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warc | 201704 | Research Triangle Park, N.C. (PRWEB) August 21, 2013
With the addition of three new hybrids, Bayer CropScience is giving farmers three more reasons to plant InVigor® seed than just its genetics and yield. These new hybrids provide canola farmers across the northern tier of the United States more options to overcome growing and harvesting challenges, fight disease pressure, and improve profitability.
In addition to the current line of InVigor hybrids, these new hybrids listed below will be available for the 2014 growing season:
L140P – Industry’s first hybrid bred to reduce pod shatter. By mitigating losses associated with pod shatter, L140P provides farmers more flexibility by maximizing yield in delayed swathing and straight cutting situations. The hybrid’s built-in defense to pod shatter also reduces the impact of late-season moisture and wind events that can split pods and shell seeds prematurely, as well as make pods fall off the plant, shedding yield.
L160S – First InVigor hybrid with built-in tolerance to Sclerotinia Stem Rot. As a first line of defense against Sclerotinia, L160S is ideal for fields with known disease pressure. Sclerotinia is one of the most serious and common diseases of canola in North Dakota. The disease has caused yield losses as high as 50 percent in some fields and occurs almost every year in the state.1
By planting L160S, farmers may be able to delay or avoid a fungicide application. In seasons and fields with severe disease pressure, planting L160S can serve as a strong start to a disease management program that includes Proline® fungicide.
L252 – First InVigor hybrid with high oil content. This mid- to full-maturing hybrid offers everything farmers have come to expect from InVigor genetics – early-season vigor and outstanding yield – with premium-level oil content.
As with the existing InVigor portfolio, these three new hybrids feature superior-rated blackleg tolerance, as well as the LibertyLink® trait, which gives farmers an alternative to glyphosate-tolerant systems.
“We are committed to the long-term success of canola farmers,” says Brian Hrudka, canola seed manager for Bayer CropScience. “With the addition of the three new hybrids to our portfolio, there’s an InVigor hybrid to fit every farm’s needs. Now farmers can take advantage of new opportunities like straight cutting.”
For more information, visit bayercropscience.us.
1 “Sclerotinia of Canola,” by NDSU Extension Service, June 2009.
###
Follow Bayer at @Bayer4CropsUS. Suggested Tweets:
Visit the Bayer Connect - Social Hub for all Bayer CropScience social media, recent news, blog posts, videos and more.
About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. This year the company is celebrating 150 years of Bayer – consistent with its mission “Bayer: Science For A Better Life”. Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural business, has annual sales of EUR 8,383 million (2012) and is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has a global workforce of 20,800 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: press.bayercropscience.com.
Contact:
Bayer CropScience Media Hotline, 1-877-879-6162, or
Beth Roden
Director of Communications Bayer CropScience Tel: (919) 549-2030 Email: beth(dot)roden(at)bayer(dot)com
Heather Koehler
AdFarm Tel: (816) 479-5215 Email: heather(dot)koehler(at)adfarmonline(dot)com
CR0713INVIGOA060V00R0
USA-BCS-2013-0242
Find more information at bayercropscience.us.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
©2013 Bayer CropScience LP, 2 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, InVigor, LibertyLink and Proline are registered trademarks of Bayer.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/8/prweb11044477.htm.
Source: PRWeb
Copyright©2012 Vocus, Inc.
All rights reserved
0
GOOD | 5,249 | 2,525 | 0.000408 |
warc | 201704 | Discussion of all aspects of cellular structure, physiology and communication.
I try my best to answer this, but I am not native english speaker, so I do not know the exact words.
The pancreas is both an exocrine and endocrine gland
- exocrine gland: produce something which is excreted out of the body, in this case the digestive tract. The pancreatic fluid main purpose is to increase pH of the stuff coming out of the stomach
-endocrine gland: produce chemicals excreted inside the body, the blood system. In fact 2 hormones are produced in the pancreas insulin (lower the glucose level in blood) and glucagon (increase blood level in blood).
That is a good start for your research.
HTH
Patrick
Injectable pig insulin has been used by diabetics since the 1940s. Since 1986 it has been replaced by human recombinant insulin (produced in E.coli). I think some people still use pig insulin but I’m not certain
There is also some research into transferring Pig embryonic insulin cells / adult pancreatic cells into people as a potential cure for diabetes. This could be an alternative to using human embryonic stem cells. BUT Zenotransplantation carries its own risks. Who knows what retroviruses pigs carry and what effects they could have if introduced into immuno-suppressed humans.
Pancreatin is an enzyme derived from the Pancrease of the Porcine (Pig), they are used in medicine as well as natural supplements, Pancreatic enzymes work really well for inflamation, pain, scarring, etc. one blend of these enzymes is Zymactive by Natural Factors.
Actually it is acceptable in UK. I ran into the same problem using learnt, and aluminium when I moved from one of the Commonwealth to the States.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
~Niebuhr
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warc | 201704 | Alleviating versus stimulating effects of bicarbonate on the growth of Vallisneria natans under ammonia stress.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 23381797 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Bicarbonate plays a crucial role in limiting the growth of submersed aquatic macrophytes in eutrophic lakes, and high ammonia is often toxic to macrophytes. In order to evaluate the combined effect of HCO(3) (-) and total ammonia (i.e., the total of NH(3) and NH(4) (+)) on submersed macrophytes Vallisneria natans, the growth and physiological response of V. natans in the presence of HCO(3) (-) and ammonia were studied. The results showed that with the increase of ammonia, morphological parameters of V. natans declined. In contrast, increased HCO(3) (-) concentration stimulated the growth of V. natans, especially when the NH(4) (+)-N/NO(3) (-)-N ratio was 1:7. High ammonia concentration induced excess free amino acids (FAA) accumulation and soluble carbohydrates (SC) depletion in plant tissues. However, the elevated HCO(3) (-) promoted the synthesis of SC and rendered the decrease of FAA/SC ratio. The results also suggested that HCO(3) (-) could partially alleviate the stress of ammonia, as evidenced by the decrease of FAA/SC ratio and the growth enhancement of V. natans when the ammonia concentration was 0.58 mg L(-1). Given the fact that HCO(3) (-) is probably the dominant available carbon source in most eutrophic lakes, the ability of V. natans to use HCO(3) (-) for SC synthesis may explain the alleviating effect of HCO(3) (-) on V. natans under ammonia stress.
Authors:
Yanyan Dou; Baozhong Wang; Liangyan Chen; Daqiang Yin
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Publication Detail:
Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2013-2-6
Journal Detail:
Title: Environmental science and pollution research international Volume: - ISSN: 1614-7499 ISO Abbreviation: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Publication Date: 2013 Feb
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2013-2-5 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 9441769 Medline TA: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Country: -
Other Details:
Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: -
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, 210046, China.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document:A Decision-Analysis Tool for Benefit-Risk Assessment of Nonprescription Drugs. Next Document:Effect of weathering product assemblages on Pb bioaccessibility in mine waste: implications for risk... | 3,335 | 1,772 | 0.000572 |
warc | 201704 | Evaluation of stents and grafts.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 20542828 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
In the management of patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation is routinely performed. In patients with left main or three-vessel disease, however, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may be the preferred therapeutic strategy. Importantly, both after PCI or CABG a small but non-negligible risk of restenosis remains. Early detection and treatment of in-stent restenosis or graft disease is of great clinical importance. Accordingly, accurate non-invasive methods to identify patients who would benefit from subsequent invasive coronary angiography (ICA) would be highly beneficial. Besides ICA, several non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques may be used to assess patients after revascularisation. In the present article, an overview of various anatomic and functional imaging techniques available to assess patients after revascularisation is provided.
Authors:
Fleur R de Graaf; Joanne D Schuijf
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Publication Detail:
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review
Journal Detail:
Title: EuroIntervention : journal of EuroPCR in collaboration with the Working Group on Interventional Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology Volume: 6 Suppl G ISSN: 1969-6213 ISO Abbreviation: EuroIntervention Publication Date: 2010 May
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2010-06-14 Completed Date: 2010-09-27 Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 101251040 Medline TA: EuroIntervention Country: France
Other Details:
Languages: eng Pagination: G48-56 Citation Subset: IM
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Angioplasty, Transluminal, Percutaneous Coronary / adverse effects, instrumentation*
Coronary Angiography
Coronary Artery Bypass* / adverse effects
Coronary Artery Disease / diagnosis, surgery, therapy*
Coronary Restenosis / diagnosis*, etiology
Diagnostic Imaging / methods
Echocardiography, Stress
Female
Graft Occlusion, Vascular / diagnosis*, etiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
Predictive Value of Tests
Stents*
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Treatment Outcome
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document:Pre-operative aortic valve implantation evaluation: multimodality imaging. Next Document:On cardiovascular imaging. | 3,356 | 1,764 | 0.000578 |
warc | 201704 | Theca: the forgotten cell of the ovarian follicle.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 20628033 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Theca cells function in a diverse range of necessary roles during folliculogenesis; to synthesize androgens, provide crosstalk with granulosa cells and oocytes during development, and provide structural support of the growing follicle as it progresses through the developmental stages to produce a mature and fertilizable oocyte. Thecal cells are thought to be recruited from surrounding stromal tissue by factors secreted from an activated primary follicle. The precise origin and identity of these recruiting factors are currently not clear, but it appears that thecal recruitment and/or differentiation involves not just one signal, but a complex and tightly controlled combination of multiple factors. It is clear that thecal cells are fundamental for follicular growth, providing all the androgens required by the developing follicle(s) for conversion into estrogens by the granulosa cells. Their function is enabled through the establishment of a vascular system providing communication with the pituitary axis throughout the reproductive cycle, and delivering essential nutrients to these highly active cells. During development, the majority of follicles undergo atresia, and the theca cells are often the final follicular cell type to die. For those follicles that do ovulate, the theca cells then undergo hormone-dependent differentiation into luteinized thecal cells of the corpus luteum. While the theca is an essential component of follicle development and ovulation, we do not yet fully understand the control of recruitment and function of theca cells, an important consideration since their function appears to be altered in certain causes of infertility.
Authors:
J M Young; A S McNeilly
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Publication Detail:
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review Date: 2010-07-13
Journal Detail:
Title: Reproduction (Cambridge, England) Volume: 140 ISSN: 1741-7899 ISO Abbreviation: Reproduction Publication Date: 2010 Oct
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2010-09-30 Completed Date: 2011-01-25 Revised Date: 2014-02-19
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 100966036 Medline TA: Reproduction Country: England
Other Details:
Languages: eng Pagination: 489-504 Citation Subset: IM
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Androgens / physiology
Cell Differentiation / physiology*
Corpus Luteum / physiology*
Estrogens / physiology
Female
Granulosa Cells / cytology, physiology*
Humans
Ovarian Follicle / cytology, physiology*
Theca Cells / cytology, physiology*
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
G7.002.0007.01//Medical Research Council; MC_U127685843//Medical Research Council Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Androgens; 0/Estrogens
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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warc | 201704 | CHESTERFIELD, United Kingdom, Nov. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today confirmed enrollment of the first patients in the company's Phase 4 clinical study assessing the efficacy of H.P. Acthar
® Gel (repository corticotropin injection) in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients with persistently active disease. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial builds on data from a pilot study of H.P. Acthar Gel in patients with active SLE, recently published online in the journal Lupus Science & Medicine in a manuscript titled "Efficacy and tolerability of repository corticotropin injection in patients with persistently active SLE: results of a phase 4, randomized, controlled pilot study."
H.P. Acthar
® Gel is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use during an exacerbation or as a maintenance therapy in select patients with SLE. 1
"The data generated in our pilot clinical study support the use of Acthar to treat lupus patients for which it is already indicated - who have clinically significant disease activity despite receiving standard of care therapies," said
Steven Romano, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President at Mallinckrodt. "We are pleased to enroll the first patient in this follow-on trial, which will generate additional data to better understand how clinicians may utilize Acthar in the management of these more difficult to manage patients with SLE." About the TrialThe Phase 4 trial is titled, "A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of H.P. Acthar Gel in subjects with persistently active SLE despite moderate dose corticosteroids." The primary endpoint of the study is to measure reduction in disease activity as reflected by the SLE Responder Index (SRI) at week 16. The SRI is a composite endpoint that includes three different measures of disease activity to reflect response of SLE to therapy. The target patient enrollment is 160. As is typical with sizeable clinical trials in segments of a disease population, the study is expected to take several years.
Find more information about the trial here on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
About Systemic Lupus ErythematosusSLE is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system produces antibodies to cells within the body leading to widespread inflammation and tissue damage. 2 It is the most common form of lupus, a condition that impacts an estimated 1.5 million Americans. 3 Ninety percent of those diagnosed with lupus are women, often between the ages of 15-44. 3 Lupus is characterized by periods of illness "flares" and remissions and the disease can affect the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels. Symptoms may include fatigue, pain or swelling in joints, skin rashes, and fevers. 2 About H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection), is an injectable drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of 19 indications. Of these, today the majority of Acthar use is in these indications: Orphan monotherapy for treatment of infantile spasms (IS) in infants and children under 2 years of age. Inducing a diuresis or a remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus. Treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis in adults. Use during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of SLE. Use during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis). Use as adjunct therapy for short-term administration in select cases of rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment of symptomatic sarcoidosis.
For more information about Acthar, please visit www.acthar.com. Full Prescribing Information may be accessed here.
Important Safety Information Acthar should never be administered intravenously. Administration of live or live attenuated vaccines is contraindicated in patients receiving immunosuppressive doses of Acthar. Acthar is contraindicated where congenital infections are suspected in infants. Acthar is contraindicated in patients with scleroderma, osteoporosis, systemic fungal infections, ocular herpes simplex, recent surgery, history of or the presence of a peptic ulcer, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, adrenocortical hyperfunction or sensitivity to proteins of porcine origins. The adverse effects of Acthar are related primarily to its steroidogenic effects. Acthar may increase susceptibility to new infection or reactivation of latent infections. Suppression of the hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis may occur following prolonged therapy with the potential for adrenal insufficiency after withdrawal of the medication. Cushing's Syndrome may occur during therapy but generally resolves after therapy is stopped. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms. Monitor patients for elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and hypokalemia. Acthar often acts by masking symptoms of other diseases/disorders. Monitor patients carefully during and following discontinuation. Acthar can cause gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and gastric ulcer with an increased risk for perforation with certain GI disorders. Monitor for signs of bleeding. Acthar may be associated with central nervous system effects ranging from euphoria, insomnia, irritability, mood swings, personality changes, depression, and psychosis. Existing conditions may be aggravated. Patients with comorbid disease may have that disease worsened. Caution should be used in patients with diabetes and myasthenia gravis. Prolonged use of Acthar may produce cataracts, glaucoma and secondary ocular infections. Acthar is immunogenic and prolonged use may increase the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. There is an enhanced effect in patients with hypothyroidism and those with cirrhosis of liver. Long-term use may have negative effects on growth and physical development in children. Monitor pediatric patients. Decrease in bone density may occur. Monitor during long-term therapy. Pregnancy Class C: Acthar has been shown to have an embryocidal effect and should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Common adverse reactions include fluid retention, alteration in glucose tolerance, elevation in blood pressure, behavioral and mood changes, increased appetite and weight gain. Specific adverse reactions reported in IS clinical trials in infants and children under 2 years of age included: infection, hypertension, irritability, Cushingoid symptoms, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, pyrexia, weight gain, increased appetite, decreased appetite, nasal congestion, acne, rash, and cardiac hypertrophy. Convulsions were also reported, but these may actually be occurring because some IS patients progress to other forms of seizures and IS sometimes masks other seizures, which become visible once the clinical spasms from IS resolve. Please see full Prescribing Information here for additional Important Safety Information. ABOUT MALLINCKRODTMallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products and therapies, as well as nuclear imaging products. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and hemostasis products; and central nervous system drugs. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines; its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing; and the Nuclear Imaging segment includes nuclear imaging agents. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.
Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.
CONTACTS Rhonda Sciarra Media Senior Communications Manager 908-238-6765 rhonda.sciarra@mallinckrodt.com
Meredith Fischer
Chief Public Affairs Officer 314-654-3318 meredith.fischer@mallinckrodt.com Coleman N. Lannum, CFA Investor Relations Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO 314-654-6649 cole.lannum@mallinckrodt.com
Daniel J. Speciale, CPA
Director, Investor Relations 314-654-3638 daniel.speciale@mallinckrodt.com 1 H.P. Acthar ® Gel (repository corticotropin injection) [prescribing information]. Mallinckrodt ARD, Inc. 2 Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/lupus.htm. Accessed October 19, 2016. 3 Lupus Foundation of America Press Kit, About Us. Available at: http://www.lupus.org/about/statistics-on-lupus. Accessed October 19, 2016.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/167103LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-patient-enrolled-in-mallinckrodt-phase-4-trial-of-hp-acthar-gel-for-lupus-300362438.html
SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc | 10,134 | 4,455 | 0.000225 |
warc | 201704 | When the New York Legislature passed a bill in July to impose new restrictions and oversight on public authorities, the legislation’s sponsor called it “the most thorough reform of the authority system in American history.”
But for Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Westchester, who chairs the Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions, the passage of the bill didn’t signal the end of his effort to rein in what he has called “rogue agencies.”
More than two months later, the bill has been neither signed nor vetoed as Gov. David Paterson’s office negotiates with legislators over objections to the measure.
“It’s always possible to improve legislation and to the extent the governor is able to be persuasive, we’re certainly open minded to improve it,” Brodsky said.
However, objections raised by the governor’s office, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are fundamentally at odds with many of the very elements Brodsky has said are needed to bring greater transparency and accountability to public authorities.
A spokeswoman for Paterson said that “productive meetings” have been held and the parties are moving closer to an agreement.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has endorsed the bill.
“For too long, New York’s public authorities have operated in the shadows,” he said. “New Yorkers have the right to know if authorities are using public resources prudently and effectively. This reform legislation is a positive step toward holding authorities and their officers accountable and keeping taxpayers informed.”
The bill, A. 2209-C/S. 1537-C, would create a new oversight agency within the New York Department of State — an independent Authorities Budget Office. The office would be run by a director, chosen by the governor and confirmed by the Senate for a four-year term. The state already has an Authority Budget Office that was created as part of the executive branch under authority reforms passed in 2005. It is not clear what would happen to the existing agency.
DASNY general counsel Jeffrey Pohl complained in a letter to the governor’s general counsel that the new office would duplicate some responsibilities of the existing oversight office and of the Office of the Inspector General.
Brodsky said that the powers and duties of the first Authority Budget Office would be merged with those of the new Authorities Budget Office. Language that would clarify what would happen to the original office is under discussion, according to Kent Sopris, Brodsky’s legislative director.
The new office would collect and publish reports on public authorities and make recommendations on policy. It would also take complaints and could begin investigations into authorities.
That provision alarmed Brian McMahon, executive director of the New York State Economic Development Council, which lobbies on behalf of economic development professionals and industrial development agencies. The new bill could lead to costly delays for projects, he said.
“This makes it so much easier for any person, for whatever reason, regardless of merit, to hold projects up,” McMahon said. “The process that is in place now works, the standards are clear, the grounds for suing a public authority are clear.”
Brodsky took issue with McMahon’s characterization and said the bill would not cause unnecessary delays but would rather “allow for an independent look at what have been Soviet-style bureaucracies.”
“We’re in a system with these authorities where there’s nobody who can, under current law, provide a check and a balance,” Brodsky said. “The notion that a check and a balance in a democracy is the wrong way to go strikes me as not the correct approach to the problem.”
Under the bill, authority board members would have new fiduciary responsibilities.
In a Sept. 25 letter to Brodsky, Michelle Goldstein, director of legislative affairs for Bloomberg, said this provision “could effectively silence an elected official’s voice in connection with board decisions.”
“Under this provision, board members, if appointed by an elected official, would arguably be encouraged to ignore the concerns of the jurisdiction that appointed them and only consider the fiduciary interest and 'mission’ of the authority,” Goldstein wrote. Authorities’ missions are already aligned to state and local government, she added.
New York City Comptroller William Thompson Jr., who supports the bill and is running against Bloomberg for mayor, has called that critique “disingenuous.”
Some people “have complained that by requiring the appointment of independent board members, the proposed law reduces accountability when the reverse is clearly the case,” Thompson said in a letter to Paterson.
The bill would also require all debt-issuing authorities to create a finance committee, which Pohl wrote would create a burden on board members who are volunteers.
“The concept of a finance committee makes little sense for a conduit issuer, such as DASNY, because DASNY’s debt is not backed by DASNY’s own resources and, when DASNY issues state-supported debt, it does so only for debt previously authorized by the state,” Pohl wrote.
New requirements for board members would make it harder to attract qualified individuals, according to Pohl.
Brodsky did not agree.
“The notion that we’re going to make these things run responsibly and therefore good people won’t want to serve on them does not strike me as having been thought through,” he said. “When you’re handling the huge sums of money they handle, I think there ought to be a committee that is financially literate and can make decisions and help the board make decisions.”
The state comptroller’s office generally reviews all contracts for state agencies for more than $50,000. Just a few public agencies, such as the Long Island Power Authority and the New York State Thruway Authority, are currently required to submit contracts to the comptroller’s office. Under the new bill, all authority contracts over $1 million would be subject to review by the office.
“Our purpose here was to bring the comptroller in to review those contracts, the same way those contracts are reviewed for state agencies,” Brodsky said.
Pohl said that process could cause delays.
“The delays inherent in obtaining the comptroller’s approval are certain to increase costs in the construction business, 'where time is money,’ ” Pohl wrote.
The bill restricts an authority’s ability to sell or lease property for below-market value.
McMahon said that IDAs often sell land at an industrial park at below market rates as an incentive to attractive new companies. He said the bill “creates roadblocks to doing that.”
Goldstein said that the ability to dispose of property for less than market value provides “crucial flexibility that is necessary to undertake economic development projects and other community initiatives.” Current rules already require transparency, she said.
Requiring that property be sold or leased at fair market values allows the public to “know the real value of the subsidy,” Brodsky said. Instead of disposing of property at a discount to stimulate economic development, authorities would still be able to provide an equivalent grant, he said.
“There’s no reason in the world why an entity which is in the business of doing economic development deals could not take the proceeds of a fair-market sale and return it to the party involved in a simultaneous transfer,” Brodsky said.
Robert Ward, the deputy director of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, an Albany-based think tank, said there was an element of a tug-of-war between the Legislature and the executive branch over authority reform.
“Public authorities generally have been a tool by which governors can get things done,” Ward said. “We want governors to get things done. At the same time, we want the Legislature to provide the checks and balances that ensure integrity and openness in the process ... with some of these provisions, almost by definition, you will be making the process longer, more complicated, and potentially diminish the result that you want.” | 8,557 | 3,733 | 0.000282 |
warc | 201704 | DETROIT — If you bought a new car this year, chances are high it was white or silver.
Twenty-two percent of cars and trucks built for the 2012 model year have white paint, making it the most popular color worldwide. Silver is close behind, at 20 percent, followed by black at 19 percent. Gray and red round out the top five.
White is the most popular color for the second year in a row after overtaking silver in 2011. The annual rankings are compiled by PPG Industries Inc., a Pittsburgh company that provides paints to General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., BMW AG, and others.
The rankings are skewed by the large number of pickup trucks on the market. Trucks accounted for 55 percent of North American production in the first eight months of this year, according to Ward’s, which compiles automotive data. One in four pickups produced is white because business owners often use them as work trucks and paint logos on them. By comparison, 19 percent of mid-size cars made in North America are white.
White, popular in the 1980s, is making a comeback as a modern, high-tech color thanks in part to Apple Inc.’s all-white stores and glossy white gadgets, said Jane Harrington, PPG’s manager of color styling for car companies.
Manufacturers are also making more varieties of white, from the flat, bright white on many vans to the pearly cream of luxury SUVs.
Silver also rose in popularity starting in the 2000s. It remains popular because it highlights every angle of a car, Harrington said.
‘‘Silver looks great on any design,’’ Harrington said.
White and other ‘‘safe’’ colors — silver, gray, and black — also got more popular during the economic downturn, as buyers stopped leasing and bought vehicles they expected to hold onto for much longer, said Michelle Killen, GM’s lead color designer for exterior paints.
‘‘Buyers want to purchase a color they won’t grow tired of over an extended period of time,’’ Killen said.
Color preferences vary by geography. You’ll find more red vehicles in North America. Black and gray overtake silver in Europe. Drivers in Asia like tan and gold but not green.
Only about 7 percent of cars in every region are blue.
PPG, which also develops paints for cellphones, laptops, airplanes, and houses, bases its automotive paints on trends it sees in fashion, interior design, and other areas.
Harrington saw a lot of purple at a recent home show in Paris, for example, so she helped develop a purplish gray paint for cars.
PPG starts showing paints to carmakers three or four years ahead of a model’s release, and automakers settle on colors two or three years before a model goes on sale.
Harrington predicts customers will see more browns and oranges over the next two years, especially on luxury cars.
Brown — which reminds people of leather or a rich cup of coffee — evokes luxury around the world. Earthy colors are also appealing to drivers concerned about the environment. | 3,050 | 1,542 | 0.000679 |
warc | 201704 | Across the region, record winter temperatures are wreaking havoc with maple tree systems, forcing syrup producers to tap trunks early in the hope of catching the best, most sugary sap before it disappears with spring.
At least one producer in Massachusetts, Turtle Lane Maple Farm in North Andover, has decided not to tap its trees because the unusual weather has affected the trees’ sugar, making the production of syrup too onerous and costly.
“With the energy cost and labor, it just wasn’t worth tapping 500 trees and gathering the sap and boiling it down,’’ said Paul Boulanger, who owns the farm with his wife.
Normally, he said, sap content in his trees is 4 percent sugar; this year it is 1 percent, meaning that he would need to boil down 90 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup, rather than the average 43 gallons.
Scott Soares, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, said warm weather has made the maple season difficult to predict. Last year proved to be a record year, with 62,000 gallons of maple syrup produced in the state. But the year before, Massachusetts produced just 29,000.
“This year we could see a real big impact, but we don’t know, because we’ve never seen anything like this,’’ he said, referring to the warm temperatures. Nevertheless, he said, sugar house activities are in full swing across the state.
New England is the nation’s wellspring of maple syrup. Last year, New England-produced maple syrup accounted for 61 percent of the nation’s supply of the sweet stuff, with Vermont leading all states, turning out 1.14 million gallons, according to US Department of Agriculture statistics. New York was in second place, followed by Maine in third, New Hampshire tied for sixth, Massachusetts in ninth, and Connecticut in 10th, the statistics show.
Sap flows best on warm, sunny days followed by nights that dip below freezing. The fluctuations are key: Cold nights contract air bubbles within the tree, producing suction that draws sap from the ground into the tree, where it mixes with sugar and freezes; warm days thaw the sap and expand the air bubbles, creating pressure that makes the sap flow into buckets or tubing, said Tim Perkins, director of the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center, who has studied climate change’s impact on the maple industry.
Perkins predicts that climate change over roughly the next hundred years will result in the loss of maple trees across much of New England, according to congressional testimony he offered in 2007.
For producers, it is crucial to tap the first flow because it generally contains the highest sugar content and thus yields the best syrup. When temperatures stop falling below freezing at night, sap stops flowing, bringing the sugaring season to an end.
In recent years, sap has begun flowing earlier in many areas, with this year marking record starts for some producers.
This year, New Hampshire producers have seen good flow in some places, but spotty production in others, said Vickie Smith, a maple inspector whose job includes visiting sugaring houses and inspecting their maple syrup to test flavor, color, and density.
“The sap runs haven’t been consistent,’’ she said, though she said this week’s weather has so far been good for sap flow in New Hampshire.
In Vermont, Tim Wilmot, a University of Vermont Extension maple specialist, said, “People started a little earlier because we’ve had a lot of weather that is conducive to sap flow.’’
Data show that syrup producers there are starting about seven days earlier than they did 40 years ago. They are also finishing 10 days earlier, as the season has shortened by 3.2 days, or nearly 10 percent.
On Wednesday, Maine ceremonially kicked off the sugaring season with the tapping of a maple tree at Blaine House, the governor’s residence.
The ceremony’s timing was typical, said Mike Marchetti, marketing director for the Maine Department of Agriculture. But he said there has already been some early and sporadic tapping of trees in southern Maine.
“Maple is funny; it’s so dependent on the weather,’’ he said. “It’s been a strange winter, so it’s a wonder how Mother Nature is going to react to it.’’
Some of the 300 Massachusetts syrup producers have had good luck so far this year, Soares said. “Producers in elevations of 1,500 feet and up - the northern belt across the Commonwealth - have seen good production,’’ he said. Elsewhere, he said, sugar content has been reported low, though producers were proceeding with plans to tap trees.
Soares said maple syrup sales generate $3 million in revenue annually. The farms see an additional $2 million each year from agricultural tourism, which includes sugar house activities like pancake breakfasts.
Boulanger, who has owned Turtle Lane Maple Farm since 2004, said he has never confronted a scenario like the one his trees have presented this year.
“We’ve talked to old-timers too, and they’ve never seen anything like this before,’’ he said.
But they are pushing forward with tours of the farm, complete with exhibitions of syrup making, albeit using sap made from maple syrup and water.
“We’re remanufacturing what Mother Nature gives us naturally,’’ he said.
Sarah Schweitzer can be reached at sschweitzer@globe.com. | 5,525 | 2,528 | 0.000414 |
warc | 201704 | Piano Teacher
Most parent believe that participation in extracurricular activities affect a child in a lot of good ways. My parent were no exception. When I was a kid, after school I was always being driven from piano to volleyball to self-defense classes and so on. At the time, I thought I was the world’s busiest teenager. However, after all these years, I can easily see that I have gained some important benefits from those activities. Playing the piano is probably the greatest benefit.
In the meantime, it would be a big lie for me to say that my appreciation for playing the piano came immediately. Since the time I was ten years old until I was twelve or thirteen, I absolutely detested Sunday afternoons. Of course by then, it was not called Sunday for me but the torturous “piano day”. I had to practice all the morning before the lesson in the afternoon, and became totally exhausted in the evening. When it was finally over, I had relief as of am incredible amount of weight had been pulled from my shoulders.
In those days, I never got to see the importance of having those lessons, practicing for hours, and even playing those tunes. As much as I tried, I could never find a way to enjoy it; it was no more than some never-ending horrible homework for me. But today, I want to thank my teacher for forcing me to appreciate the art of music. Now, I can easily list playing the piano as one of the most refreshing aspects of my life. Whenever I feel sadness, I always have the chance to be up in clouds after a couple of minutes. Swaying back and forth, I can surrender myself to the soothing tunes and get lost in the harmony. I believe very few people have that kind of luxury and I am absolutely grateful for that.
Although, I never recognized by then, because of those lessons I became more disciplined as a human being. As I developed self-control, I gained confidence. I learned how to manage my time more effectively; which helps me nowadays to manage two jobs and... | 2,008 | 1,037 | 0.000975 |
warc | 201704 | Thoughts on Article
Jennette M. Bird
COM200: Interpersonal Communication
Instructor: Tamara Holmes
September 14, 2013
Thoughts on Article
The term communication is well understood in today’s society. We are all born as social beings, and learn how to communicate naturally. So what does it mean to communicate you ask? Well, to communicate simply means to express your thoughts or feelings, and our personal needs and desires through the use of words or actions as in nonverbal communication. In the article, Can We Talk? Researcher Talks about the Role of Communication in Happy Marriages, researchers studied a number of couples communication habits and the effects of self-disclosure, gender differences, and generalizations. So how does this article relate to my personal relationship? Well, let’s dig a little deeper to see how my experiences are similar to those mentioned in the article.
After reading this article, the picture became much clearer to me. Relationship expert, Terri Orbuch, states the importance of “quality” conversation between spouses. It’s not about discussing the daily household chores that keep marriages together; it’s about making time to connect with your partner on a daily basis to keep the balance in your relationship. I can fully understand and respect this theory now, but did not in my first marriage when ended mostly because of the lack of communication between the two of us. After I closed that chapter in my life, I took a step back and re-evaluated the elements that are in a relationship that are important to me, and how I would not settle for another “nonverbal” relationship again. I am remarried now, and we have an open line of quality communication where we discuss our private feelings, our future plans, and even what scares us the most on a daily basis. “Couples in Orbuch’s study who discussed such topics for as little as ten minutes a day were much happier, she says, and less likely to divorce,” (Schoenberg,... | 2,035 | 1,029 | 0.001003 |
warc | 201704 | How to generate new recurring revenue from higher-value, higher-margin managed services in about 45 days.
Commoditization is the bane of any successful product or service category. Once customers see options, providers are forced to compete on price or risk going out of business. This is exactly what is happening in the VoIP market.
“There’s a lot of competition out there, and since many Unified Communication (UC) platforms are similar, price becomes the best way to close deals,” said Jon Arnold, principal at J. Arnold & Associates, an indepen- dent IP communication analyst and consulting agency.(1)
Rather than competing on price and chasing dwindling margins with “me too” offerings, many VoIP providers are adopting a radically different business strategy. They are evolving, differentiating, and diversifying. With a flash of innovation, they are zigging while others are sagging. What’s their secret?
Download this white paper below to learn more. | 995 | 593 | 0.00175 |
warc | 201704 | With next year’s election looming over Washington, housing may become a more critical political issue than ever as it becomes increasingly clear that the economy’s anemic recovery is unlikely to improve without a boost from the housing sector. What’s more, a recent poll of 2,000 likely voters found that Americans have strong opinions on the subject.
The poll, conducted in partnership by Lake Research Partners and Public Opinion Strategies, on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders, found that 73% of respondents felt it is “appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership.”
When asked about specifics, the strongest reaction came from the proposal to eliminate the home mortgage interest deduction (MID), which 71% of those surveyed opposed and 53% opposed strongly. That opposition held across party lines, with 76% of Republicans, 73% of Independents, and 67% of Democrats opposing the measure.
Lowering the MID was opposed by 63% of those surveyed, and eliminating the deduction for interest paid on a home equity loan was opposed by 58%. Even limiting the MID for mortgages over $500,000 or for those earning more than $250,000 per year met with disapproval among 53% and 55% of respondents, respectively.
And Americans are planning to take this deep-rooted support for homeownership to the polls. By a margin of two to one, those surveyed indicated that they are less likely to vote for a Congressional candidate who proposed to eliminate the MID. That opposition was strongest among Republicans, 60% of whom said they would be less likely to support such a candidate. Among Independents and Democrats, opposition stood at 56% and 55%, respectively. Even among Tea Party supporters, 61% of respondents would be less likely to vote for such a candidate.
“The bipartisan consensus outside the Beltway is that owning a home remains an essential part of the American dream, and voters would strongly oppose any efforts by lawmakers to increase barriers to homeownership,” said Calinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, in a press statement.
In districts held by freshman Republicans, 58% of those surveyed said they would be less likely to support a candidate who was in favor of doing away with the MID. And it’s not only congressmen who are likely to take notice, as there was another large group who said they would be less likely to support a candidate that wanted to do away with the MID: 54% of respondents in states that
The Washington Post’s Chris Cilliza designates as swing states in the race for president also said they would be less likely to support a candidate that wanted to do away with the MID. Claire Easley is senior editor, online, at Builder.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Greenville, SC. | 2,871 | 1,338 | 0.000762 |
warc | 201704 | "The rupee is likely to trade in the range of 52.25-52.80 this week as foreign capital inflows are likely to continue. Also, some of the measures taken by the government to reduce fiscal deficit will also support the currency," IDBI Bank Treasury Head NS Venkatesh told PTI.
Pointing to the measures taken by the government over the past fortnight to reduce fiscal deficit, he said the diesel price hike and monitoring of all expenditure above Rs 200 crore by the finance minister will also support the currency.
"The government also hopes that money garnered through disinvestment and spectrum auctions will help bridge the fiscal deficit, which is seen as a positive for the currency," Venkatesh said.
Domestic currency, which had plummeted to 57.15 to the dollar in June, has sharply bounced back to close at Rs 52.85 last Friday on the back of reform measures announced by the government.
The rupee had plunged over 25% between August 2011 and this June, the worst performing Bric currency.
Besides the measures taken by the government, the stimulus announced by the US Fed along with European Central Bank also supported the rupee as it led to higher foreign capital inflows.
Referring to the rupee movement, currency strategist at Geojit Comtrade Hemal Doshi said that rupee would be range bound in the near-term.
"Though the rupee had touched 5-month high level last Friday, the fiscal deficit numbers for the April-August period, which has reached 66% of the budgeted target, is a matter of concern for the rupee," he said.
He also said the movement of the domestic currency will also depend on the euro-dollar movement in the coming weeks. | 1,664 | 833 | 0.001212 |
warc | 201704 | Sigit Triandaru
View Sigit Triandaru's profile
First Name: Sigit Surname: Triandaru Department Dept of Economics Supervisor(s): Dr. Pundarik Mukhopadhaya , Dr. Edwin Franks
Paper Title
Altruism, Social Interaction, Culture, and Social Capital
Purpose
This paper explains the relationships among altruism, social interaction, culture, and social capital.
Originality
Developing a model to formulate precise relationships among these variables will significantly provide a more thorough understanding about how multidimensional well-being is shaped.
Key literature/theoretical perspective
Two key papers:
Kitcher, P., 2010. Varieties of altruism. Econ. Philos. 26, 121–148. Triandaru, S., Mukhopadhaya, P., Frank, E., 2012. Altruism and transfer behaviour. Paper presented at the Warsaw International Economic Meeting 2012. Design/methodology/approach
The model is based on a utility function which can include a choice between using resources for own consumption and for others.
Findings
The theoretical models developed here show that, through social interaction, cultural process creates higher average level of psychological altruism and also a more uniform level of psychological altruism of a society. Moreover, social capital can be defined and measured as the average level of psychological altruism of a society.
Research limitations/implications
In researching the role of altruism in well-being, one more important variable, institution, has not been included in this model.
Practical and Social implications
This precise definition for social capital is important to prevent it from being variably translated into many indicators or variables in research. This variability can undermine both the ability to compare one research to another as well as the accuracy of the results.
Keywords
altruism, social interaction, culture, social capital. | 1,879 | 945 | 0.001074 |
warc | 201704 | Daniel Goodman / Business Insider
Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- China’s unexpected surge in exports last month renewed concern from analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., UBS AG and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. that statistics from the nation can be unreliable.
The 14.1 percent jump from a year earlier was the biggest positive surprise since March 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The increase didn’t match goods movements through ports and imports by trading partners according to UBS, while Goldman Sachs and Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd. cited a divergence from overseas orders in a manufacturing index.
Smaller trade gains could signal a less robust recovery from a seven-quarter slowdown just as Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan says the economic rebound is a sign of improving global demand. Accurate statistics from the world’s second-biggest economy are increasingly important for domestic and foreign investors and for China’s government, ANZ’s Liu Li-Gang says.
“China’s influence on the global economy has become bigger, so not only Chinese policy makers but also business people and the rest of the world need better data,” said Liu, Hong Kong- based chief economist for Greater China, who formerly worked for the World Bank. “Unreliable data could have a negative impact on resource allocation and business planning.”
The Beijing-based customs administration, which reported the December trade figures on Jan. 10, said it couldn’t immediately respond to a faxed request from Bloomberg News for comment on the banks’ skepticism.
The Shanghai Composite Index, China’s benchmark stock gauge, rose 0.1 percent as of 10:01 a.m. local time.
Economy Stabilizing
China’s economic growth may have recovered to 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, after sliding to a three-year low of 7.4 percent in the previous period, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey ahead of the data release on Jan. 18.
Evidence that China’s economy “appears to be stabilizing” is “one cause of optimism” that global demand will improve this year, Swan said in his weekly economic note yesterday. China is Australia’s largest export market.
The median forecast for China’s December exports in a Bloomberg survey of 40 economists was for a 5 percent gain, with the highest estimate at 9.2 percent, after November’s 2.9 percent growth. Goldman Sachs, ranked by Bloomberg as the most accurate forecaster for the indicator, projected a 7 percent rise.
The increase, which was the biggest since May, could indicate exporters’ rush to finish year-end orders and government pressure to report exports before the end of the year to reach the government’s 2012 target of 10 percent growth, Shen Jianguang, Mizuho’s Hong Kong-based chief Asia economist, said in a Jan. 10 note.
Rushed Shipments
“It is possible that local governments may have tried to boost exports data by either making round trips in special trade zones” or by exporting “earlier than otherwise in an attempt to improve the annual exports data,” Goldman Sachs’ Beijing- based economists Yu Song and Yin Zhang wrote the same day.
Rushed shipments and even faked exports to secure tax refunds may have contributed to the stronger growth data, according to Alistair Thornton and Ren Xianfang, Beijing-based analysts at IHS Inc.
UBS economists led by Hong Kong-based Wang Tao pointed to a “quite obvious discrepancy” in the growth of China’s exports to Taiwan and South Korea and those economies’ reported imports from China in recent months, even as historically they have tracked each other well.
Export Index
A sub-index tracking new export orders as part of the government’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index was at 50 in December, the dividing line between expansion and contraction and down from 50.2 in November.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, a private gauge of Australian inflation advanced in December on costlier gasoline, travel and rent while home-loan approvals unexpectedly fell in November for the first time in four months.
The Indian wholesale-price index probably climbed 7.37 percent in December from a year earlier, a Bloomberg survey showed.
In Europe, a report may show euro-area industrial production fell in November from a year earlier for a 13th month, according to a Bloomberg survey.
ANZ’s Liu and colleague Louis Lam published research last week that underscored doubts about the quality of China’s economic data. They found that quarterly GDP, industrial production, fixed-asset investment and inflation data published in percentage terms failed to conform to “Benford’s Law,” which holds that in any series of numbers certain patterns will be found only if the statistics are naturally generated.
WikiLeaks Cable
Li Keqiang, who may succeed Wen Jiabao as premier in March, was quoted in 2007 as saying he watched figures on power, rail cargo and loans because gross domestic product numbers were “man-made.” Li’s remarks were in a U.S. diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks in late 2010.
After China’s statistics bureau reported third-quarter GDP in October, Standard Chartered Plc analysts said the 7.4 percent increase was “too good to be true” when compared with the slowdown in electricity production and the readings of a manufacturing index, while London-based Capital Economics Ltd. said its own analysis indicated expansion of about 6.5 percent.
Some trading companies are turning to transportation providers like Shenzhen Global Express Logistics Ltd. for help in shipping goods through so-called bonded zones to claim export tax rebates or charge higher import prices for goods without them physically leaving the country.
One-Day Tour
Shenzhen Global offers customs clearing and other freight services including a “one-day tour,” Lin Yongtai, a manager with the company in the city bordering Hong Kong, said in a telephone interview.
For a fee of 1,000 yuan ($161) per vehicle per day, the company will drive trucks into warehouses in bonded zones, where cargo must clear customs, so that businesses can obtain a refund of value-added tax on the “export” of their products or boost sale prices for goods that carry the cachet of being imported.
“A poor villager can boast he has thousands of yuan of turnover every day, but people later discover he only has one bull -- he takes the bull out every morning and brings it back every evening,” Lin said. “The same applies to some parts of China’s foreign trade.”
Such practices aren’t unknown to the customs administration. In March 2009 it issued a statement that “some local governments and enterprises” were trying to move goods in and out of bonded zones to inflate their export and import numbers and said such shipments would not be included in official data.
--Nerys Avery, Zhou Xin. With assistance from Sharon Chen and Rina Chandran in Singapore. Editors: Scott Lanman, James Mayger | 7,219 | 3,417 | 0.000307 |
warc | 201704 | LONDON (Reuters) - When digging for insight on a complex retail story such as Tesco, whose shares are at decade lows after profit warnings and boardroom upheaval, every little helps investors – even comments in employee chatrooms.
While it may be far removed from stockbrokers' traditional balance-sheet analysis, and often less well written, traders and fund managers are scouring online messageboards and forums to gauge mood, morale and management success - information easily overlooked by busy investors.
One of these troves of gossip has been Tesco employee forum verylittlehelps.com, for example, where one anonymous writer posted: "I hope that the new boss takes this opportunity to ensure that systems are worked properly. Stock is written off. Staff are employed. Waste is recorded. Shelves are filled."
That does not mean investors will take these comments at face value without filtering them, but there is a sense that unofficial sources and social media are being taken more seriously as a way to go beyond broker research and company disclosure.
"In general, I think it's a very good idea to look at employee opinions which will give you inside information that you would not get from banks' research notes, but you would have to be careful to filter out the noise," said Hendrik Klein, head of Swiss high frequency trading firm Da Vinci AG.
Ex-Morgan Stanley banker Emmett Kilduff, whose firm Eagle Alpha helps investors analyze the Internet and Twitter for clues on the financial market environment, said there had been growing demand from fund managers for analysis of employee views online.
Tesco was a prominent request in the wake of its announcement in September that it had a bigger-than-expected hole in its finances. Tesco is conducting a probe into the matter.
Another was postal operator Royal Mail, which in March announced plans to cut a net total of 1,300 jobs, prompting the threat of industrial action from a trade union. Employee forums were used in order to gauge the risk of strike action.
Even official corporate videos posted online can give investors insight, such as those of U.S. electric car maker Tesla Motors, whose videos were analyzed by Eagle Alpha for investors which might have otherwise missed them.
In several of these, Tesla Motors - whose shares have risen by nearly 60 percent since the start of 2014 - gave "behind the scenes" tours of production lines and product demonstrations.
"Online conversations about companies like Tesco or Tesla are increasing every day, providing valuable, real-time insights. There's a wealth of diverse sources out there, and the buy-side needs the full picture," said Kilduff.
CLUES FROM WITHIN
Tesco and its rivals, such as Marks & Spencer, have been dogged by declining market share, even though M&S this week posted its first rise in interim profits in four years.
Fund managers said comments on the Internet by current or former employees could offer valuable insight into such companies, although investors would have to decide whether to believe the picture painted by often anonymous online posters.
"What's online in some of the chat rooms can highlight issues such as low morale in some of these companies, or maybe plans to close stores or change suppliers," said SVM Asset Management fund manager Colin McLean.
Both Miton Group fund manager George Godber and Artemis fund manager Tim Steer said they used Eagle Alpha's services, with Godber describing its Tesco analysis as "enormously insightful."
McLean said that while such information gleaned from the Internet would add anecdotal evidence on top of the more traditional, fundamental research into companies undertaken by fund managers, it could still be used to traders' advantage.
"It would add color to something", he said. "I would not be surprised if some of the bigger hedge funds have systems in place to analyze such information."
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Lionel Laurent and Toby Chopra) | 4,003 | 2,045 | 0.000494 |
warc | 201704 | Reference Sitmap
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Cancer is a topic that still strikes fear in the hearts of patients. Our population is aging and the cancer diagnosis is more frequent. I have experienced it in all three spheres of my own life. I am a regular participant and supporter of various cancer fund-raisers. We have developed a distinct vocabulary to go with cancer. Terms such as “survivor”, “battle”, “aggressive”, “cure”, “beaten” and “war” are distinctly found in the cancer field. As hopeful as they sound, they can also be misleading. Just the mention of childhood cancers evokes an emotional response in all of us.
