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warc | 201704 | Your business plan is wrong...
Every business plan is wrong. The moment an entrepreneur hits "save" or "print" the plan is out of date. Things change. In some cases you grow ahead of plan (like portfolio company Jingle Networks whose 1-800-FREE411 service has captured 3% of the US Diirectory Assistance market in one year) and are faced with the challenges of successfully scaling to satisfy user demand. In other cases you find that some of your initial assumptions are no longer valid. A competitor emerges. New technologies emerge. You are unable to build a team as fast as you had planned. Distribution channel deals take longer than expected. Customer adoption is different than what you expected.
Either way - it is critical for an entrepreneur to be able to listen to the market, their team and their customers and make changes to their plan as necessary. I've always said that I'd much rather bet on an entrepreneur who can adapt to change rather than an entrepreneur who is convinced that they have the ability to predict the future. But adapting to change is hard. How do you maintain flexibility yet still preserve a goal oriented culture? What do you say to investors who backed your initial plan? When is a data point an outlier and when is it a warning bell? Munjal Shah, CEO/Founder of Riya is doing a wonderful job blogging about his experiences in transforming Riya. (Disclosure: Riya is a portfolio company of First Round Capital). | 1,458 | 823 | 0.001222 |
warc | 201704 | Opaque Networks Utilizing TOS
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Opaque Networks Utilizing TOS
There is a potential cost, footprint and power savings by eliminating unnecessary opto-electronic conversions on a signal path in a core optical mesh network. Current networks have seen the deployment of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology, followed more recently by the deployment of an optical transport layer where optical crossconnects (OXCs) are connected using WDM links .both currently deployed WDM systems and OXCs use electronics in the signal path, thereby creating an opaque network .it is very compelling to imagine an optical transport layer where signals remain in the optical domain from the time the time the enter the network until they leave the network, thereby creating a transparent network.
To carry out the assessment of opaque and transparent networks, we make the following basic assumptions on the requirements for core mesh networks:
" Network operators require a lowest cost network, not just lowest cost network elements. For example, even though optical may be cheaper than electrical network elements, a network without wavelength conversions and tunable wavelength access in the optical domain could lead to higher network cost due to inefficient capacity usage than a network with wavelength conversions in the electrical domain.
" A network operator must not be constrained to buy the entire network from a single vendor.
" In order to build a dynamic, scalable and manageable backbone network it is essential that manual configuration be eliminated as much as possible.
" An optical switching system must be easily scalable with low cost and and a small footprint as the network grows to many hundreds of wavelength channels per fiber and to a speed 40 Gb/s
NETWORK ARCHITECTURES
Increased traffic volume due to the introduction of new broadband services is driving carriers to deployment of an optical transport layer based on WDM. The network infrastructure of existing core networks is currently undergoing a transformation from rings using synchronous optical networks (SONET) add/drop multiplexers (ADMs) to mesh topologies using OXCs. Even though the applications driving large scale deployment of transparent optical switches are not currently in place, and the traffic demand does not currently justify the the use of transparent switches that are cost effective at very high bit rates, it is possible that at some point in the future transparent switches may be deployed in the network.,
Transparent network architecture
The transparent network is as shown. Since a signal from a client network element(NE),such as a router, connected via a specific wavelength must remain on the same wavelength when there is no wavelength conversion , only a small size switch fabric is needed to interconnect the WDMs and NEs in a node. This architecture also implies end-to-end bit rate and data format transparency. Another architecture of a transparent switch in a transparent network may include a single large fabric instead of multiple switch matrices of small port counts. If one is to provide flexibility, such an architecture design would require the use of tunable lasers at the clients and wavelength conversions.
Use Search at http://topicideas.net/search.php wisely To Get Information About Project Topic and Seminar ideas with report/source code along pdf and ppt presenaion | 3,521 | 1,639 | 0.000614 |
warc | 201704 | Parametric methods are effective and appropriate when data sets are obtained by well-defined random sampling procedures, the population distribution for responses is well-defined, the null sampling distributions of suitable test statistics do not depend on any unknown entity and well-defined likelihood models are provided for by nuisance parameters. Permutation testing methods, on the other hand, are appropriate and unavoidable when distribution models for responses are not well specified, nonparametric or depend on too many nuisance parameters; when ancillary statistics in well-specified distributional models have a strong influence on inferential results or are confounded with other nuisance entities; when the sample sizes are less than the number of parameters and when data sets are obtained by ill-specified selection-bias procedures. In addition, permutation tests are useful not only when parametric tests are not possible, but also when more importance needs to be given to the observed data set, than to the population model, as is typical for example in biostatistics. The different types of permutation methods for analysis of variance, multiple linear regression and principal component analysis are explored. More specifically, one-way, twoway and three-way ANOVA permutation strategies will be discussed. Approximate and exact permutation tests for the significance of one or more regression coefficients in a multiple linear regression model will be explained next, and lastly, the use of permutation tests used as a means to validate and confirm the results obtained from the exploratory PCA will be described. | 1,638 | 764 | 0.001311 |
warc | 201704 | Matthews, TR and Mullan, D and Wilby, RL and Broderick, C and Murphy, C (2016)
Past and future climate change in the context of memorable seasonal extremes. Climate Risk Management. ISSN 2212-0963
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Revised Manuscript.pdf - Accepted Version
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Abstract
It is thought that direct personal experience of extreme weather events could result in greater public engagement and policy response to climate change. Based on this premise, we present a set of future climate scenarios for Ireland communicated in the context of recent, observed extremes. Specifically, we examine the changing likelihood of extreme seasonal conditions in the long-term observational record, and explore how frequently such extremes might occur in a changed Irish climate according to the latest model projections. Over the period (1900–2014) records suggest a greater than 50-fold increase in the likelihood of the warmest recorded summer (1995), whilst the likelihood of the wettest winter (1994/95) and driest summer (1995) has respectively doubled since 1850. The most severe end-of-century climate model projections suggest that summers as cool as 1995 may only occur once every ∼7 years, whilst winters as wet as 1994/95 and summers as dry as 1995 may increase by factors of ∼8 and ∼10 respectively. Contrary to previous research, we find no evidence for increased wintertime storminess as the Irish climate warms, but caution that this conclusion may be an artefact of the metric employed. It is hoped that framing future climate scenarios in the context of extremes from living memory will help communicate the scale of the challenge climate change presents, and in so doing bridge the gap between climate scientists and wider society.
Item Type: Article Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences Divisions: Natural Sciences and Psychology Publisher: Elsevier Date Deposited: 01 Mar 2016 14:41 Last Modified: 01 Mar 2016 14:41 DOI or Identification number: 10.1016/j.crm.2016.01.004 URI: http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/3019 Actions (login required)
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warc | 201704 | This is a blog about reverse mortgages, a specialized mortgage which allows homeowners over age 62 to turn a portion of the equity in their homes into cash - with no repayment required as long as the borrower owns or lives in the home.
I'll be talking about reverse mortgages generally, with specific emphasis on the West Michigan area.
Reverse mortgages
always involve folks over 62.
In my opinion, it isn't possible to be involved in the reverse mortgage world without being aware of the many other issues that affect the financial security of mature citizens.
So I'll be talking about those issues here as well.
Finally, you should know that I'm employed by First Financial Mortgage Corporation, Northville, MI as a reverse mortgage consultant. The blog entries on this blog site represent my opinions, and the posts on this blog are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
You can contact me at j.noonan@comcast.net, or by phone at 877-308-1489. (Toll free in Michigan.) | 1,005 | 567 | 0.00178 |
warc | 201704 | ~Neale Donald Walsch On this day of your life, I believe God wants you to know… …..that your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights. Kahlil Gibran said that, and he was right. Listen, therefore, to your heart. Cultivate the ability to do this. Practice it. Produce it. Perfect it. It is not that difficult. Just be quiet with yourself. And for heaven’s sake, stop listening to your mind. You will not find the truth there. You may find the answer, but it will not be the truth unless it coincides with the answer in your heart. You think there is more to know about life than this, but there is not. Your heart holds the key. Your heart holds the wisdom. Your heart holds the future. Your mind knows nothing but the past. It imagines the future will be just like yesterday, so it makes it decisions based on that. Only your heart can see beyond memory’s...
Q I believe I have met my Twin Flame and have experienced many signs and synchronicities after meeting him. I have gone through everything I have read about what it feels like to have found your twin flame. And above all, in my heart I absolutely KNOW it’s him. But we haven’t yet expressed our feelings to each other and I don’t know when that will happen if it ever does. But I do feel that he feels something for me too. However without any confirmation, I often lose hope and think that it’s all in my head. It’s a pretty crazy situation to be in. I just hold on to what my heart tells me and try to be patient, and let the universe speak for itself. I don’t know how to proceed ahead in this and am always thinking if I do/say something wrong I’m going to make things go the wrong way and break the connection. Any advice you have? Could the inner voice and the knowing of the heart ever be wrong? A The inner voice and the knowing of the heart is never wrong. What makes it feel that way at times is the ego, coming through you and also other people if you share with them what your heart is telling you. You may have experienced that what you feel is truth and “knowing” for you can’t be explained to another. Well, you can try to explain it and they may hear you but they probably won’t understand it because those feelings, that confirmation, that heart knowing is for you as it is your truth, your path. I feel that we make a soul plan before we come into physical incarnation, including a plan with our twin flame, and the universe does guide us along the way. Our only job is to notice the signs around us and to remember what we planned to experience on Earth…but in addition to this plan, we were given free will, so that both you and your twin have a choice to choose to be physically together and in what capacity of relationship with each other. The thing to remember here is that you are never separated from your twin. When either of you are in relationship with another person, you are both experiencing through it and if you are having other experiences/challenges (opportunities for growth) then you are both growing through this together. There is always a communication through thoughts, emotions and dreams. Have faith in this…I would recommend you listening to my TV interview I had in Hawaii. The link is here: http://emergingsoul.com/upcoming-events-interviews.php. It will...
Have you found yourself looking to outside sources, either people or actual things for support and guidance in your daily life? You are not alone. Many of us have been taught that we are born without power and we need something outside of ourselves for guidance or we need confirmation from others so that we know we are taking the right actions. However, the truth is that the only way for us to truly know whether or not we are taking the “right” action for ourselves is by listening to our own internal guidance and following our heart. The first step in order to listen to this divine internal guidance is to believe that you can hear this guidance and that it is actually guidance. Perhaps you have learned that it is not “normal” to communicate with the divine realm or to hear, see, or feel guidance within your life. Normal is relative, consistently changing and what is normal varies from each person depending on the individual perspective. The second step is to trust that when you follow the guidance, that you will be experiencing exactly what you need to be where you desire. The universe absolutely wants to support you in what you choose to experience, and therefore, the next step on your journey will be revealed as you take each step. Jack Canfield gave a great example of this in THE SECRET. He said that when you are driving to an intended destination, you can’t and don’t always see the destination, but you keep going as you see just a little ahead of you, and then when you get to that point, you see more of the path. That is exactly how it works with guidance. The third step is to enjoy the journey along to your destination. Allow yourself to be in the moment, literally smelling the flowers. By being in the moment, you are able to notice the guidance that is helping you to experience all you desire and it helps you to feel alive as well as enjoy the excitement that living holds. The last step is to receive all the love and support that is around you along your journey and to believe that you desire it, so that all you wish to experience will be yours. I recently watched the movie Imagine That with Eddie Murphy. This movie brought out these old ideas regarding our own power of guidance and doubt that we really have everything inside of us to guide us along our journey. He was looking to outside sources for this reassurance on the steps he should take instead of... | 5,809 | 2,587 | 0.000395 |
warc | 201704 | Everyone involved with Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is familiar with our mission:
RMFW is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and educating writers seeking publication in commercial fiction.
As a ‘volunteer-run organization’ RMFW can only remain beneficial to members through our volunteers’ contributions. Volunteers strengthen our community and nurture an environment of members helping members.
From my time with RMFW, I've learned volunteering is more rewarding for the volunteer than the organization. I've learned how to find and build my community. I've learned how to speak in public, organize big events and, from hanging out with talented writers, I've learned much about writing. RMFW has helped me find my voice, both in the real world and on the page. Vicki LawRMFW President
The Colorado Gold Conference’s success is dependent on the critical services provided by our volunteers. They keep our costs down, and even the smallest jobs help us provide an exceptional experience for all attendees year after year.
The more you put into something, the more you’ll get out of it. I credit RMFW as the one organization above all others that helped me get published. My first attendance at the Gold conference thoroughly impressed me, and I knew then that RMFW was the place to be if I was serious about my writing. Volunteering was a way of showing my commitment to the organization and a great way to meet people. I figured that the experienced members would take me more seriously if I gave of my time to support RMFW. I initially volunteered as the Education Chair, then served as Vice-President and as President. I’ve never been accused of being the shy type but if you’re an introvert, serving as a volunteer is a wonderful way of stepping outside your shell. Mario AcevedoAnthology ChairRescue From Planet Pleasure, Urban Fantasy
Volunteering is all about giving back. Remember when you were new and nervous at the conference? Think about the people who helped you. Think about the impact they had on your conference experience. By volunteering you bring that same experience to others. A satisfying feeling in the end for you the volunteer.
Why do I volunteer? I'll give you the altruistic and honest answers. As writer I have benefited from what I have learned at the Saturday workshops, Gold Conference and critique groups and I wanted to a way to give back. Honestly, I've met great people who have become valued friends and I have had a ton of fun. Kevin WolfNew Conference Attendee LiaisonThe Home Place; A Mysterywww.kevinwolfstoryteller.com
What would the conference be like without volunteers? Everyone at conference needs something, be it guidance or just an extra pencil. Volunteers bring people together and ensure that everyone has a great time.
First and foremost, meeting other writers is a great benefit to volunteering. It's a good feeling, too, to know that the volunteer work we do helps other writers on their journeys. The GOLD conference is an important part of what RMFW does to support writers and helping the conference run smoothly results in a more valuable experience for everyone! Rene ZimbelmanPublicity ChairMiserably Happy, Women's Fiction, available soon.
Studies conducted on the effects of volunteering have shown that giving time to nonprofits makes us healthier. Boost your own self-confidence through volunteering at this year’s conference. With a sense of well-being you’ll have a greater focus on learning.
I volunteer for RMFW for a couple of reasons. Chiefly, I want to give back to an organization that has helped me become a better writer. From the critique groups, to the free Saturday programs and even the yearly conference, my writing skills have improved because of my membership in RMFW. In addition, being a volunteer allows me to expand my tribe. I am convinced that to be good at anything, you need to be around other people who do that skill better than you. Volunteering for RMFW allows me to meet pros like Betsy Dornbusch, Susan Spann, Aaron Michael Ritchey, & Christine Jorgensen. If you want to grow in the craft of writing, don't just join RMFW, volunteer! Jason Henry EvansOnline Clases & Conference VolunteerCo-author, I Am Hathor, Caped Anthology
Volunteering in general promotes personal growth, and your volunteer service counts as professional experience. You are guaranteed to learn something new while you give your time.
I initially got involved with RMFW for a few reasons. I wanted to find a critique group, I wanted to learn craft and become a better writer, and I wanted to meet like-minded people. I have a passion for education, and conference was a natural progression. Susie BrooksRMFW Retreat ChairEditor in Chief at Literary Wanderlust
Need an opportunity to come out of your shell and improve your social skills? If you don’t know many writers, volunteering at conference gives you an opportunity to meet people at a reduced stress level.
Without the support of RMFW, and the friends I've made there, I'm not sure I would be a published author today. Attending the conference is fabulous from an educational perspective, but if you want to make the most of the time, and make more friends, you need to get involved. Volunteering takes you off the sidelines and helps even shy people get to know the other authors and participants much better. Susan Spann2015 Writer of the YearFlask of the Drunken Master, Mystery
Anytime is the right time to volunteer for RMFW because we always need volunteers. We are one big community of writers helping writers. The more involved you are in our community the more you will receive in return.
Volunteering is an excellent way to meet people and expand your network of writers. You'll discover that writers come from all paths and roads and freeways of life--the creative mind knows no limits. Volunteering is also a way to share your passion in a different way, and give back to an organization that offers so much to every person who asks for support or assistance. Whether you spend a few hours once a year, or a few hours every month, volunteers are cherished and appreciated at RMFW, and you'll feel the goodness. Wendy TerrienRMFW SecretaryThe Rampart Guards, YA Urban Fantasy
We want your help, but before you join us, ask yourself what you want to get out of volunteering:
What skills do you bring to the table? How much time are you willing to commit? Are you looking to do something new and different? Do you want to work behind the scenes or with people? Would you like to try something outside your comfort zone? | 6,669 | 3,007 | 0.000336 |
warc | 201704 | The NHS spends £10 billion a year tackling diabetes and its consequences, but this could be reduced if people rode bikes or walked to work, MPs said yesterday.
A group of MPS from all parties met for a debate on cycle safety in the House of Lords after the annual parliamentary bike ride from Kensington to Westminster, reports Kaya Burgess in
The Times.
“At a time when we have millions of pre-diabetic adults, if cycling was a pill, every GP across the country would be prescribing it,” said Mary Creagh, the shadow transport secretary.
“In terms of added value, in terms of concentration for kids in lessons, in terms of massive health benefits - get more people walking and cycling and we’ll have gone some way to reducing that £10 billion a year burden on the NHS from diabetes.”
Dame Sally Davies, the government’s chief medical officer, said last year: “Cycling for all or part of your 150 minutes of physical activity each week can help to prevent or manage over 20 long-term conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and mental health problems.”
According to Ms Creagh, Labour’s policy review is examining ways to encourage more people to ride. However, Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the All-Party Commons Cycling Group, Julian Huppert said: “One thing I didn’t hear [from Ms Creagh] was a commitment to actually spend any money.”
Research published last August indicated that cycling, walking and even using public transport were associated with lower risk of being overweight and therefore reduced chance of developing type II diabetes.
Cyclists were around half as likely to have diabetes as drivers.
According to Diabetes UK, around three million people in the UK have diabetes - about one in 20. Type 2, or later onset diabetes is connected with obesity and inactivity - and rates have soared over the last 10 years.
Improved public health is often cited as one of the best reasons for making cycling a more attractive way to travel. British Cycling in February claimed that if 10 per cent of trips were made by bike – well below the levels seen in countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, but a fivefold increase on the current situation here – the NHS in England and Wales could save £250 million a year.
Our official grumpy Northerner, John has been riding bikes for over 30 years since discovering as an uncoordinated teen that a sport could be fun if it didn't require you to catch a ball or get in the way of a hulking prop forward.
Road touring was followed by mountain biking and a career racing in the mud that was as brief as it was unsuccessful.
Somewhere along the line came the discovery that he could string a few words together, followed by the even more remarkable discovery that people were mug enough to pay for this rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work. He's pretty certain he's worked for even more bike publications than Mat Brett.
The inevitable 30-something MAMIL transition saw him shift to skinny tyres and these days he lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds. | 3,201 | 1,677 | 0.000616 |
warc | 201704 | Republicans in Congress are working to improve the food stamps program by focusing on how to lift people out of poverty through work.
“While we know that a job is the surest way to get out of poverty, it can be difficult for individuals to find a job that matches their skills, or to gain the skills needed to fill the jobs available in an area,” GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana, chairwoman of the Nutrition Subcommittee, said during a hearing Tuesday. The GOP’s proposal would expand employment and training programs for all able-bodied adults enrolled in welfare programs like food stamps, also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). House Speaker Paul Ryan’s “A Better Way” proposal to fight poverty and reduce government spending would expand work requirements for SNAP benefits. The food stamps program exploded under President Barack Obama, in part because of high unemployment after the great recession, with 46.6 million people enrolled in 2014. Nearly 45 million people are still on food stamps this year, costing taxpayers more than $50 billion in benefits during the past 12 months alone, according to recent USDA data. More | 1,192 | 693 | 0.001484 |
warc | 201704 | Title
Allozyme Diversity in Populations of Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) from Central Asia: Evidence for Founder Effects in Native Populations at the Edge of the Species’ Geographic Distribution
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-15-2013
Faculty Sponsor
Stephen Novak
Abstract
Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is an annual, self-fertilizing grass with an enormous native range across much of Eurasia. The grass has been introduced into many regions around the globe, and it invasive in the western United States (US) causing degradation and loss of sagebrush steppe habitats. Here we determined the genetic diversity of 13 populations of cheatgrass from Central Asia: 12 populations from Xinjiang Province, China, and one population from Kazakhstan. These populations are located at the northwestern edge of the plants’ native range, and allow us to explore the pattern of genetic diversity of this broadly distributed species. Genetic diversity of these populations was assessed using enzyme electrophoresis (allozymes), and the 15 enzymes employed in this analysis were coded for by 25 putative loci. Across all 13 populations, 30 alleles were detected at these 25 loci (1.2 alleles/locus) and five loci (20%) were polymorphic. On average, these populations display 1.02 alleles per locus (A), 1.85 percent polymorphic loci per population (%P), and an expected mean heterozygosity (Hexp) value of 0.005. Heterozygotes, which have been rarely detected for cheatgrass, were not detected in this analysis. The genetic diversity across and within the 13 Central Asian populations in our study is very low compared with that previously reported for native Eurasian populations, especially populations from the Mediterranean region. The populations analyzed here exhibit a reduction in genetic diversity due to “founder effects” during range expansion of cheatgrass from its center of diversity in the Mediterranean to the edge of its distribution in Central Asia. The genetic diversity of Central Asian populations is similar to that of invasive populations from North America previously reported.
This document is currently not available here. | 2,188 | 1,054 | 0.000963 |
warc | 201704 | What’s small, brown, damp, disguisting, goes round in circles, and is still alive?
Answer: A cockroach in a washing machine. Finding one in amongst the sheets as you haul them into the laundry basket isn’t very pleasant, I can tell you. Unfortunately, in the northern North Island, the Gisborne cockroach (an Aussie import) is rather ubiquitous and you just have to get used to having them turn up just where you don’t want them. Our useless ball of fur that masquerades as a cat isn’t much help – he’s never shown much interest in racing across the floor and intercepting one as it scuttles from under the cooker to under the fridge, though he is quite adept at racing across the floor and intercepting a box of cat biscuits before it reaches his food bowl.
Cockroaches are nigh-on indestructible. The rather soggy specimen I pulled from the washing machine had evidently not only survived the washing, but also a spin. That’s pretty impressive. A rough calculation of the centripetal acceleration in a washing machine spin is fairly simple: At say about 400 rpm for a top load spin, we have an angular velocity of 2 pi times 400 rpm / 60 s min-1 which gives us about 40 radians per second. Acceleration is then angular velocity squared times radius of the spinning object (maybe about 30 cm), giving 40 s-1 times 40 s-1 times 0.3 m or about 500 m s-2. Compare that to the acceleration due to gravity of 10 m s-2. The cockroach is experiencing about 50 G of force.
Imagine if you weighed 50 times what you do now? 50 times 65 kg is 3.5 tonnes. If that mass were placed on you I doubt you’d survive very long (A large car is about 2 tonnes in weight). But the cockroach – that’s another story. This one did loose a couple of legs in the process, but he was still kicking with the remaining ones at the end of it. Yuk. | 1,872 | 1,001 | 0.001029 |
warc | 201704 | Vivek Haldar wrote this thoughtful review of The Year Without Pants. His primary critique is there wasn’t enough focus on tactics and methods. In his review he asked a few good questions which I’m answering here.
Regarding his primary critique, I offered this:
Many people wanted me to write a pure “how to run a distributed company” book, centered on advice and techniques. I was certain this was a mistake, or at least a squandering of the opportunity I had. WordPress and Automattic are so interesting, and such an important example, in so many ways (a leading web platform, open source, no email, distributed work, etc.) that I knew as a writer I had to focus on their story, and the story of my experience as an outsider trying to become a leader in their culture.
I was given no restrictions about what I could write about or how to write it. A general manual for leadership, or distributed work, felt underwhelming given that this will likely be the only book ever written about WordPress.com. Honest insider accounts are rare, certainly written by workers involved in a project, rather than a journalist who had to trade honesty for access. Naming the book “The Year Without Pants” was meant to suggest it was about a year, rather than a manifesto for a particular kind of work, but perhaps that wasn’t clear enough.
The book was published so what I think it of it matters little now. Each reader, like Vivek, will decided for themselves if they got what they wanted, or expected, from the book or not.
Q. how can an existing company either accommodate or make the transition to being distributed?
Chapter 15 of the book, titled
The Future of Work Part 2, offers advice on the general way it happens: one person at a time. A worker has to say to their boss “hey, I can be just as, or more, productive if you let me work remotely. Let’s try it and see.” And then the boss has to say, “Yes, lets try that and see what happens”. If that experiment goes well, it will be repeated by others. This is the primary way change happens anywhere: two smart people agreeing to try something and then, if it works, agreeing to do it more. There’s no magic: just two open minded people.
It will usually be the youngest managers, on the youngest teams, at the youngest companies, that are willing to try new things first. They have fewer preconceptions and fewer things to fear. It’s no surprise most of the 100% distributed companies I’ve found are young software companies. But do consider that most remote workers on the planet are at large corporations (Aetna, American Express, IBM, etc.) where the financial payoffs of remote work have outweighed their fears. Someone at each of those companies had to be first to pitch the argument for experimenting with remote workers.
Of course a team leader, or an executive, can accelerate change if they have control over policies. But typically people with control over policies are conservative: they’ll wait for the existence of a highly productive and vocal minority with enough influence before even considering changing policy. If YOU, reading this, want to work remotely, it starts with you pitching your boss to give it a try. If they see it as a win for you to win by working remotely, they’ll naturally promote the idea.
Q. how can distributed work scale?
Automattic is currently about
200 250 300 people. I could easily see the company reach 1000 people, with 5 product units each with about 200 people in them. Everything within those units would be much the same as it is now. Continuous deployment is part of how Automattic works and it helps with scale: since new ideas launch regularly you rarely have large dependencies between teams. The challenge with scale is for leaders of each unit, assuming they existed (and the units were not self-organizing collectives as some people theorize as ideal), to avoid the traps of middle-management, and maintain the same employee driven autonomy the company has now, while keeping the company lined up well on strategy.
The history of work is useful here too. Read about the U.S. civil war or WWII or the Peloponnesian War. Armed forces in the grand wars of the past were intensely distributed, with thousands of soldiers working on what was supposed to be a singular strategy, separated by enormous distances. Messages were sent by runners and horses: ridiculously slow compared to Skype or SMS. My point is that there are plenty of examples of large scale distributed work if you look for them. My success and failures described in The Year Without Pants rarely hinged on my team being distributed or not.
Of course most companies fail. Most projects fail. We give a disproportionate amount of attention to absurdly successful things. If WordPress or Automattic fails in some significant way my first thought would not be to question the fact that they’re distributed, and the book does critique other elements of the company and the culture appropriately.
Learn from the Linux kernel. To me, the most successful large distributed team ever is the one that builds the Linux kernel.
Linux, and open source project management in general, is well documented. Karl Fogel’s Producing Open Source Software is excellent and examines many of the common challenges, with good advice for solving them. Although he doesn’t explicitly take on distributed work, most open source projects are highly distributed. WordPress and Linux share many parallels, with one strong founder as leader, a small number of lieutenants, and hundreds of individual contributors. The gate keeper role played by the founder and lieutenants is the key part of the story: it’s not as if any random contributor can make critical decisions on their own. It’s a hierarchy in the classic sense of the word, just with soft and open community based rules for how to become part of it.
I read Torvold’s book Just for Fun, and found it fascinatingly humble. He didn’t set out with the plan to create a phenomenon, an irony lost on all of the people who seek to merely copy what he has done with the hopes of replicating the outcome. I attribute much of his, and Mullenweg’s, success to CULTURE, which is why all of chapter 3 in The Year Without Pants is an examination of how the WordPress culture was created. Few technical founders pay sufficient respect to culture and it shows in how their organizations fall apart. | 6,518 | 3,099 | 0.00033 |
warc | 201704 | The Seattle condo market results for May show a marked improvement across the board. In fact, it was on fire with increases in median sale prices, pending sale transactions, the number of closed sales and shrinking inventory levels.
The citywide median condo sales price continued to trend upwards to $268,500, reflecting a one-month increase of 3.3% and a year-over-year improvement of 7.4%. It was the first positive year-over-year result and the highest median sales price in the past 13-months.
Those results were generated by the strength of sales in downtown & Belltown (+11.9%) and Capitol Hill (+7.1%). They were, however, tempered by year-over-year median price declines throughout the rest of the city based on MLS areas (see table below). West Seattle and Northeast Seattle both experienced double digit YOY declines of 21.9% and 15.2%, respectively.
The number of pending transactions remained healthy with 311 condo units going under contract in May, equaling the number of pendings in March. The ongoing low mortgage interest rates and a better economic outlook in the Seattle region have helped to keep the Seattle condo market active. More significantly, the number closed Seattle condo sales spiked 29.6% over the same period last year, and 21.9% over April, to 228 units. Just how impressive was that? It was the highest number of closed condo sales dating back to June 2008. Not even the artificially induced activity from the tax credit incentives was able to produce a similar level of sales volume. There were 596 available condo units for sale in May, which reflected a 6-year low and a 64% drop from the height of the glut in 2008. The robust sales level and dwindling available inventory pushed the Seattle condo inventory supply rate down to 1.9 months of supply…the lowest level since June 2006. At 1.9 months, Seattle is exhibiting a solid seller’s market. The current market environment is not likely to change anytime soon (e.g. this year) as the main drivers are the amazingly low mortgage interest rates, the increasing costs to rent, a growing employment base in the region and constricting inventory. Bosa Development is expected to break ground on Insignia Towers shortly, which would be the first condo start in years. Though, it won’t be delivered for at least another 2-3 years and it doesn’t appear any of the newer apartment buildings will convert anytime soon.
Source: NWMLS. Some figures were independently compiled by SeattleCondosAndLofts.com and were not published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
________________________ © SeattleCondosAndLofts.com | 2,637 | 1,342 | 0.000754 |
warc | 201704 | Phone books –
they’re useless, right? What are they good for? Absolutely nothing. I’ll say it again. Hooot! Absolutely nothing.
So let’s hear it for Dr. Leland Yee, Ph.D,
Assistant Senate President pro Tempore Extraordinaire, the fightingest Senator in California , as he takes on the Telephone Book Industry on behalf of The People. A brief wait on the doorstep for a few days until someone puts all these things into the recycling:
Your days are numbered, you mandatory telephone books.
Read all about it:
San Mateo County Leaders and Environmental Advocates Call for Consumer Choice on White PagesYee and Papan: Mandatory delivery of white pages wastes paper, energy, and scarce local government resources
SACRAMENTO – Following the successful efforts of Cleveland, Ohio and Miami, Florida, California could become the largest jurisdiction to give telephone customers a choice in receiving the white pages directory. Today, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) and Millbrae Councilwoman Gina Papan announced they will pursue state legislation to prohibit telephone companies from delivering the white pages unless the customer opts-in to receiving it.
“The requirement that phone companies must deliver the white pages comes from an era before the internet and other means of obtaining phone numbers,” said Yee. “At a time when Californians are looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, we should give them that choice, particularly when very few customers still use the white pages.”
“Ending the unnecessary distribution of the white pages is a step forward that we can take at the local level to address the global issue of climate change. I am proud to take the lead on this issue to help save the environment and reduce local recycling costs,” said Millbrae City Councilmember Gina Papan. “I would like to thank Senator Yee for his responsiveness in taking on this important legislation on our behalf.”
All the deets, after the jump
Beginning in 1995, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has required the delivery of the white pages as a part of the definition of “universal service” that all telephone companies must provide. At the time of the CPUC decision, it was thought that providing free white pages every year would “minimize the calls to directory assistance and [would] promote the wide distribution of yellow page advertising” (CPUC Decision 96-10-066).
According to the Product Stewardship Institute, telephone books represent significant tonnage in the waste stream (660,000 tons per year). Local governments currently bear costs to recycle and/or dispose of phone books, and some areas experience limited or absent opportunities to recycle. According to a report by the EPA, under national average landfill, recycling, and manufacturing conditions, not publishing a phone book reduces greenhouse gases by about 3 times as much as recycling (relative to landfilling). “Phonebook Free SF fully endorses the efforts of Senator Yee and Councilwoman Gina Papan to propose and pass new legislation to stop the wasteful mass distribution of unwanted phonebooks,” said Lloyd Nimetz, Founding Organizer of Phonebook Free. “Asking phonebook companies to limit their deliveries only to citizens who want to receive them is a clear step towards greater fiscal responsibility and environmental sustainability.” Under the legislation announced today, telephone companies would be required to get a customer’s consent before a white page directory could be delivered. Although the legislation does not dictate how this will be accomplished, it is envisioned that telephone companies will obtain permission via the monthly bill or by establishing a toll free number for customers. The legislation will be introduced when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Tags: advertising, books, california, California Public Utilities Commission, cleveland, Councilwoman, CPUC, delivery, florida, gina papan, google, law, leland yee, mandatory, miami, Millbrae, Ohio, pages, Phonebook Free SF, recycling, San Francisco, San Mateo, telephone, telephone books, universal service, white, yellow | 4,244 | 2,005 | 0.000514 |
warc | 201704 | The High Cost of Waiting
The more years you spend saving, the more money you'll have when you're ready to retire, right? Seems simple enough. But consider this: the difference of just a few years could potentially mean a difference of tens of thousands of dollars in the bank – even if you're contributing the same amount each month. Let us help you understand how . | 374 | 258 | 0.003961 |
warc | 201704 | I have been watching with some fascination as the shark fin ban legislation in San Francisco unfolds.
Without a doubt shark fin sales must cease or at least slow down dramatically if sharks are to survive the next 40 years. It's that critical an issue. But as thorny as that is on conservation side to get across, so are the cultural nuances of this debate that have split the Asian community in half. When I posted about this early on I was quickly mobbed by mostly white conservationists who loudly and vigorously declared that this was a "conservation issue" and not a "cultural one." And yet, the issue of Asian culture remains a sticky thorn creating some major angst with many within the Asian community. That's why I was heartened to see this article by Michael Gardner talking pure science and the metrics of shark fins in California. As it turns out there's a way to DNA sequence shark fin that will allow us to understand the trade in a manner that takes culture out of the debate and replace it with "critical species." In such a sensitive environment legislation that bans any food source, no matter how grim, and specific to one culture, should be handled without any inkling of culture clash. It's a tall order. That's where DNA sequencing cuts through the debate and lays out in stark reality what sharks are at San Francisco tables, and if these sharks are in fact endangered or not. I understand that many leading this push could care less about DNA. The overarch here is to stop all shark fin sales, no matter where they come from, or how they land on tables. It's a noble goal, but like all goals, nuance, strategy, and long term metrics for success must be part of the equation. I think DNA should play a bigger role as this debate lands eventually in China, which, as we all know is the ultimate long term target of this multi-national effort to save sharks. Kudos to Scripps Institution of Oceanography graduate student Dominque Cano-Stocco for her work with DNA and shark fins. In science there's reals answers that often cut though the mistrust generated by efforts that, like it or not, involve culture. Cheers, Patric Douglas CEO www.sharkdiver.com www.sharkdivers.com www.sharkdivers.blogspot.com www.guadalupefund.org 415.235.9410 | 2,267 | 1,165 | 0.000862 |
warc | 201704 | he Volkswagen Group is expanding its ecological and social commitment in Brazil as its growth trajectory there gains altitude. “The Brazilian automobile market has significant growth potential. The Volkswagen Group will harness this growth and drive it forward,” said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, on October 21st, on the eve of the São Paulo Motor Show. “As an investor and innovation engine, as an employer and by creating opportunities for people in this country, Brazil is very much a cornerstone of our Strategy 2018.”
The Volkswagen Group will invest €3.4 billion (US$4.3 billion) in Brazil through 2016 in new products and technologies and in expanding its manufacturing capacities. Environmentally friendly production at the six plants operated by the company in Brazil and expanding development of renewable energies are one focus of investment. Going forward, the Taubaté plant will build up to 1,300 Volkswagen Gol and Voyage models per day using new, environmentally friendly painting standards. “Expansion of the paint shop in Taubaté is a further milestone in the Volkswagen Group’s South America strategy,” said Dr. Michael Macht, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft with responsibility for Group Production. “Apart from increasing our production capacity, we will also be achieving a significant improvement in resource efficiency.”
The state-of-the-art filler-less painting process combined with an innovative method for collecting overspray results in energy savings of 30 percent per unit, while water consumption is cut by more than 20 percent. Investment in the paint shop totals €157 million ($199 million). In addition, €126 million ($160 million) is being invested in expanding capacity at São Carlos, Volkswagen’s Brazilian engine plant, from the present 3,800 units to 4,800 engines per working day. Both the EA111 internal combustion engine (Flex-Fuel) and engines featuring the latest technology will be built in a new production hall.
Volkswagen is simultaneously intensifying its role as a pioneer in protecting the environment and preserving resources; it is planning a second hydropower plant in Monjolinho/São Paolo to generate 25.5 megawatt hours. Volkswagen is investing €66 million ($84 million) in the project. Back in 2010, Volkswagen – as the first and only automaker in Brazil – invested some €58 million ($74 million) in a hydropower plant at Anhanguera near Guará/São Paolo, which generates 22.7 megawatt hours.
The two hydropower plants will mean that “green” energy will account for 94 percent of Volkswagen’s energy needs in the future and that the company will generate 40 percent of its energy needs by itself.
For the Volkswagen Group, Brazil is a strategic growth market with enormous potential. “For almost 60 years, Volkswagen has been a strong innovation driver in Brazil,” said Thomas Schall, President and CEO of Volkswagen do Brasil. “This is evidenced by achievements such as the Volkswagen Gol – the country’s bestseller for over 25 years – or Flex-Fuel technology, which Volkswagen introduced in 2003 and which today features in over 86 percent of all new vehicles in Brazil. Today, the Group has a presence in the country with 10 brands and a broad range of products. The company further increased deliveries in Brazil from January to September 2012, and handed over 573,700 vehicles (Jan.-Sep. 2011: 530,500; + 8.1 percent) to customers. Last year, the South American subsidiary of the German Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft manufactured 828,400 vehicles for sale in Brazil and for export.
Volkswagen is committed to economic and social sustainability in Brazil and is setting another first-class example of promoting young talent with its “StartUp Brasil” trainee program, which now also features an international module. “StartUp Brasil” gives young talent with above-average qualifications an unparalleled start in the company. The program is aimed at particularly dedicated university graduates with initial professional experience. The trainees complete an 18-month program in various departments with a view to extending their skills. In addition, they now have the opportunity to gain international experience through a posting in another country. “Our trainee program is aimed at the very best. ‘StartUp Brasil’ therefore makes an important contribution to qualifying top talent from Brazil,” noted Dr. Josef-Fidelis Senn, Vice President, Human Resources at Volkswagen do Brasil.
By the end of the year, over 300 more community water pumps will have been installed to provide concrete help for people in semi-arid regions of Brazil. Volkswagen do Brasil has taken over responsibility for managing the Popular Water Pump (PMP) program. Under this project, water pumps that are simple to use are installed in nine Brazilian states bringing water direct to the communities. The number of pumps is thus being increased to around 1,000; that means 140,000 people, most of them on a low income, will in the future have access to free-of-charge water supplies. | 5,333 | 2,467 | 0.000422 |
warc | 201704 | When you hear the term “presentation design”, what do you think of?
PowerPoint? Or perhaps Keynote if you’re a Mac fan, right?
When you take the first step in designing your presentation, how do you start? I believe most people sit down in front of their computers and open their favorite slide software (slideware). Sounds good, right? Wrong.
Slide software was designed in a way that inexperienced users can open the program and follow a few template prompts to create their presentation.
Title here… bullet points there… graphs on the side.
However, slideware can be a vice on one’s creativity, and few are able to break its grip. Thus, presentations are created in analog form along the guidelines that templates dictate, resulting in nearly all presentations looking
exactly the same.
