20 cents a month. This was considered the first prepaid medical care plan in the United States.
During the 1920s, individual hospitals, such as Baylor Hospitals in Dallas, Texas, began offering services to individuals on a pre-paid basis, eventually leading to the development of Blue Cross Health Insurance. By 1930, healthcare plans were offered to teachers for a pre-paid monthly fee of fifty cents. The program was well received by teachers across Dallas leading thus expanding to schools across the nation, thereby giving birth to the nonprofit Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Private insurers took notice, inspiring a host of them to enter the market and enroll people. This in turn enabled hospitals to generate a steady stream of revenue.
Increasing prices
As these health systems grew to encompass entire counties or states, they gained a huge advantage in negotiations with insurance companies. Coverage became widely available for services beyond the hospital and emergencies. Health coverage was sold in tiers and packages for different fees allowing for outpatient care and diagnostics. As these changes were implemented, there was a shift in monthly premiums, the advent of copay and large deductibles to be met before coverage begins. UnitedHealthcare, developed in the1970s, is today one of the largest health insurance providers in the Nation followed by Aetna.
Fair Pricing or Not
A fair market price for a knee replacement is roughly $30k; this covers the hospital’s cost of labor and materials plus a fair profit margin. If you get a knee replacement within a huge health system, they'll probably try to bill your insurance company over $100k. If the insurance company complains, the hospital will offer them an amazing deal: a massive 50% discount! The insurance company happily agrees to pay $50k—but they’re still paying $20k more than the market price. Over time, prices drift upwards as insurance companies get accustomed to paying ever higher prices.
In recent years, this phenomenon has reached a point of absurdity.
Here are some examples of real medical bills:
A $17 Tylenol pill in the hospital.
$98 ice pack applied during physical therapy
$70 additional “mileage charge” for a 15-minute ambulance ride.
$10,000 “trauma team activation fee,” when a triage nurse summoned surgeons to the emergency room.
$1000 “rooming-in charge” to a mother who opted to keep her newborn in her room, rather than having him admitted to the new-born nursery.
This is the largest contributor to the last 10 years of rising healthcare costs: huge, consolidated, corporate health systems continually charging more for the same services, because they can.
My Story
I was an ER provider who suddenly became violently ill during my shift while caring for very sick patients. Here's the kicker...
-I had good (expensive) insurance but had a $200 copay
-I was given iv fluids (1L) that I had to unblock on my own multiple times; although I was now a paying customer, everyone ditched me and I essentially took care of myself in the room
-received almost 1 bag of saline, a vomit bag, and no blood work
-never had blood work or was assessed by anyone and checked myself out (oh yeah and lost wages that night because this all started before my shift ended)
Total bill after paying a copay: $1500.00
My colleague who needed 7 sutures on another occasion had a bill for $3000.00!!
DPC Difference
-DPC evolved out of doctors fed up with the business of medicine; no longer direct patient care, 10 mins or less with patients, insurance companies telling them how to treat their patients, endless bureaucracy
The Difference
-no copay, no deductible, personalized and high quality care
-access to your provider, unlimited every day, including evenings and weekends
-one patient at a time means you always get a minimum of 30 mins
-labs and medications at cost
-exams and minor procedures included or at cost
Example of Lab Fee Difference
Complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, TSH and a HgA1c
Cost to patients min. >$100 DPC practice $15
Medications: Comparing DPC with Retail and Hospitals/Insurance
1. Rosenthal, E. (2017) https://medium.com/@RosenthalHealth/how-economic-incentives-have-created-our-dysfunctional-us-medical-market-b681c51d6436
2. AHP (2020) https://www.ahpcare.com/a-brief-history-of-private-insurance-in-the-united-states/
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• Raid Attir
24 - Is Oil Really Organic?...Why Some Believe It Is Not
Updated: Oct 2, 2018
Crude Oil is a fossil fuel that generated from the decomposition of organic material. Despite this widely accepted explanation of oil origin, some hold that petroleum is formed by non-biological processes, deep in the Earth’s mantle, and has migrated to the Earth's crust. This last contradicts the traditional view that oil is a finite source of energy, and promotes the notion that primordial hydrocarbons exist somewhere at great depths on earth (~700 km).
What Are The Theories That Explain Oil Origins?
Oil origin theories can be categorized in two groups:
• Biotic, also known as biogenic, or organic
• Abiotic, also knows as abiogenic, or inorganic
We are using the terms Organic and Inorganic Theory for simplification
Organic Theory
Organic theory is the most popular theory that explains oil origin. it holds that hydrocarbons generated mostly from microscopic marine organisms, that died and rested on the seafloor before sedimentary rocks came off the land and buried them beneath. Over millions of years, the sedimentation process buried the organic material deep enough where temperature and pressure rose to a point where it broke down the organic matter, which in turn released its hydrocarbon content.
The released hydrocarbon migrated upward. Where most quantities are believed to have seeped to surface and evaporated, while the rest had encountered a geological trap which prevented seepage, and allowed them to accumulate in what we call today an oil reservoir.
Inorganic Theory (or Hypothesis)
Although inorganic theory has been promoted by several scientists, it remains unpopular and surrounded by skepticism. This theory holds that hydrocarbons, mostly in the form of methane, were formed during the creation of the planet and do exist in the Earth's mantle.
These hydrocarbons migrated to the Earth's crust through deep faults. As they moved upward, they were exposed to chemical reactions that made them more complex in composition, complex enough to create oil.
Inorganic Theory Evidences
The inorganic theory has been promoted mainly by two scientists:
• Nikolai Kudryavtsev in 1951 with his theory of Deep Abiotic Petroleum, and
• Thomas Gold from 1979 to 1998 with his Deep Gas Theory
The following are the main claimed evidences that were presented by Inorganic Theory proponents in support of their theory:
Bituminous Sands Can’t be formed from Organic Matter
As per the Inorganic theory proponent, there is no source rock that can form such an enormous amount of oil. The only logical explanation (according to them) is the migration of hydrocarbons to surface through deep faults.
Sedimentary Reservoirs lie on top of fractured basement
Significant oil reservoirs are mainly found around deformation belts where tectonic forces could have created deep faults, allowing methane migration to Earth's crust resulting in the formation of giant oilfields.
Biomarkers are just contamination
As hydrocarbon migrates, it gets contaminated with bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons. This explains the organic footprint in oil.
Hydrocarbons exist in the Solar System
Hydrocarbons (mostly methane) are a major component of planetary bodies in our solar system. For instance, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all have significant amount of methane in their atmosphere.
Mid-Oceanic ridges vent methane
Methane, coming from Earth's mantle, vents from mid-oceanic ridges as a result of hydrothermal activities
"Hydrocarbons are not biology reworked by geology (as the traditional view would hold), but rather geology reworked by biology" Thomas Gold
Inorganic Theory opponents view
Opponents of the inorganic theory have analyzed the theory and came up with several counter arguments, below are some of them:
Insufficient CO2
it is believed that there is insufficient carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's crust to achieve the necessary reaction to form complex hydrocarbons.
Upper Mantle is too oxidizing
It is also believed that the Earth's upper mantle is too oxidizing for methane to exist is such abundance and to become the main form of carbon.
Source Rocks exist in bitumen
The argument about the source rocks and bitumen took place before the development of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry in the 1980's.
Thermodynamic refute inorganic theory
While the chemistry behind the inorganic theory might be proven correct in the laboratories, there is enough evidences that such chemical reaction is thermodynamically unlikely to take place in environments such as the Earth's mantle.
Magma not faults
It is believed that the only way to transport volatile gases from the mantle to surface is through the magma, and not through deep faults.
Temperature not faults
High geothermal gradients near deformation belts is what enhanced hydrocarbon formation, and not the migration of oil through faults.
Spacial hydrocarbon is organic
As recently uncovered, the methane found on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, contains organic compounds.
Final Words
Encountering oil in fractured basement is not common, but not unheard of as there might be several ways for it to exist other than the Inorganic theory.
On the other hand, some researchers proved that some of the inorganic theory chemistry can take place within earth, yet probably not in commercial quantities.
Therefore, the Inorganic theory might not be the correct explanation of oil origins. However; it cannot be dismissed yet.
Also, We will be happy to share more details on this post, so please don't hesitate to contact one of our team members.
If you found this post insightful, please share it with your community.
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In an earlier article we discussed how to time the execution of a command. We will take a bit further in this article and look at a clever way to get the execution time of shell scripts.
As a sysadmin, I am often writing scripts to perform different maintenance or to automate repetitive tasks. I tend to lean on bash scripts pretty heavily and have written scripts in the past that take hours to complete. Because of this, I like to print out the time it took to execute when the script exits. Bash provides the perfect builtin variable for this function.
Bash SECONDS Variable
The Bash shell (and others include zsh) comes with a builtin variable called SECONDS. The SECONDS variable holds the amount of seconds since a shell was opened. You can echo the variable to see how long that shell was open.
$ echo $SECONDS
Using SECONDS Variable in a Bash Script
When you launch a Bash script, it spawns a new shell instance and in turn starts a counter for that shell. This makes it easy to get the amount of seconds it takes a script to run. Simply use echo or printf to display the value of the SECONDS variable.
Animated gif showing bash script printing the number of seconds it took to execute.
In the example above, we are using the echo command to print the amount of seconds like so:
echo "It took $SECONDS seconds for this script to execute."
Formatting SECONDS for a Clean Bash Script
If all your scripts run in under a minute or so a simple echo of the seconds looks fine. When you start running into several minutes or hours, a long string of seconds isn't the most friendly way to represent time. Here we will create a function that formats seconds into hours, minutes, and seconds for display.
Here is our format time function:
format_time() {
printf "%02d:%02d:%02d\n" $h $m $s
Now that we have the function, we just need to pass the SECONDS variable to it as an argument.
echo "Script completed in $(format_time $SECONDS)"
Animated gif showing script printing formatted time of execution
That's it, you will now know how long your script took to run.
Additional Suggestions
I like to use some color in my scripts. Using color is not only for improving the look of a script, it can also help identify failures (red), warnings (yellow), and successes (green). To learn how to add color to your scripts read "Using Color in the Output of Your Bash Scripts".
When I use the SECONDS variable to time the execution of my scripts, I like to use an exit trap to print the execution time and do any necessary cleanup. Read "Using Trap to Exit Scripts Cleanly" for more information.
If you are interested in the countdown timer I used in the examples above, read "How to Make a Countdown Timer in Bash" to learn how it's done. We demonstrate several different styles including one that uses tput to color the whole screen for maximum visibility.
While it is possible to simply use the time command before calling your bash script, it isn't always the best route. Here we learned how to use the SECONDS variable to get the execution time of a shell script. The advantage of this is that you can format it anyway you like and make it more in line with the look of your output. I have seen it used in some creative ways in the past.
I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial and remember to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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Saturday, January 26, 2019
Alexa! OK Google! Hey Siri! - How These Voice Recognition Systems Work?
Voice recognition alexa ok google hey siri
Voice Recognition System
Suddenly an electronic voice comes out from Amazon Alexa:
“India is celebrating its 70th Republic Day. ”
"India beat New Zealand in second ODI."
A very Happy Republic Day to all my fellow Indians. Jai Hind!
Language technology has reached a level of maturity today where it is making a mass impact on users of English and many other languages of the world. Audio has been the key instrument in today’s technology which is driving towards future in a faster mode. It has been observed in recent times using various apps what is the importance of audio apart from playing the playlist of several mp3 files. The Speech Engine has acquired a unique place in the IT world and is helping to grow the industry in a different format.
Today computers can read out the information to illiterate or the blind through text-to-speech systems, remote data can be accessed through telephonic interfaces, sophisticated search provided to the internet. A holistic framework has already been established in this world for this voice recognition system. Various pitches and acoustic algorithms have been observed to understand every chunk of audio to convert into text or character format.
How the processing is done?