Our knowledge base of cancer has expanded exponentially in the last 40 years. Treatments are better and cancer patients are living longer lives, but we are really no closer to a “cure” than before. One major reason is that we appreciate the complex genetic nature of the process and continue to learn about the biochemical complexities. Cancer now refers to a large group of different and distinct disease entities. They all arise from within our own cellular make-up, but can be influenced by our environment. It is the reason why a single cure is not possible, anymore than a single solution to a car break-down exists. Some believe that it is part of the human genome, and erasing it may lead to more devastating consequences. The stunning feature of this belief is that it implies that the cancer process goes on in all of us during the aging process.
Funding is required to continue cancer research, but suggesting that funding will result in a cure is hopeful but can also send the wrong message. On the front lines of primary care, we deal with a “cancer” diagnosis on a regular basis. Even during medical training, I was taught that an early diagnosis is as good as a “cure”. We embrace and work with heart patients and diabetics, but mention cancer and we switch into a war-like attitude. We enjoy many rights and freedoms in our society, and there is expectation that the length of our life cycle must reach a certain milestone in order to achieve a feeling of fulfillment. In the war-like atmosphere of cancer, anything short of total anihalation seems to invoke failure and produce terror.
The bread and butter issues around cancer differ little from those of stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Patients need information. They need to make informed choices about potential treatments and choices about the quality of life. Palliation refers to measures employed to help cancer patients remain comfortable and enjoy a certain quality of life, and most importantly to have the ability to choose. Palliation is a significant portion of cancer care.
We also seem to feel that cancer can be prevented. There is some evidence towards this contention. Mostly, it comes from the data that gets massaged in when we remove abnormal growths on the skin, cervix, colon, breasts and a few other areas. I have yet to hear about the sure-fire life strategy that even comes close to true prevention. It is fair to say that those who enjoy and pursue excellent health seem to be better equipped to handle a life-changing medical diagnosis.
Removing or destroying a cancer without seeing a further progression is considered a cure today. There is no sure-fire formula that reveals your life expectancy in the way Hollywood portrays it. The choices made by two patients with a similar diagnosis can differ immensely, and neither needs to be seen as “wrong”. Acceptance is the key.
Related resouces:
● The high school student who devised a cure for cancer ... YouTube video, 3:28 min. ● Good Morning America: Doctor Destroys Opera Singer Zheng Cao's Stage Four Tumors. YouTube video, 6:23 min. ● Cancer research from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. ● Forty Years’ War by Gina Kolata, New York Times. Articles in this series will examine the struggle to defeat cancer. ● Is the Cure for Cancer a Virus? By Josh Clark, Discovery Health. ● Cancer Research and Genetics, UK. The totally volunteer driven site has been created to provide a one stop reference guide on Cancer, Research and its Genetic links. See also Latest News. ● Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) from National Cancer Insitute, U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). See also Cancer Types. ● Natural Cures for Cancer by Jacquelyn Jeanty, eHow Contributor. ● Cancer Statistics from National Cancer Institute. ● Common Cancer Types. Dictionary of Cancer Terms. A-Z List of Cancers - All Cancer Types: Definition, Treatment, Prevention, Genetics, Causes, Screening and Testing, Clinic Trials, Cancer Literature, Research and Related Information, and Statistics from National Cancer Institute. | 4,834 | 2,364 | 0.000438 |
warc | 201704 | Olive oil ‘fridge test’ doesn’t reliably detect fraud
Extra virgin olive oil is tasty and excellent for your health, but experts say as much as 70 percent of it sold in America is adulterated, or of a lower grade. How can you tell if your brand is the real deal?
One notion — the so-called “fridge-test” theory — says you can determine the purity of your extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) by putting it in your refrigerator. If it solidifies, you can trust your EVOO is pure — or so the theory goes.
Is that scientifically accurate?
No, according to new research from the UC Davis Olive Center. Testing seven samples under cold conditions over eight days, researchers discovered the fridge test is unreliable in detecting either the purity or quality of olive oil.
“None of our samples showed any signs of congealing after 60 hours in a laboratory refrigerator set to 40.5 degrees Fahrenheit,” said Dan Flynn, executive director of the UC Davis Olive Center. “Even after 180 hours, the samples never fully solidified.”
The fridge-test theory surfaced on a recent episode of The Dr. Oz Show which aired Feb. 11, 2013 to more than 3 million viewers. While cautioning his method isn’t fool-proof, Dr. Oz. encouraged viewers to test the purity of EVOO by seeing if it solidifies in the fridge.
“After the show aired, we were swamped with calls from people who were concerned they were being ripped off,” Flynn said.
So the Olive Center conducted a study. They refrigerated seven samples, including two EVOOs, an olive oil, a canola oil, a safflower oil, and two blends. Some samples showed minor congealing at the bottom of the bottles, but none solidified completely.
“It’s true that waxes and long-chain fatty acids in extra virgin olive oil can lead to the oil solidifying in the cold, although relative amounts of these compounds vary from oil to oil,” the study said.
Olive oils are graded based on how the oil is extracted from olives and on the acidity of the pressed oil. True extra virgin olive oil is extracted from olives using only pressure, a process known as cold pressing, as opposed to other mechanical or chemical means. Extra virgin olive oil is more expensive than other grades and considered to have the finest, fruitiest flavor.
Using sensory and chemistry testing, the UC Davis Olive Center is working on dependable methods for detecting when an extra virgin olive oil is fraudulently labeled. In the meantime, the center advises consumers to choose an oil within 15 months of the harvest day (not the best before date), look for a certification seal indicating that the oil passed chemical and sensory tests, and seek (and store) oils protected from light. | 2,774 | 1,369 | 0.000759 |
warc | 201704 | We at CAIM LLC hope you enjoy hearing our views about the markets and dividend paying stocks. Our first blog starts with our overall view of the economy, markets and investing. We look forward to hearing your comments!
Economy We believe the worst of the recession is behind us and we have started to move into a recovery phase. Throughout the year we expect to get conflicting data causing us to question whether we double dip or move into the expansion phase. Just last week we had great retail sales numbers , up .3% (up >8% ex autos) and unemployment claims dropped 6,000. This week the trend continued for another drop in unemployment claims, marking 3 weeks in a row of improving numbers. So, what’s the flip side? Consumer sentiment and confidence numbers continue to lag. Markets Can the markets continue to go up without the participation of the individual investor? Our expectations are for a choppy market in 2010. This will be caused by conflicting economic data, risk in overseas markets (like Greece) and the outcomes of political reform in Washington. Our target for the S&P 500 is 1280 based on an eps estimate $77.50 (First Call) and a p/e of 16.5x. This earnings estimate is 20% higher than last year. We expect corporate profits to do well and believe the individual investor will start to slowly move into the market this year due to the lack of returns in bonds and cash. Investing At Caim LLC, we favor dividend paying stocks that also have growth potential. Our discipline is based on companies that have low levels of debt and positive free cash flow. For example, we like companies such as Intel (INTC) and Coca-Cola (KO). Both companies pay dividends 50% higher than that of the S&P 500 and almost 300% more than money market funds!
More on stocks in our next blog! | 1,800 | 968 | 0.001038 |
warc | 201704 | Is the EU tide turning towards reduced Transfer Pricing compliance?
July, 22nd 2014
The EU’s Joint Transfer Pricing Forum has made a number of proposals to resolve inconsistencies between Member States’ approaches to transfer pricing. The following article examines these proposals in more detail.
I. Introduction In the current transfer pricing environment, recently dominated by threats of crackdowns on “tax avoiders” vilified for not paying their “fair share”, taxpayers have become used to the notion that the legislative burden of transfer pricing is increasing. With strong indications that numerous additional measures (spearheaded by the OECD’s BEPS initiative, including the oft-maligned country-by-country reporting), will soon be part of ongoing compliance requirements, the burden of maintaining a compliant transfer pricing structure is increasing. While some territories have already begun implementing legislation dealing with the questions raised by BEPS, little analysis has been done on how the EU nations as a multinational collective may approach certain key concepts.
The EU Joint Transfer Pricing Forum (known as the “JTPF”) was established in 2002 as a group of experts selected to “find pragmatic solutions to problems arising from the application of the [arm's length principle] within the EU” 1 . Periodically, the JTPF publishes recommendations relating to specific projects it has been allocated within the field of transfer pricing, previously including the frequently-referenced report on routine services 2 . Further, tax authorities commonly make specific reference to recommendations of the JTPF, as the sole transfer pricing forum with oversight of the member states of the EU, the majority of which closely adopt OECD principles on transfer pricing…. | 1,852 | 967 | 0.001072 |
warc | 201704 | The site of secret code-deciphering projects during World War Two – and the working home of Cambridge-educated computer scientist Alan Turing - looks set to welcome the next generation of codemakers and codebreakers.
Plans have been announced to train 16-19 year olds in cybersecurity at Bletchey Park, based in Buckinghamshire.
Thanks to QUFARO, a not-for-profit group from the cybersecurity industry, the UK’s first National College of Cyber Security will open on the site by 2018 as part of plans to support the country’s brightest cyber talent.
The college will be a free-to-attend boarding school, and students will be able to study in the very location where codebreakers famously cracked Nazi codes to aid British war efforts.
The work of the wartime team, which included King’s College undergraduate Alan Turing, was famed for breaking the German Enigma encryption system.
Lord Reid, Former Home Secretary and Chair of the Institute for Security and Resilience Studies at UCL, said: “By housing this new national gateway for cyber education and innovation at the home of British codebreaking and cryptography, I believe we will be able to harness the legacy of this historic location to inspire the next generation.
“It is a fitting tribute to the incredible impact of all those who have worked at Bletchley Park over the years and I look forward to witnessing the impact I believe it can have on UK society.”
Block G, one of the largest buildings on the Bletchley Park site, will house the National College.
A £5million restoration project, funded by the Bletchley Park Science and Innovation Centre, is already underway to revamp the building into a pioneering security technology hub boasting some of the most advanced cyber test and demonstration facilities in the world.
In addition to the National College, QUFARO will develop a series of new cyber security courses covering a range of learning opportunities that do not exist in the UK today.
These include teacher awareness and training programmes, and new virtual courses in the fundamentals of cyber security for those seeking a career change.
Margaret Sale, QUFARO non-executive director and founding member of both the Bletchley Park Trust and The National Museum of Computing, added: “Having been involved with the Bletchley Park site for more than 25 years, I believe that QUFARO represents a truly unique opportunity to reactivate this environment as a major contributor to our national security.
“Through initiatives such as the National College and the Cyber Investment Fund we can effectively combine the principles of heritage, education and innovation for which everything on this site stands.
“Previous generations are deeply proud of their contributions at Bletchley Park. I am keen to see what the next cadre will achieve.
Those keen to register their interest in any of the QUFARO programmes can visit the organisation’s website to receive regular progress updates and information about opportunities to engage with the QUFARO team. | 3,090 | 1,538 | 0.000667 |
warc | 201704 | 5-HTP 100mg 90 capsules
Ortho Molecular Products 5-HTP promotes healthy serotonin levels to reduce symptoms of anxiety, moodiness, restlessness and difficulty sleeping. Extracted from the Griffonia simplicifolia, an African shrub used in alternative medicine for hundreds of years, 5-HTP provides the crucial components the body needs to make serotonin naturally. 5-Hydroxytryptophan is the precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that can affect everything from your mood to your memory. Low serotonin levels can manifest as many symptoms, including:
Depression
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Anxiety
Uncontrollable mood swings
Feelings of irrational anger
These symptoms, whether alone or in combination, can affect your ability to work, enjoy spending time with your family or do the other things you enjoy doing.
5-HTP by OrthoMolecular is All Natural
Research has shown that there are no foods that directly increase the serotonin levels in the body. Because of this, many patients find it difficult to combat this condition without turning to pharmaceutical drugs. OrthoMolcular 5-HTP is formulated to offer a pure dose of 5-hydroxytryptophan with no unnecessary additives. When you buy OrthoMolecular products, you are getting the highest quality natural ingredients. These extracts are then combined into a formula designed to help the body heal itself rapidly.
Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, 1 or more capsules per day or as recommended by your health care professional. | 1,502 | 829 | 0.001216 |
warc | 201704 | Buying marijuana in Denver is a downright pleasant experience.
Customers wait in a well-appointed waiting room. There’s a variety of reading material — feel free to choose between the gardening magazine and the Cannabible on the coffee table — and plenty of information about the product.
When their names are called, they will follow an attendant through an atrium where they can buy t-shirts or smoking paraphernalia, and into a quaint shop where they can peruse the wares.
There, they will find a wide array of aromatic marijuana flowers in glass jars, pot-infused products — mints, beverages, or something to satisfy the sweet tooth — as well as pre-rolled joints and servings of cannabis concentrates.
Customers are rung up on a computerized point of sale system. They get a receipt — a receipt! — after paying for their marijuana.
They are free to walk out to their cars, drive their marijuana home, and smoke it.
It’s a remarkably clean system. It doesn’t feel like a violation of Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, the federal law that governs controlled substances, even though it is. It’s a safe, stable, professional environment.
It’s remarkable that only two years ago, the whole system almost came crashing down during the most difficult economic event the infant cannabis industry has ever faced: The Great Marijuana Price Crash Of 2011.
How did it all come about?
– Read the entire article at Business Insider. | 1,538 | 849 | 0.001235 |
warc | 201704 | Country of Origin as a Brand: The Case of New Zealand Lamb Roxanne Clemens, Bruce A. Babcock November 2004 [04-MBP 9]
New Zealand has used country-of-origin labeling (COOL) as a "country brand" to differentiate New Zealand lamb in international markets and increase consumer awareness of this lamb as a high-quality imported product. The case of New Zealand lamb is especially interesting as an unsubsidized commodity product competing against subsidized lamb in some of the most competitive and sophisticated retail markets in the world. Given New Zealand's dependence on international markets, producers, processors, and exporters needed to develop strategies to create and maintain a strong positive image for their product. This paper explores the history of New Zealand lamb exports, the focus on quality and meeting consumer specifications, and differences in the use and effectiveness of New Zealand as a country brand for lamb in different import markets. The paper also notes how COOL regulations might create country brands that increase demand for imported meats.
Keywords: brand story, COOL, country brand, country of origin labeling, lamb, lamb exports, New Zealand.
Full Text 0.25 MB | 1,204 | 614 | 0.001638 |
warc | 201704 | Question: As a stay-at-home mom, how do I get a major card in my own name in case something happens to my husband? I have paid off student loans and a department store card in my name, co-signed on our mortgage and I am an authorized user on my husband's cards. Answer: You've already demonstrated that you're capable of handling credit in your own name, but you've also fallen into a kind of limbo created by 2009's Credit CARD Act. To protect consumers, lawmakers adjusted the rules that banks must use when calculating a prospective cardholder's creditworthiness. By setting new lines of credit based on the ability to repay a full balance, legislators aimed to prevent consumers from getting into too much debt.
However, a restrictive interpretation of that rule forced banks to reject applications from stay-at-home spouses with no income of their own. Even though you probably have access to your entire family's funds, you couldn't report that you make enough money to clear a card's balance. If you stated your husband's income as your own, you might have cleared an instant approval credit card application, but your new account could get closed down after a records check.
Fortunately, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a clarification to the earlier rule that should make it much easier to get a credit card in your own name. Under the CFPB's new guidance, you can report income to which you have "reasonable access." Officials announced the ruling in May 2013, giving banks six months to comply with the change. Therefore, it may be a little while before you see an application form that gives you an appropriate way to explain your family's finances.
Your desire for a credit card in your own name makes sense. If something bad happens to your husband, like a workplace injury or even death, your relative lack of credit in your own name could make it hard to qualify for the best rates on a mortgage or a homeowners' insurance policy. A basic, no-frills account can give you both an emergency safety net and the opportunity to grow your credit history without spending money on fees. | 2,118 | 1,114 | 0.000901 |
warc | 201704 | Ask the Loveologist: Pain With Sex I have been experiencing pain with sex for months now. It has gotten to be so painful that I dread saying yes even though I love my partner and want to have good sex with him. Even with my own natural lubrication and when I am really aroused, I still get this intense cramping. I haven’t talked to my doctor about this because it felt so awkward. Any ideas about what I can do?
Questions and fears about pain during sex are very common because this condition affects two thirds of all women at some point in their lives. Generally diagnosed as
dyspareunia, a medical term which comes from an ancient Greek word that means “difficulty mating,” this condition was described in ancient Egyptian medical literature. Probably all women suffer some form of dysparuenia at some time in their reproductive lives. It is hard to say, because like you, more than half the women with this condition don’t talk to their physicians and many physicians also fail to engage their patients about their sex lives.
The most common symptom is pain on entry. The second most common symptom is deep pain. Other common symptoms include feelings of muscle spasms, cramps, or muscle tightness. There are some solutions that you can try at home, but if the problem persists, a conversation and exam by a good gynecologist should be scheduled. The exam, not unlike an annual exam will give your doctor a chance to check for medical issues that are treatable that could be causing the pain. Ovarian cysts, urinary tract infections, and endometriosis are all commonly associated with painful intercourse. Other common culprits that interfere with sexual satisfaction are yeast infections and genital herpes.
Other diagnoses that cause pain with sex are vulvodynia and vaginismus. These disorders, which cause itching, burning and spasms of the vaginal muscles are not well understood, although they impact over 16 percent of all women. The interaction between mind and body reigns supreme when it comes to sexual health. The association of pain and sex can and often does create problems of its own, resulting in a stress and tension response that makes sexual arousal hard to find. Many women get caught in a cycle of experiencing pain and then expecting pain which makes the vulnerability of sexual intimacy difficult at best.
Painful sex is never just in your head. Yet there is a great deal of negative attitudes about sex and misinformation about sexual functioning that can contribute to the experience of pain with sex. Pain with sex can be a mental health issue which is just as valid and treatable as a physical one. As challenging as it may be to discuss sex, the alternative is sure to exacerbate the issues you are having. Talking to your partner and/or your health care provider is an important first step to solving the problem.
For many women with pain at entry problems, the fix can be as simple as using good quality lubricants and making sure you are aroused before penetration. Many women have sensitivity to the petrochemical based lubricants on the market and switching to a natural product can be enough to solve the problem. For deeper penetration issues or pain that happens in the midst of sexual activity, sometimes all it takes is a change of position so that your sexual organs are better aligned and the thrust doesn’t bump uncomfortably against the cervix or an ovary. Try being on top where you have more control over the depth and direction of the thrust.
Sometimes women will experience pain during or after intercourse if they haven’t climaxed also. Just like the classic “blue balls” that men will get, if the blood rush to the pelvic region does not dissipate with the release associated with orgasm, she can be left with pelvic congestion that can feel like cramps or a dull ache.
Dealing with the many forms of sexual dysfunction that both men and women experience in their lifetime is no different than taking care of other aches and pains that come and go in the body. Honoring your right to a sexually healthy lifestyle means that doing nothing when faced with painful intimacy is not an option.
Wendy Strgar is a loveologist who writes and lectures on Making Love Sustainable, a green philosophy of relationships which teaches the importance of valuing the renewable resources of love and family. Wendy helps couples tackle the questions and concerns of intimacy and relationships, providing honest answers and innovative advice. As her online presence continues to grow, Wendy has become a trusted and respected source of information on lasting and healthy relationships. “I feel like I am inventing a language to give intimacy back to the people, take the fear away and open a space for physical love to serve as the glue that holds relationships together.” Wendy lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, a psychiatrist, and their four children ages 11-20. | 4,968 | 2,364 | 0.000428 |
warc | 201704 | A better school, a better education
The South African schooling system has recently come under fire when news of the proposed closure of twenty seven schools came to light. Meanwhile, Orange Farm schools struggle to compensate for the lack of many of the basic resources that they need in order to run smoothly. A functional feeding scheme, a fresh coat of paint and a computer lab are just a sample of what schools in the area say they need.
Madume, Zonkizizwe and Laus Deo Primary School are three of the eight schools that each received Cashbuild building material vouchers to the value of R12 000 on 27 September 2012 at the Cashbuild Orange Farm Store Opening Ceremony. Principal MF Khakie from Madume Primary School said: “We are absolutely excited. We would like to improve our infrastructure. One of these is our feeding scheme which is made up of a rusty container that doubles up as kitchen. Hopefully, we will be able to extend our computer lab as well.” Laus Deo Primary School’s Deputy Principal, Elizabeth Letsatsi said that Cashbuild was answering to the school’s need. “We can now replace the classroom’s door handles, tile the classroom floors and paint the classrooms and toilets.” Principal Nkwe Koboekae from Zonkizizwe Primary School said: “It is great to be a winner; it especially empowers the children in an area like this. We have been using our library as a multipurpose centre and have realized that it is not effective as a computer lab. Cashbuild has now given us an opportunity to create a computer lab, paint the classrooms and replace the old and broken vinyl tiles.” At the official Cashbuild Orange Farm store opening ceremony on 27 September, when the building material vouchers totaling R96 000 were presented to all eight schools, the children entertained everyone with singing, cultural dances and theatrical performances. The Cashbuild Art-at-Heart competition entails learners from each school submitting their best artwork to Cashbuild. This artwork is displayed at the ceremony, and then remains on display in the Cashbuild store for the next five years.
Artwork was judged and three winners from each school were named. Winners received Cashbuild Art-at-Heart gold, silver and bronze certificates for first, second and third place respectively. The Manager’s Choice award was also presented to the lucky winner, Mbali Masondo
from Laus Deo Primary School, for the artwork competition. This award was announced on the day and the winner received a stationery pack and a glass trophy.
The schools and children that benefited from the Cashbuild Art-at-Heart donations were:
Aha Thuto Secondary School R12 000
Gold - Siyabonga Masike
Silver - Mbali Sithole
Bronze - Sabelo Mdakane
Laus Deo Primary School R12 000
Gold - Mothibi Moalosi
Silver - Mpho Selwa
Bronze - Mojalefa Meletse
Jabulile Secondary School R12 000
Gold - Hlalefu Moloisane
Silver - Thabang Sediane
Bronze - Vusi Maduna
Leshata Secondary School R12 000
Gold - Nkateko Ngoveni
Silver - Mongezi Khumalo
Bronze - Shantel Nzima
Madume Primary School R12 000
Gold - Lindiwe Nkutha
Silver - Keamogetswe Mofokeng
Bronze - Letuba Masimane
Imbali Primary School R12 000
Gold - Emmanuel Busakhwe
Silver - Sipho Kave
Bronze - Katlego Mothega
Inhlonipho Primary School R12 000
Gold - Tshepo Moshoadiba
Silver - Tumi Sebastian
Bronze - Johan Khanye
Zonkizizwe Primary School R12 000
Gold - Neo Motaung
Silver - Tau Nketle
Bronze - Philani Fononda
Since the Art-at-Heart campaign was launched twelve years ago, Cashbuild has helped more than 1 500 schools in Southern Africa with over R16-million worth of building materials. Cashbuild is BEE compliant and every time a store is opened, relocated or refurbished, Cashbuild not only makes donations to local schools, but also creates jobs for community members.
The Art-at-Heart competition is a Southern African Cashbuild initiative whereby donations are made to some of the region’s most needy schools.
Image Gallery | 4,056 | 1,856 | 0.000552 |
warc | 201704 | (CBS) Harold Dow, a veteran correspondent for CBS "48 Hours," died suddenly on Saturday behind the wheel of his car.
He was 62.A family spokesperson issued this statement on the cause of death:
"At the time of Harold's death, he was suffering from adult onset asthma.
On Monday, August 16, 2010, Harold checked himself into the Valley Hospital emergency room in Ridgewood, N.J., for severe asthmatic symptoms.
According to the Hackensack Police Department incident report, an inhaler was found on the floor of Harold's vehicle. Therefore, it is believed at this time that Harold succumbed to an asthma attack while behind the wheel."
Asthma takes the lives of 11 Americans every day, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. That means more than 4,000 deaths due to asthma each year, many of which are avoidable with proper treatment and care.
According to WebMD, among those who may be more likely to get adult-onset asthma are:
Women who are having hormonal changes, such as those who are pregnant or who are experiencing menopause Women who take estrogen following menopause for 10 years or longer People who have just had certain viruses or illnesses, such as a cold or flu People with allergies, especially to cats People who are exposed to environmental irritants, such as tobacco smoke, mold, dust, feather beds, or perfume.
Asthma attacks can be frightening for the person experiencing it. Properly using asthma medications, as prescribed by your doctor, is key, in addition to avoiding known triggers.
Dow's career at CBS spanned 40 years. In addition to his stint at "48 Hours," he reported for the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" as well as for "CBS News Sunday Morning."Read more about Dow's life and career. | 1,762 | 970 | 0.001043 |
warc | 201704 | Is Independent Study Right for My Student?Information on what is required of the student to be successful and some of the ways in which schools offering independent study may vary.
Generally, success in independent study requires motivation and a strong commitment on the part of the student and, especially for a young student, his or her parents/guardians/caregivers. It also requires sufficient academic preparation to enable the student to work independently. Some schools require the student’s academic performance to be at or close to grade level, while other schools work with students who have fallen behind by providing additional individualized support necessary for success.
State law requires students with special needs who wish to participate in independent study to have an individualized education program (IEP) that provides for independent study. For more information regarding IEPs, contact the Special Education Parents Help Line at 1-800-926-0648.
As with other types of education, independent study may vary greatly from school to school. In deciding whether the independent study offered in a particular school or program would be appropriate for your student, it will be important to consider the characteristics of that school and whether the characteristics meet your student’s needs. Below are some of the ways in which schools offering independent study may vary:
Size:Schools offering independent study may vary in size from a few dozen students to 1,000 or more. Very small schools may provide a more personalized setting while larger schools may offer additional options such as labs and classes in various subjects. Meetings:In some schools, independent study students (and parents/guardians/caregivers of elementary students) meet with their teacher one-on-one (typically weekly) to turn in completed work, ask questions, and receive new assignments. In other schools, students meet with their teachers more frequently—in small groups, labs, or classes—in addition to working on assignments independently. Online Schools:In some schools, classes are offered online and student-teacher and student-to-student interactions occur over the Internet using message boards and e-mail. In some cases, the classes are conducted in real time. Structure and Organization:Schools vary as to structure (i.e., one teacher for all subjects or, especially at the secondary level, different subject matter specialist teachers for different subjects) and organization. In some schools and programs, students take fewer subjects on a more intense basis, covering a year-long course in one semester or less. In other schools, students take a full range of courses at any given time. Students Served:Independent study can serve students with a range of academic abilities. Some schools are designed as “college prep” and either offer all the courses to meet University of California entrance requirements or arrange for students to have access to some Academic Achievement:Schools also vary regarding academic achievement. The Academic Performance Index and state ranking information for individual schools are available from DataQuest. Program or Stand-Alone School:Independent study may be offered as a program option within a traditional school. It is also offered in alternative schools of choice or charter schools that are primarily or entirely independent study.
It is important to learn about the characteristics of the independent study options available to your student to consider whether they will meet your student’s needs and interests. Here are some ways to locate information about an independent study school:
Use the information provided in How to Find Independent Study to locate independent study in your area. Access school information from the California School Directory. Many schools have a Web site. If the school’s Web site is not listed, you may find it on the district’s Web site. Review the School Accountability Report Card for additional information about individual schools. Talk with school officials and teachers and visit the school with your student to help you determine if the school and independent study offered meet your needs.
Independent study can be a great option for some students; however, it may not be the right option for every student who is not thriving at a traditional school. Some students might be better served in an educational option that is classroom-based and offers a smaller learning environment and more individualization. Many charter schools, alternative schools of choice, or magnet schools meet this description; these schools may also offer a particular academic focus or approach that would engage an individual student’s interests and best meet the student’s learning style. | 4,821 | 2,002 | 0.000506 |
warc | 201704 | When it comes to relocating from one country to another, there are scores of rules to be followed. Every country has its set of rules regarding immigration, and it is the duty of the person wishing to enter the country to abide by them. However, it is not an easy task to get to know all that you need to know about a particular country’s immigration rules and requirements. This is why it is essential to go to a law firm that practices immigration law such as: http://lawdefense.com/immigration-Lawyer-san-diego. This way you are sure to obtain obtain the best advice as well as guidance on all matters related to immigration.
The process of immigration
Dealing with the stress involved in the whole process of immigration is not something for the weak hearted. It is a very complicated process and something that needs the best of the brains and experience. Just like the best criminal defense lawyer is needed when you are faced with the most serious of criminal charges, it takes the best immigration attorney to get you through the whole process of immigration.
The immigration attorney
An immigration lawyer is a lawyer whose specialty is dealing with immigration laws. He is the go-to person when you are embarking on the immigration process. Just like the best criminal defense lawyer can make life easy for you and even obtain an acquittal for you when faced with criminal charges; the best immigration lawyer can help you sail smoothly along. He is good at managing the paperwork as well as the bureaucratic work; thereby leaving you with only the minimum things to break your head on.
When is one necessary?
Many people read up and think they can handle things themselves. However, when it comes to something as important and as serious as immigration, it is the best to go with the best immigration attorney. Akin to the best criminal defense lawyer who will make things easy for you in a criminal matter, the best immigration lawyer makes it possible for you to get the best possible advice and guidance.
Specific cases when you need an immigration attorney
In addition to the general idea of it being the best to go with an immigration lawyer in immigration cases just as it is to go with the best criminal defense lawyer in criminal cases; there are certain specific cases where you just cannot do without one. When you are inadmissible for example, or when you are involved in court proceedings, or when you face too many inexplicable delays in the process and so on.
Why Hire a Criminal Defense Lawyer?
One of the main reasons why people hire a criminal defense lawyer is because of the knowledge they accumulate through years of practicing and dealing with several criminal cases. Since the field of criminal law can be extremely hard to understand, it is better to hire a lawyer who deals with it. Only a qualified and highly skilled criminal defense lawyer can help you tackle the questions that the prosecution side is going to put forward. With a good criminal defense lawyer by your side, you do not have to worry about a thing.
Choosing the Right Person
Whether you are trying to find a great immigration law firm or the best criminal defense lawyer in your locality, you need to keep a few points in mind to make your search easier. Go for an experienced lawyer who is proficient in criminal law. If you are looking to solve an immigration-related issue, then the lawyer should have a good track record. Find out how many clients have achieved fruitful results. Talk in detail about the fee structure and make sure that there are no hidden costs involved. In addition to all this, the lawyer should be accessible by phone, mail or fax and be willing to work with you with dedication. | 3,728 | 1,628 | 0.000617 |
warc | 201704 | On every commitment there are privileges, each lender has their specifics as to these privileges, but they are generally as follows:
Assumption– Your mortgage can be assumed by a purchaser, if they qualify to carry the mortgage. The Lender must approve this transaction. An instance where you might do this is if you could not sell the real estate, or if the interest rate is lower than what is currently being offered by the lenders. If you do an assumption, the purchaser looking to take over the mortgage, must be able to provide the difference between real estate fair market value and the amount of the outstanding mortgage. Portability– Your mortgage can be taken with you to another home, providing you sell your first home. This is usually done if interest rates have risen from the time that you purchased your original real estate to the time you are purchasing your current real estate. If the outstanding mortgage amount stays the same or lowers, then you keep the rate you were originally offered. If you are purchasing a more expensive piece of real estate, then you keep the keep the original mortgage amount at the original rate and on the new money you would get the current interest rates. The lender will then take and blend those amounts together to give you what we call a blended and extended rate. Depending on your situation this can be beneficial. Early Renewal– Some lenders will allow you to early renew your mortgage. Most times this is done when you note that interest rates are coming down, and most of the time you will have to pay a penalty to have this completed. The penalty is generally just added to the current outstanding mortgage amount. Prepayament Privileges– Every lender offers prepayment privileges, as long as your mortgage is not in default or you have not asked for a mortgage payout statement. Depending on the lender you may be able to prepay anywhere from 10 to 20%. Every lender gives you the option of prepaying the mortgage in a combination of either lump sum deposits with a minimum of $100 partial prepayment and/or increasing your mortgage payments, as long as you never prepay more than what they allow. Some lenders indicate when you can prepay or make changes to your mortgage payment. Generally you have 2 options either at each anniversary date, or during the 12 month period following the interest adjustment date. The privilege cannot be carried over from previous years.
The ability to increase your mortgage payments is only available once a year and they can only be increased by the amount of your indicated prepayment amount 10 to 20%. | 2,627 | 1,171 | 0.000862 |
warc | 201704 | About Organic Is Organic Healthier?
The BC Perspective Because organic food is grown without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, hormones, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), many people believe it is healthier. In BC, 84% of current or prospective consumers of organic food believe it is healthier than conventionally-farmed food, according to a 2003 opinion survey commissioned from Synovate.
Judge for Yourself: Recent Scientific Findings
A growing number of studies indicate that there are measurable benefits to food grown and processed using organic methods. Take a look at the links below to learn about some of the latest scientific findings about organic food.
Organic and Sustainable Foods Have More Polyphenolics Linked to Health Benefits UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology (2003) www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=6312
A new study at the University of California shows that organically grown berries and corn contain up to 58 percent more polyphenolics, natural antioxidants that are good for our health. This scientific study breaks new ground by suggesting that sustainable growing practices may allow plants to have naturally higher levels of polyphenolics, as they help fight off pests such as insects. When consumed by humans, through a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, polyphenolics are believed to reduce the risks of some cancers and heart disease.
Organic produce may have higher levels of Vitamin C and cancer-fighting flavonoids
UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology (2003) www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1001060(broken)
This study, presented by a food chemist from the University of California at Davis to the Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting, indicates that organic tomatoes had higher levels of secondary plant metabolites and higher levels of vitamin C than conventionally-grown counterparts. It also found that organic broccoli had "significantly higher levels" of cancer-fighting flavonoids. Metabolites are used by plants as a defense mechanism to fend off pests and disease. When consumed by humans, they are thought to lower the risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease. Flavonoids are metabolites known to act in the body as antioxidants.
Study yields mixed findings about microbes on organic produce Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (2004) //www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2004/05/study-yields-mixed-findings-about-microbes-organic-produce
This study examines the bacteria levels found on organically and conventionally grown produce in Minnesota and concludes that organic food is less likely to contain pathogenic bacteria. The study also shows that certified organic produce had significantly decreased levels of other kinds of bacteria.
Organic foods in relation to nutrition and health key facts
Medical News Today (2004) & Soil Association (2004)
www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/10587.php www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/ (broken)
This fact sheet is a summary of an article published in “Coronary and Diabetic Care in the UK 2004” by the Association of Primary Care Groups and Trusts. The article concluded that a predominantly organic diet:
reduces the amount of toxic chemicals ingested totally avoids GMOs [genetically modified organisms] reduces the amount of food additives and colourings increases the amount of beneficial vitamins, minerals, EFAs [essential fatty acids] and antioxidants consumed Canadian Government report warns against pesticide health risks
Pesticides: Making the Right Choice for the Protection of Health and the Environment. Report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.(May 2000)
www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/36/2/ENVI/Studies/Reports/envi01/04-toc-e.html
This comprehensive report outlines the risks associated with pesticide use on human health and the environment, with a particular focus on the risks to children and infants. It notes: “Pesticides are known to play, or are suspected of playing, a role in a myriad of diseases and developmental abnormalities, including cancer (brain, breast, stomach, prostate and testicles), childhood leukemia, reduced fertility, damage to the thyroid and pituitary glands, lowered immunity, developmental abnormalities and behavioural problems.” The report outlines the science on the known effects of organochlorines, organophosphates, phenoxy herbicides, endocrine disruptors and other substances commonly found in Canadian pesticides. It argues for a precautionary approach to managing pesticides through stronger legislation, stating that we still know too little about the potentially negative human health effects of many pesticides currently on the market in Canada.
Other Health Articles Health expert argues for organic
Dr. Andrew Weil (2002)
Health expert and medical doctor Dr. Andrew Weil argues that eating organically-grown food is simply good sense for anyone trying to limit their exposure to potentially harmful toxins. And he feels that scientists don’t know enough about the long-term effects, both individually and when ingested in combination, of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals used in conventional farming. Read this article here 50 KB Delivering Good Health through Good Food
Institute of Science in Society (2004)
www.i-sis.org.uk/DGHTF.php
In this article, Prof. Henry Becker, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, argues that a fundamental focus on disease prevention is needed to avert the national health crisis. The article recommends a return to organic methods of agriculture and animal husbandry to halt the “incidental poisoning of land, water, air, people and most other life forms”, and thus our health. The article is based on his submission to the Romanow Commission(2002) and a forthcoming book.
Other Sites of Interest
The following sites keep up-to-date with the latest in health and science reporting, especially in relation to organic produce and processes. New studies are linked, as well as surveys and news covering emerging issues in organic farming and production.
Organic Consumers | 6,197 | 2,904 | 0.000348 |
warc | 201704 | Reactions of Aromatic Compounds (overall) Decomposition of Arenediazonium Salts
Certain substituents, such as the hydroxy group, the cyano group, and fluorine, cannot be directly introduced into an aromatic compound through an electrophilic aromatic substitution. Due to its extremely high reactivity, fluorine, for instance, would result in uncontrollable side reactions.
In such cases, therefore, an alternative synthetic pathway must be employed. When arenediazonium salts or aromatic diazonium ions, respectively, are heated, nitrogen () is split off, yielding aryl cations. Aryl cations are extremely good electrophiles, which may easily be attacked by a nucleophile, even though it is merely a poor nucleophile.
In fact, phenols can, in this way, simply be produced by heating an aqueous solution of the corresponding arenediazonium salt. In this reaction, water is the attacking nucleophile.
When tetrafluoroborate is used as a counter ion, even fluorine can be introduced into the aromatic compound, when no other nucleophile is present. In this reaction, called the Schiemann reaction, the isolated arenediazonium tetrafluoroborate is thermically decomposed without the need of a solvent.
Furthermore, the introduction of a methoxy group in methanolic solutions, as well as the introduction of bromine and chlorine in strongly acidic, aqueous solutions is made possible through the application of arenediazonium salts. Other substituents, such as the cyano group, cannot simply be introduced in that aromatic diazonium cations are heated in the presence of the corresponding nucleophile.
Sandmeyer reaction
If no desired results are obtained when aromatic diazonium cations are heated in the presence of a nucleophile (Nu) that ought to be introduced as a substituent into the aromatic compound, the application of the corresponding copper(I) salt (Cu(I)Nu) is often successful instead. This is the Sandmeyer reaction. The Sandmeyer reaction is appropiate for the introduction of chlorine and bromine into aromatic compounds of high-yield. The cyano group can also be introduced through the Sandmeyer reaction by converting the aromatic diazonium cation with the aid of copper(I) cyanide (Cu(I)CN). This reaction is usually conducted in neutral solution in order to prevent the liberation of hydrogen cyanide (HCN). The Sandmeyer reaction is not a nucleophilic substitution. Rather, it follows a radical mechanism.
The mechanistic details of the Sandmeyer reaction's final step, that is, the formal transfer of a nucleophile radical from Cu(II)NuX to the aryl radical, are not completely known.
Aside from chloride, bromide, and cyanide (Nu = , , ), nitrite (Nu = ; ) may be applied as a nucleophile in the Sandmeyer reaction. Furthermore, the diazonium ion's reduction with hypophosphorous acid () results in the dediazonization reaction. That is, the positively charged diazonium group is exchanged for hydrogen. The dediazonization reaction is a very important method, which is utilized in the synthesis of multisubstituted aromatic compounds. First of all, an amino group is introduced into the aromatic compound. This amino group, which has a strong +M effect, is then used in order to control the regioselectivity of further electrophilic aromatic substitutions when introducing additional substituents. Last but not least, the amino group is removed through diazotization and subsequent dediazonization.
A reaction that resembles the Sandmeyer reaction occurs when iodine is introduced into an aromatic compound through treatment of the arenediazonium salt with potassium iodide (KI). In this reaction, catalysis by copper(I) is not mandatory, as iodide itself is easily and reversibly oxidizable and, thus, claims the function which copper(I) adheres to in the Sandmeyer reaction. | 3,809 | 1,568 | 0.00064 |
warc | 201704 | Jeffrey Toobin, one of the best commentators on the Supreme Court, is accusing Justice Clarence Thomas of “not doing his job” because, as is widely known, Thomas doesn’t ask questions at the court’s oral arguments. (The headline on Toobin’s column in the New Yorker is even nastier: “Clarence Thomas’ Disgraceful Silence.”)
Toobin notes that it has been eight years since Thomas grilled a lawyer. But he doesn’t make much of a case for outrage over this admittedly odd behavior.
Here’s his best shot: “The court’s arguments are not televised (though they should be), but they are public. They are, in fact, the public’s only windows onto the justices’ thought processes, and they offer the litigants and their lawyers their only chance to look these arbiters in the eye and make their case. There’s a reason the phrase ‘your day in court’ resonates. It is an indispensable part of the legal system.”
Until the justices decide to admit cameras to their courtroom (don’t hold your breath), the public that is being denied the right to look into (or listen outside) the window of Thomas’ thoughts is tiny. And justices’ questions aren’t always windows into how they will eventually rule. Sure, sometimes they tip their hand, as Justice Antonin Scalia did when he asked the U.S. solicitor general if Obamacare’s individual mandate wasn’t like requiring people to buy broccoli. But a lot of questions fall into the devil’s advocate category.
You could amend Toobin’s arguments to say that the public has the right to hear those questions too, in order to evaluate a justice’s ability to role-play. But that’s a stretch. Anyway, the best way to access a window on a justice’s thought process is to read his or her published opinions. And Thomas’ are endlessly informative about his jurisprudence (sometimes scarily so).
Toobin’s article appeared a few days after an article in the New York Times quoted Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on why she opposed TV cameras in the courtroom. “It would leave a false impression of the appellate process to think that the oral argument is what is decisive in the cases,” Ginsburg said.
Toobin also argued that “if all nine justices behaved as Thomas does on the bench, [the] public would rightly, and immediately, lose all faith in the Supreme Court.” This is a variation on the slippery slope argument popular with lawyers. (If the court approves a healthcare mandate, next week it will approve a broccoli mandate.)
But the traditional response to the slippery slope (or “parade of horribles”) argument is “not while this court sits,” and that is literally the answer to Toobin’s hypothetical about nine mute justices. The Constitution will be amended to require the consumption of broccoli before Thomas’ colleagues follow his lead and clam up. Heck, even if seven of the other eight justices adopted a vow of silence, Scalia could fill the vacuum by himself.
As Toobin acknowledges, Thomas is a distinctive and occasionally influential thinker on the court, the “intellectual godfather” of important decisions even when he doesn’t write the majority opinion. So he seems to be doing the most important part of his job.
(Toobin also focuses on Thomas’ body language in the courtroom, writing that he looks up at the ceiling and strokes his chin — proof that he’s “not paying attention.” But other justices occasionally look distracted. Sometimes they even nod off.)
My theory is that Thomas has remained silent all these years to confound his critics. It certainly isn’t because he is tongue-tied or inarticulate. If you’re desperate to hear the sound of his voice, YouTube and C-SPAN preserve some of his comments in public settings outside the court.
Whatever the explanation, Thomas’ silence is strange. But disgraceful? A dereliction of duty? To quote Chief Justice John Marshall: “This is too extravagant to be maintained.”
ALSO: | 4,149 | 2,010 | 0.000534 |
warc | 201704 | Media Release: Choose Tap water - it’s healthy and good for the environment
General Manager Customers, Community and Environment Cameron FitzGerald said the Choose Tap campaign is an educational program for schools and communities to make sure its customers know they have access to healthy, affordable drinking water.
“City West Water works to maintain almost 5000 kilometres of water supply mains connecting its 1 million customers with high quality drinking water,” he said.
“This campaign complements work CWW already does in the community, particularly with our newly arrived refugee and asylum seeker communities, as many believe they need to treat their tap water or purchase bottled water for drinking.
“Choose Tap activities and supporting information will be provided at community events, and to schools and community groups across CWW’s customer base which incorporates the CBD and inner and outer Melbourne suburbs.”
Mr FitzGerald said Choose Tap is an educational campaign originally created by Yarra Valley Water to address its customers concerns around the benefits of drinking bottled water.
“CWW is committed to continuously improving its service delivery to customers while at the same time working with community partners on local projects, particularly those that provide health benefits,” he said.
“The CWW portable fountain will be at the African Festival in Federation Square on Saturday during the day, Wyndham Council’s Carrols by Candlelight on Saturday night and Moonee Valley Council’s Carols by Candlelight on Sunday - ask us for a Choose Tap drink bottle and fill it up straight from the tap.”
Why it’s good to Choose Tap:
• Every year Australians spend over $680 million on bottled water, a product that costs 2400 times more per litre than tap water • Plastic bottles are among the 10 most common rubbish items picked up on Clean Up Australia Day. • Australia’s rising obesity and diabetes rates are linked to poor diet, including excess soft drink consumption - Ends – Please contact Kathryn Duffy on 9313 8938 or 0423 816 262 for further information. | 2,190 | 1,110 | 0.000947 |
warc | 201704 | In 1954, Darrell Huff wrote his classic book How to Lie with Statistics, which covered many popular ways people use and abuse statistics to make them say anything they want. Well, it appears that our good friends at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are no stranger to these techniques. Last Friday they released their
The issue of where a central bank stores its gold remains on the forefront. The Dutch people want to know where the Dutch gold is stored. Venezuela called home some 160 tons that previously was held in the US, London and Canada. China has made it clear where its gold is to be with the
Fractional reserve banking is one probably the least understood aspect of money; further misunderstood is how fractional reserve banking—when it is used to expand the money supply—impacts our economy and causes the business cycle, which, if it runs to extremes, results in recession at best, depression at worst. People who want to protect savings and
A paradigm shift in silver could result in explosive price moves to the upside. Steve St. Angelo predicts such a paradigm shift.
ell, here’s an interesting tidbit from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC) compliments of Zerohedge. Their latest letter to Timothy Geithner contained the following paragraph: “There was a lengthy discussion regarding the bid-to-cover ratios…
It’s little wonder that so few people in the United States and Europe can think straight about basic economics with the constant flow of misinformation coming from the media and universities. Here’s an interesting piece out of Scotland from an Oxford and Harvard trained editor titled “When inflation could be good for you”.
Gold serves as the basis of the global monetary system for the simple reason that it exists as a finite, physical store of value. And unlike every issuance of debt or piece of printed money, there is no counter party risk – unless, of course, you don’t actually have the physical gold in your possession. Then it’s no more a basis of one’s reserves than all of the digital money created with a keystroke.
Here’s an excellent interview with former Dallas Fed Vice President Gerald O’Driscoll in which he exposes the Federal Reserve’s recent dollar swaps with the European Central Bank for what they are: a continued bailout of Europe’s banking system by the US central bank.
The 99% and the 1%. We see it all over the news. There are protest movements in almost every major city focused on it. We all know that something is wrong, but almost no one can put their finger on the root cause. The reason is that the vast majority of people have no idea how banking works or where money comes from.
As anticipated, the solution to the banking crisis in the eurozone is the printing of still more fiat money. However, this approach is not a solution at all but a temporary band-aid that will have to be reapplied again unless changes are made in the Europeans’ love affair with socialism. Changing that will be much more difficult than getting six central banks to create more fiat currencies. | 3,157 | 1,646 | 0.000628 |
warc | 201704 | Making Floor Care Greener
Recently, a major global trade publication for the professional cleaning industry featured an article on green cleaning and sustainability.