In order to create
unique presentations in a narrative format, the process of designing your presentation must happen before you open PowerPoint. 4 Ways to Prepare Before You Open PowerPoint
With that in mind, here are 4 ways to prepare your presentation before you open PowerPoint:
1. Get off the Grid
Leave your desk. Leave your entire office. Leave your house.
These places are filled with distractions — ringing phones, curious co-workers, and constant emails. They make it incredibly hard to concentrate on the task at hand. When I start my design process, I head to my local coffee shop, grab a hot chocolate (I actually don’t like coffee), and begin thinking of how I can tell my story.
2. Use a Printed Storyboard
Just like in kindergarten, grab a pencil and paper and start sketching your slide ideas. You can create a simple grid by printing out 9 blank slides on a piece of paper. Don’t worry about your drawing skills -– you’re not being graded on this. You can even start sketching out your story by simply writing the different themes in the slide boxes, and creating the designs later.
3. Grab a Wall and a Stack of Post-It Notes
One of my favorite non-linear design techniques is to simply grab a stack of Post-It notes and start sketching my slide designs. Place them on a wall (or with the correct-size notes, on your printed storyboard) and start placing them in the best order. Now you can easily move them around and create the order and flow that best suits your story.
4. Mind-Mapping
Mind-mapping is a great way to organize your presentation prior to beginning your design. Place the main idea of your presentation (as succinctly as possible) in the center of the page. If you can reduce that to just one word, even better. Now start making branches off of your main idea to the different supporting ideas. It’s a great way to create the framework of your presentation without the limiting, linear aspects of slideware. There are plenty of software programs out there to help you with this, but a simple pencil and paper will do just fine.
Are you Designing, or Are you Clicking?
Creating an effectively designed presentation isn’t a clearly defined process. There is no manual, just as there is no manual on how to paint like a particular artist. Presentation design is its own art form, and like any art, the artist needs inspiration, clarity, and focus to create their design.
Viewing presentation design as simply clicking through commands in PowerPoint is a mistake. It’s simply a tool – a vehicle for your ideas, your message, and your passion. So break the confines of your slideware, free your mind, and let your vision take shape. | 3,551 | 1,702 | 0.000604 |
warc | 201704 | ESTIMATING ANIMAL ABUNDANCE Brian L. Pierce, Roel R. Lopez, and Nova J. Silvy Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77845 Prologue ► Leopold (1933) stated that “measurement of the stock on hand” was the essential first step in any wildlife management effort. Introduction ► Herein we provide an overview of factors that should be considered before choosing a method to estimate population abundance, the pros and cons of using various methods, and available computer software, so that the reader may make informed decisions based upon their particular needs. Statistical Definitions ► Population: A group of animals of the same species occupying a given area (study area) at a given time. ► Absolute abundance: Number of individuals. ► Relative abundance: Number of individuals within a population at 1 place and/or time period, relative to the number of individuals in a different place and/or time period. ► Population density: Number of individuals per unit area. ► Relative density: Density within 1 place and/or time period, relative to the density in another place and/or time period. ► Population trend: Change in numbers of individuals over time. ► Census: A total count of an animal population. ► Census method: The method (i.e., spotlight count) used to obtain data for an estimate of population abundance. Statistical Definitions ► ► ► ► ► ► Population estimate: A numerical approximation of total population size. Population estimator: A mathematical formula used to compute a population estimate calculated from data collected from a sampled animal population. Closed population: A sampled population where births, deaths, emigration, and immigration does not occur during the sampling period. Open population: A sampled population this is not closed. Population index: A statistic that is assumed to be related to population size. Detection probability: The probability that an individual animal within a sampled population is detected. Synonyms include: observability, sightability, catchability, detectability, or probability of detection. Statistical Definitions ► Parameter: An attribute (i.e., percent females) of a population. If you know the parameters of the population, you do not need statistics. ► Statistic: An attribute (i.e., percent females) from a sample taken from the population. ► Frequency of occurrence: Observed number of an attribute relative to total possible number of that attribute (e.g., individual was observed on 4 of 5 spotlight counts). ► Accuracy: Is a measure of bias error, or how close a statistic (i.e., a population estimate) taken from a sample is to the population parameter (i.e., actual abundance). ► Bias: The difference between an estimate of population abundance and the true population size. However, without knowledge of the true population size, bias is unknown. ► Mean estimate: The average of repeated sample populations estimates usually taken over a short time period. Statistical Definitions ► Precision: Is a measure of the variation in estimates obtained from repeated samples. ► ► Range: difference between lowest and highest estimates. Variance: sum of the squared deviations of each n sample measurement from the mean divided by n−1. ► ► Standard deviation: positive square root of the variance. 95% confidence interval: probability that a given estimate will fall within ±2 standard errors of the mean. ► Central Limit Theorem: the distribution of sample means calculated from an infinite number of successive random samples will be approximately normally distributed as the sample size (n) becomes larger, irrespective of the shape of the population distribution. Precision Versus Accuracy Measures of statistical precision include: Range Variance Standard deviation Standard error Confidence interval In the real world of population estimation, one does not ever know where the bull’s eye lies; therefore, one can only measure precision of the estimates. Survey Design: 20 Questions ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► Have I reviewed the relevant literature on the species and/or method? Do I need an estimate of density or will an index of relative abundance suffice? What methods are available which meet these criteria? What is the extent of the survey area? Are there any limitations as to where I can sample? What are the experimental units from which samples will be drawn? How much precision is desired? If comparing areas or time periods, how small a difference must be detected? Given the precision or difference to be detected, how much replication is required? How much replication can I afford? What is the distribution of the species to be surveyed? ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► How will the sample units be distributed? Will sample units be drawn with or without replacement? Do I have the equipment and infrastructure necessary? Do I have sufficient funds to conduct the proposed survey? Is that money better spent on answering another question? Do I have the time required to complete the estimate? Do I have the expertise to collect and analyze the data, or is it available elsewhere? Are there other biologists and biometricians that can provide an independent review? Will I need a pilot study to answer any of the above questions? Survey Design ► Because of the limits of time and costs, a survey of the entire study area of interest is usually not possible. ► An experimental design is devised to select a portion of the study area to be sampled (experimental units). ► Proper experimental design helps to minimize the effects of uncontrolled variation, allowing you to obtain unbiased estimates of abundance and experimental error (variation between experimental units treated alike). Survey Design ► Survey extent: the spatial and temporal extent of the area over which inference is to be made. ► Experimental design: plan used to select the portion of the study area to be sampled, the number of replications, and the randomization rule used to assign treatments to experimental units. ► Experimental unit: is the smallest entity to which a treatment can be randomly assigned. They are homogenous and should be representative of the population or treatment to which inference is to be applied. ► Sample unit: the entity from which measurements are obtained. ► Treatment: manipulative (applied by the experimenter), mensurative (categories of time or space), or organismal (natural categories, such as age class or sex) division of experimental units. Survey Design ► Replication: repeated sampling from each experimental unit. ► Randomization rule: used to ensure an unbiased assignment of treatments to experimental units. ► Simple random sampling: each sample unit has an equal probability of being selected. ► Stratified random sampling: employed when there are implicit differences in experimental material (prior to treatment) that must be accounted for in the analysis. Experimental units are categorized accordingly, and sample units selected randomly from within these categories. ► Systematic sampling: employed to ensure uniform coverage of area under investigation. Survey Design Non-probabilistic sampling ► Convenience sampling ► Selective sampling ► Regardless of cause or reason, non-probabilistic sampling designs are likely to yield biased estimates with levels of precision that are not representative of the area of inference. Survey Design ► Sampling intensity: a concept that encompasses desired precision, statistical power, and the amount of variability among the sample units. ► Significance level: The odds that the observed result is due to chance ► Power: The odds that you will observe a treatment effect when it occurs. ► Effect size: Effect size is the difference between treatments (e.g., in number of animals seen) relative to the noise in measurements. ► Variation in the response variable: the sample variance or standard deviation are often used to estimate variability in the parameter of interest (e.g., population mean). ► Sample size: Sample size ( ) is the number of samples required to obtain the desired precision in an estimate, or the desired power in a hypothesis test. Method Considerations ► Methods can be broadly categorized as either census methods or estimates derived from sampling, and further subdivided by complete or incomplete detection within samples. ► The combination of method and survey design then, in turn, dictates how samples may be combined to estimate population means and variances. ► Problems arise when animal distributions are clumped, or when the distribution of samples correlates with the underlying distribution of animals to be sampled. ► Most survey methods do not observe all individuals within the population, and detection probability may vary over space and/or time. Methods Indices ► A density index can be defined as any measure that correlates with density. ► Indices differ from population estimation methods in that only counts are obtained, with little or no attempt to correct for incomplete detection or variable detection probability. ► Most indices collect frequency (number of individual animals or animal sign) information along transects, at quadrats, or points. ► Indices are relatively inexpensive, and can be used to compare animal numbers between treatment and control areas (e.g., disked with non-disked areas) or to compare the same area over time, with the assumption that nothing changes except the relative abundance of the animal being studied. Census ► Total count of an entire population. ► The data obtained are not a sample, but enumeration of the whole population (i.e., no variability is present because you counted them all). ► Rare situations occur where this is useful. In most cases complete counts can not be made with certainty, and if animals are missed there are no means to detect bias nor assess the precision of the sample. ► In most cases data resulting from these methods should viewed skeptically. Sample Counts: Fixed Area ► Total counts on limited sample areas may be possible. ► The sample units must be suitable-sized relative to the organism being considered, to ensure a complete count is obtained. ► The area being counted is “fixed” in terms of the length and width of each sample prior to the start of the survey. ► The mean density from all sample plots is then extrapolated to the entire study area, giving an estimate of average density and/or population abundance for the area of inference. ► This basic sampling method has been modified to use sample units of various shape (quadrats, strips, plots, etc.) and size, depending on circumstance and target species. Sample Counts: Plotless ► While methods of fixed area counts are common in both plant and animal sampling, they suffer from boundary effects, where a decision must be made to determine whether or not to include an observation on a plot boundary. ► Plant biologist developed several ‘plotless’ methods to estimate density and abundance that alleviate these problems and are relatively easy to apply, so long as the target remains in place or can be measured before it moves. ► They are ideally suited for sampling many animal cues such as active nest, burrows, or other animal activities that remain stationary. and they have the added advantage of being fast and easy to apply. ► Plotless methods work well when the target species is random or uniformly distributed, but many have problems when the target species is clumped or severely clumped in distribution. Sample Counts: Estimating Area ► Considerable attention was give to conduct of sample counts during the 1930–1970’s, focusing on methods that would allow an accurate estimate of density to be obtained from counts without preset ½ strip widths. ► The basic solution had several forms, but each attempted to determine either the sample area congruent to the area over which complete counts were obtained, or the effective distance for the survey method (distance at which the number of animals counted beyond that distance is equal to the number of animals missed within that distance). ► In essence, these methods estimate the area (size of the plot) over which the counts occur. The sum of animals counted over the total estimated area provides an estimate of density. Sample Counts: Estimating Area ► Hahn (1949) ► King (Leopold 1933, Buckland et al. 2001) ► Hayne (1949) Incomplete Counts ► The preceding methods for estimating population size either reduced the survey area to assure complete detection, or attempted to correct the survey area to allow for unbounded counts. ► The strategy was to either standardize or estimate the survey parameters necessary to obtain accurate estimates without direct evaluation of detection probability. ► The incomplete count methods use the opposite strategy, where the focus is to either estimate detection probability directly, or to collect ancillary data to indirectly model detection probability. Incomplete Counts ► Double sampling (Jolly 1969, Jolly 1969, Eberhardt and Simmons 1987, Pollock and Kendall 1987, Estes and Jameson 1988, Prenzlow and Lovvorn 1996, Anthony et al. 1999, Bart and Earnst 2002, and Laake et al. 2011) ► Double observer (Caughley 1974, Magnusson et al. 1978, Cook and Jacobson 1979, Grier et al. 1981, Caughley and Grice 1982, Pollock and Kendall 1987, Graham and Bell 1989, Nichols et al. 2000, and Laake et al. 2011) ► Marked sample (Chapman 1951, Packard et al. 1985, Samuel 1987, White 1996, Bartmann et al. 1987, White and Garrott 1990, Neal et al. 1993) ► Time of detection (Seber 1982, Ralph et al. 1995, Farnsworth et al. 2002, and Alldredge et al. 2007) ► Modern distance sampling (Burnham and Anderson 1984, Buckland et al. 2001) Exploitative ► Removal methods of population estimation are old and have been analyzed by numerous investigators. These methods are attractive because often someone other than the investigator, such as hunters, can collect the removal data. ► Catch-per-unit-effort involves developing a linear regression of the number of animals removed each day on the cumulative total number of animals removed prior to that day (Leslie and Davis 1939). Animal can be removed without exploitation (catch & release, photographed, etc.). ► Change-in-ratio can be used on any 2 classes of animals as long as harvest varies between the classes (Kelker 1940). ► These methods assume a closed population, and that all removals are known. Estimates are imprecise and work well only when a large portion of the population is removed (exploitatively or non-exploitatively). Removal Methods Catch-per-unit-effort (e.g., catch/day) is based on the premise that as more animals are removed from a population, fewer are available to be "caught", and catch per/day will decline. The regression equation is not a typical regression because the catch/day and the cumulative removals depend on the same removals. This lack of independence makes calculation of variances and 95% CI difficult. Marked–Resight ► We prefer the term marked-resight because animals to not have to be captured to be marked, nor do they need to be recaptured to determine if they are marked. ► There is only 1 assumption to marked-resight methods and that is the proportion of marked to non-marked in a sample is the same as it is in the population. All other purported assumptions are just violations of this assumption. ► However, the percentage of marked animals in the population will affect the accuracy of the estimates, and we recommended at least 25% of the population be marked. Marked–Resight ► Known Number Alive ► Lincoln-Petersen Estimator ► Schnabel Estimator ► Schumacher-Eschmeyer Estimator ► Jolly-Seber Estimator Computer Software ► Program Capture ► Program MARK ► Program DISTANCE ► Program R SUMMARY Before conducting a survey to estimate population abundance, understand what information is needed, what purpose the information will be used, how precise an estimate is needed, and the time needed and cost to conduct the survey. The key to deriving population abundance estimates is to select a method that fits a particular situation. If necessary, techniques can be adapted to meet a particular need. Generally, a biometrician familiar with population estimation literature should be consulted. However, most biometricians consider a method “best” when it has greater precision than another method, but remember that most of these methods have never been tested for accuracy under field conditions. Great precision does not mean accuracy. | 17,196 | 6,559 | 0.000159 |
warc | 201704 | Presentation on theme: "Southwest Asia and North Africa. Rich cultural legacy Agricultural revolution Urban civilization Petroleum industry 68% of world’s oil reserves."— Presentation transcript:
1Southwest Asia and North Africa
2 Rich cultural legacy Agricultural revolution Urban civilization Petroleum industry 68% of world’s oil reserves OPEC Political issues Islamic fundamentalism Introduction Aleppo, Syria
3Environmental Geography
4Maghreb Levant Deserts: Sahara, Libyan, Nubian Uplands: Arabian Peninsula, Anatolian Plateau, Iranian Plateau Lowlands: Tigris-Euphrates River, Nile River Mostly composed of deserts and uplands
5
6
7Salinization How? Extensive irrigation + arid climates Salt accumulation in topsoil Lower crop yields, and land abandonment Where? Iraq, central Iran, Egypt, and irrigated Maghreb
8Water management Qanat system Tapping into groundwater through tunnel Iran Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa
9Water management Aswan High Dam (1970) Benefits Year-round cropping Hydroelectricity Detriments: Salinization Schistosomiasis Damages fishing industry near the Nile Delta Fish catches between 1962 and 1992
10 What? Interplay of water resource issues and politics Where? Nile River Sudan Egypt Tigris-Euphrates River Turkey Iraq, Syria Jordan River Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria Hydropolitics
11
12Population and Settlement
13 More than 400 million Highest physiological densities Tie between water and life Population cluster North Africa The Nile Valley, and Maghreb region Southwest Asia Highlands, and better-watered shores of the Mediterranean
14
15Rural settlement patterns What is the most important indicator of rural settlement? water
16Rural settlement patterns Home to early form of agriculture 1. Domestication 10,000 years ago Wheat, barley, cattle, sheep, goats 2. Fertile Crescent Early agricultural activity (5,000 years ago) Lebanon, Syria, northern Iraq, and eastern Turkey
17Rural settlement patterns Reflects interrelationship between water and life 1. Pastoral nomadism In the drier portions of the region, inadequate moisture make permanent settlement impossible Seasonal movement of livestock from place to place 2. Oasis settlement Tightly clustered permanent settlement
18Rural settlement patterns 3. Irrigated agriculture along exotic rivers Exotic rivers Transport water from distant, more humid lands into drier regions eg. Nile, Tigris, Euphrates Irrigated collective farming eg. Kibbutzes 4. Dryland agriculture Depends on seasonal moisture to support farming Practiced on the Mediterranean climate regions
19
20Urban settlement patterns What shaped the urban landscapes? Political system Trades Religion Colonialism Globalization
21Cities as centers of political authority 3500 BC Mesopotamia 3000 BC Egypt Temples, palaces, tombs, and public buildings
22Cities as trading centers 2000 BC the shores of the eastern Mediterranean Beirut (Lebanon), Damascus (Syria) Port facilities, warehouse districts, and commercial thoroughfares
23 Islam (622) 8 th century Baghdad, Cairo Walled urban core (medina), bazaar Cities as religious centers
24colonialism Added another layer of urban landscape features Late 19 th century North Africa Algiers (French), Cairo (British)
25 Since 1950 added to traditional urban centers High-rise apartment houses, and sprawling squatter settlements Cairo, Egypt globalization
26 Since 1970 oil-rich states of the Persian Gulf Modern Western urban design, futuristic architecture, and new transportation infrastructure globalization Abu Dhabi, UAE
27Coexistence of old and new Fes, Morocco
28Migration patterns Rural-to-urban shift Saudi Arabian: 18% (1950) 83% (2000) Migration within the region To oil-rich states such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE Migration between the region Job Turkish Germany Algerian, Moroccan France Political forces Lebanese, Iranian western Europe, North America Jewish Israel
29
30Cultural Coherence and Diversity
31Religion Which religion has originated in Southwest Asia? Judaism (4000 years ago) Christianity (2000 years ago) Islam (622)
32Geographies of religion Judaism BC 2000 Mesopotamia to Canaan AD 70 Jewish Diaspora 1948 Jew’s return to Israel Christianity Outgrowth of Judaism Emerged 2000 years ago near Israel
33Geographies of religion Islam Originated in Makkah (or Mecca) in AD 622 Follows Quran (or Koran) Divided into Shiites and Sunnis Diffused to Persia (656), North Africa & Iberian Peninsula (750), Central/South Asia, and Southeast Asia
34Diffusion of Islam
35Modern religions
36Geographies of language Afro-Asiatic Semitic language Arabic Hebrew Berber language Indo-European Indo-Iranian language Persian Kurdish Altaic Turkish language
37
38Geopolitical Framework
39Colonial legacy When? Late arrival because of Turkish Ottoman Empire Began after WWI (1918) Ended by the 1950s
40Colonial power - France Maghreb Algeria (1830s) Tunisia (1881) Morocco (1912) After WWI Syria (1918) Lebanon (1918)
41Colonial power - Great Britain British Protectorate before 1900 Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Aden Suez Canal (1869) Egypt (1882), Sudan (1896) After WWI Palestine, Transjordan, Iraq
42 So which countries have NOT been occupied by European powers? Turkey Saudi Arabia
43Decolonization and independence North Africa Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco (1950s) Algeria (1962) Southwest Asia Iraq (1932), Lebanon (1946), Syria (1946), etc… while containing the cultural seeds of its later trouble
44Arab-Israeli conflict
45 “Intifada” (1987) Demonstration, led by Palestinian, against the rule of Israel in Gaza Strip and the West Bank Agreements between the PLO and Israel (1990s) Potential control of the ruling Palestinian Authority (PA) in the Gaza Strip and West Bank
46Islamic fundamentalism Khomeni took power in Iran (1979) “Rule the country by the Islamic law” Sudan (1989) Algeria (1992~) Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia…
47Conflicts within states Lebanon ( ) Discord among Christian and Muslim communities Spillover of Arab-Israeli conflict Iraq South: Shiites North: Kurds Cyprus Northern third: Islamic Turkish South: Greek Orthodox
48Conflicts between states Western Sahara Morocco (late 1970s) Libya Israel, Western Europe, U.S…. (1969~) Sudan Egypt (1995) Iran-Iraq war ( ) Persian Gulf war ( )
49
50Geopolitical issues What is the destablizing force after WWII? Creation of Israel Rise of Islamic fundamentalism Cold war (eg. Libya) Ethnic differences (eg. Kurds) Political/religious divide (eg. Sudan, Labanon)
51Relations with the U.S. Strong allies Israel, and Turkey Strongly opposed Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya Ambiguous relations Saudi Arabia
52Economic and Social Development
53The geography of fossil fuels
54
55
56Regional economic patterns Higher-income oil exporters Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and UAE Lowe-income oil exporters Algeria, Libya, Iraq, and Iran Prospering without oil Israel, Turkey, Tunisia, and Cyprus
57Regional patterns of poverty Sudan Civil war Morocco Berber communities Brain drain Egypt Population growth Yemen Civil unrest
58
59
60The role of women Is major social issues Lowest female labor participation rates Large gap between male and female literacy But is changing Iran Libya Israel
61Connections with global economy Oil economy Influences oil price Outflow of capital Economic integration E.U., AFTA, Union of the Arab Maghreb Role of Saudi Arabia Tourism Ancient historical sites; significant religious localities | 7,546 | 3,572 | 0.000284 |
warc | 201704 | A significant amount of time at work is devoted to meetings. Some involve the entire organization, others involve only external stakeholders, and still others are regular staff meetings among department members or project teams. A meeting can also be one on one -- perhaps between collaborating colleagues or a supervisor and employee. No matter who is sitting at the table, it’s important to understand what will make your meeting a success. Establishing the appropriate goal, structure and sharing processes is critical. Good planning minimizes wasted time and effort.
Designating a Clear Purpose
A clear agenda reflects the shared purpose for gathering -- such as making decisions, generating ideas, sharing status reports, communicating other information or formulating plans. Organize your agenda as a formal document that lists participants, location, date and time, priorities to be covered in sequence with time per topic and desired results. Avoid tackling too many topics at one meeting or projecting the meeting for any longer than necessary. A 2013 Forbes article advises you spend twice as much time on an agenda as you typically would to streamline objectives and schedule your meeting for half the time originally planned.
Inviting the Appropriate People
Only invite people who are essential to the objective. Balance the attendee mix so ideas are expressed in a respectful way and others’ perspectives and issues are taken into reasonable account. This not only keeps the meeting on course, it avoids wasting attendees' valuable work time. After you identify all the players, share the agenda in advance and provide added context by communicating distinct roles and expectations. If, for example, your meeting is to brainstorm concepts for a new company e-newsletter, ask participants to arrive with an idea for a feature. You might also assign specific agenda topics to certain attendees -- encouraging them to show up fully organized and engaged.
Using Time Efficiently
A successful meeting runs smoothly to maximize the time at hand. Circulate reading materials in advance and encourage discussions beforehand to focus meeting exchanges and avoid sidebars. A facilitator keeps the meeting on track with specific agenda points and the overall schedule. For example, as the facilitator of a meeting among local nonprofit leaders who aim to establish an interagency consortium to support community revitalization, you first remind the group of the meeting’s purpose and then facilitate introductions. You also guide the group’s decision-making process around a mission statement and manage information sharing about each nonprofit’s current revitalization activities. In all, you see to it that attendees receive balanced time to share and respond to thoughts -- managing conflict and building consensus as necessary.
Closing With an Action Plan
A successful meeting closes with a plan of action that extends from your original objective. A simple way of arriving at an end goal is by completing the sentence: “At the close of our meeting I want the team to -- .” Assume you are the general manager of a fast food franchise where your managers allege a hostile work environment. During the 15-minute wrap-up of a meeting with your management team, review any information they presented. Brainstorm with the group about possible solutions and identify any constraints. Outline an action plan to improve the work atmosphere, such as reworking staff schedules to reduce stress. Thank participants for attending and follow up with task assignments -- including timelines and required resources -- along with detailed meeting minutes.
Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images | 3,740 | 1,825 | 0.000555 |
warc | 201704 | The construction and home building industries have suffered more than their share of hardship through the financial crisis and recession for well over a year now. Cautious home owners wary of employment security and wanting to reduce debt have put off discretionary repairs and renovation to say nothing of how and why new housing starts have tanked. So just as manufacturing appears to be making gains and other numbers appear encouraging in advance of a change in employment, lumber prices have sawed their way up -- way up -- in contrast to other building related commodities.
Today’s
WSJ reports that "Lumber prices have climbed 32% on the futures market this year, a sudden and unexpected surge that could raise construction costs or force builders to swallow an added expense." But I'm not too sure about the "sudden and expected" nature of this price rise. The increase appears to be a somewhat interesting text book case of economic supply and demand theory -- replete with near perfect and transparent information -- at a time when most markets are far more complex.
The
Journal states that "When the housing market cratered, mills in the U.S. and Canada cut production; output plummeted about 45% between 2005 and 2009, according to Random Lengths, an industry data provider." Then "Wholesalers shrank their own inventories and had little incentive to build them back up last year [as] Housing is the largest single source of demand for lumber, and new-home sales fell 7.6% in December from the prior month, to 342,000 units." Coupled with "speculative construction in the hope that an expiring federal tax credit would boost the market … [and] annual restocking for the spring construction season, there was little slack in the supply chain, causing a squeeze on prices."
Since Lumber producers will be majorly incented to increase production given current price levels and futures trading, it will be interesting to see if lumber prices reach equilibrium by the summer. But as we all know, consumer spending will remain at the core of economic recovery. So if the employment figures don't play ball this Spring -- and the indicators are not strong that they will -- lumber prices are likely to settle down in time for those summer projects you've been putting off. And if you can't wait and want to transfer some Spend Management principals from the workplace to your home -- literally -- then you're better off sawing down that old oak in the backyard than paying what the market is currently demanding.
William Busch | 2,558 | 1,356 | 0.000746 |
warc | 201704 | Gregg Brandyberry contributed a great story yesterday about how the condo association board for his building of residence saved nearly 75% over what the property management company had proposed for brick pointing maintenance. While I'm sure Gregg was the architect of the subsequent bidding process, he credits the board with the savings and for firing the property management vendor. The following comment to the post is also enlightening and provides some fodder for this Friday rant:
"We've also learned that scope creep is alive and well in the condo repair world. I'm sure that even if the low bid ends up doubling (they always seem to find more problems than what they bid), you will be better off. It's amazing how little price transparency exists in these types of building construction trades!"
Gregg's account clearly elucidates that outsourcing property management does not necessarily include financial responsibility. But whether the property owner(s), condo board or management company designs the bidding process for work to be performed, there are a number of elements to be considered before we acquiesce to the apparent opaqueness of dealing with construction trades.
First off, consumers and trades people do not speak the same language. A trade is a skill, developed over years of hard physical work that cannot be easily described or legitimately commoditized. Add to this that most trades people are not typically the best business communicators and prefer to just "put a number on the job". The way to break through this conundrum is to maintain respect for the skills required to perform the work and clearly specify the quantitative and expert information desired in the RFP by requesting the following:
- In the case of large ticket projects, hire an experienced (perhaps retired) GC to thoroughly assess the scope of work and provide trade specific vocabulary for the RFP. This will also put bidders on notice that you know precisely what the project requires.
- Establish a clear pricing structure for bid submissions:
1. Material - exact specifications, contractor's cost and transportation cost 2. Labor - Number of workers required by trade, including levels of skill required (laborer, journeyman, master etc.) and associated hourly rates. A variable estimate of min/max number of hours to completion can also offer savings. If a firm bid is preferred, it will be higher as the contractor will need to hedge risk on the max end of the spectrum. 3. Overhead and Equipment - Specify operating overhead % as well as equipment day rates: owned, leased or rented 4. Profit - Contribution margin as additional percentage of total actual cost
Second, non-nefarious scope creep results from all construction projects being custom by nature, especially maintenance, repair and rehab -- no two jobs are ever alike. By asking the bidder to declare their perception of how the job will progress along with factors that could arise in process, will not only provide "scope creep transparency" but also indicate bidders' comparative experience with similar projects. Contractor's almost never provide this information (unless asked) for fear of scaring the potential client and losing the contract.
And finally, as with all suppliers, nurturing open communication will facilitate far more transparency into future required projects and even truncate future cost through early detection and intervention. No one likes to be the messenger or bearer of bad tidings. A painting contract, for example, seems simple enough -- but you also want to encourage the painting contractor to disclose rot and other deterioration that you wouldn't otherwise be aware of before they caulk and patch it up. "Scope creep" --
thanks Lisa, I love that phrase -- is inevitable and will be far less costly when the specific risk of it occurring is stated in the original contract.
William Busch | 3,910 | 1,981 | 0.000507 |
warc | 201704 | Introduction to
'Spirituality and Justice'
'
Spirituality and Justice' is the name of a dedicated group of individuals who organize seminars and workshops to encourage personal growth and development – mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – for those who work in offender management. These programmes are designed to empower individuals to:
To achieve quality working relationships, environment, and atmosphere, attention needs to be given to both staff and the client group.
'Spirituality and Justice' offers both.
Introduction to the Residential Seminars
Spirituality is a fundamental and integral part of every human being’s effort to make sense of their life and their world , irrespective of any religious commitment. It is the search for meaning, purpose and identity ,as well as the experience of inner strength and stability all of which contribute to healthy relationships. Spirituality is, therefore, an essential part, expressed through our various roles.
Tim Newell Former Governer,HMP Grendon and Springhill
There are currently no events scheduled. | 1,089 | 611 | 0.001677 |
warc | 201704 | Boxed wine gets a bad rap. But does it really deserve it? Just because it’s usually associated with poor college kids trying to get drunk for cheap doesn’t mean it has no good qualities. Here are some of the top reasons why boxed wine beats bottled.
1. You’ll save money.
It’s not exactly a surprise that boxed wine is cheaper than bottled. But inexpensive doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality. Producers save money on packaging when they don’t have to deal with glass, corks, foil and all that jazz. Plus, cardboard is a lot lighter than glass, so it’s less expensive to ship. Case in point:
Black Box wine is known for being pretty dang good quality at a great price. If $20 can get you three liters — which is four bottles’ worth, for those who don’t want to do the math — then the choice is obvious. 2. Wine stays fresh longer.
As tempting as it is to devour it all, you don’t have to rush to finish boxed wine. Wine starts going bad when it’s exposed to oxygen, which is why your typical bottle starts tasting different just a few days after you open it. Boxed wine, on the other hand, has a plastic bag inside that collapses as you pour it, meaning less oxygen can sneak in there. After it’s opened, refrigerated boxed wine can stay fresh for a month or two. That will depend on whether it actually lasts that long before you drink it all, that is.
3. Your friends won’t know the difference.
Making a big batch of
sangria for a day-drink? Prepare it in the pitcher before friends come and get rid of the evidence. You won’t have to listen to the disapproval of others who aren’t as well-versed as you are in the qualities of boxed wine. 4. SLAP THE BAG.
Need I say more? Sipping from a bottle — or a Solo cup if you really feel the need to be classy — just can’t compare to the fun of having your friends cheer for you as you chug straight from a plastic bag.
5. It’s eco-friendly.
Sure, glass is recyclable, but cardboard is recyclable and biodegradable. So even if you don’t feel like walking to the recycling bin, you still won’t be doing the worst for the environment. Plus, glass takes more energy to produce than cardboard, so you’re doing the planet some good even before you start drinking.
6. It’s easier to deal with.
Who needs to deal with corkscrews when you can pop a spigot straight out of the box? Better yet, brands like
Bandit come in a carton, so all you have to do is screw the top open. Bam, no more worrying about breaking the cork or chipping your nail polish on the foil. 7. You won’t accidentally break it.
Glass is fragile, so sticking a bottle in a bag can be a risky move. If your wine comes in cardboard, you don’t have to worry about staining everything red if your wine-drunk self isn’t being as careful as you should.
Clearly, boxed wine doesn’t deserve its subpar reputation. If you’re ready to be an equal opportunity wino, buy yourself a box (or two). You’ll be thankful you did.
Still thirsty? Get your wine fix with these articles: | 3,148 | 1,547 | 0.000684 |
warc | 201704 | 4 Steps Toward a Better Outside Gig
Last summer was rather unusual in that I had a variety of different opportunities to perform outside: a string-quartet performance in a courtyard (with a resonant backdrop of stone) at the Boston Public Library, an amplified performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for an audience of thousands, a greenhouse in Maine, and a seaside wedding complete with heat, humidity, and wind.
While few disasters ensued (one violin got dropped in an attempt to turn flyaway pages of the Beethoven), it got me thinking about how to prepare for unknown outdoor challenges. So, I asked a few of my colleagues. More than one answered, “Just say no.”
Most, however, had some helpful hints. Armed with the following tips, you will be better equipped to have a wonderful outdoor-performance experience.
1. Be Specific with your Clients Violist Emily Rideout suggested opening the lines of communication right from the start. “It’s important for employers (wedding organizers or otherwise) to recognize that performing outdoors is a challenge,” she says. “[Employers] often don’t think about this at all. My experiences got so much better once I had a contract (mainly for outdoor weddings) that specified the needs of musicians playing outdoors. It gave the person hiring some guidelines, and more importantly, increased his or her awareness that there are challenges for string players.”
Examples of a few specifics Rideout includes in her contract are acceptable temperature for outdoor performances, which she notes remains pretty generous—anywhere from 55 to 85 degrees—and protection from the elements: wind, direct sun, rain.
“That was always enough to start the conversation with the person hiring,” she says. “And then he or she would be much more sensitive to anything that came up.”
2. Watch the Wind Wind whipping your pages around is a challenge for many string players. “Take lots and lots of clothespins—you can never have too many,” cellist Barbara Zuchowicz says.
Cellist Jonathan Davis agrees, but he uses a clothespin technique that requires advanced preparation—though much less handling of the sheet music while performing. “Clip each page with a new clothespin, and just barely enough grip to hold the sheet,” he says. “Then a page can be pulled from the pin and turned, while the rest of pages remain clipped. Much less manipulation is required for each turn; less chance of mishap.”
Perhaps the most ingenious approach to page turns comes from Handel+Haydn Society personnel and production manager Jesse Levine. It consists of two clothespins, three feet of eight-pound test fishing line, and a one ounce sinker. It works like this:
Tie one end of the fishing line to one clothespin, and tie the other end to the sinker. Clip that clothespin halfway up the left side of the stand, and put the other clothespin at the same level on the right side of the stand. Drape the fishing line from the clothespin on the left side over the clothespin on the right side, so that the sinker will be hanging down. Put the music under the line—and that’s it. You should be able to turn the page easily, but it’ll still be held down when you’re reading it. (Be careful to roll the fishing line around one of the clothespins when not in use, so it won’t be a tangled mess when you need it most.)
It’s not just sheet music that can be gone with the wind. Violist Melinda Ballou often considers what type of music stand she brings to a performance.
“Make sure to have music stands that don’t blow over, and be prepared to hold them down with your feet.” You don’t want a heavy stand blowing over and damaging your instrument. “And, a word to the wise,” says Ballou, “if your instrument is in the case, make sure it is lying down.”
I had the neck of a cello shear off once while in its upright case when a gust of wind blew it over while I was busy disassembling my music stand. It might have been a “gig” instrument, but it was still an expense to restore it.
3. Be Ready for the (Mixed) Joys of Nature Sun and humidity can be a danger to your instruments, and many players suggest having a “beater”—a second instrument to spare wear and tear on your regular one.
“Having a second instrument is better in the longterm than repairing your nicer instrument or having it go out of adjustment due to humidity,” cellist Oliver Weston says. “You can’t appreciate the qualities of your nicer instrument without an acoustic environment to project into anyway, so why not have a beater? Geared pegs also have been a life saver.” Cellists point out that you may be playing in soft ground, so have a rock stop at the ready. And if you are performing in the evening, have some battery-operated stand lights—and fresh batteries, of course. University of Central Oklahoma cello professor Tess Remy-Schumacher remembers, “I had an outdoor wedding gig at night in Australia and it was almost totally dark. The first violinist brought four mining lights to strap around our heads. They worked great.”
Also remember that temperature can drop to an uncomfortable level—and not just in the evening. It’s smart to have a sweater or jacket, and some fingerless gloves on hand. I couldn’t believe how cold a foggy summer day in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park could be while waiting to play for many outdoor weddings. You may be able to brave the sun and wind, but not the rain. Know the options in case of rain, and be ready to run to a protected space quickly, but safely, with your instrument. Ballou remembers “a time in the Heilbron Garden in Salzburg playing the ‘Summer’ movement from Vivaldi’s
Four Seasons and having the thunder start rumbling on cue with the music and pelting rain. We had to move to indoors for the last movement of ‘Summer,’ ‘Fall,’ and ‘Winter.’”
Critters are another outdoor hazard, and bug spray is a great idea. Cellist Joan Harrison was attacked by fire ants during an outdoor chamber-music performance. “I couldn’t stop playing but by the time we reached the end of the piece one foot was swollen and I was in pain,” she says. “I still fear those little devils.”
4. Fight to Be Heard Since you will be out in the elements, most likely without much reverberation, you may want to look into sound amplification. Cellist John Lutterman, who teaches at the University of Alaska, in Anchorage, admits to “not playing outside much anymore, but when I do, I make sure that my instrument is safe from the elements (including the sun), and do my best to tweak the acoustic environment.”
Lutterman suggests an enclosed courtyard to test your acoustic environment. “Otherwise, I’ll use a high-quality hypercardioid condenser mic with a Fishman Loudbox Mini—not for the amplification, per se, but because it enables me to use digital reverb to simulate a more appropriate acoustic environment,” he says. If amplification isn’t an option, violinist Jesse Irons suggests something quite simple: Play louder. “There is no acoustic outside and nobody can hear you,” he says.
Hopefully these suggestions will have you prepared for any outdoor performance. And remember, as Irons puts it, “Have fun—sometimes it’s actually nice outside.” | 7,592 | 3,548 | 0.000299 |
warc | 201704 | 1. Differentiate between absolute and functional iron deficiency in the context of ACD and IDA. Absolute iron deficiency is when the stores of iron are depleted and bone marrow iron is absent, resulting in low serum ferritin and low transferrin saturation. Simple absolute iron deficiency usually results in iron deficiency anemia and can be resolved with iron supplementation. Functional iron deficiency results in anemia of chronic disease/inflammation, where infections, connective tissue disorders, or other diseases can cause inflammatory cytokines to be released. These inflammatory cytokines inhibit survival of erythroid progenitor cells, reduce EPO production, and cause excess hepcidin production, which decreases the amount of iron absorbed by enterocytes and blocks the release of iron stored in macrophages. In this case, the iron stores in the body are adequate, but are not being released for use, resulting in hypoferremia and creating a pathological basis for ACD.
2. Explain why transferrin levels in the blood are not increased in ACD patients, unlike in IDA patients. Transferrin is a transport protein that is responsible for mediating the exchange of iron between tissues. Most of the iron transferred is derived from the iron stored in the macrophages and not from iron absorbed via the digestive tract. This affects transferrin levels in the blood in ACD because transferrin is a negative acute phase reactant. This means that during an infection or inflammation, the levels of transferrin in the blood decrease as the body tries to minimize the amount of iron accessible to pathogens and sequesters iron within macrophages. Also, most iron-bound transferrin is delivered to the bone marrow for erythropoiesis or tissues for storage, leaving the bloodstream. On the contrary in IDA, transferrin levels in the blood increase because the body is trying to accumulate iron by increasing the level of transferrin. These transferrin proteins aren’t bound to any iron, due to the deficiency, and circulate the bloodstream.