There are two parts to this technology:
1. Text to Speech (TTS)
2. Speech to Text (STT)
The Text to Speech technology allows the computer to read out the given text file. TTS can be used to allow a text file to be accessed by a blind person or an illiterate person. It can also allow interaction over the telephone, where the text cannot be seen by the user. In this user provides some written text. and these texts are segregated into specific characters. Once the characters are recognized, and their specific pitch is identified using the electronic voice using voice box, then the voice box generates the speech one wants to obtain for the specific text.
The Speech to Text allows the computer to listen to the spoken language and convert into text. Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is important where the computer needs to understand a spoken command in a language, and the needful has to be done in response to the user. In this, firstly the pitch is identified accordingly each character is generated. At the end when voice gets or precisely speech gets over, one will see the complete set of characters.
ASR has a high chance of noise which can deviate the pitch and can lead to the wrong recognition of characters. ASR engines are in their incubation stage and not completely mature. Where the noise gets added? The noise comes in the first stage when the voice is recorded and this noise can come from air and nearby devices and instruments which can hamper the recognition.
Practical Implementation of Text to Speech:
Various programming languages like python can be used for both the ends. Our computers and laptops have the audio driver through which we play the mp3 and mp4 and other supported formats of video and audio files due to the video and audio codecs pre-installed in the system.
These languages have fine libraries to call sufficient functions at the nominal period of time to trigger the voice-recognition process. These libraries have awarded by the various tech giants like IBM, Google etc. like PyAudio, Watson, and sr.
• Once these files, once get the text wraps and compile the file in the format as per the discretion of the user.
• When given the instructions to play by the user or by the automated codes, the specific speech will be played.
• Other methods are like connecting audio codecs and drivers along with the microphones to the microcontrollers like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, etc. and accordingly embedded based libraries will handle the data whichever side has to be worked out.
Applications of Speech to Text (Voice Recognition):
Tell me the truth, it has immense potential can bring the automation process in the system everywhere completely.
Sundar Pichai, Google CEO displayed the power of this Audio system using Ok Google when the google app has been allocated the task for scheduling the hair cut in a barber shop. The text once arrives in the web search world is completely free to float anywhere the way the user wants to drive it. You just say: “Call Near sweet shop” and the pain of typing these 17 characters will be eradicated in minutes if the same given by the human voice. The result will be obtained in the same format.
• Google Home, Alexa have been the key instruments to handle home automation these days which can bring it the entire home device linked with electricity in the command of your voice.
• Automatic Machine Translation (MT) translates a given text in one language to other, instantly. While the quality of translation produced varies depending on the distance between language pairs, and the technology used, it provides instant access to text in another language to the user.
• Apps like Kilkari are amazing in itself which is providing the assistance to pregnant ladies by giving 72 lullabies for their babies and which can be played accordingly apart from the instructions required for the lady to handle maternity period and post-delivery time too.
Localization and e-Content:
• Localization in our context means that the electronic device is enabled with the local language using the standards. Eg. when one buys a phone, it should already have the language of the region built into it along with English, for displaying keyboards etc.
• Use of standards is most important. This ensures the data created one device is usable on any other electronic device thus amplifying the portability. There is an acute need of e-content in Indian languages. While e-content is not a replacement of books, the young generation has started placing increasing reliance on the content available over the internet.
• It was observed in Germany not so long ago, that the German youth were accessing English language contents much more than German content. It was realized that this situation had arisen because there was not sufficient content in German on the internet.
This conversion can be less tedious if we have the power of the audio system to go both side ie either converting the text to speech and speech to text. The text in between lying can be used to convert or transform from one language to another thus increasing productivity and efficiency this will lead to decrement in the effort time and energy and increase the performance in turn.
Supply Chain, Logistics, Manufacturing, and Security:
The above-mentioned industry can somehow enhance the process of automation if they adopt the voice instruction based process. Manufacturing process like the products which runs from conveyor belts and other things can enhance and will lead human interventions through the buttons from the remote areas using PLC, SCADA. These PLC based systems if takes the data through the voice-based instructions can drive the processes by keeping the rest process same.
Supply Chain and logistics can provide day to day or time to time status using notifications from the mobile apps rather than unlocking the phone and opening the apps. The apps if provide voice-based notifications will lead to less mobile engagement time.
Security which always the remains the biggest concern can be given more advancement if the voice system is provided as a security layer and things can be accessed to the outside unless and until it has the approval from the concerned user using his or her voice. However, these voices should be updated from time to time due to aging.
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Strange Fruit: Alabama Grapes
• Click on image to enlarge
Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio
Aluminum cans, paint cans and lids, fencing, carpet, tin, enamel, and spray paint on canvas on wood
73 x 83 x 9 inches
Collection of
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
In a continued exploration of the still-life genre, Dial borrowed the stock image of grape clusters so ubiquitous in the fine-art tradition and recast them to portray a horrific chapter in African American history—the practice of lynching blacks in the South. Calling the series Strange Fruit, in reference to the Billie Holiday song of the same title, he appropriated a major trope from the history of Western painting and recolonized it with the politics of black revolutionary consciousness.
The original version of “Strange Fruit” was written in the late 1930s by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish school teacher and union activist from the Bronx who later set his poem to music. With Holiday’s performance of the song, it soon became enshrined in the popular imagination as a symbol of the racist horrors suffered by African Americans:
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black body swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
In the first of Dial’s Strange Fruit paintings, sub titled Alabama Grapes, Dial presents two gigantic clusters of purple grapes, enlarged to fill the entire canvas and set against a blood red background. The rounded shapes of the overripe hanging fruit are formed from the artist’s crushed paint cans in a way that symbolically conflates the history of black oppression and lynching with Dial’s own struggle as a Black artist. Ragged carpet and cut tin, painted green, form the oversize leaves of the drooping grapevine. Across the bottom of the canvas are fragments of old wire fence and screening. Bent and twisted into a kind of irregular enclosure, this row of rusty mesh recalls the lines of decrepit fencing in an abandoned grape arbor. Within Dial’s symbolic vocabulary, such fenced enclosures also signify both the slave pens of an earlier era and the ongoing barriers black Americans still face in their struggle to realize their aspirations.
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Average Due Date Calculation
To calculate average due date is important, if you want to repay or get all the loan amount on one date without losing of interest. We all know that money has big time value. Today $ 100 is more important than after one year $ 100 because today $100 may be $110 after one year due to interest on the money. Money can be used in every type of business. So, just deposit money in bank, you can get interest on your money. Due to this reason, we calculate average due date. So, today, I will explain this concept. First of all, I define average due date.
Meaning of Average Due Date
Average due date is that date of repayment of loan in which there will not any loss of interest to lender and borrower.
Steps to Calculate Average Due Date
1. When Loan is Given in Different Dates and You Want to Repay one Date without Loss
When loan is given in different dates, it means repayment will be in different dates. But, if debtor wants to repay all loan in one date without loss of interest, he will calculate average due date with following formula.
Now, we are calculating average due date with this formula.
Mr. Ram gives loan to Sham at different dates and Sham will repay his loan on following due dates.
But Sham is good accountant He wants to pay all due amount on same date, so he will calculate average due date with following ways
of Days from 3rd July
(A) X (B)
3rd July 500 0 0
2nd Aug. 800 30 days 24000
11th Sept. 1000 70 days 70000
2300 94000
Average Due date = 3rd July + 94000/2300 = 3rd July + 41 days = 13 Aug.
Average due date is 13 Aug., if sham pays all his due amount on 13 Aug, he will not get loss of interest. Let me explain it.
Assuming 5% is interest rate, Sham loses interest due on his bank deposits if he pays RS. 1000 early days for 29 days. How?
He calculated Average due date 13 August but actual due date is 11 Sept. and its interest will be Rs. 4. On the other side, he will gain of interest on two delay payments. He is paying Rs. 500 on 13 Aug. instead of 3rd July. He can save 41 days interest and he is also paying Rs. 800 on 13 august instead of 2nd august. He can save 11 days interest of delay payment and both gains' total will be Rs. 4. Thus the debtor neither loses nor gains on payment of all the amounts on 13th august.
2. When Loan is given on One date and repayment is made in various installment
At that time, we will not calculate product of amount and no. of days from beginning of due date. We just calculate the average of days or months or years from due date. Following example will help you to understand this.
Rs. 10000 lent by SitaRam & sons on 1st Jan. 1996 is repayable in 5 equal installments. Annual installments commencing on 1st January, 1997. Find the average due date and calculate interest at 5% p.a. which SitaRam and Sons will recover from his debtor.
Average Due date =
Date of Loan + Sum of the number of days or months or years from the date of lending to the date of repayment of each instrumentality/ No. of installments
= Jan. 1, 1996 + 1+2+3+4+5/ 5 = Jan. 1 1996 + 3 years = 1st Jan. 1999
If debtor of SitaRam and sons will pay Rs. 10000 on 1st Jan. 1999, there will be no loss to either party.
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Accounting Education: Average Due Date Calculation
Average Due Date Calculation
Accounting Education
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7 Ways to Boost Your Confidence Before Giving a School Presentation
Nobody likes giving any sort of presentation at school.
No matter how social you are, they're incredibly nerve-racking and terrifying. Having to stand in front of your peers and give a speech on a topic you're not all that passionate about (for a grade, no less) isn't exactly anyone's definition of fun. That doesn't prevent you from having to do it, however.
So what are you to do? Wallow in self-pity and accept defeat, or figure out a way to get through the ordeal with the greatest of ease? You may be leaning towards the former, but we really know you have to side with the latter.
Scroll below for a few ways to boost your confidence before giving your next school presentation!
Practice as Many Times as You Can
If you want to feel as confident as possible going into the presentation, you have to practice. You know what they say, practice makes perfect. The verdict is still out on who "they" are, but there's no denying they're absolutely right. The more you recite your speech to yourself or in front of others, the more comfortable you'll feel when the big day comes. It won't be entirely perfect, because nothing ever is, but you'll have a better chance at pulling this off than if you go over your speech a few times before giving it. We all know that's not going to cut it, so be sure to put in a little bit of work beforehand to secure your chances of not blowing chunks all over your classmates when giving the presentation.
Envision Things Going Well
We all tend to get in our heads before doing things like this in school. We focus on all that could go wrong and convince ourselves that the worst possible outcome will likely happen. Stop. Doing. That. Instead, think about all that could go right and envision you giving your presentation without a single hitch. The more you focus on it playing out perfectly, the better odds you have of it actually going as planned. This brings us to our next point.
Cher playing with her gum after her debate presentation in Clueless
(Clueless via Paramount Pictures)
Pay Attention to Your Thoughts
Similar to envisioning a successful outcome, it's important that you pay attention to all the thoughts running through your head as you prepare for your presentation. If they're positive ones, great. If they're negative ones that only tear you down, prevent them from overwhelming you with all their might. Even when you become overwhelmed and fear you'll make a fool of yourself, know that you won't. If you continue to speak to yourself in a positive way, you'll feel more sure of your abilities to ace this presentation. But if you let your bad thoughts get the best of you, things probably won't end well. So whether you think you can or you can't, you're right. We'll leave you to interpret those insightful words we read on a motivational poster in our counselor's office once.
Accept That Mistakes Will Be Made
Nobody's perfect, not even you. Not matter how prepared you are for the presentation, the smallest mistake can and will be made. It happens, because you're what? Human. Many people choose to reject this fact, which only causes them to be more flustered when they flub a minor part of the presentation. But if you learn to embrace missteps, they won't throw you off your game when they do happen. Everybody makes mistakes, even those who seem so skilled at public speaking.
Mia shocked after finding out she's a princess in The Princess Diaries
(The Princess Diaries via Buena Vista Pictures)
Know That Your Classmates Want to See You Succeed
While working on things you can do is easy, you can't control your classmates. They'll be your audience, which can be equal parts terrifying and amazing. On one hand, you might be close with a few of them and not feel stressed talking in front of them. On the other, there may be a few you don't like who stress you out. Either way, know that they want to see you succeed. Even the ones you don't get along with aren't actively hoping you do poorly. Chances are, they're too busy worrying about their presentation that they're not at all focused on yours.