The article covered a number of topics, offering a variety of suggestions on how to make cleaning both greener and more sustainable.
For the most part, the author presented what any green cleaning advocate would consider good, solid information.
It was designed to help JanSan distributors and building service contactors (BSCs) better understand environmentally preferable cleaning and how closely tied it is to sustainability. It also offered ways to implement green cleaning strategies.
However, the author was not impressed with the performance of the green alternatives now available for floor care.
Because of this, and specifically regarding sustainability, he suggested that it might be better for BSCs to continue using more conventional floor care products, at least for now.
This conclusion is a concern for me because, as we now know, many conventional floor care products contain some of the most potentially harmful ingredients used in the professional cleaning industry.
Further, they are typically made from several nonrenewable natural resources, including petroleum.
The author came to his conclusion for two key reasons:
Because the greener strippers — products that have a reduced impact on the environment but have not been green certified, are awaiting certification or do not meet the standards and criteria required for certification — now on the market are not as effective as conventional strippers, the process of removing finish and soils from a floor is more difficult, requiring more time as well as more electrical energy to power floor care equipment, more water and more chemical. Because the greener floor finishes on the market are also not as high performing as conventional finishes, the floor must be scrubbed more often with more finish added to the floor to maintain the shine and must be spray-buffed and refinished more frequently — resulting in more necessary time, labor, water and energy to maintain the floor.
Although this author''s conclusions appear reasonable at first glance, I believe he might have done a disservice to his readers regarding floor care.
Although some of the initial green floor care products did have performance issues, new technologies as well as more time and research in recent years have resulted in higher performing green floor care products.
Additionally, he did not offer his readers suggestions or strategies on ways to maintain floors using less chemical and finish — even if conventional products are used.
The results of such strategies would make floor care both greener and more sustainable.
Performance Issues
Without question, green floor care products must meet the durability and performance standards of conventional floor care products.
Several years ago, the facility manager in charge of several state government properties reported that he tested 23 different green finishes before he found two that met the performance standards of the conventional finish that had been used for several years.
I believe that if a similar comparison was made today, several more finishes would meet this manager''s standards.
However, other greener and more sustainable options are also possible.
For instance, some facilities that demand a high-gloss shine to their floors and prefer to use the conventional finishes they are accustomed to have found they can use the conventional finishes in certain areas but have a low-gloss shine or even no finish in other areas.
The overall result is that less finish is used, reducing cleaning''s impact on the environment and promoting sustainability by using fewer natural resources.
If a conventional floor care product must still be used, other environmentally preferable options include the following:
Select products with a neutral pH and reduced phosphorus concentrations Choose products with a flash point — the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can ignite — above 150 degrees Fahrenheit Avoid products that contain carcinogens, heavy metals, 2-butoxy ethanol — which is common in many conventional strippers — or aqueous ammonia Select products that have fewer volatile organic compounds (VOC) after dilution Purchase from JanSan distributors and suppliers that are well-versed on floor care and green cleaning.
Additional strategies include installing more effective matting systems and performing more thorough and frequent floor cleaning along with more frequent buffing to extend the life of floor finish.
This reduces refinishing cycles, which means fewer chemicals, green or conventional, must be used.
By doing so, less water and energy are necessary and the packaging, transport and disposal of products can be reduced, all of which make floor care Greener and more sustainable.
Stephen Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group LLC, a leading green cleaning consulting organization, and Sustainability Dashboard Tools LLC. Sustainability Dashboard Tools is a web-based system that allows cleaning professionals to measure the natural resources their businesses use and the greenhouse gas emissions they generate. Armed with this information, businesses can make commonsense changes that reduce their impact on the environment. Such changes save businesses money and make them more efficient and competitive while also benefiting their facilities, employees and local community as well as the environment. | 5,601 | 2,376 | 0.000426 |
warc | 201704 | Companies must walk a fine line when using social media Websites like
Companies must walk a fine line when using social media Websites like
“Interesting bit of trivia learned today: the collective noun for turtles would be ‘a bale of turtles.’”
This might seem like an odd message for an airliner to send to nearly 900,000 of its customers. But it was one of JetBlue’s many daily “tweets,” a 140-character message sent to the company’s “followers” on free micro-blogging site Twitter, in response to a customer complaining of a “turtle-related delay” at JFK airport.
Firms are struggling to figure out how to use Twitter, which went live just over two years ago and has since grown by over 1,000 percent annually to reach over six million users today. "People don’t know if it’s a function of marketing, PR, or customer service,” says Greg Galant, head of Twitter aggregator Sawhorse Media. “In reality it's all of the above.”
Above all, companies are using Twitter to make their brands look good.
Firms eager to capitalize on the free communications tool have identified multiple uses for the medium, such as branding, direct marketing and gauging trends. But unlike traditional online advertising, firms are careful not to be overbearing.
Morgan Johnston, the JetBlue social media strategist, calls those who tweet under the brand's name guests of the community. He tries to be “quiet” on Twitter by carrying out most conversations through direct messages, or private tweets sent directly to specific users.
Michelle Lapierre of MarriottRewards says Twitter “isn’t a place for us to market; it's a place for customers to have conversations."
Zappos, a small online retailer with an impressive Twitter following of nearly 1 million, purposefully doesn't market using social media. "If these tools help you get a sense of what our culture is like, then we’ve succeeded," says marketing director Aaron Magnus.
@Zappos, the Twitter account of the company’s CEO, tweets only once or twice a day. One is more likely to come across quotes by Winnie the Pooh or bits of interesting news than mentions of the Zappos name. For example, on July 4th, the CEO tweeted: “Learned today Poland Spring water comes from Maine, not Poland. Also, Sarah Palin resigned. Not sure which was more shocking.”
This is part of a strategy that Paul Dunay, author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies, calls giving customers the “lasting aftertaste of a brand” through Twitter.
Dunay believes the power of social media cannot be tapped using direct marketing. Rather, firms need to "pull out the chewy goodness of their brand and it will spread through the Internet like wildfire."
It’s not about measuring return, says Zappos’ Magnus. "It’s a free service, so if a single sale comes from it, then everybody wins," he says. Zappos, like Whole Foods , JetBlue and other Twitter-savvy corporations with around one million followers, is not attempting to monetize its Twitter activities.
From News Feed to Coupon Feed
Still, some firms have found success in using Twitter much like an online coupon feed. Dunay calls this a one-way broadcast, more like a virtual commercial than a conversation with customers.
JetBlue recently launched the account @JetBlueCheeps, which offers followers links to cheap last-minute flight deals. This may be an attempt to replicate the success of @DellOutlet, one of Dell’s Twitter accounts, which has directly generated $2 million in revenue over the last two years. Nearly 900,000 followers receive a flood of links to deals on the company's discount website.
Twitter allows users to tweet with abridged URL’s, enabling firms to provide links in every 140-character message. Users can also include hashtags, which direct users to specific tweets using keywords, and @replies, which allow companies to address a specific user publicly.
In addition to marketing potential, some firms have identified Twitter as a valuable listening tool for gauging trends.
“If two people are having a conversation in a Starbucks about our computers, we can’t listen,” says Dell’s Richard Binhammer. “But we can hear if they are talking online.”
The trick is to sift through the clutter and identify trends, according to Mark Horoszowski of marketing firm Whitespace Healthcare. “We need to listen and understand the noise,” he says. “It’s about harnessing that chatter, re-digesting it and showing what’s meaningful.” There are over 16 million tweets published on Twitter each day.
The site has introduced new tools such as the search function and trending topics list, which displays most talked-about keywords. These tools, augmented by emerging technologies like sentiment analysis, help companies gauge what consumers are saying about products or brands in real-time.
Join in the Conversation
But firms' role in social media goes beyond listening, according to Marriott's Lapierre. "At first we thought our customers just wanted to talk to each other,” she says, “but they were vocal about wanting to hear from us. It’s not a voyeur thing anymore."
Chris Fuller of YUM Brands' Pizza Hut, which recently hired a “twintern,” an intern to manage its Twitter activities, warns firms to be cautious. “You don’t want to be awkward and jump in,” he says. “You have to be able to have a genuine conversation.”
Having a conversation means being able to relate to customers while still advocating a brand.
“It’s a fine line,” says the twintern Alexa Robinson, “You don’t want to come outright and say, ‘We’re offering such and such, the end.’”
She finds a balance through providing a blend of tweets, ranging from “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY: THE EDGE IS BACK!!! More of your favorite toppings, without the crust! $9.99 for a Medium. Get Excited!” to “Twitter has made it into the dictionary! Does this mean that it can officially be used in a game of Scrabble?”
Fuller insists transparency is key to earning followers’ trust on an intimate site like Twitter. Although Alexa operates on Twitter under an ambiguous corporate voice, most brands explicitly let followers know who is on duty managing the account, including Dell, JetBlue and Pepsi .
The ideal course of action for firms is to diversify their social media strategy, according to Fuller. He says Pizza Hut has “several voices online speaking for the brand.”
The tricky part about talking to users is having a consistent voice. If different voices represent one brand, firms risk customers failing to get a sense of what a brand is all about.
JetBlue, which has 10 employees on Twitter, has tweeted slightly suggestive messages like, “Life's a beach, why not jet to one?” to more family-friendly tweets like, “Thanks—and hope you have a great flight.
Although Fuller says firms need to have a “unified message,” he also insists, “It’s dangerous to give your entire social media strategy to any one person, whether it’s a twintern or full time employee.” | 7,330 | 3,439 | 0.00031 |
warc | 201704 | You rang in the new year. You began a fresh new start. Maybe you even set some resolutions. After all, it's “new year” everything around here.
It’s time to take a big risk. Finally kick that bad habit. Be more productive. Fuel your body better. Stop being so consumed by your phone.
There's not a bad resolution in the bunch. You have great intentions. Total willpower. But creating your
best year yet with the resolutions you set is about so much more than wanting to check your social media feeds less. It's about the habits and actions you intend to create to make yourself a better professional, family member and citizen.
There's no time more important to set and exceed your New Year's goals than between now and April. The first quarter will make or break those resolutions becoming your daily reality. Here's a roadmap to not just deciding on the person you want to be and the things you want to do, but to actually getting there.
Move from Resolution to Vision
Resolutions are great. But they're more powerful when combined with a clear vision for your life. Knowing your vision will give resolutions more weight (thus a better chance at your sticking to them) because you know what they are laddering up towards. Jacki Carr, a IGOLU certified goals coach and brand consultant, suggests using an activity called vision crafting to get clear on your big picture. “Vision crafting is creating an image, a snapshot in the future that inspires, moves you and feels possible. Your life visions can be set 10 years, five years or even one month into the future," she says. “Go see an image, a snapshot in time in the future that moves you, excites you, allows a new possibility." Do your resolutions make sense with this vision? | 1,766 | 936 | 0.00109 |
warc | 201704 | I have a weird idea. What if, with every change we made to our codebase, we tried to increase our understanding of it a little bit?
Entropy Tries to Thwart Us This is challenging because codebases always go in the opposite direction. As you make more changes and new people join the team, everybody understands less and less of what ought to be happening; the fact the code works at all is nearly miraculous! Soon, everyone who touches the codebase adopts an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude.
Success depends on understanding, though. We have to understand the code to add new features, fix important bugs, refactor, and bring new teammates aboard. Not only that, but problems that are deeper than code, like architecture and scalability, can't be addressed without first understanding.
Understanding Must Be Widely Distributed One person understanding isn't enough. After all, what happens if that one person gets eaten by a komodo dragon?
There are deeper problems than that, though. Imagine that your brain becomes tightly coupled with a bit of code. The first problem is that your brain is faulty, and you will forget. The second (scarier) problem is that, if you're the only person who understands a piece of code, you own it and you'll maintain it. Forever. It doesn't matter what you else you progress to, when a problem arises with that code, it's your problem. It encourages context switching, and lots of tiny, strange code silos.
How to Create Understanding How do you increase understanding on a large scale, then? Let's go through a few approaches, none of which are earth shattering.
Automated tests. When you have simple, isolated tests that are run often, it means anyone can learn about the code, make a change, see the effects, and feel good about the work they just did; you are creating understanding. Unit tests, BDD-style tests, integration tests? All of these work.
Refactoring. As you are adding features or fixing bugs, you can create understanding if you're constantly working to make the code as clear as possible. The great thing about these changes is that they can be trivial. One technique is just to revisit the names used in a chunk of old code. If a variable contains sales invoices and you change its name from temp to sales_invoices, you have succeeded. Make more changes like that!
Documentation. Yes, documentation can create understanding, but only if it accurately reflects the current state of your code. The most effective way to do this is to generate it dynamically based on the code itself: method signatures, assertions, url routes, the requirements stated in your BDD tests.
Environment automation. There are probably a lot of magical bits in your environment. Maybe your build process doesn't work unless this one particular directory is owned by this one particular user, or your CDN occasionally serves up old assets and you have to poke around in the Amazon Web Service dashboard to fix it. These weird workarounds are often simple, but you encounter them infrequently enough that no one remembers exactly what's happened or why. Do your brains a favor: automate all of this. Once it's written, it can be understood.
How to Create Misunderstanding You can easily abuse all of the methods I just said, and actually use them to create misunderstanding.
A test creates misunderstanding if it depends on data that's changed by other tests. If your tests don't repeatably succeed, regardless of order, you're causing confusion.
Refactoring can create misunderstanding if you take well-understood code and change it dramatically, without also writing tests.
Documentation often causes more harm than good. Think about the nearest gigantic, outdated Word doc, or the comments in your code you fail to revise as you refactor. At some point, someone will read that and get confused.
Environment automation causes misunderstanding if it doesn't accurately reflect the state of your enviroment. Maybe you have some disaster recovery scripts lying around. Do they work, or would looking at them only give you misconceptions about the way your environment used to look?
Conclusion: Be Smarter. Ultimately, software development is really, really hard. We have to think in terms from single bits to clusters of super-powered VMs. The best (only?) way to work effectively together and build great things is to constantly and collectively work towards a better understanding of our code. | 4,450 | 2,118 | 0.000474 |
warc | 201704 | Gro.io has introduced the globe’s first smart system for growing different types of plants, following three years of development.
Gro.io’s founder, Doug Slemmer, started planting cannabis to help his wife relieve nausea caused by cancer treatments. But he was unsatisfied with existing solutions and decided to create a more convenient way of growing marijuana.
Gro.io will allow users, including new ones, to grow cannabis using a controlled automated hydroponic platform. The system combines software, hardware and cloud-based services that will let consumers to monitor the process of growth.
“While both attitudes and laws around marijuana are changing rapidly, most people still view growing their own as a difficult and time-consuming process,” said Doug Slemmer, the founder of gro.io. “We’re going to change this. Our smart, fully integrated hydroponic system minimizes the time, complexity and knowledge required to grow just about anything.”
The system integrates a powerful computer with valves, pumps and sensors letting users easily control growing conditions. The Hub shows such information, as leaks, nutrients, pH levels, flow and temperature.
The company has also built a mobile app for iOS devices that will send email alerts and messages to let growers always stay connected to their plants. Besides, it will let users adjust certain conditions, like water levels or light.
The Over-The-Air (OTA) Update Service, that is completely free, will ensure the platform stays updated when the new software is released.
Gro.io includes 20 gallon buckets and three or five 60W LED bulbs, what is enough to simultaneously grow up to six plants.
The platform is based on the Linux platform and is powered with a 1-GHz ARM microprocessor, which is more powerful than the Apollo spacecraft’s navigational system.
“Our intention with gro.io is to help people become better home growers, foster collaboration, and deliver the best value to our customers,” the company wrote in a blog post.
“By offering growers an integrated growing platform with built-in data collection, we have the potential to disrupt growing in ways never imagined. Think about this. Every gro.io system is a complete mini labratory, waiting for you to conduct small-scale tests or connect with the rest of the growing borg and participate in massive, crowd-powered experiments.”
The Gro.io is now available for pre-sale on the company’s website. The Hub will cost $1000, while the remaining setup will range from $700 to $1775. The price will depend on the amount and size of buckets as well as the type of lightning.
In case you already have some parts of the system, you can purchase it by piecemeal. Gro.io plans to start shipping this August. Meantime, a UK version of the system is now under development. | 2,865 | 1,481 | 0.000694 |
warc | 201704 | Humanity’s interest in the topic of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) continues to increase. The subject has received some well deserved attention as of late, and continues to pick up momentum in a time where the truth about UFOs and possible extraterrestrials (already visiting our planet) is hitting the mainstream world.
This “truth” includes the fact that dozens of foreign governments have released thousands of pages of UFO related documents –here is an example of the latest batch released from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense in June 2013. Other country’s governments who have done the same include Mexico, France, Argentina, Russia and Belgium, just to name a few. The fact that governments have released and documented information that detail UFO encounters with the military, as well as supposed extraterrestrial encounters with people, tells us that they’ve had and do have a high level of interest when it comes to the topic of UFOs and extraterrestrials. Had this information remained classified, nobody would officially be able to say that governments have allocated resources to investigate this phenomenon, and it would have remained in the “conspiracy” realm. At the same time, it’s important to remember that this issue goes far beyond and well above government control.
“It is ironic that the U.S. should be fighting monstrously expensive wars allegedly to bring democracy to those countries, when it itself can no longer claim to be called a democracy when trillions, and I mean thousands of billions of dollars have been spent on projects which both congress and the commander in chief know nothing about.” –Paul Hellyer, Former Canadian Defense Minister (source)
“
Everything is in a process of investigation both in the United States and in Spain, as well as the rest of the world. The nations of the world are currently working together in the investigation of the UFO phenomenon. There is an international exchange of data.” –General Carlos Castro Cavero (1979). From “UFOs and the National Security State, Volume 2″, Written by Richard Dolan
“Behind the scenes, high ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about UFOs. But through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense.”Former head of CIA, Roscoe Hillenkoetter, 1960 (source)
Just last year at the Citizens Hearing on Disclosure, a United States congresswoman voiced her opinion that the US government should disclose this existence, pointing to the fact that a number of foreign governments have already done so -you can read more about that story here.
Apart from government documents, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has allowed researchers to petition and receive thousands of pages of UFO related documents from various agencies. Here is a defense intelligence agency document outlining an encounter that took place in Iran in 1976. It details a military encounter with a UFO. You can read more about what happens when the military encounters a UFO and tracks it on radar here, it’s quite common.
“ There is a serious possibility that we are being visited and have been visited for many years by people from outer space, by other civilizations. Who they are, where they are from, and what they want should be the subject of rigorous scientific investigation and not be the subject of ‘rubishing’ by tabloid newspapers.”Lord Admiral Hill-Norton, Former Chief of Defence Staff, 5 Star Admiral of the Royal Navy, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (source)–
Documents also indicate various incursions at nuclear missile sites.
The UFO issue is one that has a tremendous amount of evidence behind it. As of today, nobody can really tell you that UFOs aren’t real. Objects have been tracked on radar and visually confirmed, performing maneuvers that defy our understanding of physics and travelling at unattainable speeds. For more detailed information (documents, statements from high ranking individuals) on the subject of UFOs, and why some of them (UFOs) might be extraterrestrial you can check out the article below and/or visit our exopolitics section of the website by clicking HERE.
UFOs At Nuclear Missile Sites
Many people who are aware, or who are becoming aware of the UFO phenomenon are not aware of the fact that UFOs have been visiting and interacting with nuclear missile sites across the globe for decades. This is a well documented fact that dates back all the way to December of 1948.
“Significantly, the UFO activity occasionally transcends mere surveillance and involves direct and unambiguous interference with our strategic weapons systems. Numerous cases include reports of mysterious malfunctions of large numbers of nuclear missiles just as one or more UFOs hovered nearby.” (Declassified Soviet Ministry of Defense documents confirm that such incidents also occurred in the former USSR.)
The above quote is from UFO researcher Robert Hastings, who has been researching the UFO phenomenon and its relation to nuclear missile sites for a a long time. Here is a clip of Robert speaking at the National Press Club in 2010.
The Encounter At Minot Air Force Base
Minot Air Force base is located in North Dakota. In the 1960’s it was a major Strategic Air Command base, responsible for housing ICBMs (nuclear missiles). On August 25th, 1966 a team at the base was ordered to investigate a very high multi-colored light that was positioned well above the base. The team confirmed the object, as well as a second object, the object was also tracked on radar. It rose and descended several times, and eventually descended to ground level about 15 miles away from the base. According to the official report:
“When the team was about ten miles from the landing site, static disrupted radio contact with them. Five to eight mintues later, the glow diminished, and the UFO took off.” (1)
This incident lasted approximately four hours, and was confirmed by three different nuclear missile sites.
The Encounter At Malmstrom Air Force Base
The UFO incursion at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana is one of the most remarkable events in this history of UFO encounters with the military. This occurred in March of 1967 at a base that was responsible for a large amount of nuclear weapons. Here’s what happened:
An excerpt taken from the book
UFOs For The 21st Century Mind. Written By Richard Dolan.
“An airman with the Oscar Flight Launch Control Center (LCC) saw a star-like object zigzagging high above him. Soon, a larger and closer light also appeared and acted in a similar way. The airman called his non-commissioned officer, and the two men watched the lights streak through the sky, maneuvering in impossible ways. The NCO phoned his commander, Lieutenant Robert Salas, who was not impressed. He ordered the NCO to keep watching the display and report back if the objects got any closer. Minutes later that is precisely what happened. Shouting into the phone, the NCO told Salas that a red, glowing UFO was hovering outside the front gate.
Salas woke his commander, Lieutenant Fred Meiwald. As he briefed Meiwald, an alarm went off in the small capsule, and both men saw a “No-Go” light turn on for one of the missiles. Within seconds, about ten of the missiles went down in succession. Twenty miles away, at the Echo Launch Control Center, the same scenario took place.
Strike teams were sent to the two launch facilities, where maintenance crews were at work and had been watching UFOs hover over each of their sites. The missiles were down for most of the day. Neither the Air Force invesigation, nor Boeing’s tests found any cause for the shutdown.”
Over the past few years, several Air Force personnel have come forward to confirm that something did happen, and in 2010 Salas was part of a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that included these personnel. You can watch that full conference below:
Here is another video of Professor Robert Jacobs describing UFOs shutting down and disabling nuclear weapons that have already been launched.
Above are two of several instances that have occurred throughout the years and have been officially documented.
Why Are UFOs Deactivating Our Nuclear Missiles?
In my opinion, atomic weapons are something Earth and those who reside upon it don’t need. Perhaps the deactivations are a message to us that we are playing with something we don’t need to play with? Many UFOs started appearing when we were testing atomic weapons. Is it possible that some extraterrestrial beings might be concerned for the planet and the well being of the human race? Perhaps they are telling us we are playing with fire? Something we don’t need or shouldn’t have?
At the same time, we don’t need beings from another world to come tell us that harboring nuclear weapons that are capable of destroying the planet aren’t needed.
Perhaps the damage caused by the detonation of nuclear weapons reaches and affects worlds beyond our own?
Perhaps this is advanced technology from another country? Spying on our weaponry. Perhaps (if extraterrestrials) they are showing their superiority?
Based on my research into the topic of UFOs and extraterrestrials, I personally believe this is being done by benevolent extraterrestrials, and that it is a clear message to stop playing around with nuclear weapons and to take care of our planet.
What are your thoughts? Why do you think these incursions happened? Why do you think they are happening? Feel free to share in the comment section below.
I’d like to leave you with a video I’ve used several times before. But the statement is powerful, and true. The evidence supporting this phenomenon is overwhelming, and it’s one of the (if not the) most important story in human history that branches into so many different topics, and has so many implications. Again, browse through our exopolitics section for more articles on this subject, we have many.
Sources:
All sources not listed here are highlighted throughout the article.
(0) (1) Report, Department of the Air Force, Headquarters 862nd Combat Support Group (SAC), Minot AFB, North Dakota. Subject: UFO Report, to: AFSC (FTD) Wright-Petterson AFB, Ohio. Date: 30 Aug 1966. Letter, Department of the Air Force, Headquarters 862nd Combat Support Group (SAC), Minot AFB, to Dr. J. Allen Hynek, 4 January 1967.
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warc | 201704 | Nearly 33% of websites are infected with downloadable malware , after infection rates almost doubled in the past year, according to research from the Sans Institute.
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Users' confidence in online security is waning, leading small and medium sized companies to lose business, it said.
The security training organisation last week published its annual list of the top 20 cyber security threats.
Gerhard Eschelbeck, chief technology officer at Webroot, one of the firms that contributed to the study, said, "Since January 2007, Webroot has seen a 183% increase in websites that harbour spyware. Infection rates for spyware and Trojans that steal keystrokes are currently at 31% and growing rapidly.
"In a survey of small and medium enterprises we conducted in September, 77% said their success depends on the internet, and 47.2% reported lost sales due to spyware."
Rohit Dhamankar, senior manager of security research at security specialist TippingPoint, said 50% of the total vulnerabilities reported in 2007 were in web applications.
"But it is only the tip of the iceberg," he said. "This data excludes vulnerabilities in custom-developed web applications. Compromised websites provide avenues for massive client-side compromises via web browsers, office documents and media player exploits."
The number of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office products nearly trebled in 2007, said Amol Sawarte, manager of security firm Qualys's Vulnerability Laboratory. This was due primarily to new Excel vulnerabilities that can be exploited by getting users to open Excel files sent via e-mail and instant messenger.
Sans Institute research director Alan Paller said web application insecurity was particularly troublesome because so many developers write insecure code. "Most of their web applications provide access to back-end databases that hold sensitive information," he said.
"Until colleges that teach programmers, and companies that employ programmers, ensure that developers learn secure coding, and until those employers ensure that they work in a secure development lifecycle, we will continue to see major vulnerabilities."
Paller said new attacks use social engineering to expose internal company networks to exploitation. These attacks are much harder to defend against, he said. "They take a commitment to continuous monitoring and uncompromising adherence to policy with real penalties."
Technical defences have improved, but hackers are using automated attack programs to constantly scan the web for vulnerable systems.
"So many automated programs are searching for victims that Sans' Internet Storm Center (an early warning system for the internet) reports that computers can expect to survive only five minutes before being attacked, and will withstand the attacks only if they are configured securely before being connected to the internet," he said. | 3,045 | 1,519 | 0.000665 |
warc | 201704 | Repair of damaged structural concrete members is an art as well as a science for both contractor and engineer. The engineer must adapt the various available repair techniques available to him and coordinate them with field conditions so that the contractor's final repair is aesthetically acceptable, structurally sound, and does not interfere with operations of the facility. TYPES OF REHABILITATION There are five basic types of structural strengthening that can be considered without resorting to completely demolishing and rebuilding the member or systems of members. These strengthening techniques are: internal restoration; exterior reinforcement; exterior post-tensioning; jackets and collars; and supplemental members. INTERNAL RESTORATION The most common way to provide strengthening across cracked sections of structural members is to install new interior reinforcement. Reinforcing bars or dowels are simply installed in new holes drilled perpendicular to the crack surfaces. Epoxy injection is another successful method of internal strengthening. It is used on cracked walls, slabs, columns or beams which do not require reinforcement to restore. EXTERIOR REINFORCING Steel plates or channels are effective in stopping the spread of cracks. They can also provide exterior reinforcement for structural elements. EXTERNAL POST-TENSIONING Prestressing strands or tie rods with threaded ends may be used very effectively as external post-tensioning. JACKETS OR COLLARS Concrete members which are cracked or deteriorated throughout their entire cross section may be restored either by constructing a new reinforced concrete collar or by installing a series of tensioned steel straps around the existing members. SUPPLEMENTAL MEMBERS Supplemental members are simply new columns or beams installed to support damaged structural members or systems. | 1,854 | 944 | 0.00106 |
warc | 201704 | In this supplement, David Stevens, explores the growing world of social trading and what it means for the financial services industry.
Social trading is a new online trend quickly picking up traction across financial markets. While there are just a few operators offering the service, there's a strong likelihood that this movement could very well be the ‘next big thing' in investment markets.
For those unfamiliar, social trading is essentially the people's stock market, where users can follow and even copy the trades of the world's best players. But is this the easy way to play the market, or does the over-democratisation and gamification of the world's financial markets place us at risk of making risky investment decisions?
Until a few years ago, trading on the stock and currency exchanges happened behind closed doors with guru traders, hedge fund managers and brokers demanding huge sums from clients wanting to take advantage of their expertise. This when the majority of so called professionals underperform their benchmark. When you consider that the benchmark itself may be below inflation then this is a sobering thought. There seems to be a belief by some people that investing is very complicated and should be left to professionals - we know this is not the case. But now, with social trading services like Ayondo, anyone can have a hand in playing the markets.
Based on these principles, a few online services are providing the means to allow Joe Public to bypass the world of secretive stock tips and essentially piggy-back on the success of some of the world's most successful traders.
According to WorldFinance.com, social trading works by giving ‘…those with limited financial knowledge an insight into the stock exchange by allowing a real time analysis of individual trader performance. Seen as one of the most significant shifts in trading, social trading has the potential to open up opportunities for those interested in stock markets.' To paraphrase (although hopefully without oversimplifying the concept), imagine Twitter for investors; users create a social trading profile and as they trade, their interactions are broadcast in real-time to their followers. If followers of a particular investor like what they're doing, they can even choose to ‘copy' their trades (like a retweet) with a click of a button, removing what many would see as the painful process of identifying the best performing currencies and commodities and then deciding whether to buy or sell them.
With as much as $59 Trillion being traded across the top exchanges in 2010, and $4 Trillion worth of trades happening daily on the Foreign Exchange, it's not surprising more and more people want a slice of the pie – and at first glance, social trading provides the means to get stuck in quickly.
Brokers typically charge for their expertise, often as much as $10 per trade. In real-time markets where prices fluctuate in a matter of seconds, this adds up. In social trading, the process of socialising investments essentially democratises the investment process, removing the middle man in the form of a hedge fund manager or broker meaning your pie slice is a little bigger.
Features such as leader boards allow you to see the most successful traders in terms of profit by week, month and year. Making this data public should, in theory, provide insight into the best traders to follow, thereby increasing your earning potential. This gamified approach also instils a sense of aspiration into the service, although, as we'll explore later, this also has the potential to give misleading impressions about sensible trading practice.
Over the next few weeks we'll be looking in more depth about social trading, particularly around the existing pitfalls, the potential opportunities to improve the customer experience and what social trading could learn from online gaming. There'll also be some juicy insights from investment experts about whether these kinds of tools could be the key to market stability, or whether they will inflate the risk of another global recession.
In finance, as in life, imitation is often the sincerest form of flattery. New technology combined with advancements of social trading platforms and online networks today make it even easier than ever for investors to share – and copy – trading ideas. But that is not all. Traders who allow others to copy their trades typically earn a tiny little extra each time someone copies their trades (this is usually built into the technology of the social trading platform). In itself this remuneration isn't much but when a top trader (i.e. signal provider) has hundreds if not thousands of followers this can add up to a healthy extra income each month.
Anyone can become a 'popular investor' on eToro or a 'signal provider' on Ayondo or ZuluTrade if they can convince enough people to copy their trades. Signal providers receive a commission for each trade executed by a live follower account while eToro rewards 'popular investors' based on the number of copiers they rack up.
In the feature above, we explored what social trading is and how the act of ‘following' and ‘copying' the trades differentiates it from other investment options. This next post explores some of the mechanics and potential pitfalls of the system, especially for novice investors, or those expecting a quick return on their investment.
First things first; social trading is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing stopping you from making some serious money, if you do it right. But investing in stocks and shares is like gambling. Just like when the odds go against the favourite in sports events, the same can happen in investments. Values can fall as well as rise, and the historical performance of stocks, currencies and commodities does not provide a clear indicator of future performance.
Trading can be hard so this is another alternative for people who don't know how to trade – they can simply copy the more experienced traders. It may seem easy to make money copy trading but this is a misconception; you still have to put the time and do your homework including careful risk assessment. Finding traders who know what they are doing isn’t easy and you have to keep watch; unfortunately many of the traders on these trading platforms are out to make a quick buck. Some social trading sites provide incomplete stats so although a trader may look at first instance that's he's successful and making good gains, the underlying data may reveal that he's actually sitting on a number of losing trades that they haven’t closed yet in the hope the trades will reverse.
As a new member of a social trading platform, these realisations raised a few concerns for me:
In theory, while 'following' and 'copying' other traders should take the pain away from investing, I could end up copying a series of poor investments based on chains of lucky novices.
For example, imagine I am following and copying the trades of Trader Z, who is copying Trader Y, who is copying Trader X. This would be fine if they all knew what they were doing. But what if they're all like me and are just amateurs following other high performers? What if it's a really long chain of people with no trading experience copying each other and getting lucky based on the decisions of, for example, Trader A at the beginning of the chain. Despite the fact she may be an expert, there's a risk that the 'Chinese whisper' effect could get out of control and people are no longer making informed decisions.
Secondly, there is a risk you could simply be following the random dumb luck of a trader who is doing no more than taking a long or short punt, the 50/50 taking a shot. Start off with a large enough group of traders, the larger the better, and some are bound to make a success of it due to nothing more than probability and the way numbers play out. Indeed you only need one who has a particularly good run to attract people.
Another concern was that placing complex market trading in the hands of many novices would exaggerate the effect of global trading behaviour to such an extent it could create a snowball affect across markets, potentially contributing to world economic events on an unprecedented scale. Furthermore, could this be used by rogue traders to alter the effects of market conditions?
Tools like the leader board at first glance are extremely useful in identifying the most successful traders, therefore providing a good indication of people to follow.
As a result, I ended up following people with the highest percentage gains (more than 300% over their initial investment), as indicated by the leader board, thinking I could make good money quickly. Low and behold by Friday last week I had made $150, so carried on in the same vein. But come Monday morning I was $15 down on my initial investment!
My concern is that while the leader board tools highlight the best performers to follow, it makes a game out investing and focuses people on short term gains, rather than promoting good trading practice and helping them see the bigger picture. In fact most people have a tendency to follow the traders with the best short-term performance but this is a mistake - those traders are likely to be using very risky strategies with a high probability that they will eventually blow up their accounts - the ones you should follow are the ones who have the longest track record and who don't trade that often.
The content of this site is copyright 2015 Contracts for Difference Ltd. Please contact us if you wish to reproduce any of it | 9,678 | 4,333 | 0.000233 |
warc | 201704 | In this section we will introduce you to pairs trading and related strategies, with particular reference to research, testing and implementation
Contract for Differences pairs trading occurs when taking positions - one long and one short - in two CFDs usually in the same industry sector. The objective of this strategy is to exploit a perceived future convergence or divergence in the underlying share prices. It is not necessary for each position to yield a profit - only for the profit on one to exceed a potential loss on the other. This strategy is market neutral meaning the director of the overall market should not affect its profit or loss.
For example, Barclays Bank is due to announce it's latest dividend and technical analysis suggests that the near term trend is positive. At the same time, Standard Chartered Bank is failing to establish upside momentum, falling victim to concerns over the SARS virus due to it's heavy Asian market exposure. It is therefore decided to go long Barclays and sell short Standard - at EXACTLY the same time and in EXACTLY the same underlying value for each CFD;
The performance of a CFD Pairs trade is easily measured in terms of the ratio of the share prices. An increase from the original ratio will indicate a profit whilst a reduction in the ratio will indicate a losing trade.
NET PROFIT ON CFD SPREAD TRADE = £1,400 less £125 = + £1,275.
Please note that while this type of intra-market strategy (i.e. CFD pairs trading) may be considered as lower risk than establishing a single CFD open position - this is mathematically misleading. Maintaining a spread position represents two open positions - one of which by definition is of a potentially unlimited contingent liability (the short sale). Therefore, in the above example the actual value at risk (VAR) - or definable rather than perceived risk - is much greater than even the sum of the two parts (£50,000).
Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport & Trading are two halves of the same company. Royal Dutch trades on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, while Shell trades in London. In theory, their share prices should go up and down in unison.
If a gap develops between the two because Royal Dutch rises further than Shell (lowering the dividend yield), you should feel confident that the anomaly will correct itself sooner or later. In that case, you could sell a Royal Dutch CFD and buy a Shell CFD.An investor anticipates that the share price of Royal Dutch Petroleum will outperform that of Shell Transport & Trading and -:
The opening margin required for this pairs trade would be £18,000 (10% of the aggregate Contract Values).
Profit on Royal Dutch Petroleum trade £3,000 (10,000 shares x (930-900)) Loss on Shell Transport & Trading trade £(1,350) (15,000 shares x (600-609)) Net Profit on the Trade £1,650
Profit on Royal Dutch Petroleum trade £1,000 (10,000 shares x (910-900)) Loss on Shell Transport & Trading trade £(6,000) (15,000 shares x (600-640)) Net Loss on the Trade £(5,000)
Loss on Royal Dutch Petroleum trade £(5,000) (10,000 shares x (850-900)) Profit on Shell Transport & Trading trade £2,250 (15,000 shares x (600-585)) Net Loss on the Trade £(2,750)
Loss on Royal Dutch Petroleum trade £(3,000) (10,000 shares x (870-900)) Profit on Shell Transport & Trading trade £9,750 (15,000 shares x (600-535)) Net Profit on the Trade £6,750
Profit on Royal Dutch Petroleum trade £1,000 (10,000 shares x (910-900)) Profit on Shell Transport & Trading trade £9,750 (15,000 shares x (600-535)) Net Profit on the Trade £10,750
Lost on Royal Dutch Petroleum trade (£2,000) (10,000 shares x (880-900)) Loss on Shell Transport & Trading trade (£5,250) (15,000 shares x (635-600)) Net Loss on the Trade (£7,250)
The beauty of the strategy is that it doesn't matter whether the market rises or falls since the outcome of the trade simply relies on the relative movement of the two shares.
Another excellent low-risk example involves the two different classes of Schroder shares: SDR (voting) and SDRC (non-voting). Being different share classes of the same company makes this more akin to an arbitrage strategy.
The non-voting stocks typically trade at a discount of 4% to 12% and when this widens it creates an ideal pairs trading opportunity, but the key is to trade the less liquid non-voters first to make sure that this position is safely in place. Another popular combination is Enterprise Inns (ETI) and Punch Taverns (PUB). Where the long and the short CFD positions are taken out with matching monetary exposures the resultant pairs trade will be market neutral. Since the stocks should be highly correlated with each other this will mean the risk of a pair could be 30% to 40% less than an equivalent uncovered position. Some CFD providers will take this into account and will reduce the margin requirement for an active client who regularly makes this type of trade. A pairs trade is not however the same as a hedge as there is still a big exposure if both positions go wrong. In view of this it may be best used when something triggers an overreaction to knock the stocks out of sync.
Successful pairs trading depends on the trader's ability to spot anomalies in the market and to act quickly on them. These anomalies may persist for long periods, or, as is usually the case, disappear very quickly. It can take time to identify the price anomalies, as well as some discretion to determine when to enter and exit trades. These price anomalies do not occur very often, so it is important to have a solid plan to spot them and then to take the appropriate action when they do appear. Pairs trading results in double commissions being paid to the CFD provider since these trades involve two positions.
It is also important to have a stop loss in place, even when trading pairs. Unforseen events such as takeover bids, unexpected company announcements, profit downgrades and other market related events can have an unexpected adverse impact on one leg of the pairs trade. A point of exit, either as a set percentage or a set dollar amount, needs to be determined before entering the trade. | 6,244 | 2,688 | 0.00038 |
warc | 201704 | Are you taking full advantage of your call tracking platform?
Thousands of businesses employ the data that call tracking offers to optimize their marketing strategy and improve ROI.
In previous posts, we’ve provided guidance on the best places to put call tracking numbers.
Today, we will be examining some of the top ways to use the data extracted with call tracking technology.
A basic overview of call tracking data can be generated through reports with your provider. Marketers use these reports to gather and analyze the information that is associated with these numbers.
The primary purpose of these reports is to tell marketers which ads, campaigns and sources are generating phone calls. The reports can also reveal more detailed information such as the timing, duration and geographic location of these calls.
How many phone calls are being generated through Google searches? How many of them come through from other channels? Call tracking numbers can tie specific phone calls to the specific referring sources that produced them.
Call tracking numbers are often used to identify phone calls from specific URLs. These URLs can be associated with a variety of things such as PPC ads and directory listings. This type of data makes it possible for marketers to distinguish between the URLs that are generating phone calls and those that are not.
Marketers that use session-based or keyword call tracking are able to determine the organic keywords that lead to a phone call. This is accomplished by having a unique phone number displayed to each individual website visitor and then associating that number with the keywords used to find the webpage.
This type of DNI call tracking can be advantageous in the right circumstances. If you’d like to learn more about keyword call tracking then you can check out this blog post.
Many of our clients use call tracking numbers for the purpose of collecting data from the calls themselves rather than the events that led to the call.
At Convirza, every phone call that is generated through one of our call tracking numbers is recorded. Some companies also use Convirza’s call tracking platform to record outbound calls.
In addition to using call tracking numbers for recording call content, some clients take utilize our platform to extract critical metrics from the phone calls.
Calls can be scored and graded on a wide range of criteria or to extract a few key metrics requested by the client.
If you are interested in finding out what your sales team’s close rate is then call tracking numbers are an option. Using call scoring to keep track of close rates can be an effective sales training tool.
Join Our Conversation
Connect with us on your favorite platform to learn more about how Convirza is helping thousands of companies solve their most challenging sales and marketing needs. | 2,874 | 1,306 | 0.000776 |
warc | 201704 | Political and economic elites’ success in manufacturing mass ignorance represents the largest impediment to democratic empowerment today. Stoking fear of and contempt for the “other” – including minorities and the poor, is a common tactic employed in election to gain voter support. So is the stoking of hubris – as seen in the demonization of the poor, and in the rhetorical glorification of those “who work” against those (allegedly) “who don’t.” Unfortunately, countless Americans fall victim to divide and conquer techniques employed by elites. The goal moving forward must be to create a critical citizen consciousness, so the masses don’t simply “accept what they’re told” once every four years by the pretty faces running for office. What follows is a primer for readers to help in their conversations with friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and family, to fight back against the racist, classist propaganda so often employed against disadvantaged groups in the U.S.
I focus here on anti-welfare stereotypes promoted by the major candidates this election year. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, in addition to Hillary Clinton, rely on tired stereotypes, demonizing the poor in their efforts to gut social welfare spending. Clinton’s stereotypes reach back to the 1990s, when she and her husband championed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which eliminated the national government’s Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (a highly successful anti-poverty initiative with roots in the Great Depression). The Clinton’s support for PRWORA was justified via the assumption that the poor were seeking a free ride by gaming the welfare system and refusing to work, compared to most Americans who made their way through hard work and sacrifice.
Cruz and Trump continue Hillary Clinton’s assault on the poor. Cruz attacks the food stamps program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) for “trapping millions in long-term dependency,” while Trump alleges that welfare programs create “an incentive” on the part of the poor “not to work.” Trump recycles Romney’s old language from the 2012 presidential race, arguing that “we have a society that sits back and says we’re not going to do anything. And eventually the 50 percent cannot carry, and it’s unfair to them, but cannot carry the other 50 percent.”
I’ve long been frustrated by what passes for “common knowledge” regarding American welfare programs. Many conservatives I know embrace this “knowledge” simply because they’ve been socialized by parents, friends, and political elites to do so, without looking into the actual evidence. Cognitive dissonance is a major problem, with citizens becoming even more entrenched in their beliefs when confronted with evidence that clearly refutes their preexisting prejudices.
The U.S. is historically the least committed of all wealthy countries to taxing and spending on all types of social programs, although one would hardly know this by looking at popular media and political commentary. But what about many of the specific anti-welfare claims that pass for informed discourse in the U.S.? I tackle them head-on below, showing how most everything political elites tell you about welfare recipients is wrong.
The “people on welfare are Cadillac-driving, lobster-eating cheats” myth.
These claims have been common since the Reagan years. Welfare recipients, we are told, are so good at manipulating the system and have so much money on hand that they can afford to drive Cadillac Escalades and buy steaks and lobster, compared to the average working American, who struggles economically and avoids frivolous extras.
In reality, most poor Americans struggle when it comes to eating well and in securing basic transportation. Regarding food consumption, it is well known that there exists a strong correlation between poverty and obesity in the U.S., with poor Americans having greater difficulty affording healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. By comparison, processed foods, often comprised of government-subsidized corn-based products, are far cheaper and more likely to be consumed by the poor. Consider recent data from the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which finds that $1 can purchase 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda, but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit. Also consider that the poorest American states are among the most obese. As CNN reports, “the five poorest states are also among the 10 fattest, and eight of the 10 poorest states are also among the 10 with the lowest life expectancy.” In the U.S., the average individual in a family of three in the poorest 20 percent of the income distribution receives just $3.33 a day from the SNAP program to pay for food This miserly subsidy means poor Americans are forced to try and “do more with less,” often turning to low-cost, high-salt, and fatty foods.
Concerning transportation, welfare recipients seldom fit the affluent description of the Cadillac-driving elitist. One shouldn’t be surprised to find some welfare recipients who still drive expensive-looking cars from the days prior to losing their job. Many Americans were fast-tracked from prosperity to the unemployment line following the 2008 economic collapse. In general, however, welfare recipients are significantly less likely to own cars than non-welfare recipients. While only three percent of families not on welfare fail to own a car, the number for those on public assistance is nearly a quarter. The average family on public assistance has one car, whereas the average non-welfare recipient family owns two.
Previous studies find that transportation issues abound among welfare recipients. One Minnesota study, for example, found that 85 percent of state welfare recipients cited transportation as either a “big problem” or “somewhat of a problem” when it came to holding a job. Studies in Illinois and New Jersey found that about a quarter of states residents cited transportation issues as interfering with their ability to work. The numbers were higher in studies from Missouri and Utah, which found that 57 and 55 percent respectively cited transportation as “a barrier to employment.” The reality of work in the United States is that we are a car-centric culture. To exploit job opportunities, one needs money to afford transportation. Many poor Americans experience difficulties in this car culture, either due to an inability to afford a vehicle at all, or difficulty in maintaining aging vehicles.
The “they don’t want to work and have never held a job” myth
Many friends, family, and students I’ve spoken with over the years simply assume that welfare benefits are so generous that those benefitting from these programs don’t have to work. This assumption can be soundly rejected for a number of reasons. First, if one looks at those benefitting from the main state welfare program in the U.S. – Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) – work requirements are at least 30 hours a week as an individual, or 50 hours a week as a couple, in order to receive benefits. Furthermore, these benefits have a five-year lifetime limit (less in some states). In short, there is no way that TANF recipients can avoid holding a job because of the extremely short-term nature of this program, and due to its built-in work requirements. TANF benefits themselves are quite meager too, ensuring that surviving on them is next to impossible. The average TANF beneficiary in a family of three in the poorest 20 percent of the U.S. income distribution receives an average benefit of $42 a month, hardly enough to afford not to work. The claim that welfare recipients benefit from programs so generous they don’t have to work is silly, naïve propaganda, and supported by none of the available evidence. Two-thirds of TANF recipients are on the program for less than one year, and the average food stamps and Medicaid beneficiaries are on the programs for between one to three years.