3. Describe the alternative method of assessing or identifying iron deficiency, which we have not discussed in class. The alternative method of assessing or identifying iron deficiency mentioned in the paper was the use of flow cytometry to measure reticulocyte hemoglobin concentration (CHr). Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells that are only present for 1-2 days and are the most recently produced 1% of the erythrocytes. As such any sort of iron deficiency that affects proper erythropoiesis will be present upon analysis of reticulocyte hemoglobin concentration. Use of CHr as well as serum transferrin receptor levels to form diagnostic plots has been useful in identifying iron-restricted erythropoiesis (functional iron deficiency), regardless of whether or not an infection, an acute phase response, or ACD is concurrent.
Thomas C, Thomas L. Biochemical markers and hematologic indices in the diagnosis of functional iron deficiency. Clin Chem. 2002;48:1066-1076.
4. How can iron supplementation work in ACD patients? How is it administered? Any drawbacks? In certain cases of ACD, iron supplementation can be therapeutic. Usually, since ACD is not a true iron deficiency, the anemia is resolved when the underlying condition of disease or inflammation is resolved. However, in some cases where the pathophysiological condition cannot be resolved, hematologists must instead target the issues that cause ACD, namely suppressed EPO production and increased iron sequestration as a result of excess hepcidin production. In the case of suppressed EPO production, iron supplements as well as rhEPO therapy can relieve the symptoms of anemia by inducing erythropoiesis. However, hematologists must also take into account that since excess hepcidin is being produced, the iron is unable to be absorbed via enterocytes, and must be administered intravenously. Because of the intravenous iron infusion, patients with ACD are at a high risk of being overloaded with iron and developing hemochromatosis.
Drueke, T. B. “Intravenous Iron: How Much Is Too Much?” Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 16.10 (2005): 2833-835.
5. How have mouse models of ACD helped in the search for better management of ACD? Mouse models of ACD have helped in the search for better management of ACD by providing two different methods of curbing excessive hepcidin production in those with ACD. Firstly, an ACD mouse was created by infection with Brucella. This mouse was then treated with a short-hairpin RNA sequence that would bind to the mRNA transcript products of the hepcidin gene. The mouse was found to have significantly less hepcidin concurrent with pre-inflammation levels, alleviating anemic symptoms. Secondly, the scientists were able to develop an anti-hepcidin antibody that would inhibit hepcidin production. They first created a knock-in mouse with a human hepcidin gene and then used the anti-hepcidin antibody as an effective treatment for anemia when used with ESA (similar to EPO in humans). Another mouse study was also able to inhibit a bone morphogenetic protein that is elevated (along with IL-6) in ACD patients and responsible for increase in hepcidin production making inhibiting of BMP a possible anemia treatment.
Sasu BJ, Cooke KS, Arvedson TL et al. Antihepcidin antibody treatment modulates iron metabolism and is effective in a mouse model of inflammation-induced anemia. Blood. 2010;115:3616-3624.
Steinbicker AU, Sachidanandan C, Vonner AJ, et al. Inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein signaling attenuates anemia associated with inflammation. Blood. 2011;117:4915-4923.
Courtney from Study Moose
Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? How about receiving a customized one? Check it out https://goo.gl/3TYhaX | 5,817 | 2,587 | 0.000388 |
warc | 201704 | Development of a three-dimensional model of the human respiratory system for dosimetric use 10:28 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4682-10-28
© Rosati Rowe et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013
Received: 7 December 2012 Accepted: 25 April 2013 Published: 1 May 2013 Abstract Background
Determining the fate of inhaled contaminants in the human respiratory system has challenged scientists for years
. Human and animal studies have provided some data, but there is a paucity of data for toxic contaminants and sensitive populations (such as children, elderly, diseased). Methods
Three-dimensional modeling programs and publicly available human physiology data have been used to develop a comprehensive model of the human respiratory system.
Results
The
in silico human respiratory system model, which includes the extrathoracic region (nasal, oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal passages), the upper airways (trachea and main bronchi), the tracheobronchial tree, and branching networks through alveolar region, allows for virtually any variation of airway geometries and disease states. The model allows for parameterization of variables that define the subject’s airways by integrating morphological changes created by disease, age, etc. with a dynamic morphology. Conclusions
The model can be used for studies of sensitive populations and the homeland security community, in cases where inhalation studies on humans cannot be conducted with toxic contaminants of interest.
KeywordsThree-dimensional modeling Lung physiology Nasal physiology Dosimetry Human respiratory system Sensitive populations Introduction
Morphologically realistic models of human organ systems have become critical to research advancement in a changing health research world of dwindling research funding, the push to phase out animal toxicology studies [1], and the need for immediate answers to protect human health. Research is also challenging in such areas as the homeland security community, where inhalation studies on humans cannot be conducted with contaminants of interest (e.g.,
B. anthracis, ricin, etc.) because of toxicity. An ideal solution is thus provided by a morphologically realistic computational model of the human respiratory system which can respond to the dynamic changes of respiratory mechanics and abnormal pathologies.
Precursors to this morphologically realistic computer model included numerous mathematical and flow models that looked at the deposition of particles in the human lung [2]. There have also been a few nasal and oropharyngeal models investigating the movement of particles in the nasal passages and mouth/pharynx region [2, 3]. Research has even recently advanced to produce a three-dimensional model from computed tomography data that included a simulated oral cavity, pharynx and larynx, and seven generations into the airways [4]. The latter model used computational fluid dynamics (CFD), including large-eddy simulations, to determine regional particle deposition, but was limited due to its lack of morphological realism, e.g., the lack of nasal passages, oral passage with tongue and teeth, uvula, five lobe lung, 23 branching generations, etc.). Recent work by Corley et al. [5] has developed a 3-D CFD airway model that extends from the external nares or mouth to the bronchiolar region of the human lung based on CT imaging of the head and torso of a female volunteer, although the airway only extends to the 9th generation due to the limitation posed by the resolution of the CT scanner.
Until now, no model has combined a physiologically based nose, larynx, pharynx, mouth, and lungs to create a three-dimensional morphologically realistic model of the human respiratory tract from the nares to the alveoli. The current model can be used to simulate inhalation, deposition, and exhalation of contaminants, and is progressing towards the consideration of age, race, gender, and health. This virtual human respiratory system includes the extrathoracic (ET) region (nasal, oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal passages), the upper airways (trachea and main bronchi), the trachea bronchial tree, and branching networks down through alveolar region.
Methods
The current morphology modeling of the upper airway system began with the Visible Human Project’s (VHP) Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) head image data. The acquisition of transverse MRI and Computed Tomography (CT) image data of the head of a 72-year-old male subject, with cryosections at 0.174 mm intervals and photographed at a resolution of 1056 × 1528 pixels, was performed at BWH, Harvard Medical School, under contract to the National Library of Medicine (NLM). This dataset is available to Virtual Human Project license holders and the images can be found in the directory BWH_Harvard when logged on to the NLM image server.
Extrathoracic morphology development
The structure of the nasal and oral cavities, pharynx, epiglottis, larynx, and esophagus of this subject were created separately using the marching cubes algorithm [6] and extracting threshold isosurfaces.
Nasal morphology development
The nasal cavity is composed of two narrow passages that are separated by the nasal septum. Each nasal passage features three curved fin-like airway protrusions known as the superior, middle, and inferior meatus. Extending further into the airways, the two passages merge at the distal end of the nasal cavity and form the beginning of the nasopharynx. The floor of the nasal cavity is formed by the hard palate, which is also the roof of the mouth.
The final stitching of the nasal passage surface segments was completed by rebuilding the profile curves, hand manipulating the curve degree and number of edit points on adjacent surfaces segments, and essentially combining two shapes or segments creating a surface between them manually lofting the surfaces to form a closed watertight topology free from intersecting and twisted surfaces (Figure 6).
The resulting model was free of surface defects and was sufficiently smooth such that the resulting model is accurate to the original isosurface mesh obtained from the marching cubes algorithm [6]. To combine the models effectively, we use merging, sewing, and hole-filling tools that provide flexibility in the joining of the surface segments.
Oral cavity morphology development Combining the extrathoracic segments
To create a watertight extrathoracic model suitable for CFD studies, additional surface anomalies were corrected for all segments. These included non-manifold surfaces; different details, structures, and resolution of surfaces; matching surfaces; holes in the mesh at critical junction points; and other issues that occurred throughout the stages of combining the separate parts into a functional and morphologically-realistic model. A non manifold surface occurs when more than two surface elements (triangles) intersect on one edge.
Airway development
To develop a robust method of generating lung morphologies for CFD studies, we have integrated the most promising aspects from numerous modeling techniques. The dynamic surface modeling technique we have developed uses data from idealized models to construct three-dimensional computer simulations of tubular airway structures within lungs. These anatomically accurate computer representations of human lungs are in a format such that their graphical displays may be used in the medical arena, and the resulting airway geometries can be used in CFD analysis. This robust morphology generation system can generate three-dimensional tubular airway structures using surface modeling techniques from existing anatomical data.
To describe the three-dimensional structure within lungs, each airway in the branching network must be uniquely defined in terms of its spatial coordinates. Therefore, each airway is represented by its parameterization into length, diameter, and angles of orientation. The orientation angles consist of the bifurcation angle between two branching airways, and the rotation angle, which is a measure of the rotation of the plane containing the branching airways. We use the morphology to describe a symmetric, dichotomously branching system in which a parent airway branches into two daughter airways. This morphology was developed based on work by Weibel [7], Soong [8], Yeh and Schum [9], Phalen et al. [10], and Lovelace Biomedical & Environmental Research Institute [11]. It accounts for the inter-subject variability present in a typical adult population by examining probability distributions of the airway data. It is divided into 24 generations beginning with the trachea (generation 0), and ending at the alveolar sacs (generation 23). A mean value for each airway parameter is assigned for each generation. In our model, the first three generations are asymmetric representing the actual geometry of the trachea and large bronchii. Beyond these generations, the symmetric branching data is used.
The airway lengths and diameters are taken from a typical adult lung. To be anatomically realistic, we have used the branching angles, which are based on previous measurements of morphometric data [7–11], and we assumed a constant rotation angle of 90° throughout the airway network. Simply stated, the morphology is generated automatically from anatomical data, and can be controlled and modified in a scientific context within the bounds of that data.
Generating surface models of airway morphologies using anatomic data involves abstracting the task of creating a complex lung model, containing over 16 million airways, to the knowledge-based parameterization of its constituent airways. The tubular (right circular cylinder) structure of an airway is defined by its length and diameter, with its position defined by the orientation angles. The dichotomously branching system of airways that comprise the lung can be treated as a contiguous series of cylindrical tubes connecting at Y-shaped bifurcations. In creating the surface models of the airways, notable complexities arise in the formations of the bifurcation shapes (i.e., where the airways intersect). In this implementation, the models are complex surfaces composed of high-level NURBS surface patches. These surface patches are then stitched together both along the opposing lengths and around the ends where they connect with their parent or daughter airways. Each surface patch is built from a relatively coarse mesh of control points generated by algorithms using the basic length, diameter, and angle input parameters. The density of these control points is higher at the junction of the bifurcations so that the transition region between airways can be adjusted to be either smoother or sharper than shown.
The surface modeling techniques we have employed to generate the morphologies allowed us to create smooth connecting airways and realistic carinal ridge shapes, thus obtaining anatomically accurate representations of the bifurcating systems. This has been shown to be very important to lung airstreams and particle deposition [12], and were necessary to obtain realistic geometries that could then be further refined and exported to CFD software to study airflow properties and deposition patterns of inhaled aerosols in the lung. The NURBS surface model was used as a reference mesh for polygonal meshes built in Maya.
The smooth mesh preview steps only changes the display of the mesh; this enables the user to visualize how the mesh will appear when the mesh is smoothed. The original mesh remains in its original cubic form until the final mesh is converted to a fully smoothed equivalent in a subdivision proxy form. This is done using the Smooth Mesh Preview to Polygons tool which converts a Smooth Mesh Preview version of a polygon mesh to an actual polygon mesh. The attribute settings for the Smooth Mesh Preview are used when converting to the polygon mesh.
Completing the internal structures model External structure rebuild
The polygon surface mesh obtained from the marching cubes algorithm [6] resulted in a highly dense mesh of 498577 vertices, 1411868 edges and 921622 faces. As our ultimate goal was to have a deformable mesh, it was desirable to have a less dense mesh that would allow us to morph the model to vary race, gender and age.
Recent advances
Current development of the model includes the addition of physiologically realistic cartilaginous rings; a parameterized implementation of automatic generation of bifurcations; and the addition of FaceGen (Singular Inversions, Toronto, ON) software to create realistic three-dimensional human faces adjusted for age, race, gender, and other controls, or fit specifically to a photograph. These faces can be applied to the developed polygonal meshes; internal oral and nasal structures can be attached and manipulated based on facial characteristics. These advances are expected to be fully incorporated into the current model by September of 2013. In addition to the current male model, an adult female model and a child/infant model are under development using the same techniques presented in this paper.
Summary
A state-of-the-art, morphologically realistic model of the human respiratory tract from the nares to the alveoli has been developed that simulates inhalation, deposition, and exhalation of contaminants. It includes the upper respiratory tract, the extrathoracic region (nasal, oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal passages), the upper airways (trachea and main bronchi), the tracheobronchial tree, and branching networks down through alveolar region.
We are currently parameterizing variables that define the subject’s airways so that the model can integrate morphological changes created by respiratory disease, exposure to toxins or stressors, and age, along with a dynamic morphology that mimics the changes in the structures during a typical breathing cycle. The model will allow for virtually any variation of airway geometries and disease states. Such flexibility will be critical to investigating sensitive populations, such as children, the diseased, and the elderly. The model will also be critical to the homeland security community where inhalation studies on humans cannot be conducted with contaminants of interest (e.g.,
B. anthracis, ricin, etc.) because of toxicity.
The model may be used to predict dose from exposure to hazardous particulate-based contaminants, such as anthrax, ricin or particulate-based hazards. It may also prove useful in targeting pharmaceuticals to the appropriate location in a specific individual’s respiratory system.
Declarations Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Ted B. Martonen and Dr. James S. Brown. Throughout his esteemed modeling career, Dr. Martonen developed ground-breaking models of the human lung and extrathoracic regions. His mentorship and invaluable guidance fostered the development of the current model. As an expert in aerosol science and respiratory physiology, Dr. Brown provided great insight into the path that the current model should take, and was a valuable advisor during model scoping activities.
This research and manuscript was supported and funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this paper are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Authors’ Affiliations References Hartung T, Leist M: Food for thought … on the evolution of toxicology and the phasing out of animal testing. ALTEX. 2008, 25 (2): 91-102.PubMedGoogle Scholar Ruzer LSaH NH: Aerosols Handbook, Measurement, Dosimetry, and Health Effects. 2005, New York: CRC PressGoogle Scholar Sosnowski TR, Moskal A, Gradon L: Dynamics of oropharyngeal aerosol transport and deposition with the realistic flow pattern. Inhal Toxicol. 2006, 18 (10): 773-780. 10.1080/08958370600748737.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Lambert AR, O’Shaughnessy P, Tawhai MH, Hoffman EA, Lin CL: Regional deposition of particles in an image-based airway model: large-eddy simulation and left-right lung ventilation asymmetry. Aerosol Sci Technol. 2011, 45 (1): 11-25. 10.1080/02786826.2010.517578.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Corley RA, Kabilan S, Kuprat AP, Carson JP, Minard KR, Jacob RE, Timchalk C, Glenny R, Pipavath S, Cox T: Comparative computational modeling of airflows and vapor dosimetry in the respiratory tracts of rat, monkey, and human. Toxicol Sci. 2012, 128 (2): 500-516. 10.1093/toxsci/kfs168.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Lorensen WE, Cline HE: Marching Cubes: A high resolution 3D surface construction algorithm. Computer Graphics, Vol. 21, Nr. 4. 1987Google Scholar Weibel ER: Morphometry of the Human Lung. 1963, New York: AcademicView ArticleGoogle Scholar Soong TT, Nicolaides P, Yu CP, Soong SC: A statistical description of the human tracheobronchial tree geometry. Respir Physiol. 1979, 37 (2): 161-172. 10.1016/0034-5687(79)90068-9.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Yeh HC, Schum GM: Models of human lung airways and their application to inhaled particle deposition. Bull Math Biol. 1980, 42 (3): 461-480.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Phalen RF, Yeh HC, Schum GM, Raabe OG: Application of an idealized model to morphometry of the mammalian tracheobronchial tree. Anat Rec. 1978, 190 (2): 167-176. 10.1002/ar.1091900202.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Yeh HC: Respiratory Tract Deposition Models - Final Report. Edited by: Yeh HC. 1980, Albuquerque, NM: Lovelace Biomedical & Environmental Research InstituteGoogle Scholar Spencer RM, Schroeter JD, Martonen TB: Computer simulations of lung airway structures using data-driven surface modeling techniques. Comput Biol Med. 2001, 31 (6): 499-511. 10.1016/S0010-4825(01)00020-8.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar Copyright
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. | 18,240 | 7,355 | 0.000137 |
warc | 201704 | Like many metaphysically-inclined folk, when I have an issue to contemplate or a decision to make, I prefer not to be empty handed. Rather, I like to employ one or more divination tools. As an intuitive counselor and energy worker, divination tools also important work supplies for me. (In addition to Staples, a good portion of my expense receipts are from my local New Age bookstore.)
Divination tools work on the principle that everything is connected, and our consciousness is in fact one with the Universal Consciousness. So when we set the intention to receive guidance, and open ourselves up to doing so, we always will.
…These are my four all time favorites, as well as what I’ve learned over the years about how to best put them to use.
Of course, before each these (with the exception of the pendulum, which I often use in a less formal way throughout the day), I take a moment to calm and center myself. I might also light a candle and/or incense to help me get in the zone.
Oracle Cards
I use oracle cards regularly to tap into loving wisdom about how to best approach a situation, and to uncover the lessons that my (or my client’s) soul most wants to learn by going through any given challenge. My favorites are (of course) my very own Magic of Flowers Oracle and Colette Baron-Reid’s The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle.
For my deck, I shuffle until it feels right (I can feel it in my hands and body) and then draw the first three cards from the top, which signify past, present, and future. For The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle, I shuffle until it feels right, divide the deck into five piles, and without thinking too much about it, draw one or two cards from each pile to line up a spread of five cards. These cards represent (1) your current situation, (2) your expectations, (3) hidden influences, (4) advice, and (5) outcome.
I sometimes feel drawn to work with one or the other, but quite often I will use both at once and look for threads of similarity between the two spreads. After I’ve drawn the cards, I relax and take a good, long look, letting the images speak for themselves and sometimes referring to the guidebooks for further clarification.
Tarot Cards
It took me a long time to finally bond with tarot cards, but when Ellen Dugan’s Witches Tarot came out, I finally found my in. The evocative imagery combined with the straightforward card descriptions really helped me click with the whole tarot thing. Also, I love the spread of seven cards she recommends: after shuffling until it feels right and then cutting the deck, I deal seven cards, left to right. These signify (1) past, (2) present, (3), future, (4) advice, (5) people, (6) obstacles, and (7) outcome.
Once I deal the cards, again I sit back and let my mind wander through the imagery, noticing what stands out and the feelings I receive. I might also look in the guidebook just to see if anything stands out related to the situation at hand.
It might seem like a lot, but for in-depth readings I actually like to do a tarot spread along with a spread of both of the oracle decks mentioned above. I find this gives me a very clear picture of the subtle details of the situation and everything related to it.
A Pendulum
And then there is my pendulum, which – while I’m at home – is never far from my side. Even when I go out in the world I like to bring one, just in case: I have been known to stand in the supplement aisle at the health food store while using a pendulum to check in with my body about what it wants.
…Because pendulums are great for accessing your full body wisdom and deep inner knowing! In our culture, we are really big on intellectualizing everything, but our body is giving us messages all the time. By holding a question in your mind and checking in with your pendulum, you can access your holistic inner knowing – not just the knowing that comes from your brain alone.
Pendulums also help us access the Akashic records, or the omnipresent energy field that links everything together. This means they can help us tune into the energy of other people, places, and situations, even when we’re not in close physical proximity to them.
To begin using a pendulum, hold it loosely with one hand. Tune into the pillar of light that connects you to the core of the earth as well as the cosmos, and request that the Divine shield you in a protective sphere of light. Then, mentally or aloud, ask to be shown and answer of “yes.” If you make sure not to hold your arm too rigidly (the movement does come from you, after all), you will likely begin to see it move in a forward and backward motion or a clockwise motion. Then, ask to be shown an answer of “no.” Again being sure to hold your arm somewhat loosely, you’ll likely begin to see it move in a side to side motion or a counterclockwise motion. In time, it will become much easier and more natural, and you can experiment with other ways of receiving guidance with your pendulum.
The I Ching
Translated as “The Book of Changes,” the I Ching is literally among the most ancient of known books. For many centuries, it was accessed by kings and war leaders for help with facilitating diplomatic relations and devising successful military strategies. While it’s the oracle tool I use least often at this time in my life, I find it invaluable for times of great change or when deep, longstanding, and/or fundamental issues present themselves.
At this point, my favorite translation is Total I Ching by Stephen Karcher, but this is not the translation I recommend starting out with, as it can come across as rather abstract. If you’re new to the I Ching, you might like to start with a briefer and more straightforward version, such as Brian Browne Walker’s I Ching or Book of Changes: A Guide to Life’s Turning Points.
But no matter what version you’re working with, the penny method of doing a reading should work. I start with three shiny pennies and a notebook. In the notebook, I write out my question, which is usually something like “What guidance will best support me in such-and-such situation.” Then I number 1-6, starting with one on the bottom and moving upwards to 6. Holding the question in my mind and body, I roll the three coins. Then I write a straight line or a broken line near the number one, using the following guidelines. I then repeat the process five more times, moving upwards toward 6.
If I roll two heads and one tails, I draw a broken line.
If I roll one heads and two tails, I draw a straight line.
If I roll all tails, I draw a broken line with an “x” in the middle.
If I roll all heads, I draw a straight line with an “o” in the middle.
I then check the diagram in the back of the book to find the number of the hexagram (the pattern of six lines), and turn to the correct page in the book and read the description, looking deeply at all the ways it applies to my current situation.
When it gets to the “changing lines” section, I only read the descriptions for the lines with an “x” or an “o.” (If there are any.) I then change the lines with “x’s” and “o’s” to the opposite, check the back of the book again to find the new hexagram, and read the description for that one. This helps me understand the dynamics – or changes – at work in the situation, i.e. where it is and where it’s going. (Any given I Ching translation should have similar instructions somewhere in it – so you’ll be able to investigate further if this isn’t totally clear.)
…So those are my faves! If you try any of them out, let me know how it goes!
…And what about you? Do you have other faves, or other helpful hints you’ve found for using these ones? I’d love to hear! | 7,915 | 3,566 | 0.000291 |
warc | 201704 | Can this relationship be saved?
Relationship Therapist Andrew G Marshall provides answers to that all important question; 'can this reationship be saved'.
You've caught your partner cheating on you, or he or she has committed some monstrous act – like running up huge debts behind your back. You've always thought it would be simple, he or she has destroyed your trust and you should walk away. However when faced with the cold hard reality – rather than what you might have imagined doing – it all seems more complicated. There's the children to consider, your already stretched finances and, deep down, you still love him or her... but staying hurts so much. Alternatively, it's not
one thing but years of disappointment and trying to make your relationship work on your own that has worn you down. You thought that you'd 'just know' when enough was enough but it's not that simple. Although you don't really want to leave, you're frightened of wasting even more time and emotional energy on a relationship that could be going nowhere. So how do you cut through the confusion and make a decision one way or the other?
In my twenty-five years as a marital therapist, I find people get stuck in the 'should I stay or should I go' trap because they are looking at their relationship like a judge: guilty or not guilty. However, it is better to be like a doctor: how healthy is this relationship and can it still be saved? So how do you make a full diagnosis? Look at the following five questions:
Are you concentrating on what your partner has done rather than why?
When a relationship is in crisis, it's easy to catalogue your partner's bad behaviour or many faults. However, it is much harder to stop and ask why he or she has done something. If you do, it's easy to come up with ONE damming reason: he doesn't love me any more or she wants to hurt me. However, look at your own motivations for something. There are nearly always a multitude of interlocking reasons for doing anything – some positive, some defensive and some angry. However, while we're prepared to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt – that basically we're good people doing good things - we can view our parter in very black or white terms. Could he or she be frightened (and like a cornered animal lashing out)? Could he or she be desperately unhappy (and doing things, however stupid, to feel better even though they make matters worse)? If the answer is yes – then there's still hope for your relationship. If when you look at
why rather than what, if the answer is your partner is an addict or a serial perpetrator of domestic violence, you should most probably leave. Why do your arguments just go round in circles?
Most relationships fail not because couples are wrong for each other but because they don't know how to argue properly. Fortunately, good communication skills can be learnt. Start by solving small niggles – like how your partner loads the dishwasher – as solving them will give you confidence to tackle bigger ones. Stay with one topic at a time – and resist the temptation to throw in, for example, 'leaving dirty clothes on the floor' and 'dirty cups on the coffee table.' It will help if you deal with problems as they occur rather than letting them build up and letting everything come out as an angry torrent. Alternatively, the problem might be that you're convinced that you're right and your partner is wrong. No wonder, neither of you will back down! Instead, imagine – if even for a second – that there are lots of ways of doing something and discuss the alternatives.
Have you really tried everything?
It might seem you've explored all the possibilities but most people have simply used the same failed strategy over and over again - just bigger and bigger. For example, shouting louder or sulking for longer. Sometimes, they throw in another strategy – ignoring the problem (hoping it will go away) or persuading themselves it doesn't matter (and becoming resentful). These might work in the short term but cause despair and relationship break-down. Instead try the flop flip technique. Take the 'flop' behaviour and 'flip' it over – ie: do the opposite. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you try. Anything is better than the same old rut and getting the same old response.
Are you confusing thoughts with feelings?
Feelings are emotions like happy, sad, angry, frustrated and numb. They are often located somewhere in our body - like fear in the pit of our stomach. While thoughts are opinions, beliefs or expectations and are located in our heads. Feelings are often telling us something and should be listen to. Whereas thoughts can be based on incomplete evidence or poor logic and should be challenged (rather than accepted as the gospel truth). Most importantly, feelings burn themselves out. It is impossible to be angry for ever. Even in the worst times, another feeling will come along (if only for a few minutes). For example, we can still laugh in the middle of infidelity. However, thoughts can last to our dying day. For example: 'He should have told me he was unhappy rather that seeking comfort from another woman.' Unfortunately, many people confuse their thoughts and feelings by putting 'I feel' before a statement. For example: I feel you're in the wrong'. Not only does this increase the stakes but makes you feel even more stuck.
Do you have enough love to give without getting anything back - at least in the short-term?
If you have children and they're arguing, you don't go into all the rights or wrongs but ask one of them to the 'big one' and make the first move towards reconciliation. In effect, this fifth question is the key one. If you still love your partner enough to be the 'big one', then your marriage can most probably be saved. If all you can think is 'after what he's done' or 'what she's said', then either it's too soon after a nasty discovery (and you're still in shock) or your marriage is truly over. However, I'd like to think that just the fact that you've searched for and found this article means that you do want to change your relationship and that means there's still hope.
For advice for turning hope into a reality see: How to save your relationship on your own
To view extracts from Andrew G Marshall’s best selling book ‘ I love you but I’m not in love with you’ see below.
Andrew G Marshall is a marital Therapist and the author of 'Are you right for me?' Seven Steps to getting clarity and commitment in your relationship | 6,590 | 3,028 | 0.000336 |
warc | 201704 | IT Security is the name of the game and no matter how big or small the size of your organization, you will always invest enough on securing certain aspects of your IT network. In many organizations, it starts with monitoring your network for vulnerabilities that may enter the network to access potentially sensitive information in the form of security attacks.
For example, you may have firewalls as your first line of defense, followed by vulnerability management, intrusion detection and prevention systems, managing your network configurations and so on.
For example, you may have firewalls as your first line of defense, followed by vulnerability management, intrusion detection and prevention systems, managing your network configurations and so on.
These are crucial because:
Your routers can be easily breached without proper configuration and restrictions. If a firewall isn’t configured correctly, a hacker can easily spot a port that is accidentally left open and can gain access to the network. Rogue access points, botnet malware and social engineering can make your wireless a porthole into your LAN. Why Logs?
The very purpose of IT security is to be proactive and the above measures make it more difficult for someone who attempts to compromise the network. This might just not be enough and you need to able to detect the actual breaches as they are being attempted. This is where log data really help.
To expose an attack or identify the damage caused, you need to analyze the log events on your network in real-time. By collecting and analyzing logs, you can understand what transpires within your network. Each log file contains many pieces of information that can be invaluable, especially if you know how to read them and analyze them. With proper analysis of this actionable data you can identify intrusion attempts, mis-configured equipment, and many more. Also for managing compliance, especially for PCI DSS – you need to retain logs and review them.
Monitoring and Analyzing Event Logs
When you know what is normal on your network, you can easily spot what is abnormal by monitoring the logon activity. It is very critical to analyze the event to understand the root cause and to make log analysis & log management more efficient, you need to collect and consolidate log data across the IT environment, and correlate events from multiple devices in real-time.
Apart from monitoring the activities across your web server, firewalls and other network devices, it becomes very crucial to monitor your workstation logs. For example, a workstation log can give you some key information like when a USB was connected, by whom and whether he belongs to the group that is authorized, etc. Log file analysis is best done with an SIEM software, when it comes to reading all of the events and being able to analyze and correlate activity across the various components of IT.
How SolarWinds Log & Event Manager can help you?
SolarWinds Log & Event Manager (LEM) completely monitor event logs across and acts as a central collection point for system log data, automatically aggregates and normalizes this data into a consistent format. LEM also performs multiple event correlation and has the distinct ability to set independent activity thresholds per event or per group to understand relationships between dramatically different activities. With its proactive approach, it helps you identify and respond to threats in real time.
Key areas where SolarWinds LEM helps you: Monitoring Security Events:Event correlation allows you to effectively troubleshoot issues by understanding the relationship between various activities using multiple event correlations and alerts you as and when it encounters a security threat. Threat Remediation:Active responses help you in responding timely to policy violations and troubleshooting issues. Some key active responses include: Delete User Account and User Group Block IP address Log Off User Restart/Shutdown Machine Disable USB devices Event forensics help you identify suspicious behavior patterns on your network.
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warc | 201704 | Do you love a freshly-baked loaf of bread? Of course you do! Bread always tastes better when it's fresh out of the oven. Instead of heading to the supermarket for a loaf, why not bake your own? I know what you're thinking. "Who has the time?" Actually, baking bread in a Dutch oven requires very [...]
Cast Iron
When you’re cooking with fire, there’s a chance you could get burned! To minimize this risk and keep your hands and arms from sustaining injury, you’re going to want a quality pair of oven mitts. If you frequently cook with a cast iron pan (read about Wagner ware cast iron), it’s a good idea to [...]
This is a guest post from my friend, Kim. She noticed I didn't have a recipe for corn bread here at the Kitchen Professor... So, here is a great recipe that Kim shared with me. Check out more from Kim at Food for Thought RD. Growing up, my family had a cast iron skillet, but we [...]
Cast iron is an awesome material. It’s able to withstand extremely high cooking temperatures, which makes it ideal for frying and searing. Over time, cast iron naturally develops a non-stick surface which also adds a rich, savory flavor to anything cooked in it. Cast iron pots and pans are generally made of a single solid [...]
WagnerWare vs Griswold. It's like choosing Chevy or Ford. It probably has to do with what your family uses... (We drove Fords around here!) When it comes to vintage cast iron cookware, Wagner and Griswold are the brands to look for. These two companies were the most popular manufacturers of cast iron cookware during their [...]
Cast iron has been used to make cookware for more than two thousand years, dating back to as far as the Han dynasty in China. Cast iron is prized for its heat retention, durability, and the natural non-stick surface created by its seasoning. In America, cast iron cookware had its heyday from the 1850s until the [...] | 1,912 | 1,046 | 0.000974 |
warc | 201704 | What does the South African Audience Research Foundation (Saarf) mean to the media planner? It is the body that represents media owners and marketers, and their common need to measure audiences in South Africa. However, the fact that each stakeholder is on opposite sides of the money-exchanging playing field should provide a neat cross-check of outcomes that keeps results objective and independent. Planners are largely at the receiving end of data, and any queries put to Saarf in the face of irregularities are generally handled deftly, with a reminder that in South Africa planners are privileged to have access to single-source audience measures at the click of a button.
When it comes to research technology, the nuts and bolts of the methodology and major glitches in the matrix are kept behind closed doors until Saarf has a handle on data implications. Then they can navigate wary media planners through change without widespread panic. In these cases, planners accept that no research is 100% efficient and that without hands-on experience with the processing of data, our understanding will always be rudimentary. Rudimentary, but more advanced than those to whom we report.
So on we go, selling ratings to advertisers, despite wavering levels of comfort. But let’s be honest, while the existence of a single-source establishment survey allows some comparison between print, radio and television ratings, few integrated media schedules are signed off due to their careful cross-channel weighting. The cost efficiency of a 30-second television spot placed in ‘Isidingo’ is very rarely traded off against the opportunity cost of a full-page full-colour ad in
KickOff magazine.
For the most part, secondary channels are included on schedule as budget dictates. If a rating is a rating, then how hard are we trying to link this currency of exposure to outcome? How many cross-media case studies has global research agency Millward Brown actually conducted in South Africa since its launch three years ago? How many marketers are paying for econometric analysis of their marketing input and business output? Is there demand for more than a rudimentary audience evaluation process in South Africa?
The Advertising Media Forum (AMF) board of directors think ‘yes’, but let’s drill down as to why. Measurement is the key component of the media planning trade and advertiser adoption of channel. There are two types: measurement that consistently contextualises exposure over time and measurement that links exposure to outcome. Since 2009, there has been a drive by marketers to measure return on investment of their media rand. We know that with increasing advertising clutter and fragmentation of audiences, the media rand loses potential year on year.
This places pressure on media agencies to adopt aggressive trading strategies with media owners, who in turn kick back by upping inventory costs based on demand, rather than audience delivery. Over and above this, media owners are vying to take control of how audience delivery manifests. The launch of DStv-i and the first audience guaranteed packages on television is probably the most blatant development that backs this observation.
The problem is that even if the methodology is independently audited, the media owner still controls how and when results are filtered to the industry. For example, DStv-i measures the viewership of terrestrial channels via DStv decoders, but does not publish the data to media planners. Also, the incidence of trick functionality via PVR decoders is measured by DStv-i, but DStv Media Sales only uses the Television Audience Measurement Survey (Tams) to demonstrate time-shifted viewing on its channels. Selective revelation compromises contextualisation of ratings, both in and across media channels.
When it comes to connecting outcome with exposure, no media is more promising than digital forums that can accommodate direct dialogue between brands and consumers, as well as measure behaviour in real time. In markets like the United Kingdom and the United States, there are a number of credible initiatives that are developing common metrics across both traditional and digital channels, for example Nielsen’s XCR (Cross Campaign Ratings). To generate these, Nielsen is working with demographic data from Facebook to build a single currency in online display and video playback that is comparable to TV rating mechanisms.
Unfortunately, the above relies on measurements and tags ‘baked’ inside inventory ad server systems in order to use them effectively. Media owners like Google are reluctant to participate here because it feels its own active Gross Rating Point measure is more accurate than XCR and it would mean having their business performance measured by data that originated in the Facebook ecosystem.
So South Africa is far from unique when it comes to audience measurement politics. But we are unique when it comes to market disparity. Unlike the fairly homogenous UK, our diverse population make-up places an interesting spin on assumptions that can be made from sample to universe. The AMF has followed developments at Saarf very closely and have held meetings with the Marketing Association of South Africa (Masa) to gauge popular opinion. To this end we can safely say that there is a common agenda for all stakeholders to keep measurement totally independent, preferably single-sourced and collaborative, and still have the involvement of all relevant industry bodies.
What is it going to take to leapfrog audience measurement challenges faced in other markets? Perhaps looking back to the 1970s will help carve the way forward for Saarf’s survival and evolution. In those days it took the vision and hard work of three men to enable industry collaboration and the funding model that has endured until today. Together, a research technologist, a sales person and a person connected to prominent marketers, media owners and parliamentarians opened doors nationwide to roadshow the concept of independent single source-audience measurement. This was at a time when industry bodies were both rare and fragmented. Today we need to add some maverick into the mix, even if it means relaxing the regulatory bodies for a while in favour of harnessing smart, driven and skilled talent with the will to pull it all together.
On this note, the AMF has seen a major commitment to audience measurement on behalf of the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA) and its entrepreneurial members. They have announced some game-changing upgrades to mobile audience measurement as well as internet population calibration to the All Media and Product Survey (Amps) that will improve the way Effective Measure data is integrated into the Telmar suite of planning tools. They further demonstrated their commitment to single source measurement by contributing funds to Saarf’s future-proofing project, alongside the AMF. We believe collaboration between the people of Saarf and DMMA can only bring about positive change for the industry as whole. We need a scenario that facilitates the magic that happens when the legendary meets the visionary.
And what is the media planner’s role in all of this? Well, we’re the end user. We are more involved in the data generation process than we know. Our daily work with the output of audience measurement puts us in the role of regulation, sense checking and interpreting the end product. Rigorous interrogation of data, coupled with the patient uptake of new processes will find the media planner essential to the endurance of independent, contextualised audience measurement in South Africa. Our desks provide the convergence point for all data, single source or not. The opportunity to add value to media owners and marketers alike places us in a wonderfully unique and interesting position. Communication and collaboration between us will help ensure that it is lucrative too.
This month’s Advertising Media Forum columnist is Melissa van Zyl, connection analyst at M&C Saatchi Connect. | 8,119 | 3,766 | 0.000268 |
warc | 201704 | Domestic violence is the use of intentional emotional, psychological, sexual or physical force by one family member or intimate partner to control another. Substance abuse is an unhealthy pattern of alcohol or drug use that usually leads to frequent, serious problems at home, school or work. Substance abuse also can cause significant stress in relationships. These two issues often go hand in hand. Much like patterns of substance abuse, violence between intimate partners tends to escalate in frequency and severity over time.
Research has not established a causal link between domestic violence and substance abuse; however, one cannot ignore the correlation between these two issues.
The U.S. Department of Justice found that 61 percent of domestic violence offenders have substance abuse problems. Also, substance abuse treatment programs see substantial numbers of batterers and victims among their client populations and increasingly are compelled to deal with issues related to abuse.
The use of alcohol or other drugs may increase the likelihood that a batterer will commit an act of domestic violence. That’s because it reduces inhibitions and distorts perceptions, because alcohol is often used as an excuse for violence and because both alcohol abuse and domestic violence tend to follow parallel escalating patterns. But it does not fully explain the behavior.
When it comes to victims of domestic violence, research shows that the victims also are more likely to develop substance abuse problems. In fact, women who have been abused are 15 times more likely to abuse alcohol and nine times more likely to abuse drugs than women who have not been abused.
It is crucial to make the connections between domestic violence and substance abuse because they affect our families and communities. As a community, we need to know that treatment is effective and that people can, and do, recover. We need to educate ourselves about these important issues, learn what resources are available and encourage individuals toward treatment when possible.
To address domestic violence, this community has a batterer intervention program which is certified through the Kansas Attorney General’s Office at Pawnee Mental Health Services (785) 587-4315. Our local victim advocacy program is the Crisis Center. If someone you know is a victim of sexual or domestic violence, please believe, listen without judgment, and make a referral to the Crisis Center. Call toll free, 24-hours: 800-727-2785. All Crisis Center services are free and confidential.
Moreover, there are two licensed outpatient alcohol and drug treatment facilities that serve the Manhattan area; Pawnee Mental Health Services and the Restoration Center Inc.