Be Honest With Yourself
Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel nervous? Are you absolutely terrified that everything can and will go wrong? Accept those feelings and deal with them. Rather than pushing them deep below to the surface to power through this presentation, know that they're there and deal with them the minute they rear their ugly heads. These feelings are going to happen no matter what. Again, focusing on the positive is always recommended, but sometimes that can't happen. Above all else, it's important to be honest with yourself. Faking it till you make it isn't everyone's cup of tea, so if it isn't yours, don't drink it. The key thing to remember is to not let these negative feelings psych you out. Embrace them to work through them and then get yourself back on track to rock this presentation.
Betty looking out of breath in a scene from Riverdale
(Riverdale via The CW)
We feel like we say this all the time, but it works for everything—just breathe. You're going to be nervous, and that's perfectly okay, but don't get yourself all worked up about the presentation. Instead, focus on your breathing to keep yourself as calm as possible. You can do this, so don't tell yourself otherwise. And if trying to pep talk your way to confidence doesn't work, breathing will. So remember to do that before, during and after your presentation. Once it's done, it's done.
If you're trying to be more confident during the rest of the school year, HERE are nine ways to do just that.
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How to Deter Herons
How to Deter Herons
The great blue heron is well known to many pond owners that stock their pond with fish. While they are easy to spot with their blue-gray plumage, black stripe over their eyes and a thick dagger like beak, they are not easy to keep away from your pond.
Breeding Season
These protected birds can be seen throughout the year here in North America mostly soaring through the air with their 6-foot wingspan and 4-foot long body. Great blue herons can be seen together during the mating season that ranges from the beginning of September and October with a return in Mid-March through June, however when it is time to find food they fly solo.
Hunting Techniques
A common hunting technique is to soar through the air looking for a quick bite to eat, usually in wetlands or ponds and lakes. They prefer to sit motionless along shorelines or in shallow waters and wait patiently for a snack to swim by. Another technique is to walk slowly flushing out any potential prey that may be hiding with their feet.
The great blue heron is an intelligent bird so you will need to get creative when it comes to encouraging them to hunt in a different location. Here are some tricks to try:
1. Decoy: The first line of defense should be when a heron has yet to discover your pond and should only be used after mating season. The theory is that herons often hunt alone and do not want to fight for their fishing spot so if they see a heron decoy near the pond, they will seek an alternative body of water. Remember herons are very intelligent and will catch on quickly if a decoy stays in one spot for too long so keep it moving to keep it guessing.
2. Add Movement: Adding an aerator or a beautiful fountain display can do more than adding oxygen to the water and setting a pretty scene. The added movement in the water can challenge the heron's sight when flying above.
3. Create an Illusion: Herons will typically fly over looking for shallow water to wade in and look for fish. Adding a little bit of pond dye can create an illusion that the pond is deeper and will make it harder for fish to be seen from a long distance.
4. Provide Hiding Places: Just in case a heron chooses your pond for its hunting grounds, give your fish a place to hide. Fish habitat like the Honey Hole Shrub or Fish Attractor Spheres can provide an added layer of protection.
5. Create Obstacles: Herons have the tendency to land around the perimeter of the pond and walk up to the water. Obstacles, like the Heron Stop make access difficult by creating an impassable barrier up to 40' of shoreline, without obstructing the view of your pond.
6. Scare Tactics: Startle herons and other predators to scare them away with a spray of water using a motion-activated sprinkler can protect an area up to 1200 square feet, connected to a garden hose and powered by a solar panel; motion sensors trigger the stream of water.
7. Cold Weather Relief: Herons are migratory birds, and they have no appreciation for cold weather. So if you're located in the cooler northern climes - particularly where ponds tend to freeze during the winter months - you'll usually notice their absence when temperatures start to drop. Like many of us would like to do during winter, herons that choose to migrate will head for Central America and northern South America to warm up and fill up on fish. If you live in warmer portions of the United States, however, you may see herons all year 'round, provided there's enough open water and food to keep them happy.
As you can see there are many tactics you can use to your advantage in protecting your fish from herons. We recommend using a variety of methods to discourage them from landing on your property because eventually, they will figure out they won't be harmed.
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English Parts of Speech
We simply put the words we use into eight basic categories. They are Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction and Interjection.
These are the most basic elements of the English language.
A noun is a naming word. Anything you name is a noun.
Gandhi, Sultan, road, boat, river, building, school, brotherhood etc
A pronoun replaces a noun. Most of the times it just replaces a noun.
"Pro" means for. The word is used instead of a noun so it is called pronoun, i.e for a noun.
Reka is a good girl. She is so cute.
In the above sentence the noun Reka is replaced by the pronoun she.
An adjective is a word which qualifies a noun or a pronoun. It gives a description of a noun or pronoun
Peppy is cute.
Here the word cute qualifies the noun Peppy.
He is tall.
Here the the word tall is describing the pronoun he.
The very word adverb means added to a verb! Thus it gives the manner in which the action takes place.
He ran fast.
Here the word fast shows us the manner how he ran. Fast is an adverb, it is added to the verb ran.
It is a word which shows the relationship between two nouns.
The ball is on the table.
On being a preposition, shows the relation ship between the ball and the table!
A conjunction is a connector. It connects two words or two clauses.
Veeramani and Prince are friends.
Here the noun Veeramani is linked with the other noun Periyar with the conjunction 'and'.
Interjection is a word that shows sudden outburst of feelings.
Wow! What a shot!
In this sentence the word 'wow' is an interjection.
Confessions of a Sentimental Fool
They used to say
I'm a sentimental fool
Let it be, Let it be.
If it is a weakness
Then it is my strength
Let my weakness be my strength
It is nothing to me
Yet it seems to be something
Like a hungry monster,
It swallows me.
Being nothing is
not really what it seems
But how it means,
Let it be a boon or bane
With out it I'm insane.
Let it be a pain or gain
Like my shadow
It will sustain.
Mythily Kasthuri Rengan
Ode on my scooter
I can't stop for any one
as I have wings to fly
I can't hate that anyone
Because my love measures the sky
Throwing away my hesitation
avoiding the eyes of penetration
am unwrapping the mysteries of directions
Yeh! It is the only destination.
Now the distance never desperates me
cleaning my review mirror, kicking my scooter
here goes my horse with wheels
on awaiting roads with deals.
- Mythily Kasthuri Rengan
Know a Plane - Beechcraft King Air 200.
Beechcraft Corporation is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft ranging from light single engine aircraft to twin engined turbo propulsion transport aircraft. The corporation was founded by Walter Herschel Beech and Olive Ann Beech.
Beechcraft King Air 200.
Beechcraft is the company which makes King Air Planes.
The very first King Air Planes were used by US Army.
In the year 1973 civil certificate was given.
King Air 200 is on the market since 1974!
The plane is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT&A – 41 Engines, 1015 shp (757 KW)
Fuselage can store 60 gallons of fuel.
Maximum take of Weight 450 kg.
It has Rockwell Collins Pro Line Avionics.
Indian BSF uses theses planes.
Indian Aviation Research Centre also uses these planes.
A close Encounter Rex Coker
Main Characters
Rex Coker, Rex Coker’s brother, Schwinn,
Rex Coker the narrator a brief sketch
He is smarter than his brother
He escaped under cloth line
He gives thumbs up sign
Words of Rex Coker
My brother was a tinkerer.
‘We have lifted off’, I yelled!
I am much smarter than he.
Rex Coker’s brother a brief sketch
He is a tinkerer.
He is fond of inventions.
He used to blue print his ideas.
He purchased a DC motor from a local pawn shop.
battery from dad’s old Chevy car.
Words of Rex Coker’s Brother
“Why do you think that?’
“Well if you were smarter than me you would have bailed off before the cloths line.”
“At least we had some quality time together today.”
It is an American bicycle.
Gap-fill exercise
My brother was (i) Even though he had switched the motor off, his speed was too (ii) The clothes line caught him (iii) and cut him (iv) the bike. I thought he was dead and I raced over (v)
i) a flip off
ii) under his chin
iii) to help him
iv) fast to stop
v) not lucky
(June 2012)
Swept Away Susabnnah Hickling
Swept Away
Susabnnah Hickling
This is an ordeal faced by a young mother, and her indomitable will to survive for his daughter.
The Piano Lesson cloze1
Rob Reilly
The nicest thing in this lesson is an innocent boy who understand the value of money. He understand this through a very painful experience.
Each and every character in this lesson is very cool, a husband who loves his wife and takes the right path and sets a role model for his son.
A wife, who is an ordinary homemaker with lots of talent, without tutorials she learns to play the piano. Her reactions after the painful loss of the piano. She is a very determined women indeed.
Rob Reilly learns his greatest lesson from the piano.
The Face of Judas Iscariot
The Face of Judas Iscariot
Bonnie Cahmberlain
Sam X Standard English quiz 1
Author Tammy Ruggles
This is a lovely recollection of a boy and his dog. Shelly was a school boy. He found a dog in his front porch. It had a hurt paw. He nursed it. His mom wanted to find the real owners of the dog. What happens next is described in the lesson unit. Read it and enjoy.
Choose the best answer - 4
Try this too...
All the best kids
Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases given below to form a complete meaningful paragraph:
Kumar was an (i) young man. He was living in a very comfortable and (ii) apartment (iii) . One day he stood staring out through the window. But he felt (iv) in his heart. His thought drilled to his house which was in (v) .
i) a narrow congested street
ii) an emptiness
iii) fully furnished
iv) intelligent and enterprising
v) in New York
Facebook Cover files- Indian Social Engineers
Here is a collection of FB cover images of Indian Social Engineers. Great personalities who had fought against evil caste system of hindut...
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C++Server Side ProgrammingProgramming
Given the task is to show the working of deque::crbegin() in C++.
Deque is a double ended queue that gives insertion and deletion at each end i.e. front and back with high performance, in contrast to vector that gives high performance insertion at the end i.e. back only.
Also, it provides random access to components too. Though one can insert part in between alternative components in dequeue with insert(), however its performance won't be sensible rather like a vector.
What is deque::crbegin()?
Deque::crbegin(), where crbegin is the constant reverse begin, implies it constantly reverse the begin or in other words it returns the constant_reverse_iterator.
What is a constant iterator?
A constant iterator is not something which is used for modification. It's main purpose is to access them instead. For modifying the elements we use non_const iterators.
Return const_reverse_iterator to reverse from starting
Returns a const_reverse_iterator inform to the last part within the container (i.e., its reverse beginning).
Return Function
A const_reverse_iterator to the reverse starting of the sequence.
Member type const_reverse_iterator could be a reverse random access iterator type that points to a const part (see deque member types).
Live Demo
#include <iostream>
#include <deque>
int main (){
std::deque<int> mydeque = {1,2,3,4,5};
std::cout << "mydeque backwards:";
for (auto rit = mydeque.crbegin(); rit != mydeque.crend(); ++rit)
std::cout << ' '<< *rit;
std::cout << '\n';
return 0;
If we run the above program it will generate the following output −
mydeque backwards: 5 4 3 2 1
Published on 30-Jan-2020 07:40:38
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Inflammatory Skin Patches
In immunosuppressed animals, wounds heal very poorly. This problem mainly affects dogs. Main areas affected are the paws, muzzle or skin folds. The formation of skin inflammation can be increased by cutaneous viral infections, bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases, disorders of the endocrine gland, pigmentation disorders and keratinization. Furthermore, non-healing wounds may be caused by physical and chemical causes, psychogenic factors (self-harm) and cutaneous neoplasms. During the winter when the sidewalks and roads are maintained with salt, many animals suffer from cracked pads and itching between the toes. If the wound develops a bacterial infection, this results in inflammatory deposits that are very painful for the dog and can also cause problems with walking. The animal is then nervous and bites, chews or licks the affected area constantly.