The “welfare enables laziness among the poor” myth
Recent statistics on welfare recipients suggest that the vast majority hail from demographic groups that would be expected for obvious reasons to need federal or state assistance. The vast majority of recipients are
not able bodied adults who refuse to work. More than 90 percent of welfare recipients fit one of the three following descriptions. They are A. already employed, and have earnings so low that they’re classified as the “working poor” and eligible for public aid; B. disabled, and unable to perform the same physical or occupational tasks as able-bodied or able-minded individuals; or C. elderly, and are on fixed incomes from retirement savings based on 401K benefits, Social Security, and other benefits. The vast majority of these individuals in the third group worked their entire adult lives, so the claim about laziness simply doesn’t hold. The “they just want to have lots of babies to get more benefits” myth
One of the nastiest myths against welfare recipients is that they have large numbers of children, simply to pump up their benefits so they don’t have to work. Having known many people on welfare (and having been on welfare myself), I have yet to meet someone in my entire life who fits this description. Nonetheless, the repetition of this claim is a near constant among most welfare opponents I know. The average size of a family on welfare is 3.7 people, which is the same for non-welfare families. Looking more closely at family size by income, one sees that there is little evidence of poorer Americans having larger families. The median household size in the U.S. is 2.54 people.
The data suggest that larger family sizes are most common among
higher income families, as the three groups with the largest percentage of families of three or more are the very top of the income distribution. Those earning less than $10,000 a year are the fourth largest group with families of three or more, but the three groups with the smallest number of families of three or more people are under the national median family income of $50,000. In summary, the evidence here suggests that most individuals with lower incomes are actually likely to have smaller families than those with higher incomes, and welfare-receiving families are no bigger on average than non-welfare receiving families. The “welfare benefits are so generous that the poor are now rich” myth
This myth should by all rights be too stupid to even discuss, considering the obvious chasm between the image of the Cadillac driving welfare queen, and the reality of welfare recipients living in poverty. And yet such stereotypes are very common today among many embracing reactionary political values. To provide a much needed corrective on this misinformation, consider the following statistics. 1. The vast majority of families on welfare – 75 percent – are renters, not homeowners. In contrast, more than 75 percent of non-welfare families own their homes. 2. The average income of those in the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution – those most likely to rely on welfare – is quite meager. Their incomes as part of the working poor averaged just $11,490 a year in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Their small incomes were supplemented by much needed welfare benefits, although these benefits were also meager. According to the Census Bureau, for families of three in the poorest 20 percent of the income distribution, benefits from the 10 largest welfare programs, including Medicaid, Women and Infant Children, public housing subsidies, food stamps, TANF payments, state child health insurance, the Earned Income Tax credit, the child tax credit, “Obamacare” health insurance subsidies, and the dependent tax exemption, averaged just $9,000 a year, or $3,000 per person. For a family of three in the lowest income quintile, income and welfare transfers combined to an average income of just $20,490 a year. It’s a serious victory for propaganda that a family of three with such a low income could be framed as part of the American elite.
The “people on welfare would rather do drugs than work” myth
This myth should be permanently laid to rest in light of recent data tracking drug use among welfare beneficiaries. When Tennessee instituted mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients, many thought it represented a step toward greater accountability in government. To the contrary, the testing found that drug use among welfare recipients was non-existent, statistically speaking. Just one in 800 people on welfare tested positive for drugs, or .1 percent of total beneficiaries. Other states, including Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah also implement drug testing. The testing in these states reveals that, on average, positive drug tests are found in between .002 percent to 8.4 percent of welfare beneficiaries, despite surveys suggesting that the national drug use rate is 9.4 percent. Conservative officials claimed that drug testing would save states tons of money by kicking countless addicts off the welfare rolls. But the attempt to demonize welfare recipients as drug addicts is a red herring.
Many Americans will refuse to reconsider their ill-informed hatred of the poor. It is too deeply engrained in their psyche and identity to simply cast aside. But as progressives, we have a responsibility this election season to debunk this nonsense whenever we can, regardless of the source. The stakes are too high for those relying on government aid to be demonized, needlessly, by political elites in pursuit of their own narrow, upper-class agenda.
For interested readers, the data from this article was derived from the following sources:
Arloc Sherman, Robert Greenstein, and Kathy Ruffing, “Contrary to ‘Entitlement Society’ Rhetoric, Over Nine-Tenths of Entitlement Benefits Go to Elderly, Disabled, or Working Households,”
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, February 11, 2012, http://www.cbpp.org/research/contrary-to-entitlement-society-rhetoric-over-nine-tenths-of-entitlement-benefits-go-to
Bryce Covert, “Your Assumptions About Welfare Recipients are Wrong,”
Think Progress, December 18, 2013, http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/12/18/3081791/welfare-recipient-spending/
LZ Granderson, “Poor and Fat: The Real Class War,”
com, June 8, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/opinion/granderson-poverty-health/
Glenn Kessler, “A Misleading Chart on Welfare Spending,”
Washington Post, February 21, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/a-misleading-chart-on-welfare-spending/2013/02/20/1b40bcde-7ba4-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_blog.html
Pew Research Center, “January 2014 Political Survey,” January 15, 2014, http://www.people-press.org/2014/01/19/january-2014-political-survey/
Bryce Covert and Josh Israel, “What 7 States Discovered After Spending More Than $1 Million Drug Testing Welfare Recipients,”
Think Progress, February 26, 2015, http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/26/3624447/tanf-drug-testing-states/
Heidi Goldberg, “State and County Supported Car Ownership Programs Can Help Low-Income Families Secure and Keep Jobs,”
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 28, 2001, http://www.cbpp.org/archives/11-8-01wel.htm
Darlena Cunha, “Why Drug Testing Welfare Recipients is a Waste of Taxpayer Money,”
Time Magazine, August 15, 2014, http://time.com/3117361/welfare-recipients-drug-testing/
Arthur Delaney, “How Long Do People Stay on Public Benefits?”
Huffington Post, May 29, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/29/public-benefits-safety-net_n_7470060.html | 16,169 | 7,070 | 0.000146 |
warc | 201704 | I attended the last two hearings of the Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians because my wife, Debra, petitioned to have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, included as an eligible condition. Debra filed the petition because she was diagnosed with ALS one year ago.
I can tell you from personal experience the benefits she derives from "the evil weed," whether it is relief from the constant pain of cramping or the anxiety of living with a terminal disease.
The impression I have gotten from board member Dr. Deepak Cyril D'Souza is that he believes all petitions should be held to the gold standard of an FDA-approved, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Based on my experiences with the FDA approval process, it is safe to assume recreational marijuana will be legal long before the first trial is concluded.
I agree with consumer protection Commissioner Jonathan A. Harris' view that the board should err on the side of approving the use of marijuana instead of forcing people to seek relief through other avenues such as opiates.
If Dr. D’Souza truly believes that the board is following what he called "a different process" than what he envisioned, then perhaps he should step down and allow someone with a more open mind to fill the vacancy.
Timothy L. Gove, Durham | 1,320 | 751 | 0.001348 |
warc | 201704 | Train Wreck
Dr. Everett PiperEverett Piper's Blog 2011 Mar 07
Comments
Note: To listen to this blog on KWON/KYFM radio go to http://www.bartlesvilleradio.com/caffeine/uploads/files/ON%20Demand/Ideas%20Matter/Ideas%20Matter%203-7.mp3 . If you are interested in Dr. Piper’s new book
Why I Am a “Liberal” and Other Conservative Ideas go to www.whyiamaliberal.com or www.everettpiper.com .
Several times in the past I have said that ideas always lead somewhere. Like the train in the Christmas movie
The Polar Express, good ideas lead to good places full of magic, wonder, and beauty; and like the train chugging across the foothills of the Black Forest in Schindler’s List, bad ideas always lead to bad places such as the furnaces of Dachau and Auschwitz.
Ideas, just like trains, are directional—they always lead somewhere.
Well, this past week the Obama Administration announced that it wants to spend $56 billion to buy a train—a high-speed rail service—that over the next 25 years will cost a total of $800 billion to maintain and expand!
As my friend Chuck Colson says, “This is sheer madness… At a time when several state governments are teetering on the verge of economic collapse…and the nation’s credit rating is sinking into the abyss… [It’s] time for the government to pare back exactly as the American people have told them to do... Now is the time for our representative leaders to grow up and ask what is necessary and what is a luxury, not to ask what can buy votes…!”
Colson concludes: “[Let’s] boil it down so even Congress can understand it. Excessive debt: bad. Living within our means: good.”
I might add this: Not only is this a colossal waste of money, but it is symbolic of the ideological “train wreck” of a culture that has totally lost its way. As spending financial capital on a bad train is a bad idea so too is spending moral capital on so many other bad ideas that are likewise taking us down the tracks of our own destruction.
Perhaps now is the time to call your congressman before the train leaves the station. | 2,154 | 1,188 | 0.000889 |
warc | 201704 | People attribute human qualities to toys, products, and machines, and they design toys, products, and machines to enhance this process (see anthropomorphic form). Our anthropomorphic perceptions and ideas influence how we interact with animals, robots, and products-- how much we like them, how much we trust them, and how much we rely on them (see the psychology section).
Many leading scientists consider anthropomorphism to be a misleading and self-centered folk theory about animals or objects. Until 2004, the Pittsburgh Zoo did not name its animals publicly, for fear the public would think of wild animals as pets or people.
A different point of view is exemplified by Darwin, who argued that the difference between us and animals is only a matter of degree. Some biologists working with apes and chimps agree, as would people who consider their pets to be family members.
What about machines? Eventually we will build robots having many human qualities, including the ability to talk and to take the point of view of others. Again there is debate. Some roboticists say building humanoid robots will help us learn about people. Humanoids might interact better with people than more machine-like robots would. Others are aghast at this claim. See the theory section for more information, and our bibliography for some references.
This website promotes understanding of anthropomorphism. Our work on these projects has finished, but the website will continue to be available as a community resource. | 1,510 | 785 | 0.001279 |
warc | 201704 | LASHKARGAH, AFGHANISTAN — Come spring, the now frozen fields around Lashkargah in southern Afghanistan will be a blaze of pink and white flowers. By June, another bumper crop of opium will be ready for delivery to heroin laboratories across the border in Pakistan's wild and rugged Baluchistan Province.
Seventeen years of civil war destroyed most of Afghanistan's agricultural infrastructure, but it failed to stem opium growing, which thrives in the lawlessness that prevails throughout much of the country.
Now the ultra-Orthodox Islamic militia, the Taliban, which controls two-thirds of Afghanistan and has banned everything from music tapes to movie halls, has turned a blind eye to the narcotics trade.
Hopes that the Taliban would put opium production high on its list of "un-Islamic" practices have been dashed. While it has cracked down on drug taking, aid workers say that opium production in southern Afghanistan, under Taliban control, increased 10 percent last year and that Taliban leaders have taxed opium farmers to finance the war in the north.
With narcotics-control agencies such as the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) barred from working in Afghanistan, countries in Western Europe and North America are helpless to control the drug flow across the region's porous borders.
As in the case of restarting women's education - which was banned when the Taliban took over - the group's leaders say that the problem of opium production will be dealt with once the war in the north against the forces of the former president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, is over.
The 'official' view
"We do not want opium to be grown in Afghanistan," says Taliban's acting foreign minister, Mohammad Ghaus. "But we don't have the resources to provide an alternative for the farmers."
Most of Afghanistan's opium is grown in Helmand Province, a vast tract of desert bisected by the icy waters of the Helmand River, which rises in the distant Hindu Kush Mountains.
The waters of this river were once harnessed by a series of dams built with American aid in the 1970s. Irrigation schemes turned this otherwise barren land into the food bowl of southern Afghanistan.
Farmers turned away from their traditional dependence on opium and grew wheat, fruit, vegetables, and cotton, which sold especially well. By the time of the Soviet invasion in December 1979, Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand Province, was one of Afghanistan's most prosperous cities.
Canals disintegrate
The civil war that followed the Soviet occupation sent thousands of farmers fleeing across the border into Pakistan. With no one left to maintain them, irrigation canals silted up, levies were breached, and pumps broke down. Deadly land mines were strewn across once-fertile fields, and farmhouses were destroyed in the fighting.
Today opium is the only cash crop that will grow in these rocky fields. The plant has proven resistant both to war and drought. The first rains of spring are enough to germinate the opium seeds. Ample sunshine and the insatiable demand for the drug abroad do the rest.
"If I don't grow opium my family and I will starve," says Noor Ullah, a farmer. "The Taliban told us we can grow opium because the war has made food so expensive and we must have money to eat."
An average-sized holding in the broad Helmand River Valley can produce around 10 manns, or approximately 99 pounds of raw opium. Each mann of opium sells for about 3.5 million Afghanis, which in the country's inflation-prone currency is the equivalent of only about $175.
That is still a lot of money in Afghanistan, which has one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the world. But in New York or London, that same heroin would fetch much more: $100,000.
Despite the lower returns, Mahmaud Gule, an opium farmer who drives taxis between Kandahar and Lashkargah while his fields lie fallow, says he would switch back to cotton if the incentive were there.
"We have heard about drug addiction and the other problems," Mr. Gule says. "The Taliban told us that if there is a central government in Afghanistan recognized by other countries, we will get help and then we will change back to cotton."
According to Bill Bergquist, head of the Kandahar branch of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan, the Taliban group has indicated some flexility in dealing with the drug problem and has promised the UNDCP will be allowed to return.
Global commitment needed
"The international community has to renew its commitment to Afghanistan," says Mr. Bergquist, stressing the need for more funds for reconstruction and drug-control programs rather than just emergency humanitarian aid.
"If we don't, we have lost not only our bargaining tool [but] this country will return to the dark ages for the next 100 years," he says.
Clearly, the only hope for Afghanistan is that the peace and unity that has eluded the country for nearly two decades return. But with little progress being made to bring the Taliban and its opponents to the negotiating table and a costly armed struggle continuing, the first steps toward full reconstruction and a stemming of the drug trade appear to be a long way off. | 5,230 | 2,579 | 0.000391 |
warc | 201704 | Teens practice mindfulness for class credit
More schools are teaching students mindfulness techniques in an attempt to alleviate stress. While some parents are concerned the practice is religious in nature, spirituality aside, kids are benefitting from learning to be in the moment.
PORTLAND, Ore. — As the morning school bell rings and students rush through crowded corridors, teenagers in one Portland classroom settle onto mats and meditation pillows. They fall silent after the teacher taps a Tibetan "singing bowl."
"Allow yourself to settle into the experience of being here, in this moment," teacher Caverly Morgan tells two dozen students at Wilson High School.
The students are enrolled in a for-credit, year-long mindfulness class meant to ease youth anxiety and depression and to prevent violence. For 90 minutes, three days a week, they practice a mix of yoga, sitting, and walking meditation, visualization techniques, deep breathing, journaling, and non-judgmental listening.
The idea behind mindfulness is that focusing on the present moment helps a person deal better with stress, difficult emotions, and negative thoughts.
Mindfulness, yoga, and meditation have gained popularity among Americans in recent decades, buoyed by studies showing their benefits to emotional, mental, and physical health. The centuries-old practices have roots in Buddhism and Hinduism, but Western culture has secularized them to focus on physical postures, breathing, and relaxation techniques.
Such practices are now offered by corporations like Google, Target, and General Mills to their employees. Prison inmates, hospital patients, and the US Marines are using them to combat stress and illness, increase focus and well-being. And now schools all over the country are introducing the practices.
Some people have greeted the move with less than enthusiasm.
Last year, an elementary school in Ohio ended its mindfulness program after parents complained it was too closely linked to Eastern religion and a conservative Christian law firm unsuccessfully sued on behalf of a couple in Encinitas, California, arguing their school district's yoga classes indoctrinate children.
But many school districts are reporting success.
In Richmond, California, where a teacher started a mindfulness program called the Mindful Life Project, schools have reported drops in detentions and referrals among low-income, at-risk youth.
The school district in South Burlington, Vermont, implemented a successful mindfulness course as part of a health and wellness program, and now administrators there have written a manual on incorporating mindfulness into K-12 curriculums.
Portland is known for its progressivism, so it should be no surprise the idea of teaching mindfulness is being embraced here. Students at Wilson say the class has been a boon for them.
"Sometimes I have trouble breathing, I have panic attacks. This class helps me bring more attention to my breath and overcome that," junior Cassia McIntyre said. "I'm less stressed out and able to better cope with stress."
The class is the brainchild of Morgan, who trained at a Zen Buddhist monastery for eight years and opened a meditation center in Sacramento. After moving to Portland two years ago, Morgan started her program Peace in Schools and teamed up with Allyson Copacino, who teaches yoga to children.
The two started an after-school program at Wilson. After hundreds of students signed up, principal Brian Chatard took note. The school was dealing with a student's suicide, and few resources were available to address students' emotional and mental health.
"High school is the hardest period of time for kids," Mr. Chatard said. "You've got emotional changes, hormonal changes, all the social pressures. It's also the onset of mental illness for some kids, depression hits, and there's the pressure of college and sports. All these things kids do is overwhelming without having a strategy to deal with it."
During a class in October, after a half-hour of yoga exercises, Morgan asked students to visualize a stressful moment in their lives and notice the negative internal dialogue in their heads.
Students wrote the negative self-talk in a journal, then shared it with the class and practiced compassionate — non-judgmental — listening in pairs.
Learning how to recognize the "inner critic" is crucial for teens, Morgan said.
"It's very important that teens learn how to do that, because that critical voice leads to behaviors that are extremely unhealthy, such as overeating, bullying, even committing suicide," Morgan said.
Pediatric psychologists at Oregon Health & Science University are partnering with the mindfulness program to study its impact on students.
A similar yearlong program is offered at Rosemary Anderson High School, an alternative school in nearby Gresham that serves students who were expelled or dropped out, are homeless or single parents.
Unlike at Wilson, mindfulness at Rosemary is mandatory for some 70 students, many of whom knew little or nothing about it. Some of the students were initially skeptical and complained about the course, the principal, Erica Stavis, said.
But on mid-term reviews, students reported the class had helped them better recognize their feelings, deal with anger and distance themselves from destructive thoughts during difficult family situations.
"This program filled a gap," Stavis said. "It helps students build capacity to problem solve." | 5,514 | 2,672 | 0.000379 |
warc | 201704 | Running concurrently with the general session of the California Legislature is the First Special Session Gov. Jerry Brown called to address the state's implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act. The Assembly and the state Senate have each approved their own version of a bill designed to cover an additional million Californians with the protections of Medi-Cal. The enactment of the bills could ensure health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of California students and their families.
ABX1 1, by Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles), and SB X1 1, by Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Los Angeles) and Senate Health Committee Chair Ed Hernandez (D-Baldwin Park), are both important steps toward implementing the federal health care act. ABX1 1 now heads to the Senate Health Committee, and SBX1 1 moves to the Assembly Health Committee.
The bills also streamline the process for establishing program eligibility and enrolling participants in the program. Because the bills are in a special session, once approved, they would take effect within 90 days of their signing. Regular session bills take effect January of the following year.
Ninety percent of the funding to expand the program comes from the federal government for the first three years.
The bills are scheduled to come before CTA's State Council of Education in April. CTA supports ensuring that each and every student has access to health care to effectively pursue educational excellence. | 1,495 | 791 | 0.001269 |
warc | 201704 | Support the North Carolina “One State, One Rate” campaign
Today, we are launching the North Carolina “One State, One Rate” Campaign. We are calling on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, to grant in-state tuition to undocumented students.
Like other undocumented students in North Carolina, I, Emilio, did well in school and was involved in my community. I knew I would be charged the out-of-state tuition rate, without the ability to apply for any federal or state-based aid. I am able to attend UNC because I was awarded a private scholarship. If it weren’t for the generosity of a donor, I would not be here today.
Over the last few years, I, Pablo, have been working as a high school math teacher,counselor and dropout prevention specialist. Through my work, I have met numerous talented students whose dreams of continuing their education are cut short by the sad fact that they will be charged out-of-state tuition, an impossible financial hurdle for their families.
We believe that an inclusive university demands that we give all North Carolinians an equal opportunity to continue their education.
It says a lot when the University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles and University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — three of our four “top public peers” — all offer in-state tuition to undocumented students.
Seventeen states, including Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Utah, already offer in-state tuition for undocumented students.
This is an educational issue — people from across the political spectrum support tuition equality for undocumented students.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — both Republicans — as well as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an Independent, all support tuition equality. It’s time the University did the same.
Important student voices at UNC, including The Daily Tar Heel, Campus Y and Student Congress, all support granting in-state tuition to undocumented students.
We believe doing so is not just the correct thing to do but is the Carolina Way. W ecare for others. We believe in the goodness of people and their ability to persevere.
Let’s be on the right side of history and grant in-state tuition to undocumented students. We challenge 1,000 Tar Heels to sign our petition for tuition equality by visiting OneStateOneRate.org | 2,457 | 1,159 | 0.000895 |
warc | 201704 | خبر ها – افغانستان
A new risk comment news on a Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), conducted by a Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, has found that a method is inextricable in during slightest 12 cases of crime and loosening and that a open and donors have mislaid trust in it.
According to a report, a issues of crime within a method embody bribery, illegally charging for services, piracy of open skill by a officials, bias and ignoring tellurian rights.
The cabinet talks about a injustice of energy in a health method and says that officials in a MoPH are allocated formed on family and by a division of absolute figures.
“Over a past decade, all measures taken opposite crime were usually mouth use and usually for a brief duration of time,” pronounced Nasim Akbar CEO of a committee.
“We are committed to fortifying a people’s rights in sequence to yield them entrance to improved health services. we will urge patients’ rights for as prolonged as we am apportion here,” pronounced open health apportion Ferozuddin Feroz.
The cabinet duration gave 150 recommendations for a method to overcome a problem.
“Dr. Feroz asked for a genuine in-depth comment into a problems, vulnerabilities and risks of crime in a method of open health,” pronounced a Slagjana Taseva, commissioner during International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA).
“There has been singular bargain of a content, and range of a existent health zone policies, and undue change from absolute individuals. This has resulted in crime among priorities in a method of open health” pronounced Metio Radic, a technical confidant of a International Anti-Corruption Academy.
Meanwhile President Ashraf Ghani’s confidant in growth programs’ transparency, Sardar Roshan, pronounced that overcoming crime needs a common effort.
“Government has a will [to overcome corruption], though deliberation a abyss of a autochthonous crime in open offices, we need to dig this threat carefully,” he added.
The investigate concerned some-more than 260 former and obligatory MoPH employees, polite multitude activists, genealogical elders and patients from 12 provinces of a country. | 2,320 | 1,204 | 0.000891 |
warc | 201704 | By: Eliana S. (Day of the Girl-US Campaign Chair)
To me, twenty years sounds like an eternity. Twenty years is all I’ve ever known. I can comprehend that our world changes over time, but I will be the first to admit that I don't know firsthand exactly what that means.
But
forty-three years? Roe v. Wade could be my mom! Granted, a young, cool mom who says things like "as long as it's in the house" and understands social media, but still. That's a long time.
It is also not long at all.
Forty-three years ago today, the Supreme Court ruled that choosing to have an abortion is a woman's right. Before that landmark decision, abortion was a crime that took place in dark alleys and hidden offices, and often individuals would take drastic measures to induce their own abortions through means that frequently resulted in lifelong health damages or even death.
This decision was a milestone for women in our country who were finally able to access the reproductive healthcare they needed. The pro-choice movement certainly is not perfect, but Roe v. Wade was a vital step in the fight for women’s autonomy over their own bodies.
But we are quickly slipping backward. This past year, 876 statewide anti-choice measures were enacted in the United States. In many places, it is almost as if Roe v. Wade never occurred. Women are inducing their own abortions – in Texas, between 100,000 and 240,000 women have attempted to end their pregnancies on their own. Clinics are rapidly closing, and control over reproductive health care is slipping out of our hands.
The most marginalized women in our society – women of color, immigrants, women in rural areas, lower-class women, and girls – are the most affected by this change. They cannot afford to go to the lengths to get treatment that other women can. Right now, there are significant financial, geographic, social, and legal barriers that prevent women from seeking abortion.
The anti-choice laws that affect girls are predominantly (but not exclusively) laws that require parental consent or parental notice for an abortion to take place. This is required regardless of whether an abusive parent might be the reason why a girl needs an abortion, whether a parent is anti-choice and will abandon their child if they choose to go ahead with the procedure, or of whatever a girl’s wish might be.
Make no mistake, this is a crisis. The anti-choice movement is strong.
Today, the annual March for Life took place in my home city of Washington, D.C. and all over the world. A D.C. public school was shut down because of the amount of anti-choice protestors objecting to the building of a Planned Parenthood clinic nearby. And what’s worse is that anti-choicers are attempting to co-opt the #BlackLivesMatter movement by spreading lies like “the most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.” Just today, Senator Ted Cruz traveled to Flint to distribute water bottles to the individuals suffering from the racist policies poisoning the town’s water supply. However, he only visited and gave water bottles to crisis pregnancy centers, which are anti-choice establishments designed to spread misinformation to pregnant women and do everything in their power to prevent them from exercising their right to choose (read more about CPCs here). In March, the right to choose will be before the Supreme Court again in Whole Women’s Health v. Cole, which will tackle the legality of targeted regulation of abortion providers (TRAP laws).
We cannot allow them to win.
We are fighting back. In fact, 7 in 10 Americans support the Roe v. Wade ruling. This vocal anti-choice minority is endangering our human rights (yes, the UN has affirmed that abortion is a human right) and we cannot allow this to go on any longer. Day of the Girl-US activists, I urge you to participate in the fight for reproductive justice, before it is too late. Make your voices heard as the upcoming Supreme Court decision could determine your reproductive future.
Forty-three years might feel like a long time ago, but it isn’t. If we do not act quickly, we could travel back to that time in an instant.
Do you like this post? | 4,227 | 2,084 | 0.000489 |
warc | 201704 | This past week, the stock market saw the largest decline of the S&P in the past two-quarters, alongside a heavy decline in European exports and investments. Another factor that seems to not shift, quickly enough to see positive change, is the current state of the U.S. Federal Reserve. I do not foresee a swift uprising in the market/s unless we see realistic expectations and stricter policies from the Federal reserves.
It was hopped that the market had stabilized, but it appears after the last week that it is not yet down bottoming out. The continued unrest in many places continues that have a negative impact on the world and US markets. The decline may also be a reflection of many US companies having lost the trust of the public with many recent data breeches. Consumers are fearful and the retail world is fearing the worst for the coming holiday season.
There is no income equality and the majority of people are poor or lack funds to do anything to stimulate the economy. This is the end state of consumerism and capitalism. They didn't think about what happens when the gap widens to this point but it was obvious that it would happen. The economy will not fully recover if this isn't corrected.
Everything always swings like a pendulum. It is better to keep it on a low swing, but sometimes it will go out farther one way. But a pendulum will always swing back the other way just as hard as it did the opposite end. It will rebound in time, but probably not just yet. | 1,487 | 816 | 0.00123 |
warc | 201704 | You are pretty, and I like you. Haeckel liked you too, so did Gaudi. Obviously, they appreciated the little things in life. While you still make appearances now and again in modern life, let’s face it: being microscopic and aquatic, recognition is an up-current battle, and you can’t swim.
Perhaps obscurity suits you? Trees, after all, are also beautiful, and we tend to cut them down. Perhaps your fame as a pool filterer is enough for you. Forgive me diatoms, but you can do better. You should do better.
Humans should know who to thank for producing 20% of their oxygen [Kroger and Poulsen, 2008]. Heck, without you and your heavy frustules to help bury carbon, there might never have been enough oxygen for placental mammals grow larger than shrews in the first place [Falkowski et al., 2005]! That’s right diatoms: no you, no us.
Being key to our past, you may also be key to our future. You see, we’re kind of sort of a little bit addicted to oil. Oil, as you know, comes from phytoplankton fat, and you are phytoplankton. Do your Bear Grylls-like survival skills in the face of toxicity (Brand et al., 1986), acidity (Warner, 1971), and unsurpassed ability for resource utilization (Boyd et al. 2007; Cullen 2006) make you the ultimate carbon-neutral source of oil? How will we know unless more people know enough about you to take an interest?
I like you diatoms, you are pretty. I have a lot to thank you for. You seem pretty happy with the fame you have, but I think it would help us out if you could try a little harder to get just a little bit more famous. Go on dancing with the stars, or Oprah. Something like that. Here, at least, is one person who would be very appreciative of your efforts.
Your admirer,
-Danny
For more reading see…
Kroger, N. and Poulsen, N. 2008. Diatoms—From Cell Wall Biogenesis to Nanotechnology. Annu. Rev. Genet. 2008. 42:83–107
Falkowski, P. F. et al., 2005. The Rise of Oxygen over the Past 205 Million Years and the Evolution of Large Placental Mammals.
Science 309, 2202
Brand, L. E., W. G. Sunda, and R. R. L. Guillard. 1986. Reduction of Marine-Phytoplankton Reproduction Rates by Copper and Cadmium. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
96: 225-250.
Boyd, P. W. and others 2007. Mesoscale iron enrichment experiments 1993-2005: Synthesis and future directions. Science
315: 612-617.
Cullen, J. T. 2006. On the nonlinear relationship between dissolved cadmium and phosphate in the modern global ocean: Could chronic iron limitation of phytoplankton growth cause the kink? Limnology and Oceanography
51: 1369-1380.
Warner, R. W. 1971. Distribution of Biota in a Stream Polluted by Acid Mine-Drainage. The Ohio Journal of Science 71(4): 202. | 2,756 | 1,541 | 0.000662 |
warc | 201704 | Centre launches nation-wide breast feeding programme Centre has launched a nation-wide breast feeding programme "MAA - Mother's Absolute Affection" with an aim to enhance optimal breastfeeding practices in New Delhi. MAA is an intensified programme of the Health Ministry for creating an enabling environment to ensure that mothers, husbands, and families receive adequate information and support for the promotion of breastfeeding. The Ministry has also allocated 30 crore rupees for the Programme and 4.3 lakh rupees for each district for implementing the various activities under MAA programme. The programme has launched by the Health Minister J P Nadda. He also notifies the importance of this programme as Breastfeeding is one of the important interventions for child survival. Around 20 per cent newborn deaths and 13 per cent under-five deaths can be prevented by breastfeeding. Besides this, breastfeeding can prevent child deaths associated with Diarrhoea and Pneumonia. Infants who are not breastfed are 15 times more likely to die from pneumonia and 11 times more to die from diarrhea than children who are exclusively breastfed. Breastfed infant also have higher intelligence quotient.
So let's discuss some questions related to this post:
1. Which programme has been launched by the Centre to enhance optimal breastfeeding practices? 2. What is the amount allocated to the breast feeding programme "MAA - Mother's Absolute Affection" and also name the Union Health Minister of India? | 1,505 | 715 | 0.001406 |
warc | 201704 | When I decided to get serious about running last April, I quickly began to love it. As I ran more, I enjoyed it more and I felt myself getting better at it. Every step along the way, from races to new longest distances, went smoothly.
Until I tried to run my first marathon in February.
My training program for the marathon went fine. I felt confident going into the race, and I was doing exactly what I wanted for the first half of the race. Then came calf cramps around mile 14, followed by severe knee pain around mile 18. I pushed through it for a few more miles before finally pulling myself off the course.
As you can imagine, I was devastated. A big part of me wanted to get right back on the horse and begin training to run a marathon in May. After taking some time to think about it, I realized that would be a bad idea. I didn't want to compound my disappointment over the DNF by rushing into another marathon and risking another DNF.
Instead, I targeted an October marathon, which would have me start my training plan in mid-June. And for the four months I had until then, I decided to change things up.
From the time I started running in April 2013 to the time I dropped out of the marathon in February, I focused exclusively on distance. I didn't do much speedwork and instead worked on getting my body used to covering increasingly longer distances.
So I opted to devote this spring to speed. Instead of a marathon, I would run four shorter races — the Spring Forward 15K, the Flower City Half Marathon, the Lilac 10K and the Medved 5K to Cure ALS — and do lots of speedwork.
For the first nine weeks after the marathon, I did one speedwork session per week, alternating between tempo runs and intervals. I built from 35-minute tempo runs up to 45 minutes. I would start at 6 mph and build to 7.5 mph before coming back down. For intervals, I did quarter-mile repeats, building from seven to 10. I did the intervals at 8.5 mph.
The Spring Forward 15K was at the end of the fifth week. It was my first 15K, but despite the hilly course at Mendon Ponds Park, I wanted a nice time to give me confidence going into Flower City. I was aiming for 1 hour, 20 minutes and came in at 1:18:47.
Four weeks later, I ran the Flower City Half Marathon. It was my second half marathon. In September, I ran the easier Rochester Half Marathon in 1:58:38. I knew I had gotten a lot faster, but I wasn't sure how much the harder course would slow me down. I ended up taking more than nine minutes off my time, finishing in 1:49:19.
After a successful half marathon, I added even more speedwork to prepare for my first 10K. I did two sessions a week for three weeks: one tempo run and one set of intervals.
The 10K was at the end of the third week, so I did 10 quarter-miles and a 40-minute tempo run the first week, then 12 quarter-miles and a 45-minute tempo run. Race week I dropped to six quarter-miles and a 30-minute tempo run.
In addition to doing more speedwork, I also did the speedwork faster. I ran the intervals at 9 mph, and I built up to 8 mph in the tempo runs. Again, I felt the hard work paid off as I ran the Lilac 10K in 49:07.
With another successful race behind me, I turned my focus to the Medved 5K for ALS. My 5K race PR was 24:21, and I wanted to demolish it. That time had come eight months earlier on a very hilly course. I knew I had gotten a lot faster, and I knew this course was a lot flatter.
I went to work again, this time planning to do three speedwork sessions per week: a tempo run, a set of intervals and a "fast" run.
The first week I did seven quarter-miles at 9 mph, a 35-minute tempo run that built to about 8.5 mph and a four-mile run at a 7:19 pace. That four-mile run included a 22:42 5K, according to my Garmin, a great sign for my race.
The second week I did 10 200s at 10 mph and a five-mile run at a 7:25 pace. I had to skip a scheduled 40-minute tempo run.
The third week I did eight quarter-miles at 9 mph, a 45-minute tempo run and a 10K at a 7:48 pace.
I eased up during race week and did six 200s at 10 mph and a 30-minute tempo run, followed by three rest days before the race.
As I wrote in my last post, I nailed my goal, finishing the race in 22 minutes flat.
This spring proved to me that a common phrase I've seen is very true: If you want to run faster, you need to run faster.
The key throughout the spring was that while I was doing hard work, I never felt like I was pushing too hard. My legs were never in pain and any soreness or fatigue I felt following runs always faded quickly.
I started my marathon training plan the week after my 5K, and the difference in my mindset now compared to February is amazing. I'm coming off four races that I'm proud of and I know that I'm faster than I was four months ago.
The confidence I built over the spring combined with the lessons I learned in my first marathon attempt will pay off as I put in the hard work of building for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon over the next 16 weeks.
NOTE: My next race is the Firecracker 4 Mile in Fairport on the Fourth of July. I'll be wearing knee-high red, white and blue "USA" socks and bib No. 124. If you see me, feel free to say hi and chat. Ben Jacobs is director of content targeting and editor of the NYState section for the Democrat and Chronicle Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/bjacobsroch. | 5,406 | 2,485 | 0.000405 |
warc | 201704 | I read for pleasure but not for escape. Learning is the goal. Retirement has freed me from demands for expertise. I have instead become an amateur of knowledge, and the world lies all before me.
It follows that I recently set out to explore the collapse of our nation’s economy.
I am a Garrison Keillor English major, later a clinical psychologist. Never took Econ 101; never studied finance; never expected to make serious money (and never did). My recent exploration has been the endeavor of an amateur, a Main Street mainstay, the voter next door.
To understand my findings, you’ll have a head start if you’ve seen Mel Brooks’ “The Producers.” The key thing to know is that Brooks’ principals, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, are mounting a Broadway show and hoping for a flop so they can make a bundle. (Details on request.)
It turns out that our economy’s freefall came in part from folks similarly betting — on failure, so they, too, can make a bundle. Sometimes in the billions. How this works is hard to fathom — even, I bet, if you aced Econ 101.
My guide to what understanding I can claim has been Michael Lewis’ best-selling book, “The Big Short (2010). The book was a challenge; I had to read it twice just to understand the title.
Ordinary investment, when all goes well, is a win-win enterprise. You deposit money in a bank, which lends the money at interest, then rewards you with some of that interest. Win-win. Or you buy stock in a company that uses your capital to grow and prosper, increasing the value of your shares. Win-win.
Some people do make serious money this way. But Lewis points out that the real game for the big guns and big banks is win-lose — like gambling. The counters are no longer bank deposits or stock shares, with potential benefit to society at large. They’re bets. Staggering win-lose bets on arcane fiscal confections that you might sort of understand if you read “The Big Short” twice, too.
Meet “derivatives,” of which my favorite is the “credit default swap.”
I’ll have to skim over some of the shenanigans of the bankers, like preposterous housing loans. (Lewis cites a Las Vegas stripper who obtained five concurrent mortgages.) Like combining these loans into helter-skelter “mortgage bonds.” Like bundling these bonds — now so often and so carelessly traded that no one knew what’s what — into “collateralized debt obligations” (CDOs). Meanwhile, the major credit rating agencies branded nearly everything under their purview AAA, i.e., virtually risk-free.
Those who bought or held the CDOs wagered they’d pay off. In banker lingo, they were “long” on the trade. But there was another option, which turned out to be savvy for the prescient: You could “short” these same concoctions. That is, bet they would fail, by buying “insurance” for something you didn’t own.
My fellow amateurs, you now see the genius of the credit default swap.
As we know, thousands of mortgage loans failed. So did the CDOs. Those holding bets against the CDOs won billions. We taxpayers calvaried up to rescue the “investment” banks.
If you’ve been following the story of the JPMorgan Chase financial trader known as the “London Whale,” you’ll see just how much the banks learned from the events I’ve been researching.
Bottom line: The Republicans (and the bankers, natch) tell us that increased regulation of business will harm the economy. You be the judge.
David E. Faris (fredavid@aol.com) of Aurora is a retired psychologist. | 3,689 | 1,898 | 0.000562 |
warc | 201704 | It’s one of A.J. Brown’s many missions in life: to make certain his hometown of Rocky Ford is remembered for something other than cantaloupe (especially 2011’s listeria-containing melons, which actually came from a single farm in Holly, 90 miles to the east).
Maybe Rocky Ford will become just as well-known for chile peppers, a crop Brown has helped study at Colorado State University’s Arkansas Valley Research Center a stone’s throw from his family’s house.
“We grew this chile called Holiday Cheer. It’s this little chile plant that grows up like a Christmas tree with colored bulbs on it. You take those chiles and stuff them with cream cheese and grill them and, oh!” he said.
Or maybe it’ll be winter canola, which the station is growing to see which variety’s seed will make the best biodiesel.
Brown, 19, is hooked on questions.
“It’s amazing to be part of the research that goes into the textbooks,” he says. “You learn things that other farmers don’t really know.” For instance, the promise of canola — not quite a cost-effective crop at the moment, “because down here there’s only one press,” he says. But the potential? Big as the Arkansas Valley sky.
Brown, whose initials stand for Ansley Joseph, is the 2012 winner of the annual Colorado Garden Show Inc. full-ride scholarship, a grant that pays for tuition and room and board, plus a laptop. The nonprofit organization also awards four one-year scholarships, plus grants for community gardens and landscaping projects, each year.
The funding for those grants comes from admission and booth fees at the Colorado Garden & Home Show, kicking off Saturday and running through Feb. 17 at the Colorado Convention Center, and a similar fall show.
Brown won’t begin at CSU until this fall. He graduated from Swink High School with 32 hours of college credits, then started classes at Otero Junior College, where he’ll get an associate degree this spring. He plans to get a bachelor’s and a master’s in soil and crop science in the three years he’ll spend at CSU, and then probably a doctorate.
When he’s not at school or working at the research farm, Brown does one stereotypical thing for an ag student. He bonds with his truck, a 2002 Ford F-250 diesel. “If I weren’t going into ag, I would be a diesel engineer. Me and my buddy Ethan, we’re always brainstorming how to make that engine run cleaner and greener.”
He also gives the sermon every third week at Holy Cross Lutheran/St. Andrew’s Episcopal church, a combined congregation in La Junta.
Obviously, Brown has smarts and dedication. But that’s not all that makes him a standout, says vegetable crop specialist Mike Bartolo, Brown’s boss for four years at the research farm.
Brown doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty, Bartolo said. “The most tedious and hard work we have is an onion variety trial. And A.J. says, ‘All right! We’re thinning onions today!’ He’s got that kind of an attitude.”
More important, “he has this amazing talent to relate to people,” Bartolo said. “He is so eager to learn. And people just gravitate toward him and want to be around him.”
And then? Look out.
“I’m kind of an arguer,” Brown said. “My mom always says I’d be a good lawyer. But my role, I think, is just being able to remind people of what farming is really like.”
Right now in Colorado, farming is dry. Disturbingly dry. A major part of the chile research Brown helped with involved seeing what effect drip irrigation had on chile yields and quality (the short answer: The chiles liked it). But Brown also sees the effects of drought all around him, including grass hay, the crop his family grows on five acres.
“Corn prices were going up, so farmers wanted to do corn, and they thought the drought couldn’t get any worse. So now they’re all hurting,” he says. Meanwhile, hay prices are going through the roof.
That’s precisely the type of tough decision he wants to help farmers of field crops navigate — what to grow when, how to chart the right course between market prices and weather conditions.
Specifically,
his farmers. Because another thing that sets Brown apart is his commitment to his roots.
“I really want to come back and try to help. I don’t want to leave the Arkansas Valley. I know it’s hurting right now, and I know how many of my classmates don’t want to come back.
“But I think it’s the most beautiful place in the world.”
Susan Clotfelter: 303-954-1078, sclotfelter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/susandigsin COLORADO GARDEN & HOME SHOW More than an acre of flowering garden displays and 650 companies showcasing their home-improvement and landscape products. Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St. Saturday-Feb. 17; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays and noon-8 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission $12, kids 12 and under free; discounted tickets at Tickets West outlets in King Soopers or with a non-perishable food item. | 5,204 | 2,594 | 0.000413 |
warc | 201704 | HealthForward Creating a Healthier, More Competitive Region
HealthForward is a key initiative of the Detroit Regional Chamber focused on creating a healthier, more competitive region. The initiative focuses on growing and enhancing the productivity of the talent base in the Detroit region by coordinating and convening business, health care, government and non-profit sectors. The initiative’s goals include promoting and cultivating innovation and health care transformation in metro Detroit, as well as improving the health of the residents in the region. Learn more about HealthForward here.
Innovation is in the Detroit region’s DNA.
Building on a legacy of health care innovation, the Detroit region has become the one-stop shop for innovators, investors and entrepreneurs who want to lead the health care industry. With cutting-edge research and development facilities, state-of-the art hospitals, and unparalleled talent and manufacturing know-how, the Detroit region positions companies to develop new, sought-after products and solutions to meet medical challenges around the world. As Michigan continues to cluster its rich assets in the Detroit region, make no mistake – the road to health care innovation goes through Detroit.
“The Detroit region is a growing network of leading health care providers and cutting-edge innovators. This environment, combined with the availability of top-ranked information technology talent, provides a powerful foundation to grow our business and share the region’s health care expertise nationwide.”
Jim Giordano, President and CEO, CareTech Solutions.
Exceptional Health Care Facilities and Businesses
The health care industry has deep roots in the Detroit region. In fact, more than half of the health care-related businesses in Michigan are located here. With more than 13,000 health care-related businesses and approximately 366,351 jobs in the region, the health care industry has an overall economic impact of $36 billion annually.
The Detroit region is home to several destination medical centers known for ground-breaking research, pioneering technology and exceptional patient care. Most have been locally, regionally, and nationally ranked as Best Hospitals by U.S. News and World Report for Adult and Children’s Specialties.
In 2016, University of Michigan Hospitals, Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak, and DMC Harper University Hospital, all based in the Detroit region, were ranked the three best hospitals in Michigan. University of Michigan Hospitals were ranked No. 18 in the top 20 hospitals in the nation 2016 report. Michigan’s best children’s hospitals are UM’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor and DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit; both of which are also nationally ranked in Children’s Specialties. Top 8 Largest Regional Hospitals by Revenue
Hospital System 2015 Revenue Trinity Health $14.3 billion Henry Ford Health System $5.0 billion Beaumont Health $4.1 billion McLaren Health Care Corp. $3.5 billion Ascension Michigan $3.4 billion U of M Health System $2.8 billion Detroit Medical Center $1.9 billion Hurley Medical Center $412.9 million Top 10 Largest Regional Health Care Businesses
Company City Type of Business Diplomat Pharmacy Inc. Flint Specialty pharmacy Medcart Specialty Pharmacy Livonia Specialty pharmacy services InfuSystem Holdings Inc. Madison Heights Supplier of infusion services to oncologists and other outpatient treatment settings Rockwell Medical Inc. Wixom Biopharmaceutical company targeting end-stage renal disease and chronic kidney disease Cayman Chemical Co. Ann Arbor Manufacturer of biomedical research chemicals Ash Stevens Inc. Riverview Makes active pharmaceutical ingredients Asterand Bioscience Detroit Supplier of human tissue and human tissue-based research services to drug discovery scientists RTI Laboratories Inc. Livonia Independent testing laboratory, specializing in chemical, materials, and environmental testing Custom Biogenic Systems Inc. Bruce Township Life science equipment manufacturer Innovative BioTherapies Inc. Ann Arbor Develops implantable/extracorporeal devices in field of regenerative medicine
Research and Development
With Michigan State University, Oakland University, Wayne State University, the University of Detroit-Mercy and the University of Michigan all in close proximity, the Detroit region is a national leader in cutting-edge research and development. Michigan ranks second in the nation in research and development spending.
In August of 2016, 1,795 industry-sponsored clinical trials were actively recruiting patients in Michigan. Michigan was the 12th state with the most clinical trials. Source: CenterWatch. In 2015, Michigan ranked 6th in the nation for the total number of patents with 6,184. Only seven nations surpassed Michigan in U.S. patents granted that year. Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For fiscal year 2015, the National Institutes of Health awarded more than $486.8 million to Michigan to fund 1,125 research projects, of which $425.8 million was awarded to organizations in the Detroit region for 968 projects. In 2014, the University Research Corridor spent $2.1 billion in R&D expenditures and contributed $17.5 billion in net economic activity in Michigan Research Awards to Michigan, 2015
Funding Mechanism Awards Funding Research Grants 1,125 $486,757,613 Research Centers 38 $50,277,727 Other Research-Related 171 $49,916,801 Training Grants 145 $23,920,710 R&D Contracts 9 $11,886,100 Total 1,539 $655,453,661 R & D Contracts in Michigan, 2015
Organization City Awards Funding Wayne State University Detroit 3 $6,702,234 University of Michigan Ann Arbor 3 $3,577,721 Ash Stevens, Inc. Riverview 1 $807,048 Nanobio Corporation Ann Arbor 3 $500,000 Detroit R & D, Inc. Detroit 1 $299,097
Education and TrainingThe region is home to many institutions that partner with existing medical and technological development facilities. Students receive real world experience and access to cutting-edge tools and practices to advance the progression of innovation in the health care and life sciences fields when they begin their careers. In 2015, Michigan’s University Research Corridor, a partnership between the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University, conferred more advanced degrees in the medicine and biological science fields than any peer university cluster in the country.