Tina Steffensmeier, 1558 Hayes Drive, is program director of Prevention, Treatment & Recovery Services at Pawnee Mental Health Services. | 2,875 | 1,357 | 0.000742 |
warc | 201704 | There seems to be three different types of passionate perspectives in America today as it pertains to guns. We have the gun-grabbers, the “common sense” gun control advocates, and the 2nd Amendment “bitter clingers,” as President Obama once dubbed us. There are other perspectives, of course, but when it comes to those passionate for action (or inaction), they normally fall into one of those three categories.
From what I’ve seen in the news and even on conservative forums, guns and abortion seem to be the two issues for which more people are migrating towards the middle. This is a bad thing. The mushy middle will only lead to oblivion for Americans.
I want to address those who seem to be the plurality today. They are the patriotic Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment but who believe that limiting access to certain weapons, high-capacity clips, or high-caliber ammunition is a good idea. On the surface, these types of gun control actions might seem to make sense. There’s one reason they made no sense for Americans in the 18th century and they make even less sense for Americans in the 21st century.
First, let’s wipe out the erroneous notions. The 2nd Amendment is not about hunting. It’s not even about personal protection, though that’s the most common reason for people to want to own a handgun. The benefits of firearms for hunting enthusiasts and personal protection are nice, but they are fringe benefits of living in a country that allows firearm ownership.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
For the last four decades, the word “militia” has been systematically demonized by every side of the debate. Liberals have used it as a dog whistle for calling out the crazies on the right who want to overthrow the government. Many militia groups themselves have helped with the demonizing efforts by expressing desires to overthrow the government. The media, pundits, and politicians have associated the concept of a militia as being a danger to the people around them. By making the concept look bad, it becomes easier to disarm when the time comes whether that’s today or in 100 years.
The wording of the 2nd Amendment has created several arguments against it, most notably that militia must be “well regulated” as a mandate of the amendment. This is a perversion of the meaning, whether intentionally or not. It may be easier to understand if we reverse it to show a modernized variation of the amendment’s intent.
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed so that if forces within or without the government threaten the security of a free state, a well regulated militia can be rapidly formed to defend it.
The intent of the 2nd Amendment was to protect the people in case the same type of political persecution that they rebelled against with England reared its ugly head again in the future. It empowers the people to fight tyranny regardless of its source.
A recent article on HuffPo called for an update to the 2nd Amendment in a post-musket world.
Someone thought this was amusing and an editor agreed. https://t.co/tmHTm6GeN4?
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 8, 2016
This is a ludicrous concept and the satirical article is specifically designed to mock the ideas that bitter clingers espouse. Saul Alinsky would be proud.
Here’s the reality: as the potential for tyranny increases based upon technological advances in weapons, so too does the need for 2nd Amendment protections increase. Guns are bigger, more powerful, more accurate, and can fire faster. These guns can be in the hands of the U.S. government, foreign entities, and criminal elements within the nation. The 2nd Amendment gives us the ability to mobilize if any of these forces threaten the freedom of any group of people. Limiting access to firearms makes the 2nd Amendment impotent because if the people cannot bear arms of similar strength as those who choose to oppress us, we’re at a major disadvantage.
Does that mean that private citizens should own tanks, rocket launchers, and M134 miniguns? Of course not. However, it does mean that responsible law-abiding Americans who want to own an AR-15 with a 30-round clip should have that option available. At least then they would have a realistic chance of defending liberty and fighting tyranny from any source. There should be limits, but the limits to gun ownership are currently too overreaching in many states.
Here’s the biggest problem with the current shift towards “common sense” gun laws. They don’t take the original intent of the 2nd Amendment into account, an intent that is still necessary today. We’ve assigned too much faith in the ability of the U.S. government to defend us and we’ve made the assumption that there’s no chance the government would ever turn against the people. The first fallacy is at least somewhat justifiable; other than a handful of terrorist attacks, they’ve done a fine job of keeping foreign forces from threatening the people. The second fallacy is ludicrous because it doesn’t take into account human nature. When things go south, people in power will be corrupted by the notion that they must take extreme actions to defend their interests. It’s not that they’re inherently authoritarian, but if chaos breaks out, it’s highly probable that attempts to restore order will lead to an abusive response.
It’s the presence of an empowered citizenry that prevents wholesale revocation of liberties. One of the early steps in the formation of any tyrannical government is to disarm the people. “Common sense” dictates that allowing the people to be fully armed is the only way to prevent that from happening. Every step towards disarmament, even baby steps through gun regulations, leads to further action. Unless we halt this trend and defend the 2nd Amendment with everything we’ve got, we will eventually give up the ability to defend any of our freedoms. | 6,183 | 2,828 | 0.000365 |
warc | 201704 | Frances Wong gives ear acupuncture treatment to Susanna Chyu at a conference. The treatment is used for a variety of ailments, including stress, insomnia and depression.
Getting needled in Chinatown for sound mental health
By Ellen Keohane
In a sunny room on the second floor of the American Legion post on Canal St. about 20 people sat in folding chairs, some with their eyes closed, listening to ambient music played on a nearby stereo. Photographs of veterans lined the walls of the room above a floor of red, white and blue tiles. Breathe out, said Frances Wong as she slowly inserted the first of five thin, stainless steel needles into one womans right ear.
Every Wednesday afternoon, Wong, director of Asian Services at St. Vincents Hospital, helps run a free ear acupuncture clinic at 191-193 Canal St. from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Over the course of the three-hour period, as many as 60 or so people come and go.
St. Vincents World Trade Center Healing Services first started offering various stress management services including ear acupuncture following 9/11. After starting an ear acupuncture clinic at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association center in Chinatown in 2003, the clinic moved to its current space at the American Legion in February 2005. The program is primarily funded by a grant from the American Red Cross.
The events of Sept. 11 had a huge impact on Chinatown, particularly employment, Wong said. As tourism decreased following the attacks, restaurant workers lost their jobs and shops closed. Were just starting to rebound, Wong said. Some people are just starting to work again.
Acupuncture can decrease anxiety, improve sleep and promote relaxation, said Wong, who has a background in social work and psychotherapy, in addition to being trained in ear acupuncture. A University of Arizona study found that acupuncture can also be an effective treatment for depression. It helps your body balance and recover, and help heal itself, she said. Indeed, one of the goals of the treatments is to help combat the high suicide rate of Asian-Americans.
Depression among Chinese immigrants often goes undiagnosed, said Kin Wah Lee, a member of New York Coalition for Asian American Health and director of a conference last month entitled Break the Silence: Assessment and Prevention of Suicide Among Asian-Americans. Many do not know where to go for help. They lack opportunities to earn a decent living and many undocumented Chinese immigrants do not have health insurance, Lee said.
Although white, middle-aged males have the highest suicide rate, Asian-Americans have a higher suicide rate than other ethnic minorities in New York City, Lee said. According to the New York State Office of Mental Health, Asian-American women have the highest suicide rate of all women over 65 and Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders are the least likely to seek mental health treatment. There are no specific statistics on Chinese-Americans.
Since January, Lee has counted 14 media reports of suicides in New York Citys Chinese community, she said. Seven of the 14 involved people jumping from buildings in Chinatown and Flushing, Queens. Because these suicides were extremely public, Lee suspects many more have gone unreported. I dont have a lot of statistics, she said.
Because ear acupuncture uses tools, techniques and methods that are part of traditional Chinese culture, it is a more accepted treatment for depression and other mental health problems, Wong said. In the Chinese community, theres a social stigma associated with mental illness, she said. Its considered a shame upon your whole family and your ancestors, Wong said.
In contrast, theres no stigma associated with acupuncture, Wong said. Because ear acupuncture is simpler and less invasive than other forms of acupuncture, it can take place in a group setting, thereby creating a comfortable environment where people might be more willing to open up about their feelings.
Its hard for many people in the Chinese community to admit they may have a mental health problem, and even harder for them to seek help for it, Wong said. The ear acupuncture essentially gets them in the door, where Wong can then direct them toward doctors and other mental health professionals.
I come every week, said Betty, 76, who would not give her last name. After her husband died, Betty couldnt sleep and subsequently lost 25 pounds. I was completely out of myself, she said. Betty, who is from Taiwan, used to take Ambien every night to help her sleep, but after starting ear acupuncture in April, she no longer takes the pills.
Acupuncture was first developed in China more than 3,000 years ago to prevent and treat illness and relieve pain. It is usually performed with hair-thin, flexible stainless steel needles that are inserted into precise points on the surface of the body. Ear acupuncture was first used by French and Chinese physicians about 60 years ago. It focuses on five points on the ear each helping balance the body, Wong said.
Although the needles pinch when first inserted, ear acupuncture is not painful. However, after a 30-to-40-minute treatment, the outside of ones ears may tingle for a few hours.
About 10 new people of all races and ages come to the ear acupuncture clinic in Chinatown every week, Wong said. I think there are a lot of people out there who are depressed and want help, she said.
It calms you down completely, said Ariel Blondet Jr., a 41-year-old train operator for the M.T.A. who paused to talk after an ear acupuncture session. It was Blondets eighth visit to the free ear acupuncture clinic, which he learned about while watching a Queens public-access TV channel. I must be the least stressed transit employee they have, he said. | 5,762 | 2,680 | 0.000374 |
warc | 201704 | Thursday, March 11, 2010
Not a solution to RMT
Rohan from Blessing of Kings posted a reaction to a proposal that Blizzard should start selling gold to ruin third-party gold sellers, and thinks that this would be okay, if the money went to charity. Through the charity solution he wants to avoid Blizzard having incentives to tune the game that it can only be played smoothly when buying gold. Interesting thought, but I think Rohan missed a far more serious problem of Blizzard starting to sell gold: Blizzard would produce the gold out of nothing, while third party gold sellers only circulate gold around in the economy.
Gold farmers, in spite of their name, do not farm gold. They farm herbs, orbs, or various items dropped from monsters and sell those to players for gold, then sell back that gold to other players for real money. In macroeconomic terms gold farmers do not increase the overall supply of gold. This is why since the release of Wrath of the Lich King most prices for items on the auction house have either kept stable, or slowly decreased with more of those items becoming available. Remember Crusader Orbs for 1,000 gold? Well, they are 100 gold now.
If Blizzard would sell gold, that gold would be "freshly minted", created out of nothing by a keystroke. If enough players buy that sort of gold, overall money supply goes up, causing inflation. The price for a stack of herbs or ore or eternals would go up significantly. That is not only bad for people who want to buy things from the auction house and didn't buy gold. It also is counterproductive to the goal of eliminating third party gold sellers. Because as prices for herbs and ores go up, gold farmers can stay in business, because now with the same amount of work they make more gold, and can undercut Blizzard's official prices. And the more gold players have, the more profitable it becomes to hack their accounts and steal their gold. Of course then Blizzard could undercut them again, because it doesn't cost Blizzard anything to create gold, but that obviously leads to an undercutting death spiral in which the economy is flooded with cheap gold and inflation is rampant.
So, charity or not, Blizzard selling gold would not work to eliminate third party gold sellers, and would only cause harm to the virtual economy. Furthermore we would lose the argument that buying gold is bad because it is cheating, and not allowed by the rules of the game. A rule of "you can only buy gold from us" is morally a lot weaker than a rule of "you can't buy gold". | 2,549 | 1,233 | 0.000815 |
warc | 201704 | Posted by:Nick Shaxson in:Thoughts
I had a piece in the Guardian recently commenting on the UK budget, and particularly the economic illiteracy that lies behind corporate tax-cutting. It followed my LSE blog, my longer Treasure Islands blog, and Liberal Conspiracy article, along the same lines. (As I’ve mentioned, this argument constitutes low-hanging fruit for those who would oppose the current UK coalition government; it’s a bit weird that the opportunity hasn’t been seized yet.) But I think the argument is ripening, and it will gain more prominence.
The blog of tax writer Andrew Goodall (highly recommended by Tax Research, and by me) points to that comment I noted by Martin Wolf of the FT about corporation taxes, which is entirely in line with my thinking. Then came a more recent article by Robert Peston, the BBC’s chief economics commentator, aptly entitled Big Business and Treasury Capture Government, where he notes that this headline
“is trebly true of the cut in the top rate of income tax, the accelerated reductions in corporation tax and the reform of taxation for multinationals based here (the controlled foreign company rules)”
On the TJN blog I recently asked “Could a new consensus emerge on corporate taxes?” Latest evidence is that such a consensus is starting, albeit slowly at first, to emerge. The opposition parties now just need the courage to understand it, then embrace it. Then gird up for a fun turkey shoot. | 1,494 | 847 | 0.001218 |
warc | 201704 | The economic policy embarked upon by the Federal Government, especially, the shift from the dependency on oil to agriculture and exploration of mineral resources is said to have provided an enormous opportunities for practising surveyors in Nigeria.
At their gathering recently, the Association of Private Practising Surveyors in Nigeria (APPSN), while identifying surveying as the bedrock of sustainable development programme in any society, noted that meaningful development must as a matter of necessity, have its roots in surveying.
Chairman of the association, Mr Odetunmibi Olufemi, at the annual workshop of the APPSN, Lagos State branch, held at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), with the theme, ‘New Nigeria: The Roles, Right and Responsibility of Surveyors in National Re-Birth,’ ascribed the frequent, constant and often collapse of various infrastructure across the country to not having the right foundation.
According to him, the nation must realise that surveyors are better equipped to ensure that right foundation are put in place for all aspects of national development.
He therefore, called on private practising surveyors to continuously engage in training and development programmes in order to enhance competence and high professional standards.
Chairman Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Lagos State branch, Mr Gbenga Alara, also charged all registered members of the association to live by the ethics of the profession.
Alara who is also a fellow of the institution, said that the workshop, aside being a fulfilment of mandatory professional requirements and responsibility among others, was also aimed at serving as a forum for reminding practitioners of the need to maintain decorum and high professional ethics among members.
However, the guest speaker at the occasion, Chief Yemi Soladoye, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Arbitration, appealed to surveyors to expand the horizon of practise beyond guiding construction and development projects or determination of precise location of roads or buildings and proper depths for foundations.
Rather he sees the role of surveyors as nation builders who provide price guidance and risk classification on land and the environment.
He admonished all registered professional not to see their job as just overseeing the quantitative and metric aspects of a project, adding that the surveyors’ job should not end on approval of survey plan, pointing out that they have a responsibility to resolve the issue of fake Certificate of Occupancy (C of Os).
He berated practising surveyors for indicating their responsibilities to the quacks, who he said are always on ground, while “they just sit in their offices and signing documents for the quacks.
“Instead of surveyors to employ quacks, the latter are now inadvertently employing the services of the former,” he said, adding that it is time the practitioners stand up to their responsibilities.
Soladoye also urged surveyors to tap into economic reconstruction embarked upon by the Federal Government, adding that the paradigm shift from oil to agriculture and solid mineral resources.
“The new trend has to deal with land, and surveyors are in best position to seize the initiative for individual prosperity and collective growth of the profession,” he counselled. | 3,360 | 1,564 | 0.00065 |
warc | 201704 | Declining Attendance: The Church Fights Back
Mike Willis
Dayton, Ohio
With attendance declining in the mainline Protestant denominations in America we are witnessing attempts being made by most denominations to rebuild their memberships. Several local congregations among the Protestants have been tremendously effective in building large memberships, including Robert Schuller (an ordained minister of the Reformed Church in America) who has built the membership of the Garden Grove Community Church to 7000.
An examination of some of the techniques being used by modern denominations deserves some of our attention. Indeed, some among us have attended workshops across the land conducted by these denominationalists in order that they might increase the attendance in local churches of Christ. Indeed, some are aping the denominations in building their attendance.
1. Youth Programs. Because so many churches have been losing their teens from church attendance, most denominations and liberal churches of Christ have started all kinds of "youth programs." Full-time "Youth ministers" are hired whose jobs appear to be little more than arranging and promoting a full calendar of social activities for the young people. The programs range from skating to ball leagues to outings to camps, fairs, and entertainment parks. There is little spiritual work involved in the work of these "youth ministers"; as one confessed to me, "The primary interest is fun and frolic."
How effective have these programs been in keeping the youth? Not very effective according to some surveys. Charles E. Garrison conducted a survey among the students at Milligan College (a conservative Christian Church group) on "The Effect of Participation in Congregational Structures on Church Attendance." The conclusion of Garrison's study was that involvement of the youth in the work of the church was more determinative of whether they stayed faithful in church attendance than participation in church sponsored social activities. He wrote,
It was found that holding positions in the division of labor in the congregation while in high school does have some effect upon later attendance while in college. However, the extensiveness of the division of labor itself does not affect later church attendance.
In addition to the division of labor, the extent of activities which the congregation sponsored for the high school youth was measured as was the extent to which the individual participated in these activities. Examples of such activities would be parties, picnics, and softball teams. These activities are often justified as important for keeping youth involved in the church.
It was found that all congregations had a considerable number of activities and that most of the students had participated. The correlation of participation in activities to later college church attendance was 19. This relationship was reduced to .00 when control for high school church attendance was introduced.
It is interesting to compare participation in these social activities with the holding of positions in the congregation for the relationship of each to later church attendance. Holding positions, rather than participating in the activities, had a higher relationship to later college student church attendance. Furthermore, whereas participating in the activities has no effect independent of high school church attendance, holding positions in the division of labor does show such an independent effect. This indicates that, as a strategy to encourage continued church attendance, it is more effective to involve them in the holding of positions than in a variety of church-sponsored social activities.
. . . In conclusion, holding positions in the division of labor was found to be a pre-college variable affecting college student church attendance. In this, it is more effective than participating in church-sponsored social activities (Review of Religious Research, Vol. 18, No. 1 [Fall, 1976], pp. 41-42).
In confirmation of these statistics from another source, I noticed that A Summary Report of The Committee on Membership Trends presented by the United Presbyterian Church (1976) reported that "91 % of the growing congregations have active youth programs with slightly more than 50% of their youth participating. In the other congregations we find that 70% of these rapidly declining have an active youth program with only 35% participation. Eighty-one percent of the typical churches have youth programs with only 36% of the youth participating" (p. 24). This strikes me as saying that these youth programs are not having much effect on retaining the youth of the churches.
Those of us who have been saying all along that there is no scriptural authority for the church being involved in sponsoring recreation will need no confirmation from sociologists for what we are teaching. Nevertheless, I find it interesting that sociologists are confirming that these programs have been largely ineffective in building attendance.
2. Attractive buildings. Millions of dollars are being spent annually to build super-structures which might appeal to the materialism of the upper middle class Americans. Robert Schuller makes no bones about this aim in his attendance building techniques. Listing things which build church attendance, he cited,
3. Impress the unchurched. Schuller makes no bones about the fact that his church has some rather schmaltzy furnishings - like a number of water fountains that begin spraying when he presses a button in the pulpit - and that their purpose is to impress the unchurched. "It's obvious that we are not trying to impress Christians," he says. "They would tend to be most critical of the expenditure of money we have made. They would tell us that we should give this money to missions . . . . We're trying to impress non-Christians and non-churched people. We are trying to make a big, beautiful impression upon the affluent non-religious American who is riding by on this busy freeway" (Wilfred Bockleman, "The Pros and Cons of Robert Schuller, " Christian Century, Vol. 92, p. 733 (20-27 August 1975).
Emphasis of this sort has caused some of the unchurched and some of the those who attend church to offer the criticism that the church is emphasizing finances, buildings and property. Rather than attracting the crowds, this approach has turned off not a few people.
3. Big name entertainers. In order to attract crowds, bigname entertainers have joined the production number of Billy Graham-type evangelists who are promoting crusades and attempting to build church memberships. Obviously theological compromise has been the result. Recently, Billy Graham shared the pulpit with Muhammed Ali, a practicing Moslem! Pat Boone has shared the stage with Oral Roberts, Billy Graham and other religious leaders.
In discussing the attempt to "impress the unchurched," Bockleman continued to describe Robert Schuller's tactics in addition to building impressive cathedrals.
This approach (that of building cathedrals with schmaltzy furnishings, mw) carries with it some corollaries. Don't expect to find deep theology in the sermons. Instead, look for things that will attract the unchurched. For example, Schuller often invites big-name people to share the platform with him on Sunday. When he asked a newly elected president of the American Medical Association to speak to the congregation, a letter of invitation was sent to each of the 1,200 medical doctors living in Orange County. After Schuller discovered that there are 3,000 life insurance salesmen in the area, he asked W. Clement Stone to speak and invited all the life insurance salesmen (Ibid.).
These tactics are being mimiced by our brethren. Several years ago, the usage of Pat Boone in Campaigns for Christ and well-known "Christian" athletes was o,bviQusly done for these same reasons.
The result has been that crowds have been attracted. But, attracted to what? Are the crowds attracted to the suffering Savior? Obviously not! The crowds are attracted to the big-name entertainers. The same people who go out to hear Johnny Cash sing go to hear him talk and for the same reason - they like Johnny Cash, not Jesus Christ! Commenting on Schuller's success, Bockleman stated,
To resort to less ecclesiastical metaphors, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, or don't argue with a satisfied customer. The members of the Garden Grove Church and the pastors who have attended Schuller's institutes are indeed satisfied customers. But as a reporter-commentator I think it's fair to raise the question as to whether they're getting the right kind of pudding! (Ibid, p. 735).
4. Entertainment and fellowship. In addition to youth programs designed to attract and keep the young people attending with church-sponsored recreation, the churches are seeking to keep their adults with church-sponsored recreation as well. Recreational facilities are being justified under the pretense that they are "fellowship" halls. Every kind of reason imaginable is being used for a church supper. In this manner, churches are trying to keep people interested and attending worship through tactics of this sort.
5. Fifth Avenue Promotionalism. Churches advertise their services using all of the techniques of secular advertising. Promotional schemes to build attendance have long been used by denominations. Radios and bicycles have been given to the person bringing the most to the services; bus captains have endured pies being thrown in the face;preachers have swallowed gold fish when attendances reached a certain level; pastors have sat on the steeple to encourage crowds to gather. In addition to these, preachers have developed attractions to draw crowds. A man is no longer a crowd drawer simply because he preaches the gospel of Christ; today he must be "Fooey-Louie, the Gospel Magician," a Karate for Christ Expert, have a repertoire of talking birds, or be a chalk artist in order to draw a crowd and be in demand all over this country.
Too, the sermon must be advertised properly. A preacher does not preach simply on the story of the healing of the leprosy of the Syrian Captain Naaman; he preaches on "Seven Ducks In A Muddy Stream." During the period when the movie "Encounters of the Third Kind" was popular, one conservative church advertised its meeting as "Encounters of Another Kind." Another church conducted a meeting in which the preacher was advertised as a communications specialist from a given university and his subjects included "Triangular Relationships." The words Jesus, God, gospel and salvation were not even mentioned on the advertisement. No wonder people think the church has lost its emphasis on spiritual things!
6. Watered down preaching. In order to build attendance, the preaching has been watered down. Denominational preachers intending to be popular avoid preaching on controversial subjects. Schuller's techniques include the item "don't be controversial; always be positive." Bockleman commented, "This rule naturally follows from an attempt to reach the unchurched. The pastor who preaches on controversial subjects may be tempted to take a public stand that would be at variance with the thinking of half the congregation and thus turn them away" (op. cit., p. 733). Consequently, today's preacher discusses the love of God, kindness, gentleness, and such like subjects. He does not "run down" other religions.
Many preachers within the Lord's body have studiously avoided calling denominational names from the pulpits. Many members would like to demand that all preachers desist from referring to denominations by name from pulpits. In addition to that, they are looking for preachers, not so much on the basis of how well they present Biblecentered lessons, but on the basis of how well they hold one's attention, how long (maybe I should say "short") they preach, the humerous anecdotes which they tell, etc. Someone has well said, "Christianettes are looking for preacherettes who preach sermonettes!"
If preaching the full-gospel of Christ offends someone, let him be offended. If a man is not committed enough to the truth to allow someone preaching the truth to cause him to quit attending the worship service of the church, he was never converted in the the first place.
7. Bus Ministries. Attendance is also being built through bus ministries. Programs are arranged in which promoters go into housing projects with their pockets loaded with bubble gum and candy to induce children to attend worship services. People are bussed past several churches which teach identical doctrines in order to build up the membership in a given place. Some bus ministries bring members in from 20-30 miles away despite the fact that a local congregation meets just around the corner.
A liberal dose of Fifth Avenue promotionalism is necessary to keep the bus ministry running. Special days of one sort or another must always be in the making. Stops at fast food restaurants, serving ice cream, donuts and candy are a necessity for a successful bus ministry.
No one can argue with the facts. These schemes do boost the attendance at the local congregation. However, how effective are these tools to true conversion to the Lord and the edification of the local church?
Looking at what is being done to promote church attendance, one is not surprised to find that "organized religion is widely criticized by the unchurched as having lost `the real spiritual part of religion' and for being `too concerned with organizational as opposed to theological or spiritual issues' " (The Unchurched American, p. 8).
- Six in 10 among the unchurched, and as many as one-half of the churched, egree (strongly or moderately) with the statement, "most churches and synagogues have lost the real spiritual part of religion" (Ibid.).
These trends demonstrate that the church has gone astray, using the techniques of the world, in trying to answer the problems of decline in church membership.
One needs to look at the legitimate things of the gospel which should be used to draw men to church attendance and the worship of God.
1. The love of God. We should hold forth the love of God in sending His only begotten Son to die for the sins of mankind as God's drawing power. Man cannot come to God except God draw him; Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me" (Jn. 6:44-45). The drawing power of the gospel is Christ's love for us in dying on the cross for our sins. Again, Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (Jn. 12:32). Consequently, first century gospel preachers went everywhere preaching nothing except Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Men were drawn to the Christ in numbers; churches were filled to overflowing by the preaching of the simple message of the love of God. The love of Christ will still constrain men if we will have the faith to preach it (2 Cor. 5:14).
2. Man's need for salvation. Another thing which will draw men to God and encourage them to worship with other saints is to preach their need for salvation. We need to preach that the wages of sin is death (Ram. 6:23). Every man is guilty of sin (Ram. 3:23) and doomed to everlasting damnation because of his sins. Unless he finds something to atone for his sins, he will die and go to hell.
3. Jesus Christ is man's only answer to the problem of sin. To men who are deeply convicted of sin, we need to preach that Jesus died on Calvary to atone for the sins of man (Gal. 1:4). He is the only means through which one can have access to the Father (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). There is no other way of salvation than that which is available through Christ.
4. The hope of the gospel. To a world lost in sin, we need to hold forth the hope for everlasting life. Despite our affluence, we find the world around us still dissatisfied with what life on earth has to offer. They are groping and grasping for anything which will give meaning to life. The gospel with its hope for everlasting salvation provides the only true meaning to life. We need to preach about the inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, and that is reserved in heaven (1 Pet. 1:4-5) as the hope of the world.
5. The church as part of God's eternal purpose in Christ. Having related these facts, we need to hold forth the church as being a part of God's eternal purpose in Christ, (Eph. 3:11, 2:16). God had a purpose in building the church (Mt. 16:16); we need to find out what that purpose is and find our place in that body of Christ. In it, we need to draw near to God exhorting one another and provoking each other to love and good works (Heb. 10:24). Those who respect the Christ will respect the church which Christ came to build!
We need to be careful not to be ashamed or embarrassed to hold forth the truth of the gospel. I am afraid that we have been so afraid that we are going to appear sectarian or narrow-minded that we have pussy-footed with the truth. I do not believe that a man can go to heaven while being a member of any human denomination; hence, I should not be ashamed to tell him that he must be a part of the church of Christ in order to be saved. This will let him know that he is lost in his present condition and stimulate hirn to find out what the truth of God's word teaches.
Theological liberalism will not save anyone. Furthermore, it will not encourage anyone to study to find truth, so long as he is convinced that he can be saved where he is (believing and practicing what he does). With all of liberalism's tolerance, church membership is declining. In contrast to theologically liberal churches, the conservative churches are growing. Those religious groups which do not hesitate to teach that they are the "one true church" (such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Pentecostals, etc.) are growing. I am afraid that we have been sold a bill of goods by theological liberals when we have been persuaded that we should not imply that someone is going to be lost because he is not a member of the church of Christ. We believe that men are lost outside the body of Christ, so let us not hesitate to say so.
Let us preach the saving gospel of Christ as the only drawing power which there is to build up the membership of the local church. Worldly schemes may increase the numbers, and that generally only temporarily, but the gospel of Christ will convert the world and edify saints to the point that they will want to offer acceptable worship to God in conjunction with other saints. That, my brethren, is the only way which the Scriptures authorize to build church attendance.
Truth Magazine XXIV: 27, pp. 435-438 | 19,002 | 7,873 | 0.000128 |
warc | 201704 | Mass Email Communications Policy Policy: Mass Email Communications
The University recognizes that email is an efficient and cost-effective means for campus groups to reach internal audiences, and use of this method supports the University’s goal to reduce paper messaging. At the same time, members of the University community have expressed an aversion to unsolicited, mass-distributed internal email. Furthermore, research suggests that the overuse of email messaging through all-University listservs negatively impacts the University’s ability to deliver messages of critical importance.
Recognizing these concerns, this policy supports a simple tenet:
Notre Dame respects community members and protects the integrity and effectiveness of University messages by minimizing unsolicited, mass-delivered messaging. Purpose of this Policy
The Mass Email Communications policy identifies instances in which mass email communications are appropriate and allowable, how those messages are approved, and alternatives when mass email requests are not appropriate. Its structure is drawn, in part, from the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, which makes an important distinction about the management of unsolicited email:
messages must include an opt-out mechanism. In instances when members of the University community cannot opt out of a message stream, the University has a heightened responsibility to protect recipients from unsolicited messaging. Scope of the Policy
This policy discusses mass messaging sent through nd-employees@listserv.nd.edu, nd-employees-1@listserv.nd.edu, irishlink@listserv.nd.edu and irishlink-urgent@listserv.nd.edu . These four listservs are distinctive in the following ways:
They reach all faculty and staff (nd-employees) or all students (irishlink). Membership is required; these email listservs have no opt-out function. They were created so members of the community could be quickly reached with critical University information. Historically (through spring 2010), they were available for use by any campus entity to communicate University-affiliated information; no protocol existed to limit their use. Criteria for Mass Email Approval
In spring 2010, responding to community concern, the University officers adopted limits to the use of “nd-employees” and “irishlink.” The criteria are outlined below. Messages must:
Be deemed essential by a University officer, and carry that officer’s signature (e.g., Attend the Opening Mass and Picnic; National Championship Team Returns Tonight) Be critical, time sensitive, and germane to the University’s mission (e.g., United Way Campaign Begins; Join Father Jenkins at the March for Life; OIT announcements about technology outages) Address an issue of campus safety or health (e.g., Crime Alert, Flu Shot Clinics start Monday) Address a recommended or required student or employee activity that applies to all or the vast majority of listserv members (e.g., Register for Classes; Renew your Parking Pass; Elect your Annual Benefits through Open Enrollment) Listserv Ownership and the Approval Process
Management duties for “nd-employees” or “irishlink” are shared in the following manner:
For Irishlink@listserv.nd.edu and Irishlink-urgent@listserv.nd.edu, the Office of the Registrar is authorized to send out messages to faculty and students about managing academic life; the OIT is authorized to send out messages about technology service issues or changes. Other messages are reviewed and approved by the Office of Internal Communications. Messages sent by the elected officials of student government have a high priority. Other messages are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Internal Communications. For nd-employees@listserv.nd.edu and nd-employees-1@listserv.nd.edu, the Office of Human Resources is authorized to send out messages related to HR activities; the OIT is authorized to send out messages about technology service issues or changes. Other messages are reviewed and approved by the Office of Internal Communications. Messages sent by the University President, Executive Vice President, and NDSP have a high priority. Other messages are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Internal Communications. Best Practices for Email Messages
Entities who wish to distribute critical messages through “nd-employees” and “irishlink” should adhere to the following effective email practices:
The subject line is brief and descriptive. The From line identifies the sender. Attachments are PDF-formatted only. The announcement uses an official email template designed by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications that signals its status as an official University announcement. The text should: Use a minimum of HTML coding and images Indicate to whom the message is being sent Indicate why the message in being sent Be brief, drives recipients to other locations for further information Include contact information: an email address and phone Communicating through Special-Interest Email Lists
Those whose email content is not appropriate for “nd-employees” or “irishlink” distribution have the option of distributing their messages via email through the University’s listserv software (listserv.nd.edu). This software allows campus entities to generate subject-specific or special interest listservs. They tend to be built around a specific identity, such as “Campus Communicators” or those who want regular updates on specific types of events (e.g., the arts, fitness, or employee training). These listservs respect recipient privacy in two ways: members must accept an invitation to join the listserv—thus the email is solicited. Also, the listserv software includes an opt-out function for those who wish to leave the listserv. Content should follow the Best Practices information noted above.
A secondary solution that is increasing in popularity is the use of an inexpensive third-party direct email service. These services have two advantages: members of the lists can always opt out, and list managers can access analytics that indicate the number of recipients who viewed the content and/or clicked through to embedded links. Further information about either of these solutions can be discussed with the Office of Internal Communications.
A Note of Caution
The University
highly discourages the creation of email lists comprised of campus members who are included without their knowledge or permission, and notes that creating such lists violates CAN-SPAM legislation. Creators of these types of lists are required to immediately honor an individual’s request to be removed. | 6,732 | 2,771 | 0.000369 |
warc | 201704 | Pregnancy and work
Toggle: English / Spanish
Alternate Names Introduction
Most women who are pregnant can keep working during their pregnancy. Some women are able to work right up until they are ready to deliver. Others may need to cut back on their hours or stop working before their due date.
Whether you can work or not depends on your health, the health of the baby, and the type of job you have. Below are some factors that affect your ability to work.
Heavy Lifting
If your job requires heavy lifting, standing, or walking, you may need to work fewer hours each day. You should put less stress on your body the closer you get to your due date.
Exposure to Workplace Hazards
If you work in a job where you are around hazards (poisons or toxins) you may need to change your role until after the baby is born. Some hazards that may pose a threat to the baby include:
Hair colorants: When pregnant, avoid getting or giving hair treatments. Your hands could absorb the chemicals in the color. Chemotherapy drugs: These are drugs used to treat people with health problems like cancer. They are very strong drugs. They may affect health care workers like nurses or pharmacists. Lead: You could be exposed to lead if you work in lead smelting, paint/battery/glass making, printing, ceramics, pottery glazing, toll booths, and heavily traveled roads. Ionizing radiation: This applies to x-ray techs and people who work in some types of research. (This type of radiation is not the same as radiation from computers, TVs, and microwave oven. Non-ionizing radiation is not harmful.)
Ask your employer about any hazards or poisons in your workplace. Ask these questions:
Are the levels toxic? Is the workplace ventilated (Is there proper airflow to let the chemicals out)? What is in place to protect workers from hazards? Carpal Tunnel
If you work with a computer, you may notice numbness or tingling in your hands. This may be carpal tunnel syndrome. The numbness and tingling is caused by the body holding onto extra fluid.
The fluid causes swelling of tissues, which pinch down on the nerves in the hands. It is common in pregnancy as women retain extra fluid.
The symptoms may come and go. They often feel worse at night. Most often, they get better after you give birth. If the pain is causing you problems, you can try a few things for relief:
If you work at a computer, adjust the height of your chair so your wrists aren't bent downward as you type. Take short breaks to move your arms and stretch your hands. Try a wrist or hand brace or an ergonomic keyboard. Sleep with a splint or brace on your hands, or prop your arms on pillows. If pain or tingling wakes you up at night, shake your hands until it goes away.
If your symptoms get worse or affect your daily life, talk to your doctor.
Stress
Stress at work -- and everywhere else -- is a normal part of life. But too much stress can lead to health problems for you and your baby. Stress can also affect how well your body can fight off infection or disease.
A few tips to deal with stress are:
Talk about your worries with your partner or a friend. See your health care provider for regular prenantal care. Follow a healthy diet and stay active. Get plenty of sleep each night. Meditate or pray.
Ask for help when you need it. If you are having a hard time dealing with stress, talk to your doctor. He may refer you to a counselor or therapist who can help you better manage the stress in your life.
References Version Info
Last reviewed on 8/23/2012 Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Bellevue, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch)
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2013 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. | 4,998 | 2,450 | 0.000411 |
warc | 201704 | E-commerce is a potential gold mine for women in developing countries, but to seize those opportunities women will first have to overcome obstacles of education, infrastructure and finance, says a new UNCTAD report, released today(1). And while they are already tapping into the growing demand for outsourcing in services, they tend to be clustered at the low end of the skills and salary spectrum and risk being left behind by new technologies if they, and their governments, do not prepare now.
Self-employed women in the developing world, be they microentrepreneurs or women working from home, are increasingly turning to e-commerce and the Internet as a way to earn income and save time and costs while also meeting their family responsibilities. The growing business-to-consumer (B2C) or retail sector in their countries offers many possibilities for small businesses with access to information technologies (IT). Such businesses have the advantage of low capital and skills requirements, and many of them are owned by women. Success stories are to be found on every continent. In India, an e-marketplace called IndiaShop has eliminated middlemen in the selling of saris. A nationwide housewives´ network in Peru, Tortasperu, which bakes confectioneries and sells them over the Internet, has generated lucrative work for women taking care of children at home while also providing the country with much-needed foreign exchange. Ethiopia has opened an Internet gift shop that sells traditional costumes, food and spices produced by women. And handmade products made by women artisans in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia are sold through a virtual shop called Elsouk. Such opportunities are particularly significant for women in Asia, where IT-enabled or remote services - business process outsourcing of former back-office operations -- have grown exponentially, and where women head 35% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
But this kind of e-commerce is limited to certain market segments, dictated largely by a country´s infrastructure and trading strength. Commodities like garments and handicrafts cannot be delivered online, and use of the Internet is confined to advertising, ordering and possibly collecting payments, which can be difficult in developing countries that have not yet developed or accepted secure online payments technology. Some women have thus found a market niche in the buying or selling of information rather than tangible goods. At Grameen Phone in Bangladesh, women buy cellphones and provide mobile payphone services in their shops or local markets; freelance women journalists in India and Malaysia deliver their services online.
More promising opportunities for women lie in the business-to-business (B2B) segment of e-commerce, the report finds. The ability to transfer digitized data online, assuming adequate infrastructure and bandwidth, is leading companies in developed and developing countries alike to outsource some business operations to distant and usually cheaper locations. Developing countries that can offer a cheap, skilled computer- and English-literate workforce are the most targeted sites - and that workforce is predominantly female.
Job prospects in telework
The global expansion of software and IT-enabled services has broadened the job prospects for women. Women in some Asian and Latin American countries hold more than 20% of professional jobs in software services. The worldwide demand for IT-enabled services is expected to grow dramatically. But while such work covers a range of skills, from data entry and capture to software programming and systems analysis, women tend to be hired for operations requiring less complex skills (see box). "It is worth monitoring this gender differential", the report warns, "as the next round of technological changes, for example in the areas of voice recognition and computer image processing, may make some of these skills less saleable in the international market". Because of the increase in e-commerce, such areas as network and data centre management, end-user support and web hosting are increasingly being outsourced. If women are to boost their share in these services, they will need more training in Internet skills.
In the meantime, however, teleworking has become one of the most popular forms of performing outsourced IT operations. It allows women in particular to work either from home or from such institutions as call centres or satellite offices, as required by the employer. While there is no uniform preference for types of telework among women in developing countries, age and stage of life do mould their choices. Younger, less experienced women tend to work in call centres, while older women and professional women with children often prefer home work, particularly when collective childcare is unavailable. Institution-based teleworking is generally a more attractive option both for working mothers with young children and for management, which finds it easier to monitor and supervise employees, the report finds.
Digital gender ceiling
Women in both developed and developing countries are clustered in the low-skills end of IT work and largely absent from its upper echelons -- and this despite the fact that training policies are in theory gender-neutral. Few women are actual producers of information technology as Internet content providers, web designers, software programmers or computer troubleshooters. In the US, where 50% of Internet users are women, they comprise 85% of data entry workers and a minority of mid- to upper-level managers. The disparity is likely to be greater in developing countries, where an even lower proportion of women use the Internet, from a high of 38% in Latin America and 22% in Asia to a low of 6% in the Middle East (see table).