Clever Fungus Ecosin
The enzymatic activity of Pythium oligandrum inhibits the growth of bacteria that cause inflammatory conditions and also reduces odour. The skin becomes dry after application and assists in restoring the skin’s natural protective barrier.
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American Civil War: The Battle of First Manassas or Bull Run
From the lecture series: The American Civil War
By Gary Gallagher Ph.D., University of Virginia
The Union and Confederate forces confronted each other for the first time in the Civil War in July of 1861. The battle was equal until the last hours when suddenly the tide turned and caused a hurried surprise retreat.
An image of the Battle of Bull Run between the Union forces and the Confederates.
The Battle of Bull Run: General McDowell’s Union forces routed by Confederates under General Beauregard and General Joseph E, Johnston, from The New York Times edition of 21 July, 1861. (Image: Everett Historical/Shutterstock)
The American Civil War started in 1861. The president of the time, Abraham Lincoln, was trying to bring the 11 rebellious states back into the Union. Some of the biggest names in American military history were advising Lincoln to make decisions patiently, but the public wanted a quick victory. In the end, Lincoln listened to the people, and the first battle of the Civil War began: The Battle of First Manassas or Bull Run.
Learn more about the election of 1860.
Battlefield of the First Manassas or Bull Run
The First Manassas or Bull Run was the first battle of the Civil War. Each side had two inexperienced armies. The Federal commanders were Irvin McDowell and Robert Patterson, while the commanders of the Confederate side were Gustave Toutant Beauregard and Joseph Johnston.
This is a transcript from the video series The American Civil War. Watch it now, on Wondrium.
It took the Federal forces a few days to get to Manassas junction, the location of the battle, from Washington. On July 21, 1861, all the troops reached the junction. The Federals planned to focus in front and try to turn the Confederates left. Interestingly, the Confederates had the same plan.
Early that morning, 12,000 Federals crossed Bull Run and got into the right position for a strong blow to turn the opponents left. The Confederate forces, commanded by Johnston, could see that the Federals are forming a strong front, and some of them were moving to their left. However, they did not have enough time to get in the right position and attack the Federals’ left. The Federals launched their first successful attack and pushed the Confederates south, into a crisis.
To fight back, Johnston and Beauregard used their tactical interior lines and shifted strength from their right flank to their left. The battle moved toward Henry House Hill (near the Warrenton Turnpike), where the two forces pushed each other back and forth for a while. Then one Virginia brigade made a critical stand on Henry House Hill.
Thomas Jonathan Jackson, a former teacher at the Virginia Military Institute, commanded this brigade. The Federals tried to push them back down. A South Carolina officer, Barnard Bee, yelled at his men to give them directions: “There stands Jackson like a stone wall. Rally on the Virginians.
Jackson was called ‘Stonewall’ Jackson from that battle onward. No one could ask Bee what he meant, as he died soon after shouting that sentence, but many believe he did not mean it positively. Jackson and his troops kept standing like a stone wall on the hill for more than two hours.
Artistic illustration of the Siege of Atlanta.
Chromolithograph of the battle known as Siege of Atlanta, during the Civil War, created by Thulstrup de Thure, 1888. (Image: Everett Historical/Shutterstock)
The battle went on until 4 p.m., when Johnston’s troops from the valley marched into the heart of the battle and changed everything. The Confederate yell in warzone brought along the power they needed to push Federals into full retreat.
The Confederate yell sounded different from that of the Federals. A Federal army would chant “huzzah” in a low voice as they marched into the battlefield. The Confederates, on the other hand, had no yelling rule or harmony. Each Confederate soldier would whoop and holler the way he wanted to. As the untidy Confederate yell spread across the battlefield, the Federals went closer to retreat.
Learn more about the advantages of each side of the Civil War.
The Federal Retreat
The Federals fell into a full retreat after the Confederate reinforcement. As mentioned before, all the four troops were inexperienced, and they could not handle an orderly retreat. Even experienced soldiers might not retreat as an organized march. So each Union soldier ran away from the battlefield in any way he could. However, soon after, they faced a surprise: civilians.
Civilians from Washington had come to picnic and watch the battle from a ‘safe’ distance. They thought it would be a one-battle war and believed whichever side won at Manassas would win the whole war.
Then, from their picnic blankets and parasols, they saw a big crowd of Union soldiers running toward them in retreat. The soldiers then had to make their way to Washington along with the civilians. It took them only a few hours to get back to Washington, not a few days anymore.
The Confederates now had to make some critical decisions.
Handcrafted illustration of a key battle between the Union and Confederates during the Civil War.
A handcolored lithograph from 1861 shows Col. Burnside’s brigade, First and Second Rhode Island, and Seventy-First New York Regiments, with their artillery, attacking the Rebel batteries at Bull Run. (Image: Everett Historical/Shutterstock)
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, had arrived in the field late that day. He urged a pursuit, and the Confederates were about to pursue, but Joseph Johnston stopped the pursuit. He told them that the pursuit in the darkness, with a confused and disorganized army was not the right thing to do.
Although it was true that they could very well use their interior lines, strategically and tactically, they did not consider the fact that they could turn the tables only on the last moments of the battle. They did not see how close they were to defeat. So, they continued to act like winners.
The Confederates did not know that they were losing their only chance of victory when they decided to wait for the morning and reassess the situation.
Learn more about how the South seceded in February 1861.
Victims and Casualties of the First Manassas or Bull Run
The First Manassas or Bull Run was the biggest battle in American history until then. The numbers looked enormous when compared to all the previous wars. When compared to the rest of the Civil War, it was a midsize Civil War battle with a moderate number of casualties.
In terms of casualties, both armies lost many soldiers. On the Confederate side, 2,000 men were lost. There were 2,700 lost on the Federal side: 1,500 killed and wounded, and 1,200 were missing. Most of the missing soldiers were captured by the opponents. Some non-military people were on the list too.
As mentioned before, Henry House Hill was a hotspot of the war. A widow named Judith Carter Henry, who lived on the top of it in her house, was one of the first civilian victims of the battle when a cannonball crashed into her bedroom and killed her with several severe wounds.
Another victim was Alfred Ely, a congressman from New York who had come to watch the battle. He was captured by the Confederate forces and imprisoned in Richmond.
Post Manassas or Bull Run
When the Confederates decided to wait for the morning of 22nd of July, the Union army regained power in Washington. Their motivation to win was combined with the depression of the civilians. Non-military people in the North now feared a long war, and they were willing to do all they could to end it in their favor. So the North was coming back with a stronger fist.
The Confederates, on the other hand, believed that they could defeat the Northerners even if they had a bigger army. After the first battle, they created an atmosphere that prevented more big battles in Virginia until the end of 1861. Furthermore, some scholars believe a ‘First Manassas syndrome’ was born at this battle, and reappeared every time the Federals fought against the Confederates. They assumed this syndrome made the Northern soldiers expect a defeat in every battle against the Confederate troops.
In the end, Manassas did more harm to its primary victors, than it did to the defeated Union, but it took until the end of the Civil War to be perceived.
Keep Reading
The Ten Bloodiest Battles of the Civil War
North vs. South: Prelude to the American Civil War
Slavery, Compromise, and the Long Road to War
Common questions about the First Manassas or Bull Run
Q: Are Manassas and Bull Run the same?
Yes. The North named battles after a terrain feature in the area, and the South named it after a railroad crossroads or a town. So Manassas and Bull Run are the Northern and Southern names of the battle, respectively.
Q: Who won the first battle of Bull Run?
The Confederates, who put the Union soldiers in full retreat, won the first battle of Manassas or Red Bull.
Q: What is the significance of the First Battle of Bull Run?
The First Manassas or Bull Run resulted in thousands of lives lost and is referred to as the first major land battle of the American Civil war. It was also highly crucial as two inexperienced armies fought on the battlefield for the first time.
Q: Where was the first battle of Bull Run?
The First Manassas or Bull Run took place on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, North of the city of Manassas and about 25 miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C.
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PHP Example
PHP is a commonly used server-side language for websites.
Its worth looking at the HTML tutorial. The basics of API integration is simply POSTing parameters to and from the endpoint.
Because PHP is server-side your username and password are not exposed, however we do recommend you carefully consider the security around storing them as plaintext within the PHP file.
This part of the Tutorial covers sending messages. See the PHP Receiving Tutorial to have replies sent back to your application.
Plan of attack
This example is a little more involved than the HTML Send Tutorial.
We will create a PHP page that integrates the HTML form created earlier with the code to send messages to the Messenger API.
A common scenario is if you have a page within a site/portal or otherwise and want to send text messages through the Messenger API, with the passwords inside the PHP script, it would be secure from end users. It also allows you to perform other activities such as updating a user's message balance.
What we'll do therefore is:
• Write the code
• Place the code onto a PHP server
• Send a message
• Have a pat on the back - you've integrated the Messenger API with a dynamic PHP site
Write the code
Open up a text editor and paste the code below:
/* Constants */
$smsUser = 'yourusernamehere';
$smsPass = 'yourpasswordhere';
$smsURL = '';
/* Request parameters */
$phone = $_REQUEST['mobile'];
$request = $_REQUEST['body'];
/* Generate a reply - this is where you would hit the database */
$reply_id = 1;
$reply = "Hello $phone. I heard you say: $request";
/* Send the reply */
sendSMS($smsUser, $smsPass, $reply_id, $phone, $reply);
/* returns TRUE on success, FALSE on failure */
function sendSMS($user, $pass, $msgid, $recipient, $body) {
global $smsURL;
$data = "userId=".urlencode($user)
. "&password=".urlencode($pass)
. "&messageId=".urlencode($msgid)
. "&to=".urlencode($recipient)
. "&body=".urlencode($body);
$cUrl = curl_init();
curl_setopt($cUrl, CURLOPT_URL, $smsURL);
curl_setopt($cUrl, CURLOPT_HEADER, 'Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded');
curl_setopt($cUrl, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($cUrl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data);
curl_setopt($cUrl, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 30);
$code = curl_getinfo($cUrl, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
return ($code == 200 || $code == 204) ? TRUE : FALSE;
Footnote: SMS.php
Save the file as SMS.php
Prepare some test HTML Open up a text editor and paste the code below:
<!-- URL for SENDING messages only must use POST method-->
<form name="sendSMS" action="" method="post">
<!--Enter recipient in INTERNATIONAL format-->
<input value="[number INTL format]" name="mobile">
<!--Message BODY will be form ENCODED-->
<textarea name="body" rows="4" cols="30">
[Message Content]
Footnote: SMS.html
Save the file as SMS.html
This form has a basic input for a phone number, a text box for the message content with submit and clear buttons. When the form is submitted it sends to your PHP code at which then submits your SMS message to the recipient
Replies are not handled by this example.
Deploy the code
Copy SMS.php to a suitable location on your PHP-compatible Web server and access the configured URL in your browser.
End to end Test
Visit SMS.html on your server, complete the form fields and click Send
Your message should be delivered to your handset.
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How Drinking Water Improves the Health of Your Teeth and Gums
A woman drinks water in her kitchen after eating, following the advice of 21st Century Dentistry, a dentist in Nashville.
If there was one piece of advice all doctors wish we’d follow, it’s to drink more water. The average modern American adult is chronically dehydrated, so it’s no surprise if you’re used to hearing the advice. The human body is 60% water, which is why being short on water is bad news for so many of your body’s systems. But the benefits to your oral health are greater than just supplying moisture to your cells. When you drink water, you are also keeping your mouth clean and fighting back against plaque and tooth decay.
Let’s dive into the five interesting and healthy ways that drinking water is good for your teeth.
Drinking Water Cleans Teeth and Prevents Plaque
When you take a bite of your snack or dinner, your teeth get pretty involved. Chewing means rolling food around in your mouth until it’s ready to swallow. Particles of the food you chew get stuck in the creases and grooves and coat the surface of your teeth. That food residue on your teeth becomes the foundation for plaque and mouth bacteria – which is why dentists recommend brushing your teeth after every meal.