Regional Institutions for Education and Training
Institution City Health Care University of Michigan Ann Arbor Medical School
School of Nursing
School of Dentistry
College of Pharmacy
Wayne State University Detroit School of Medicine
College of Nursing
Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Oakland University Rochester William Beaumont School of Medicine
School of Nursing
School of Health Sciences
Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti School of Health Sciences
School of Nursing
University of Detroit Mercy Detroit McAuley School of Nursing
School of Dentistry
Talent The Detroit region is talent-rich with professionals who have world-class training in engineering and the experience working with the exotic materials and high-precision tooling demanded by the health care industry. The same skills Michigan workers used to put the world on wheels help health care businesses innovate and thrive here.
Michigan is 3rd in the nation with the number of engineering degrees issued. Michigan has the 4th largest high-tech workforce in the nation. Currently more than 286,000 people work in the health care industry in the Detroit region. Regional Employment by Industry
Industry Description 2015 Jobs Median Salary Ambulatory Health Care Services 118,642 $56,464 Hospitals 110,677 $59,216 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities 57,308 $27,885 Regional Employment by Occupation
Occupation Description 2015 Jobs Median Hourly Earnings Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners 96,328 $44.14 Health Technologists and Technicians 50,112 $21.14 Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations 1,790 $23.63 Nursing, Psychiatric, and Home Health Aides 50,479 $11.88 Other Healthcare Support Occupations 26,560 $14.77
Major Health Care Investment in the Region
2008: Henry Ford Health System invested $3 million in its genetics laboratory in 2008. St. John Providence Health System invested $141 million to construct the addition of its north pavilion at their St. John Hospital and Medical Center campus.
2009: Henry Ford Health System invested $35 million to expand its downtown Detroit campus. St. John Hospital Providence Health System invested $15 million to renovate its St. John Hospital and Medical Center Emergency Services department.
2010: With the purchase of the Detroit Medical Center, Vanguard Health Services is currently investing $850 million in several of DMC hospitals for renovations and a new children’s hospital tower. St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital opened a newly constructed 50,000 sq. ft. state of the art surgical pavilion and renovated the west wing, investing $54.5 million.
2011: St. John Providence Health System invested $30 million in capital improvements at several facilities in the region.
2012: McLaren Health will open a new 40,000 sq. ft. Central Laboratory in Flint. Baker College donated $1 million to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital to purchase a CT scanner that will assist in the training of Baker students. University of Michigan announced it will open a new $39 million medical facility in 2014 in Oakland County’s Northville Township. Wayne State University, the nation’s largest single campus medical school, announced it will invest $90 million in a biomedical research facility.
2013: St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is continuing to expand with construction well under way for its new $129 million south tower due to open in 2013. | 9,940 | 4,132 | 0.000245 |
warc | 201704 | In Illinois, 17-year-olds cannot vote or play the lottery; they need permission to join the military or pierce their ears; they are unable to obtain a full driver's license or credit card. Abusing a 17-year-old is child abuse; failing to provide adequate food to a 17-year-old is child neglect; teachers and other professionals who work with 17-year-olds must report such incidents or face criminal charges themselves. When 17-year-olds damage someone's property, their parents can be sued. A 17-year-old arrested for shoplifting an iPod Touch is subject to the juvenile justice system. In all of these respects, the law treats 17-year-olds as it does 16-year-olds: as minors.
Yet Illinois law treats a 17-year-old who shoplifts an iPhone as an adult criminal: held with adults in jail, tried in adult criminal court, sent to adult prison if incarcerated, and issued an employment-crushing permanent criminal record-an adult felony conviction. In 38 other states, such a youth would go through the juvenile justice system instead.
In 2009, in keeping with legal, criminological, and scientific trends, legislative advocates in Illinois supported moving 17-year-olds from criminal to juvenile court jurisdiction. The proposal was vigorously debated, with opponents raising concerns over public safety, staggering probation caseloads, overcrowded detention facilities and unmanageable fiscal costs. In response to these concerns, the General Assembly passed an innovative compromise: Illinois would be the first and only state in the nation to send exclusively misdemeanants through the juvenile system. Any and all felony charged 17-year-olds would stay in adult criminal court for the time being-until the effects of the change were known and the impact of further change could be considered.
Since the misdemeanor age change took effect on January 1, 2010, none of the predicted negative consequences on the juvenile court system have occurred:
Adding around 18,000 annual misdemeanor arrests to the juvenile justice system in 2010 did not crash it. In fact, due to a there are now fewer juvenile arrests and juvenile probation cases than before the change.
Public safety did not suffer. In fact, both crime reports and juvenile arrests have continued to decline, including a 14% decrease in violent crime statewide since the law was changed.
County juvenile detention centers and state juvenile incarceration facilities were not overrun. In fact, one detention center and two state incarceration facilities have been closed and excess capacity is still the statewide norm.
Illinois is not wasting costly resources on youth who will not change. In fact, we now know that even felony-level 17-year-old offenders are very good candidates for juvenile court interventions and that there is a net fiscal benefit from sending youth to juvenile rather than adult court. Multiple federal juvenile policy briefs have now offered new insight into the potential for adolescent offenders to grow and change-and have also warned of serious negative public safety consequences of sending minors through an adult criminal system.
Illinois' seemingly reasonable compromise did not, in the end, draw a wise, safe, or clear distinction between minor and serious offenses. In fact, years after the change, jurisdictional questions still regularly arise when 17-year-olds are arrested; some are being unnecessarily housed in adult jails and others are receiving adult convictions for misdemeanor offenses; decisions with life-long collateral consequences for youth are being made without judicial oversight or a clear, uniform statewide process.
Regardless of legislative action on this jurisdictional issue, Illinois cannot continue its status quo of housing felony-charged 17-year-olds with adult inmates without financial cost. In fact, monitoring for compliance with new federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) guidelines begins in 2013. PREA will require all offenders under 18, even those in the criminal system, to be housed separately from adults in all lockups, jails, detention centers, and prisons. Noncompliance can result in a 5 percent penalty on several federal formula funds and block grants,which support state and local law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois.
The operational impact of raising the age for approximately 4,000 17-year-olds arrested for felony offenses will not crash the system. In fact, most practitioners interviewed for this report believe the change will relieve some administrative burdens inherent in a "bifurcated system" in which some 17-year-olds are handled as adults and others are considered juveniles.
Of course, adding felony arrests cannot be expected to have the same operational effects as adding misdemeanor arrests. Some of the original fiscal projections and concerns over raising the age focused primarily on expensive interventions for more serious offenders (detention, incarceration, and more intensive probation); these were minimally affected by adding 18,000 misdemeanor arrests to the juvenile system but do become more relevant concerns upon shifting 4,000 felony youth arrests from the adult system to the juvenile system. Yet many original objections to raising the age focused on the effect of the raw numbers being shifted to front-end processing and diversion functions (arrest, probation screening, juvenile court caseloads, and probation services). At the front end of the system, the hardest stage of change is over, and it has been much more successful than anticipated.
While serious youth crime continues to afflict communities, the overall reduction in juvenile crime and increased diversion options have created a smaller and more resilient juvenile justice system. Appropriately resourced, it will be able to absorb the second phase of raising the age while increasing public safety. Since the juvenile jurisdiction compromise changes went into effect in 2010, taking the next step with felonies has become less risky and more manageable, while the enormous economic and safety costs of maintaining the destructive status quo have become more apparent in many neighborhoods, as well as in the research. A great deal of the resistance to further change has dwindled and our state is being presented with the opportunity to do right by youth, their parents, the public, and practitioners: it is time to treat 17-year-olds who are arrested in Illinois as we do their 16-year-old classmates.
Summary of Findings
Raising the age
is consistent with legal trends,
is consistent with adolescent development and behavior,
is an efficient use of juvenile court resources:
improves public safety
decreases long-term costs.
Raising the age for misdemeanors (2010)
did not overwhelm the juvenile justice system
created procedural uncertainty and inconsistent outcomes.
Raising the age for felonies (future)
anticipated to be manageable,
will promote uniformity, clarity,
youth will still be tried as adults for serious offenses (transfer)
Based on these findings, the Commission has adopted the following recommendation: To promote a juvenile justice system focused on public safety, youth rehabilitation, fairness, and fiscal responsibility, Illinois should immediately adopt legislation expanding the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 17-year-olds charged with felonies.
Notes for Implementation: Incorporating the following practices into Illinois' juvenile justice plan will ease transition, promote clarity, and ensure system integrity during the jurisdictional change:
Housing youth under 18 in juvenile facilities, not adult jails or lockups, whenever possible.
Creating state or local workgroups to resolve specific technical or procedural questions including:
Identifying specific practitioner education and training needs.
Distinguishing state Juvenile Court Act requirements from the new federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requirements for housing minors charged as adults under the criminal code.
Assisting detention centers with providing safe, developmentally appropriate care and supervision to adolescents and facilitating compliance with PREA, by raising the minimum age of juvenile detention from 10 to 13 (to match the juvenile incarceration age) and developing appropriate placement alternatives for children under 13.
Aggregating information from screening and assessment tools, analyzing system performance and youth outcomes to inform local and state juvenile justice planning and resource allocation.
Realigning the juvenile expungement statute to match juvenile jurisdiction.
Identifying opportunities to harness federal, state, and local funds to support evidence-based, effective programs delivered in community settings, alternatives to detention, juvenile probation departments and Redeploy Illinois, focusing scarce incarceration resources on only the highest-risk youth.
Supplemental Recommendations: Responding to changes in the scientific, legal, and regulatory landscape, Illinois' comprehensive juvenile justice policy planning should include:
Using (1) research; (2) evidence-based practices; and (3) validated screening and assessment tools to inform policy, practice, and individualized decision-making at all stages of the juvenile justice system, including:
Law enforcement contact, arrest and diversion decisions;
Community-based service provision;
Detention admission and detention alternatives;
Facility-based (detention and IDJJ) services and care;
Commitment and sentencing decisions;
Community-based supervision (probation and parole) strategies, including responses to probation or parole violations; and
Aftercare and reentry services and strategies.
Examining policy and practice regarding mandatory minimum five-year probation sentences for certain youth adjudications.
Evaluating the transfer statutes under which youth are transferred into adult court for consistency with public safety, youth rehabilitation, and fairness. These statutes will not be affected by raising the age of jurisdiction, but the effects of sending minors to the adult system, particularly higher recidivism rates, indicate that Illinois should ensure that its transfer laws are adequately tailored to reduce violence.
Raising the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction
The future of 17-year-olds in Illinois' justice system.
Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission | 10,413 | 4,403 | 0.000228 |
warc | 201704 | I have been trying so hard to watch my carbs. This is one of the hardest things I have tried to accomplish on my own. Unfortunately I'm not going in the right direction. I had gotten down to 265 but am back up to 330lbs. I feel like I'm starving in 30 minutes after eating with limiting my carbs. I need to be more educated in carb counting and to learn about how much insulin to adjust for what my BG level is. There isn't any Endocrinologists or a diabetic advisors on my insurance plan in my area. So I'm pretty much stuck to do it on my own. My family doctor is pretty much worthless when it comes to my diabetes and checking my A1C. I have to remind him when my A1C is due to be checked. I take Actos, Levemir, Humalog and Symlin and I have to adjust my insulin myself, and I bottom out all the time. I need help or I don't know what the future holds for me… I realize that I'm asking for a lot here, but don't know really what to do. Thanks, Steve…
Next Discussion:
Diabetes: A Deeper Look » | 1,016 | 595 | 0.001713 |
warc | 201704 | Diabetes research is an ever-expanding field. Staying on top of the latest developments can be an important part of your own diabetes care plan—if nothing else, being informed can help you feel empowered.
Here, we'll look at three diabetes-related developments—one is an observation on diabetes in India, and the other two are about possible treatments for and prevention of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes rate in South Asia surges
According to The Guardian, the cultural proclivity for sweets and desserts in India, combined with rising incomes for members of the middle class, puts many people in the country at risk of type 2 diabetes.
One-third of urban South Asians have metabolic syndrome that may be predictive of type 2 diabetes. In some places in India, 90 percent of senior women are at such a risk. In addition to a poor diet—with dietary predilections and a history of famines that makes people more likely to indulge when they are able—the country is seeing precipitously dropping physical activity. The combination of a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle that is so common in America is rapidly spreading in India—a consequence of development that is bringing metabolic syndrome to the country quickly. Just as in the U.S., people in India at high risk of type 2 diabetes will likely do best with early intervention and lifestyle changes.
Researchers reverse type 2 diabetes in rats
Researchers at Yale recently reversed type 2 diabetes in rats, according to the university. An oral therapy the scientists developed reversed both type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease in rats, as well as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The agent used, mitochondrial protonophore 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) is toxic at high levels, but effective when administered at levels well below that threshold.
"Besides reversing fatty liver disease in a rodent model of NALFD, a low-dose intragastric infusion of DNP that was 100-fold lower than toxic levels also significantly reduce blood glucose, triglyceride, and insulin concentrations in a rodent model of NAFLD and type 2 diabetes," lead researcher Dr. Gerald I. Shulman said in a release.
The team plans to further test this agent in rodents and eventually hopes to advance to clinical use in people.
Preventing type 2 diabetes in women who had gestational diabetes
A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, followed women with a history of gestational diabetes over the course of 10 years to determine how best to prevent type 2 diabetes in this population. Gestational diabetes signals a high risk for development of type 2 diabetes in the future, according to the researchers. The chances of type 2 diabetes remain high even a decade after the gestational diabetes itself.
The study found women with a history of gestational diabetes may reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes in one of two ways. Compared to placebo, lifestyle interventions (including diet and exercise changes) reduced risk by 35 percent, while treatment with metformin, a diabetes medication, reduced risk by 40 percent. | 3,106 | 1,462 | 0.000693 |
warc | 201704 | Metal roofing is long-lasting, good at keeping a home cool, holds up well in most weather conditions, and is environmentally friendly; its downside is that it costs more upfront to buy materials. Asphalt shingles offer better soundproofing and are initially more affordable, but they do not last as long as metal roofing, especially in extreme weather conditions, and therefore may cost more in repairs over time.
Asphalt shingles are called "bitumen shingles" in some regions of the world.
Comparison chart
Asphalt shingle Metal roof Cost Low upfront cost, high long-term cost as repairs and replacements will be needed. Materials are inexpensive, labor required for installation less so. High upfront cost, low long-term cost. Some federal "energy saver" rebates exist. Durability Somewhat durable, with asphalt-fiberglass shingles more durable than organic-asphalt shingles. Usually lasts 15-30 years and professionally installed asphalt shingles are backed by 20- to 25-year warranties. Very durable. Often backed by 50-year to lifetime warranties. Heating/Cooling Good at keeping in heat during in winter, but one of the worst types of roofing for keeping cool during summer. Adequate at keeping a home warm during winter, and one of the best types of roofing to keep a home cool during summer. Fire Resistance Asphalt-fiberglass shingles are very fire resistant. Organic-asphalt shingles are not fire resistant. Some metals more fire resistant than others. Copper and steel are good, aluminium less so. Soundproofing Good. Good with proper insulation. Regional Considerations
Determining whether metal roofing or asphalt shingles are appropriate for a home, and which will cost less overall, often comes down to region, as the two types of roofing behave very differently in different climates. Asphalt shingles will work best in temperate climates, while metal roofing can work well in hot or cold, wet or dry, extremes, but will cost more upfront.
Staying Cool
Though it may seem counterintuitive, metal roofs work well in hot climates. In fact, they keep a home much cooler than asphalt shingles do, potentially decreasing peak cooling demand by 10-15%. Metal reflects sunlight, keeping it cooler inside, while asphalt shingles, particularly black ones,
absorb the heat of the sun, making a home that much warmer. New, white- or light-colored metal roofing with proper ventilation is better than old metal roofing, and special sealants can further cool down the material. Staying Warm
Because asphalt shingles absorb heat, they may be better at keeping a home warm in wintertime, but with proper insulation, a metal roof should do just as well. Moreover, according to the EPA, the summertime savings of a metal roof—deemed a "cool roof"—are so significant in some regions that annual energy spending will still be lower overall with a metal roof, even if a little more heating is required.
One major downside to asphalt shingles in wintertime is that they may not survive layers of heavy, wet snow. The cold temperatures can cause the asphalt to crack, which may then result in a leaky roof. In contrast, snow slides off a sloped metal roof, and the cold temperatures cause no harm to the metal.
Durability
Metal roofing is much more durable than asphalt shingles. It's not uncommon to find metal roofing backed by 50-year or even lifetime warranties, while asphalt shingles tend only to last 15 to 30 years and come with 20- to 25-year warranties.
Metal roofs survive the elements well, remaining intact when facing high winds, hail, and lightning; they are more likely to withstand extreme conditions, like hurricanes. Asphalt shingles can withstand some extreme weather if installed properly, but it's common for homeowners to have to replace shingles or whole parts of a roof after bad storms, high winds, or heavy snow. In general, asphalt shingles are prone to a number of climate-related problems, such as algae growth in prolonged humidity.
Fire Resistance
When it comes to fire resistance, materials matter. A copper or steel metal roof will survive well, for instance, but an aluminum one will eventually melt. Likewise, shingles made from an asphalt fiberglass composition are fire resistant, while those composed with organic wood are not.
Soundproofing
Asphalt shingles are quieter than metal roofing, especially in heavy rain, but some may think metal roofing is much louder than it actually is. A metal roof on a home is different from the bare tin roofing of a barn or event center and is much quieter. Regardless, there are numerous ways to reduce noise with either type of roof. Using insulation, particularly having an insulated attic between living areas and the roof, greatly reduces noise.
For metal roofing, some local building codes allow homeowners to install the metal roof
over an asphalt shingles roof; this can be ideal for those concerned about noise who are already planning to re-roof their home. Styles
Metal roofing comes in several overall styles, including vertical and standing seam panels, tiles, slates/shakes, and shingles. They can come pre-painted or be painted after installation; any color is fine, but lighter colors are better at reflecting the sun's heat. One possible downside to metal roofing is that, even when tiles or shingles are mimicked, there is no getting around the fact that the material has a metallic sheen to it.
Today, asphalt shingles are cut and colored in a multitude of ways to mimic other materials and styles. However, like metal roofing, asphalt shingles retain at least some of the look of their material. The most common colors are greys, browns, reds, greens, and blues.
Cost
One reason so few American homes use metal roofing is because its initial cost is usually two to three times higher than that of asphalt shingles. In Massachusetts, the re-roofing of a 2,000 sq. ft. home with asphalt shingles costs around $8,000 and would last 15-20 years. Metal roofing the same home with aluminum would cost about $20,000. Metal roofing is likely to make up for its high price tag over time, though, especially in certain climates or in places where electricity is expensive. In the U.S., federal rebates exist for qualified metal roofing materials.
Meanwhile, the biggest cost of asphalt shingles is less likely to be connected to the material than it is to the labor—the expense of installation—which varies from place to place. Unless you are installing the shingles yourself, you should consider purchasing a long-term warranty from the shingle manufacturer. Self-installation is not recommended, as most warranties do not apply to DIY jobs.
Outside of material and labor costs, other factors play into the overall pricing of a roof, including how steep it is. To best determine the cost and/or savings of different roof types, use Oak Ridge National Laboratory's roof savings calculator.
Installation
Watch the video below to see how aluminum metal shingles are installed.
The following episode of This Old House shows how a roof is re-shingled with asphalt shingles.
Materials
The most common type of metal used in metal roofing is steel, but aluminium, copper, tin, zinc, and other metals are also in use. Some materials are better for certain environments than others; aluminium, for example, is better suited to humid climates than steel is. Regardless of the metal chosen, however,
all metal roofing is very environmentally friendly. Most metal roofing comes at least partially from recycled metal, and at the end of its life, the metal can be fully recycled again.
Asphalt shingles come in two forms: shingling that is mixed with fiberglass and shingling that is organic, a paper shingle with an asphalt coating. The asphalt shingles that are mixed with fiberglass are more popular than the organic ones because of they are less expensive, are more resistant to fire, and are more flexible. Organic asphalt shingles are more durable because they use more asphalt in their composition than the asphalt shingles that are mixed with fiberglass, but this has the downside of being less environmentally friendly, and the paper of organic asphalt shingles makes them more hazardous in a fire.
Popularity
Though asphalt shingles are the most popular type of residential roofing in America, metal roofing is growing in popularity. In 2013, a McGraw-Hill Construction and Analytics survey revealed that 12% of re-roofing projects were using metal; this was up from 4% in the late 1990s.
References Wikipedia: Asphalt shingle Wikipedia: Metal roof Wikipedia: Roof shingle Asphalt Shingles 101 - BobVila.com Asphalt Roofing Gallery - Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association Cool Metal Roofing (PDF) - The Metal Initiative Cool Roofs - EPA.gov Guidelines for Selecting Cool Roofs - U.S. Department of Energy How Metal Roofs Keep Arizona Homes Cool - Phoenix Roofing Team How to Diagnose and and Repair Roof Noise Problems in Buildings - Inspectapedia Metal Roofing Materials - RooferCalculator.com Reducing Urban Heat Islands (PDF) - EPA.gov Roof Fire Rating Classification and California Code Requirements - Center for Fire Research and Outreach Staying Cool With a Metal Roof - GreenBuildingAdvisor.com Tax Incentives for Metal Roofing - Metal Roofing Alliance | 9,302 | 3,938 | 0.000256 |
warc | 201704 | Difference Between Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Paraphrasing vs Summarizing
Paraphrasing and summarizing are both related terms. They are often confusing for people.
Paraphrasing and summarizing are essential techniques for an effective and efficient essay. These are an absolute must when dealing with scientific concepts. Both paraphrasing and summarizing are allowed and accepted till due credit is given to the original source, and only till the work is not copied and is free from any kind of plagiarism. Paraphrasing Paraphrasing is reading over a text and interpreting it in one’s own words without changing the meaning of the original text. This excludes copying of text in any form. It is like grabbing the idea about a topic from another writer’s work then transforming it into your own method of thoughts and words. Paraphrased material is almost equal to or slightly shorter in comparison to the original material. Paraphrasing is required sometimes to prove your point. It provides support and adds credibility to your own writing. It is also used to add depth to your work. Paraphrasing is used;
When another writer’s work has to be used.
When quotes are not used in the text. When the ideas have a greater relevance than the style of writing. When you want to simplify the work of another person. Summarizing Summarizing is the tool in writing which is used when you need the main idea of the text. It is a condensed form of the written text in your own words with only the highlights of the text. A summary is much shorter than the original text. It excludes the explanation of the text. Only the main idea or the basic information is included. Summarizing is used to refer to work that culminates into the present writing that you are doing. It is sometimes used when you want to draw attention to an important point. It is also applicable when you want to distance yourself from the original text.
Summarizing is used;
When only the main ideas of the writer are to be identified.
When only an overview of the whole work is required. When simplification is required. When only the main highlights of the work have to be mentioned.
Summary:
1.Paraphrasing is writing any particular text in your own words while summarizing is mentioning only the main points of any work in your own words.
2.Paraphrasing is almost equal to or somewhat less than the original text while summarizing is substantially shorter than the original. 3.Paraphrasing may be done for the purpose of simplifying the original work while summarizing is done to mention only the major points without any kind of explanation about the matter. Related Posts Search DifferenceBetween.net :
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warc | 201704 | Difference Between Urban and Rural
Human settlements are classified as rural or urban depending on the density of human-created structures and resident people in a particular area. Urban areas can include town and cities while rural areas include villages and hamlets.
While rural areas may develop randomly on the basis of natural vegetation and fauna available in a region, urban settlements are proper, planned settlements built up according to a process called urbanization. Many times, rural areas are focused upon by governments and development agencies and turned into urban areas.
Unlike rural areas, urban settlements are defined by their advanced civic amenities, opportunities for education, facilities for transport, business and social interaction and overall better standard of living. Socio-cultural statistics are usually based on an urban population.
While rural settlements are based more on natural resources and events, the urban population receives the benefits of man’s advancements in the areas of science and technology and is not nature-dependent for its day to day functions. Businesses stay open late into the evenings in urban areas while, sunset in rural areas means the day is virtually over.
The flip side of this is that rural areas do not have pollution or traffic problems that beset regular urban areas. Many governments, though focusing on the development of rural areas, have also tried to ‘protect’ these areas as preservation of their country’s basic culture and traditions.
Urban areas are also classified according to land use and density of population. But this can vary from developed countries to developing countries. For example, in Australia, urban cities must include at least a 1,000 residents with 200 or more people per square kilometer while in Canada, an urban area is defined with a density of 400 people per square kilometer In China, the density requirement for an urban area is about 1,500 people per square kilometer Statistically, two urban areas with less than two kilometers between them are considered one urban zone.
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warc | 201704 | Pineapple
(Ananas comosus)
Pineapple is native to South America, but it is now grown in many tropical areas of the world including Hawaii. The fruit saved many early sailors from the ravages of scurvy due to its high vitamin C content. The herb is a perennial plant that grows its fruit on the top of the plant. To start a new plant, bury the base of the fruit top in soil and keep it moist.
Key Medicinal Uses Internally Pineapple has been used for scurvy, constipation and jaundice. It is rich in vitamin C and bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein. Bromelain has been effective in killing internal parasites. This enzyme has also been shown to be promising for ulcerative colitis. The unripe fruit increases appetite and improves the digestion. Some cultures believe it is a uterine tonic. It can settle gas and reduce stomach acid. The juice is diuretic. The leaves have been used to encourage menstruation and to ease menstrual cramping. It has been used to treat toxic shock syndrome as well. The herb breaks down blood clots. Some people have used the herb to treat the pain and inflammation of bursitis. Externally Pineapple was traditionally used as a poultice to treat wound inflammation and skin injuries. It can be used to clean away the dead tissue from abscesses, burns, ulcers and surgery. It can reduce bruising and pain as well as quicken healing in joints and tendons. Other Uses Pineapple is a food staple in Brazil and other countries where it grows easily. It is an exotic fruit in other countries. It is used in confections. Bromelain, an enzyme found in the fruit is used to tenderize meat. Some varieties supply embroidery thread from their leaves. Herbs to Combine/Supplement
Combine pineapple juice with fresh chickweed for a green drink that is very beneficial. Bromelain can be combined with quercetin to increase the efficiency of the quercetin.
Parts Used Fruit, leaves Both the fruit and the leaf are used medicinally. Cautions
If you are sensitive to pineapple, do not take bromelain. Side effects are rare, but include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and unusual menstrual bleeding. Be cautious when eating the fresh fruit. The acidity is high and can cause mouth sores. The acidic juice may cause allergic eczema in people who are sensitive. The rough texture of the fruit and its leaves can cause scratches on the skin which may turn into phytophotodermatitis when exposed to the sun.
Preparation and Dosage
For bromelain, a typical dosage is 400 to 500 mg taken one to three times per day. | 2,538 | 1,261 | 0.000796 |
warc | 201704 | By Jeremy Greenfield, Editorial Director, Digital Book World, @JDGsaid
With self-publishing tools proliferating and traditional publishing business models in flux, authors, agents and book-industry observers have been increasingly debating the relevance of publishing companies.
In his obituary to the year-long Domino Project, Seth Godin wrote that publishing companies and other traditional players that do not adapt to new modes of doing business will go extinct. Others have suggested the same.
Meanwhile, some authors like J.A. Konrath and David Gaughran have eschewed traditional relationships with publishers to create and distribute their work on their own. In the aftermath to the Book Country self-publishing tool launch from Penguin, some outspoken critics took the announcement as an opportunity to question publishers’ relevance.
Hachette Book Group, one of the world’s largest publishing companies, has a response. In a document leaked today to Digital Book World by someone inside the company, Hachette outlines just why publishers are relevant. The company has shown the document internally to employees and externally to a limited number of agents and authors.
“You have to take a long look at what you’re up to and how you’re changing and adapting,” said a Hachette executive who preferred not to be named and who confirmed the authenticity of the document. “We’re all trying to come up with good messaging.”
The executive explained that the document is a continual work-in-progress and would evolve as the publishing business evolved.
The document in its entirety below:
“Self-publishing” is a misnomer.
Publishing requires a complex series of engagements, both behind the scenes and public facing. Digital distribution (which is what most people mean when they say self-publishing) is just one of the components of bringing a book to market and helping the public take notice of it.
As a full service publisher, Hachette Book Group offers a wide array of services to authors:
1. Curator: We find and nurture talent:
• We identify authors and books that are going to stand out in the marketplace. HBG discovers new voices, and separates the remarkable from the rest.
• We act as content collaborator, focused on nurturing writing talent, fostering rich relationships with our authors, providing them with expert editorial advice on their writing, and tackling a huge variety of issues on their behalf.
2. Venture Capitalist: We fund the author’s writing process:
• At HBG we invest in ideas. In the form of advances, we allow authors the time and resources to research and write. In addition we invest continuously in infrastructure, tools, and partnerships that make HBG a great publisher partner.
3. Sales and Distribution Specialist: We ensure widest possible audience:
• Weget our books to the right place, in the right numbers, and at the right time (this applies equally to print and digital editions). We work with retailers and distribution partners to ensure that every book has the opportunity to reach the widest possible readership.
• We ensure broad distribution and master supply chain complexity, in both digital and physical formats.
• We function as a new market pioneer, exploring and experimenting with new ideas in every area of our business and investing in those new ideas – even if, in some cases, a positive outcome is not guaranteed (as with apps and enhanced ebooks).
• We act as a price and promotion specialist (coordinating 250+ monthly, weekly and daily deals on ebooks at all accounts).
4. Brand Builder and Copyright Watchdog: We build author brands and protect their intellectual property:
• Publishers generate and spread excitement, always looking for new ways make our authors and their books stand out. We’re able to connect books with readers in a meaningful way.
• We offer marketing and publicity expertise, presenting a book to the marketplace in exactly the right way, and ensuring that intelligence, creativity, and business acumen inform our strategy.
• We protect authors’ intellectual property through strict anti-piracy measures and territorial controls.
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Write to Jeremy Greenfield | 4,315 | 2,037 | 0.00051 |
warc | 201704 | Hydrogen is widely expected to be an important energy carrier in future. In fact, it can only be an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to existing sources of energy, if it is produced without harmful pollution and particularly without substantial carbon emissions. Some potentially very exciting and appropriate options for ‘clean’ production of Hydrogen on a massive scale are thermochemical cycles, which use concentrated solar energy or nuclear energy to supply the heat necessary to split water using a closed cycle of chemical reactions. Small-scale experimental precursors to eventual integrated laboratory-scale experiments have been operated successfully to date and continue to show promise for larger-scale systems. Nevertheless the technical challenges of bringing hydrogen production to the demonstration state within the next decade are significant.
HycycleS aims at the qualification and enhancement of materials and components for key steps of thermochemical cycles. The focus of the project is the decomposition of sulphuric acid which is the central step of processes from the sulphur based family, especially the Hybrid Sulphur Cycle and the Sulphur-Iodine cycle.
The Hybrid Sulphur Cycle has as a high temperature thermochemical step, the thermal decomposition of sulphuric acid, combined with low temperature electrolytic reaction of water and sulphur-dioxide (Figure 1). It is a “Hybrid” process in that some of the energy necessary to split the water is supplied as electricity.
The SI process is a “pure” thermochemical cycle in which all energy is supplied as heat. It comprises three reactions which are performed in separate process sections.
In the HycycleS project, emphasis is put on materials and components for sulphuric acid evaporation, decomposition, and sulphur dioxide separation. The suitability of materials and the reliability of the components will be demonstrated in practice by decomposing sulphuric acid and separating its decomposition products using scalable prototypes. The final aim is to bring thermochemical water splitting closer to realisation by improving the efficiency, stability, practicability, and costs of the key components involved and by elaborating detailed engineering solutions. | 2,296 | 1,080 | 0.000941 |
warc | 201704 | Strategic profile can give brands personality
Brand personas are all over the advertising world, and marketers should do strategic profiling in order to capture the true persona of their brand.
Robust, detailed consumer personas help your marketing partners create successful strategies as well as provide insight for creative development, media placement and promotion design.
"Brand persona is the human face of a brand," said Martha Bush, senior vice president at SIGMA Marketing Group. "The persona is the description of an archetypal user."
To create a proper persona, marketers need to profile," she said. "The profiling stage helps find the most useful and important characteristics."
Personas should be used for products or services where there is a narrow homogenous target audience. However, what should not be assumed is that there is only one customer. Marketers tend to use personas for advertising development without also using concrete customer data. Transactional data allows marketers to see consumers' product purchase patterns, time between purchases, lifetime value and what channels they use.
"In order to build a strategic profile, marketers need to first understand their customer," Ms. Bush said. "To understand the customer requires survey data, purchase data, enhancement data and focus groups."
Ms. Bush listed the following considerations to take when building a profile: lifetime value, brand preference, favorite activities, purchases behavior, product usage frequency and Web behavior.
Questions such as "Who is my best consumer?" "How does the consumer use the product?" and "Where do they research?" are useful guides in creating a brand persona.
Focus groups are good, but what the consumers say about themselves is not always their true behavior. They do allow marketers to see whether consumers are loyal about their brand, what their buying process is and how they use products. Surveys validate focus group data. They let marketers see their consumer's category involvement, share-of-wallet, loyalty and referral behavior.
"Building facts around your consumer allows for myth-busting," Ms. Bush said. "It also quantifies each part of the customer relationship. It generates further questions, allowing marketers to delve even deeper." | 2,306 | 1,110 | 0.000914 |
warc | 201704 | Everyone will tell you: “Confidence is sexy.” This is all well and good, but that murky self-help language doesn’t really do anything to tell you how to
build confidence, does it? Sure, it’s fine to just tell someone “hey, be more confident and the women will just start flocking to you”, but as many of you know, just saying the words doesn’t actually progress towards undoing years of reinforcing your own negative beliefs about yourself.
Everybody will tell you “Just be more confident!”, as though confidence was something you could just
acquire, rather than something that you develop over time. They’re wrong. Confidence takes time and effort. If it were as simple as the self-help gurus would have you believe, nobody out there would have low self-esteem, therapists would lose half their clientele base and I would be out of a job.
So if you’re finding that your self-worth is lower than a snake’s ass in a drainage ditch, it’s time to start making progress down the path that will help you develop the confidence and self-assurance you need in order to make yourself more attractive to women.
What Is Confidence?
What
is confidence? How do you know the difference between confidence and arrogance? And just why is confidence sexy, anyway?
Confidence is, at it’s simplest, the belief that one is equal to the task or situation at hand; it’s the certainty of of the correctness of one’s worth, course of action or ability. The line between confidence and arrogance or hubris is relatively thin; it’s phenomenally easy for confidence to turn into self-importance when it’s not tempered by humility and self-awareness. Arrogance is untested or undeserved confidence; confidence is a belief confirmed by experience. A confident person doesn’t necessarily believe that they can’t fail, but they
do believe they can succeed.
Confidence is sexy because of what it says about you; it says that not only are you comfortable in your own skin and secure in yourself, but that you’ve been tested before and you’ve passed. Confident men exude strength. Confidence implies skill and bravery. On a primal level, this is attractive to women because it says that the confident man is someone who has the skills and experience to survive; he can provide for her and their children, protect her against predators. In this day and age when we’re not hunting mammoths or trying to ward off terror birds and Smilodonts, confidence means that a guy has his life together; he’s not going to break down at the first sign of trouble.
But how do you
build that confidence? Fake Until You Make it
It takes time to build up true confidence… which doesn’t do you any good
now. You may be willing to devote the time and effort in order to climb out of that whole of self-reinforcing negativity you’ve found yourself in, but what do you do when you want to be more attractive now?
You
fake that shit, son. And amazingly, that will actually help you build true confidence.
You see, your brain is directly influenced by your physicality. In the ’70s and ’80s, psychologists discovered that adopting the physical posture of an emotional state will actually trick your brain into thinking that it’s actually
experiencing that emotion. People who force themselves to smile – a real smile, one that reaches the eyes – find themselves actually feeling happier. Men who slouch and keep their eyes downcast will feel more ashamed.
And men who
act confident will feel more confident.
Watch interviews with George Clooney and you’ll see what confidence looks like. The man simply
oozes charisma and self-assurance.
Watch his body language; his shoulders are back, his back is straight and his head is level. He moves in slow, deliberate motions. He makes strong, lingering eye-contact with whomever he’s talking to, he speaks with low, measured tones and he has that large, toothy grin. Watching Clooney, you will see a man who looks as though that no matter what’s going on, he’s not just secure in his own awesomeness, but that he’s having the time of his life.
Bad posture, shifting your weight from side to side, quick sharp gestures… you need to eliminate these from your physical lexicon. They project insecurity and nervousness, and they will ultimately infect your own self-perception. Adopt the body language of a confident person and you will find yourself starting to
feel more confident. And that will be your first step down the road towards true confidence.
Accentuate The Positive
I have long noticed that nerds are almost universally negative when it comes to their own lives. In their own minds, the rules of the universe dictate that they will
always ultimately fail and that nothing good can possibly last. They’re defeated before they even start; the girl they like will reject them – or find someone they like better, nobody will like them, they will be humiliated in front of everyone and that everything they do will just end badly. Their successes and achievements mean nothing in the long run… either they’re flukes and random chance, or they’re meaningless in the grand scheme of things. They count for nothing,especially when weighted against all of their failures, both past and future.
It’s no wonder that they suffer from a lack of confidence… they’re too busy sabotaging their own progress and locking themselves into a vicious cycle of failure and self-recrimination.
A confident man, on the other hand, is a man who
embraces the good about himself. He’s not just aware of his strengths, he’s proud of them. He has his faults to be sure, but that is just part of what makes him human… but his gifts are what make him awesome.
If you want to become more confident, you have to learn to end the negative, self-limiting beliefs that hold you back. You need to learn to recognize and acknowledge your strong points and the successes you’ve had. Make a list of them and add to it regularly. If you have a hard time coming up with them, enlist a friend to help you. Read it out loud, daily; the repetition will help embed them in your psyche.
Get in the habit of being thinking positive about yourself. Yes, thinking positively is a habit, and you’ll need to cultivate it in order to help break the cycle of self-reinforcing negativity. If you don’t think well of yourself, nobody else will either.
Embrace Outcome Independence
Nobody succeeds at everything, no matter how confident they are. Failure is inevitable. However, the self-confident man doesn’t dwell on failure; the failure is irrelevant to the event itself.
In practice, this means learning how to separate your desired outcome from the moment. When you’re talking to the girl you like, don’t focus on the fact that you really,
really want her to go out with you. All you’re doing is making your current self-worth dependent on how something may occur. Instead, focus on the here-and-now: you’re talking to the girl you like. You’re having fun, you’re savoring the emotional rush you get from the connection you’re building and how cute she looks when she gives that half-grin you like so much.
By not expending all of your emotional energy on treating every interaction like a test that you need to pass, you’re more able to focus on the interaction itself… which in turn will make you better equipped to get the result you’re hoping for in the first place. And
that will make you better at the interaction… which in turn will build your confidence. Practice, Practice, Practice
I know that I say this often, but it bears repeating: practice is the key to success, whether it’s getting better at a sport, improving your guitar-playing skills or getting better with women. Experience and skill is built via a repetition over time; the more experience you have with something, the greater ease you will feel. The more at ease you feel, the better you will perform. The better you perform, more naturally confident you will become. The more confident you become, the easier the skill will become. When managed properly, this can become a chain of positive feedback…
if you actually devote the time and effort to it.
Practice means actually spending time and energy; just as you will never improve at guitar playing only occasionally, if you want to be better at talking to women, you can’t just only go out and talk to women when you feel like it. You have to make a concerted effort to go out and take advantage of every opportunity.
With sufficient repetition, it will become almost second nature to you and you will feel relaxed and at ease. You’ll have faith in your abilities. That faith will help your self-esteem to grow in leaps and bounds.
Fear + Survival = Confidence
You need to face your fears.
Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death. Fear is part of what holds you back. And you need to learn to be stronger than your fears. When you confront your fears and survive, you will start to master them, and with mastery comes self-confidence.
It’s understandable to fear rejection or humilation; romantic rejection hurts, literally. It activates the same centers of the brain that deal with physical pain. But the fact of the matter is, rejection
isn’t going to kill you; at the end of the day, whether getting rejected by someone you’re attracted to hurts or not is ultimately up to you. With enough experience 1 and exposure, you’ll start to learn that how it affects you is determined by your attitude 2.
Fear can be a tool. It can be used to motivate yourself. Use your fear as a signal; when you feel intimidated or afraid of approaching someone, use that as a sign that you
need to go up to her if only to prove to yourself that you can beat this. Through exposure and repetition, you will being to understand that what you fear is the product of your own mind. Your fear of rejection is really tying your self-worth to her reaction . By letting her have that much power over your self-image, you’re taking the locus of control of your life and handing it to someone else.
Once you begin to understand that rejection is nothing to be fear, you’ll start to relax around women. Relaxing around women will make you feel more self-assured and more in the moment.
Every time you confront your fears, they lose the ability to control you. Every time you let that fear wash over you and push through it, you’ll feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with conquering a challenge. Every time you beat your fear, you’ll feel your sense of ease and confidence grow.
And that confidence you feel? Women will notice it. And then they’ll start to realize you’re a lot more attractive than they’d thought at first.
Related Posts there’s that practice aspect again… [↩] And there’s outcome independence. Do you see how all of this ties together yet? [↩] | 11,195 | 4,814 | 0.000217 |
warc | 201704 | For Immediate Release Thursday, November 13, 2014 Contact: Jacqueline Reis, 781-338-3115 Second Year of Educator Evaluation Ratings Shows Majority of Massachusetts Teachers Performing at High Levels State's Evaluation Framework Designed to Provide Educators with Meaningful Feedback to Benefit Both Students and Educators
Malden - The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education today released the second year of educator evaluation ratings produced under the state framework. Similar to the first year, the vast majority of teachers and administrators who were evaluated received a solid performance rating.
Close to 71,700 educators in 372 districts were evaluated using systems aligned to the new state framework in 2013-14. Statewide, 86.5 percent of educators evaluated last year were Proficient. Smaller percentages of educators received the highest performance rating of Exemplary (8.1 percent) or a rating of Needs Improvement (4.8 percent). Less than one percent of educators were rated as Unsatisfactory (0.5 percent).
The state's new evaluation framework is designed to ensure teachers and administrators receive more meaningful feedback than ever before to help them better serve students. When fully implemented, the new system will require all public school districts in Massachusetts to evaluate every educator and will help discern where educators are performing well, where there is room for improvement, and how districts can best support the development of all educators.
"Massachusetts leads the nation in student achievement, and our educators are the driving force behind those results," said Secretary of Education Matthew Malone. "We know that these evaluations help educators inform their practice and will positively impact student outcomes."
"No single school-based factor is more important to student learning than our teachers, and Massachusetts teachers work hard every day to give students the best education possible," said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester. "This framework is designed to help teachers and administrators collaborate and receive meaningful feedback that lets educators recognize their strengths and address areas where they could do better."
Three years ago, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations that place educator practice and student learning at the center of evaluations. The regulations provide educators with greater feedback and opportunities to support their improvement while also shortening the timelines for improvement. The regulations also set a high bar for teacher tenure.
Under the framework, every educator is an active participant in her or his own evaluation. The process promotes collaboration and continuous learning and emphasizes professional conversations about teaching and learning. The goal is to provide opportunities for even the most expert educators to improve their practice by working with their colleagues and evaluators. For educators who are in need of improvement, the system provides the opportunity to grow.
Every educator, including superintendents, principals, and teachers, takes part in a five-step evaluation cycle that includes self-assessment; analysis, goal setting, and plan development; implementation of the plan; a formative assessment/evaluation; and a summative evaluation. Evaluators rate educators using multiple categories of evidence, including observations, multiple measures of student learning and evidence linked to effective practice such as samples of student work, lesson plans, and materials showing engagement with families.
Every educator evaluated in 2013-14 received a Summative Performance Rating of Exemplary, Proficient, Needs Improvement, or Unsatisfactory. The summative rating determines the type of educator plan an educator is placed on for the next cycle. Experienced, effective educators are placed on educator plans of a longer duration that offer them more autonomy. Plans are designed to provide educators with meaningful feedback and support. The types of plans include:
Self-Directed Growth Plan – a one- or two-year plan for experienced educators who were rated Proficient or Exemplary. Directed Growth Plan – a plan up to one year in length for educators rated Needs Improvement. Improvement Plan – a plan of 30 calendar days up to one school year for educators rated Unsatisfactory. Developing Educator Plan – a one-year plan for educators without Professional Teaching Status (also known as tenure), administrators in their first three years in a district, or at the discretion of an evaluator for an educator in a new assignment.
Eventually, educators will receive two ratings, a Summative Performance Rating and a Student Impact Rating (High, Moderate, or Low). Districts will not issue Student Impact Ratings until the 2015-16 school year, when trends and patterns across multiple measures have been established. An educator's Student Impact Rating must include at least two years of data that identifies trends and patterns using multiple measures of student learning, growth, and achievement. Student growth scores from state assessments must be used as one of the measures when possible.
Under the state's rollout of its evaluation framework, the 233 Massachusetts districts receiving Race to the Top funds began implementing systems aligned to the state framework in 2012-13. All other districts began in 2013-14. In 2013-14, Race to the Top districts were required to evaluate all of their licensed educators, and 89.6 percent were evaluated. Non-Race to the Top districts were required to evaluate at least 50 percent of their licensed educators, and 62.6 percent were evaluated. This year, 2014-15, will be the first year in which all educators statewide will be evaluated under the new framework.
Similar to last year, districts in their first year of implementation targeted supports to newer teachers: 91.2 percent of teachers identified as not having Professional Teacher Status in these districts were evaluated as compared to 68.6 percent of teachers identified by districts as having Professional Teacher Status. As expected, the evaluation data showed that teachers with less experience need more support to develop their knowledge and skills and improve their practice. Statewide, 10.4 percent of teachers without Professional Teacher Status were rated Needs Improvement in 2013-14, compared to 3.1 percent of Professional Teacher Status teachers.
Other 2013-14 results released today include:
All Educators: Statewide, 8.1 percent were rated Exemplary, 86.5 percent were Proficient, 4.8 percent were Needs Improvement, and 0.5 percent were Unsatisfactory. Administrators: Statewide, 12.9 percent were rated Exemplary, 83.5 percent were Proficient, 3.4 percent were Needs Improvement, and 0.1 percent were Unsatisfactory. Principals: Statewide, 11.3 percent were rated Exemplary, 84.1 percent were Proficient, 4.4 percent were Needs Improvement, and 0.2 percent were Unsatisfactory. Teachers – Professional Teacher Status: Statewide, 8.3 percent were rated Exemplary, 88.2 percent were Proficient, 3.1 percent were Needs Improvement, and 0.4 percent were Unsatisfactory. Teachers – Non-Professional Teacher Status: Statewide, 3.5 percent were rated Exemplary, 85.3 percent were Proficient, 10.4 percent were Needs Improvement, and 0.9 percent were Unsatisfactory.