Combating "cyber sex discrimination"
But the experiences of developed countries will not necessarily be replicated in the developing ones. The report finds that when girls and women are given appropriate and sufficiently early education in science, technology, computers and the Internet, they can actually outperform boys and men. The collective use of telephone and Internet facilities can also help women to overcome access and infrastructure constraints and reduce the growing digital divide between countries and genders, warding off the "impending cyber sex discrimination" warned of by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Mobile telephony and other technologies are also narrowing the gaps.
Apart from lacking access to infrastructure and education, lack of capital is the third key obstacle to women in e-commerce. There are also social and cultural factors to contend with: in some societies, women have less free time, do not control family income or assets, receive less education than men and must restrict their presence in public. The predominance of English, which is a sine qua non for most outsourcing from the largest markets, the US and the UK, is another barrier, pointing to the importance of women learning English. At the same time, however, "the increasing trend towards multilingual content provides a digital opportunity in terms of language translation in software development and in web design in native languages", the report says.
In addition, the major ICT markets are now facing a serious shortage of IT skills, with the gap between supply and demand projected to reach 28% by 2004. The labour shortfall will be most severe in Latin America (63%), Europe, the Middle East and Africa (40%), followed by North America (27%) and Asia/Pacific (12%). The implications are promising for women, whose labour force participation rates have been rising in developing countries. This means the Internet has the potential to "ensure a level playing field for women and men", according to the report. | 7,888 | 3,646 | 0.000276 |
warc | 201704 | The traditional argument about the future of UNLV has been between what we’ll call the Harvard of the West model and the Cal State Bakersfield of the East model: Either secure the funding, somehow, to continue UNLV’s efforts to become a top-tier research university (maybe not the Harvard of the West, but at least the Utah of Nevada) or accept the realities of funding, community and population and steer UNLV toward becoming a solid all-access four-year college, something like the Cal State schools. Regardless of how that question is answered, though, the fact remains that Las Vegas suffers from a lamentable lack of institutional diversity in higher education.
So why not create a good private liberal arts college here? It would fill a much-needed educational niche for Las Vegas kids who don’t want to leave the Valley; it would keep local talent in town; it would draw unique minds—both students and academics—to the area; and it would create competitive and cooperative synergies with UNLV. Most importantly, it would give much-needed emphasis on the importance of a traditional liberal arts education.
We’ve increasingly come to think of higher education as advanced job-training; this is understandable both from the point of view of the student (who, after all, is going to need a job) and the community (which is going to need the student to get a job). But there are two good arguments for old-fashioned emphasis on the arts and sciences. First, the specific tasks we perform on the job are evolving so rapidly that the best preparation for many jobs is a trained mind that can think logically and creatively about a wide variety of tasks. Second, when we look at the level of public discourse in recent years, maybe it’s a good time to embrace the hoary notion that higher education prepares critical-thinking citizens capable of dealing with and appreciating a complicated, maddening, and occasionally beautiful world. | 1,974 | 1,039 | 0.000982 |
warc | 201704 | POPE FRANCIS
GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today I would like to reflect on the issue of the environment, as I have already had an opportunity to do on various occasions. I was also prompted to think about this because of today’s World Environment Day, sponsored by the United Nations, which is launching a pressing appeal for the need to eliminate waste and the destruction of food.
When we talk about the environment, about creation, my thoughts go to the first pages of the Bible, to the Book of Genesis, where it says that God puts men and women on the earth to till it and keep it (cf. 2:15). And these questions occur to me: What does cultivating and preserving the earth mean? Are we truly cultivating and caring for creation? Or are we exploiting and neglecting it? The verb “cultivate” reminds me of the care a farmer takes to ensure that his land will be productive and that his produce will be shared.
What great attention, enthusiasm and dedication! Cultivating and caring for creation is an instruction of God which he gave not only at the beginning of history, but has also given to each one of us; it is part of his plan; it means making the world increase with responsibility, transforming it so that it may be a garden, an inhabitable place for us all. Moreover on various occasions Benedict XVI has recalled that this task entrusted to us by God the Creator requires us to grasp the pace and the logic of creation. Instead we are often guided by the pride of dominating, possessing, manipulating and exploiting; we do not “preserve” the earth, we do not respect it, we do not consider it as a freely-given gift to look after.
We are losing our attitude of wonder, of contemplation, of listening to creation and thus we no longer manage to interpret in it what Benedict XVI calls “the rhythm of the love-story between God and man”. Why does this happen? Why do we think and live horizontally, we have drifted away from God, we no longer read his signs.
However “cultivating and caring” do not only entail the relationship between us and the environment, between man and creation. They also concern human relations. The popes have spoken of a
human ecology, closely connected with environmental ecology. We are living in a time of crisis; we see it in the environment, but above all we see it in men and women. The human person is in danger: this much is certain — the human person is in danger today, hence the urgent need for human ecology! And the peril is grave, because the cause of the problem is not superficial but deeply rooted. It is not merely a question of economics but of ethics and anthropology. The Church has frequently stressed this; and many are saying: yes, it is right, it is true... but the system continues unchanged since what dominates are the dynamics of an economy and a finance that are lacking in ethics. It is no longer man who commands, but money, money, cash commands. And God our Father gave us the task of protecting the earth — not for money, but for ourselves: for men and women. We have this task! Nevertheless men and women are sacrificed to the idols of profit and consumption: it is the “culture of waste”. If a computer breaks it is a tragedy, but poverty, the needs and dramas of so many people end up being considered normal. If on a winter's night, here on the Via Ottaviano — for example — someone dies, that is not news. If there are children in so many parts of the world who have nothing to eat, that is not news, it seems normal. It cannot be so! And yet these things enter into normality: that some homeless people should freeze to death on the street — this doesn’t make news. On the contrary, when the stock market drops 10 points in some cities, it constitutes a tragedy. Someone who dies is not news, but lowering income by 10 points is a tragedy! In this way people are thrown aside as if they were trash.
This “culture of waste” tends to become a common mentality that infects everyone. Human life, the person, are no longer seen as a primary value to be respected and safeguarded, especially if they are poor or disabled, if they are not yet useful — like the unborn child — or are no longer of any use — like the elderly person. This culture of waste has also made us insensitive to wasting and throwing out excess foodstuffs, which is especially condemnable when, in every part of the world, unfortunately, many people and families suffer hunger and malnutrition. There was a time when our grandparents were very careful not to throw away any left over food. Consumerism has induced us to be accustomed to excess and to the daily waste of food, whose value, which goes far beyond mere financial parameters, we are no longer able to judge correctly.
Let us remember well, however, that whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor, from the hungry! I ask everyone to reflect on the problem of the loss and waste of food, to identify ways and approaches which, by seriously dealing with this problem, convey solidarity and sharing with the underprivileged.
A few days ago, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, we read the account of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish. And the end of this passage is important: “and all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces (Lk 9:17). Jesus asked the disciples to ensure that nothing was wasted: nothing thrown out! And there is this fact of 12 baskets: why 12? What does it mean? Twelve is the number of the tribes of Israel, it represents symbolically the whole people. And this tells us that when the food was shared fairly, with solidarity, no one was deprived of what he needed, every community could meet the needs of its poorest members. Human and environmental ecology go hand in hand.
I would therefore like us all to make the serious commitment to respect and care for creation, to pay attention to every person, to combat the culture of waste and of throwing out so as to foster a culture of solidarity and encounter. Thank you.
Greetings:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore and the United States. God bless you all!
Lastly, an affectionate thought to the
young people, the sick and the newlyweds. The month of June is dedicated by popular piety to the Heart of Jesus. The Heart of Jesus teaches you, dear young people, the beauty of loving and of feeling loved; may Christ’s Heart, dear sick people, be your support in trials and suffering; and may it sustain you, dear newlyweds, on your new path of married life.
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana | 7,003 | 3,339 | 0.000306 |
warc | 201704 | In today's unpredictable planetary economy, you patently never know what is going to fall out next. Uncertainties and concerns in relation to the Iraqi threat, North Korean crisis, and out of sight terrorist cells and networks persist to be head and shoulders above in the final of the minds of consumers. Moreover, the trite markets and industries nigh on the global.
Price inflation is other highest consideration for each person. The up-to-the-minute Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure free by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics states that prices, in all U.S. cities, are up 0.1% in the calendar month of December for the calendar twelvemonth of 2002. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a program that produces unit of time facts on changes in the prices reply-paid by urban consumers for a emblematic container of artifact and employment. Furthermore, the national state charge continues to stay behind steady-going at 6.0% for the month of December 2002. Believe it or not, this may not be as bad as it sounds. | 1,040 | 601 | 0.001669 |
warc | 201704 | The job market had a record-breaking month in November.
According to a report from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, retailers added 465,500 seasonal workers last month, the most ever for November.
The net gain in retail employment achieved last month barely surpassed the previous record set in 2007, when retail payrolls grew by 465,400 workers during the month of November.
Job gains were up 21 percent from the 383,700 seasonal workers hired by retailers a year ago. Retail employment has grown by a total of 610,700 in October and November, up 19 percent from 512,600 in the same two-month period a year ago.
“Despite all of the uncertainty, all the talk of fiscal cliffs, the widespread damage to retail epicenters on the east coast by Hurricane Sandy, and the continued growth of e-commerce, retailers are hiring holiday workers in record numbers,” said John A. Challenger, COO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Last year, retail employment increased by 147,600 in December. Even if retailers simply match that level of hiring activity, seasonal hiring this year could reach nearly 760,000. If that occurs, it would the strongest retail holiday hiring season since 2000, when 788,100 seasonal workers were added to retail payrolls. | 1,275 | 684 | 0.001482 |
warc | 201704 | E-stim From Aneros Wiki
Electrical stimulation (e-stim or electro-stim) devices fall into several distinct groups:
The traditional Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (TENS) units used for pain management, which overload the neural pathway thereby blocking the sensation of pain. The higher intensity exerciser stimulators that cause contraction of skeletal muscles. Originally developed for the Russian cosmonauts for the confines of space, these devices found their way into the confines of late night TV infomercials. The BDSM type of stimulation devices which are really repackaged versions of the more traditional TENS units. More recently, e-stim units specifically designed for erotic stimulation purposes are being marketed which offer a variety of stimulation modes. One reportedly effective such e-stim device is the ™. Slightest Touch The Slightest Touchoperates differently than TENS units in that it generates a more natural, phasic stimulation, gently complementing nerve signals through neural pathways and effecting bodily processes as a result (arousal). The device was originally designed to aid women who had difficulty achieving orgasm through conventional techniques. The device was designed to stimulate the hypogastric, pudendal, and pelvic nerves in women via the body’s energy pathways known as meridians. This has the result of taking women to and maintaining them at the pre-orgasmic plateau. From this level, orgasm is possible with little effort and thereafter one is returned back to the pre-orgasmic plateau. As arousal is maintained, multiple orgasms are made possible. The Slightest Touchis dual pole module with leads (wires) that connect to electrode pads delivering electrical stimulation transcutaneously. The device is simple to operate with an ON/OFF dial, doubling as the intensity control. It is powered by one 9-volt transistor battery. As one would assume, the manufacturer’s instructions are written for women (they provide a simple “Quick Start guide” that uses photos to guide you through the process); The idea behind this product is not that you’re zapped into an orgasm, rather it works very subtly to arouse you to a point where actual physical stimulation is magnified in intensity, such that one can experience orgasm of a greater magnitude. The Slightest Touchdevice may be used to enhance a traditional orgasm as well, in sub-threshold and threshold modes in conjunction with more hands on activities. In the sub-threshold mode the device seems to elevate the intensity of the orgasm (ejaculation) just use traditional stimulation techniques. To go threshold, you may want to consider changing the placement of the pads to the base of the penis or perineum, and simply dial up the electrical intensity. With this method the device generates a tickling, tingling pulsing sensation. The Slightest Touchcan benefit newbies and advanced Aneros owners alike. For the newbie, it is just possible this device may provide the little extra push they’ve been looking for to get them over the top into the Super-O. For advanced users it’s another weapon for their erotic arsenal. You must specifically request the instructions for male use at the time of purchase. The Two other manufacturers of popular e-stim devices are ™ and Erostek ™ P.E.S. One reportedly effective such e-stim device is the | 3,400 | 1,596 | 0.000637 |
warc | 201704 | A little time spent now on preventive maintenance can save hours of PC troubleshooting later — and provide better computing all year long.
Use the following steps to give your PC an annual checkup — and ensure it starts 2013 as healthy as possible.
Undo a year’s worth of wear and tear
Consider what your PC has been through in the past 12 months: Windows Update added dozens of patches to your operating system; you’ve likely installed some new third-party software, uninstalled other programs, and upgraded or patched apps and utilities; and you’ve probably altered, tuned, and tweaked various aspects of your system’s user interface and software settings. And you’ve undoubtedly created and deleted myriad new emails, documents, photos, MP3s, videos, spreadsheets, and such.
All during that time, your hard drive spun hundreds of millions of revolutions and the system fans rotated for hundreds of hours. Heat, dust, and chemical degradation did their inevitable damage, reducing the remaining physical life of your system’s components. In short, just as we’re a year older, our PCs are not the same machines they were a year ago.
To ensure your system runs smoothly for another year, now’s a good time to perform some extra maintenance. It’ll help prevent new errors from piling on old ones and keep your system fundamentally sound.
Preserve and protect system data — Take 1
As with all significant changes to a PC, start any serious system maintenance with a full system backup — if anything goes awry, you can recover quickly.
(An up-to-date backup is good insurance against all manner of ills that might bring down a PC: power spikes, hard-drive crashes, malware infestations, cockpit error, and many other calamities.) | 1,801 | 982 | 0.001063 |
warc | 201704 | Women And Winstrol
Winstrol is a popular type of anabolic steroid. Known chemically as Stanozolol, it is believed by many people to be one of the few steroids women can safely take. Women may choose to take Winstrol in order to complement their strength training or bodybuilding regimen. It is important to note, however, that the majority of people who use Winstrol or Winstrol Depot are men; even in very low doses, this steroid can cause very adverse reactions in women. Although it may be the safest steroid for females, it still carries a great deal of risk for them as well.
Why Women Might Take Winstrol When compared with most other anabolic steroids available today, Winstrol is believed to have a far greater anabolic effect on women. This means that it promotes muscle mass effectively and when combined with a regular bodybuilding routine it can help enhance the overall build of a woman's muscles. Obviously, this is primarily the same reason that men use Winstrol as well. However, many other types of anabolic steroids simply don't achieve very noticeable or dramatic results in women. This is why Winstrol or Stanozolol is one of the few types of steroid considered by females. At the same time, women usually face a great risk of androgenic effects when taking most anabolic steroids. This means that a woman can easily begin experiencing very unwelcome side effects like a deepening voice or hair in unwanted places that usually only occurs in males. In other words, a woman might begin to appear more masculine, which is usually not what most females want to have happen. Winstrol, however, is believed to have less of an androgenic effect on women. Regardless of the lessened likelihood of androgenic effects and the increased anabolic effects so prized by women, Winstrol still poses a nearly unacceptable risk of such things for most females. If a woman decides to take Winstrol, she needs to use very small doses in order to further decrease the chances of adverse effects. Most women simply stay away from all types of anabolic steroids, as even the most remote chance of having androgenic effects is unacceptable. Risks Of Winstrol In Women As noted above, even if Winstrol is taken in small doses it still poses a risk of causing androgenic effects in women. It should also be noted that these effects are usually permanent. Even if Winstrol use is stopped, the androgenic effects like a deepened voice or hair growth in unwanted place may continue for the rest of a woman's life. There is no way of reversing this effect, and women need to bear this in mind when they consider using Winstrol to enhance their strength training or bodybuilding routine. Extremely small doses of Winstrol are the best advised course of action for women who insist on using this steroid. In such applications, it primarily provides extra strength and endurance to a woman's abilities, rather than major anabolic enhancements. In fact, this is the most common use of Winstrol in women. Whether it is taken in pill form as regular Winstrol, or injected as Winstrol depot, this steroid still poses many risks for female bodybuilders. | 3,141 | 1,365 | 0.000734 |
warc | 201704 | When you are training for a race, you are learning how to pace yourself, how to be calm, and how to deal with roadblocks. The same principles can easily be applied to daily life.
Just ask Emily and Sydney - two fourth graders who are members of the Calhoun County branch of Girls on The Run.
"I have this friend at school and she's not always the nicest to me - and they give me ideas [on] what to do," says Emily, who's nine.
"When they do the lessons it also helps you mentally get ready for the running - and physically, because they train you mentally and physically, I guess," says 10-year-old Sydney. "To just keep thinking you can do it and if you keep thinking that, you can do it."
Emiiy and Sydney are two of 33 third through fifth grade girls at Sonoma Elementary who are in the program. Girls on the Run is an international nonprofit organization that teaches life skills to young girls - all while preparing them to run a 5K.
Sydney says it also teaches you to be yourself.
"It makes you realize that you can stand up for what you believe is right and it's just really great for you. I was really scared to admit that I want to do fishing when I grow up - cause all the other girls want to do other stuff like nail salon and stuff like that," she says. "But now I'm not afraid to admit it."
The girls who participate are in third, fourth, and fifth grade - an age where they are right on the cusp of being teenagers - and having to face the growing social issues that come with it, says program director Katie Thill.
"This is really a great program for girls to be with other girls and talk about issues that they don't have time to talk about during the day. They can do it in a safe environment with coaches who care - and those coaches are there to help you so that you can eventually talk to your parents about this, talk with your teachers about this," she says. "It's a good girl time that you can really have that I don't think a lot of girls get or don't know how to do anymore."
The program itself lasts for ten weeks. The Calhoun County branch has been active for 7 years, and 700 girls are active members across the county. Council director Hope Grable tries to demonstrate to the girls that learning to communicate less scary than it seems – something that grown-ups can benefit from as well, she says.
“There's a lesson about being a good listener - 'What's a good listener look like...what's a bad listener look like?' - and we role-play. And there were times when I wasn't being a good listener at home and my daughter would call me out,” she remembers, as her daughter also went through the program.
“And I remember being a kid, you didn't talk about how you felt. Even at home - I never talked about how I felt. And it's just so important to be able to talk about how we're feeling."
On May 30, the girls will run their big race at Binder Park Zoo. It's going to be a festive occasion - there'll be tutus, a photo booth, and spray-painted hair. But the fun and the feeling of empowerment will last much longer than any runner's high could.
"A lot of our girls when they start - I think they think 'Oh, I'm going to be running all the time.' but really it's fun to see how a lot f girls will start walking and then see 'Oh I can actually finish a 5k' - you see girls form friendships and look up to other girls as role models - which you wouldn't get outside of GOTR,” says Thill.
Grable agrees: "We don't force our girls to run, we encourage them to move forward. Hop, skip, jump - as long as you're moving forward, that's the most important thing." | 3,638 | 1,747 | 0.000582 |
warc | 201704 | The Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of President Obama’s proposal to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour by 2016.
CBO: “The increase in the minimum wage would have two principal effects on low-wage workers: The large majority would have higher wages and family income, but a much smaller group would be jobless and have much lower family income.”
Specifically, it would cost 500,000 jobs in 2016, but “would raise income for about 16.5 million workers by $31 billion, potentially pulling nearly 1 million people out of poverty,” reports The Hill.
Both sides were quick to respond:
The office of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio): “This report confirms what we’ve long known: while helping some, mandating higher wages has real costs, including fewer people working.”
Jason Furman, Chairman of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, claims the report is flawed: “The bulk of academic studies, have concluded that the effects on employment of minimum wage increases in the range now under consideration are likely to be small to nonexistent.”
Matthew Yglesias weighs in: “If the White House genuinely believes that a hike to $10.10 would have zero negative impact on job creation, then the White House is probably proposing too low a number.”
“If $10.10 an hour would raise incomes and cost zero jobs, then why not go up to $11 and raise incomes even more at the cost of a little bit of disemployment?”Save to Favorites | 1,540 | 839 | 0.001261 |
warc | 201704 | Companies thrive when all members of their teams are motivated. When an individual with valuable skills fails to meet expectations, it can seem time-consuming and a drain on resources to put in the effort to improve his individual performance. Instead, focusing on an overall strategy to increase the motivation of all employees, including those who have an unsatisfactory history with the organization, can be the solution. With the dedication and commitment of the company overall, including senior managers, employees can feel motivated to give their best every day.
Express a positive attitude about your employees. Positive feelings about your business will permeate throughout the company; subordinates will feel motivated to put their best foot forward when they know they are valued and appreciated.
Foster initiatives to increase employee happiness. Enjoying an occupation goes a long way to increase motivation; even difficult subordinates will benefit from flexible work schedules, community-based volunteer activities and a collegial working atmosphere that will increase their willingness to be at the office.
Give employees more autonomy. A difficult subordinate whose behavior is counterproductive may become more in step with company culture if he is trusted to make sound decisions. Autonomy can also increase employee happiness by increasing an employee's ownership in her work.
Encourage the voicing of complaints. Difficult subordinates may simply feel their concerns are not heard, and their lack of motivation may be turned around by a formal process that lets them know their concerns are heard and responded to.
Make visible sacrifices for the good of the company. Long-term employees who have been promised great things by the company and have seen those promises fall through, may no longer trust company leadership. Members of senior management who take a personal pay reduction or eliminate some of their own benefits may start the process of rebuilding trust and increasing motivation.
Demonstrate public support for your employees. Whether in small meetings or large company gatherings, expressing your appreciation for your employees and acknowledging the risk they take by offering new ideas can contribute to an employee's overall feeling of value. Difficult subordinates will benefit from this feeling of being valued.
Express commitment to difficult subordinates by making employee motivation an ongoing priority. Human capital can be your company's strongest asset, and investing in keeping all members of your team motivated can bring your company tangible returns.
Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images | 2,661 | 1,263 | 0.000795 |
warc | 201704 | Obtaining health coverage after getting retired is the largest issue that workers, which have saved enough funds for early retirement, are facing nowadays.
In case you're healthy enough, or in case you already posses an individual or family insurance policy, consider yourself lucky. I doesn't really matter how many clinical matters you've had, if you had a good health condition when first requested, you are possibly still returning the fundamental premium for a robust person aged same as you. Fundamental premiums on HSA-qualified insurance policies vary between $158 and $252 per month if dealing with top bearers.
Tip one - In case you're older than fifty and looking for individual or family health policy, it could be wiser to detach your family members when you request, specifically in case you are older than your spouse.
Insurance for families and couples is at times found on the oldest person's age, and various bearers have different bands of age-rating: one could be between 55 and 59 and the other one - 56 and 60; so, look around and check out various family members' combinations to locate the most beneficial deal.
If you select a family plan, place it in the younger spouse's name so that individual still has insurance when the time comes for the older to switch on Medicare.
Tip two - Premiums for persons aged between 55 and 64 are so expensive that sometimes it can practically be less costly to obtain state-guaranteed health policy from a country risk integration as if it was that you are ill or sick - check the rates in the area you live in.
To become acceptable for country risk integration, you usually need to first request and get refused or modernized by a private bearer, although many risk integrations can take you in you with only a letter signed by a certificated agent declaring you are prone to being modernized or refused if you had requested.
Consulting with your boss for early pension health insurance expenditures
Possibly, you are not just one aged between 55 and 64 who would wish to retire a bit earlier and save employer-provided group health advantages insurance plan-your boss and your workmates have a strong fiscal motive for you to proceed in that way.
Even in case you aren't using a single penny in annual medicinal expenditures, found solely on how old you are, your premium is about three times bigger than the rate for a younger worker.
The complete rate for an employer-provided group cheap health insurance plan is found on a yearly inventory of the workers, with the rate for an elderly employee usually three times higher than the premium for a younger worker - even in case they are both robust.
And so, you can have some arguments to discuss about with your boss, who will be able to save an important money amount if you abandon the enterprise's group health insurance.
Tip three - Avoid asking your boss to do anything solely for you having to do with its ERISA-governed worker advantages plan - employers are not permitted to offer anything to you not proffering the same advantage to all others. Anyway, there are paths to ask about certain benefits without breaking ERISA.
For instance, assume you are 61, want to resign early, and wish your boss to return the $250 monthly premium on your personal insurance till you turn 65. Offer your boss to quit in exchange for a $9,000 completion bonus.
Tip four - Ask your advantages manager whether your firm will shortly be proffering a pensioner medicinal Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), and if not, you should ask for yours.
Other Great Post | 3,584 | 1,702 | 0.00059 |
warc | 201704 | The New Coke Length:1840 words (5.3 double-spaced pages) Rating:Excellent Open Document
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1. Introduction
Coke was invented by Dr. John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist and his three-legged brass pot all the way back in 1886; by 1985 Coke was closing in fast on its centennial anniversary. (Cook, 2002) Coke along with the legendary chairman Roberto C. Goizueta had witnessed a remarkable set of accomplishments during the 1980's. There were some creeping problems, however. The 87-year old rivalry between Coca-Cola, the traditional market leader, and Pepsi Cola, the perennial runner up, took an unexpected turn in the mid-1970s. Pepsi's consumer research had discovered in blind taste tests that a majority of consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi over that of Coke. In fact, even a majority of loyal Coke drinkers were reported preferring Pepsi in the tests. Pepsi began communicating these findings to consumers through "Pepsi Challenge" television ads, during those days, showing taste tests where Coca-Cola drinkers expressed preferences for a cola which was then revealed to be Pepsi. (Schindler, 1992)
By 1977, Pepsi had actually pulled ahead of Coke in food store market share. (Schindler, 1992) Coke's lead had dropped from a better than two to one margin to a mere 4.9 percent lead by 1984. (Bastedo & Davis, 1993) Coke was clearly in danger of becoming the Number-Two soft drink. In April 1985, the management of Coca-Cola Co. announced its decision to change the flavour of the company's flagship brand. The events that followed from this decision, as well as the factors which led up to it, have been reviewed, discussed, and extensively analyzed in this report.
2. The Reformulation
The Pepsi Challenge campaign had contributed to Coca-Cola's slow, but steady decline of market share in the soft-drink category. This erosion was most apparent in food store sales, which reflect consumer preferences more directly than do vending machine or fountain sales. Coke's management began researching the possibility of reformulating Coca-Cola to respond to the apparent changes that had occurred in consumer tastes. By 1984, researchers had arrived at a new formula for Coke. Before Coca-Cola launched New Coke they had invested US$4,000,000 in market research and undertook 200,000 blind taste tests. (Anon, n.d.) In all these blind (unbranded) taste tests the New Coke had outperformed both Pepsi and existing Coke. (Skapinker, 2001) These blind taste tests and focus groups were the basis of the launch of New Coke in 1985. (Cook, 2002) In addition to beating Pepsi, cola drinkers chose this new formula over the old Coke formula by 55% to 45% in blind taste tests and loyal Coke drinkers chose it over the old Coke formula by 53% to 47%.
Keywords:
In taste tests where the drinks were identified as "new Coke" and "old Coke," cola drinkers preferred the new formula over the old formula by 61% to 39%. (Schindler, 1992)
On April 23, 1985, New Coke was released to a great deal of fanfare. The company had taken the gamble because Coke's market share fell from 24.3 in 1980 to 21.8 in 1984. (Bastedo & Davis, 1993) The drop stemmed from the popularity of low-calorie drinks, including Diet Coke, and the "Pepsi Generation" campaigns made to America's youth. While the new formulation was well liked in preliminary taste tests, consumers across the country reacted strongly and negatively to the news that New Coke would replace the original drink. Coke's US market share was under 24 percent at the time and sales plummeted as loyal customers rejected New Coke. (Cook, 2002) Not quite three months after he made the mistake, Goizueta rectified it with the re-introduction of the original Coke under the name Coke Classic. (Ross, 2005) New Coke quickly faded away, Pepsi, which had briefly stolen the number one spot from Coke; fell back to number two, but the cola wars were not over.
3. How had the Coca-Cola management got it so wrong?
The one central mistake in Coca-Cola's decision to change the formula was maximization. When Goizueta became chairman in 1981, he was determined to be the chairman of change. His aggressive attitude helped reinvigorate what had become a sluggish company. Goizueta started shattering tradition early in his tenure. Putting the sacred Coke name on a new product for the first time, he had introduced diet Coke in 1982 followed by another new product Cherry Coke in early 1985. (Bastedo & Davis, 1993) Goizueta had moved the company aggressively and successfully into new fields, buying Columbia Pictures in 1982. (Bastedo & Davis, 1993) Goizueta and the other executives were getting caught up in the success of their previous changes and decided to make one grand decisive move to recapture the soft-drink market they were losing to Pepsi.
Coke's only deviation from the standard sequence in market research was that the quantitative survey of individuals appears to have been done before rather than after the focus groups. The results of the focus-group phase and the survey conflicted. Although both the focus groups and the survey had provided indications that there would be consumer dissatisfaction, the survey results indicated that this dissatisfaction would be limited to a small segment of the market; the focus groups suggested the dissatisfaction would be widespread. The researchers trusted the survey, which comprised a large number of interviews spread over a wide, and presumably representative, area.
The author personally feels that the failure of Coke's research in this instance is not as a result of intrinsic limitation of the capabilities of marketing research. Rather, the research was conducted or interpreted incorrectly. It was noted that although some have argued that Coke's research error was to over-generalize from inexact taste test results, the vast majority of people who have publicly voiced an opinion concerning where Coke's research efforts went wrong espouse what could be called the "wrong-question explanation."(Schindler, 1992) According to this view, the reason that Coke's marketing research did not detect the consumer outcry which resulted from the reformulation was that they did not make it clear to the taste-test respondents that if most people chose the new Coke flavour, then the traditional Coke flavour would no longer be available. In other words, rather than ask, "Which flavour do you like better," consumers should have been asked a more relevant question; "How would you feel if we discarded Coca-Cola's current taste and replaced it with this new taste?"
The New York Times' was quoted reporting on Coke's announcement of the reintroduction of old Coke began as follows: "When the Coca-Cola Company introduced a reformulated version of the world's best-selling soft drink on April 23, it was well aware that it might alienate some faithful Coke drinkers. The company, however, expected that alienation to fade. It was completely unprepared for how it would spread and deepen in the two months following the debut of the new Coke." (Schindler, 1992) It was predicted by the individual interviews which indicated that only 10%-12% of consumers would be upset. (Bastedo & Davis, 1993) But over time, as the majority of the population had the opportunity to be stimulated by media reports and other social interactions with angry Coke loyalists, most changed their minds. The focus group results clearly showed that, in such a situation, exposure to the views of angry Coke loyalists is likely to sway the others in the group to their position.
4. Were there less drastic alternatives?
The Coca-Cola Co. could have simply changed its campaigns to give Coke a younger image. Image is probably more important than taste in selling soft drink. If Coke was determined to change the recipe, it could have done it without letting anyone know. Alternatively, a New Coke could have been introduced without knocking out Old Coke off the shelves. But the company considered, and rejected, plans to keep the old-formula drink in circulation under the name "original" Coke. Why did they make the most drastic move? The taste question was crucial to Coke. But what Coca-Cola executives failed to realize was that there is more to marketing soft drinks than winning taste tests. More than any other product consumers had an emotional attachment to their soft drink brand. Coke discovered fiddling with the formula of the 99-year-old beverage was an assault to patriotic pride; something akin to burning the flag. The Coca-Cola President Donald R. Keough was quoted saying, "We did not understand the deep emotions of so many of our customers for Coca-Cola." (Ross, 2005)
5. Understanding your Loyal Customer
Any marketer who plans a noticeable revision of a product must consider the possibility that buyers will reject the change. To prevent this possibility, manufacturers should realize that balking at change is a customer characteristic independent of specific product preferences. They also should use sophisticated qualitative and quantitative research. Consumers resist changes for many reasons - brand choice results from a complex set of beliefs, buyers associate products with themselves, buyers do not fit into clear segments. The key issues involve what the product actually does for the user, and what emotional ties link the user to the brand.
6. Conclusion
The Coke reformulation attempt was a dramatic example on how consumer awareness of the reactions of other consumers can play a critical role in the success or failure of a new or altered product. It highlights the necessity for some explicit investigation of social-interaction effects during concept-testing research. Coca-Cola had focused on the product, not the brand and had neglected the emotional value of Coke' to the American public. They also asked the wrong questions, so their research provided irrelevant information. A brand with a well-documented heritage may be able to indicate trends or forecast results better than consumer research. An understanding of its brand heritage would indicate that Coca-Cola should never discard its main product in place of a new offering as it did with New Coke. (Kompella, 2003) This is a classic example of one of the biggest challenges in market research: knowing what you need to know to make a good decision.
Reference
Anonymous. (n.d.). The New Coke fiasco: Market research lessons
to be learnt, http://www.buildingbrands.com/didyouknow/08_new_coke.shtml, accessed 2nd May, 2005
Bastedo, M. and Davis, A. (1993). God, What a Blunder: The New Coke Story, http://members.lycos.co.uk/thomassheils/newcoke.htm, Dec 17, accessed 4th May, 2005
Cook, B. (2002). Coca-Cola a Classic, http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=101, Dec 2, accessed 3rd May, 2005
Kompella, K. (2003).Your brand's heritage may hold the keys to its future,
http://www.brandchannel.com/brand_speak.asp?bs_id=68, Aug 25, accessed 2nd May, 2005
Ross, M. E. (2005). It seemed like a good idea at the time. New coke, 20 years later, and other marketing fiascos, MSNBC, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7209828/, April 22, accessed 4th May, 2005
Schindler, R. M. (1992). The Real Lesson of New Coke: The Value of Focus Groups for Predicting the Effects of Social Influence, Marketing Research, Chicago: Dec.Vol.4, Iss. 4; p. 22 (6 pp.)
Skapinker, M. (2001). How the mighty fall for the silliest ideas: DECISION-MAKING: Bad business decisions are easy to make - just ask the people who backed the Millennium Dome, Financial Times, London (UK): Feb 27. p. 13 | 11,666 | 5,294 | 0.00019 |
warc | 201704 | San Diego County will be holding Operation Safeguard to avoid alcohol-related deaths over the holiday weekend. The entire county will be holding DUI checkpoints and roving patrols for the next five days, beginning today.
In addition to patrolling for drunk drivers, police will also be on lookout for any violations to social host and house party laws. If police suspect that a house party is serving alcohol to underage attendees, action will be taken.
Nashville, TN will be having a “no refusal” weekend beginning Wednesday, July 3 at 6pm and it will last until Sunday at midnight.
A no-refusal weekend means that drivers cannot refuse to take a BAC test, particularly a blood test, if the police suspect the particular driver to be under the influence. Refusing a BAC test will result in severe penalties, most likely a mandatory license suspension.
If you get arrested for a DUI this July 4, it will likely put a damper on your celebrations. However, things can be a whole lot worse if you choose to accept your charges and plead guilty. You can wind up in jail and you’ll have a criminal conviction on your record. This could prevent you from getting that dream job or an approval for a loan for that dream house.
However, it is possible to fight your charges and avoid these devastating consequences. By contacting an experienced DUI attorney, you have a chance to get your life back on track and move on from this terrible ordeal. If you get arrested, contact a lawyer as soon as you can. | 1,517 | 812 | 0.00125 |
warc | 201704 | 359 El Camino Real
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Lee R.Ingersoll D.D.S.
1200 N Tustin Ave Ste 111 Santa Ana, CA, 92705-3540 (714) 569-1128
Marcum, Lloyd D.D.S.
1129 Pacific St San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3301
Circle City Dental
720 Magnolia Ave # A3 Corona, CA, 92879-3119
Ramon, G Roges D.D.S.
8540 S Sepulveda Blvd # 1117 Los Angeles, CA, 90045-3819
Most dentists will agree that the tooth crown is at the heart of general dentistry. They've all studied dental crowns in dental school, and some have done their best work replacing a missing tooth and saving the rest.
Research has given them the wherewithal to achieve virtually ideal restorations. They are natural looking, comfortable and stable in the moist environment of the mouth. Cosmetic dentistry professionals are better equipped now more than ever to build strong, long-lasting and cosmetically superior dental crowns.
A crown (or cap) is a restoration placed over broken teeth or a cracked tooth that cannot sustain a conventional filling. By covering the biting surfaces and sides of the tooth, a dental crown strengthens the damaged tooth by binding together the remaining structures. There are basically three kinds of full-crown restorations that can be placed by your cosmetic dentist, each with pros and cons, depending on your situation.
A gold crown or metal alloy crowns have the longest track record for durability, but some people object to the look of metal.
A full porcelain crown - and its new ceramic cousin - looks wonderful and fits well; however, porcelain crowns are usually best on front teeth where stress is not so great.
Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns are our loyal work-horses for single-tooth restoration - they're very strong.
There are elements of finesse in the creation of any crown. The fit is the thing. The teeth must be prepared with opposing teeth in mind so a good bite won't go bad after the crown is placed. The fit must accommodate adjacent teeth, too. And the "margin," the part of the crown nearest the gum, must fit smoothly to protect the health of gum tissue.
And all this effort is to one end: to save a tooth.
The term "dental bonding" describes a dental procedure that is used for various purposes. Tooth-colored composite resins are applied to teeth for cosmetic reasons, to repair cracked and chipped teeth, protect exposed tooth roots against decay, or restore decayed teeth.
Usually the process is completed during one visit to your cosmetic dentist and doesn't require drilling or anesthesia. First, your tooth is prepared with an etching solution to help the dental bonding materials adhere.
Next, the resin is applied and contoured to the proper shape, then cured with either a special light or chemical treatment. The tooth is then polished for a natural-looking appearance. A follow-up appointment with your dentist may be recommended for additional polishing.
While the dental bonding materials are very durable, they still can chip and may need to be replaced periodically. Avoid excessive pressure such as chewing ice, hard candy or unpopped popcorn kernels. Dental bonding materials are susceptible to staining from tobacco, coffee, tea and berries. Alcohol and acid-containing foods such as vinegar, tomatoes or pineapple can damage the resin.
Regular dental check-ups are important for maintaining good dental health and natural-looking teeth.
By Danine M. Fresch, DDS | 3,429 | 1,782 | 0.000566 |
warc | 201704 | 22600 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 204
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Long H Le Endodontics
1595 Grand Ave # 105 San Marcos, CA, 92078-2450
Chan, Susan D.D.S.
106 La Casa Via # 230 Walnut Creek, CA, 94598-3012
Sung, Jay D.D.S.
174 W College St Covina, CA, 91723-2007
Sturm, A Jack D.D.S.
1515 State St # 7 Santa Barbara, CA, 93101-2536
Are you completely happy with your smile? Or do you find yourself dreaming...what if?
What if those front teeth were less prominent, or maybe a bit more even? Or if that missing tooth could be replaced? Or those broken teeth were no longer chipped and/or stained?
These days, restorative dentistry isn't limited to "movie stars" or "young women" and, it can be very conservative. But a smile makeover can pay huge dividends in terms of self-esteem. Many people have experienced thrilling improvements in their appearance from some of the simplest cosmetic dental implants. The one regret? They hadn't done it years earlier!
21st Century materials (onlays, inlays and veneers) and procedures (cosmetic laser dentistry) exist now that can put a bright smile within everyone's reach. Not only that, new restorative dentistry techniques continue to advance-rapidly! Make sure your cosmetic dental care team keeps up with these techniques by reading clinical journals and participating in Continuing Education courses. Also, be sure to ask your cosmetic dentist about new discoveries so that you can stay informed as well.
We've come a long way from the "yank 'em" philosophy of early dentistry, before techniques and materials gave us the wherewithal to save teeth. These days, there's rarely a case we can't salvage. It's a good time for dentists - saving teeth is why we get up in the morning.
The way we see it, a missing tooth is more than just a hindrance to normal chewing, more than a cosmetic bother. It's a threat to the entire architecture of your mouth.
The mouth is dynamic. Where there is a missing tooth, neighboring teeth drift, gum disease may crop up, even the unprotected bone ridge is susceptible to damage.
So we replace the missing tooth with a dental bridge, or rescue a broken down tooth with a dental crown.