What most people don’t know is that drinking one big glass of water is almost as good as brushing your teeth. With every swallow, water swirls around and cleans your mouth by carrying away those left on food particles and denying plaque any food to grow with.
Water Dilutes Enamel-Eating Acids
Eating very sugary or acidic foods can increase the loss of your tooth enamel. The acid in sugar, alcohol, or vinegar will coat your teeth and then slowly eat away at the enamel for every day you enjoy acidic or sugary foods. Water, however, dilutes and breaks down the acids that like to coat your teeth. A simple glass of water every few hours can keep your mouth clean and healthy. In fact, you can still safely enjoy sugary snacks in moderation as long as you drink water afterward and maintain good oral hygiene habits.
Water Keeps Your Mouth Hydrated and Healthy
Many people suffer from a condition where the mouth does not produce enough saliva. Without enough saliva in your mouth, you are at a higher risk of plaque, bacteria, and gum disease. There are many causes of “dry mouth” but one very simple daily solution. To help reduce the increased risks from dry mouth to your oral health, simply drink more water.
Water provides the moisture your body needs to make saliva – and everything else. Swirl water around in your mouth to help activate your saliva function safely throughout the day. Use water to keep the inside of your mouth clean and moistened, even if there is not enough saliva to do the job.
Water Reduces Your Craving for Acidic Snacks
As humans, we often get our wires crossed when it comes to cravings. We crave salt when we are thirsty because salt helps humans retain water in the body. You may also crave sweet, as a water-filled fruit is one of the best safe sources of hydration in nature. But the best way to satiate your snack cravings is a big glass of water.
By drinking water instead of snacking, you can not only kill your fast-food cravings, but you will also reduce the amount of time that acidic or sugary particles remain eating the enamel on your teeth.
Water Makes It Safer to Snack
When you do decide to snack, having a glass of water after your dive into sweet or salty deliciousness will keep your teeth clean. Sodas and smoothies both leave your teeth coated in acidic sugar. Fast food leaves particles of salt and fat lodged in your teeth to feed any oral bacteria that find it. Any food that remains on your teeth for hours on end can do harm. But you don’t always have to bust out the toothbrush and minty paste.
Instead, just try a glass of water after every snack. A quick rinse with water will break up and wash away most of those snack particles that might have lingered on your teeth. If you really like your afternoon chips or an evening cookie, then simply rinse your mouth after each snack so your teeth are clean for the longest part of each day. In addition to drinking water, chewing sugar-free gum immediately after a meal is another helpful way to clean your teeth.
Water Minerals and Fluoride Strengthen Your Tooth Enamel
Finally, there is the simple wisdom of drinking tap water. When your teeth are exposed to earth minerals as found in hard water home taps, your tooth enamel will re-mineralize to restore some hardness and integrity. Fluoride is especially good at protecting your teeth and promoting healthy tooth enamel, but it’s less common than calcium or magnesium in the nearby water supply. That is why cities usually treat their processed water supply with fluoride. For this reason, drinking tap water regularly from your home water tap is one of the best ways to remineralize your tooth enamel.
Each time you drink a glass of water from the tap, remember that the minerals and fluoride are rebuilding the enamel protection around your teeth. If you mostly enjoy bottled or filtered water for personal reasons, consider asking your dentist for a fluoride treatment. This can have a concentrated positive effect on the strength of your teeth over time and regular fluoride treatments can keep your enamel lasting for many years after your teeth would have lost their protection.
Water is Always Good for Your Oral Health
Is water good for the health of your teeth and gums? Absolutely. Water rehydrates your body and prevents dry mouth risks to your health. Water keeps your mouth clean because it washes away food particles, breaks up bacteria, and dilutes acids that build up on the surfaces of your teeth. Water can be used to reduce your cravings for snacks that cause tooth decay and rinse away the residue from snacks that you do enjoy. When it comes to making a healthy choice for your mouth, teeth, and gums, having a glass of water is always a good idea. For more helpful insights into oral health or to find the right dentist for your regular visits, contact us today!
Have you scheduled your biannual dental visit yet? 21st Century Dentistry would love to see you. Call (615) 560-7382 today, or contact us online to book a cleaning with a “dentist near me.”
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Boron Phosphate – an Inorganic Compound
Boron phosphate has the chemical formula BPO4 and is an inorganic compound. The reaction of phosphoric acid and boric acid is the most basic method of producing it. It is a white infusible solid that evaporates at temperatures above 1450°C.
Boron phosphate is an inorganic salt that is used by the chemical industry as a catalyst in organic synthesis and, more recently, as a component in material science research.
Boron phosphate can be either an amorphous white solid or a crystalline solid depending on the method of preparation. It has a density of 2.52 g ml-1. Boron phosphate has no melting point because it is infusible. However, the solid evaporates at temperatures above 14500C. The amorphous BPO4 solid is water-soluble, but the crystalline structures are not.
• Molecular Weight: 105.78
• Appearance: White powder
• Melting Point: >1400°C
• Boiling Point: N/A
• Density: 2.52-2.81 g/cm3
• Solubility in H2O: Insoluble
• Exact Mass: N/A
• Monoisotopic Mass: 105.962997
Boron phosphate is synthesized from phosphoric acid and boric acid at a temperature range from 80 °C to 1200 °C. The relatively cold treatment produces a white amorphous powder, which is converted to a microcrystalline product when heated at about 1000 °C for 2 hours.
The main reaction of the process is:
H3BO3 + H3PO4 → BPO4 + 3 H2O
New ways of synthesizing the compound have also been reported, such as hydrothermal and microwave synthesis.
Due to the particular industrial interest of boron phosphate, other methods are used as well:
• Phosphoric acid and triethyl borate
• Triethyl phosphate and boron trichloride
• Diammonium phosphate acid and borax heated to 1000 °C
• Boric acid and phosphorus pentoxide (hydrothermal)
BPO4 is the chemical formula for boron phosphate. It has a molecular mass of 105.78 g mol-1. The cation B+3 and the anion PO4-3 combine to form the boron phosphate molecule, with the anion corresponding to the total ionization of phosphoric acid H3PO4.
When obtained under pressure, the ordinary structure is isomorphous with -cristobalite, whereas when subjected to high pressure, a compound isomorphic with α-quartz is obtained. Depending on how the boron phosphate is prepared, it may have different structures, such as noncentrosymmetric tetragonal, which is similar to the quartz structure. AlPO4, berlinite, has an isomorphous structure with α-quartz.
Boron phosphate is made by reacting phosphoric acid (which is responsible for the formation of phosphate ions) with boric acid, which is a boron source. The reaction can be carried out at temperatures ranging from 80 to 1200 degrees Celsius, with the temperature influencing the crystalline structure of the resulting solid. The process is described by the reaction:
H3BO3 + H3PO4 → BPO4 + 3 H2O
It is used as a catalyst in organic synthesis for dehydration and other reactions. It also serves as a source of phosphates for solid-state exchange reactions to produce metal phosphates. It has also been used as a phosphating agent in some exchange reactions to produce Mg, Ca, and Zn metal phosphates.
Safety hazards
Boron phosphate is a skin, respiratory, and eye irritant. It is poisonous if consumed. Long-term exposure can be hazardous to one’s health. It is not combustible. When it comes into contact with other chemical compounds, it does not react.
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How to Track Changes in Excel
A track change feature in excel helps in keeping a record of all changes in excel. The track change feature allows one to give authority and permission to other people one wants to share a file with. This feature also allows other people to review, change or share the ownership of the file one wants. Examples of track changes in excel include:
1. Listing changes on the same sheet.
This is a type of track change in excel where all the changes are listed on the same sheet on which the changes have been made
2. Listing changes on a new sheet
It is a type of track change where all the changes made to the file are listed in a new sheet
3. Listing changes using approve/reject tab
Here, changes that have been made to the file are listed from the Approve/Reject changes tab.
The following are steps on how to track changes in excel as outlined at
Highlighting changes on the spreadsheet
1. Go to the Review Tab of excel then go to Track changes found under the changes function
2. Click Track changes, a drop-down appears then select the Highlight changes to feature.
3. Select the track changes option while editing.
4. Select criteria for viewing changes made on the file such as All, Everyone, etc. Note that this option limits one to filter changes by dates but is not yet reviewed.
5. Select a choice between tracking changes in the entire sheet or in some parts of the sheet.
6. Click Ok
Alternatively use
Creating a separate file for changes made to the file in the following steps:
1. Go to the Review tab and click Highlight changes
2. On the same highlight changes option choose List changes on a new sheet
A new sheet will be created listing all the changes made to the file
• Excel does not track all changes. Only changes made to a cell value can be tracked. Changes like hiding a row, deleting a row, or changing the color of the cell are not tracked.
• A worksheet with tables does not support the track changes option. Therefore it is important that tables be first converted to a range
• Share workbook does not support all features of excel like data validations, filtering, merging cells, sorting, and conditional formatting.
• If changes are highlighted on a new sheet then the sheet named 'history' will be auto-deleted once the file is saved.
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Best answer: When did Dravidians reach India?
Where did the Dravidians in India come from?
The present people of the Indian subcontinent, including the Dravidians, are of a mixed genetic origin and have ancestry from indigenous South Asian Hunter Gatherers, Neolithic west Asian farmers from Iran and Steppe Yamnaya pastoralists.
Who were in India before Dravidians?
Who came first Aryans or Dravidians?
One of these ideas is that India is a land of two races – the lighter- skinned Aryans and the darker-skinned Dravidians – and that the Dravidians were the original inhabitants of India whom the invading Aryans conquered and dominated.”
IT\'S AMAZING: Best answer: Can we send courier to South Korea from India?
How did Dravidians become Hindu?
The early Dravidian religion constituted a non-Vedic form of Hinduism in that they were either historically or are at present Āgamic. … This represents an early religious and cultural fusion or synthesis between ancient Dravidians and Indo-Aryans that went on to influence Indian civilization.
Did Aryans invade India?
Aryans did not invade India or destroy the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Are Dravidians from Africa?
The Dravidian and Siddi people came from Africa (Winters, 2007a, 2008a,2008b,2010). The Dravidians belonged to the C-group people (Winters, 2007, 2008b). They migrated to Iran and India after 2600BC. The Dravidians carry African haplogroups M1 and y-chromosomes (Winters, 2008b,2010).
Who are the real Aryans?
Who inhabited India first?
Are kannadigas Dravidians?
Yes, Kannadigas are Dravidian people by language and predominantly by race as well.
Are Aryans and Dravidians same?
IT\'S AMAZING: How many plains are there in India?
Are Indo Aryans and Dravidians the same?
People living in North India have been referred to as Aryans, and those belonging to south India have been labeled as Dravidians for the last many centuries. … Indians were made to believe that north Indians are descendants of Aryans while south Indians are the descendants of Dravidians.
Who is Dravidian and Aryan?
By the time of the establishment of states along the Ganges more than a thousand years later, Dravidian and Aryan groups were mixing and influencing each other, though it probably took a long time, possibly up to just a thousand years ago, for Dravidian and Aryan cultures to spread throughout the entire subcontinent, …
Was Shiva a Dravidian?
Shiva is a Dravidian god. Because a Dravidian is primarily a Hindu, they follow the caste system and worship the Aryan pantheon of gods, but due to circumstances they speak south Indian languages. In other words Shiva is an Aryan god fully accepted by the Dravidians.
Is Vishnu a Dravidian God?
Originally Answered: Is Vishnu a dravidian god ? He is a Dravidian god also. He is called Maalon in Sangam literature. Still now he has a name Thirumal and there is a temple popularly called Azhagar Kovil in Madurai whose original name is Thirumalirum solai which means Garden Abode of Vishnu.
Who lived in India before Hinduism?