Per state law, individual evaluation data submitted to the Department is considered personnel information and is confidential and not subject to disclosure under the public records law. The exception is data for superintendents, whose annual evaluations are a matter of public record.
For school- and district-level evaluation data, visit http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/educatorevaluationperformance.aspx. For more information on educator evaluation, go to http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/. | 7,948 | 3,036 | 0.000332 |
warc | 201704 | DESCRIPTION OF CONCENTRATION This cross-disciplinary program of study provides students interested in working with children with disabilities the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in settings such as a classroom or clinical and applied settings. This program emphasizes two areas—behavior analysis and developmental issues. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONCENTRATION A total of 22 credits are required for the concentration. Coursework comes from psychology and education. INTERNSHIPS & OPPORTUNITIES In education, students complete a field experience as part of their course requirements. These placements may include David W. Smouse Opportunity School, an elementary school for children with developmental disabilities and emotional and behavioral problems. This school provides state-of-the-art treatment and also has a behavior analyst working in consultation with the school.
Within psychology, students are encouraged to complete an internship in which students agree to comply with the policies of the employing organization and to attend all required orientations, in-service, and staff meetings, and the employing organization agrees to provide the students with orientation and supervision necessary to carry out specified responsibilities. At the present moment there are two internship sites in which board certified behavior analysts supervise student internships—these locations are The Homestead, which provides residential and in-home services to children and adults with autism, and Woodward Resource Center, a state facility providing residential and habilitative services to adults with intellectual disabilities.
CAREER OPTIONS Individuals completing this concentration are in a unique position to work with individuals with intellectual disabilities contingent on their majors. For example, those earning degrees in education have the background to be successful working with children with special needs. Those earning degrees in psychology or any other major have the background to work in applied and clinical settings with individuals with intellectual disabilities (e.g., residential programs, hospitals, and outpatient clinics).
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Apply Now - Application for Fall 2017 Visit Now - Individual campus visits offered Monday-Friday Available Now - FAFSA for Fall 2017 January 22 - Create Your Future at Drake SJMC February 1 - Early Action Priority Deadline February 20 - Sophomore and Junior Preview Day February 23 - Pharmacy and Health Sciences Admitted Student Day March 3 - Admitted Student Day March 24 - Admitted Student Day April 7 - Admitted Student Day | 2,607 | 1,236 | 0.000814 |
warc | 201704 | Quote:
Originally Posted by
vq352k
Do you know about the one day cheat you are suppose to have??? can't really find much info about it...????
I have noted the Cheat Day in many diet plans. In theory it servers two purposes. One, it gives everyone a day to aim for to cheat. If you try to stay on too strict of a diet for too long, you might crack or cheat to much. But if all week, you avoid cheating, knowing you're going to cheat one day, then its better then cheating every day.
The second purpose is that it can, under the right diet boost your metabolism for a short period. The theory being the extra calories will make your body burn faster for a short period.
However, If you are under a really low cal diet that’s pushing you into starvation mode, come cheat day you will probably store most the cheat food as fat, basically countering all the work you put in during the week. But if you’re running a healthy diet, then one day over your daily caloric intake won’t affect you long run.
For me, I noted previously that I eat between 2.0 – 2.2k calaories a day for 6 days. When I am pretty sure I am burning around 2.7k a day. So on my cheat day, I might take in 3.3k and in theory cancelling out one of the pervious days. This leaves me with a net 5 days at minus 500 calories.
In addition, always work out on the day you cheat, before you cheat. This will, even if your enjoying some unhealthily foods, mentally motivate you to cheat in moderation.
But like all things, moderation is key. If you pound away 2k+ calories above your daily calories burn, you will seriously hurt your cause. | 1,627 | 869 | 0.001173 |
warc | 201704 | Plan aims to manage white nose syndrome across borders By Melanie J. Martin- 17 May 2011 22:3:0 GMT
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has released a plan for managing white nose syndrome - a disease devastating bat populations - across state and provincial boundaries. The plan aims to ensure a cohesive response between U.S. states, tribal governments, and Canadian provinces.
The plan provides a framework for investigating and responding to the disease, outlining who is responsible for which activities, and how they will coordinate their efforts. Seven working groups covering areas such as communications, diagnostics, and epidemiological and ecological research will coordinate activities within their designated areas. State-level agencies will share responsibility for monitoring and managing the disease with the help of guidance provided through these working groups, and federal funding.
White nose syndrome has spread to 18 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. Since identified in 2007, the disease has killed over 1 million bats in eastern areas. Though it has primarily devastated eastern regions, it is spreading rapidly west, making environmental groups in western regions increasingly anxious. Many sites like the Oregon Caves National Monument now screen visitors for shoes and clothing worn to areas of potential infection.
White nose syndrome has broad environmental effects, as bat guano is a major source of nutrients in cave ecosystems, and bats play a large role in controlling populations of certain insects including mosquitoes. The disease also has significant economic affects, as insect-eating bats save the government over $3 billion with their pest-eating services, says the FWS.
White nose syndrome seems to cause bats to wake from hibernation and leave the cave, according to the FWS. It may also cause bats to hibernate closer to cave entrances or in far colder temperatures, and is associated with high death rates. Scientists are trying to understand exactly how the disease kills bats. Evidence suggests it may lead to dehydration, flight inhibition, and heat loss, although research has shown skin infection may play a primary role in mortality. The FWS expects management of the disease will continually adapt as new findings become available.
Most of the species affected have long lives (5-15 years) and low reproductive rates (one offspring a year), making recovery difficult, the FWS explains.
The White Nose Syndrome Symposium is currently in session in Little Rock, Arkansas, through May 19, with over 170 experts trying to determine how to best control and cure the disease.
Image: Little brown bat with white-nose syndrome in Greeley Mine, Vermont. Credit: Marvin Moriarty/USFWS. | 2,748 | 1,386 | 0.000724 |
warc | 201704 | Welcome to EarthTurns
Douglas Labs Relora-Plex is a unique proprietary blend of two herbal extracts, Magnolia and Phellodendron, combined with B vitamins designed to support normal mental functioning during stress. Relora® was shown in published clinical studies to support normal salivary cortisol levels, stress, mood, and weight management.
Cortisol, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, plays an important role in the body’s regulation of cardiovascular function and fat, protein and carbohydrate utilization. When the body experiences stress, cortisol secretion increases, thus causing a breakdown of muscle protein and the release of amino acids to form glucose via gluconeogenesis. The resulting higher level of glucose in the body, combined with the decreased use of glucose by other tissues in the body, ensures that the brain is receiving adequate energy. Continuing research indicates that stress and anxiety can have a significant impact on the body’s health and wellbeing. While cortisol secretion is an important part of the body’s response to stress, the prolonged secretion of cortisol can have detrimental effects to the proper functioning of the body’s cardiovascular, immune, neurological and metabolic systems.
Relora is a patent-pending combination of two herbal extracts of Magnolia and Phellodendron bark (Asian cork tree). Both herbs have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for several hundred years. In a human study, 82% of the participants taking Relora agreed with the statement that: “Relora® helps control…. irritability, emotional ups and downs, restlessness, tense muscles, poor sleep, fatigue, and concentration difficulties. Relora was found not to cause sedation, though 74% of the patients had more restful sleep.
Additionally, no adverse side effects were reported during the trial. A second human trial studied the effects of Relora on salivary dehydroepistandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol levels in patients with mild to moderate stress. The effects of stress on the body are sometimes associated with lower levels of DHEA and higher levels of cortisol. Two weeks of Relora increased salivary DHEA by 227% and decreased total salivary cortisol by 37%. Both hormones were brought into the normal range.
Relora-Plex may be a useful dietary supplement for individuals wishing to support normal mental functioning with a unique herbal blend.
SIDE EFFECTS: No adverse side effects have been reported.
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No yeast, wheat gluten, soy protein, milk/dairy, sodium, sugar, artificial coloring, preservatives or flavoring. UPC Code 310539019498 | 2,921 | 1,432 | 0.000711 |
warc | 201704 | Piedmont, as we’ve noted this past week, is a city known for quality and excellence. And most residents and observers would agree that the Piedmont Unified School District contributes greatly to this truism. Everyone in Piedmont benefits from outstanding schools — whether in higher housing prices or in a highly educated community.
This year, the district’s students scored at the top in Northern California and ranked third in the state for English language arts and literacy in the California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance (CAASPP) results released Aug. 24.
The Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education plays a pivotal role in the district’s success. This year, two incumbents and three challengers are running for three seats in the Nov. 8 general election.
Without a doubt, incumbents Andrea Swenson and Sarah Pearson deserve re-election. Swenson, the current board president, projects a calm, thoughtful approach to issues. She and her husband have children who have graduated from Piedmont schools, and she remains committed to seeing that future students have access to superior education.
Swenson is one of Piedmont’s many residents who can be considered super volunteers. She’s a past member of the Piedmont Education Foundation board; past president of the Wildwood, Piedmont Middle and Piedmont High schools parents clubs; past APCP president, past chair of the Giving Campaign; and co-chair of the first Piedmont “Every 15 Minutes” and anti-drunk driving program. In 2011, Swenson was honored by the school board as the Arthur Hecht Volunteer of the Year.
Pearson also shares a long history of volunteerism with the district and its schools. She co-chaired the school parcel tax campaign in 2009, serves on the district’s Budget Advisory Committee and helps with the Giving Campaign and Spring Fling. She has served as past president of the Piedmont Middle School Parents Club and has been a member of the Wildwood Parent Club board.
Pearson, a pediatrician, has an interest in child and teen behavior and development. She, like Swenson, is accessible and projects an energy and enthusiasm to tackle the hard issues.
Just in the past year, the district has appointed the talented and hardworking Randy Booker to replace longtime Superintendent Constance Hubbard. The district has since restructured its administration, addressing technology upgrades, as well as student needs to adapt to a rapidly changing curriculum and staff needs for training.
The board has taken steps to address the emotional and social health of students by implementing later start times for Piedmont Middle and High School students; scheduling semester exams before the winter break; limiting the amount of homework; and working with the Wellness Center to examine data from the Healthy Kids Survey.
In the field of challengers, we give a strong endorsement to Cory Smegal. She has a lengthy record of volunteering with the schools, having spent time as co-treasurer of the Piedmont Education Association; co-chair of the Giving Campaign; and Wildwood Parents Club president. We are confident in Smegal’s full understanding of the district’s programs, budget and needs. In addition, her more than 16 years of experience as a business consultant and marketing executive are also strengths.
In addition, Smegal also shows the energy and interest — and commitment — that would be a real plus for the school board.
Julie Caskey and Hari Titan are well-meaning, and both candidates have thoughtful ideas. Caskey, to be sure, has done volunteer work with the Beach Parents Organization, the Piedmont Middle School board, a math task force and an advanced learners group. Caskey realizes that the most important thing in education is people — students and teachers — and not technology, and she is concerned about student misuse of social media and the Internet.
Titan is a big data scientist and says his strength is in offering financial and academic oversight. He has questioned Booker’s administrative reorganization, contending the district is top-heavy.
Although Caskey and Titan can’t be overlooked, we find the overall credentials of the incumbents and Smegal to be exceptional and outstanding in continuing the excellence of Piedmont schools. We wholeheartedly endorse the re-election of Andrea Swenson and Sarah Pearson and the election of Cory Smegal. | 4,472 | 2,085 | 0.000491 |
warc | 201704 | If you've never applied for a grant before, or even if you have, you might consider getting yourself a grant-writing partner. It can be quite intimidating to apply for your first grant. Almost certainly, you will wonder... Are you answering the applciation questions properly? Did you do enough research? Do you have enough statistics to support your assertion that you need the grant money? How do you even get started?
[content block] The complexity of grant applications can be daunting to anyone, but having help can make the difficult task easier. You might find a partner who has some grant-writing experience. But even if you are both novices, the moral support you give one another may make up for your lack of experience. I do recommend choosing a partner who will benefit equally from the grant money when it is awarded to you. In other words, if possible, you should both have a stake in the outcome of the application. That gives you both an incentive to complete the application and to make it as good and thorough as possible.
When you're looking for a partner, you want to select someone who will contribute as much as possible. Your partner might be an innovative thinker, have good writing skills, or work magic with a budget. It will not be beneficial to choose someone to simply keep you company. A good partner will not only contribute, but should also keep you moving forward on the tasks that you're assigned.
While you could work on the entire grant application together, it might be more beneficial to divide responsibilities. I had a partner on one of the federal grants for which I applied. She did all the work on the budget. I completed all of the narrative parts of the application. We reviewed each other's work and then put in the final touches together. In the end, we delivered an excellent application and were awarded more than $100,000. We both had experience writing grants, but it was more efficient for each of us to use our strongest skills in completing the application.
Before you actually begin writing, you should read over the entire application and any directions that accompany it. Decide together exactly what information is being requested in each part of the form. Once you have determined that, you will be able to divide responsibilities appropriately. After you begin, review each other's work as often as possible to make sure you're both staying on track.
If at all possible, when you have completed the application, get a more experienced grant writer to review it for you. That person may find a few ways to improve the application that the two of you had not considered. After you get the application in final form, put it in the mail and hope for the best. Even waiting to see if you are awarded the grant money is more exciting when you have a partner.
Once you've applied for a few grants, you may decide it's easier for you to complete grant applications by yourself. It does get easier and easier the more applications you complete. On that first one or two, however, it makes excellent sense to choose a good partner with good skills to help you through the process.
Article by Don Peek
Education World® Copyright © 2009 Education World | 3,220 | 1,472 | 0.000684 |
warc | 201704 | Two Emory & Henry students presented ideas for the enhancement of the agricultural economy of Washington County at a recent conference hosted by the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Brianne Smalley of Burke, Va. and Mary Beth Tignor of Lebanon, Va. discussed the challenges of the region’s agricultural economy resulting from the end of the tobacco allotment system in 2004. They also discussed how the agricultural economy of Washington County could tie into other regional economic development efforts that seek to enhance the marketing and production of indigenous goods and services, often known as the “creative economy,” of Southwest Virginia.
Smalley and Tignor presented at the Appalachian Regional Commission's Appalachian Teaching Project Conference in Washington, D.C. in December. Their presentation was the result of their own research, which focuses primarily on farmers in the areas of Meadowview and Glade Spring, Va. Included in Tignor’s research is a study of the history and demographics of the Glade Spring Farmers Market and the Glade Spring community. Smalley will rely on research she has conducted as she writes a grant application in support of a creamery and value-added plant in Meadowview. “Since farmers markets and supporting local food have become a trend in the U.S. I think that both Brianne and I are working on theses that are advocating for things of current relevance,” Tignor said. | 1,453 | 758 | 0.001351 |
warc | 201704 | The effects of amoxicillin vary in intensity from mild to serious. Amoxicillin is a member of the penicillin family. Amoxicillin is a common antibiotic that is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections occurring with skin, ear, sinus, and upper respiratory system. While many people can take amoxicillin with no problems, some people are allergic to amoxicillin and experience adverse effects.
Other People Are Reading Mild Side Effects
Some people have very mild symptoms, but other people experience symptoms that require immediate medical attention. Common side effects of amoxicillin are the following: mild diarrhoea, sore mouth, or white patches in the mouth, headache, and vaginal itching and discharge.
More Serious
The more serious effects from taking amoxicillin are the following: dark urine, yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea and vomiting, stomach and abdominal pain, easy bruising, or bleeding, and persistent sore throat or fever--all mean you should call your doctor.
Severe Stomach Condition
A severe intestinal condition may occur. Due to the resistant bacteria, a condition known as pseudmembranous colitis can take place several weeks after stopping the amoxicillin treatment. Contact a doctor as soon as possible when persistent diarrhoea, stomach and abdominal pain, cramping, and bloody mucous in the stool occur. Do not use antidiarrhea products, or narcotic pain relievers, because these medications may make the symptoms worse.
Thrush
Oral thrush or a new vaginal or yeast infection may also occur. Thrush is the appearance of white patches in the mouth, and can develop after taking amoxicillin for a long time. Contact your doctor.
Allergic Effects
Some people are allergic to amoxicillin due to it being a member of the penicillin family. A person may react like a harmful substance has entered the body, rather than a medication coming to the rescue. The immune system will create antibodies to attack the medication. That will set up a person for an entire host of allergic reactions such as nausea, vomiting, a rash, itching, swelling, and sometimes dizziness. Some amoxicillin users may also experience difficulty breathing due to the allergic reaction.
Other Effects
Amoxicillin can have other effects as well. Amoxicillin may actually decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. Another form of effective birth control should be used while taking amoxicillin just to be on the safe side. Amoxicillin may cause a false/positive result with certain diabetic urine testing products. Amoxicillin can also affect the results of laboratory tests. A person would have to notify the doctor while taking amoxicillin and before lab tests are done.
Conclusion
It is a good idea to tell the doctor if you have allergies to penicillin or amoxicillin. Tell the health care professional if you are taking any other medication. An adverse reaction can be avoided. Tell the doctor if you have a kidney disease or infections such as mononucleosis.
Don't Miss 20 of the funniest online reviews ever 14 Biggest lies people tell in online dating sites Hilarious things Google thinks you're trying to search for | 3,157 | 1,434 | 0.000701 |
warc | 201704 | Cotton goods are often sold according to whether they are Percale or Egyptian cotton. The differences are subtle but can be understood easily once you have some basic information. One term refers strictly to the type of material the sheeting is made from and the other is concerned with the weave of the fabric.
Other People Are Reading What is Egyptian cotton
Egyptian cotton refers to cotton exclusively grown in Egypt along the Nile River. The special growing conditions, high humidity and rich soil found in the area result in an extremely long-fibered cotton 3.7 to 5.6 cm (1 1/2 to 2 1/4 inches) long. When woven into cloth the fabric is very strong and smooth to the touch. Thread count is 200 or higher. The thread count refers to the number of warp and weft threads to be found in 6.5 square cm (1 square inch) of fabric.
Pima cotton
The American version of Egyptian cotton is known as Pima cotton named for the Pima Indians who originally began growing it around 1900. The thread count is similar to that of Egyptian cotton but due to regulation it cannot be sold as Egyptian cotton.
Percale
Percale is a term that refers to the weave of the fabric as opposed to the fibre content. Percale is woven in a plain weave method which has the warp and weft threads intertwined to produce a checked effect on the surface of the fabric. This results in a very strong, medium weight fabric that holds up well in the wash. The thread count of percale is generally around 200. This fabric can be made from 100% cotton or can be a blend of cotton and polyester.
Dying and printing
Egyptian cotton is an extremely good fabric to use for dying and printing. The long fibres soak up liquid readily and set the dye well allowing superb colour fastness. These factors also make it ideal for printing. Percale also performs well in dying and printing when made from 100% cotton. The polyester blended Percale will not accept the dye as well.
Comparison
Percale can be made from Egyptian cotton, this will be a very strong luxurious fabric and is highly valued for bedding. Since the term Egyptian cotton refers to the actual fibre it cannot be automatically assumed to be Percale. Egyptian cotton can be woven in any of the three usual methods not just in the plain weave of Percale. The other two types are satin weave and twill which each produce a distinct finish or sheen to the cloth.
Don't Miss 20 of the funniest online reviews ever 14 Biggest lies people tell in online dating sites Hilarious things Google thinks you're trying to search for | 2,554 | 1,202 | 0.000836 |
warc | 201704 | If you have a futon, chances are you have a futon cover. Over time your futon cover will begin to wear from typical use and should be replaced. Other reasons to consider replacing a futon cover are if it becomes overly damaged or stained. Replacing a futon cover is an easy process that will only take a few minutes.
Skill level: Moderately Easy Other People Are Reading Things you need Futon Replacement futon cover
Show MoreHide
Instructions 1
Measure your futon to decide which size cover you need. According to Futon.org, the most common sizes include: full, 54x75 inches; queen, 60x80 inches; twin, 39x75 inches; love seat, 54x54 inches; love seat ottoman, 21x54 inches; chair, 28x54 inches; and chair ottoman 21x28 inches."
2
Purchase a new futon cover. You can order online or at most department and furniture stores.
3
Remove the old futon cover. Depending on the wear, you can decide to keep it or simply throw it away. If the wear isn't too bad, you can always donate it to charity or a second-hand store. Another option is to keep it as extra fabric if you sew, or to cut it into rags. If the old cover uses a zipper, be careful not to catch it on the futon mattress; otherwise you risk tearing it.
4
Put the new futon cover on your futon mattress. Laying the mattress flat first will make the task easier. Zip up the cover.
5
Run your hands over the mattress to push out any wrinkles. If you push them to the edge of the mattress and pull the cover tight, this will eliminate wrinkles, much like pushing the wrinkles out of a bed sheet or a pillow case.
Tips and warnings Futons can be bulky, so ask someone for help if you need it when putting on the replacement futon cover. Futon covers can be cleaned. If you're replacing the cover because it's dirty, see if you can clean it first. Make sure you get the right size cover for your futon. An ill-fitting cover doesn't look right on the futon. Don't Miss 20 of the funniest online reviews ever 14 Biggest lies people tell in online dating sites Hilarious things Google thinks you're trying to search for | 2,083 | 1,064 | 0.000947 |
warc | 201704 | If you are ready to replace the outboard motor on your boat, you will need to know whether it is a standard or short shaft motor. The shaft length is the most critical dimension of your outboard motor when replacing it. Installing a motor with a shaft that is too short can cause the propeller to be lifted out of the water when the boat is moving. Contrary to what many think, the shaft length is actually measured starting from the transom, or where the motor frame is mounted to the boat.
Things You'll Need Measuring tape
Place your boat where you can easily measure the motor, such as on a trailer.
Place the end of the measuring tape on the transom of your boat, or where the motor mounts to your boat frame. If you are using a mounting frame and do not have the motor mounted directly to your boat, start the measurement from there instead.
Measure the distance from the mounting frame area down to the cavitation plate. This will be a straight, horizontal protrusion just above the propeller.
Determine your total shaft length. Shafts that are approximately 15 inches long are considered short shafts. Shafts that are approximately 20 inches long are considered long, or standard, shafts.
Tips & Warnings The shaft lengths will not be exact when measured. When selecting a motor, err on the long side of the shaft. Most boats can use a longer shaft than what is called for, as long as there is proper clearance to lift the motor out of the water when it is in the up position. Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images | 1,552 | 754 | 0.001333 |
warc | 201704 | "SCANDALOUS" SPARTANWOMEN:EDUCATED AND ECONOMICALLY EMPOWERED
In no other Greek city-state did womenenjoy the same freedom and status as Spartanwomen.
Only in Sparta did women possesseconomic power and influence.
Only in Sparta did girls engage in sports andreceive public education – in other city-states, most womenwere completely illiterate.
Scandalized observers from other Greekcities commented that not only did Spartan women have opinions, theywere not afraid to voice them in public; and worse still –their husbands listened to them!
Thestatus of women in most of the Greek world, and particularly in Athens,was similar to the status of women under the Taliban today.Wives were acquired strictly for the purpose of the production oflegitimate heirs, and sexual pleasure was sought from boys, slaves, andprostitutes (who were also unfree) in explicitly lopsided relationshipsin which the free, adult male dominated and demeaned the object of hissexual attentions. The wives and daughters of citizens wereexcluded from all public and intellectual activities, were kept insidebehind locked doors, and were not allowed to exercise or eat as well astheir brothers or husbands. Women could not inherit or ownproperty, and it was not considered wise to educate them.
Itis against the backdrop ofthis essentially misogynous world, where women were deemed "a curse tomankind" and "a plague worse than fire or any viper" (Euripides), thatthe status of Spartan women must be judged. Spartan womenwere not as free as modern women. Their primary role insociety was that of wives and mothers. Their fathers chosetheir husbands for them, and they were honored most for producingsons. They did not have the right to vote (but then theyweren't expected to spend forty years in the army, either), and theycould not be elected to public office. Nevertheless, theyenjoyed status and rights that were exceptional in ancient Greece andwere the scandal of the ancient world.
The greater freedom and status of Spartan womenbegan at birth.Sparta's laws required female infants and children to begiven the same care and food as their brothers – in contrastto other Greek cities, where girls were more likely to be exposed(rejected and killed) at birth, were fed on a less nutritious diet thantheir brothers, and were prevented from getting exercise or even freshair.
Furthermore, like their brothers, Spartan girls attended the publicschool, although for a shorter period of time than the boys.At school they were allowed and encouraged to engage insports. But, as Plato points out in his Protagoras (342d),this education was not purely physical. On the contrary, inSparta "not only men but also women pride themselves on theirintellectual culture." This was more than mere literacy: itwas systematic education in rhetoric and philosophical thought.
When girls reached sexual maturity, they were not rushed – aswere their sisters throughout the rest of the ancient world –into marriage, thereby suffering psychological and physical injury frompremature sex andfrequently dying early in childbed. On the contrary, theSpartan laws explicitly advocated marrying girls only after they hadreached an age to "enjoy sex." The reasoning was simple: foryoung girls not yet psychologically ready for sexual intimacy, sex wasan "act of violence." It is highly significant that Spartanscondemned violence inside marriage, and understood that sex with achild is abusive. Nor were Spartan girls married to mucholder men, as was usual in other Greek cities. It is estimated thatmost Spartan wives were only four to five years younger than theirhusbands. The fact that much of Sparta's concernwas for the production of healthy children does not detract from thefact that the laws protected girls from early marriage. All Greekmarriages were for procreation, but in other cities men were willing toaccept the inevitable higher death rates and other physicalconsequences of forcing sex on young girls for the sake of indulgingtheir own preference for sex with children. (For more details, see theessay on Sexuality.)
Because Sparta's male citizenswere required to devote their lives to the military and other forms ofpublic service, Sparta's matrons ran the estates of their husbands.This meant that Spartan wives controlled the family wealth– and, in effect, the entire Spartan agricultural economy.(Trade and manufacturing were in the hands of the perioikoi –see the essay on Economy.)A Spartan citizen was dependent on his wife's efficiency topay his dues to his dining club and his son's agoge fees.This economic power is in particularly sharp contrast to cities such asAthens, where it was illegal for a woman to control more money than sheneeded to buy a bushel of grain. (An excellent article on how Spartanwomen's economic power gave them status is provided by MariaDettenhofer in "Die Frauen von Sparta", in Reine Maennersache?(Deutsche Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich, 1996).)
What was more: Spartan women could inherit and so transferwealth. Athenian women, by contrast, were never heiresses:all property passed to the next male kinsman, who might at most berequired to marry the heiress in order to claim the inheritance– an arrangement that often led men to discard their previouswife, although she was blameless, just to get their hands on theinheritance of a kinsman. Economic power has always had theconcomitant effect of increasing status. This is clearlyevidenced by contemporary descriptions of Spartan women. Theywere "notorious" for having opinions ("even on political matters"!) and– what was clearly worse from the perspective of other Greekmen – "their husbands listened to them"! Aristotleclaimed that Spartan men were "ruled by their wives" – andcited the freedom of Spartan women as one of two reasons why theSpartan constitution was reprehensible. (For a comparison ofwomen's legal status in Sparta to that in other city-states, seeRaphael Sealey, Womenand Law in Classical Greece (University of North CarolinaPress, Chapel Hill, 1990), or Sue Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece(British Museum Press, London, 1995).)
In a frequently quoted incident, the wife of King Leonidas was askedwhy Spartan women were the only women in Greece who "ruled" theirhusbands. Gorgo replied,"Because we are the only women who give birth to men." Inother words, only men with the self-confidence to accept women asequals were men at all.
Lastly, it is a frequent misconception that Spartan society was blatantly homosexual. Curiously, no contemporary source and noarchaeological evidence support this widespread assumption.The best ancient source on Sparta, Xenophon, explicitlydenies the already common rumors about widespread pederasty.Aristotle noted that the power of women in Sparta was typicalof all militaristic and warlike societies without a strong emphasis onmale homosexuality – arguing that in Sparta this"positive" moderating factor on the role of women in society wasabsent. There is no Spartan/Laconian pottery with explicitly homosexualmotifs – as there is from Athens and Corinth and othercities. The first recorded heterosexual love poem was writtenby a Spartan poet for Spartan maidens. The very fact thatSpartan men tended to marry young by ancient Greek standards (in theirearly to mid-twenties) suggests they had less time for the homosexuallove affairs that characterized early manhood in the rest of Greece.Certainly the Spartan state considered bachelorhood adisgrace, and a citizen who did not marry and produce future citizensenjoyed less status than a man who had fathered children. Inno other ancient Greek city were women so well integrated into society.All this speaks against a society in which homosexualitywas institutionalized or predominant. (For moredetails, see the essay on Sexuality.)
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Text varies on this site between British and American Englishspelling.Most research was done in Europe and compiled for British Englishpublications.Interviews and reviews reflect both American and BritishEnglish, as Helena Schrader is a leading authority on this subjectin the US and Europe. | 8,348 | 3,955 | 0.000256 |
warc | 201704 | Prostate Cancer Mortality Benefit Seen for Family Hx-Based Screens
(HealthDay News) — Screening white men with a family history of prostate cancer appears to be associated with a decrease in prostate cancer-specific mortality, according to a study published in the January issue of
The Journal of Urology.
Michael A. Liss, MD, from the University of California-San Diego Health System, and colleagues used data from the PLCO (Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian) cancer screening trial to compare prostate cancer-specific mortality in the screening and usual care arms of men with and without family history of prostate cancer. Data were included for 65,179 white subjects, of whom 11.2% were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 7.4% had a family history of prostate cancer.
The researchers found that positive family history correlated with significantly increased incidence of prostate cancer (16.9 vs. 10.8%;
P<0.01) and prostate cancer-specific mortality (0.56 vs. 0.37%; P<0.01), with a trend toward significance after multivariate adjustment (hazard ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.98–2.21; P=0.06). In men with a positive family history, screening correlated with a trend toward decreased prostate cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.22–1.1; P=0.08) and with decreased time to prostate cancer death (log rank P=0.05).
"With these promising data it may be more prudent to focus screening efforts on high-risk groups such as those with a positive family history, and possibly even black men and others with a genetic predisposition rather than abandoning them in general as suggested by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force," the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. | 1,815 | 908 | 0.001117 |
warc | 201704 | About Homelessness Issues Policy Solutions Library News & Events Take Action Training About Us Ramping Up Rapid Re-Housing Series Friday News Roundup: HPRP, female vets, and National Homeless Person's Memorial Day
December 18, 2009
“There’s that disconnect from the community when you’re homeless, and it’s a big leap to get back to that connection,” Deborah Beste, executive director of Phoenix Programs told the Columbia Missourianthis week. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
Funds from the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) allow Phoenix Programs to do just that: keep the community together by preventing homelessness. In addition to Beste in Missouri and Zamora in Salt Lake City (who we featured earlier this week), folks in California,Minnesota, and Illinois are using HPRP to help stem the rising tide of homelessness in their communities.
However, we’re starting to see some of the issues that arise at the local level when organizations start to use federal dollars. One example is the Keller Community Storehouse in Texas: although they’re glad for the funds, they’re struggling to keep up with increasing demand while trying to negotiate the complexities of paperwork and deadlines.
We’ve covered homelessness among veterans extensively at About Homelessness, but this week, news came from a slightly different angle: female veterans often face some unique obstacles–responsibility for children, sexual trauma, to name a few–in addition to those that male vets deal with. Check out this AP story, which tells former Army Pvt. Margaret Ortiz’s story and describes how Veteran’s Affairs is re-structuring some of their programs to better serve homeless female veterans.
It’s that time of year and Change.org’s End Homelessness blog urges you to celebrate by helping fight homelessness. They’ve got 12 fantastic suggestions about how to do it: donate clothes, toys, food, and your time at a shelter. We’ve got one, too: donate to the Alliance through our Change.org page.
And today is National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day. If you’re in DC, join the National Coalition for the Homeless and others for a candlelight vigil outside Union Station tonight. | 2,315 | 1,211 | 0.000872 |
warc | 201704 | I love to experiment with unusual or lesser known products. This recipe combines two vegetables that Italians lovesquash and broccoli raaband a Latin American grain, quinoa, which is fast becoming a trendy food. It is considered a super grain, containing protein, calcium, B vitamins, and amino acids, and it must be rinsed to remove its bitter coating. This dish is both familiar and exotic at once, and definitely a healthful choice.
Yield Serves 4. Ingredients 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed 1 cup vegetable broth 1/4 cup chili oil or other flavored oil of your choice 1 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4" thick Kosher or sea salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 large portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 tbsp minced shallot 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 cup finely chopped tomato 1/2 cup peas (frozen and thawed is okay) 1 large garlic clove, sliced 2 tsp paprika 1 small bunch broccoli raab, washed and trimmed 1/3 grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or asiago Truffle oil (optional) Preparation Combine the quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the flavored oil in a large skillet. Lay the squash sliced in the oil and cook (in batches, if necessary) until golden brown on both sides, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the squash to a platter and keep warm. Add another tbsp oil to the pan and heat it. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and brown on both sides. Transfer the mushrooms to the platter with the squash. Add the shallot to the skillet and sauté until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the celery; sauté 2 minutes. Add the tomato and peas and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the quinoa; mix well and sauté for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. While the vegetables are cooking in the skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil to a large saucepot; add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Add the paprika and broccoli raab and stir. Cover the pot and cook on medium-low until tender, about 10-12 minutes. (If the pot gets too dry, add ¼ cup water.) Divide the quinoa onto 4 plates. On top of the quinoa, lay 2 or 3 slices of the squash and a few slices of portobello. Place 2 or 3 stalks of the broccoli raab along side the squash. Sprinkle parmigiano over all and drizzle with truffle oil, if using. Serve hot or warm. Related Video Nutritional Info Calories327 Carbohydrates42 g(14%) Fat16 g(24%) Protein9 g(19%) Saturated Fat1 g(7%) Sodium64 mg(3%) Polyunsaturated Fat5 g Fiber9 g(38%) Monounsaturated Fat9 g Cholesterol0 mg(0%) | 2,739 | 1,324 | 0.000766 |
warc | 201704 | If you want clean streams, you need clean streets. That’s the message
Brian Giles, sweeper product manager for Elgin Sweeper, shared with the municipal officials and consulting engineers who comprise the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup of The Conservation Foundation. The Chicago-area organization focuses on helping local governments understand and apply best practices in environmental stewardship.
Giles made the connection between
street pollution and surface water pollution in his June 30 presentation to the workgroup in a meeting held at city hall in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, Ill.
He is a frequent speaker on environmental protection topics to public and private conservation groups.
During the presentation, Giles described a variety of street surface pollutants that enter the sewers and, eventually, the waterways, paying particular attention to silt as a menace to clean streams. He said silt is inorganic matter less than 80 microns in diameter that tends to remain suspended in solution and is difficult to remove from surface water.
“Eighty percent of silt, or debris that could become silt, is located within several feet of the gutter,” Giles noted. “It may be hard to believe, but the average street has about 1,000 pounds of debris per mile. The key to
preventing surface water pollution is to keep that debris from entering the storm sewers.”
Giles cited data on the effectiveness of various sweeping technologies in removing silt from the streets, ranging from a low of 81 percent using standard wet dust-control mechanical sweepers, to a high of 98 percent using high efficiency regeneration sweeper technology.
“Sweeping is a classic pollution prevention technique,” Giles explained. “It removes pollutants before they enter the sewers and streams. Catch basin cleaning can be an important – although expensive – part of an overall strategy to keep sewers free of debris and silt. An effective sweeping program can help minimize that expense.”
“As an industry, we have to help local governments understand that street sweeping can be an effective
water-pollution prevention strategy,” Giles emphasized. “It’s more than just making the streets look pretty.” Article and photos contributed by Elgin Sweeper | 2,329 | 1,163 | 0.000896 |
warc | 201704 | GIS-Based Traffic Light Project
The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is using ArcGIS software to implement its LED Traffic Lights Project, an ambitious traffic light replacement program funded in part by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grant. With ArcGIS, the city's Department of Streets will track and manage the project, which will replace 87,000 incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Estimated operational savings, resulting from significantly lower use of electricity, the greater longevity of LED bulbs, and the fixed department costs to replace bulbs, are expected to top $1 million per year.
In addition to saving money and field personnel time, Philadelphia's enterprise implementation of the system provides data access to other departments within the city, resulting in a significant return on investment.
Andy Mehos, GIS manager for the Department of Streets, says, "The opportunity to capture the asset data for the light replacement project, use it for other applications within the Department of Streets, and share it with other departments saves the city a considerable amount of time and money. It is significant enough to offset any cost of software development and the purchase of equipment. After observing our success in implementing this project, other city departments are considering similar GIS projects of their own."
The department employed Esri Partner geographIT to develop a customized GIS application integrated with ArcGIS that supplies a spatially enabled mobile solution for tracking street-related city assets. The application's bar code scanning capability provides a quick way to add an LED bulb record to the geodatabase while in the field. In addition to LED bulbs, the department is capturing asset data about traffic heads, traffic control boxes, and light and sign pole attachments with the application.
A video about Philadelphia's light replacement program,
The Recovery Act Is "Lighting Up" the Streets of Philadelphia, can be seen at esriurl.com/1726.
For more information about Esri's public works solutions, visit esri.com/publicworks. | 2,157 | 1,070 | 0.00094 |
warc | 201704 | RAND 1700 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138
论著选摘
The earliest applications of AI in education developed intelligent tutoring
systems (ITS). For the most part, ITS, like CAI systems before them, have
attempted to implement traditional
methods of learning and teaching.
Drill-and-practice, and other variants in which students solve relatively
short problems chosen by the teacher, have a proven pedigree in the
classroom. Perhaps more important, ITS using a drill-and-practice method
have generally aimed at well-defined and well-accepted goals for
learning. These typically include factual knowledge and procedural
skills, like algebra symbol manipulation, that are part of traditional
school curricula, and that can be measured by existing standardized tests.
Working with traditional methods of teaching and learning, and using
traditional means of evaluating outcomes, the developers of ITS have tried
to show that ITS can significantly improve the speed and quality of
students learning. And, to some extent, they have been successful.
However a looming paradox undermines these successes. The technologies that make it possible to automate traditional methods of teaching and learning are also helping to create new methods, and to redefine valued educational goals. For example, new technologies can automate symbol-manipulation algebra and spelling correction, making these skills less important to learn, while increasing the importance of "higher-order" skills required to do creative mathematics and writing. As a result, attempts to use new technologies in education to further traditional learning goals or traditional methods of teaching makes less and less sense.
This situation poses tremendous difficulties to the development of effective educational technology applications. Traditional goals and methods for learning are at least well understood and relatively well-defined. But new methods -- for example learning through inquiry, collaboration, or visualization -- and new goals for learning have not yet been agreed upon by the educational community at large, let alone fully operationalized. Crafting effective technologies for fixed learning goals and methods of teaching and learning is challenging enough. But is even more demanding when the target you are aiming at is moving.
Microworlds and interactive learning environments (ILEs) are one response to these changes in the educational landscape. Generally, they are trying to implement an inquiry-based method of teaching and learning, perhaps helping to bring this method into the classroom on a large scale for the first time. However, at the same time, ILEs are involved in a shift of educational goals as well as methods. Its not simply a matter of providing tools for new methods of learning skills now taught in many classrooms. In some cases, new educational goals focus on topics that are not part of traditional curricula, such as boolean networks and chaos, graph theory, and inquiry skills themselves. In other cases the focus is on traditional topics, like fractions or polygons, but the intent is to foster a deeper conceptual understanding of ideas that are usually taught as simple procedures.
The movement from ITS to ILEs, and to mixed-initiative systems that represent a combination of both approaches, illustrates a general pattern in educational technology today. Virtually all important computer-based applications to education are not simply trying to teach traditional skills more quickly, efficiently or less expensively. Rather, like ILEs, they are participating in an attempt to change methods of learning and teaching and to redefine valued educational goals and learning outcomes.
As a result, there is no reason to believe that the most effective uses of AI (or advanced technology in general) in education will happen quickly or without careful policy and planning. In the short-term, technologies resembling many ITS -- that aim at well-defined learning goals and that can be moved into classrooms with a minimum of disruption -- will provide the most statistically significant improvements in student outcomes. Policies that support research based on their ability to generate such results in "horse race" evaluations risk encouraging technology applications that miss longer-term benefits.
On the other hand, policies which simply give researchers free reign to develop software that focuses on new methods of teaching and new learning outcomes also run considerable risks. The problems in developing these systems and moving them into education on a broad scale are not simply technical ones. Our experience provides a case in point. When developing ITS for mathematics education, 75% our effort was spent on technical and research issues, but implementation required most of our time when we integrated ILEs into schools. As technology continues to transform the goals for student learning and to enlarge the range of methods for teaching and learning, implementation will require proportionally more effort.
In general, implementation tasks must develop new curricula, assessment methods and instruments, teaching practices and professional standards, and teacher education. These tasks cannot all be effectively done by any single group of researchers. Rather, we believe that scaling up new technologies like ILEs will require a division of labor -- different groups or projects working in a coordinated fashion to put together the technology, curricula, assessment tools, professional standards, and teacher training pieces of a package of broad educational reform. However, today we see very little evidence of such coordination. Research in these areas is typically funded by disjoint government programs that provide few incentives or mechanisms necessary to engender needed cooperation. In the future it will be important to consider new policies that improve the communication between these groups. A variety of policy options are worth examining, including larger consortium-based projects that include expertise in software development as well as teacher training and other key stakeholder groups, smaller separate projects that work together synergistically using new networking technologies, and incentives that bring high-tech companies into better cooperation with educational technology research and classroom practice.
The main goal of this paper is to review past and present trends in the
applications of AI in education, and to project from the successes and
failures of those applications to possible future applications. The paper
is a personal perspective in several senses. It selectively highlights a
few important issues but makes no attempt to survey all key ideas in
educational technology. Discussion is limited to two main applications of
AI in education: intelligent tutoring systems and microworlds. Even more
narrowly, the paper will compare these two approaches primarily in terms of
their
methods of learning and teaching -- the procedures, principles,
and techniques they embody to facilitate learning -- and their learning
outcomes or goals for learning -- the particular kinds of
knowledge and learning they help students acquire, or try to help them
acquire. The paper is also a personal perspective because it illustrates
many of its main points with reference to our own research at RAND over the
past several years. We also discuss other research to support general
points, but many outstanding systems and studies are mentioned only in
passing or not at all.
The organization of the paper is roughly chronological. The first section discusses the application of AI ideas in developing early intelligent tutoring systems, reviewing both their successes and limitations. These limitations motivate the relatively recent development of interactive learning environments and microworlds, which are discussed in the next main section. The paper concludes with some general reflections on the current state-of-the-art, and with some speculations on possible future directions for AI in education.
ITS attempt to capture a method of teaching and learning exemplified by a one-on-one human tutoring interaction. For researchers in AI this method of teaching was a natural one to target first for several reasons. Drill-and-practice versions of one-on-one tutoring are relatively well-understood ways of communicating knowledge. This method of learning and teaching is widely accepted both by the educational community and by our culture as a whole. And it has achieved broad popularity for good reason. One-on-one tutoring allows learning to be highly individualized, and consistently yields better outcomes than other methods of teaching (Bloom, 1984). Although many methods have been examined, no other has reliably yielded "2 sigma" improvements -- usually over a full letter-grade -- in student outcomes. Failure to attribute strong outcome improvements to other methods of teaching and learning may be partly a function of inadequate techniques for evaluating novel learning outcomes, as we elaborate below. However, regardless of evaluation problems, it is clear that one-on-one tutoring remains a "gold standard" of learning.
Although ITS differ in a variety of ways, most have a characteristic
structure. Figure 1 sketches a generic ITS. Superficially, ITS differ
little from the CAI systems preceded them. In general, both are
characterized by a common philosophy that includes
high tutor
control, and short-answer task format. In most CAI systems and
ITS students learn by working a series of relatively brief questions. In
both cases the system plays the exclusive role of the task expert,
controlling the selection of tasks or problems, while the student
responsible for answering them. The system also plays the role of the
critic, and in most ITS the system rather than the student decides when
critical feedback will be supplied. The main differences between ITS and
earlier CAI systems do not reflect differences in methods of teaching and
underpinning philosophies of learning. Rather, they reflect engineering
and psychological enhancements that permit ITS to tutor in a
knowledge-based fashion. Unlike previous CAI systems, ITS represent
some of the knowledge and reasoning of good one-on-one human tutors, and
consequently can coach in a much more detailed way than CAI systems.
The heart of an ITS is its expert system. The expert system embeds sufficient knowledge of a particular topic area to provide "ideal" answers to questions, correct not only in the final result but in each of the smaller intermediate reasoning steps. The expert system thus allows the ITS to demonstrate or model a correct way of solving the problem. Often, like a human tutors, it can generate many different answer paths or goal structures (McArthur, Stasz, Hotta, Peter, and Burdorf, 1988). The same detailed data structures that expert systems generate in modeling expert reasoning also permit ITS to explain their reasoning at arbitrarily detailed levels. For example, if a student needs an explanation of why or how an algebra ITS did a step in solving an equation, the system might first say that it used the distributive rule. If the student requested more justification, it could elaborate by describing the terms that were distributed and the arithmetic "cleanup" steps that followed. Explanations thus turn expert systems from opaque "black box" experts into inspectable "glass boxes" (Foss, 1987).
ITS coach as well as model expert problem-solving. In particular, they can
monitor the student as he or she solves a problem and can determine if
every step is right. Thus, while questions were the atomic unit of
discourse in CAI systems, in ITS the basic unit is the individual reasoning
step. To support this detailed coaching, ITS often create and update a
student model (see, among others Anderson, Boyle, and Yost 1985;
London and Clancey, 1982; Sleeman and Smith, 1981). The student model
reflects the correct rules the ITS thinks the student knows -- ones that
are also found in the expert system or in the "ideal" student model
(Anderson, Boyle, and Reiser, 1985). But, since most students are not ideal,
the student model often contains rules that are "buggy"--invalid rules
the ITS thinks the student believes (Matz, 1982; Sleeman, 1982). The ITS
watches each step in the student's reasoning as he or she solves a problem.
Each time the student makes an error, the ITS will diagnose the problem
-- possibly updating the student model -- then attempt to remediate it
with very detailed advice about how the expert system would do the step.
This process repeats at every step in the evolution of a complete solution
to a problem.
One part of most ITS that receives relatively little mention is the pedagogical component. While the expert system contains rules and knowledge that drive an ITS subject-specific performance, the pedagogical component is supposed to contain similar rules that encode expertise about tutoring itself -- for example when to interrupt students and what kinds of information to provide them. But, as we elaborate below, current ITS have little pedagogical expertise.
In Figure 2 the student is using the operations version of the algebra tutor. The operations the student chooses are recorded in the right side window. The left side contains various menus that allow the student and ITS to converse. For example the student can move scroll display, can ask for help, can ask the ITS to do a step and to explain what it was doing, and can create their own problem or get easier or harder ones.