Bridges are partnered with crowns to resolve gaps left by missing teeth. The idea is to replace teeth with false, or "pontic" teeth, anchored to crowns at either end, and fixed in place. Quality bridgework looks and feels very natural, one of dentistry's mainstays and our first restoration choice whenever possible.
Partial dentures, too, are dependent on your remaining teeth for support, but are attached by clasps or "precision attachments." Complicated partials can be engineering marvels, filling in for missing teeth on both sides of the dental arch. The success of partials depends in part on the strength of attachment teeth.
Complete dentures are not the end of the line, dentally speaking. A good, well-fitting denture can come close to a full complement of teeth, and contribute to a youthful aspect, as well.
Dental implants are the newest remedy for missing teeth, to replace a single tooth, or to support an overdenture. People who have implants all agree: why didn't I do this sooner?
Replace missing teeth with cosmetic dental work? Do it. Restorative dentistry has a way. | 3,277 | 1,735 | 0.000582 |
warc | 201704 | Kaplods,
great post. I do some research on how people misinterpret research in the media, and I think you're right on so many levels.
Add in that sometimes research focuses on just a particular group of people, and we don't know if the results apply to other groups of people.
For example, a particular diet may work well for people without carb sensitivity, but NOT for people who process carbs differently. But the research as reported rarely makes these distinctions. | 475 | 298 | 0.003391 |
warc | 201704 | Top Categories Kitchen / Bathrooms — 182 Garden / Landscaping — 163 Appliance / Repair — 141 Interior Design / Decor — 123 Floors / Tile / Hardwood — 92 Real Estate / Finance — 84 Bedroom / Furnishings — 66 HVAC / Air Conditioning — 63 Cleaning / Maintenance — 56 Safety / Security — 56 Windows / Siding — 55 Builders Associations — 53 Latest Articles Popular Articles Is Your Business or Home Safe as Secure as It Should Be?
by Guest on Jul 14, 2014
A safe or lock box can be a great way to protect valuables like family jewelry that you keep in your home. Safes are also a great option for protecting guns and sensitive documents that you keep in your office. While safes can be very effective, a lot of people don’t make the most of the safe they have in their home or office. As a result, safes aren't nearly as secure as they assume.
How Can You Fully Secure a Safe?
The first step is choosing the right locksmith. Fire resistance is the first quality a safe need to have. There’s a one in four chance that someone will experience a significant enough fire at some point, there’s no question that fire or smoke is a real threat. In terms of a safe’s fire rating, be sure it can take at least half an hour of a blaze. And just as important, be aware that different items require varying levels of protection.
A safe that’s just going to protect documents only needs to limit heat to around 350 degrees to be effective. A safe that’s going to store more sensitive items like DVDs or computer discs needs to be able to prevent its internal temperature from exceeding 125 degrees. If a safe doesn’t provide the right level of heat protection for the items that are in it, those items aren’t going to stand a chance if a fire breaks out.
The second trait a safe needs to possess is ample protection against burglary. For safes used in a business, you should look for a rating of at least TL-15. That means the safe will be able to stay closed during an attack for at least 15 minutes. And for a home safe that may not be rated, opting for one that’s at least 1.3 cubic feet is ideal. The reason is because a safe of that size will weigh 100 pounds or more, thieves will be less likely to want to pick it up and attempt to carry it out with them.
Finally, you also need to make sure that the safe you choose is resistant to water. If a safe has a verified mark, it means it’s been tested through a method like submersion to ensure it can protect its contents in the event of a broken water line, a flood or from water putting out a fire.
Keep in mind that ensuring a safe is effective isn’t only about choosing the right one. Fully protecting whatever you’re storing also requires maintaining the integrity of the safe by changing your safe combinations on a regular basis. So whether you have to let a previously trusted employee go or some of your kid’s friends like to mess around in your home office, changing your safe combination will be well worth the investment. If you have reason to believe a safe’s integrity may be damaged or compromised, don’t wait to find out.
Instead, it’s in your best interest to get in touch with local locksmith. The good news is even if your safe isn’t currently as secure as you want, that doesn’t mean you have to buy a new one. Instead, you can have an experienced locksmith take care of repairing the safe or changing the combination for you.
Most Recent Articles Dec 29, 2016 7 Home Improvement Projects That Improve Privacy by Jane Brown Dec 16, 2016 Protecting your Home or Business from Fire by Romalyn Casia-Lim Dec 5, 2016 Things You Should Monitor in Your Home by Jane Brown Nov 5, 2016 Reducing DIY Injuries: Woodworking Safety Tips You Need to Follow by Tom Grant Sep 13, 2016 5 Home Security and Safety Tips by Max Jeff | 3,931 | 1,915 | 0.000545 |
warc | 201704 | Survey Shows PE Firms Focused on Spurring Growth, Creating Value
McGladrey has released its fourth annual survey of private equity (PE) executives, which shows that amid difficult economic conditions, firms have become increasingly focused on improving strategy and operations at their portfolio companies as a means of creating value. In fact, nearly two-thirds (65%) of firms reported that they have generally increased employment at their portfolio companies, contradicting recent, widespread sentiment that PE firms are ‘job killers.’
“Our survey findings and other supporting data not only contradict growing misperceptions about the private equity industry, they also indicate that firms are playing a key role in helping the middle market sustain itself and grow in an economic climate that remains challenging and uncertain,” said Don Lipari, national executive director – private equity services for McGladrey and office managing partner of the firm’s New York office. “
“Not only are these firms increasingly focused on growing their portfolio companies as a primary means of generating value, they are increasing headcounts on the ground level as part of that process,” added Milton Marcotte, national practice leader – transaction advisory services for McGladrey.
The 2012 survey, conducted in partnership with independent private equity and venture capital research firm PitchBook, represents responses from more than 100 PE firms across the country, and provides important insights on current trends in strategy, employment and other key areas. Additional findings from the 2012 survey include: | 1,664 | 868 | 0.001192 |
warc | 201704 | Approved Quality Improvement Program
The ABIM Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) Program is the process through which ABIM recognizes externally developed quality improvement and safety activities that physicians are doing in practice. ABIM welcomes proposals from sponsors that may include medical specialty societies, hospitals or departments within hospitals, medical groups, clinics or other health-related organizations that wish to approve a single activity (larger health care organizations seeking to pursue QI activities across disciplines may wish to pursue the ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Approval Program™).
Proposed activities should fit into one or more of the National Academy of Medicine's (formerly the Institute of Medicine) quality dimensions or one or more of the three Aims or six Priorities articulated in the National Quality Strategy. As part of a process to evolve the AQI program to accept a wider variety of activities for MOC, sponsors will have the opportunity to co-create with ABIM the definition of meaningful engagement in quality improvement activities.
To Submit an Activity for Approval:
Approval for activities offering AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
ABIM recently announced an expansion of its collaboration with ACCME to recognize CME activities for Practice Assessment MOC credit.
Accredited providers should no longer submit an AQI application directly to ABIM. Instead, beginning in Spring 2017, they should use ACCME's Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) to register and report participant completion data for Performance Improvement CME (PI CME) activities and other CME activities that meet ABIM's AQI guidelines.
Please contact mocprograms@abim.org with questions.
Approval for all other activities Application Deadlines:
AQI Applications are peer-reviewed by one or more members of the relevant ABIM Specialty Board. Upcoming application submission deadlines are as follows:
Specialty Board Spring 2017 Application Deadlines Fall 2017 Application Deadlines Cardiovascular Board Jan. 13, 2017 Jul. 17, 2017 Critical Care Medicine Board Mar. 17, 2017 Sept. 8, 2017 Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Board Jan. 27, 2017 Aug. 3, 2017 Gastroenterology Board Mar. 20, 2017 Sept. 21, 2017 Geriatric Medicine Board Feb. 7, 2017 Sept. 14, 2017 Hematology Board Mar. 21, 2017 Aug. 18, 2017 Infectious Disease Board Mar. 2, 2017 Aug. 25, 2017 Internal Medicine Board Mar. 24, 2017 Aug. 7, 2017 Medical Oncology Board Mar. 27, 2017 Sept. 18, 2017 Nephrology Board Mar. 3, 2017 Sept. 1, 2017 Pulmonary Disease Board Mar. 16, 2017 Sept. 15, 2017 Rheumatology Board Jan. 6, 2017 Jul. 21, 2017 | 2,660 | 1,250 | 0.000807 |
warc | 201704 | Makale özeti ve diğer detaylar.
This study explores the impact of core employee characteristics on organizational capabilities and firm performance. The resource based view asserts that organizations with valuable and inimitable resources will attain competitive advantage and organizational performance. The effects of valuable and unique core employees on organizational capabilities namely managerial, technical capabilities and output based capabilities and overall firm performance are analyzed in this study. We used a statistical methodology to test the relationships hypothesized in the research model. The results indicated a higher organizational capability and organizational performance for firms using the most valuable core employees | 760 | 372 | 0.002735 |
warc | 201704 | ACQYRArchive for January 2009
There are a lot of jokes made at the expense of women who suffer from PMS. Why many people believe that PMS is simply a state of mind, the fact of the matter is that it is a very real condition which gets more and more difficult to tolerate the older you get. The older […]
In this video Dr. Erika talks about something that everyone has to deal with to some extent or another as they age: hair loss. Many of us assume that hair loss is normal, but the fact of the matter is that hair loss, where you are actually losing hair in chunks is not acceptable. When […]
In this video Dr. Erika discusses the use of curry in foods. Many people have asked her if eating curry is good for you. The doctor goes onto discuss how if you have always eaten curry or your body is used to curry that it can be a very good thing to eat, but if […]
Meditation is something that many people are interested in but it can be difficult to learn exactly what meditation is and how you can make it a part of your life. There is a lot of information out there about meditating but you need to decide what it means to you. This video drives home […]
In this video Dr. Erika talks about vaccinations, the use of vaccinations, and the link between autism and vaccinations. She feels that the parents need to do research in relation to the vaccinations that their children are due to receive and decide on a case by case basis if it is right for them. The […]
This video is all about how to make changes to your body and your lifestyle gradually. Instead of trying to change your whole diet and your whole outlook on exercise at one time, you should take it one change at a time so you can build up to a completely new and different you, that […] | 1,785 | 868 | 0.001177 |
warc | 201704 | Afghan withdrawal not even close to halfway done
If you read only the news headlines, you missed the big Afghanistan story this week. The Associated Press headline reads: “US Afghan withdrawal halfway done.” The first paragraph clarifies that withdrawal planned for this summer is halfway done. That means that 23,000 U.S. troops will be home by fall. 68,000 will remain in Afghanistan.
In other words, by the end of the summer we’ll be back down to the same number of troops in Afghanistan that were stationed there when President Obama announced the surge in December 2009.
The administration has yet to announce the next steps in the Afghanistan drawdown. The NATO combat mission will end in 2014, but that doesn’t mean all of those 68,000 U.S. troops (plus 40,000 from NATO allies) will come home.
General John Allen, commander of the U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, has consistently emphasized that combat operations will continue right up through December 31, 2014. He has also noted that “we’re probably going to see some post-2014 military presence — some U.S. presence and a NATO presence.”
The two big unanswered questions are how many combat troops will be in Afghanistan on December 31, 2014, and how many non-combat troops will stay after January 1, 2015?
The answers will have serious economic consequences. If military leaders like Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti have their way, 68,000 troops will stay for the first part of of 2013, maybe longer. If policymakers like Sen. Lindsey Graham have their way, 20,000 troops may stay after 2014.
Maintaining this kind of presence in Afghanistan will only add to the already costly war. The Pentagon’s war budget request for 2013 is $88.5 billion. If Congress approves the request, war costs since will be close to $650 billion.
Maintaining troop levels after 2014 will be expensive. Sustaining 20,000 troops could cost $25 billion each year. Adding in security assistance and humanitarian and economic aid at about $8 billion per year (a conservative estimate given Afghanistan aid trends), and the Afghanistan war will continue to cost over $30 billion each year for years to come.
There are better uses for taxpayer dollars than an endless war in Afghanistan. American taxpayers certainly think so. A majority of Americans believes the war has not been worth the costs, according to a recent poll. We can only wonder why policymakers aren’t listening to the public and bringing U.S. troops — and tax dollars — home. | 2,551 | 1,244 | 0.000827 |
warc | 201704 | In a nation of investors obsessed with equities and property, corporate debt funds struggle for recognition.
But at this year’s industry Hedge Fund awards held on September 12, it was a credit fund that took the top gong.
With returns of 23.67 per cent since its inception in 2009 and a return of 17 per cent for the 12 months ended August 31,
Black says that because credit markets aren’t well understood there tend to be ways to make good returns relative to the risk taken. “It’s an over-the-counter market and there is lack of transparency, which can present attractive opportunities that seem to occur on a regular basis," he says.
The fund’s strong returns have their roots in the financial crisis, which threw up abundant opportunities to buy credit securities on the cheap, but Black said it was the 17 per cent return in the past 12 months, when markets had returned to relative normality, that was particularly satisfying.
One driver of the returns since Laminar set up, was in residential mortgage-backed securities, which have performed well as mortgage arrears have remained low.
“We still think there are good pockets of opportunity in RMBS, but it’s now a little bit of a crowded space.
“We won’t move on from it, but whereas 12 months ago 80 per cent of the fund was invested in RMBS, now it’s 50 per cent," he says.
The next foray for Black and Laminar is to fill the void left by the banks who are favouring mortgages over corporate loans. “If you look at
“We think that direct lending to corporates in place of the banks will be the next opportunity."
Black says the growth of the listed debt market is a positive for Australian investors who are vastly underweight when it comes to fixed income. But he says most retail investors don’t fully understand credit risk and how this contributes to a bond’s return. “If you ask the man on the street what is a suitable credit risk for taking on ANZ [subordinated] debt they would have no idea. The [average investor] wouldn’t know if it should be 20 basis points or 500 basis points."
Black says there are good and not-so-good deals when it comes to listed securities.
“We think there are some aspects at the moment that are cheap and attractive, and others in the listed space that are more expensive.
“As a general rule, we believe the bank Tier 1s like CBA PERLS are expensive, and the subordinated debt pieces are quite cheap."
The Australian Financial Review | 2,538 | 1,227 | 0.000852 |
warc | 201704 | As
Rio has agreed to accept control of Riversdale rather than insisting on full ownership as it tries to cater for the needs of major shareholders Tata Steel and CSN. This means it could end up with just 50.1 per cent of the Mozambique coalminer, with Riversdale still listed on the ASX.
This works for Rio because it has management control, but this corporate structure is not popular with institutional investors, particularly those that follow indices.
Rio already owns 75 per cent of Coal & Allied and 68 per cent of ERA, both of which are listed on the Australian stock exchange.
They are large companies with good exposure to booming minerals, but do not have the liquidity to be included in many indices, which makes them difficult for some institutional investors. They fit neither in the ASX100 nor the small caps index.
Rio has been under pressure from some shareholders in recent months to clean up the Coal & Allied and ERA registers, and that pressure will only increase if Riversdale is added to the roll of complex Rio subsidiaries listed on the ASX.
The Australian Financial Review | 1,105 | 609 | 0.001654 |
warc | 201704 | by David Kreisman & Clyde Weiss | December 28, 2015
This article was first published in the Fall 2015 edition of AFSCME Works. Click here to download the full magazine.
Chicago’s cab drivers are making history, and in the process making themselves AFSCME Strong. For the first time in more than 30 years, they have a union — a driver-led AFSCME local chartered with the goal of solving tough problems that range from burdensome revenue-raising regulations to police harassment.
It’s quite an accomplishment, especially since it was just early last year that more than 3,500 city cab drivers began organizing themselves into Cab Drivers United, part of Illinois Council 31. Then, in July 2014, delegates to the 41st AFSCME International Union Convention in Chicago rallied near City Hall, demonstrating solidarity with the drivers’ campaign to win a voice in the regulatory process that controls their livelihood.
Now the drivers have that voice. Their new union, Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Local 2500, received its charter on Aug. 1, with hundreds signing up to become full dues-paying members of our AFSCME family.
“We have a saying, ‘AFSCME Strong.’ Sisters and brothers, you are the strength in AFSCME,” Council 31 Exec. Dir. Roberta Lynch told the new members. Lynch, also an AFSCME International vice president, added, “You are what will make Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Local 2500 grow and thrive. Every union, every local, has been built by workers who said ‘we’ve had enough, we’re going to make a change, and we’re going to stand up for ourselves.’”
Fair treatment, equal justice, a voice in decisions that affect the drivers’ profession, and the right to earn a decent living are the goals — these are goals that can be accomplished if we are AFSCME Strong. and the members of Local 2500 are already racking up accomplishments.
Advocating for Change
Macarl Johnson, member of Chicago Drivers United/AFSCME Local 2500, addresses the media at City Hall.
It’s been an empowering journey for cab driver Ezz Abdelmagid. Standing before AFSCME delegates at last summer’s Convention, he called on them to “march with us and tell Mayor Emanuel that Chicago cab drivers deserve better working conditions and a living wage!”
This March, Abdelmagid was learning how to advocate for his profession and to help other drivers stand up to a system designed to confuse and intimidate, using a variation of Council 31’s traditional steward training called the Driver Advocate training program.
The drivers also have taken to the streets to demand the city address unfair operations in the “rideshare” industry, dominated by UberX and Lyft. In April, they delivered a petition to the mayor with the signatures of more than 3,300 cab drivers urging the city to apply the same safety rules and regulations to Uber and other transportation network providers as are already applied to cabs.
This fall, Local 2500 members conducted work stoppages at Chicago’s two major airports and McCormick Place convention center to protest the mayor’s proposal to allow Uber and Lyft access to public facilities without having to follow rules governing taxi drivers. “Uber provides the exact same service as licensed cab drivers, but nothing in the mayor’s proposal makes them play by the same rules we do,” said Local 2500 member Cheryl Miller.
Professional drivers “count on our earnings to support our families, yet we are facing economic devastation because of the out-of-control number of non-professional drivers on the road,” said driver Ghazi Abutaa, also a Local 2500 member. “The city limits the number of cabs on the road to relieve congestion. But with UberX, there’s no limit. Some say there are 15,000 vehicles, many from out of state, on the road, just to drive UberX for a couple hours a week.”
Getting Results
As a result of having their own union, the drivers are being heard and it’s making a difference in their lives.
In July, the city dismissed more than half the tickets unjustly issued against the drivers — a direct result of the union’s new Driver Advocate program. In fact, more than half of the tickets defended by a Driver Advocate have been dismissed outright, while others were amended so that fines were reduced, all thanks to AFSCME’s Driver Advocate program.
The union’s review of police ticketing practices against cab drivers also led to a departmental “cease and desist” order to officers who had made a habit of targeting the drivers.
As drivers discover the power of AFSCME Strong, Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Local 2500 will continue to grow more powerful with each new membership.
Previous: For Younger Workers, Creeping Doubts | 4,864 | 2,296 | 0.000457 |
warc | 201704 | FORT COLLINS — A couple notable in the Arabian horse industry has donated $3 million to the Colorado State University Equine Reproduction Laboratory to propel teaching, research and clinical services that have made the laboratory an authority in reproductive science and techniques.
Bud and Jo Adams, of Scottsdale, Ariz., said the significant donation is their way of giving back to a program that benefited their horse business, Adams Arabians, for many years. It is the family’s second transformational gift to the university: Twenty years ago, Bud Adams and his late first wife, Louise, donated a barn and arena complex worth more than $1 million; the Adams-Atkinson Arena has been a key facility, where thousands of CSU equine students have gained a unique combination of scientific and hands-on learning.
The new gift stems from a friendship that began when the CSU Equine Reproduction Laboratory was known simply as the “stallion lab,” and two of its architects – equine experts Jim Voss and Bill Pickett – regularly visited and consulted with Adams at his ranch when it, too, was on the threshold of excellence. Voss, who became an esteemed leader at CSU, died in July after a long illness.
“Through the years, I’ve had a good relationship with the people at Colorado State University,” Bud Adams said. “Jim Voss and Bill Pickett were very helpful in my horse business. Now I’m retired, and I want to make up for some of the things that CSU did for me – to do them and other people a lot of good.”
Adams credited CSU equine veterinarians for helping him turn his fledgling farm into an operation that raised champion Arabian horses and provided him a platform that helped to shape the Arabian industry in America into what it is today.
The gift will help train a new generation of equine professionals, while supporting the research and clinical service needed to foster the world’s best equine genetics. The university will celebrate these contributions in October, when the facility will be officially named the Bud and Jo Adams Equine Reproduction Laboratory.
“The discoveries that will flourish thanks to the generous gift from Bud and Jo Adams will continue to advance our understanding of equine breeding and genetics,” CSU President Tony Frank said. “The Adamses have been incredible supporters of Colorado State for many years, and we are honored to have their support of the ERL as an extension of their lifelong love for horses.”
The Equine Reproduction Laboratory is a trademark program at CSU and part of the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory, a university Program of Research and Scholarly Excellence.
For about 40 years, the Equine Reproduction Laboratory has pioneered techniques for horses that are now used more broadly in animal and human reproduction assistance. These include semen freezing and cooling; embryo transfer; and advanced procedures, such as semen and embryo preservation, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
The laboratory had its grand re-opening in spring 2013 after a fire destroyed the earlier facility in 2011. The Adams gift will underwrite the next frontier of work in the new facility, said Mark Stetter, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
One visible sign of this support will be a new showpiece barn built just for mares and newborn foals on the grounds of the Equine Reproduction Laboratory.
“Bud and Jo Adams have provided a legacy gift that will shape CSU programs and the equine industry for many years to come,” Stetter said. “Their gift will yield knowledge that helps preserve valued equine bloodlines, and there’s no doubt this knowledge will continue to boost our understanding of reproductive health in other animals and in people.”
Adams bought his first Arabians 60 years ago and built his herd in his home state of New Mexico, eventually moving to Arizona.
As Adams Arabians grew, so did its influence: Bud Adams became a leader in the Arabian community at the local, state, regional, and national levels. He served several times as president of the New Mexico Arabian Horse Association, helped form the International Arabian Horse Association, and was the president of the Arizona Arabian Horse Association. He also was a longtime member of the United States National Show Committee and Scottsdale Show Committee, leading two of the largest Arabian horse shows in the world.
“Bud has often told me that horses have given him so much in his lifetime, and he wanted to give something back – something that would help them,” Jo Adams said. “This gift to the CSU Equine Reproduction Laboratory is something that’s very important to him.” | 4,809 | 2,193 | 0.000472 |
warc | 201704 | Not just a construction boom! Schools in Dubai to grow by 70% in less than a decade
Based on the education sector’s historical growth over the last 10 years, 110 new schools are expected to enter the market in the next seven years
The growing demand for education in Dubai will increase the number of schools by 70 per cent in less than a decade, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has predicted.
Speaking at Destination Dubai 2020 conference on Tuesday, Kalthoom Al Beloushi, director of institutional development at KHDA, said that based on the education sector’s historical growth over the last 10 years, 110 new schools are expected to enter the market in the next seven years to accommodate 130,000 students.
KHDA is a regulatory authority that is responsible for the growth, direction and quality of private education and learning in Dubai. It supports the improvement of schools, universities, training institutes and other human resource sectors.
Al Beloushi said the entry of new schools is expected to slow down the growth of tuition fees in Dubai. A number of expatriates, which make up the majority of the population, send their children to private schools in the country and are finding that the high education cost is eating up a major portion of the household budget. A research by HSBC showed that the UAE is the fourth most expensive country for foreigners to study and live in.
More options
“The entry of new schools will somehow slow down the increases or shake up the market, because that would mean there will be more options for people to choose from,” Al Beloushi said.
The new schools will mainly be operated for profit, although the KHDA is also encouraging the entry of non-profit educational institutions. Dubai is home to 153 private schools offering programmes to 225,000 students across 15 different curricula. Private schools cater to the majority of Dubai’s population, about 88 per cent.
Al Beloushi said there is a rising investor interest to tap Dubai’s fast-growing market for education. “We see investors on a daily basis. A lot of people are interested in opening early learning centres as well as higher education and training institutes. There is a high demand for education. Dubai as a destination is a nice place to be in. It’s safe and you have everything around you,” he added.
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warc | 201704 | Aaron Swartz began computer programming at the age of 12. By the time he was 14 he had co-authored the RSS internet syndication standard which allows internet users to aggregate content that interests them.
" The system of laws that were [designed] for the analogue world written in the 1970s literally didn't make sense in a digital world, not because copyright didn't make sense, copyright is important but the way that copyright is implemented in a digital infrastructure doesn't make sense, so in the end it needed to be updated. But there were people, forces … [who] were not interested in updating copyright because they benefit from the arcane system, and the US government has become a vigilant prosecutor in the name of this system. So that's what I think was at stake in this prosecution that ultimately drove him to despair."
-Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School
He dropped out of Stanford University after a year, founded an internet startup company called Infogami which eventually merged with Reddit, a social news and entertainment website. Reddit was later sold to the magazine publisher, Conde Naste.
That venture made Swartz rich. He then focused his energy on campaigning for internet freedom, co-founding the advocacy group Demand Progress.
He helped organise the successful campaign against the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) which sought to monitor the internet for copyright violations and shut down websites. In 2011, Swartz was charged with computer fraud after being accused of illegally downloading some four million articles from the academic website JSTOR, using the network of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prosecutors alleged he aimed to make the articles freely available using peer-to-peer websites.
Had he been found guilty he could have faced 35 years in jail and paid up to $1m in fines. Swartz committed suicide in New York on Friday. He had long struggled with depression. His parents and partner released a statement that read, in part: "Aaron's death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach. Decision made by officials in the Massachusetts US Attorney's office and at MIT contributed to his death. The US Attorney's office pursued an exceptionally harsh array of charges, to punish an alleged crime that had no victims. Meanwhile, unlike J-STOR, MIT refused to stand up for Aaron and its own community's most cherished principles." Rafael Reif, the president of MIT, announced an inquiry into MIT's role and issued a statement of sympathy: "I want to express very clearly that I and all of us at MIT are extremely saddened by the death of this promising young man who touched the lives of so many. It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy … Now is a time for everyone involved to reflect on their actions, and that includes all of us at MIT."
Underlying Swartz's work was a passionate belief that vigilance was needed to ensure that the internet remained open to all and that restrictions were not quietly passed that would have a huge impact on all of our access to information.
" One of the underlying problems is you have the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act that was passed in the 1980s and we know a lot more about how the online world works now than we did then, and this statute doesn't really give us very much clarity about what constitutes "computer hacking" … as a result the prosecutors, as a practical matter, have a great deal of discretion. "
- Tim Lee, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute
Speaking at a SOPA campaign, Swartz had said: "There's a battle going on right now, a battle to define everything that happens on the internet in terms of traditional things that the law understands. Is sharing a video on Bit Torrent like shoplifting from a movie store? Or is it like loaning a videotape to a friend? Is reloading a webpage over and over again like a peaceful virtual sit-in or a violent smashing of shop windows? Is the freedom to connect like freedom of speech or like the freedom to murder? This bill would be a huge, potentially permanent, loss. If we lost the ability to communicate with each other over the internet, it would be a change to the Bill of Rights. The freedoms guaranteed in our constitution, the freedoms our country had been built on, would be suddenly deleted. New technology, instead of bringing us greater freedom, would have snuffed out fundamental rights we'd always taken for granted.
"… And it will happen again. Sure, it will have yet another name, and maybe a different excuse, and probably do its damage in a different way. But make no mistake – the enemies of the freedom to connect have not disappeared. The fire in those politicians' eyes hasn't been put out. There are a lot of people, a lot of powerful people, who want to clamp down on the internet. And to be honest, there aren't a whole lot who have a vested interest in protecting it from all of that. Even some of the biggest companies, some of the biggest internet companies to put it frankly, would benefit from a world in which their little competitors could get censored."
Inside Story Americas examines the principles of Swartz's advocacy and why he is receiving a lot of coverage. Joining the discussion with presenter Shihab Rattansi are guests: Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School and a friend of Swartz; Tim Lee, a technology writer and adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute; and Maria Bustillos who covers technology for theawl.com.
"It's very important to make a distinction between Swartz's activism with respect to copyright. He was not looking for people who are rights holders not be able to get paid, he wasn't one of these people who thought there should be no such thing as copyright. He wanted to liberate public access documents that we pay for as taxpayers like in research institutions and elsewhere that should be free for people to access and use."
Maria Bustillos, a writer and journalist
Charges against Aaron Swartz:
He was indicted in June 2011. The government accused him of breaking into a cupboard containing computer wiring at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The indictment claims that he configured a laptop to access the MIT's computer network, and then downloaded four million articles from JSTOR, an archive of scientific journals and academic papers
He was accused of wire fraud, computer fraud, illegally obtaining information and recklessly damaging a protected computer
The charges could have resulted in up to 35 years in prison and a $1m fine
Source: Al Jazeera | 6,725 | 3,250 | 0.000311 |
warc | 201704 | Hepatitis B Information
Hepatitis B is a serious disease of the liver and is caused by HBV.
Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended as a routine childhood vaccination by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the U.S. Public Health Service and the Committee of Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a serious disease of the liver and is caused by HBV. HBV infects and damages the liver. The disease can lead to severe illness, lifelong HBV infection, cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death. Hepatitis B is the most common cause of liver cancer worldwide. HBV is found in the blood and body fluids of people who have hepatitis B. You can get hepatitis B by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. Contact with even small amounts of infected blood can cause infection. A baby can get HBV from an infected mother during birth. You are at risk for HBV if you:
Share needles for injecting drugs
Have sex with an infected person
Live in the same household with someone who has lifelong HBV infection
Have a job that exposes you to human blood
What happens to babies who become hepatitis B carriers?
Of babies who get HBV from their infected mothers at birth, as many as 90% may become carriers and have lifelong HBV infection. At first, babies may not look or feel sick, but as they grow up, they may have serious damage. Approximately one of four who become HBV carriers dies of disease, cirrhosis, or liver cancer.
Why does my baby need a shot now?
Hepatitis B vaccination is an investment in your baby's future. All babies should receive hepatitis B vaccine to be protected from HBV, a virus that they can come in contact with at any time in life. Hepatitis vaccination is recommended for all infants because of the high risk that children younger than 5 years of age, if infected, will become HBV carriers. This vaccination also protects your children from HBV if they are exposed to infection as teenagers or adults. Although HBV infection has no cure, it can be prevented with hepatitis B vaccine.
Health experts believe that vaccinating only adults who are at risk for infection cannot prevent HBV infection. Babies who are vaccinated against HBV are no longer at risk of becoming infected. They are protected from the serious problems caused by HBV and liver cancer, liver damage, and the danger of infecting other people. As more and more people become immune to HBV infection through hepatitis B vaccination, the number of new infections will decrease.
Hepatitis B vaccine is given in a series of three shots. If a mother does not have HBV in her blood, her baby may get the first shot of hepatitis B vaccine before leaving the hospital. Or the baby may get the first shot at the doctor's office or clinic.
The next shots will be given with the other baby shots. If a mother has HBV in her blood when they baby is born, her baby will need the first of hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours after birth. Hepatitis B immune globulin, called HBIG, is also given. The baby will get the next two shots of hepatitis B vaccine as recommended by the doctor or clinic.
Here are some staggering and realistic facts that should urge you to get your baby vaccinated with the Hepatitis B vaccine:
More than 240,000 people become infected with HBV each year in the United States
More than one million people carry HBV in their blood
Approximately 5,000 people die of HBV-related cirrhosis of the liver
Approximately 1,500 people die of HBV-related liver cancer. | 3,597 | 1,510 | 0.000666 |
warc | 201704 | Aníbal António Cavaco Silva
Head of government
José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa
Death penalty
abolitionist for all crimes
Population
10.7 million
Life expectancy
78.6 years
Under-5 mortality (m/f)
6/5 per 1,000
Adult literacy
94.9 per cent The judicial investigation into alleged complicity by Portuguese authorities with the illegal transfer of prisoners to Guantánamo Bay was closed in May on the grounds of lack of evidence. Two former Guantánamo Bay detainees took up residency in Portugal. Domestic violence led to numerous deaths. Investigations into allegations of torture by law enforcement officials proceeded slowly, with evidence of impunity. Counter-terror and security
At the end of May the judicial investigation into suspected CIA rendition flights and other illegal transfers of prisoners to Guantánamo Bay alleged to have crossed through Portuguese territory was closed by the public prosecutor on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Ana Gomes, a Portuguese member of the European Parliament, submitted an appeal in July calling for the investigation to be continued, arguing that it had been inadequate. She cited numerous shortcomings, including the failure to take testimony from relevant intelligence service officials, the foreign affairs and defence ministers, former prime ministers, US embassy officials, or the directors of the Portuguese Civil Aviation Institute and air traffic control authorities. She also criticized the failure of the prosecutor to request clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about whether its exceptional authorizations to the USA allowing "the transport of contentious material and people" included the transfer of prisoners to secret detention centres. The appeal was rejected in September by the public prosecutor, who stated that the additional investigatory measures requested were "irrelevant".
On 28 August, two Syrian detainees at Guantánamo Bay were released and transferred to Portugal. They were not able to return to Syria due to the risk of torture and other serious human rights violations. The Portuguese government granted both men residence permits on humanitarian grounds, and confirmed that no charges would be brought against them.
Violence against women and girls
The Portuguese Association for Victim Support registered 15,904 complaints concerning domestic violence in 2009. These included 16 murders.
Torture and other ill-treatment
Criminal investigations into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement officials continued in 2009.
On 22 May the Criminal Court of Faro issued its sentence in the case of the torture of Leonor Cipriano. The court recognized that she had been tortured in police custody in 2004, but acquitted all three police officers, claiming that it was impossible to identify exactly who had been responsible. A fourth officer was convicted of giving false testimony and another was convicted of falsifying documents. Leonor Cipriano's appeal was pending at the end of the year. By the end of the year, no trial date had been set for three judicial police officers accused of torturing Virgolino Borges in March 2000. The case was due to go to trial in November 2008 but was delayed pending further medical examinations requested by the defence. Virgolino Borges said that he had been tortured by police officers who punched him and beat him on the soles of his feet with a wooden post while in custody. The investigation had been closed in 2005 by the public prosecutor, who stated that Virgolino Borges' injuries could have been self-inflicted. Virgolino Borges appealed against this decision to the Lisbon region courts: first to the Tribunal de Instrução and then to the Tribunal da Relação, which in November 2005 ordered that the case go to trial. | 3,878 | 1,815 | 0.000563 |
warc | 201704 | With an estimated 600 acres of window sill growing space across the country, the UK's National Trust just launched a campaign encouraging apartment dwellers to plant window box vegetable gardens. While we are quite familiar with window sill herb gardening, we must admit we had never really thought of using the space for more substantial foods...
The National Trust recommends growing lettuce, radishes, beets, chard, and zucchini, among other vegetables. We're not sure one could be self-sufficient with a window box garden, but it's an option worth exploring for those without balconies, yards, or allotments.
Here are some sites we've found with further advice. And we would love to hear from any readers who have tried growing vegetables in window boxes. Which foods were successful, or not? Do you have any tips for containers, plant spacing, etc.?
• Turn 600 acres of window ledges into veggie patches (National Trust)
• Window box vegetable growing for gardeners with limited space (Allotments.ie) • The window box allotment (SAGA) • Container gardening, with advice for specific plants (Selfsufficientish) • Grow Your Own Vegetables Windowsill Challenge (iGrowVeg)
posted originally from: TheKitchn | 1,239 | 681 | 0.001507 |
warc | 201704 | Spring Water or Purified Water?
Premium purified water is normally available water that has been purified through a special process that removes impurities and suspended matter so that the water is safe to drink. Pure spring water is obtained from fresh water springs and has additional minerals that can have a beneficial effect on health. Depending on the spring from where the spring water has been obtained, the water may have a variety of minerals and salts in it.
What exactly is spring water? Spring water is water that is stored beneath the ground in the earth that eventually flows up to the surface on its own pressure. Rainwater and other natural sources of water percolate the earth and stay there for a very long time – running into perhaps centuries! During this time the water boils in the presence of various underground granites and rocks and gradually absorbs some of the minerals from them. At the same time the water may also be shedding some of its minerals. Ultimately, the water rises to the surface under its own pressure and flows out through natural springs. Advantages of spring water
Spring water contains minerals and chemicals like calcium, fluoride and silica. These are beneficial for the bones and teeth. Apart from containing these beneficial minerals spring water is also pure and free from other contaminants that surface water generally contains.
Premium purified water
Water from generally available sources is purified and treated to give you premium purified water. The water that is obtained from this process is bottled and distributed under hygienic conditions to ensure that you get water that is safe and free of contaminants. However, the water that is available in the market with claims of having been purified and treated may not necessarily be safe, since they may not have undergone the processes rigorously. As far as the mineral content is concerned, purified water may be just ordinary water. However, they are purified and hence made safe to drink.
Difference between Pure spring water and Premium purified water
As we have seen the main difference between pure spring water and premium purified water is that the former is normally rich in certain minerals. This richness comes from natural processes that have taken place below the earth for thousands of years. Premium purified water does not include any process to add these minerals. Thus, the main difference between the two is that one is rich in certain minerals while the other may not be. Both are free of impurities and contamination and safe for consumption. However, you must make sure that the company providing you the water has taken care to ensure that the process does remove the impurities in reality.
Which one should I choose?
After reading the above, if you are wondering whether you should go in for pure spring water or premium purified water, the answer lies in your requirements. If you are deficient in any of the essential minerals that are found in spring water and would like to supplement your diet through this water, you should go in for spring water. If you are simply looking for safe drinking water, premium purified water should do quite as well. | 3,204 | 1,353 | 0.000743 |
warc | 201704 | The University of Abertay Dundee's new library building is situated in the heart of the city centre. Recently voted Scotland's Best New Building in the Scottish Design Awards 1998, the four story structure of sandstone, steel and glass opened its doors to its users in February this year, and was formally opened by HM Queen on 30th of June. During the 18-month construction period, on billboards, and in the national press during the opening, the University proclaimed its ambition to be a Higher Education Institution 'for the Digital Age', with the library as physical manifestation of this ambition. Alison Kilgour travelled to Dundee to see the award-winning design for herself and to investigate whether the building is the flagship that the University envisioned. There can be no doubt that it is an impressive edifice and, rising four floors above Dundee's Bell Street, a spectacular addition to the City Centre. A visually arresting curved steel and glass energy wall fronts the building, providing a vast window into a world of learning for the passing public and a controlled environment for the users within. The energy wall sweeps elegantly round to meet an impressive stone tower, an architectural feature reminiscent of a Stone Age broch. Old and new also sit comfortably inside, with leather bound law reports nestling beside IT clusters. The spine of the building on which the glass belly hangs is a stone built rectangular block, the nerve centre for the IT and Library facilities as well as housing the staff work areas.
Figure 1: Abertay Dundee's New Library
Helen Foord, Assistant Head (User Support) of Information Services, explained the origins of the building. The old library, had not been purpose built, but "cobbled together" over the years from teaching and laboratory space, "We burrowed up and down within the building to create accommodation, but it was clear to all that it was not a satisfactory long term solution." Pressure became particularly acute as the former Dundee Institute of Technology strove for University title, awarded in 1994. A library barely able to cope with a student community of 2000 now found itself having to cater for over 4,000! The unique position of Abertay was recognised by SHEFC who awarded the highest share of government funding given to any of the Scottish universities, half of the £8m required to build the only new purpose built University Library in the country.
If the new building were to be judged on study facilities alone then it would be an undoubted success - the quality of the environment has been immeasurably improved and usage of the library is up by 50%. The new premises are almost three times as big as the previous accommodation and provide 300 more study spaces. Also on offer are two fully equipped seminar rooms for teaching information and IT skills, six group study rooms, the Centre for language Learning and Self Study and a European funded IT training suite. In addition, a specialist law library, developed in co-operation with the city's Faculty of Procurators and Solicitors, was recently opened by Lord Hardie, Scotland's Lord Advocate. But what is the evidence for a digital future?