IT\'S AMAZING: Question: How can we use make in India logo?
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12 years after Bengaluru’s water board made RWH a rule, how are we doing in harvesting rainwater?
Sustainable water management
A recharge well being dug
A recharge well being dug at Mantri Espana apartment complex in Bellandur. Pic: Seema Sharma
Bengaluru’s water woes are not a secret to anyone, all thanks to the city’s water activists and environmentalists who have fought tooth and nail to promote Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and sustainable water management in the city.
Two well known names campaigning for water sustainable are Vishwanath Srikantaiah and Shubha Ramachandran, both from the Biome Environmental Trust. Vishwanath is a water activist and an urban planner. He has worked in collaboration with the local communities to revive 10,000 wells with the support of the well-diggers, and helped in the development of 100,000 recharge wells. Shubha is a water sustainability expert. She has designed and implemented several rainwater harvesting and wastewater treatment systems in Bengaluru.
On the 12 year anniversary of Rain Water Harvesting being made mandatory in Bengaluru, we speak to them to get more insights about the challenges and opportunities of sustainable water supply in Bengaluru.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Act, 2009 declared that RWH systems are compulsory for all buildings built since 2009 measuring 1200 feet and above and buildings built before 2009 measuring 2400 feet and above. In the last 12 years, what have we seen in terms of RWH in the city? Have we seen the results we wanted?
Vishwanath: Close to 1,55,000 properties have RWH, according to the BWSSB, which makes it the second largest number of installations for any city in India, next only to Chennai. (Overall Bengaluru has around 20 lakh properties, with just 2 lakh properties mandated to install RWH, since the rule does not apply to properties smaller than 60×40 sq feet of ground area, built before 2009. BWSSB has 9 lakh domestic connections. Owners of around 45,000 properties are paying the fine. This means 1/13th of all properties have installed RWH. Note: apartments are counted as a single property unit in this calculation, since they have a single BWSSB connection.)
The city has also set up a RWH theme park in Jayanagar where people can go and get advice. We have trained more than 1,000 plumbers and well-diggers on RWH. Many large institutional buildings have done RWH, so that’s the positive side of it. If you look at the negative side, a lot more people could have done RWH. It would have helped the city a lot more.
Shubha: The earlier questions about water quality and if it is good enough to drink seem to be going away. That kind of water literacy has certainly been going up. For groundwater, we’re running this campaign now called a million wells. So the other part of RWH is taking surface run-off and trying to recharge groundwater with it, through recharge wells, which are the most economical and efficient recharge structures. I think time has come now to push that forward.
Read More: Two years, one lakh wells: Can ‘Million Wells’ movement help solve Bengaluru’s water crisis?
Role of citizens and our “can-do” spirit
How have we been able to do this? What has gone into making Bengaluru the city with the second largest number of RWH installations?
Vishwanath: One of the things that characterises Bengaluru is citizen engagement and citizen activism. This is a “can-do” city. I can only think of Pune and Bangalore as such cities in India, where there is active engagement with civic problems, solid-waste management, urban transportation.
Bengaluru is in an enviable position regarding water supply as compared to any other city in India because we got a million connections from the BWSSB. Every connection is metered, there is a volumetric pricing to the water and there is subsidy for domestic water supply. Where there is such good water supply, the tendency to look for alternative sources of water supply is not high. For example, Chennai (has the most distress) because there is a huge water scarcity and water was being shipped in tankers and there was no other source of water. In Bengaluru, the crisis is not yet dire. Yet, people have installed 1,50,000. That has to do with the culture of the city and that of community engagement with civic issues.
Shubha: For RWH, it could also be the distribution of water. Unlike Chennai or Bombay which receive very heavy rainfall for only 2-3 months of the year, we are fortunate to receive rain 6-8 months of the year. There are small incidences of rain, like the short rainfalls we had a couple of days ago.
S Vishwanath, popularly known as Zen Rainman, sitting on the steps of an old step well
S Vishwanath, popularly known as Zen Rainman. PIc courtesy: Biome
Vishwanath Srikantaiah
What have been the challenges to RWH?
Shubha: I think it’s this kind of inertia. The default option these days, if you don’t have good quality drinking water, you can order Bisleri, cans, and tankers. These market solutions are there. With RWH, all said and done, you would only get water when it rains if you are storing and reusing rainwater. There’s a need to maintain the system, especially at an individual house level. Even with the nature of groundwater, it is invisible. You recharge over a period of time and there are a lot of people who are extracting and you are not able to establish any direct correlation. It takes time for you to observe the results as well.
Vishwanath: All such endeavours need patience, perseverance, and a communication strategy which persuades the citizenry that they have to do something for not only themselves but also for the larger good. Now you can take the garbage and chuck it outside on the road and you are done with the problem. It is a community problem now. Similarly with RWH, you may have good water from the BWSSB. You may have a borewell which is giving you water. But unless all of us do RWH, the benefits will not flow. So, persuasion takes time.
Read More: How Bengaluru’s notorious ‘water tankers’ can be regulated
The state’s role in RWH
What are your thoughts on the state investing in RWH considering that the returns are invisible and long-term?
Shubha: The state can play a large role. Of course in the lands they own, they could do this. Even making it commonplace like having loans for implementing RWH. BWSSB also does these events like the Jala Rushi Puraskar contest which is given to the group that does these best practices. When there is acknowledgement from the Government, it is different from being acknowledged locally. There’s a lot of bottom-up movement that has been happening for this, we need the top-down happening as well.
BWSSB has also been convincing BBMP to amend building by-laws in such a way that no plan could be approved if it does not incorporate RWH. What would be the implications of this?
Vishwanath: BBMP’s jawabdari (accountability) is not with RWH or water supply. So, they have no benefits to gain if more people do RWH. There is no direct impact on BBMP. For the BWSSB itself, since it is not in charge of groundwater and it does not measure what benefit it gets from the water saved, there is no skin in the game. There is no real benefit. So, these laws will be in place but unless the citizens choose to do it on their own, it is unlikely that it will take off.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) in an apartment
A rainwater storage tank in Greens apartment. Pic Credit: Amal Padmanabhan
According to a survey published in 2019, South Bangalore has the most number of buildings which have not installed RWH yet. Why do you think this area has not shown interest in RWH?
Vishwanath: Two things. One, they have an excellent pipe-water supply so they never have a problem with Cauvery water. They have a good distribution. Second, they are blessed with good groundwater: open well and borewell water. Therefore, they don’t see the need for RWH. Whereas, it is the North and the East which are water-scarce and that’s where you see much more of RWH. So, the challenge now is to persuade South Bangalore to do it better because they can do it easily. In South Bangalore, you can dig a well, you can get water, you can recharge the water into the well, you can use the water, and become water-secure. So, a strong messaging has to go from the institutions and communities to pick it up.
Economic incentives for harvesting rainwater
What can be said about the trends in RWH in commercial/residential buildings?
Vishwanath: The commercial water is priced at Rs. 60/kl. BWSSB tariff is very high for commercial water use. Industrial water use is even higher – Rs. 72/kl. Domestic water is at Rs. 7/kl in the first slab, Rs. 11/kl in the second slab. So, in domestic use, if you save 100,000 litres through RWH, that’s 100 kl, which (works out to) Rs. 700. So, if you save 1 lakh litres of water in a year, the cost that will save you is only Rs 700.
Because the domestic pipe-water supply is so ridiculously subsidised in Bengaluru, while the production cost is Rs. 95/kl so there is no incentive for people to do RWH as an economic prospect. They can only do it as an environmental prospect. That is the problem with the domestic sector not picking it up. Commercial and Industrial sectors will pick it up because it saves them money.
Shubha: The offices and corporate buildings seem to have some systems in place. It may not be perfect or complete but some conversation is happening. With these smaller shops which are either rented or privately owned, there may be physical challenges like they may not even be taking Cauvery water for instance. They may be buying their own tanker water. Storing and reusing water may not be amenable to all of them as there may be a bunch of shops sharing a water source. There it has to be a group RWH implementation, making sure there is some contribution from everybody. For smaller shops, we really have to think about what is appropriate or how we don’t get stuck with the letter but go with the spirit.
It would be interesting to know from BWSSB that among all the connections, which ones are the commercial connections and what kind of commercial buildings are these. BWSSB can go a lot more public with who has done and who has not done. It is very difficult for us to go out and get this information. They already have it.
Domestic water supply is ridiculously subsidised, starting at 7 Rupees a kilolitre. Saving 1 lakh litre a year saves you a mere 700 Rupees. There is no economic incentive for people to do RWH.
Viswanath Srikantaiah
What about individual houses and apartment complexes?
Vishwanath: In the apartment complexes, there is the challenge of ownership. Who has to do it? The builder or the citizens’ association? For the builder, it’s a cost. So he cuts and scrapes and does a bad job and gets away. Not everybody but some of the builders. For the residents’ association, they have to run the whole damn thing. The enlightened residents’ associations do it and the others don’t.
Shubha: Apartment complexes in the peripheries are doing RWH because otherwise they pay Rs. 200 for 1000 litres of water. Especially for new ones that are being built, the big builders broadly put some infrastructure in place.
Read More: Rainwater harvesting: Apartment’s water bill goes from over a lakh to zero in monsoons
At what scale is rainwater harvesting the most convenient?
Vishwanath: It’s absolutely relevant from the smallest house to the largest industrial area. In an apartment, it does not make much sense, because in an apartment, the per capita roof area is limited, because you stack people up. If you have 40 square metre of roof area per person, you can be water independent in Bengaluru. If you store it and recharge it, that will be 100 litres per person per day. Now as an apartment, you tend to get only 4 square metre roof area per person. So it will only get you 10% or 15% of your total water requirement. It’s a supplement but it’s not a significant supplement. So, apartments don’t have an incentive to do it. Yet they do it. Why? Because they want to do it right and even that 10%-15% saves them money. Otherwise, they will have to buy from tankers or dubious sources.
BWSSB charges penalties to households who haven’t installed RWH. Has that been helping? Do households mind paying penalties?
Vishwanath: The cost of water is Rs. 7. Even if you double it and say Rs. 14, it will be dirt cheap. BWSSB is not interested in the water coming into the city. They are interested in money. So, they’d rather people pay the penalty than do RWH. So, there is a misalignment of interests here. This will be a game which will be played by people and institutions.
Shubha: Depending on the penalty, it would be a lot cheaper in the long run to install RWH and then benefit from it. It also needs to be one of the ways to ensure compliance. But, in many cases they just do something to get by. There’s another tricky part with RWH. You may have some infrastructure and not use it. The infrastructure may be broken or you may just have something to show the meter man that there is something in place, so you don’t have to pay the fine.
For certain cases, it might help to understand why people are not doing it and giving them an option. There are nuances that have to be considered. For example, we have been to apartments which are built on a quarry or on rocks. They’re not able to do groundwater recharge. They have no place to make a new sump. So, then is there any way out for them? Some engagement is certainly required for exceptions.
Shubha Ramachandran of Biome Trust
Shubha Ramachandran. PIc courtesy: Biome
Shubha Ramachandran
Isn’t the BWSSB spending a lot of money in transporting the water from Cauvery to Bengaluru?
Vishwanath: It is Rs. 95 / kl. But, there is a political unwillingness to charge. BWSSB puts up proposal after proposal for revision of water tariffs and it’s rejected or held up. No action is taken. So, what BWSSB does is take money from new buildings saying that, “We will give you connection as and when water is available”, takes that up-front cost, puts it into their kitty and spends it. You pay Rs. 1.5 lakh in some apartments to get a connection, which is ridiculously high. That’s how BWSSB’s finances are getting mismanaged with great skill.
Here’s the other side of the story: Let’s say I have a well in my house. Let’s say the well is dry. Now I do RWH and I put it into the well. The well springs back to life with water. I start using the water. You’d think the BWSSB should reward me for doing that for being independent of the city utility. Every 1000 litres that I use from the well, I save BWSSB Rs. 88 (95-7). But, what the BWSSB does, is penalise me. It charges me Rs. 100 / month for the well water.