When the student creates steps in a solution he or she can develop multiple
different solution paths that appear as different branches in a
solution
tree. Solution trees "reify" the student's reasoning process by showing
connections between steps (Collins and Brown, 1987). Such reification allows
the student to easily compare different solution approaches, or to contrast
a "buggy" approach with a correct one. In this case, for example, the
student's first (leftmost) attempt began by distributing and the second
attempt uses the more elegant approach, by first collecting. This approach
was suggested by the computer after a request for help from the student
(the command that began this branch is in inverse video in the commands
window to the right, indicating this step was done by the machine). At the
point shown in the Figure, the student has asked the ITS to explain how and
why it did the step. Explanations appear in the bottom window. The
student can request explanations at increasing levels of detail. Like
other ITS, the algebra tutor's main strength is that it permits coaching at
an arbitrarily fine grain size. As Anderson has pointed out (Ohlsson,
1986), it would be difficult -- perhaps impossible -- for a human tutor to
provide any more detailed feedback on the logic of algebraic symbol
manipulation.
We have experimented with two very different pedagogical components in our algebra tutor. In the version we have been discussing, the pedagogical policy permits high students control. The student decides when to ask for help, when to request the expert to do and explain, when questions should be tougher and easier. Another version of the system is at the other end of the pedagogical spectrum. It is completely tutor controlled; the tutor, not the student, decides what questions to give, and when to help the student.
Our algebra ITS has been tested on several occasions using introductory algebra classes at a local high school (McArthur and Stasz, 1990; Robyn, Stasz, Ormseth and McArthur, 1989). In each fielding, one or more classes used the ITS and comparison classes learning the same curriculum, did not. Our evaluations have primarily focussed on the role of the tutor in improving traditional algebra learning outcomes. Specifically, we were interested in measuring improvements in solving symbolic equations, and on seeing whether students could benefit by reasoning separately about goals, operations, and symbols. Our best results indicate that students using the algebra tutor scored almost a letter-grade higher than comparison students (see Robyn, Stasz, McArthur, Ormseth and Lewis (1992) for a more detailed discussion of curriculum and results).
However, these kinds of narrow results do not tell the whole story. In addition to enhancing students' outcomes in traditional algebra symbol manipulation, several evaluations of our algebra tutor have attempted to see if the tutor could improve skills not measured by most standardized tests. For example, might students using the algebra ITS improve their ability to model realistic situations with equations, as well as skills for manipulating and solving equations? Could they improve other "higher-order" skills, like planning, debugging (fixing errorful solutions) and goal setting? As we report in more detail elsewhere (Robyn, Stasz, McArthur, Ormseth and Lewis, 1992), there is qualified evidence that our algebra ITS can lead to such outcomes. However, these benefits come at a cost. To improve these skills we had to extensively restructure the standard algebra curricula in which our ITS was embedded. For these pilot tests, crafting the software took less time than developing the non-computer materials and providing teacher training.
We see in these results an important general pattern. By adopting one-on-one tutoring, ITS have aspired to implement a very familiar, well-understood, and accepted method of teaching and learning. At the same time, most ITS have aimed at equally familiar learning goals or outcomes. These typically comprise procedural skills, like algebra symbol manipulation, that are part of traditional school curricula. Such outcomes are relatively easily measured by the standardized tests that are used in most school curricula. Consequently, it is relatively straightforward to determine the success or failure of ITS in objective and broadly accepted ways. On the other hand, to the extent that ITS -- or any technology -- attempts to target more novel learning outcomes, it becomes both more difficult to measure success, and more demanding to implement the technology in traditional classroom settings.
ITS are congruent with existing classroom practice in at least two senses. First, they generally aim at learning goals or outcomes that are already embedded in traditional curricula -- algebra symbol manipulation, programming, and geometry, for example. Second, they adopt a popular method of teaching and learning. Most classrooms still combine lecture with drill-and-practice. As a consequence, teachers have little trouble finding an effective role for ITS like our algebra tutor. They can usually be plugged into existing curricula with minimal change to course plans; for example, they often simply replace pencil-and-paper homework or drill-and-practice seatwork.
It is important to note that not all software fits into classrooms so easily. As we elaborate below, many recently developed computer environments are more aligned than ITS with emerging standards for mathematics curricula which advocate new methods of teaching and learning and emphasize new goals for student learning (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989). Yet, regardless of their popularity in research, these environments do not always work well in traditional classrooms. Later sections will have more to say about the demands of implementing various kinds of systems in the classroom.
Conversely, ITS have not yet been successful developed for less well-understood or well-defined subjects. These include a wide range of topics in history and social sciences, where natural language understanding would appear to be prerequisite for any effective ITS. But they also include areas in science and mathematics, such as those emphasized by NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989). For example, cognitive science cannot yet provide a complete task analysis of expertise in posing novel problems (Brown and Walter, 1990), designing good experiments, or creatively applying the scientific method. Similarly, while ITS can help students practice the symbolic manipulation of equations, they cannot tutor the effective application of these representations in modeling real-world situations. As a result, it is current impossible to develop an omniscient expert system for these topic areas, let alone modeling student misconceptions. And, without an effective expert system, an ITS loses its educational leverage.
Subject competence limitations of ITS can be interpreted weakly or strongly. A weak interpretation agrees that effective ITS are currently limited to topic areas which are relatively simple, and perhaps of minor importance in emerging curricula. But a weak interpretation also argues that eventually ITS will be built for many of these more interesting topics, perhaps relying on new breakthroughs in the representation of knowledge provided by artificial intelligence and cognitive science research. On this interpretation, the subject limitations of ITS are little more than a reflection of the youth of the field.
On the other hand, a strong interpretation of the competence limits of ITS
argues that it may never be possible to develop ITS for interesting topic
areas. One of the reasons that rote calculation and algebraic symbol
manipulation are no longer highly valued parts of math curricula, for
example, is that these computations can be automated. Since they can be
done by machine, so the argument goes, they lose value as curriculum
topics, while new skills (that perhaps presuppose these simpler ones) become
increasingly important. In math, for example, schools are
slowly
reducing the time spent learning multiplication tables, while reluctantly
increasing exposure to "higher-order" skills involved in finding and
understanding abstract mathematical patterns (Steen, 1990).
The strong interpretation of the competence limits of ITS thus does not deny that new research in artificial intelligence will bring more topic areas in range for ITS. Rather it suggests that the very act of automating new kinds of reasoning will devalue them as curriculum topics. On this argument, the developers of ITS are caught in a "catch 22" they can never escape. As ITS improve, the learning outcomes they can engender will expand accordingly; but the value of these outcomes will decline at the same time.
Just as learning outcome and subject limitations have weak and strong interpretations, pedagogical limitations can also be viewed narrowly or broadly. The narrow interpretation, implied above, argues that to improve the pedagogical capabilities of an ITS we need to enhance the rule-base that tells it when and how to coach students. On this interpretation, the basic structure of tutorial interaction -- a method of teaching that emphasizes one-on-one tutoring, and the more detailed principles of micro-tutoring and impasse-driven coaching -- remains intact. All that is needed is to enrich the pedagogical knowledge base. In short, a weak interpretation suggests that we simply need to do a better job of implementing the method of teaching and learning that ITS are already pursuing.
A strong interpretation of ITS pedagogical limitations argues the problem
is not merely that the prevailing one-on-one tutoring method is
incompletely developed. Rather, this interpretation suggests a more
fundamental problem -- that ITS are constrained to a
single method of
teaching and learning while truly expert tutors can adopt different
methods. However good ITS are at micro-tutoring, they are still limited to
a drill-and-practice style of interaction. More generally, they lack the
ability to tutor flexibly; to adopt different teaching methods when
appropriate, and to permit students to use different learning styles. By
contrast, competent one-on-one human tutors may shift methods depending on
the needs of students and on other contextual factors. A session may begin
in an apprenticeship mode, then shift into drill-and-practice, and finally
into less constrained, student-centered inquiry. This "meta level"
reasoning about appropriate teaching and learning methods is well beyond
today's ITS.
The drill-and-practice method of teaching embedded in ITS appears to be
more suitable for
tuning existing knowledge than for conceptual
learning of substantial pieces of new knowledge (Ohlsson, 1991). This
limitation, in part, reflects limitations in the cognitive science that
underpins ITS. Psychological theory has accumulated a good understanding
of how to remediate small "bugs" in knowledge. For example, BUGGY provides
a detailed model of the microgenesis of misconceptions in arithmetic (Brown
and Burton, 1978); and Anderson's ACT* shows how new knowledge can be built
incrementally from existing rules through operations like composition,
generalization, and specialization (Anderson, 1983). This research
provides a solid foundation for ITS that help student make minor
adjustments in knowledge. But cognitive science does not have a comparable
understanding of the initial learning of large chunks of knowledge, and
consequently, we lack a rigorous theoretical basis that would guide the
design of learning systems for acquiring conceptual knowledge.
In this section we give an overview of several current trends. As in previous sections, our intent is not an exhaustive review of current research and results; instead, we are interested in characterizing the main thrusts.
Indeed, in the short-term it is very likely that better interface design will contribute more to improved effectiveness of ITS than will enrichments in the expertise underlying their reasoning. This is not to say that knowledge is unimportant to tutoring. However, ITS have arisen from AI and cognitive science, and so they have focused primarily on the importance of teachers' knowledge of subjects and students in crafting systems. Effective interfaces may be as crucial for learning and teaching as high quality knowledge bases because they focus on other key learning variables, including the roles of motivation, broad communication channels, and multiple different representations. Moreover, effective interfaces are easier to build than intelligent expert systems. As we elaborate in the next section, making ITS smarter is simply much tougher than making them clearer, more concrete, and more accessible.
Cognitive science continues to provide better and more detailed cognitive models and task analyses for ever more sophisticated kinds of reasoning and problem solving. This research has advanced from beginnings where only well-defined and closed worlds like logic, puzzles, games, and algebra were understood (e.g., Newell and Simon, 1972). Today, for example, we have information processing models of problem solving in knowledge-rich subjects like medicine (e.g., Clancey, 1987), physics (e.g., Larkin, 1980), and electronics troubleshooting (e.g., Frederiksen, White, Collins and Eggan, 1988).
But this foundational research only extends so far. In spite of recent advances, many topic areas that educators regard as increasingly important still lie at least in part beyond current psychological theory. In fact, the gap between the knowledge and skills we understand at a detailed cognitive level and those we believe students should learn may be widening. For example, in mathematics curricula, simple procedural skills to solve equations and more complex procedural skills of differential and integral calculus, used to occupy substantial roles in K12 curricula. However, as we noted, new standards have shifted emphasis to a somewhat ill-defined collection of "higher-order" problem solving skills. At present, cognitive science cannot offer rigorous task analyses of these skills. And without that research base, it is not possible to develop expert systems and student modeling facilities required by an effective ITS.
Having reached a point where ITS can no longer simply borrow from an existing foundation of research in cognitive science, educational demands are now becoming a stimulus for new basic research in cognitive science and artificial intelligence. Pedagogical expertise represents a good case in point. As mentioned, the pedagogical components of ITS are often impoverished, hampered by the absence of a rigorous task analysis of even rudimentary one-on-one tutoring methods. Over the past few years, this gap has stimulated studies that are now beginning to provide more detailed information processing models of human pedagogical expertise (e.g., Leinhardt, 1989; McArthur, Stasz and Zmuidzinas, 1990; Merrill, Reiser, Ranney and Tafton, 1992; Putnam, 1987). By expanding the cognitive science research base, this work may provide a new foundation for improved pedagogical components in the next generation of ITS.
Expert systems technology, borrowed from artificial intelligence, has similar limits. At least since Clancey's pioneering work using MYCIN as a foundation for tutoring in GUIDON (Clancey, 1987), it has been recognized that expert systems do not capture all the knowledge of an expert practitioner. Expert systems have been built for performance, not for teaching or explanation. For example, MYCIN can make medical inferences if it is supplied with the rules relevant to its narrow diagnostic task. All the deeper understanding of "first principles" and rich medical concepts can be compiled out of the knowledge-base with no loss of inference accuracy; in fact such compilation enhances inference speed dramatically. But, from an educational perspective, representing this deeper knowledge of first principles is more important than the surface rules. In diagnosis, as in any similarly complex cognitive skill, the ability to memorize and apply a set of procedural rules is less educationally valuable than understanding the meaning and genesis of diagnostic decisions. In general, tutors built on the foundation of a traditional expert system tend possess relatively "thin" subject knowledge and are therefore capable of imparting only a shallow understanding of topics to students. This is as true of our algebra tutor as it was of Clancey's GUIDON. For example, students learning with our algebra tutor can expect to become proficient at manipulating symbolic equations, but they cannot expect to learn how equations can model real-world situations.
Just as various ITS shortcomings have stimulated new basic research in cognitive science, they have also begun to lead to improved representations of knowledge in artificial intelligence. Clancey (1987), for example, recognized that MYCIN's representations of knowledge needed to be fundamentally restructured to make them useful for effective tutoring. As Clancey explains:
Over the past few years a new collection of systems -- some embedding ideas from AI and some not -- have challenged this method of teaching and learning and the principles upon which it rests. These systems are even less of a kind than ITS, in part because they are not associated with a single competing method of teaching. Rather, collectively they are attempting to explore an increasingly wide range of methods of teaching and learning, and are pursuing a similarly broadened set of learning goals or outcomes.
One method of learning that has been most fully explored over the last five
years we will refer to as
inquiry-based, although it has also been
described variously as student-centered, constructionist (Papert, 1980;
Papert and Harel, 1991), constructivist (Davis, 1991), and discovery-based
(Ausubel, 1961; Bruner, 1961). Systems that implement inquiry-based
learning are structurally and conceptually much more diverse than ITS. For
lack of a better name, we will refer to these systems collectively as
interactive learning environments (ILEs). Although diverse, they
share several principles that contrast them in fundamental ways to the
views implicit in ITS. Broadly, the principles that tie ILEs together
include:
The principles that underpin an inquiry-based method of learning and
teaching lead to designs for learning systems that differ substantially
from ITS. Very broadly, the intelligence invested in ILEs is
distributed across a range of
tools rather than centralized in a
tutor. These computer tools often include interactive video or
other graphical representations, and they permit students investigate
and learn topics largely free of external control. While this freedom
derives from principled arguments about how effective learning happens,
it also has practical benefits. ILEs are not as knowledge-intensive as
ITS. They often benefit from some explicit representation of the topics
that student's investigate, but they need not be omniscient; they do not
(in some cases cannot) "know all the right answers". Further, since
ILEs do not attempt to tutor, they are freed of obligations to model
students' cognition and to make complex pedagogical decisions.
On the other hand, ILEs face their own challenges. If students are given
"power tools" that magnify their ability to discover interesting ideas
(Pea, 1987), what prevents them from using this power to flounder in a vast
sea of uninteresting issues? How will they know what kinds of knowledge to
construct? How will we judge such constructions? In the next section we
discuss in detail one particular kind of ILE --
microworlds -- looking
how they confront some of the challenges that face ILEs. The final
sections of the paper compare the approaches of ITS and ILEs, both looking
at current accomplishments, and, more importantly, at future prospects.
We have developed several microworlds for mathematical inquiry. Each
shares a common core of software. In all worlds, the system is used by
students (usually in pairs) with a mentor present to coach the students and
occasionally to provide seed topics or issues. The role of the mentor
fades over time as students become comfortable with the software and
acquire better inquiry skills. We have done most of our testing in a lab
setting with first- and second-year high school students, and junior-high
students. In this paper, we will discuss the
Polygons and Graph
Theory microworlds only briefly (see McArthur and Lewis, 1991, and
McArthur and Lewis, 1991b, for more information). We will begin by
describing the structure of the worlds themselves -- the tools comprising
the worlds and the objects students manipulate using these tools. Later we
will give an overview of the kinds of knowledge students have acquired
using our microworlds, including both their understanding of topics in
polygons and graph theory, and of inquiry learning skills themselves.
Finally, we will address the teaching and learning limitations of these
worlds, and of ILEs in general.
In the course of the inquiry shown in Figure 3, the students have used
various tools for computing and representing information, including
calculators, graphs and tables that show the relationship between N and R
(in this case) from various perspectives. In Figure 3, the students have
made a table that contains all the polygons, but represents only some of
their properties. Tables and graphs are
object-oriented -- each
point or entry is an object, and a table or graph can be viewed as a filter
or perspective on its objects. The object-oriented nature of the tables allows
them to be easily manipulated. Both tables and graphs can be moved and
resized; tables can be sorted by any variable; and graphs can be "zoomed"
to view a subset of objects.
By Figure 4 students have created an hypothesis about N and R and added it to the conjectures window (see the upper-right area of Figure 4). Our hope is that the investigation of one issue will trigger interest in new ones. In Figure 4 the student has suggested a new conjecture related to the one just completed: Since R decreases as N increases because the "points" of polygons are being "rounded off" (as the polygons approach a circle), the apothem (A) should increase to the same asymptote -- in other words, A should be equal to R as N increases to infinity. Testing this conjecture is straightforward, as shown in Figure 5. The student does not need to gather new data. Rather, the existing polygons simply need be viewed from a different perspective. The student creates this perspective by generating a new graph for the properties N and A, and then "connecting" the graph of N vs. R to the graph of N vs. A. When one representation is connected to another, all the objects represented in the first are added to the second. In this case, then, the new graph immediately shows the relationship between N and A, and the student sees that her conjecture about N and A is confirmed.
Connection is a powerful tool. Each of our microworlds permit flexible connection among different representations. Any two data representations can be connected, including pictures; for example, you can point at a picture of a polygon and connect into it to a table. In addition, connection is incremental; after two representations are connected anything new appearing in one will appear in the other. Conversely, students can disconnect as well as connect representations.
Analogous to
Polygons, most inquiries in graph theory attempt to
relate different graph properties, or to explain one set of properties in
terms of others. In Polygons students work with properties like
radius, apothem, and areas; in Graph Theory properties include
elementary ones like vertices, edges, degree, degree sequence, and more
aggregate properties like whether a graph is Eulerian, Hamiltonian, or
planar. (NOTE: The degree of a vertex is the count of the number of edges incident to the
edge; the degree sequence of a graph is a list of the degrees of all
vertices in the graph; a graph is Eulerian only if all edges can be traced
without retracing any; a graph is Hamiltonian only if all vertices can be
traced without retracing any; and a graph is planar only if the graph can
be drawn using edges that do not cross.) As Figure 5 shows, students
conducting graph theory inquiries
use a variety of tools. They create and edit graphs using a mouse to add
and delete both vertices and edges. Paths on graphs can also be traced and
untraced interactively, or the student can request that the microworld find
paths between any set of vertices. New graphs can be created by copying
old ones and then editing the copy, rather than by making the new graph
from scratch each time. Alternatively, graphs can be created by combining
existing graphs or their complements. Graph libraries are also available
for students to examine, and library graphs as well as student-generated
ones can be used to suggest, confirm, or disconfirm student hypotheses.
The
Graph Theory microworld shares many of the representations and
features that characterize Polygons. Graphs, like polygons, are
objects, and can be represented as pictures, as points in Cartesian graphs,
or as rows in tables. The different representations offer different ways
to view patterns of relationships among properties. For example, tables
can reveal the relationship between number-of-sides and area in
Polygons, and they are also useful to show how the number of edges
and sum of degrees are related in Graph Theory. Connection between
objects and representations in Graph Theory operates much as it does
in Polygons. Pictures of graphs can be connected into tables or
Cartesian graphs; tables and Cartesian graphs can be connected together;
and representations can be disconnected. Graph Theory has one
representation that has no analog in Polygons. Each graph has an
associated list which includes the number of vertices, edges, and degree
sequence of the graph. When graphs are created pictorially the system
automatically updates these values, and changes are reflected on the black
"title bar" at the top of each graph, as Figure 5 shows. As the Figure
also shows, when graph pictures are "iconified" the icon identifies them by
their vertex, edge, and degree sequence count. In effect, the graph
picture and this list of key properties are distinct but tightly connected
representations. The connection of these two representations, and the
simple ability of Graph Theory to update the numerical properties as
pictures are edited and modified, prove to be a simple but very powerful
mechanism facilitating productive student inquiries.
In this section we briefly review the successes of ILEs in general, and of our microworlds in particular. Although many researchers are developing microworlds, there is still very little data to report. Most descriptions of microworlds discuss what an unfinished system will look like when it is completed. Of those that report a complete system, most describe how outcome data will be gathered in the future. And of those that present anecdotal data, most say how the system will be more rigorously tested at a later date. Only a handful of studies address the key questions concerning the inquiry-based methods of teaching underlying ILEs, and the goals for student learning towards which ILEs aim: Can students learn new and valuable concepts or topics through inquiry? Do students learn topic-specific skills effectively using microworlds or ILEs? Can they learn more effectively -- more rapidly or more deeply -- through inquiry than through instruction? What kinds of concepts or skills do inquiry microworlds encourage students to learn that cannot be easily acquired through ITS or through instruction or drill-and-practice methods of teaching and learning? And, do students inquiry skills themselves improve through the use of microworlds?
A a series of studies by Shute, Glazer, and their colleagues represent the most ambitious attempt to date to answer some of these questions (Raghavan, Schultz, Glaser, and Schauble, 1989; Shute and Bonar, 1988; Shute, and Glaser, 1990; Shute, Glaser, and Raghavan, 1988). Of the three microworlds they have developed -- REFRACT (optics), VOLTAVILLE (electricity), and SMITHTOWN (macroeconomics) -- the latter has been more extensively developed and tested. They found that students using SMITHTOWN acquired a better understanding of basic concepts in economics than did students receiving comparable classroom instruction (Shute and Glaser, 1990). However, they also point out that improvements were not uniform. In particular, some students demonstrated better strategies for inquiry and experiment planning, and their acquisition of economics concepts was, not surprisingly, also better. These differences in learning strategies and topic-specific acquisition were related to general measures of intelligence. Swanson (1990) notes a similar interaction of aptitudes and instructional methods. She found that inquiry-based learning was less effective than direct lecture for less able students, while more capable students learned well using student-controlled inquiry. A conjecture worth further testing is that learning through inquiry is both rewarding and demanding. Bright students may be able to acquire knowledge more deeply and rapidly, but to do so they will require scientific inquiry skills that themselves need training.
Harel and Papert (1990) have reported comparable successes in the
instructional software design project (ISDP). Students learned about
fractions using computers and LOGO in the context of a relatively rich and
unstructured learning environment that might be loosely regarded as a
microworld. Harel and Papert claim that students working in ISDP acquired
more knowledge about fractions than students who were taught in a lecture
format. Unfortunately, their study cannot be used to directly compare
inquiry to instruction methods of learning, since students using ISDP had
an unfair advantage over control students -- they learned using ISDP
and received instruction while the control students received only
instruction.
However, this limitation probably does not greatly concern Harel and Papert, since they do not appear to be very interested in comparing how different methods of teaching promote learning of traditional subject-specific knowledge. In addition to fostering a procedural understanding of fractions, they have two more novel outcomes in mind: (i) helping students acquire a deeper understanding of the concept of fractions and how fractions relate to objects in the real-world; and (ii) supporting the development of important metacognitive (inquiry) skills.
To measure learning of traditional fraction skills Harel and Papert naturally borrowed existing diagnostic tests. But to assess how well ISDP accomplished its more novel learning goals, they used "thick descriptions" of students interactions with ISDP, since no standardized instruments can currently measure these kinds of outcomes. Thick descriptions are rich qualitative analyses of students behaviors, plans, and intentions (Geertz, 1973). Using these techniques, Harel and Papert found, among other things, that by moving between multiple representations in ISDP students acquired deep knowledge of rational numbers, that students in ISDP learned LOGO better than comparison students, and that ISDP students developed good metacognitive skills.
Like Harel and Papert, our initial work has attempted more to characterize the outcomes of learning through inquiry rather than to compare inquiry and instruction. We agree that outcomes like deeper conceptual understanding and improved metacognitive skills are important, and we are trying to operationalize these ill-defined ideas by describing specific inquiry learning processes and products at a detailed information processing level. Here we will only briefly summarize our observations; more extensive discussions can be found in other papers (e.g., Lewis, McArthur, Bishay and Chou, 1992; McArthur and Lewis, 1991; McArthur and Lewis, 1991b; Lewis, Bishay and McArthur, 1993, 1993b).
Some inquiries were even more surprising. In one session with
Polygons, for example, the student quickly established an equation
relating N and the apothem angle (>A): >A = 180/N. To establish this
rule the student successfully used the strategy of multiplying (>A*N always
yields a constant value). In his next inquiry, he tried to apply this
strategy, or a similar one, to describe the relationship between N and >I.
Attempts to generate a constant by multiplication (N*>I), or division
(N/>I) were not successful. However, when the student tried >I/>A he found
it yielded N-2, leading to the equation >I/>A+2 = N. This equation
was not part of the mentor's informal agenda of topics; indeed, it came as
a complete novelty to the mentor as well as the student. The discovery is
one of the infinite number of theorems that never find their way into
textbooks, but which any student can discover, name, and own -- in our
sessions, for example, the above result became known as "Jody's Theorem".
Such discoveries allowed students to understand that they can create their
own mathematics, not just learn what others have found.
However, to our knowledge no microworld has demonstrated "2 sigma" improvements in student outcomes on standardized tests that some ITS can boast. In general, ILEs have not demonstrated yet they can yield the improvements in student learning that are associated with one-on-one tutoring. But, other than Shute and Glazer's work (1990), we see little interest in such "horse race" evaluations. Instead, there has been a realization that many important learning outcomes are not central goals of educational software, and most ILEs thus attempt to articulate these new goals and design software to facilitate learning implied by these goals. Since they differ on goals for student learning, then, direct comparison of ILEs and ITS is difficult if not impossible.
For similar reasons, comparison of learning outcomes with ILEs to outcomes without ILEs are as difficult as comparison of ILEs and ITS. "Before-and-after" evaluations of ILEs require control classrooms that can provide baseline data on how effectively the learning goals ILEs target are usually accomplished. Ideally, control and experimental classes would differ just one way -- keeping the learning goals of the classes and the methods of teaching constant, the experimental class would use the ILE and the control class would not. Only under these tightly controlled circumstances could you confidently conclude that ILEs caused improvements in learning outcomes. But such control classrooms may not exist, since most ILEs do not try to improve the effectiveness with which established educational goals are accomplished, nor do they advocate traditional methods of teaching. In later sections we shall address these evaluation problems in more detail.
Many plausible reasons that ILEs may contribute to learning are supported as much by theoretical arguments as data. For example, we earlier suggested that ILEs are often justified by a constructionist (versus instructionist) view of learning, and by a generally high regard for the value of student controlled learning and feedback. These arguments have been elaborated elsewhere (see e.g., Bruner 1961; Harel and Papert, 1990; Papert and Harel, 1991). Below we take a slightly different perspective, focusing on a few reasons for success that our microworlds underscore.
In general these intelligent embedded tools permit some less important
computation or supporting cognition to be
delegated the software.
ILEs and microworlds thus implicitly or explicitly divide the cognitive
skills in an area of inquiry into various packages. Some packages, like
procedural expertise involved in solving equations and testing graphs for
Eulerian cycles, are regarded as less important for students to learn -- or
students are simply assumed to have mastered them. However these skills
often need to be invoked when conducting any inquiry that practices "higher
level" skills that today are viewed as more valuable to learn. For
example, although tracing Eulerian cycles is a routine procedural skill, to
to reason at a "high level" about what makes a graph Eulerian you need to
be able to generate such cycles. This creates an apparent paradox. In any
rich inquiry, how can you arrange for students to focus on the important
skills when relatively unimportant ones must also be applied and may
require much of the cognitive effort? This is a long-standing dilemma in
pedagogy.
In traditional mathematics texts and curricula, this dilemma is often solved by carefully crafting a series of problems that are stripped of all but one important concept. For example, we often see a collection of problems to practice the distributive law that differ only in the numbers they use; then a similar set to practice substitution, and so on.
ILEs and microworlds offer a different answer. Instead of requiring that students negotiate relatively stripped and carefully ordered problems to ensure that the students practice key skills and minimize time spent on less important ones, ILEs generally permit the student to choose any problem or inquiry he or she wishes, however complex. The student's practice is focused not by crafting a series of problems but by automating many of the less important or clerical skills, delegating them to the software. In this way, the student is free to focus on planning inquiries, or testing conjectures, rather than spending most of his or her time filling in tables or drawing polygons and graphs. ILEs and microworlds thus focus students' learning implicitly by what they choose to delegate and what they leave up to the student, rather than explicitly by generating carefully sequenced problems.
Delegation as a technique to enhance student learning has several potential
benefits, although few have been explored systematically in research. Like
carefully developed sequences of problems, delegation implements the
principle of providing
intensive and focused practice on
to-be-learned skills. However, unlike stripped problem sequences,
delegation can provide focused practice that is also situated or
contextualized. In mathematics texts, problems are stripped to a few
concepts to facilitate intense practice on one of two ideas. But in
stripping down problems, they are typically robbed of related concepts that
are often connected with them in more realistic or authentic problem
contexts. Through delegation students are able to work immediately on
problems or issues that embed several kinds of concepts or tasks. They may
practice only one or two concepts at a time, but these concepts are always
situated in a context with other tasks; ones that are delegated to the
microworld or ILE itself.
Resnick's (1991) microworlds built on *LOGO provide an excellent
illustration of this principle. *LOGO is a distributed version of the LOGO
programming language that permits learners to write rules governing the
behavior of thousands of interacting computer "creatures" -- for example
ants searching for food or cars in a traffic jam. Students then observe
the group behaviors that emerge when these populations are run in a
simulated world, exploiting parallel supercomputers that associate each
creature with a distinct processor. In this partnership, then, *LOGO knows
everything about the creatures at a local level, however the microworld
knows nothing of the global patterns of group behaviors that emerge. The
microworld generates these behaviors, but it is the student's goal to
characterize the emergent features and to try to relate them to local
behavioral rules. On the other hand, while students are asked to
characterized emergent behaviors, generating the behaviors is beyond any
unaided human. Thus delegating simulations to *LOGO creates more than just
a partnership that allows students to learn new ideas that were previously
difficult for them. The partnership permits learners to gain insights into
phenomena that are
impossible to understand without such tools.
Indeed, similar computer-based environments are also essential tools for
mathematicians and scientists who seek to understand non-linear and chaotic
systems (Gleik, 1987). Chaos as a field of study could not exist without
computers. Here, then, is an example of how microworlds can open up goals
for student learning that are not merely new to high-school curricula, but
new to curricula at any level.
In general ILEs and microworlds are freed of a heavy demand that burdens ITS -- to represent much, if not all, of the knowledge of the "ideal" student. It is critical for ILEs and microworlds to represent much supporting knowledge, and to supply tools that students can use to construct their own knowledge. But the central premise our ILEs is that good learning environments need not be expert in the skills they are trying to help students learn. Since ILEs embed less knowledge than ITS, it has been easier to develop relatively successful ILEs in subjects and topics for which ITS cannot yet be built. Further, as we just noted, some of the learning outcomes associated with ILEs have not even been effectively operationalized. If we cannot assess these skills we certainly are not in a position to develop ITS that can model and coach them.
This generalization does not apply to all ILEs. Several systems described as microworlds do embed extensive knowledge of the subject which students are to learn, and some knowledge of discovery or inquiry itself. For example, SMITHTOWN (Shute and Glaser, 1990) represents both economic concepts and rules for scientific inquiry, and attempts to remediate misconceptions in students' inquiry skills. Similarly, White and Frederiksen (1986) describe an ILE for electronics which relies on a carefully crafted progression of qualitative models, meant to mirror successive stages in students' understanding of circuits. However, unlike other ILEs we have reviewed, including our own, these systems have relatively well defined goals for student learning and may manage learning more like an ITS than like an inquiry-oriented ILE. Indeed, such systems represent an interesting mixture of ILEs and ITS, about which we shall have more to say later.
Microworlds and ILEs do address the problems of inefficiency in some
respects. Many of the tools that comprise such environments can be viewed
as ways of speeding up the processes of inquiry. For example, when
students using
Graph Theory delegate the testing of Eulerian cycles
to the system, or expect the system to find paths meeting certain
conditions, they both accelerate inquiry and reduce the chances of
unprofitable procedural errors. In effect, delegation provides students
with cognitive amplifiers that will help students overcome many
inefficiencies in searching large spaces of issues, problems, hypotheses,
and data.
Nevertheless, ILEs also potentially add to the problems of large search
spaces and inefficient learning at the same time as they provide tools to
help ameliorate them. If students can search spaces faster using ILEs,
they also have bigger spaces to search. For example, in
Polygons by
giving a value for any single scale and angle variable -- for example, N
(number of sides) and P (perimeter) -- students can create virtually any
regular polygon. Working in a pencil-and-paper microworld, they would be
much more constrained in the data they could generate. Thus students using
Polygons can generate data more rapidly than student using pencil and
paper. But they also have to plan their data gathering more carefully,
since they are more ways here to gather data inappropriate to an issue or
hypothesis.
We have begun to analyze several kinds of search inefficiencies our
students demonstrated in
Polygons and Graph Theory. Some
problems relate to weaknesses in students' experiment planning
skills. For example, when investigating what kind of polygon maximizes
area for a given perimeter, one student began generating polygons with area
held constant and N varying. Yet this type of mistake was relatively rare.
More common were problems in managing different tasks or issues. For
instance, a pair of students using Graph Theory might begin by
attempting to investigate the properties common to all trees, then,
without completing this issue, find an interesting pattern in a graph that
had cycles. (NOTE:A tree is a connected acyclic graph -- a graph with no
cycles where all vertices are connected, directly or indirectly.)
This would then be the seed of a new issue and the first issue
would never be resumed. In turn, the second issue might suffer the same
fate. We refer to this pattern of search behavior as "thrashing".
Elsewhere we describe in detail the topography of "thrashing",
"data-dominated", and "hackerly" reasoning and other search problems
(Lewis, McArthur, Bishay and Chou, 1992; McArthur and Lewis, 1991; McArthur
and Lewis, 1991b).
We expect this analysis search skills and problems will have several benefits. First, it has been argued that many apparent inefficiencies in inquiry learning mask subtle but valuable learning benefits (Papert 1980, 1993). Part of this debate may be a definitional problem -- as we have noted, what constitute desirable outcomes of learning through inquiry remain unclear. However, we believe that various inefficiencies associated with inquiry learning can be operationalized, and we can thus look for some of the potentially hidden dividends of apparently inefficient inquiry. Second, this detailed analysis will provide a basis for designing new microworld tools and supports that can help students overcome often very predictable problems in their inquiry and search skills, while not taking initiative away from the learners. We regard this as probably the central issue for improving ILEs in the future, and as a key technical challenge to making inquiry a viable method of learning.
In some cases, (e.g., learning graph theory) we lack effective instruments
simply because these skills are not part of existing curricula.
Presumably, it will be straightforward to develop tests that measure this
knowledge. But other skills will pose substantial challenges. Some
knowledge (e.g., learning creative inquiry skills or understanding that new
mathematics can be discovered, not just taught) may be inherently "fuzzy"
and very difficult to measure with traditional multiple-choice or
short-answer tests., Other important new outcomes may be well-defined
products -- for example, the novel theorems our students discovered using
Polygons. Yet, since this learning is opportunistic, these outcomes
will also not be uncovered by standardized tests which typically assess a
fixed set of learning goals. In general, quantifying and evaluating such
outcomes is very much at the formative stage.
Thus, today ILE developers face several interrelated challenges. They are creating computer-based environments that implement an inquiry-based method of teaching and learning, at the same time as they are trying to demonstrate that such methods, effectively implemented, can lead to highly desirable student learning outcomes. However, only in a few cases are these desirable outcomes well-defined and comparable to outcomes towards which ITS aspire and which are topics in most curricula today. Therefore, developers of ILEs often need to operationalize important learning outcomes and to devise new instruments for assessing the successes or failures of their systems. Since they cannot borrow standardized tests, they essentially must play the dual roles of curriculum developer and evaluation expert, as well as system builder.
Even if we can develop relatively valid and reliable measures of important skills learned through inquiry, it may be difficult to pin down in any detail the role of ILEs in learning. As mentioned, ITS can often be placed in classrooms with little disruption of ongoing practice, facilitating relatively controlled comparisons of outcomes with and without the ITS. (NOTE: However, see Schofield, Evans-Rhodes and Huber (1990) for one in-depth analysis of an ITS which reveals that the system triggered several enduring changes in classroom practice. These changes, as much as the ITS itself, may be responsible for outcome improvements. Causal attributions are often complex even in the simplest and most controlled tests of educational software. Nevertheless, the changes reported represent relatively small modifications that leave the basic structure of the classroom, and roles of teachers and students, relatively intact. ILEs, if successful, may demand more fundamental changes.) Moreover, some ITS permit an even finer grained analysis the effects of individual software modules within the system. In "ablation" studies one component of an ITS (e.g., student modeling, some interface feature, or various pedagogical rules) can be disabled and student learning with the ablated ITS compared to learning with the complete system. Using ablation students, ITS developers can, for example, determine what role student modeling plays in learning. It may even be possible to use such results to speculate about such modeling in human tutoring -- since human tutor ablation studies are probably impossible!
On the other hand, when ILEs are tested in classrooms or in labs, the
software itself is
never the only change. Because most ILEs attempt
to change learning outcomes and to implement methods of teaching and
learning that are novel to classrooms, they often demand fundamental
classroom restructuring. As Harel and Papert (1990) have noted,
microworlds are usually embedded in larger framework of changes or reform
that can include new curricula, novel means of evaluation (e.g., projects
versus tests), different teachers roles, and an altered rhythm of work.
Thus, ILEs are rarely subjected to experiments that would systematically
alter one variable at a time to unveil the causes of improvements in
learning outcomes. As a result, it is difficult to make a strong case for
the particular roles that ILEs alone play in improving student learning
outcomes and to defend the importance of inquiry-based methods of teaching
and learning they embody.
Our own experience is consistent with these results. Traditional ITS, like
our algebra tutor, have required little implementation effort, and almost
no new curriculum development. Thus, roughly 75% of our time in fielding
ITS has been spent developing the software, and only 25% of our time
involved classroom implementation. On the other hand, in fielding
Polygons, Graph Theory, the time required to develop software
and implement it in the classroom was roughly reversed. Software
development took 25% of our time, while implementation and curriculum
development required about 75% of our effort. Our student-centered courses
in mathematical modeling (Robyn, Stasz, McArthur, Ormseth and Lewis, 1992)
and statistics (McArthur, Robyn, Lewis and Bishay, 1992) also reflect this
division of labor. In both projects, the cost of implementation dominated
the cost of technology development (Berman and McLauglin, 1978).
In the future, this allocation of labor is likely to be the rule, not the exception. Our courses are not exceptionally novel. In fact, they are consistent with new NCTM curriculum standards (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989), in content and organization. To the extent that these emerging standards take hold, many courses will mirror the structure and content of our courses in a few years. NCTM's and professional standards (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1991) do anticipate some of the difficulties that teachers will face when trying to organize curricula around inquiry and discovery. Nevertheless, understanding the roles teachers will need to play, and getting these roles into widespread practice, remains a big challenge.
The challenge becomes more acute and important when we realize how much at odds new methods of inquiry-based learning are with current and past classroom practice. While ILEs have recently become increasingly popular in research and in the lab, the principles upon which they are based are not new. As Lawrence (1970) notes, perhaps as far back as Plato scholars have hinted at the value of discovery in improving retention (Spencer and Seneca), deepening understanding (Rousseau and Kant), and enhancing motivation (Wyse). Early this century, Dewey's progressive education movement resurrected and refined these views, advocating active, constructive, and student-centered learning. The progressive movement flourished briefly, but by the end of the depression its impact in schools was clearly marginal. The next cycle of interest in inquiry-based learning was largely triggered by Sputnik, and the perceived threat of Soviet scientific supremacy. Bruner (1961), among others, eloquently championed the importance of learning through discovery, and offered some empirical evidence of its efficacy. However, the new movement had equally eloquent critics (e.g., Ausubel, 1961), and by the end of Learning by Discovery conference in 1966, it had already begun to unravel in empirical and definitional disagreements.
From an historical perspective, then, interest in inquiry-based learning
has been cyclic. The recent calls for an increased emphasis on discovery
and inquiry in learning represent at least the third time this century
these ideas have moved into the educational research limelight. Among
others, Cuban (1986) and Cohen (1988) have chronicled the history of these
cycles. Cuban notes that, while the popularity of these ideas in the
classroom has waxed and waned, the trend-line still remains firmly
away from inquiry-based learning and towards instruction-based
pedagogy. The obvious question is whether this cycle of interest will
again subside with little lasting effect on classroom practice.
Technologies like ILEs represent the only new factor in the equation; the
hope is that they can catalize an enduring change in the trend-line of
pedagogy. But Cohen cautions that the dominant view in education, and in
our culture in general, continues to be "teaching is telling and learning
is listening" (Cohen, 1988). Unless that fundamental view changes, ILEs
and microworlds will remain a marginal tool in learning, relegated to lab
studies and a few well-publicized demonstration schools. On the other
hand, ITS, which may not look as attractive as ILEs in theory or in the
lab, may fit much better with existing classroom practice and with
prevailing attitudes about learning and teaching.
The continuum represents a variety of different ways of dealing with the problems and weaknesses of the two opposing approaches, outlined in the previous sections. In general, the weaknesses of one approach can often be creatively confronted by borrowing some of the strengths from the opposite extreme, in effect creating a range of systems. Such systems may blend various kinds of tutor- and student-controlled activities. Consequently they are beginning to resemble one another in structure and design, although they often claim distinct conceptual lineages -- for example "constructionist" versus "instructionist" theoretical foundations -- associated with the extreme end points (Papert and Harel, 1991).
At the ITS end of the continuum, one major problem is that a thoroughgoing intelligent tutor must be highly knowledgeable about the subject it tutors. For every problem it poses to the student, or every request for information and help from the student, the system is expected to know the "right" answer. This demand for omniscience limits ITS to tutoring subjects for which we have relatively complete cognitive task analyses, including not only an understanding of the competence of the "ideal" student, but also the misunderstandings of the novice. However, there are few interesting subjects, from an educational perspective, for which such complete task analyses are available. Indeed, as we have suggested, subjects for which such analyses are possible may become uninteresting to teach simply because they have been fully analyzed and hence can be completely delegated to machines.
In response to this dilemma, many researchers have begun to consider ways of weakening the assumption of omniscience, to permit the development of at least partially intelligent tutors for subjects or skills that are regarded as more valuable. For instance, although we classified SMITHTOWN (Shute and Glaser, 1990) as an ILE, it actually combines some features of ITS and ILEs. It embeds a rudimentary expert system for scientific inquiry skills, represents some of common misconceptions about planning scientific experiments, and it can model students' scientific skills at least to the point of recognizing examples of good planning and common planning "bugs". For example, if a student insisted on changing the value of several variables at once, instead of manipulating one dependent variable at a time, SMITHTOWN will coach this tactical error. Clearly SMITHTOWN does not pretend to embed a complete cognitive analysis of scientific inquiry skills. Rather, the expert system is relatively skeletal, and the catalogue of student misconceptions is equally incomplete. Nevertheless, this "semi intelligent" tutoring system can be very useful in helping students manage their inquiries. In this sense, SMITHTOWN represents a way of moving the principles of ITS into new topics of learning -- here, learning about inquiry itself -- that have high educational value.
At the ILE end of the continuum, a central technical problem is the
challenge of large search spaces. We have noted various apparent
inefficiencies associated with student-controlled navigations through large
collections of issues. While acknowledging that some of this thrashing and
floundering may yield hitherto undocuments benefits, it is also important
to consider techniques for gently curtailing unprofitable inquiries and
guiding them in more useful directions. Implicitly or explicitly, most
ILEs provide guidance in one form or another. For example, in
Polygons and Graph Theory, menus of object properties -- area,
number-of-sides and perimeter, for example -- will encourage students to
examine relationships between these variables, and will discourage
investigation of other variables or ideas not mentioned at all. By
reducing the set of variables explicitly mentioned in the menus, the
microworlds can easily control the "dimensionality" of the students' search
space (see McArthur and Lewis, 1991, 1991b for a detailed discussion of
other passive techniques to help manage search, and of the more aggressive
approaches briefly noted below).
However, some ILEs are now considering more active ways of guiding
students' inquiries. We have used our analysis of students' problems with
search and thrashing in
Polygons and Graph Theory to design a
collection of heuristic rules that will intervene and make suggestions
about how to redirect an inquiry, if the microworlds detect patterns of
reasoning that appear particularly unprofitable. For example, (as in
SMITHTOWN) if the student insists on changing several variables at once,
the microworld will question this behavior, although it will not prevent
such decisions. Or, if the student switches from one inquiry to another
without completing the first, the microworld will mention the transition,
although it will not demand that the student return and finish the first
issue.
There are several points to make about these examples. First, the rules by
no means represent a
global cognitive model of inquiry in our
microworlds. Rather, they are locally intelligent agents that impose
islands of tutor-control in a relatively large expanse of
student-controlled inquiry activities. The local interventions are
carefully chosen so that student initiative is not interrupted unless there
is very strong evidence that the student is thrashing in unprofitable ways.
Second, the student is free to disregard the advice offered by the local
agents. For this reason it is not critical that the local agents have a
complete or fully accurate cognitive model of the student's misconception.
If students believe the tutor has made an inappropriate suggestion, they
can simply proceed with their plan. Finally, although local, rules
embedded in the agents are still principled. While they do not represent a
complete cognitive theory of expertise in inquiry, they are founded on a
solid empirical base of observations of students using our microworlds,
buttressed by commonsense. For example, although we do not yet possess a
complete task analysis of scientific inquiry, most of us would agree that
manipulating one variable at a time is good experiment planning.
Depending on the size of the islands of tutor control, an ILE that has been
supplemented with locally intelligent agents begins to resemble a
semi-intelligent tutoring system whose expert system is more global than
local, but less than omniscient. Thus, as ILEs and ITS adapt to solve some
of the central competence problems that plague them, we will see in the
future the emergence of
mixed-initiative tutors, blending student-
and tutor-control of learning interactions in a wide variety of ways. The
literature already shows evidence of this trend. We described White and
Frederiksen's (1986) system for learning about electronic circuits as an
ILE, but as they point out, progressions of qualitative models can be used
in a variety of different learning regimes, ranging from very unstructured
and student-controlled, to highly structured and tutor-controlled.
Similarly, Fischer discusses active help systems (Fischer, Lemke and
Schwab, 1985) and critiquing systems (Fischer, Lemke and McCall, 1990).
Like ILEs in general, both active help and critiquing system are predicated
on high student-control of learning. But, on occasion, they will use their
expertise to unobtrusively volunteer information to learners and to
critique suboptimal solutions. Elsom-Cook (1990) also describes a
collection of guided discovery-tutoring systems that possess varying
degrees of student- and tutor-initiative.
These examples demonstrate how AI, and information technologies in general, are beginning to expand the available methods of learning and teaching in at least two ways. First, they may rejuvenate venerable learning and teaching methods like apprenticeship and one-on-one tutoring. Some of these methods are already relatively well understood and highly regarded but have not found their way into classrooms on a large scale, in part because they are labor-intensive. For example, although one-on-one tutoring leads to impressive student outcomes, at this time giving each student his or her own tutor would be prohibitively expensive. New technologies may provide the key to lowering the cost of implementing these familiar methods.