The University's commitment to communications and information technology to support teaching and learning is certainly evident in the attention to networked IT. Abertay's network infrastructure was completely upgraded in 1996, with over 50 miles of new cable being installed to create a robust, reliable high speed network/server configuration. Partly funded by the SHEFC use of MANs initiative (UMI), broadband high-speed fibre-optic technology now links all the major campus buildings, including more remote sites such as Dundee Graduate Business School at historic Dudhope Castle, and connects them to a new backbone with ten times the capacity of its predecessor. These facilities are already allowing users to share documents and programs more effectively, while a link to the Fife and Tayside Metropolitan Area Network (FatMan) can provide extremely high quality simultaneous video-conferencing, audio, data and still image transmissions to and from other institutions.
On a tour of the building Jim Huntingford, Information Manager, showed me the PC facilities which the infrastructure supports. 170 new Pentium 166 MMX PCs are distributed between four open-plan IT clusters and two seminar rooms. As it stands, this represents the largest single IT resource in the University with over 1,000 PCs, but there are already plans to increase this still further. In fact, the building was specifically designed to allow all 700 study spaces to be developed into IT workstations and the cabling and network points are already in place.
All the PCs in the University operate with a common desktop , currently consisting of the Windows NT operating system and Office 97 Professional application software. As Huntingford explained "Using IT at University will be the first step towards a lifetime habit. It is therefore important that we provide an opportunity for our students to work with industry standard facilities, a PC environment that students can expect to meet in the workplace."
But with all this emphasis on IT facilities isn't the name library a misnomer? Why call it a library at all? Foord answered, "People's concept of a library is changing and the students still call it a library, while recognising the enhanced facilities. "Also, as Huntingford elaborated, "It would be a mistake to think that the central importance of information delivery had been forgotten." Instead, the building was planned to take into consideration the fact that traditional methods of delivering information are being increasingly superseded by digital technologies. A far smaller percentage of floor space is given over to shelving than in more traditional libraries. All PCs have access to the Internet and locally networked resources, including over 40 CD-ROM databases. As evidence of a very real paradigm shift towards access rather than holdings, Huntingford cited the recent cancellation of approximately £9000 of paper journals and the subscription to their electronic equivalents on full text electronic databases such as Emerald and IEEE Computer Society Digital Library.
Figure 2: A view of the inside
But how had all of this been achieved? What is the single most important factor? Huntingford replied, "The library development is the central component of the implementation of the University's Information Strategy." Published in 1995 and produced by a Working Group drawn from across the University, it was one of the first university information strategies to be produced in the UK. The vision of the Information Strategy was of a cost-effective, centrally managed set of information services to support the academic and administrative needs of the University. Information Services, the combined Library and Computer Centre, was created in 1996 with the Media Centre integrated a little later. This new corporate service already has its own strong identity within the University and the Information Strategy remains at the heart of policy making and planning within Information Services. A fundamental aim is to ensure that technology is employed in an educationally sound manner, which will enhance the quality of and access to teaching and learning.
Finally, what of the future? What are the most important issues for Information Services to deal with? Key IT priorities are currently the development of the University's Intranet, and the training of users in baseline IT skills. Within the Academic Support Division of Information Services three key IT training posts have been created. This IT training team now delivers skills training to the vast majority of first year students in a course specifically designed for this purpose. A major programme of training in the standard desktop for all staff will soon be underway. The Academic Librarians are also heavily involved in delivering Library and Information Skills to students, again within integrated modules. The University has announced its intention to implement a policy of the 'Use of Communications and Information Technologies in Internal Communications', with the aim of facilitating use of the Intranet, shared network drives and e-mail rather than paper, in all non-verbal communications. Again, responsibility for ensuring that all staff possess and develop the skills and confidence to implement such a policy rests with the Information Services.
Information Services recognise, however, that there is no room for complacency. A systematic approach to determining user perceptions of the services and facilities has been adopted, with a survey of staff perceptions of service standards already completed and a survey of all students planned for early next semester. These surveys are one of the ways in which the Service hopes to enhance user involvement in the provision and development of services that they are responsive to users' needs and views. To this end, Service Level Agreements are also being developed across all areas, in IT, Library and Media, so that user expectations can be mapped onto quality, but realistic, deliverables.
The new library at the University of Abertay is certainly an architectural triumph, and the IT and library facilities are undoubtedly impressive, but I left Dundee with a sense that the real story has only just begun. The completion of the new library project at Abertay is an achievement of which the University can be justifiably proud, but the interest now lies in how the technology will be used in innovative ways to support teaching and learning, on campus and beyond.
Helen Foord is Assistant Head (User Support)
Email: h.foord@abertay-dundee.ac.uk
Jim Huntingford is Information Manager (User Support)
Email: j.huntingford@abertay-dundee.ac.uk | 9,896 | 4,428 | 0.000227 |
warc | 201704 | We hope that you’ve got all your eco-gifts in time. Just to let you know that all deliveries (from the 19th December) have been postponed until after the Christmas Holidays, sadly we don’t have elves or reindeers to help us out with over the holiday delivery. We hope that we’ve encouraged as many people to give their loved ones an environmentally friendly gift…it’s the thought that “you’re saving the environment and countless of lives” that counts at this time of year, and we know you’ll appreciate that feeling.
We wish everyone a Happy Christmas & an even Happier New Year.
- Arte Ideas Team.
Incoming new Tokyo Envirosax Bags! We are always happy to receive these eco-friendly reusable bags, as always, they are big, sturdy, easy to wash and vibrantly coloured. Not to mention they roll down to nothing and will make great stocking stuffers for friends and family this Christmas! As you might be aware, that plastic bags are slowly, but surely fading away from our existence (finally), In the UK, they cost 5p, but in a majority of the world they are already banned. These bags will fit the bill beautifully for carrying grocery shopping, retail store items, gym equipment…the list goes on!
This design is based on the most popular city in the world, and uses the inspiration of Tokyo’s unlimited choice of shopping, entertainment and culture. Envirosax have always been moving in the right direction in reducing the amount of plastics and consistently making very fashionable reusable bags, and continue to spread the message to many people as possible. For more information regarding the eco aspects of envirosax, please visit our previous article here: http://www.arteideas.co.uk/blog/new-envirosax-reusable-bags/
Envirosax Bags are available in our online store at arteideas.co.uk, for infrequently pleasant updates like and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.
NEW Envirosax reusable bags available! We have new Blue, Black, Red & Brown Envirosax ranges in and they look amazing! Not to mention you can pick up 3 envirosax bags for the price of 2!
Approximately 100 billion of the 380 billion plastic bags used in the US every year are shopping bags. So you can see how Envirosax bags can significantly reduce the amount disposable plastic bags used.
If you are not aware, Envirosax have been taking strides to help the process even further by having their own dedicated Envirosax RPET. RPET is Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate which consists of 55% flat filament (virgin) polyester and 45% Repreve® polyester. This means that the 45% Repreve® is made up of 100% recycled material, with 65% pre-consumer and 35% post-consumer recycled polyester that is mainly recycled plastic bottles.
This very eco friendly process has adopted a significant amount of environmental benefits by using recycled content in the material used in the process of creating the fabric as compared to virgin polyester or other synthetic plastics.
The process of polyester yarn conserves 3.34 litres of gasoline for every kilo of polyester yarn made. Approximately 25 million tonnes of polyester is produced globally per annum, you can see how this figure becomes a significant amount, not considering the other resources needed to create this plastic.
Envirosax are moving in the right direction and are targeted people who would normally not use an eco-friendly bag. By showing our customers these statistics, we are making the whole concept of reusable bags more insightful that they are trying their best to reduce the amount of plastic and make trendy and fashionable reusable bags, and thus spread the message to as many people they can lay their hands on.
Envirosax Bags are available in our online store at arteideas.co.uk, for unfrequently pleasant updates like and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.
Autumn is upon us and we’re wondering what happened to Summer! Darn, oh well at least winter is coming (no Game Of Throne reference intended), what better way of wrapping yourself up with these cosy Red Cashmere Fingerless Gloves, which are wrist-warmers and fingerless gloves rolled into one. Cool! Designed by Turtle Doves, they are made from 100% cashmere jumpers and come with their own recycled packaging wrap so that they can make a great present too.
Every pair is made unique by their recycled nature and can have a lighter or darker shade to the colour choice. These are also machine washable on a cold setting.
Our supplier Turtle Doves recycle jumpers that have been thrown away into new accessories. Their main product are these fingerless gloves. The idea is that you can wear them as fingerless gloves or an alternative wrist warmers, where apparently you lose al lot of heat on your wrists. They use as much of the recycled jumper as possible. They also make scarves that use a combination of jumpers to create a patchwork scarf. A very interesting campaign Turtle Doves is currently running is that if you already have a worn cashmere jumper, they can make you a free pair of fingerless gloves as long as they keep the remaining material left from the jumper!
For more products from Turtle Doves, and other infrequently pleasant updates on eco gifts, head on over to our store where we currently have 10% off all first purchases if you sign up to our mailing list! Or if you have or know of these fingerless gloves, let us know what you think on our Facebook & Twitter!
We are back once again to feature one of our amazingly new suppliers called Catherine Tough. We like how wonderfully creative and colourful Catherine Tough’s knitwear is and we are proud to have their products in our store!
Catherine and her team’s origin story began 13 years ago where her passion for textiles started way back at school and passed down by he mum’s own knitting skills and Youtube (more specifically Clothes Show TV). She then developed her skills and her own unique style at the Royal College of Art. She has a very English sense of style and the surroundings of Hackney (where Catherine and her family live) inspire her work for her to produce a bold and beautiful designs.
Catherine does a whole cavalcade of neat knitwear including woollen hats, scarves, cushions and throws, but what we have available are her very quirky Kids Yellow Elephant Lambswool Scarf, and a selection of men’s and women’s socks named after other cute animals, such as these Women’s Lambswool Owl Socks and Men’s Red Fox Bamboo Socks..majestic!
These are some very colourful and amazing eco-gifts, we recommend you take good care of them by machine washing them on a gentle wool cycle no higher than 30C or hand washing. For more organic knitwear from Catherine Tough, visit our online store by clicking the top right link on this page, and search ‘Catherine Tough’ by using our search bar.
For more infrequently pleasant updates on new eco news, eco gifts and DIY/Craft guides, please like and follow us on our Facebook & Twitter. We currently have 10% off your first purchase at Arte Ideas if you sign up to our mailing list, which you can find on our homepage. Thank you for reading and we’ll keep you posted on stuff! | 7,241 | 3,280 | 0.000311 |
warc | 201704 | Prednisone and side effects
by Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR
Nathan Wei is a nationally known board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit. It's available exclusively at this website... not available in stores.
Click here: Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit
The adrenal glands manufacture glucocorticoids (steroids). Glucocorticoids are responsible for many important functions in the body including maintenance of blood pressure, proper use of sugar, protein, and fat metabolism, response to stress, as well as others.
Glucocorticoids manufacture by the body are referred to as endogenous steroids- meaning a person’s own body makes these steroids.
When steroids are taken in from the outside either by mouth, intramuscularly or intravenously, they are referred to as exogenous steroids. Taking glucocorticoids orally or intravenously can reduce the ability of the person’s own adrenal glands to continue to manufacture glucocorticoids.
Without the ability to increase steroid production in the face of stressors such as injury, infection, and surgery, a patient can go into shock.
The most common oral steroid used in clinical practice is prednisone.
The chances of the adrenal glands being suppressed increase as the dose of “outside” steroid exceeds the average daily equivalent output of the adrenal glands which is about 5.0-7.5 mg prednisone, therapy continues for more than a few weeks or months, doses are given late in the day or in split doses, or long-acting corticosteroid preparations are used.
Patients who require high doses of prednisone (more than 20 mgs a day) for extended periods of time will get side-effects.
Taking steroids on an alternate day (every other day) schedule lessens the chance of adrenal insufficiency and other side effects but does not eliminate them.
These other side-effects include:
• Increased risk of bacterial or opportunistic infections such as fungi, tuberculosis, pneumocystis carinii
• Elevated blood sugar
• Fat distribution changes leading to moon face, buffalo hump
• Elevated blood lipids
• Aggravation of hypertension
• Electrolyte abnormalities such as low blood potassium
• Fluid retention leading to edema
• Easy bruisibility
• Increased body hair
• Increased sweating
• Purple stretch marks
• Impaired wound healing
• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Muscle wasting
• Stomach ulcers
• Pancreatitis
• Accelerated hardening of the arteries
• Osteonecrosis (bone death)
• Psychiatric disturbance
• Insomnia
• Bowel perforation
• Masking of infection
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warc | 201704 | 9 Bad Eating Habits To Avoid 3- Binging Why is it bad? Maybe if popular binging foods were celery sticks and lettuce leaves, nutritionists wouldn't have such a problem with this form of eating, but unfortunately food binges usually come in the form of fatty snack foods like chips, pizza or cookies. Gorging yourself on said foods will likely lead to weight gain, dissatisfaction, and a feeling that you lack discipline. What to do: Eat five to six smaller meals per day, rather than three large ones, which leave the window open for binging on snacks between meals. Eating healthy, small meals containing complex carbs and lean protein spaced throughout the day will not only help curb your appetite, they'll also reduce your chances of overeating. Consuming five or six small meals will also help you burn more calories throughout the day, since your metabolism will be constantly running high. 4- Starving yourself Why is it bad? Contrary to what you may think, the body's first reaction to starvation is weight gain via the storage of fat. Why does the body do this? Well, when you don't eat for long periods of time, your body becomes pretty upset that you've been depriving it of food, so when you finally do eat again, your body thinks it needs to store these calories as fat because it doesn't know when the chance to eat will come again. And then, the fat remains with you. What to do: If your intentions in regards to starving yourself are to lose weight, then it's time to reevaluate your diet and begin a workout program or up the intensity of your current gym routine. Make sure your diet is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and includes lean meats and fish. Try hitting the gym three to five times a week, and make sure to vary your workout routine. The best way to lose fat is through a healthy diet and regular exercise, not through depriving your body of the calories and nutrients it needs to function. 5- Eating while doing something else Why is it bad? Not only is eating while doing something else a great way to get food all over yourself, it also tends to lead to overeating, and subsequently, weight gain. If you eat while you're watching TV, talking on the phone, or playing a video game, these external distractions will lead your body to pay less attention to internal hunger and satiety cues that may be telling you that you're not even hungry, or that you're way too full. Plus, once you begin eating while doing something else, you often can't stop, since the act of eating becomes a thoughtless, mechanical movement that could just go on and on. What to do: Try to focus on one thing at a time. Wandering into the kitchen when you're on the phone is a bad idea. If you're eating just to keep your hands and mouth busy, find other distractions that don't involve calories. Start chewing gum, take up guitar playing, or busy your hands by giving your girlfriend a neck massage.
Slow down dude, it's not a race... | 2,953 | 1,455 | 0.000688 |
warc | 201704 | 3. Saving LivesNow there should be no argument that drones are amazingly efficient at taking lives, just look at their military applications - hello, predator strikes - but what about saving them? Surely, that would only make sense? Well, apparently, that is totally a thing.
The RCMP in Canada has saved lives by using drones in search and rescue missions in Saskatoon and Nova Scotia. Now, thanks to the work of Alec Momont, an engineering student at TU Delt in the Netherlands, drones have the potential to be more than just tools to help locate stranded and lost hikers. This student has designed what is essentially an “ambulance drone”. He specifically created it to tackle the high mortality rate of people who suffer cardiac arrest. Around 800,00 people are hit by it per year in Europe, but only 8% actually survive. To deal with this, Alec designed his prototype drone with a built-in defibrillator and on-board camera and microphone to allow a medic to operate it remotely.
The whole idea is that if someone starts having a cardiac arrest, they can have a drone immediately dispatched to them whilst first responders follow behind. The medic operating the drone can give instructions to bystanders near the victim, essentially making them remote paramedics. In cases like this, every minute counts, especially if you want to limit potential brain damage. If we’re lucky, these little lifesaving drones will be in every major city soon! | 1,465 | 834 | 0.001215 |
warc | 201704 | Slide1: Iron Overload Objectives:
-Definition
-Causes of severe iron overload (>5g excess): 1.Increased iron absorption:
- Hereditary (genetic, primary) haemochromatosis (GH)
- Ineffective erythropoiesis
2. Increased iron intake
3. Repeated red cell transfusions
-Classification of hereditary haemochromatosis:
Types I, II, III, IV
-Ineffective erythropoiesis
-Increased iron intake
Iron Overload: Iron Overload Iron overload (excessive iron accumulation) occurs in disorders associated with excessive iron absorption or chronic blood transfusion, leading eventually to tissue damage.
Excessive iron absorption Chronic blood transfusion
Iron overload in parenchymal cells Iron overload in RE cells
(liver, endocrine glands, heart) (macrophages in liver, spleen, BM)
Slide5:
N.B. Hereditary Hyperferritinaemia: mutations of ferritin light chain gene → increased monoclonal serum ferritin→ ferritin deposition in eye → Cataract Syndrome with No tissue iron overload Slide8: Clinical Features:
Adult
Only a small % of individuals with homozygous mutation present with clinical features.
Chronic fatigue, hepatic disease (cirrhosis, HCC), endocrine disturbances e.g. pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, arthropathy, melanin skin pigmentation
In severe cases: heart failure or arrythmia
Diagnosis:
1- Serum transferrin saturation: early indicator of parenchymal iron accumulation
2- Serum ferritin concentration: reflects increase iron turn over in RE cells
3- Confirmation: test for HFE mutation
4- Liver biopsy: assess liver damage. Done only if serum ferritin >1000 μg/L or liver enzymes
5- MRI : measures liver and cardiac iron
Slide9:
Treatment:
Regular venesection at 1-2 wks interval
Aim: serum transferrin saturation <50%,
serum ferritin concentration <50 μg/L
Reversal of symptoms except cirrhosis and arthritis
Types II and III:
-Rare types
Mutations in hemojuvelin, hepcidin or transferrin receptor 2 genes (AR)
Both hepcidin (synthesis or secretion)
Clinical Features:
Children, adolescents or young adults
Severe parenchymal iron overload with cardiomyopathy
Type IV:
- Rare type
Mutations in ferroportin gene (AD)
Liver biopsy: marked increase in RE iron, less parenchymal (hepatocyte) iron
- NL serum transferrin saturation
serum ferritin concentration
Slide10:
Ineffective erythropoiesis:
Inhibitory effect on hepcidin
Increased iron intake:
African siderosis; dietary intake of traditional beer which contains iron + genetic cause of increased iron absorption, mostly mutations in ferroportin gene. | 2,583 | 1,245 | 0.000828 |
warc | 201704 | A team plans to drive a car across the US using just one tank of renewable diesel.In the One Tank Across The USA challenge, the team will pilot a CLP Motorsports Superlite Coupe from Jacksonville, FL to Santa Monica, CA along Interstate 10 using one tank of Neste NEXBTL renewable diesel made from bio-based raw materials. The Superlite Coupe is powered by a modified Volkswagen 1.9-liter TDI engine. Race and stunt driver Tanner Foust will take the wheel for a portion of the 2,400-mile journey, which begins June 21. Read more in the press release below. European automakers are warning the EU that new emissions rules will hurt business.They say that stricter CO2 rules could raise production costs by as much as €2,000 (about $2,250) per vehicle, which would hurt competitiveness. European automakers are asking the EU to balance restrictions with other measures to reduce carbon emissions. "This includes the carbon content of fuels, driver behavior, infrastructure and the potential of intelligent transport systems," says Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, and chairman of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Read more from Reuters. The USDA has announced that it is now accepting applications from states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, for the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership.With $100 million in competitive grants to be matched by states, the USDA hopes to fund the infrastructure for producing clean, homegrown energy. The goal is to double the number of pumps offering higher blends of renewable fuels. The USDA also expects this program to support farmers, grow the clean energy economy, reduce carbon pollution, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. States are allowed to work with private companies on their offers, and states that match grant funds with equal or greater amounts will be more likely to secure the funding. Read more in the press release from the USDA. Across the USA on One Tank of Non-Petroleum Fuel -- made possible by Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel
HOUSTON, June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A team of motorsport enthusiasts will drive from Atlantic Coast of Florida to the Pacific Coast of California on just one tank of renewable fuel in June 21-26, 2015. This is made possible by NEXBTL renewable fuel that is produced from bio-based raw materials by Neste, the world's largest producer of renewable diesel.
"Americans have a long tradition of taking cross-country road trips, sometimes aiming for speed records, sometimes just making a leisurely jaunt. One team is taking a different approach to this long-distance challenge in the middle of June 2015: drive coast-to-coast on one tank of fuel made of completely bio-based raw materials. We believe this may be a first time for this type of trip," said Kaisa Hietala, Executive Vice President, Renewable Products at Neste.
NEXBTL renewable diesel – a high-performing low carbon biofuel
Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel can replace petroleum diesel on a drop-in basis due to having the same chemical properties as the ultra-low sulfur diesel. It can also reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional diesel by as much as 90 percent over its lifecycle. NEXBTL is fully compatible with all diesel engines and delivers better performance because it has higher cetane and burns more completely than petroleum diesel. NEXBTL is not the same product as biodiesel (FAME).
Neste provides NEXBTL renewable diesel to U.S. refiners, blenders and fuel distributors. NEXBTL is also available to consumers at retail stations in Northern California.
Race car and stunt driver Tanner Foust joins a team of motorsport enthusiasts
The Guest Champion in Across the USA challenge is Tanner Foust, four-time X Games gold medal winner, three-time U.S. Rallycross champion and two-time Formula Drift champion.
"I'm really excited about the next project I'm doing. It is NEXBTL renewable diesel and we are driving across the entire U.S. on one tank of fuel. It will be an amazing trip," said Foust.
Other drivers are Pat O'Keefe, Vice President of Golden Gate Petroleum and owner of CLP Motorsports; Luke Lonberger, an experienced motorsports driver and General Manager at CLP Motorsports; and Michel von Disterlo, a lead mechanic at CLP Motorsports.
The Car is a Superlite Coupe powered by Volkswagen engine
The car is a Superlite Coupe (SLC) that is custom-built by CLP Motorsports. It has the aerodynamics necessary for maximum efficiency at speed, which is enhanced by a lightweight aluminum monocoque chassis and fiberglass body. The SLC has all of the handling of a race car, but it is street legal and is powered by a modified Volkswagen 1.9-liter TDI diesel engine.
2,400 miles and through eight states
The across the USA drive will start on Sunday the 21st of June. The SLC car will drive across the United States on Interstate 10, the fourth-longest transcontinental highway in the U.S., which is more than 2,400 miles long. It runs through eight states, starting in Atlantic Beach, Florida, and ending on the Pacific Coast in Santa Monica, California.
For more information on Neste's One Tank Across the USA Challenge, please see:
Team video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6tXnUu03UY
Campaign website: www.neste.us/across
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nesteus | 5,323 | 2,528 | 0.000398 |
warc | 201704 | Guest post by Mary Marchal, Partnerships Advisor on Oxfam America’s Aid Effectiveness Team.
As sequestration looms, I can’t help but think—what do Americans and policymakers imagine when they think of developing countries and our assistance to them? Do massive federal budget cuts have human faces associated with them?
At Oxfam, many of the people we work with and talk about—and who will be directly affected by cuts to poverty-reducing aid—are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Majeda Begum Shiru comes to mind—a woman who rarely even used to go into government offices where she lives in southeastern Bangladesh.
“Even if I did, I felt uncomfortable,” she says.
After being trained in public speaking and leadership (provided by NGO Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha with support from USAID), Shiru was elected as a member of the District Public Policy forum.
Today, she has become one of the locally-elected officials she used to fear.
It is people like these who drive our work on Oxfam America’s aid effectiveness team and why we continue to advocate for better aid, despite a difficult budget climate and now looming sequestration. Evidence tells us that US development aid works when resources are put directly into the hands of those people like Shiru, who are working every day to improve their communities.
The Pew Research Center last week released a new national survey on potential cuts in US government spending. For 18 of 19 programs tested, majorities want either to increase spending or maintain it at current levels. Unfortunately, the only exception was assistance for people who are poor in the developing world.
At less than 1% of the US federal budget, eliminating humanitarian and development aid won’t help us cover the budget gap. Cutting programs that serve people who are poor in the US won’t help either. It’s an argument we’ve made at Oxfam (and will continue to make) again and again.
So how do we give policymakers and the American public a chance to see foreign aid the way we see it? How can poverty-reducing foreign aid be associated with people like Majeda Begum Shiru, rather than nameless or voiceless people who receive a bednet or a bag of seeds?
In January, Oxfam America created a series of ads featuring stories of local "changemakers" who are holding their governments accountable, seeing results, and using US foreign assistance to get it done. Twenty-eight billboards in metro stations and at Washington DC’s National and Dulles airports were accompanied by print and online ads, op-eds, interviews, articles, and blog posts. The ads superimposed DC-insider buzzwords such as “job creator” and “beltway outsider” with decidedly non-DC imagery—people surrounded by fishing boats in Ghana, a plant nursery in Tanzania, a roadway in Malawi.
When the billboards went up, we started hearing that the images drove the buzz—colorful, intriguing, contextualized photos of powerful people, all of whom we know and admire and who helped shape the campaign. Thus far, it seems many audiences think we're getting the protagonists right. (You can see a compilation of folks' reactions on Twitter here, as well as one aid critic’s reaction here.)
However, we don’t yet know what will affect the US general public’s view of foreign aid. On the first day the ads hit, the New Media team reported that the first blog post was being shared more than average. Even though the campaign was focused on DC policymakers, this led us to invest in some sponsored Facebook ads with friends of Oxfam’s friends. Many people’s reactions were overtly negative however, and we feared this would overshadow the critical message of how to make aid more effective.
Clearly very few US citizens realize that less than 1% of the US federal budget goes to poverty-focused international aid. Oxfam America’s publication, Foreign Aid 101, and this campaign from ONE start the conversation, but there is clearly a long way to go.
Regardless of what happens in Congress in coming weeks, we will continue to fight to make aid more useful to those leading change in their own countries. And we will continue to ask people like Majeda Begum Shiru, Emiliana Aligaesha, Manuel Dominguez, Martha Kwataine, and Nana Kojo Kondua IV show us how.
This post originally appeared on Oxfam America’s The Politics of Poverty blog. | 4,482 | 2,212 | 0.000468 |
warc | 201704 | Q:
What is 4K passthrough? I see that newer AV receivers support it, but then I also see only one HDMI input that supports HDCP 2.2. Does this mean that 4K passthrough does not need HDCP 2.2? Doesn't 4K require HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2? Does that mean not all of the inputs support "true" 4K?
- TheRatPatrol
A:
You're not alone; this is a topic of much confusion. 4K passthrough is an AV receiver's ability to accept a 4K video signal from a source device and pass it through to a 4K display. To pass a copy-protected 4K signal—which will include virtually all commercial 4K/UHD content for the home—the HDMI output of the source device must be connected to an HDMI input on the AVR that supports HDCP 2.2 copy protection. The AVR's HDMI output is then connected to an HDMI input on the display, which must also support HDCP 2.2. In the example you cite, 4K passthrough would only work with the AVR's one HDMI input that supports HDCP 2.2.
These days, it's common for AVRs to have many HDMI inputs, only one or some of which support HDCP 2.2—if there are any at all. When shopping for an AVR, be sure at least one input supports HDCP 2.2; if it has no such inputs, the signal from any upcoming Ultra HD Blu-ray player or 4K/UHD streaming device will not pass through the AVR and on to the display. This does not apply to the streaming apps within the display itself, which do not send any video signals via HDMI to the AVR. (They might send audio via the display's optical output or HDMI Audio Return Channel, but that shouldn't be a problem for HDCP 2.2.)
There are some related issues to consider when shopping for an AVR. For example, HDMI 2.0 can operate at a bitrate of 10.2 or 18 Gbps, and it's usually not clear which bitrate is implemented in any HDMI 2.0-equipped device. At 10.2 Gbps, the connection can carry 2160p at 60 frames per second with no more than 4:2:0 color subsampling and 8-bit resolution, which is insufficient for high dynamic range (HDR). The lower bitrate can convey up to 12-bit resolution and 4:2:2 color subsampling at 30 and 24 frames per second, which is sufficient for HDR at these lower frame rates. Still, I strongly recommend getting an AVR that operates at the higher HDMI bitrate of 18 Gbps if possible, because that is more future-proof than the lower bitrate.
Another issue is HDR itself, which I believe is critically important for the future of video entertainment. To convey an HDR signal from a source device—say, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player or 4K/UHD streaming device—through an AVR and on to the display, all devices must have HDMI 2.0a connections. The "a" signifies that the connection can convey HDR metadata, which is required for an HDR display to properly reproduce HDR images.
However, keep in mind that just because HDMI 2.0a specifies this capability, that doesn't mean a hardware manufacturer must implement it, even if the connection is identified as HDMI 2.0a. So be very careful about determining exactly what capabilities are actually implemented in a given product, not just what HDMI version number it uses. The version number represents the set of capabilities that can be implemented, not which ones are actually implemented.
If you've got an AV question, please send it to Scott Wilkinson (scott@avsforum.com) or Mark Henninger (imagic, mark@avsforum.com) via PM or email. | 3,374 | 1,556 | 0.00065 |
warc | 201704 | Market research solutions provider, Research and Markets, has published a new report titled, "Nanotechnology Market in India 2012 – Update.” Nanotechnology refers to that realm of nanoscience that deals with not only applications of nanoscience but also includes the engineering involved in the modification and manipulation of materials at the nano level to obtain the desired structure.
In India, the field of nanotechnology is considered to be still in the developing stage. A steady increase in awareness and substantial efforts in research and development focused on nanotechnology appear to enhance the future prospects of nanotechnology on India. The applications that could be conceived by employing nanotechnology are unlimited. The engineering carried out at molecular level of materials would not only yield superior properties but also has the potential to generate new materials.
The report from Research and Markets provides an overview of the nanotechnology market and follows it up with details of the value chain. The report presents the details of the global market for nanotechnology which includes size of the market from the period 2011, market forecasts up to 2015 and envisaged growth. The section on the global market also comprises information on the position of nanotechnology in the major continents as well as in various countries. The most commonly used materials in nanotechnology are listed.
The report also presents the application trend for nanomaterials. The global market analysis is followed by the Indian nanotechnology market analysis. This section focuses on the growth in funding offered for nanotechnology in India from 2011 and expected funding up to 2015. The section highlights the leading Indian companies engaged in nanotechnology, the currently ongoing research in this field and the various Indian entities that employ nanomaterials. The drivers of nanotechnology in India and the challenges the industry faces are also provided in the report.
Source: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/ | 2,051 | 915 | 0.001102 |
warc | 201704 | Fundies of Color
What both white and non-white fundies read to their children
Wikipedia defines “fundie” as:
Fundie or fundy (plural fundies) is a pejorative slang term used to refer to religious fundamentalists of any religion or denomination, although it is primarily directed towards fundamentalist Christians. The term is intentionally derogatory, and is used most commonly by those opposed to the Christian Right movement.
This is a fairly accurate definition, and it serves my purposes quite well. But what term should you use if you don’t want the built-in negative slant? In other words, what should a journalist call these people?
Most of the time, I see them referred to as “evangelicals”. That’s roughly correct, but not completely. Not every evangelical exhibits all of the traits of fundamentalism. There are also some non-Christians who align themselves with Christian fundamentalists. Ben Stein’s promotion of
Expelled and other anti-science lies puts him in this category.
I came across an article on the
The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education website that addresses this matter. The Maynard Institute says its mission is:
to promote diversity in the news media through improved coverage, hiring and business practices.
The article is “Media Coverage of Evangelical Christians Ignores Blacks and Latinos” by Nadra Kareem Nittle. The article’s thesis is that the media’s use of the term “evangelical” to describe old white guys such as Pat Robertson and James Dobson does not accurately portray evangelicals.
Since I’m not an evangelical and I almost never use the term as a stand-in for “fundie”, I have no stake in that particular dispute. However, I did find the article quite revealing in another way. I’ve known for a long time that black and latino evangelicals exist. It always struck me as odd that they would be aligned philosophically with people who espoused beliefs and advocated policies that were detrimental to minorities. I suppose it’s a manifestation of the No True Scotsman fallacy. The white evangelicals aren’t “true evangelicals”, so white evangelical belief isn’t the same as non-white evangelical belief.
I’ll return to the Maynard Institute article in a minute. First, I want to detour to an article by Austin Cline at About. It’s a review of a book about the Bible Belt, which looks worth reading. Here’s how Austin summarizes the history of Southern Evangelism:
What few people realize is that Southern culture changed — or perhaps corrupted? — evangelical Christianity. Southern Evangelism started out as a fringe movement, challenging the dominant Anglican institutions and practices.
… The messages spread by these young, itinerant preachers threatened the authority of Southern planters and businessmen. … To be successful, preachers had to make themselves more appealing to those who were already in power in the South: the middle-aged white gentry. … Evangelicalism had to move quite a ways from its earlier promise of equality and liberation because churches which once [promised] equality and liberation ended up in the nineteenth century “upholding the equality and honor of all white men.” This is the Southern “family values religion” which still exists today, though it has spread out of the South and can be found around the nation: a religious movement that began on the dream of liberty and ended in a nightmare of authoritarian oppression.
So now let’s look at the Maynard Institute article and see if there really are non-authoritarian evangelicals:
News reports often leave the impression that all evangelical Christians are white and usually support the most conservative Republican candidates. Totally overlooked is the fact that many African-Americans, Latinos and other people of color are evangelical Christians whose views are rarely cited.
… People of color, a growing segment of the evangelical community, and their positions on issues are rarely seen or heard in the media. Religion scholars and experts say it’s critical that the media quickly adjust coverage to include all evangelical Christians or risk giving an unfair advantage to candidates supported by the largely conservative, white evangelicals.
We know that there are a lot of non-fundie churches in this country, but their numbers are dwindling, whereas evangelical ranks are growing.
So if there really are moderate or liberal evangelicals, why do they tend to vote as a monolithic block? Or do they? The Maynard Institute article implies they don’t, but the post-election breakdowns I see in the media tend to show them mostly voting Republican. Or maybe that is another example of what that article is railing against: an overly-simplified definition of evangelical? If that’s the case, where do I find real data that shows black and latino evangelicals voting Democratic?
I also wonder if the fundie’s hijacking of media attention has damaged religion in this country. There may be
a lot (too many!) of fundies in this country, but they’re still a minority. Wouldn’t it be funny if they’re driving down their own numbers?
If every religious spokesman on TV is a hate-filled extremist, then wouldn’t most middle-of-the-road religion-ambivalent Americans (which probably describes almost half the population) become soured on religion? Maybe that’s one reason so many Americans profess a weak belief in God but don’t bother to go to church.
Lisa Sharon Harper, author of the book “Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican or Democrat” and co-author of “Left, Right & Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics,” says the term “evangelical” has a meaning different than what is portrayed in the mainstream media.
“The media would do well not to call [the religious right] evangelicals,” says Harper, also director of mobilizing for Sojourners, a Christian social justice organization in Washington. “They’re really thinking about a political bloc. They’re not thinking about theological evangelicals.”
Harper notes that political evangelicals tend to be white, live in suburban or rural areas and have a history of supporting a conservative agenda over the past 30 years. In contrast, she says theological evangelicals have existed for hundreds of years and have challenged the status quo.
At first, I thought Harper was saying that it’s only the sanitized-for-Southerners version of evangelicalism that gets into politics. But then she says this:
“What you’re finding among theological evangelicals is there’s such a broader spectrum of issues that they care about,” she says. “
It won’t just be abortion or same-sex marriage. It will also be the prison industrial complex and how that impacts the black community and the Latino community. It will be the issue of immigration.” [emphasis added]
AHHHH!!! Revelation (so to speak)! What we have here isn’t two opposite flavors of evangelicalism, original liberal and corrupted conservative. The son killed the father! Extra-crispy Southern evangelicalism killed original-recipe evangelicalism and replaced it with some sort of cheap imitation.
Theological evangelicalism promotes
racial equality, but it’s still anti-woman and anti-gay.
The article goes on to interview Ron Sider, founder of Evangelicals for Social Action in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania:
Views of the religious right… concern Sider because he doesn’t believe that their agenda is biblical enough.
Or Scotish enough!
A biblical political agenda would also include economic justice and environmentalism, known in Christian circles as “creation care,” he says.
Inequality of the justice system. Immigration. Economic justice. Environmentalism. All of these fall under the banner of theological evangelicalism. But there’s no room at the inn for the women and gays.
To be fair, the article does interview Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II, director of public witness for the Presbyterian Church, who says:
some evangelicals do fight for health coverage for contraception because it may help women treat medical conditions such as endometriosis.
So at least one of these guys has at least a little bit of compassion for women, but note that it’s only for medical conditions. A woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body is not included.
So what have we learned, Dorothy?
We already knew that fundies aren’t very “Christ-like”. We also already knew that
all Christians riffle through the Bible and pick out the parts they like and want to follow, while ignoring all that other stuff that tells them the exact opposite.
These articles tell us that the white guys choose full-flavor fundamentalism, which is full of hate and intolerance for everybody who isn’t like them. The fundies of color choose hate-lite, which has all the flavor of fundamentalism with a bit less hate.
In other words, both groups choose a religion that justifies their bigotry and allows them to oppress those who are politically and socially weaker than themselves. | 9,320 | 4,181 | 0.000251 |
warc | 201704 | The Ebola epidemic in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, was recognized because of a nosocomial outbreak in Kikwit General Hospital.
Initially, a diagnosis of shigella infection was suspected because many patients presented with bloody diarrhea.
On 4 May 1995, blood samples from 14 acutely ill patients were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta), and on 9 May, a diagnosis of Ebola hemorrhagic fever was confirmed.
The major disease control measures that were undertaken were the isolation of patients in a quarantine ward at Kikwit General Hospital, the distribution of protective equipment to health care workers and family members caring for Ebola patients, the use of barrier nursing techniques, the distribution of health education material, active and passive case finding, and the burying of the deceased in plastic bags by a trained team of Red Cross volunteers who wore gloves and protective clothing.
Mots-clés Pascal : Virus Ebola, Filovirus, Filoviridae, Mononegavirales, Virus, Fièvre hémorragique Ebola, Virose, Infection, Homme, Congo(République démocratique), Afrique, Prévention, Transmission homme homme Mots-clés Pascal anglais : Ebola virus, Filovirus, Filoviridae, Mononegavirales, Virus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Viral disease, Infection, Human, Congo(Democratic republic), Africa, Prevention, Transmission from man to man Notice produite par : Inist-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique Cote : 99-0199997
Code Inist : 002B05C02I4. Création : 16/11/1999. | 1,580 | 837 | 0.001231 |
warc | 201704 | “Coca-Cola-flavored wine launched in France” was the headline in New York City’s ‘Daily News’. ‘Coca-cola Rasa Wine Dirilis di Prancis’ screamed ‘Inilah’ in Indonesia accompanied by a photo of Coca Cola bottles.
Some alleged it was intended to encourage young drinkers, others remarked how marketers were desperate to get the French consuming wine again, as sales have dropped considerably there and some suggested the drink was intended for Asia’s sweet palate.
The drink, named Rouge Sucette, which means Red Lollipop, doesn’t actually contain any Coca Cola or indeed any other cola drink. It is red wine diluted with 25 percent water down to 9% alcohol, with added sugar and cola flavouring.
The reaction to the new drink is surprising because diluting and flavouring wine has been going on throughout history, with the Romans adding honey, herbs and sea-water to their wines. What is Spain’s Sangria but flavoured wine? In the USA and elsewhere you can buy readymade Sangria drinks.
The French have a long history of flavouring wines. Vermouth is wine with alcohol added to stabilise it and flavoured with a secret mix of herbs. It was popularly taken neat as an aperitif and it is an essential ingredient around 200 cocktails including the Manhattan and Martini.
Buck’s Fizz and Mimosa are made by adding Champagne to orange juice, while Italy’s Bellini mixes Prosecco with white peach puree. The Kir comes from Dijon, in the heart of the Burgundy wine region, and is dry white wine mixed with Cassis, a locally made blackcurrant liqueur. Use Champagne as the wine and it becomes a Kir Royale.