I’ve taken it up with BWSSB and we’re working out a solution for it, to separate open wells from the dug bore-wells, so that if you do RWH and use open well water, you will not be charged the sanitary cess. Even at the nitty-gritty level, we have to look at the alignments and misalignments.
Shubha: BWSSB can do something pro-poor (like Delhi has done). They make sure that a minimum amount of water is free. Even we already have a step-tariff but perhaps we could go a lot steeper once we exceed a certain number. The first slab of 20,000 litres per family could be priced reasonably as it is right and beyond that, you can increase the tariffs to make it more sensible to do RWH. But, yes a certain amount of water needs to be given to everybody at a reasonable price and you can’t really have differential rates because it becomes a lot more complicated to implement.
How do we convince the apartment complexes which have been mushrooming all around in Bengaluru to take up RWH?
Vishwanath: One of the challenges to apartment complexes is the masterplan and building bylaws do not protect aquifers. What we do is we dig basements for car parking and we pump out water from these basements and throw it out into the drains when we are building these large apartments. Next to Mount Carmel College, next to Mekhri circle, apartment complexes have pumped out water for 6 months to 8 months to drain the aquifers. When you build the car parking, there is no capacity for the aquifer to hold on to rain water. The whole sponge is gone. We have to rethink our masterplan and building bylaws to be in alignment with the water requirement in the city.
Do you see the political unwillingness to disincentivise Cauvery water going away anytime soon?
Vishwanath: No. Which is why in Bengaluru we appeal to the democratic sense of people for participation. In Chennai, it was the danda by Amma. Jayalalitha said, “In 6 months if you don’t do it, I will cut off your water supply connection and your sewage connection.” In Bangalore, we have the time to do it. We don’t have to kill ourselves in enforcing RWH. At the same time, citizen groups are reviving lakes which will recharge the aquifer. There are different scales at which RWH will happen and we have to push each scale.
A rooftop rainwater treatment (RWH) system.
A rooftop rainwater treatment system. Pic: Biome Trust
What can BBMP do to help with this effort?
Vishwanath: It can redesign the stormwater drains better. Instead of taking all the water and barrelling it out outside the area, it could make infiltration wells in the smallest drains and develop a masterplan for all drains to have recharge wells.
Do you see this happening anytime soon?
Vishwanath: Yes, a lot of politicians have taken interest in Koramangala, BTM Layout, I think Jayanagar also. MLAs can push for the stormwater drains to have percolation pits. Now, we have to bring it into the guidelines and the manual of design for the stormwater drains
What now for Bengaluru? How are we to make our water supply more sustainable?
Vishwanath: Now what we have to do is democratise the governance of water. Every ward committee must make sure that there is a discussion on whether there is universal coverage. 100% of all the buildings in that ward, do they have water and sanitation connection? If they don’t, how soon shall we get it to all of them? Then, how do we facilitate all the citizens to do RWH in the cheapest and easiest manner as relevant to that ward. Then, it has to revive all its lakes and it has to fill it with treated wastewater like Jakkur and Doddabommasandra is doing.
At an institutional level, BWSSB will have to expand itself to have a groundwater cell. There are 400,000 or more borewells. God only knows who is managing them. There is a Groundwater Authority which is very poorly staffed. We need to strengthen groundwater governance and make it more participatory. We need to make a wastewater management plan.
Finally, the city completely depends on the Cauvery for all its requirements. It will have to invest in the forests of Kodagu, make sure that the catchment is maintained. Whenever we open the tap, it’s the Cauvery flowing. We have to make sure that Cauvery continues to flow. Sand-mining, deforestation, and pollution cannot happen in Kodagu.
Vishwanath Srikantaiah
As a city, what can we teach other cities and what can we learn from other cities?
Shubha: We have this website called urbanwaters.in. We already have Bengaluru on it. Now, we are trying to add other cities. There is Tumakuru. Fairly shortly, we should have Hyderabad and some of the other cities. That is a good first step to share our best practices, case studies, and contact information with other states and cities. Chennai seems to be running its wastewater treatment plants rather very well. A lot of energy is required to run a waste treatment plant. The Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) generates the electricity that is required to run itself. It may be a technological solution but that seems to be something we could see and learn from them.
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About Juhi Jotwani 9 Articles
Juhi is an urban fellow studying at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements
1. More than 80% of rain water is going waste in roads,… This needs to be addressed by Govt by installing RWH system in all road corners to harvest rain water…
2. What if rain water is channelized directly into bore? Will it affect bore pump or bore? Mail address of Shubha mam and Vishwanath sir may be shared for further advice on this subject.
3. Please advise whether BWSSB gives any concession in their water charges bill issued by them on monthly basis for the RWH system introduced by us in our apartment. We hava a borewell and RAIN WATER HARVESTING done last year. Whether we have to advise BWSSB that we have a RWH. Please advise
4. I’ve seen people taking BWSSB for a ride. Many take Photos from elsewhere / bribe and get away .There should be an audit house to house done one time.I doubt the figures published by BWSSB.
5. Your article on RWH is educative and good. Please advise whether we have to advise BWSSB about availability of RWH in an apartment as soon as it is created
Whether BWSSB reduces it’s charges in their monthly water bill charged by them which includes some penalty charges towards our bore well. Please advise whether we should advise BWSSB about existence of RWH in our apartment
Comments are closed.
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Small Is Big
Jesus, the grain of wheat, has fallen into the ground and died. Nothing or anyone can stop the resurrection-kingdom that is coming.
Assurance of growth: that is what Jesus promises. However, you must let yourself fall into the ground as Jesus and die, just as the seed in the parable. Then you will bear Kingdom fruit that glorifies the Lord.
A mustard seed is this size of a dot on this page. Yet it becomes a strong tree, offering itself as a home and shade for many birds. That is the way the Kingdom is. Small is big! Even if you see yourself as tiny as a mustard seed, once you are into the ground of your being, which is Christ, no one can stop you!
Mark 4:26–34
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Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
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Old english sheep dog temperament & info about the bobtail dog breed
old english sheepdog
Well yes! The Serpico dog is an old breed of British sheepdog, also called the Bobtail ( Old English Sheepdog ), the character of the bobtail comes from its breed standard : ” a biddable dog of even disposition. ” We discover the history of the Bobtail dog , its main characteristics and other curiosities of the beautiful Old English Sheepdog!
Origins and History of the Old english sheep dog
The origins of Old English Sheepdog are very murky. Some say they originated in the county of Dorset, while others place them in Oxfordshire, and others in Wilthshire or Sussex. One thing is certain, the onset of the breed at shows was not among the happiest, as three specimens of the breed that presentedin the Expo at Birmingham in 1873 were rejected and only won a secondary prize.
It was only about 1885/1888 that the first breed standard of the bobtail dog was written and it has remained virtually unchanged to this day.
bobtail dog
Bobtail Breed Standard
The Old English Sheepdog belongs to the Sheepdogs and Cattle Dog group , and has a shoulder height of 61cm for males and 56cm for females. The Bobtail colors allowed by the breed standard are grizzled, blue and all shades of gray. The hair of the dog bobtail is thick and rough with a woolly and waterproof undercoat. The dog’s head is very big, with small ears and a well-defined stop. Bobtail Dogs can weigh as much as 45kg!
old english sheepdog
Bobtail Dog care, nutrition
Bobtail dog fur needs to be brushed at least once every fifteen days and owners must pay particular attention to cleaning the dogs ears, as the hair grows abundantly in that area of their body. During warmer periods, given their long hair, you also must pay attention to parasites that may lurk on their coat, especially if they spend a lot of time outdoors. A yard would be ideal for the Bobtail dog, but they also adapt well to apartment life!
The powerful Bobtail dog needs a healthy and balanced diet to provide them with all the necessary energy. Avoid running with them, because as we already mentioned they are docile and quiet dogs.
bobtail temperament
Old english sheep dog temperament
The character of the Bobtail is docile and calm, gentle and amiable, soft-spoken in his every move. This is why it is not considered the greatest dogs for dog sports, such as agility, discs, freestyle or obedience Not that they can’t do these things, there is always the exception that proves the rule, but at the base the Bobtail dog is happiest with simply a loving relationship with their own. The Bobtail is considered more appropriate as a pet, a sheepdog, and a guard dog.
In fact the term “docile” does not mean that they are very good, amiable and friendly at all times. Though they generally are, as long as they are not provoked. In each case has a unsurpassed quality… most Bobtails are extremely friendly dogs that love children enough to withstand all of their antics ( though of course there is always a limit, it is up to you to educate your children on how to relate to him in the proper way).
The Old English Sheepdog is one of the few breeds of dog that, despite its enormous size, manages to be delicate with children, the sick and the elderly. With everyone else … let’s say some of them have the delicacy of a hippopotamus!
bobtail breeding
Breeding Bobtail Puppies
Raising a Bobtail puppy is always a satisfying experience. Bobtail puppies participate in the life of the family with great care, they need to constantly express their emotions and they do it by taking many initiatives (sometimes too many). They are very smart dogs, and even if they enjoy their time in the yard, that does not mean that you have to leave them by themselves, they would die of loneliness!
Looking for a mini sheepadoodle for sale? Unfortunately in 2012, the ENCI counted only 71 puppies bobtail in Italy and their population has declined compared to the past decade, mainly because of their size and theire grooming needs. One thing is certain, those who know the breed would never have another type of dog!
Famous Old English Sheepdogs
Today when naming the bobtail we immediately think of Mosè Lupo Alberto or the dog of Al Pacino in Serpico. Some of us associate them with the Disney film ” The Little Mermaid “: the Prince Eric’s dog named Max is a Bobtail. Apart from these appearances the Old English Sheepdog has never had much prominence in movies or on television. Perhaps because his attitude is not very strong, although it is worth remembering that Paul McCartney’s dog , Martha, was a Bobtail, and to whom was also dedicated the song: ” Martha my dear .”
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Definitions for: Rip
[n] a stretch of turbulent water in the sea
[n] a dissolute man in fashionable society
[v] criticize or abuse strongly and violently; "The candidate ripped into his opponent mercilessly"
[v] tear or be torn violently; "The curtain ripped from top to bottom"; "pull the cooked chicken into strips"
[v] cut (wood) along the grain
[v] move precipitously or violently; "The tornado ripped along the coast"
Webster (1913) Definition: Rip, n. [Cf. Icel. hrip a box or basket; perhaps akin to
E. corb. Cf. Ripier.]
A wicker fish basket.
Rip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ripped; p. pr. & vb. n.
Ripping.] [Cf. AS. r[=y]pan, also Sw. repa to ripple flax,
D. repelen, G. reffen, riffeln, and E. raff, raffle. Cf.
Raff, Ripple of flax.]
1. To divide or separate the parts of, by cutting or tearing;
commonly used with up, open, off.
2. To get by, or as by, cutting or tearing.
He 'll rip the fatal secret from her heart.
3. To tear up for search or disclosure, or for alteration; to
with up.
They ripped up all that had been done from the
beginning of the rebellion. --Clarendon.
For brethern to debate and rip up their falling out
in the ear of a common enemy . . . is neither wise
nor comely. --Milton.
4. To saw (wood) lengthwise of the grain or fiber.
Ripping chisel (Carp.), a crooked chisel for cleaning out
mortises. --Knight.
Ripping iron. (Shipbuilding) Same as Ravehook.
Ripping saw. (Carp.) See Ripsaw.
To rip out, to rap out, to utter hastily and violently; as,
to rip out an oath. [Colloq.] See To rap out, under
Rap, v. t.
Rip, n.
1. A rent made by ripping, esp. by a seam giving way; a tear;
a place torn; laceration.
2. [Perh. a corruption of the first syllable of reprobate.] A
3. A body of water made rough by the meeting of opposing
tides or currents.