Second, the same technologies that breath life into traditional teaching techniques also can provide a foundation for completely new methods of acquiring knowledge. Visualization and collaboration, in particular, have been adjuncts to learning in the past, not primary methods of acquiring knowledge. For example, a diagram in geometry may orient the student in conducting a symbolic proof (or it may mislead her). But today proofs themselves may be visual. In other words, through new computer technologies visual images that once aided reasoning and learning are now becoming ways to reason and learn.
Some future applications of educational technology -- even AI based
applications -- may follow this familiar route. But we argue that most
successful educational technology in the future must be part of a larger
technology revolution. In the workplace, new information technologies,
like visualization and collaboration tools are redefining how professionals
do their jobs and what those jobs are. The needs of the workplace, in
turn, are placing demands for new skills on education and training
institutions. At the same time, new information technologies provide novel
means for meeting new workplace demands. Drill-and-practice and lecture
methods of teaching have not institutionalized in classrooms because they
are optimal methods of communicating information and acquiring knowledge.
Such traditional classroom methods have survived primarily because they are
reasonable vehicles for learning given the highly limited resources
available to schools. As technologies in the workplace -- and our culture
in general -- begin to reshape valued educational goals, they will also
redefine the available resources for education. In the terms we have used
above, they will permit us to consider a wide range of new methods of
teaching and learning, and perhaps also to realize old methods -- like
individualized tutoring -- that we have always believed to be valuable, but
that hitherto have been too costly to implement on a wide scale. In
summary, then, the long-term role of AI (and computer-based technology in
general) in education will
not be to support traditional teaching and
learning practices, but to challenge and even threaten them by suggesting
new things to learn and offering new ways to acquire them. For this reason
it is misleading to view AI or technology in general as a means of
saving education. At best, these forces will transform schools
and classrooms, not improve them in any simple sense.
In the future, when working on a small scale it will remain feasible to develop new technology prototypes, define new goals and methods for learning, and develop new curricula and evaluation techniques, all as part of a single ambitious project. But we believe that scaling up these successes broadly will require a division of labor -- different groups or projects working in a coordinated fashion to put together the technology, curricula, assessment tools, professional standards, and teacher training pieces of a package of broad educational reform.
How tightly coupled do these different activities or projects need to be? We cannot answer this question definitively, but several general comments are worth making. A pragmatic optimist's approach suggests that eventually all the pieces will fit together properly without the benefits of policies that attempt to aggressively promote coordination. In educational technology discussions, this belief enjoys considerable popularity today. For example, Collins (1991) acknowledges the failure of past technologies, including film, radio, and TV, to penetrate education. But he argues that the new generation of computer technologies are fundamentally different. He suggests that, because communication technologies are transforming work, and indeed the entire culture outside education, schools will eventually appropriate these tools, first for purposes they value, and later for goals that are becoming socially valuable. Even Cuban (1993) has partially recanted his pessimistic view of the potential of educational technology. This view does not deny that many distinct activities are necessary for successful for successful reform. But it suggests that the pieces may be spawned and organized by a powerful "technology push" without planning or explicit coordination.
We are similarly optimistic about the potential value of new technologies for education. However, we believe that a tighter coordination between different groups of researchers and educators involved in developing technologies, evaluating them, designing new curricula, and providing teacher training, could have several benefits. In the past, such coordination has been rather loose. Researchers who develop education technology prototypes often have relatively little background in curriculum change and educational reform. Their work is usually funded by programs that are distinct from programs for teacher training and enhancement or curriculum development. They are usually more aware of what new technologies make possible in education than what education might like to have today. On the other hand, curriculum reform efforts, for example, often proceed with relatively little knowledge of how new technologies might change their goals and methods.
This relatively loose coordination has lead to various missed opportunities. Inquiry learning, for example, has long been held in high regard by intellectual communities and technologists. But communities of teachers and administrators have operated largely independent of these views, perhaps in part because they have understood how chaotic these methods of teaching might be if imposed on traditional classroom cultures. More recently, NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1991) has proposed new curriculum and professional development standards for mathematics that do make some significant changes to classroom practice and content. Still, a prevailing opinion of many educational technology researchers is that these new standards ignore opportunities for curriculum restructuring that new technologies uniquely afford.
A final example of missed opportunities comes from the our own research community, which spends most of its time developing "proof-of-principle" software prototypes. These projects have produced may exciting ideas for new educational tools, but almost all of these stop at very small-scale demonstrations. Only a few of these ideas are ever turned into products that find their way into classrooms; the rest are left on the shelf. Mechanisms like the National Diffusion Network (NDN) have been designed to act as a clearing-house for successful software, to encourage its dissemination to classrooms. But NDN by itself is sufficient only if the software fits easily into existing classrooms, and is consistent with traditional goals and methods of teaching. The problem, as we have repeatedly stressed, is that the most promising new ideas and software systems transform goals and methods of teaching. Simply providing a clearing-house for these tools will not solve the host of challenges that confront successful implementation of innovations of this magnitude.
The feature common to these missed opportunities is a failure of communication among the different stakeholders and role players in the development and deployment of educational technologies. In the future it will be important to consider new policies that improve the communication and coordination between these groups. A variety of policy options are worth examining, including larger consortium-based projects that combine software developers, teacher education institutions, and other key stakeholder groups; smaller separate projects that work together synergistically using new networking technologies; and incentives that bring high-tech companies into better cooperation with educational technology research and classroom practice. Policies to improve coordination of educational technology research, development, and deployment have always been important. Today they are essential. The opportunities for technology-driven change in education are more promising now than ever before. But the requirements for effective educational change -- to implement new goals for learning and new methods of learning and teaching rather than to fine-tune existing goals and methods -- are huge barriers that stand in the way of these promises.
In the previous sections, we have discussed future mixed-initiative systems. We have viewed them from several perspectives, mentioning the technical challenges confronting the development of intelligent and flexible systems, the need to operationalize new goals or outcomes for learning, and the challenges in implementing diverse new methods of teaching and learning on a broad scale. We close with a final perspective. The diverse mixed-initiative systems we see arising in the future also impact various theoretical debates about learning and knowledge. In this final section we briefly touch on one such debate.
Increasingly, we see in the literature strong theoretical distinctions between the ideas underpinning ITS and ILEs. On the one hand, a constructivist or "constructionist" view of learning and knowing (Papert and Harel, 1991) is used to argue for the student-centered style of pedagogy exemplified by ILEs. According to this view, knowledge must be built by the learner, piece by piece, and ILEs -- when supported by peers and mentors in a culture of learning -- are seen as ideal tools for empowering such self-guided construction. On the other hand, ITS are seen as justified by an "instructionist" approach to learning, and consistent with a "commodity" view of knowledge in which the tutor's goal is to transfer to the student some relatively static package of information about a topic. On this view, if we can analyze the knowledge we wish to transfer to the student into constituent parts, then the most efficient way to transfer this knowledge to students should be to carefully tutor it piece by piece. While these views of knowledge and learning may indeed be distinct, it is unclear to us whether they should be tightly associated with the distinction between ILEs and ITS, especially considering that the boundary between ILEs and ITS is becoming less precise.
In the heated debate between learning by construction versus instruction, it is easy to overlook that the disagreement has an empirical base. Specifically, the central disagreement concerns who is in the best position to make key decisions needed to promote learning. Is a knowledgeable teacher (automated or otherwise) essential to choose appropriate tasks, to provide rich and individualized feedback, and to situate learning in authentic tasks? Or can students -- working with tools that act as intelligent cognitive amplifiers and in a supportive context that includes peers and mentors -- make these decisions themselves? Can students in rich but passive environments generate better feedback for learning than a tutor might provide? Are students typically in a better position to know what information they need for learning than a teacher?
To answer these questions, several research strategies are feasible. One pragmatic approach is to push the extreme alternatives as far as they will go. For ITS, this means seeing how many of the functions of human tutors can be usefully automated and assessing the quality of student learning they engender. Can we develop computer-based agents that are able to suggest interesting tasks at the edge of a students' skills? Can similar agents coach students and provide adequate feedback? For which subjects and topics of learning is it possible to develop such agents? And, what quality of learning do such highly tutor-controlled environments yield? Do they encourage a shallow procedural understanding of skills? Or can they help students learn a more valuable deeper understanding of concepts?
By the same token, pushing the ILE alternative as far as it will go means developing increasingly effective empowering tools and technologies for learning, embedding them in congenial learning environments, and demonstrating the efficacy of largely self-guided or inquiry-based learning. How dramatically can such ILEs magnify self-directed learning skills? How crucial for learning is the support of peers, mentors, and the broader culture of learning? And, what quality of learning do such highly student-controlled environments yield? Do students get stuck in conceptual "local maxima", and do they acquire ideas inefficiently because their searches too often wander? Or do they develop a deeper conceptual understanding of ideas and of inquiry itself?
Today, popular opinion in the educational research community (although
certainly not in classroom practice) favors the constructive side of the
debate. Constructivism enjoys this position
in spite of the fact that
none of the empirical questions sketched above has been answered
definitively in favor either side. The best we can do now is guess at
how future research will resolve the disagreements.
What are the likely answers to these questions? Recent research in human tutoring (Leinhardt, 1989; McArthur, Stasz and Zmuidzinas, 1990), and the increasing popularity of mixed-initiative tutoring systems both suggest that the best learning environments neither will be completely controlled by students nor by tutors. Most effective learning environments include a mix of direct teaching, more passive support for learning, together with substantial student choice. For example, in our studies of inquiry-based tutoring by humans (Lewis, McArthur, Stasz, and Zmuidzinas, 1990; Lewis, Bishay, McArthur and Chou, 1992) even teachers experienced in orchestrating student-centered inquiries often interpolated bouts of lecture and tutor-directed coaching. Similarly, much work developing ILEs and mixed-initiative systems implicitly or explicitly recognizes the need for active support of learning (e.g., Brown and Duguid, 1993; Roschelle (in press). However, active roles in learning are typically associated with mentors, co-workers and peers, who engage learners in rich dialogues. In these environments, the role of technology is largely to provide a useful collection of tools that can amplify, enhance, or even transform the nature of these dialogues where learning takes place.
But as mixed-initiative systems begin to mature, there is no reason that technologies cannot take on more ambitious roles. An omniscient and highly-controlling ITS may be inappropriate model for the use of technology in many effective learning environments. However, as we have noted, this is no longer the only alternative to relatively passive ILEs. Instead, in the future we can expect to see mixed-initiative systems that include not only tools which amplify the students' inquiry but also locally intelligent agents which provide many of the active supports now supplied by peers and mentors. Today, for example, we encourage students learning statistics to ask members of their project team to critique experimental designs. Tomorrow, that team can include a local computer-based expert that has useful (but not complete) knowledge of experimental design.
Until we answer the empirical questions outlined above, it is unclear precisely which roles locally intelligent computer-based agents should play in learning, and how dominant they will be. Of course, to some extent the appropriate active tutoring role of such agents will depend on the subjects to be learned, on the background experience of students, and on their learning styles. If we believe it is still valuable for students to learn symbol manipulation skills in algebra, for example, an environment heavily populated with guiding agents -- approximating an ITS -- may be the most effective way to learn. If students are learning inquiry skills themselves, or how to "brainstorm" in groups, then locally intelligent agents may play very modest roles. Similarly, a novice student may learn best in environments that include agents which can intensively model and coach formative skills (Collins and Brown, 1987). As the student acquires expertise these agents will probably "fade", permitting much more student initiative.
In some cases, then, locally intelligent agents may profitably play substantial teaching roles, but in many cases the roles of intelligent agents will be modest. However, we would like these roles to be modest because we believe that such roles will lead to the best student outcomes, not simply because we are technically unable to develop agents that are locally smart enough. We would like to limit the role of intelligent agents in education by principled choice, not by practical necessity. Today, we believe that most of what is wrong in applications of AI in education, including ITS, is that they are technically limited as models of human pedagogical expertise, not that they are wrong in principle.
Details aside, the main point is that ideas from artificial intelligence and knowledge-based systems neither support "instructionist" or "constructionist" views of teaching and learning wholeheartedly; rather, they can and will be used to implement a diverse set of methods of learning and teaching, perhaps aiming at different kinds of learning outcomes. Certainly, well-designed locally intelligent agents may on occasion strongly control a learning interaction -- much as Socrates did in his dialogue with the slave in Plato's Meno. But it is a naive caricature to assume that future applications of AI in education will be subject to the same limitations that befell first-generation ITS. Future mixed-initiative applications will not necessarily teach just through drill-and-practice or lecture. They will not "program" students to behave like a rigid procedure, nor will they necessarily assume that each task has only one "right answer". As AI expands to provide models of subtle reasoning skills, new systems will not be limited to tutoring routine procedural skills. Similarly, locally intelligent systems, like good human tutors, will learn to confront the challenges of teaching without "knowing everything" about the topics students learn. And although locally intelligent agents for learning will certainly transform the roles of teachers (and peers) in the classroom, they will not pretend to replace them.
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Zuboff, S. (1988).
In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work
and Power, Basic Books.
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本主页版权所有：北京师范大学现代教育技术研究所;管理员信箱：ysq@elec.bnu.edu.cn；电话:010-62206922。要获取最佳浏览效果，请使用800*600分辨率模式。 | 113,330 | 41,465 | 0.000024 |
warc | 201704 | Rail Safety & Security supplement
In this Rail Safety & Security supplement:
Metal theft: a daily concern for the rail sector and its customers Despite the fact that serious efforts have been made to fight metal theft at national level and that metal theft has decreased in some countries in Europe over the last year, it still remains a daily concern for many services of general interest – such as railways, public transport, energy networks and telecommunications. Resulting in service disruption, metal theft negatively impacts the quality of these providers’ services and causes huge economic losses – not only for their businesses and customers, but also for the whole of society across Europe. From the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), Executive Director Libor Lochman, and Digital and Security Adviser Alena Havlova, voice their concerns and how the industry needs to respond going forward. RSSB’s role in helping to improve safety on the railways Despite continual growth in usage, rail remains the safest form of land transport in the UK. For European Railway Review, George Bearfield, Director of System Safety at RSSB explains what the organisation is doing to improve safety on the rail network and its role in ensuring that the industry doesn’t get complacent. Transparency, learning and a positive safety culture Chris Carr, Head of Safety at the European Railway Agency (ERA), reflects on rail safety performance data for 2014 at a European level, and examines how the industry should work together to address future challenges and create an encouraging safety culture. | 1,647 | 859 | 0.001185 |
warc | 201704 | Performative biographism Passagefinds contemporary Danish literature is all about me, me, me; Vikerkaaroffers a perspective on contemporary European literature; Mittelweg 36asks who is authorized to speak about rape; Revista Críticaargues that trafficking laws omit the crucial factor of citizenship; Gegenworteobserves art and science converge in the study of living systems; Res Publica Nowatakes a dispassionate approach to political debate; Springerinsees artists failing to respond to Right culture; and Dilema vecheexplains why in Romania only the mad refuse a bribe. Passage 63 (2010) In an issue looking back at Danish literature published in the last decade, Jon Helt Haarder notes that "one of the most striking trends in the literary landscape of the Noughties was Me". Helt Haarder coins a term for this: "performative biographism".
Writers, appearing with their real names, inserted themselves in their texts and thus in their own way shared the general interest of Generation Me in... itself. The most obvious of this tendency's formal features was the mix of fiction and autobiography; the common theme was identity, caught somewhere between essence and construction.In fact, according to Helt Harder, this trend is not confined to Denmark. Breaking down the barriers between art and life was a project of the historical avant-garde; via the relational art practices of the 1990s it has now become a dominant tendency in Scandinavian literature. Alongside Danish writers such as Peter Hřeg, Suzanne Brřgger, Jřrgen Leth and Das Beckwerk, he cites Carina Rydberg (Sweden) and Karl Ove Knausgĺrd (Norway) to illustrate his point.
In an article on the "Exhibitionistic erasures of the self", Stefan Iversen pursues a similar track, focusing on the aesthetic strategies of Jřrgen Leth and clausbeck-nielsen.net, who have both "rewritten" their own already published works.
Also:The issue is full of highly readable texts and will be an important reference when "the canon machinery" (as the editors call it) finally writes the literary history of the period. Lars Handesten provides an overview of the decade's prose, Peter Stein Larsen of its poetry; Louise Mřnster detects "splits, cracks and slippages" in the short stories of Helle Helle, Pia Juul and Naja Marie Aidt; and Lars Bukdahl makes a case for the most overlooked works of Danish literature in recent years, scrutinizing the arguments of their most critical critics.
The full table of contents of
Passage63 (2010) Vikerkaar 7-8/2010
A new issue of
Vikerkaaron contemporary European writing translates articles from the Eurozine series "Literary Perspectives". Daniela Strigl demonstrates that Austrian literature is anything but a "German appendix"; Tymofiy Havryliv interprets the autobiographical turn in Ukrainian fiction; Margot Dijkgraaf contrasts conservatism with renewal in the Dutch novel; Almantas Samalavicius surveys literary styles in post-communist Lithuania; Jonas Thente detects something dark in Swedish fiction's fascination with suburban manners; Andreas Harbsmeier greets the return of the committed writer in Denmark; and Katharina Raabe enjoys novels from Central Eastern Europe since '89. In addition: Ieva Kolmane reads Latvian literature in a time of crisis and Triinu Tamm finds French fiction thriving in the Noughties.
The series as a whole, explains Carl Henrik Fredriksson, redresses the provincialism of much literary criticism today by "re-transnationalizing" it. Developing the discussion,
Vikerkaareditors Marek Tamm and Märt Väljataga argue that while globalization and the growing diversity of literature have made it ever more difficult to identify transnational trends, the method of "distant reading" advocated by Franco Moretti, and Pascale Casanova's concept of a global "Republic of Letters", can allow certain generalizations. They find, for example, that postmodern experimentalism, meta-fiction and magical realism are more popular in eastern Europe, whereas the West prefers the egocentric poeticization of personal experience.
But there are also similarities between Eastern and Western concerns: "The subjects of memory and history are equally important – in the East, mainly in connection with the communist heritage, in the West, in connection with Nazism or colonialism; playing with the border between fiction and documentary is a device that appeals to writers everywhere; and in both East and West there remains a longing for novels that talk about 'what's really going on'."
Despite the possibility of viewing national literatures in a broader context, literary criticism today tends to limit its horizon to a strictly local scene. "The poverty of criticism may have dire results both for original fiction and for translations", warn Tamm and Väljataga. Regardless of globalization and cultural exchange, "the perspectives of world literature have not become clearer. Their opening up and clarifying requires purposeful work".
The full table of contents of
Vikerkaar7-8/2010 Mittelweg 36 4/2010
Sexual violence in the context of war has long been a core research field at the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung, publisher of
Mittelweg 36. In an issue focusing on the topic, editor Gaby Zipfel writes:
The phenomenon of sexual violence is obviously subject to specific rules of communication which, depending on the various social and historical contexts, determine the specific symbolic interpretation to be elucidated. These communicative rules, practised in tacit agreement, need to be decoded in order to gain a more precise picture of who is authorized to speak about experiences of sexual violence and when.Júlia Garraio discusses two German contemporary novels (Hans-Ulrich Treichel's
Der Verloreneand Reinhard Jirgl's Die Unvollendeten) and shows how in post-war West Germany sexual violence against displaced persons was both politically exploited and privately concealed.
The phenomenon of sexual violence in 1945 was used to illustrate Asian barbarism and as a metaphor for the threat posed to Germany and its western culture by communism. While the rapes were stylized in the public discourse as the image of the collectively suffering nation, the real rape victims were stigmatized and tended to be discriminated against in state reparations.
Also:The explanatory and epistemological potential of the categories prejudice and ressentiment, stereotype and topos. Julijana Ranc tests each against empirical findings drawn from group discussions and interviews.
The full table of contents of
Mittelweg 364/2010 Revista Crítica de Cięncias Sociais 87 (2009)
The efficiency of recent policies designed to combat and prevent the sexual trafficking of women is debatable, write Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Conceiçăo Gomes and Madalena Duarte in
Revista Crítica. Not only do policies display a lack of understanding of the specific features of the trafficking of women the objectives underlying them fail to meet the subjective needs and expectations of trafficked women.
An effective help to women who are victims of trafficking implies a struggle against our own prejudices and stereotypes. It implies the definition of a politics of help that does not exercise control over the choices of those women: that respects them in their human rights, in different cultural contexts, without resorting to a universalistic discourse that will prevent us from understanding the political, social and cultural relations behind their options once in the country of destination. A progressive attitude in this field can only be an attitude that strengthens the collective consciousness of these women and allows them to leave the condition of sub-humanity in which they find themselves through the construction of their citizenship. This is the biggest challenge that sexual trafficking poses to law.
Gay parenting:An appeal upheld by the Portuguese courts denying a homosexual father access to his child revealed the ambiguous position of the Portuguese courts in such cases and the predominance of legal discrimination based on sexual orientation, write Cecília MacDowell Santos, Ana Cristina Santos, Madalena Duarte and Teresa Maneca Lima. The subsequent overturning of the judgement by the European Court of Human Rights shows how the mobilization of the transnational judiciary can contribute towards reconstructing human and sexual rights, they observe.
The growing social visibility of 'new forms of family' and in particular of families composed by persons of the same sex or parenthood by individuals who do not define themselves as heterosexual is a recent phenomenon that offers a challenge to law and justice. [...] However, although one should not forget the power of law and the courts of law to alter meanings and identities, it is the social and cultural changes that bring about the transformation of the ways in which the courts deal with the interrelations between sexuality and family law.The full table of contents of
Revista Crítica de Cięncias Sociais87 (2009) Gegenworte 23 (2010)
Nietzschean subversions notwithstanding, Kant's admonishments about the use of metaphor in scientific discourse and his emphasis of the primacy of the concept and category set the standard for the separation of art and science in modernity. Now, according to the new issue of
Gegenworte, there are signs if not of a full-blown return to a Renaissance unity of art and science, then at least of a growing interest in interdisciplinary approaches. Ingeborg Reichle and Frank Rösl, for example, suggest that the humanities can inform a non-classical and non-reductionist approach to cancer-research and living systems as a whole:
System theory, non-linearity, dissipation and emergence are today research concepts with which one attempts to understand living cells as multi-layered adaptive networks as well as dynamically oscillating systems. The exceptionally varied nature of networks obliges us to think about how the world and nature shape themselves and which laws can be deduced from this. [...] It is possible to imagine the generation of new approaches to animated micro-biological processes through the construction of alternative scientific models, and also through the creation of new art forms. Because not only artists but also scientists work with images, symbols and metaphors, draw on their intuition and make use of coincidence.
The museum:Horst Bredekamp, professor of art history at the Humboldt University, talks to Gegenworteeditor Wolfert von Rahden about concepts of the museum – from Leibniz's Kuriositätenkabinettas "the world in a nutshell" to the Humboldt brothers' understanding of the collection between "world museum" and "art gallery". The museum rediscovers its purpose today as the guardian of unfashionable branches of knowledge, says Bredekamp:
Approaches and methods are often developed and applied that are increasingly being abolished at universities – for example in history departments the so-called 'auxiliary sciences'. A mad concept – why is numismatics an auxiliary science? Something like this is almost exclusively carried out at museums. Or in biology, where the effect of mediatization has been that students look at the computer screen rather than studying a species
in vivo. Over the centuries, museums have preserved the abilities of morphology, and thus – be it in the art gallery, the antiques collection or the natural history museum – compensate for shortcomings that have arisen at the universities. Gegenworte23 (2010) Res Publica Nowa 9/2010
Emotions are an intrinsic part of human personality and deeply bound up with rationality, but what part should feelings play in public discourse?
Res Publica Nowafocuses on the relationship between politics and emotions in an issue responding to the political climate in Poland after the Smolensk plane crash in April.
"Just as poetry is not judged by the sincerity of the author's intensions, so a political culture emanating from emotions such as love, compassion, mourning, fear or pity is worthless," argues Wojciech Przybylski. "Nothing unites or silences political debate as effectively as a disaster of symbolic proportions". Just as the rage, compassion and patriotism provoked by 9/11 precluded debate on reform in the US, so the Smolensk plane crash has taken its toll on Polish political discourse. Nebulous religious and cultural issues are more keenly discussed than questions of the economy, international relations or education, while fear of debate has put an end to arguments on issues such as the tension between environmentalism and development or
in vitrofertilization. Emotion, Przybylski concludes, belongs to a tradition of community ritual; discussion and debate to the domain of public planning, reform and development. Rapprochement?Maciej Melon wonders if the rapprochement between Poland and Russia since the Smolensk crash is more about Russian national interest than a genuine desire for diplomatic entente. The closure of the Katyn issue has improved Russia's image and will make relations with the EU easier, while encouraging the creation of a political map in which Poland is a "neutral" country. Poland, meanwhile, is caught between gratitude and constant unease about being branded Russophobic. Patriotism?The poet, dramatist and former resistance fighter Marian Pankowski has claimed to be unable to recall any "patriotism" while a prisoner in Auschwitz, instead saying that his own memory is overwhelmingly about "sex, cruelty and mercy – not patriotism". A daring thing to say, writes Joanna Ostrowska in a review of Pankowski's writings on life in Nazi concentration camps, because it undermines the myth that all Polish prisoners were upright, loyal and played no part in Nazi abuses – a myth that inhibited discussion on Polish involvement in the Holocaust. Also:Rafal Romanowski laments the failures of cultural policy in the city of Kraków over the past decade; and Mihaly Laki analyses Hungarian discourse on the social and economic crisis in the country.
The full table of contents of
Res Publica Nowa9/2010 Springerin 3/2010
"Why does an artistic practice that subscribes to an underlying notion of democracy find it so difficult to address rightwing populist tendencies? What type of artistic methods might be conceived in order to get to grips with the persistent lurch to the right?" ask the
Springerineditors in an issue entitled "Rightwing fringes". Politics of affect:Lawrence Grossberg analyses the history of left and right countercultures, commenting that "since the end of the Second World War, politics has increasingly been played out at the level of the affective and the everday, [...] the level at which the counterculture was established".
Today, with the Tea Party movement in the US and rightwing movements in Europe on the rise, the Right has successfully adopted a variety of countercultural strategies; yet the Left remains oblivious to the necessity of dealing with the collective fears and discontent these movements address.
A Right culture:Edit András shows how art is able to question the nationally imposed consensus on historical issues that are, as in Hungary, highly disputed among the different population groups. Yet critical practice among Hungarian artists is still scarce; in the light of the recent election results, András wonders how long artists will go on sitting on the fence of political debate:
A day after his inauguration, the new Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán was already talking about the need for a 'Right culture': 'For the modern Right, the traditional Hungarian Christian culture from before 1945 no longer suffices [...], we need a new, modern culture that contains the old [...]. The Hungarian Right culture must be stimulated by artworks, prizes and celebrations."With a new, centralized cultural policy controlled entirely by the conservatives, the question of nationalism now really is unavoidable," András concludes.
The full table of contents of
Springerin3/2010 Dilema veche 328-333 (2010)
In
Dilema veche, Victoria Stoiciu argues that the type of austerity measures adopted in Romania (deep, across-the-board cuts in public sector salaries) make little economic sense but were the only alternative for a weak and inefficient state apparatus (issue 331). "Only a strong state is able to implement targeted, diverse and complex austerity measures," writes Stoiciu. "What we are witnessing is the weakness of a captive state, incapable of implementing anything but the most simplistic measures – those that do not require efforts of coordination, objectivity and analysis." Corruption:One of the main reasons for state inefficiency is pervasive corruption. In a dossier entitled "The tradition of bribery" (issue 329), Radu Paraschivescu writes that bribes are such an accepted part of daily life in Romania that the few who refuse corruption appear mad: "We can almost no longer imagine our lives without this agent of whim-fulfilment. That is why the doctor who refuses a bribe seems either to be a pathetic marginal or an eccentric trying to impress."
Six years ago, Adina Popescu wrote a "bribe guide" advising how much money one should give to obtain various services and best practices for passing bribes. Leafing through the guide today, she finds that nothing has changed except the prices. Andrei Ciurcanu, meanwhile, describes how businesses regularly bribe officials to obtain state contracts and then recoup their "expenses" by overcharging the public. Corrupt politicians and businesses gain while the state is rendered unable to build roads or provide quality services to its taxpaying citizens.
Cult of officialdom:A veneration of the public official together with a "paper cult" means that the Romanian administration has resisted introducing technologies that would increase its efficiency, according to MP Varujan Pambuccian, a professor of mathematics and information science (issue 331). "The use of a technology depends on what a society encourages at a certain moment in time," he says. "The organization of our society around the concept of the bureaucrat (who is considered virtually sacred) delays the intelligent use of technologies that in other countries have become banal." Justice reform:The EU monitoring on justice reform needs to be stepped up with a toughening of sanctions for non-compliance, argues Cristian Ghinea (issue 330). Responding to politicians who want to see an end to monitoring, Ghinea argues that the success achieved in the justice sector thus far is the result of external pressure. Also:Kenan Malik argues that fear of causing offence strengthens the hand of religious bigots; and Mikhail Khodorkovsky corresponds with Lyudmila Ulitskaya.
The full table of contents of
Dilema veche328-333 (2010)
The Eurozine review is published with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union.
Published 2010-08-18
Original in English
© Eurozine | 19,253 | 8,655 | 0.000117 |
warc | 201704 | Stay Calm to Help Manage Atrial Fibrillation
Anxiety can trigger an atrial fibrillation episode, and knowing that you have an irregular heartbeat can trigger anxiety — it's a cycle that may actually worsen Afib. In fact, one small study involving people in India who recently had or were about to have surgery, and who all developed Afib, determined that anxiety was the likely trigger in each case. So it's important to address anxiety — and not just sweep it under the rug — to keep it from affecting your atrial fibrillation.
Understand the Afib-Anxiety Link
It's natural to feel a little nervous when your doctor tells you that you have an irregular heartbeat. But you can take control of your atrial fibrillation management and overcome your anxiety by understanding the Afib-anxiety connection. "If anxiety triggers an episode of atrial fibrillation, it is important to be conscious of this, especially during high-stress periods," says Matthew G. Cantrell, MD, a board certified cardiologist with Palmetto Heart in Columbia, S.C. "Managing anxiety through the use of medications, exercise, support groups, or mental health professionals can help reduce episodes of uncontrolled atrial fibrillation for these patients."
Become an Educated Patient
Anxiety may worsen if you don't really know what's happening with your health, so educate yourself about Afib and take an active role in your treatment and atrial fibrillation management plan. "Knowledge is power," says Dr. Cantrell. "Taking the initiative to learn and understand atrial fibrillation can help you be aware of the common symptoms and able to recognize them when they occur."
Talk to Your Doctor
This is probably the most important piece of your atrial fibrillation management strategy, according to Cantrell. It's essential to talk to your doctor about your concerns and tell him or her about your anxiety. Only then can you work together to manage both your anxiety and your Afib. "Develop a close relationship with your doctor and share any triggers you notice that may help him or her design a medical regimen to help with your atrial fibrillation recurrences," he suggests.
Join a Support Group
Anxiety can certainly be a trigger of Afib episodes, but Cantrell says that it may also be a symptom of atrial fibrillation. If you're struggling with Afib and anxiety, talking to a group of peers in a support group setting may be very comforting. "Joining a support group for atrial fibrillation — locally or nationally — can unite patients with similar issues and be a powerful coping mechanism for those withstress associated with their condition," he says.
Find What Helps You Manage Stress
Getting stress under control can help with Afib and anxiety, but you've got to know what works for you. "It is important for each patient to understand what works for their body as it relates to managing anxiety and atrial fibrillation," says Cantrell. "For some, it may be exercise; for others, it may be relaxing and reading a book or watching a favorite movie. Having one or two things you know you can do to help manage anxiety during stressful periods is an important goal."
Get Quality Sleep
There's a strong connection between atrial fibrillation and sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. What's more, poor sleep may trigger an Afib episode. Poor sleep also may worsen your anxiety about your atrial fibrillation. The answer: Practice good sleep hygiene. That means going to bed and waking at the same time each day, avoiding stimulating activities before bed, and creating a soothing sleep environment. Also, Cantrell suggests talking to your doctor about your sleep habits and undergoing a sleep study if you feel like you're not getting restful sleep.
Make the Effort to Exercise
Exercise offers many health benefits for everyone, but it's especially helpful for managing atrial fibrillation and its associated anxiety. Getting regular exercise can help improve your mood and help you get a good night's sleep (just don't work out right before bed or you may be too pumped up to snooze). Exercise also helps with stress management, which is a likely Afib trigger for many people, and helps with weight loss and weight management, which is also recommended to help manage atrial fibrillation.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
When you're relaxed, your body responds positively. Your blood pressure lowers, your breathing slows, and your sense of well-being improves. If you feel anxious, try practicing guided imagery, also called visualization: Imagine yourself in a peaceful environment. Deep-breathing exercises, in which you focus on long, slow, deep, and regular breaths, may also help relax and soothe you during an episode of anxiety. Progressive relaxation, which involves tensing and then relaxing all your muscle groups, one by one from head to toe, can also help ease anxiety.
Consider Counseling
If you're struggling with Afib anxiety, working with a mental health professional can help you regain control. "This can be an important part of the treatment strategy for those with excessive anxiety about their abnormal heart rhythm," says Cantrell. You also might benefit from medications to treat anxiety, apart from the medications that treat your atrial fibrillation, and "these are best prescribed by a mental health professional," he adds.
Last Updated: 05/30/13 | 5,414 | 2,368 | 0.000428 |
warc | 201704 | Advertising is one of the most important aspects of any business. Due to increased competition, businesses are using innovative advertisement techniques to attract more consumers, and ultimately increase their market sales. The primary objective of advertisement is to create awareness for a product/service. There are many different forms of advertisements we see in our daily lives. Whether you’re driving to work, or enjoying coffee in front of TV at home, we come across numerous electronic advertisements, billboards, banners, etc. All these ads are being projected by organizations to capture our attention.
In recent years, advertisement techniques have evolved due to advancement in technology and commerce. Many firms have increased their investment in advertising. This has pushed the demand for professional marketers and advertisement managers. The field offers many creative career opportunities for individuals with specialized education in advertisement.
Featured Programs
Associates Degree in Advertising
A number of accredited schools are offering degree programs in advertising. This field can be pursued at associate, bachelor, and master’s level. Students who have just completed their high school diploma can prepare for the industry by enrolling in an associate degree. It is the most basic undergraduate degree available and is suitable for pursuing entry-level jobs, or preparing for advanced-level education in the same field.
Coursework
An associate in advertising is a two-year program that prepares students for entry-level positions in advertising and equips them with the knowledge and skills required to pursue careers in advertising. The program will cover fundamental concepts relevant to the field. Students will learn about the role of advertising in organization, different forms of advertising, and how to develop innovative advertising strategies.
The associate in advertising entail general education as well as courses in advertising art. Students will cover the following subjects in detail:
Principles of Marketing (2-3 credits)
In this course, students will acquire in-depth knowledge of the basic principles of marketing. The course will cover a range of topics that include product promotion, pricing, consumer marketing strategies and global marketing.
Interpersonal Communication (2-3 credits)
This course is designed to provide students with strong communication skills. Students will learn how to improve their listening and speaking skills.
Financial accounting (2-3 credits)
In this course, students will cover the fundamentals of bookkeeping and accounting principles. The course will include topics such as financial statement analysis, cash flows, liabilities, and managerial finance.
Advertising Principles (2-3 credits)
In this course, students will acquire a broad understanding of the advertisement industry and its history in America. The course will highlight areas such as process of advertisement, advertising techniques, societal and governmental factors that influence advertising, and global advertising.
Consumer Behavior (2-3 credits)
This course will help students understand consumer behavior and how it affects advertising. It is important to understand how consumers perceive advertising in today’s environment. Students will cover basic trends and factors that shape consumer behavior.
Marketing Research (2-3 credits)
This course is dedicated to research and development. Students will acquire an in-depth understanding of research methodologies used by businesses. Some of the topics covered in the course include hypothesis formation, statistical tools, sampling, research report, and qualitative research methods.
Principles of Management (2-3 credits)
This course is a fundamental area of the degree. Students will learn about basic business terminology, managerial decision making, and employee management, and the importance of business communication.
Duration and Degree Completion Requirements
An associate degree is typically take two years to complete. Students can opt for an accelerated degree track if they wish to earn the degree in less than two years.
The program can be completed successfully after earning the minimum number of credits. These are acquired by completing all the program’s components and assignments.
Admissions Requirements
Students who want to pursue an associate in advertising need to hold a high school diploma or GED. They may also have to complete courses in geometry, art and communications while in high school. Other requirements for admissions are:
Meet the minimum CGPA requirements of the prospective school Letter of recommendation Fill out and submit an admissions form Online Associate in Advertising
Online schools also offer associate programs in advertising. Pursuing an online associate degree in this field gives students the freedom to study according to their free time. They can attend classes at timings that suit their personal routine and prepare for the world of advertising at their own pace and convenience. Online programs are also more affordable as compared to degrees offered at traditional campuses. This is why they can be a suitable option for learners with limited financial resources. The flexibility of the online degree also makes them a great learning option for professionals seeking a career switch without having to sacrifice their career.
Job Opportunities
Earning a degree in advertising can open up an array of career opportunities for students. With an associate degree, they can find entry-level jobs in the advertising department of organizations. The advertising industry is expected to grow steadily in the coming few years according to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over 24% of advertising professionals are hired by advertising agencies and PR firms. Advertising managers and specialists are responsible for creating advertising strategies and marketing campaigns for products/services. Some of the job duties include:
Plan advertising programs Select and design advertising channels Prepare budgets and allocate resources for advertising budgets Conduct market research and analyze consumer behavior
These managers made a median annual income of $115,750 in 2012 and are expected to grow in demand at a faster than average pace. The field is suitable for individuals who enjoy creativity and challenges in the business world.
Advancement Opportunities Individuals can opt for further education at bachelor and masters level, and can improve their job prospects. There are also many certifications available for advertising professionals. | 6,673 | 2,766 | 0.000365 |
warc | 201704 | Arbaeen (Arbayeen) means "forty" in Arabic, or Chehlum, as it is known by Urdu-speaking Muslims, is a Shia religious observation that occurs 40 days after the Day of Ashura (Aashura/Ashurah), the commemoration of the martyrdom by beheading of Imam Husayn Ibn Ali (as), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) which falls on the 20th day of the second month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar called as Safar. Imam Husayn Ibn Ali (as) and 72 supporters died in the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (680 CE). Forty days is the usual length of the time of mourning in many Islamic cultures.
Number forty is mystic in Theosophy. According to the Islamic culture if someone practices a good deed constantly during forty days, it would be his inseparable attribute and lead to descending of Allah's blessing. In some religions forty days and forty nights praying has been special position.
When Prophet Musa / Moses (pbuh) prayed forty nights; found the ability to hear the words of Allah (SWT), "And when We appointed a time of forty nights with Musa, then you took the calf (for a god) after him and you were unjust." [Glorious Quran 2:51]
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "Whoever dedicates himself to Allah (SWT) for forty days, will find springs of wisdom sprout out of his heart and flow on his tongue."
Commemorating of the fortieth day of deeds by their family and giving alms is one of the common customs among some of the Muslims.
The 40th [Arbaeen (Arbayeen) or Chehlum] marks an important turning point in the movement of Karbala (Kerbala). This day, which is no less important to the day of Ashura (Aashura/Ashurah) is important for many reasons - the prime being that the Ahlul Bayt reached the land of Karbala on this day and performed the visitation to Sayyid ash-Shuhada al-Husayn (as) and the loyal family and friends who gave their life for the cause of Islam.
Although the historians differ on when this event transpired; some say it was in the same year of the massacre in Karbala in the year 61 AH, whilst other say it was in the following year 62 AH. Whatever the case, the atrocities and difficulties which the family of Prophet Muhammad (saw) was put through in the court of Yazid and the long ride to Karbala culminated on the 20th of Safar on the empty plains of Karbala.
According to most widely accepted traditions, the family of Prophet Muhammad (saw) remained in captivity for about a year in Damascus by Yazid, the Umayyad Caliph. After one year when the ruler of Shaam (Syria) were forced to release them, Bibi Zainab (sa) said to Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad (as) that she wanted to go back to Karbala to mourn his brother and all the martyrs of Karbala. The same was desired by other women of this caravan and Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad (as) directed them towards Karbala.
The grave of Imam Husayn Ibn Ali (as) was not desolate as some may expect. Rather, as the Ahlul Bayt were approaching Karbala, there were a few people already at the grave, marking his martyrdom with tears. The individual, who had been a companion of Prophet Muhammad (saw) - Jabir ibne Abdullah al-Ansari (who at this point was blind) - along with his assistant (Atiyya bin Saad), had made the trek from Madina to the place of martyrdom of his Imam and master, Imam Husayn Ibn Ali (as). Jabir ibne Abdullah al-Ansari (ra) called out to his Imam, "I testify that you are the son of the Seal of the Prophets, the son of the Master of the Faithful, the son of the inseparable ally of piety, the descendant of guidance." His servant, Atiyya bin Saad noted to him that he could see a caravan of people in the distance and they were approaching this sacred site. As they approached, they realized that this was none other than the caravan of present Imam, Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad (as) with the other family members and assistants!
The historians note that at this point, Jabir ibne Abdullah al-Ansari (ra) and his assistant, Atiyya bin Saad, moved out of the way so that the women of the Ahlul Bayt and the others could show their grief at the sacred grave in privacy and according to reports, the heads of the martyrs were also buried at this point in time - as before leaving Shaam (Syria), they were given back the sacred heads of the martyrs.
According to a famous saying of Imam Hasan Askari (as) - there are five characteristics of a Momin (faithful):
Performing fifty-one (51) Rakaat Prayer (Salat) during the day and night in 24 hours;
Recitation of Ziarat-E-Imam Husayn (as) on the 40th day of his martyrdom (20th of Safar) called as Ziyarat-E-Arbaeen;
Wearing Aqeeq Ring in the right hand;
To put the forehead on the earth (preferably on the earth of Karbala, Khak-E-Shifa) in prostration (Sajda); and
To pronounce "Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem" in clear and loud voice while praying the Salat.
Fajr - 2 Wajib and 2 Nafl,
Zuhr - 4 Wajib and 8 Nafl,
Asr - 4 Wajib and 8 Nafl,
Maghrib - 3 Wajib and 4 Nafl,
Ishaa - 4 Wajib and 1 Nafl (2 Rakaat in sitting position counted as 1 Rakaat),
Namaz-e-Shab or Tahajjud - 11 Rakaat Sunnat
The occasion of Arbaeen (Arbayeen) or Chehlum reminds the faithful of the core message behind Imam Husayn's martyrdom: establishing justice and fighting injustice, no matter what its incarnation - a message that strongly influenced subsequent Shia uprisings against the tyranny of Umayyad and Abbasid rule.
These forty days are a suitable opportunity for people to develop the love of Imam Husayn (as) and hate his murderers, in their hearts. Forty consecutive days, from Ashura up to Arbaeen, also is a national ceremony of aversion announcement from oppressors of the history.
O Husayn, commemoration of your revolution from Ashura up to Arbaeen makes the world pay attention to the message of the resurrection. Ashura is martyrdom day of the history makers and Arbaeen is pilgrimage day of Ashura makers.
Arbaeen philosophy shows itself, and we can teach martyrdom lesson from this class and prepare ourselves in order to help our master Imam Mahdi (as) [May Allah hasten his reappearance].
As a sign of loyalty to the martyrs, we have been ordered to recite the Ziyarat of Arbaeen on the day of Arbaeen.
Why is so much importance given to the performance of the Ziyarat-E-Arbaeen and the observance of Arbaeen (40 days of mourning)?
Ziyarat, as we all know is a visitation, which in essence, is the act of speaking with and visiting our role models. Of course the physical manifestation of the Ziyarat is actually being present in Karbala to perform the Ziyarat-E-Arbaeen, but, in reality, that is not possible for every believer. So, does making Ziyarat while not in Karbala give one the same benefits? Ahadith tell us that performing the Ziyarat of Imam Husayn (as) far from Karbala would hold the same significance as being in the land of Karbala, as long as the person performing the Ziyarat has truly understood the status of the Imam Husayn (as) and seeks to emulate him.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) states that the heavens wept over Imam Husayn (as) for forty mornings, rising red and setting red. As we complete 40 days of remembrance of our Imam, we re-assert our pledge of obedience and loyalty to him,
"I bear witness that you are the Imam (who is) the upright, the pious, well-pleased (with Allah), the pure, the guide and the rightly-guided. I bear witness that you fulfilled the pledge of Allah and you struggled in His way.I am a friend of whoever befriends him ..."
By performing the Ziyarat-E-Arbaeen, we pledge that we will continue to follow the path of justice and righteousness and will reject injustice and speak up against the oppressors of the time; I am an enemy of whoever is his enemy...
In essence, we make a promise to continue to mold our lives according to the teaching of Imam Husayn (as). But why is it that we mourn and remember Imam Husayn (as) for a period of forty days and then move on?
Our Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said, "The earth mourns the death of a believer for forty mornings." Therefore it appears that the deceased should be remembered and mourned over for a period of forty days. Performing an act for a continuous period of forty days is also known to help one to not just form a habit, but also to carry on the practice for the rest of his life.
If we look at studies dealing with bringing a lifestyle change, we notice the time period emphasized to bring about a change is usually 6 weeks which is about the same time period as 40 days (to be exact it is 42 days).
In the book 40 Days to Personal Revolution: A Breakthrough Program to Radically Change Your Body and Awaken the Sacred Within Your Soul, the author Baron Baptiste explains the significance of forty days:
Why forty days? Because the number 40 holds tremendous spiritual significance in the realm of transformation. Jesus wandered in the desert for forty days in order to experience purification and come to a greater understanding of himself and his mission. Moses and his people traveled through the desert for forty years before arriving at their home in the holy land. Noah preserved the sacredness of life by sailing his ark for forty days and forty nights. According to the Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish mystical text, it takes forty days to ingrain any new way of being into our system...
Reciting particular Duas for a period of 40 days is highly recommended in our practices as well. The unit 40 (forty) is said to be very effective. If a particular Dua is recited 40 times, or 40 people gather to recite it, or it is recited for 40 days then its effectiveness is highly increased.
It is reported from Imam Jaffer Sadiq (as) that whoever recites Dua-E-Ahad for forty days, after morning prayers will be amongst the helpers of the 12th Imam Mahdi (as). Visitation of the shrine of Imam Husayn (as) as well as Masjid-E-Sahla for 40 consecutive Thursdays is also very highly recommended and is one of the acts that promises a visit from the 12th Imam Mahdi (as).
Thus, as we perform the Ziyarat-E-Arbaeen and commemorate the Arba'een, 40 days of mourning of Imam Husayn (as), we hope and pray that this forty days of remembrance of Imam Husayn (as), brings about a transformation in us by which we can continue to follow the path of Imam Husayn (as) and carry on his message of upholding justice with true faith and a strong sense of sacrifice! | 10,369 | 4,595 | 0.000219 |
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