Add sparkling water to a glass of white wine and you have a Spritzer long drink, refreshing in hot weather and halving the alcohol in each glass.
Adding cola to red wine is not unknown. In Asia, where one way to display status and wealth is to serve expensive Bordeaux wines, drinkers have been seen adding Coca Cola to make the tart dry red wine more palatable.
Maybe the makers of Rouge Sucette had been to neighbouring Spain and observed the popularity there of a drink called kalimotxo. Take a tall glass, load with ice, and fill with 50/50 red wine and Coca Cola. It is also known as Rioja Libre after the rum cocktail Cuba Libre because the dry red was from Rioja. Now it is also commercially bottled as Kalimocho.
What do you mix with your wine? Tell us on our forum.
Peter F May is the author of
Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape: Odd Wines from Around the Worldwhich features more than 100 wine labels and the stories behind them, and PINOTAGE: Behind the Legends of South Africa’s Own Winewhich tells the story behind the Pinotage wine and grape. | 2,744 | 1,437 | 0.000719 |
warc | 201704 | Spring break is a busy time when many of us head to a warmer destination where we spend most of our days soaking up the sun and staying cool by the water. Spring break is meant to be an enjoyable time, but it can also be quite dangerous, especially, when it comes to water activities.
Michelle Fanucchi, chair in the department of environmental health sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said, “Families seem to be spending time around water this time of year, so it is important to remind ourselves of the basics of water safety. It is easy to become complacent when it comes to water safety. Being aware of the dangers of water and reminding our children of basic guidelines may help prevent an accident from occurring.”
Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the U.S., especially among those aged one to four. Parents and guardians should never let children out of their site when they are near water, regardless of whether it is a pool or beach.
Children – and adults – should learn how to swim, and when on a boat all persons should be equipped with a life jacket.
When swimming in the ocean, you should be aware of riptides and know how to escape them. You should not try to swim against the current as that will merely tire you out. Instead, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the riptide.
If you are not a strong swimmer or are not confident in your abilities, try to stay as close to the shore as possible, where the water is shallow. Lastly, don’t drink and swim or drink and operate a boat (motorized or nonmotorized) as you will have even less control of any dangerous situation. | 1,672 | 889 | 0.001147 |
warc | 201704 | Results 151 - 200 of 2321 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >
Squiers Linda L a RTI International , Washington , District of Columbia , - - 2014
As obesity/overweight has increased in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009 ), studies have found that Americans' perceptions of their own weight often are not aligned with their actual body mass index (BMI; Brener et al., 2004 ; Christakis, 2003; Johnson-Taylor et al., 2008 ). Taylor, ...
Frankenfeld C L CL 0000000223180791 Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, - - 2014
Background/objectives:Studies have observed associations between the gut microbiome and obesity. O-desmethylangolensin (ODMA) and equol are gut bacterial metabolites of daidzein, a compound found in high amounts in soy foods. Approximately 80-95% and 25-60% of individuals harbor gut microbial communities capable of producing ODMA or equol, respectively. Given that other phenotypes ...
Ogden Cynthia L CL National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, - - 2014
More than one-third of adults and 17% of youth in the United States are obese, although the prevalence remained stable between 2003-2004 and 2009-2010. To provide the most recent national estimates of childhood obesity, analyze trends in childhood obesity between 2003 and 2012, and provide detailed obesity trend analyses among ...
Sivaraman Jayaraman J Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, National Institute of Technology; Tiruchirappalli-India. - - 2014
The present study was designed to derive the normal limits of a new ECG lead system aimed at enhancing the amplitude of atrial potentials through the use of bipolar chest leads. Sixty healthy male subjects, mean age 38.85±8.76 years (range 25 to 58 years) were included in this study.In addition ...
Grootveld Laura R LR aDepartment of Public Health bDepartment of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam cPublic Health Service, Amsterdam (GGD Amsterdam), The - - 2014
To investigate the role of body composition (body weight, fat distribution and weight change over time) in ethnic differences in the incidence of hypertension in an ethnic Dutch, South Asian Surinamese and African Surinamese background population living in the Netherlands. We included 361 participants without hypertension at baseline (147 ethnic ...
van de Laar A W AW Department Bariatric Surgery, Slotervaartziekenhuis, Louwesweg 6, 1066 EC, Amsterdam, Netherlands, - - 2014
Percentage alterable weight loss (AWL) is the only known weight loss metric independent of the initial body mass index (BMI), a unique feature ideal for use in weight loss research. AWL was not yet validated. The aim of the study is to validate the AWL metric and to confirm advantages ...
Etemadi Arash A Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, - - 2014
We conducted this study to examine life-course body size and physical activity in relation to total and cause-specific mortality, which has not previously been studied in the low and middle-income countries in Asia. The Golestan Cohort Study is a population-based cohort in northeastern Iran in which 50,045 people above the ...
Sufficiently and Insufficiently Active Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Female College Students: Sociodemographic ...
McElroy Jane A JA Family and Community Medicine Department, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri. Electronic address: - - 2014
As rates of inactivity in the United States increase, the proportion of adults who are overweight in the United States continues to grow with concurrent increases in risk of weight-related morbidity and mortality. Sparse data are available on physical activity and weight in college-age sexual minority females, and none examine ...
Williams Emily D ED International Centre for Circulatory Health, Imperial College London, London, - - 2014
Weight and health behaviours are known to affect physical disability; however the evidence exploring the impact of changes to these lifestyle factors over the life course on disability is inconsistent. We aimed to explore the roles of weight and activity change between mid and later life on physical disability. Baseline ...
Skrobo Darko D Emergency Department, Cork University Hospital, Cork, - - 2014
In a resuscitation situation involving a child (age 1-15 years) it is crucial to obtain a weight as most interventions and management depend on it. The APLS formula, '2×(age+4)', is taught via the APLS course and is widely used in Irish hospitals. As the prevalence of obesity is increasing the ...
Yackobovitch-Gavan M M Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, National Center of Childhood Diabetes, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqwa, - - 2014
Attrition is a major limitation of most weight management intervention programmes. The present study aimed to conduct an extensive investigation of personal, sociodemographic and treatment-related factors associated with attrition at different stages of a 10-week group weight-loss programme. The present study is part of a longitudinal, clinical intervention study comparing ...
Helmsmüller Daniela D Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, - - 2014
Weight support patterns vary widely among mammals. Differences in how much of the body weight is supported by the fore- versus the hind-limbs are well documented among and within species. Intraindividual variation due to ontogenetic processes has been studied in several hindlimb-dominated species and consistently showed a caudal shift in ...
Lee Jenny S W JS The S. H. Ho Center for Gerontology and Geriatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: - - 2014
Weight loss has been considered predictive of early mortality in nursing home residents. Lower body mass index, irrespective of weight loss, has also been considered detrimental for survival in community-dwelling older persons. We examined which of the 2 is more important for survival in nursing home residents and at what ...
Idris Nikmah S NS University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The - - 2014
Physical activity has long been proposed as an important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor in adults. We assessed whether physical activity already has an effect on childhood vasculature. In the Wheezing-Illnesses-Study-in-Leidsche-Rijn birth cohort, we performed vascular ultrasound to measure carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and functional properties (distensibility, elastic modulus) at 5 ...
Glavin Kari - - 2014
Identifying important ages for the development of overweight is essential for optimizing preventive efforts. The purpose of the study was to explore early growth characteristics in children who become overweight or obese at the age of 8 years to identify important ages for the onset of overweight and obesity. Data ...
Wijnhoven Hanneke A H HA Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. - - 2014
Weight loss is associated with a higher mortality risk in old age, but the underlying cause may impact this association. We examined associations between causes of intentional and unintentional weight loss and weight gain and mortality. We used data of five triannual examination rounds of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam ...
Brown David S DS Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, - - 2014
Prevalence and intensity of parasitic infections is often higher in male than in female vertebrates. This bias may represent either differences between host sex in exposure or susceptibility to parasites. The former may be due to sex-specific behaviour of the host, including differential habitat use or diet. Differences in susceptibility ...
Rodd Celia - - 2014
For ages 5-19 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) publishes reference charts based on 'core data' from the US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), collected from 1963-75 on 22,917 US children. To promote the use of body mass index in older children, weight-for-age was omitted after age 10. Health ...
Bovey K E KE University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G - - 2014
Selection for high prolificacy has resulted in litters comprised of a large number of low-birth-weight (LBW) piglets. Given their presence in over 75% of litters, and increased mortality rate, it is clear that a greater understanding of LBW piglet management is required for both animal welfare and productivity. In this ...
Advanced intrauterine growth restriction is associated with reduced excretion of asymmetric dimethylarginine.
Bassareo P P PP Department of Medical Sciences "M. Aresu", University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: - - 2014
High blood levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are associated with future development of adverse cardiovascular events. The ADMA/symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) ratio is a marker of ADMA catabolism, with a high ADMA/SDMA ratio being suggestive of reduced ADMA excretion. This study aimed a) to verify the presence of a statistically significant ...
Onbasilar E E EE Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Science, Ankara University, Ankara 06110, - - 2014
The current study was carried out to investigate the effects of breeder age on egg composition, changes of embryo, yolk sac, and yolk minerals during incubation and hatchability in Pekin ducks. A total of 495 freshly laid eggs were obtained from the same flock of Pekin ducks, aged 28, 34, ...
Bonny Andrea E AE Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA. Electronic address: - - 2014
To explore the relationship between medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) pharmacokinetic (PK) parameter estimates and weight gain. Prospective study of adolescents (N=40; age 12-21 years) initiating DMPA. PK parameters were calculated: maximum MPA concentration (Cmax, ng/mL), time to Cmax (Tmax, days) and elimination rate constant (ng/mL/day). Optimal PK cut points were determined ...
Correia Luciano Lima - - 2014
To analyze the evolution in the prevalence and determinants of malnutrition in children in the semiarid region of Brazil. Data were collected from two cross-sectional population-based household surveys that used the same methodology. Clustering sampling was used to collect data from 8,000 families in Ceará, Northeastern Brazil, for the years ...
Hilas Olga O St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Queens, New - - 2014
Changes in body weight can affect the overall health of an older patient and should not be considered a normal part of the aging process. In particular, weight loss can lead to numerous adverse health outcomes affecting daily activities, loss of functional status, and increased mortality. Approximately 15% to 20% ...
Cunningham Solveig A SA From the Hubert Department of Global Health (S.A.C., K.M.V.N.) and the Department of Epidemiology (M.R.K.), Emory University, - - 2014
Although the increased prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has been documented, little is known about its incidence. We report here on the national incidence of obesity among elementary-school children. We evaluated data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, a representative prospective cohort of ...
Kang D D Department of Endocrinology, Qianfoshan Hospital of Shandong University, No. 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan, 250014, China, - - 2014
Osteoporosis and obesity are severe public health problems in an aging society, and as we all know, bone mineral density (BMD) is closely related to fat mass (FM) and fat distribution. However, studies have long focused on pre- or post-menopausal women, and its presence in men has been underestimated. To ...
Zhang Kai Yu - - 2014
The meniscus has an important role in force transmission across the knee, but a detailed three-dimensional (3D) morphometric shape analysis of the lateral meniscus to elucidate subject-specific function has not been conducted. The aim of this study was to perform 3D morphometric analyses of the lateral meniscus in order to ...
Zhang W-J WJ Department of Hematology, Center Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, Department of Hematology, Center Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, - - 2014
Our objective was to examine associations of adult weight gain and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Cross-sectional interview data from 844 residents in Wan Song Community from October 2009 to April 2010 were analyzed in multivariate logistic regression models to examine odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between ...
Li Nan N Tianjin Women's and Children's Health Center, Tianjin, China; Chronic Disease Epidemiology Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, - - 2014
To investigate the association between different levels of birth weight and the risk of overweight and obesity in children aged 3 years and under. Between 2009 and 2011, health care records of 55,925 children had been collected, and body weight and length had been measured from birth to 3 years ...
Robertson Annaleise A School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. Electronic address: - - 2014
While rates of obesity continue to increase, weight-loss interventions to date have not been hugely successful. The purpose of this study was to explore the specific factors that are relevant to weight control in overweight and obese young adults compared to older adults, within the context of the theory of ...
Raffa Lina H LH Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology/Ophthalmology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Ophthalmology, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi - - 2014
The purpose was to characterize normal growth patterns of ocular and optical components and to relate them to auxological data in a sample of Swedish children aged 4-15 years. A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in 143 Swedish children with a mean age of 9.8 years. Variables including gestational age (GA), ...
Lacerte G G Centre de recherche clinique Etienne-LeBel, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, - - 2014
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of weight gain and changes in adiposity distribution on insulin resistance and circulating adiponectin variations over 4 years in free-living normal weight young adults. In this prospective observational cohort (n=42 women, 18 men), anthropometric measurements and blood samples were collected ...
12-year weight change, waist circumference change and incident obesity: The Australian Diabetes, ...
Tanamas Stephanie K SK Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, - - 2014
Objective This study aimed to describe changes in weight and waist circumference (WC), examine the incidence of obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI) and WC, and describe changes in the prevalence of obesity over 12 years. Design and methods In 1999/2000, 11,247 adults aged ≥25 years were recruited ...
Kotzampassi Katerina K 1 Department of Surgery, Aristotle's University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki, Greece - - 2014
Abstract Background: Weight loss by means of an intragastric balloon is an advantageous procedure, as usage of such a balloon is minimally invasive and of minimal operational risk. Nevertheless, despite the encouraging results referred in to large population studies, its success rate as a treatment option is still questionable. The ...
Epperson Anna E AE Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, Health Promotion and Behavioral Science, University of Texas Prevention Research Center, University of Texas School of Public Health, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical - - 2014
Little is known about influences on weight loss attempts, yet about one-half report making such attempts during adolescence. The aim was to examine the relationships among weight loss attempts, body size, and body perception in racially/ethnically diverse young adolescents. 3954 African American, Latino, and White 5th-graders completed the Self-Perception Profile-Physical ...
Breij Laura M LM Department of Pediatrics, Subdivision of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC/Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the - - 2014
Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic metabolic syndrome. Some studies demonstrated an association between small size at birth and NAFLD. Rapid catch-up in weight often follows small birth size and has been associated with metabolic syndrome, but its association with NAFLD remained unknown. Patients and Methods: ...
Wen Li Ming LM Sydney School of Public Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia; Health Promotion Service, South Western Sydney & Sydney Local Health Districts, New South Wales, - - 2014
Objective: We sought to determine early life factors that predict body mass index (BMI) and overweight/obesity of children aged 2 years. Design and Methods: A longitudinal and prospective analysis was conducted with 330 first-time mothers and their newborns. Children's weight and length were measured at two years. Main factors of ...
Song Mi-Young MY Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Korean Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, - - 2014
Gut microbiota is regarded as one of the major factors involved in the control of body weight. The antiobesity effects of ginseng and its main constituents have been demonstrated, but the effects on gut microbiota are still unknown. To investigate the effect of ginseng on gut microbiota, 10 obese middle-aged ...
Mazkereth Ram R Department of Neonatology, The Edmond and Lili Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, - - 2014
Abstract Objective: To evaluate and compare growth parameters (weight, length and head circumference) of discordant preterm twins during the first year of life. Methods: Retrospective data were collected on 78 pairs of >10% discordant preterm twins. Data regarding short-term neonatal outcome was recorded. Growth parameters were recorded at birth and ...
Arabshahi S S 1] Department of Medicine, Southern Clinical School, Monash Medical Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia [2] Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Cancer and Population Studies, Locked Bag 2000, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, - - 2014
Background/Objectives:This study examines which socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics are associated with weight and waist circumference (WC) change in a cohort of Australian adults over a 15-year period (1992-2007). Further, it tests the effect of period of birth (birth cohort) on mean weight and WC at two time points, 15 years ...
Meng Nai-Hsin NH Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, - - 2014
The present population-based, cross-sectional study was carried out in communities in Taichung, Taiwan, to identify the prevalence of and the factors associated with sarcopenia, using the diagnostic criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, which requires the presence of low muscle mass and low muscle function. ...
Mack L A LA Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN - - 2014
In many mammalian species, prenatal stress masculinizes female and feminizes male offspring impairing their reproductive capacity. Regrouping gestating sows is a common, stressful production practice, but its impact on the sow's developing pigs is not fully known. This study examined the effects of regrouping gestating sows and the administration of ...
Gebel Klaus K Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: - - 2014
To examine prospectively whether higher proportions of vigorous physical activity (VPA), independent of total activity volume, are associated with better outcomes in weight maintenance and physical function. We used three-year longitudinal data (2006/07-2009/10) of adults 45 and older (n=32,087; 59.5±9.3 years) from New South Wales, Australia. Logistic regression models examined ...
Tao Hung-Lin HL Department of Economics, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: - - 2014
Using a data set of Taiwanese female graduates in 2006, this study finds that height and earnings are positively correlated for full-time workers. However, it is not because tall individuals went to better colleges or received better grades (cognitive ability), not because they are gifted with superior physical strength or ...
Milder Ivon E J IE Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, , Bilthoven, The - - 2014
The cross-sectional association between obesity and a lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) is clear. However, less is known about the association between changes in weight and HRQL. We examined the association between weight changes and changes in HRQL in a population-based sample of 2005 men and 2130 women aged ...
Kim Nam Hoon NH Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, - - 2014
The course of NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) and associated factors in nonobese subjects are not well established. We investigated contributing factors for the development and regression of NAFLD in nonobese Koreans, and whether they would differ from those of obese subjects METHODS: 2,307 adults aged over 18 years participated ...
Peeters Anna A Department of Obesity and Population Health, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, - - 2014
To assess in a single cohort whether annual weight and waist circumference (WC) change has varied over time. Longitudinal cohort study with three surveys (1) 1999/2000; (2) 2004/2005 and (3) 2011/2012. Generalised linear mixed models with random effects were used to compare annualised weight and WC change between surveys 1 ...
Talaie-Zanjani A A Department of Health and Nutrition, Islamic Azad University of Arak, Arak, - - 2014
The prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adolescents is increasing world-wide. Obesity in children and adolescents is a major risk factor for diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, and cancer in adulthood. The aim of the study was to compare the nutritional status and food-stuffs among high-school girls in Arak, ...
Pursey Kirrilly K Faculty of Health and Medicine, Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, - - 2014
Web-based approaches are an effective and convenient medium to deliver eHealth interventions. However, few studies have attempted to evaluate the accuracy of online self-reported weight, and only one has assessed the accuracy of online self-reported height and body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to validate online self-reported height, weight, ...
Miska Agata - - 2014
The common vole is one ofthe most numerous rodents in Europe and Asia but its reproductive biology is not fully described. It is thought that females reach reproductive abilities at a very young age, however, there is no data concerning male sexual maturation. The aim of the present study was ...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > | 24,592 | 10,257 | 0.000098 |
warc | 201704 | Sex Headaches: More Common Than You'd Think,
Loyola University Study
6/11/2014 7:11:02 AM
Sex Headaches: More Common Than You'd Think
MAYWOOD, Ill. (June 9, 2014) – About 1 percent of adults report they have experienced headaches associated with sexual activity and that such headaches can be severe.
But the actual incidence is almost certainly higher, according to a Loyola University Medical Center neurologist and headache specialist.
“Many people who experience headaches during sexual activity are too embarrassed to tell their physicians and doctors often don’t ask,” said Dr. José Biller, who has treated dozens of patients for headaches associated with sexual activity (HAS). Biller is chair of the Department of Neurology with the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and is certified in Headache Medicine by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties.
Comedians have long joked about spouses avoiding sex by claiming to have a headache. But sex headaches are not a laughing matter, Biller said.
“Headaches associated with sexual activity can be extremely painful and scary,” Biller said. “They also can be very frustrating, both to the individual suffering the headache and to the partner."
Headaches usually are caused by disorders such as migraines or tension. But headaches also can be secondary to other conditions, and some of these conditions can be life-threatening.
The vast majority of headaches associated with sexual activity are benign. But in a small percentage of cases, these headaches can be due to a serious underlying condition, such as a hemorrhage, brain aneurysm, stroke, cervical artery dissection or subdural hematoma. “So we recommend that patients undergo a thorough neurological evaluation to rule out secondary causes, which can be life-threatening,” Biller said. “This is especially important when the headache is a first occurrence."
Sexual activity is comparable to mild- to moderate-intensity exercise. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates first noted the association between headaches, exercise and sexual activity. And in 2004, the International Headache Society classified HAS as a distinct form of primary headache.
Biller said men are three to four times more likely to get HSAs than women. There are three main types of sex-related headaches:
• A dull ache in the head and neck that begins before orgasm and gets worse as sexual arousal increases. It is similar to a tension headache.
• An intensely painful headache that begins during orgasm and can last for hours. It’s called a thunderclap headache because it grabs your attention like a clap of thunder. One of Biller’s patients, who asked to remain anonymous, described such a headache this way: “All of a sudden, there was a terrific pain in the back of my head. It like someone was hitting me with a hammer."
• A headache that occurs after sex and can range from mild to extremely painful. The headache gets worse when the patient stands and lessens when the person lies back down. This headache is caused by an internal leak of spinal fluid, which extends down from the skull into the spine. When there’s a leak in the fluid, the brain sags downward when the patient stands, causing pain.
Depending on the type of headache, certain medications can help relieve the pain or even prevent the headache, Biller said.
Individuals can reduce their risk of sex headaches by exercising, avoiding excessive alcohol intake, keeping a healthy weight and counseling, Biller said.
Loyola University Health System (LUHS) is a member of Trinity Health. Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, LUHS is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and more than 30 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus is a 559-licensed-bed hospital that houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 255-licensed-bed community hospital, the Professional Office Building housing 150 private practice clinics, the Adult Day Care, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness, Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care and the Loyola Cancer Care & Research at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center at Melrose Park.
Jim Ritter
Media Relations
(708) 216-2445
jritter@lumc.edu
Anne Dillon
Media Relations
(708) 216-8232
adillon@lumc.edu
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warc | 201704 | Food is life. It provides nutrition and energy to the body to work. That is something we read at primary school. But with all the growing up and getting to know stuff, food became something of a different sort to us. With life moving so fast in cities. Late night wake up sessions with technology and going an extra mile to study have also been trending. One thing which is also trending with this ongoing event of trends is our late night food cravings. We’ve all been there. Working late night and getting hungry is the commonest kind of problem people face. You cannot even ignore the hunger and wait for it to transform into starvation. So, in the follow up, there is a number hacks which should be enough to satisfy your hunger.
Avoid Junk
Boredom is one prominent reason for late night hunger. Thinking about what you want to eat is not the right decision to take at midnight but thinking about what you should eat is what is a mature thing to do. Because junk is something which would surely not let you get a proper sleep. So, try something healthier. Even if you do prefer junk just don’t have too much of it.
Packed Food
You must have some food in advance. Just check the kitchen for some packed food. We are talking health here. So, try eating multi-grain pretzels with less calorie. It is a delicious light snack and can be drunk with some energy drink. You can also give a try to multigrain crackers, light and healthy. Serve them with light cheese. Energy bars can also be great fun at midnight. Having nutritious attributes, these bars are a great way to waive that slight hunger off.
Fruits
Fruits are the healthiest way to get rid of hunger at night. Munching on some fruits is just another light and tasty experience as biting a pizza slice.
Try having fruits refrigerated in your kitchen at all times. They can be a great help during hunger panics. You can also try making a fruit and yogurt recipe by adding your sliced fruits to the yogurt.
Cereal
Cereals make great breakfasts. Late at night this kind of a snack can prove to be a very successful hunger buster. Try having it with low fat milk to make it healthier. Cereal is already a mix of nutrients and Vitamin D. So, it gives a feeling of being full.
Popcorn
Popcorn is the king of every light snack. Having a spongy feel and with its buttery taste, it is one of the best midnight food. It is readily available and also easy to make. Try adding lemon powder to give it a tangy flavour. Believe me, you will be satisfied.
Shakes
Preparing shakes at midnight is the bet experience ever. The cold feeling of shakes is the best at night. Just pour some water in the mixer, add yogurt and two strawberries. Blend them and here is your delicious strawberry shake all ready to be drunk. You can do this with other fruits for shakes. This is healthy and also very yummy. | 2,864 | 1,398 | 0.000722 |
warc | 201704 | Dried tea leaves can be used in the same way as any other dried herb, notes
Tonia George in the intro to her tea cookbook. Whether it’s loose-leaf or bagged, tea can easily be incorporated into recipes for added flavor and health benefits. Tea is rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that make it good for your skin, heart, brain, teeth and metabolism. To easily cook with tea, try:
1. Adding a bag of your favorite fruity or spicy tea to the water next time you’re making
oatmeal. Add tea at the beginning, so it steeps as water comes to boil, flavoring oats, groats, grits, etc., without added sugar or sweeteners.
2. Adding a tea bag to water (before bringing it to a boil) when you’re cooking
pasta. Non-sweet teas such as fennel tea, black tea or marjoram tea work well.
3. Using dried loose-leaf tea leaves to
crust fish or chicken. Mix tea leaves (mint, Lapsang Souchong, Darjeeling) with rock sea salt, ground flaxseed and a little water, bring to boil, then use to coat fish, etc. before baking or frying. | 1,041 | 602 | 0.0017 |
warc | 201704 | Dear Blue School Families,
This week's post is from Patricia Lynch, Director of the Primary Program
There is nothing more luxurious than summertime reading. When we indulge ourselves in summer reading, there seems to be no calendar or clock that nudges us toward distraction; we have reached a serenity seldom found. The more deeply we become immersed in a book, the more reflective our lives become. Our connection is with the words, ideas, images that eventually enliven the thinking we bring to life.
These beliefs are brought to life in Blue School when I walk into a classroom and a child is laughing out loud about something she has read. When I listen in on the provocative conversations about a story read in a class, when I hear children outraged or mystified because of a character’s behavior, and even empathically near tears. These instances are certain proof that stories and narratives bring about vital emotional connections for everyone. Reading is not solely an academic pursuit, but more importantly, an activity that helps us define our identity, and gives us the strength and understanding to face daily challenges. Afterall, if Alexander can live through a horrible, no good day, so can we.
When parents ask me how they can help their child with reading, my advice is always the same. Read to your child. No matter what the age. Read newspaper articles, food ingredients, great novels you enjoyed as a child and historical accounts. Research has shown that children who are read to fare far better in the long run with reading comprehension and critical thinking. So it’s certainly worth the enjoyment.
The former has all been a bit of a drum roll to announce the Primary Division Summer Read and Reading List. Through perusal of many, many outstanding picture books, the faculty and I have decided upon a summer read. This summer we are asking that all children entering Kindergarten through 5th grade read,
Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie. Please make sure that your child reads the book over the summer because s/he will be given an activity based on the book within the first days of school.
And finally, a bit about fostering writing over the summer. Why not keep journals together, especially when you visit new or exciting places here or elsewhere? Sketch tiny findings, add some words to describe the drawing, and voila, you’ve got a pithy poem. Make lists together, develop characters based on people you see in the subway and on the streets and write monologues for them. Letters, letters, lots of letters written. Grandparents or other family friends always love to get emails and snail mail from favorite children.
I can’t wait to hear about all your reading experiences. Keep a list of favorites. Enjoy your children and have an adventurous and peaceful summer.
“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
Happy reading,
Pat | 2,918 | 1,508 | 0.000673 |
warc | 201704 | Laws, Regulations & Annotations Property Taxes Law Guide – Revision 2017
Property Tax Annotations
L
535.0000 LAND USE RESTRICTIONS Annotation 535.0006
535.0006 City Regulatory Agreement—Affordable Housing. A city redevelopment agency, with assistance from the City, increases the supply of affordable housing within its redevelopment area by requiring developers seeking approval to build housing projects and sell a portion of the dwelling units (affordable units) to low or moderate income purchasers (purchasers).
In order to acquire the property, the purchaser must obtain a first mortgage from a private lender, the amount of which is tied to the median-area income, the purchaser's income, and current interest rates (first mortgage). Additionally, prior to closing, each purchaser of an affordable unit must enter into a recorded regulatory agreement with the City that requires that the purchaser execute a promissory note and second trust deed, referred to as a silent second mortgage, under which the City may require payment after a period of years.
The recorded regulatory Agreement entered into by the City and the purchaser constitutes an enforceable government restriction under section 402.1. Thus, in the absence of evidence of comparable sales of similarly restricted property, the value of the affordable units for property tax purposes, under section 110(b), is their purchase price, which in each case may be estimated by adding the sum of the down payment and the face amount of the first mortgage to the assessor's estimate of the present economic value of the silent second. C 2/8/2007; C 4/10/2007. | 1,641 | 835 | 0.001211 |
warc | 201704 | Your profession plays an important role in your personal life. While it is said that you should not mix your profession with your personal life, at the same time, your profession is responsible in keeping you happy or sad.
We normally think that people having a successful career are happy; however, they have a hard time in maintaining the same.
It is also true that stress and anxiety are associated in every profession, but in some professions it leads to suicidal thoughts.It will be surprising for you to know that even doctors and dentists have suicidal tendencies.
You will be surprised to know that people whom you think are happy with their profession even think of suicide.This is because of the hidden pressure that their job demands.
Know whether you fall in the job profile, where the suicidal tendencies are high. Well having said that, writers and art painters fall in the safe category, as they take off the burden in the form of their writings and paintings, respectively!
Have a look at some of the jobs where suicidal rates are high.
Lawyers
Lawyers suffer from anxiety and depression because of their tense profession. They look into people's affairs and suffer from about 1.33 times more the suicidal thoughts than the people with other jobs.
Doctors
Yes, doctors also get suicidal thoughts and have about 1.82 times the suicidal tendencies when compared to people from other professions.
Financial Workers
People working in a finance sector have about 1.51 times more suicidal thoughts and tendencies than the people with other professions.
Pharmacist
Do you know that the person counselling about your medicine administration and usage is more likely to suffer from suicidal thoughts himself? These people have about 1.29 times the suicidal tendencies than other professions.
Potters
Potters also have higher suicidal rates as compared to other jobs. They have 1.39 times more suicidal tendencies than other professions.
Submarine Jobs
Marine engineers or submarine workers also are more likely to commit suicide by about 1.87 times more than people from other jobs. They live under water and have less human interaction. This makes them vulnerable for suicidal thoughts.
Farmers
Farmers are 1.32 times more likely to commit suicide than the people with other professions.
Veterinarians
Veterinary doctors have higher suicidal tendencies by about 1.54 times when compared to the people from other professions.
Real Estate Agents
People working in real estate dealing with selling, purchasing and reselling of properties are also more likely to suffer from depression and have suicidal thoughts by about 1.38 times than other people.
Electricians
They are 1.31 times more likely yo commit suicide than people from other professions. These people get easily depressed with their profession, and despite of earning well they may suffer from depression. | 2,899 | 1,186 | 0.000851 |
warc | 201704 | Pennsylvania officials yesterday weighed in on an initiative to prohibit local governments from using derivatives, with most participants in the public hearing urging greater state regulation and guidelines for such instruments rather than ending swaps at the local level.
The Senate Finance Committee held the meeting to hear from market participants and stakeholders regarding two initiatives.
S. 1277 would end the use of swap agreements for cities, towns, school districts, and local authorities and repeal Act 23, which lawmakers signed into law in 2003 and opened the door for derivative use at the local level. Another bill, S. 1278 would require municipalities to hire outside financial advisers through a competitive bidding process.
The bills are in response to millions of dollars that Pennsylvania school districts have lost in swap agreements. In one swap contract, the Bethlehem Area School District in Lehigh County was forced to absorb a net cost of $8.84 million.
The district in May 2009 paid counterparty JPMorgan Chase & Co. a termination fee of $12.3 million when the district refinanced a 2003 floating-rate note deal to fixed rate after Dexia SA did not renew a liquidity enhancement on the variable-rate notes. The district had received a $3.46 million up-front payment for entering into the derivative.
Sen. Lisa Boscola, who represents parts of Lehigh County, is the primary sponsor for both measures.
She stressed that taxpayers should not have to take on potentially higher property taxes to offset losses from derivative agreements that went sour for local issuers.
“We must put an end to all this,” Boscola said during the committee hearing. “The goal of my legislative package is solely to protect taxpayer dollars. Taxpayer dollars should never, ever be compromised again with financial swaps in my school district, or in any municipality, or by any other municipal authority.”
Robert Teplitz, chief counsel and director of policy and planning at the Department of the Auditor General, agreed that municipalities and local governments should not be able to use swaps and derivatives.
Along with losses that schools districts took on from such instruments, he pointed out several other government entities that would be forced to pay counterparties millions of dollars if they had to terminate their swaps today or have already paid banks in negative derivative deals.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in December made eight payments totaling $52.6 million to counterparties to end swap contracts. That amount totals more than one month of toll collections.
Some of the issuers involved — the Delaware River Port Authority, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, and the PTC — are transportation entities that cannot afford to lose money in financial transactions as the state faces a nearly $500 million funding gap for infrastructure in fiscal 2011, he said.
“Public money that could be funding transportation has been lost through swaps, and additional public funds are at risk,” Teplitz told the committee. “Instead of sending our money to Wall Street, we should be investing it in our critical transportation needs here in Pennsylvania.”
While many speakers recommended greater state oversight, education, and restrictions on derivatives, Teplitz said the state should ban swap contracts at the local level.
However, several market participants — including the Pennsylvania School Board Association — said derivatives can be a necessary financing tool that can enable issuers to obtain lower interest rates.
Supporters of derivatives said additional state guidance, restrictions on the number of swaps and the total amount of swaps a municipality could hold, and mandatory fee disclosures, including the actual dollar amounts as opposed to formula quotes, are some examples of how further regulation would enhance the use of derivatives.
“The reality is everybody uses whatever finance tool they can to manage their assets and their liabilities,” said Jay Wenger, managing director at Susquehanna Group Advisors Inc. “We believe this is a very valuable finance tool. We think it’s one that can and should be sharpened, not taken out of the tool box and thrown away.”
While derivatives can bring basis risk and counterparty risk, and leave issuers reliant on liquidity providers, when used prudently, swaps can offer local governments debt-service savings, said Patrick Cusatis, assistant professor of finance at Penn State Harrisburg.
“If the proper guidelines are in place, the savings relative to the risk are greater,” Cusatis said. | 4,707 | 2,176 | 0.000471 |
warc | 201704 | SADC member states will not achieve their goals of alleviating poverty if they do not put more effort and encourage deeper regional integration, former President, Sir Ketumile Masire said during the launch of a study on poverty in Gaborone recently.
He said SADC made a commitment to alleviate poverty and assist the disadvantaged in its communities through regional integration but this is yet to be achieved. According to Masire, collective regional effort to get communities out of poverty is vital. He said the region did well in liberation policies such as supporting South Africa out of the apartheid regime and the same effort was needed in addressing poverty.
Botswana emerged from devastating poverty at independence in 1966, to be a middle-income status, but eliminating effects of acute poverty remain a major challenge. Currently seven in 100 Batswana are considered extremely poor. Speaking at the event, the executive secretary of the Sothern African Development Community Council of Non Governmental Organisations, (SADC-CNGO), Boichoko Ditlhake said SADC countries are experiencing poverty despite abundance of wealth in most of them.
“Our leaders speak with mouths full of food while the people, are struggling in poverty,” he said during the launch a study entitled: SADC-We Need Values.
In its 30th year, the study evaluates progress made and challenges faced by member states in their individual and collective endeavor to promote common and shared values in the region.
In his state of the nation address recently, President Ian Khama indicated that a total of 195 607 people are currently registered for special needs assistance including destitute people, those living with disabilities and orphans.
During the current financial year, government has allocated P1.3 billion to meet the cost of these programmes. Government has allocated P580 million in 2013/2014 budget to Ipelegeng, a poverty alleviation programme that offers temporary employment to unskilled labourers.
However, the programme is not without criticism as some experts and opposition politicians have criticised it saying it is unsustainable, as one cannot live a dignified life on the allowances they get from the Ipelegeng programme.
Between 2002/03 and 2009/10 the number of Batswana living below the global benchmark of USD1 per day declined from 23.4 percent to 6.4 percent.
“During the same period average household disposable mean incomes across the nation increased by 119 percent from P2425 to P5304 while the average monthly household consumption expenditure increased by 60 percent,” the president explained.
So far about 15 000 beneficiaries have been enrolled in the poverty eradication programme. This year government spent P180 million as part of efforts to fight poverty by encouraging people to embark on backyard gardening. | 2,863 | 1,460 | 0.000693 |
warc | 201704 | Court of Appeal Judge President Ian Kirby this week told a packed court that government was right to dismiss essential service employees who took part in the 2011 public service strike. Kirby tore to pieces Justice Key Dingake’s judgement in which he ruled that the dismissal of close to 3,000 essential service workers was unlawful.
On Justice Dingake’s judgment
“The learned Judge set the tone for his judgment at the outset when he stated that the court was called upon to decide the legal rights of public officers who were dismissed for taking part in an illegal strike,” read Kirby Wednesday. But according to Kirby, Dingake was wrong saying the actual issue to be determined was not that, “but the narrower question of the rights of essential service employees in the public service who were dismissed for defying a court order to return to work.” Also Kirby dismissed Dingake’s central theme, that “the public sector employees who participated in an unprotected strike are entitled to a hearing before being dismissed.” According to Kirby, that statement is overboard in terms of the law in Botswana, adding that the duty of the employer is to act fairly in the circumstances of the case, and an employer may dispense with a hearing where it is reasonable to hold one. “In some cases, particularly in a strike situation, a proper ultimatum may suffice.” Dingake had found that there was no evidence that the ultimatum reached either the employees or the unions, because the unions had instructed their members not to read the Botswana Daily News, not to listen to Radio Botswana, and not to watch Botswana television because of perceived bias on the part of the government media. However, Kirby poured cold water on this finding saying it ignores the realities of the situation. “To “forbid” a union member from reading the Botswana Daily News…is an order of like import to one not to open any letter from the government. The chance of it being obeyed is negligible.”
Right to a hearing
The judge observed that generally, and obviously, the right to a hearing is to be accorded to an individual personally, before he is dismissed or otherwise prejudiced in his rights or legitimate expectations. “However, such dismissals are lawful when individual hearings cannot reasonably be held.” Kirby also found that there is no absolute requirement for a pre-dismissal hearing in a strike situation. He found that the right to life and protection of property, and the public interest will prevail over individual or collective rights to a pre-dismissal hearing.
Court orders
“Court orders are to be obeyed, promptly and without debate, as every Motswana knows.”
South African case law
The judge said South African precedents are of persuasive value only, being based upon different constitutional and statutory provisions to those, which obtain in Botswana, and flowing from contrasting historical, social and industrial environment. It is for the Court of Appeal to interpret and apply its own laws taking into account local conditions, he said. It may derive assistance from foreign precedents dealing with similar legislation or principles, but it is not BOUND to do so. | 3,283 | 1,509 | 0.000686 |
warc | 201704 | In the essay “The Value of Children: A Taxonomical Essay” by Bernard R. Berelson he states a very interesting question. Berelson states “Why do people want children? It is a simple question to ask, perhaps an impossible one to answer.” What other questions are impossible to answer? And why can some people answer them while others can not?
Other questions such as the one inquired by Berelson came to mind. What is the meaning of life? How long is forever? What happens when an immovable object is hit by an unstoppable force? How is true happiness reached? Where do all the socks go that are lost in the dryer? What came first, the chicken or the egg? What is love? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Is clear a color? If there were a paradigm shift in quantum infinities, would we know it? Are some questions meant to be unanswered? If so, why would someone ask that question?
When one thinks of such questions, it causes them to truly assess the question at hand. In these cases will pure intelligence produce an answer? Or can such questions only be answered through experience and wisdom? When questions like these are asked, one has their own answer; there is not just one answer. Many times a difficult question, such as how is true happiness reached, can only be answered based on ones point of view concerning life at that point and time for an individual. | 1,422 | 745 | 0.001365 |
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