Synonyms: blood, crosscurrent, profligate, pull, rake, rend, rent, rent, riptide, rive, roue, split, split, tear, tear, tide rip
See Also: assail, assault, attack, bust, cut, debauchee, gap, go, lash out, libertine, locomote, move, opening, round, rounder, rupture, snap, snipe, tear, tear, travel, turbulence, turbulency
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Readers ask: What Is Living Sacrifice According To Bible?
What does sacrificial living mean?
sacrificial Add to list Share. Anything sacrificial has to do with a sacrifice. Giving up your seat for someone else is a sacrificial act. A sacrifice is something given up for the sake of others, so anything sacrificial is connected to that selfless act.
What is a sacrifice according to the Bible?
What does God say about sacrifice?
What kind of sacrifice is acceptable to God?
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. The purpose of Hebrew rituals and sacrifices was to mediate forgiveness to the people and to restore their relationship with God. But God cannot restore the relationship if we do not come to him honestly.
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What is Paul saying in Romans 12?
“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” Paul wrote the letter to the Roman church to tell them about the essence of the gospel of Christ. He explains faith in Christ, our righteousness through Christ, and that in Christ, Jews and Gentiles are one ✝️.
What is an example of a sacrifice?
What does it mean to make a sacrifice?
1: the act or ceremony of making an offering to God or a god especially on an altar. 2: something offered as a religious act. 3: an act of giving up something especially for the sake of someone or something else We were happy to make a sacrifice of our time to help a friend in need.
What does sacrifice mean in love?
In its most literal sense, the phrase “love is sacrifice” suggests that you have to give things up if you want to be with the one you love. That certainly is true sometimes. For example, if your partner’s parent falls ill, they might want to move back home to take care of them or have them move in with you.
What is the important of sacrifice?
Here is a healthy way to look at sacrifice: sacrifice often determines your level of success in life. Through choice (and therefore intention, the most powerful force in nature) you are creating the space for something bigger or more fruitful.
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What 3 things are required for a sacrifice?
What three things are required for a sacrifice? A priest, a victim, and an altar are required.
Is sacrifice a form of worship?
What are the most powerful Bible verses?
My Top 10 Powerful Bible verses
• Matthew 6:26.
• Proverbs 3:5-6.
• 1 Corinthians 15:58.
• John 16:33.
• Matthew 6:31-33.
• Philippians 4:6.
Is it better than sacrifice?
One of the most striking examples of this principle is found in 1 Samuel, where the prophet Samuel declares to King Saul: “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22).
What should I sacrifice?
Author Thuy Yau points out 8 things successful people know they need to sacrifice:
• Time. Time management is crucial.
• Personal Life.
• Sleep.
• Health.
• Quiet Times.
• Sanity.
• Immediate Desires.
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nonjuror. 1. Someone who is not serving as a juror. 2.Hist. A person who refused to pledge allegiance to the sovereign; specif., in England and Scotland, a clergyman who, after 1688, refused to break the oath to James II and his heirs and successors, and to recognize William of Orange as king. • In Scotland, a nonjuror was also recognized by the Presbyterian Church as a clergyman who refused to renounce the Episcopal Church when it was disestablished in 1690 in favor of Presbyterianism.
[Blacks Law 8th]
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How to write an literary analysis essay
Essay about Lord of the Flies Literary Analysis 1283 Words | 6 Pages. Symbolism is a very important factor in many books. The use of symbolism in William Golding's novel The Lord of the Flies is the most essential aspect to the function of the story. Suggested Structure of Your Literary Analysis Essay -
A literary analysis essay involves close exploration of a particular literary concept and analysis of its constituents with an aim of demonstrating how each of them influences the whole part. Character Analysis Essay 101: How to Write an Analysis Essay Our great guide (and advanced tips) on how to write a character analysis essay will help you to make your own A+ character analysis paper. Literary Analysis Essay Help Online from Qualified Writers If you need substantial literary analysis essay help online, contact us | We have experienced writers able to produce a perfect academic paper in Literature How to write an article analysis essay? Detailed Guide! This detailed guide will help you to create an outstanding analytical essay. Follow each step to get the best grade for your paper.
4 Ways to Write a Literary Analysis - wikiHow How to Write a Literary Analysis Method 1 Taking Notes and Developing Your Argument. Write down ideas as you read through the text. Method 2 Outlining the Paper. Write a thesis statement. Method 3 Writing Your Essay. Introduce each main topic with a couple of introductory sentences. Method 4 ... How to write a literary analysis essay - This presentation is directed toward AP English students who need to know how to write a literary analysis. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising.
How to write a literary analysis essay
Buy an Analytical Essay | Custom Analysis Papers at The-Essays You can buy an analysis essay here if you have your deadline closing in. We surely have a suitable writer to help you with that tiresome task of yours. Literary Analysis Essay Buy Creative writing masters paris
How To Write A Literary Analysis Essay: Get An Example
Learn to Write a Literary Analysis Writing a literary analysis, you need to focus on basic elements of a literary work. This task isn’t simple, so we are ready to help you. How to Write a Critical Literary Analysis Essay | Literary… How to Write a Critical Literary Analysis Essay - Download as Word Doc (.doc), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online. Example Literary Analysis Essay Professional help with writing Literary Analysis Essay is an invaluable asset for students struggling with assignments. Order essays from 12.99 per page or use for FREE.
Writing an A-Level English Literature Essay
How to Write a Good Critical Analysis Essay If you are unsure how to write an analysis essay, this article will provide helpful tips including a step-by-step process for writing one, and an outline of a "how to write a critical analysis paper" example.
Writing an effective poetry analysis essay has some peculiarities. In this article, you will find an easy paper writing guide for school and college students. Read on to learn about how to analyze different literary elements and use this analysis to interpret the meaning of a poem. Top 7 Rules for Writing a Good Analysis Essay Keep reading to learn the top 20 rules for writing an analysis paper from experts…. 1. Basic principles. Before you learn how to start a critical essay, you should understand some fundamentals of writing this paper. How To Write An Interpretation Essay - iWriteEssays
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Are Blue Orchids Real?
Are Blue Orchids Real?
Yes, the Vanda orchid is an orchid with a naturally-occuring blue color. The color blue in nature is very rare, which is why blue flowers are sought out by collectors – the rarer the better.
However, there are also white orchids, such as the Phalaenopsis orchid, that are dyed blue and sold. This is done by injecting blue food dye into the stem of the orchid. This turns the petals of the orchid blue, but when you take the plant home and the petals fall off, the orchid’s next blooms will revert to their original white color.
In this article, we will discuss more about blue orchids, why they are so sought-after, and how you can grow your own.
Why are blue orchids so hard to find?
Blue orchids, and blue plants or flowers in general, for that matter, are very difficult to find naturally because only ten percent of flowering plants contain this pigment. Most often, the shades of blue are pale, and even more purplish than actual blue. Because the color is so rare, it makes the search for a truly blue orchid that much harder.
Are blue orchids real?
Yes, blue orchids in nature do exist, but they are rarely, if ever, sold commercially. They are not mass-produced, so they cannot be distributed in large numbers, making them quite rare.
The blue orchids that you see in stores are most probably dyed Phalaenopsis orchids. A blue food dye is injected to the plant’s stem and turns the white petals blue. Unfortunately, when the current petals fall off, the new blooms that replace them will revert to their original white color.
What are examples of blue orchids?
Blue Vanda orchid
The Vanda genus of orchids come in burgundy, purple, pink, orange, white and blue. They are single-footed orchids that grow straight upward with leaves on either side of a spike that holds their large flowers.
The blue Vanda is the Vanda coerulea. This orchid’s blue flowers are large and flat. The flowers can grow to five inches across, and have a labellum that is an inch long.
In nature, the Vanda coerulea grows high up, on the bark of oak trees. The plant’s spikes can split and produce as many as 30 flowers a single plant.
This orchid can be found in Myanmar, India, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal and China. It has been used as a parent plant for various cultivars that people have tried to produce over the years.
Apart from the blue color of its flowers, the Vanda coerulea also passes on its tessellations, veins and inflorescences to its hybrids.
Blue Vanda orchid care
Because this orchid is native to the forests of Asia, the ideal is to try to simulate this natural habitat in your own home.
1. Water
It is important to keep the plant moist, so mist it every morning during the spring and summer when the plant is actively growing. Try not to let water stagnate around the crown of the plant because this can lead to rot. If you mist in the morning, when the plant has plenty of time to dry out in the light, you will not have this problem.
2. Light
The blue Vanda orchid appreciates direct sunlight for a few hours a day, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon. Place it in a spot where it is shaded at noon and during the early afternoon hours. This is especially important during the summer when the heat is harsh and can really damage the plant’s foliage.
3. Humidity
In the hot summer, the plant likes humid conditions, preferably between 80 to 85 percent humidity. During the winter, it is fine with 50 to 55 percent humidity.
4. Fertilizer
During the plant’s growing period in the spring and summer, give the plant fertilizer every two weeks.
5. Potting the plant
The Vanda coerulea likes to be in a well-draining medium, inside a basket or a hanging pot. An airy substrate like coarse bark is ideal. Because they like fast-draining media, you will need to water the plant frequently. They have thick roots that look beautiful hanging from their pots.
Are blue orchids safe for humans to eat?
There are fine dining establishments that have used the orchid in all kinds of dishes, both savory and sweet.
All orchids can be eaten, but only those that are naturally grown. Refrain from ingesting hybrid orchids or those that are injected with a dye to change their appearance. It is best only to eat orchids that have been served to you by professionals; do not prepare any dishes yourself unless you have done all your research.
Are blue orchids safe for pets to ingest?
One of the concerns for any plant owner who is also a pet owner is the possibility of their pet accidentally ingesting their house plants.
The blue orchid is not poisonous to pets, but you may observe symptoms such as inflammation of the mucus membranes and skin irritation if your pet ingests it.
If your pets ingest the blue orchid with the artificial dye, however, it is best to take the pet to the vet for proper treatment in case the dye has any adverse effects.
If you can, place the plant far from the reach of all your pets, so that you will not have to worry about them eating it.
Even if the orchid is not poisonous to your pets, inclusion of the flower in their diet is not recommended anyway. The bark in the plant’s potting medium is a bigger threat to your pet’s health, so just keep the entire plant and its pot out of reach.
What are other blue flowers that are easier to find and care for?
If you cannot procure a true blue Vanda orchid but still wish to own a blue flowering plant, these are some other plants you can consider:
Forget-me-nots are small, delicate blue flowers that have red borders.
Hydrangeas also come in blue, and can be a great choice as a shrub in front of your house. They can be a bit sensitive about the soil pH, so keep that in mind.
Delphiniums are more purple than blue, but the deep richness of their color is still quite striking.
Cornflowers are a vibrant blue color and are really easy to find. They grow in large numbers in most meadows, so you will not have to search very far for your own cornflower.
Himalayan poppies boast one of the truest blue colors in the plant kingdom. They may be easier to procure than the blue orchid, but they can be a bit tricky to grow, so make sure you do your research to grow your Himalayan poppy correctly.
Do blue Phalaenopsis orchids exist?
No, naturally blue Phalaenopsis orchids do not exist, and if you do see these orchids in shops, they have been dyed blue. One blue Phalaenopsis variety, called Blue Mystique, is the result of a dying technique developed in 2011. They were so convincingly blue that when plant owners took them home, they were very upset when the new blooms were white.
These flowers were injected with food dye to make their petals blue. They may be pretty to look at, but their color will only last until those flowers fall off.
Yes, blue orchids are real; they are known as blue Vanda orchids. Their natural habitat is the forests of Asia, and they are quite difficult to procure, especially for people in the West.
There are commercially available blue orchids, but those are most likely Phalaenopsis orchids that have been artificially dyed blue. You can buy them if you want to use their color for a once-off event, but they will not sustain their blue color. The next bloom from an artificially dyed orchid will retain the original color of the petals, and will no longer be blue.
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