has said that, of more than 2 million people who were moved from their homes in cities or crowded areas, only a quarter had substantially improved their living standards. the report admitted that many of the nez ' s were unfinished or short of basic facilities. the government ' s rationale for relocating people to the nez ' s is to reduce urban crowding, exploit little - used land, and thereby help develop the economy. there have been no reports in recent years of banishment to the nez ' s as a form of punishment. the government continued to permit emigration for family reunification and for amerasian vietnamese and their close family members. the u. s. orderly departure program, including amerasians, former reeducation detainees, and family unification cases, continued to resettle beneficiaries at the rate of about 4, 700 persons per month ; a total of 57, 000 immigrants and refugees in 1993. other nations operate smaller resettlement programs for vietnamese nationals. there are some concerns that members of minority ethnic groups, particularly highland peoples, might not have ready access to these programs. vietnamese who emigrate are generally free to return. the government regards overseas vietnamese both as a valuable potential source of foreign exchange and expertise and as a potential security threat. thus, the government generally grants visas to overseas vietnamese and encourages them to visit vietnam, whether they emigrated legally or had been granted permanent resettlement after illegal departures from vietnam. at the same time the public security police monitor them, especially those who come under suspicion as a result of their actions or associations. during 1993 some overseas vietnamese were arrested, detained, and deported for activities deemed to be subversive, as described in section 1. d. in 1988 vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding with the united nations high commissioner for refugees ( unhcr ) to increase acceptance of voluntary repatriates, provided there was financial assistance. this agreement included a commitment by vietnam to waive prosecution and punitive measures for illegal departure from vietnam of persons who return under the unhcr voluntary repatriation program. vietnam also agreed to permit the unhcr to monitor the returnees through direct visits. this agreement has resulted in a substantial flow of repatriates from several countries back to the srv. although there were suspicions that vietnamese who decided to repatriate to vietnam voluntarily would face discrimination, the evidence indicates they do not. more than 55, 000 vietnamese have returned voluntarily. the unhcr, which monitors them extensively after they return, says they do not face


vietnamese who decided to repatriate to vietnam voluntarily would face discrimination, the evidence indicates they do not. more than 55, 000 vietnamese have returned voluntarily. the unhcr, which monitors them extensively after they return, says they do not face retribution or discrimination. although the source of refugees itself, vietnam has also been the country of first asylum for between 15, 000 and 20, 000 cambodian refugees ( mainly ethnic chinese ) who have fled to vietnam since 1975. repatriation of these refugees, who have been cared for by the unhcr in well - organized camps, began in 1992. atrocities committed against ethnic vietnamese residents of cambodia resulted in substantial refugee flows into vietnam in 1993. the srv has moved to absorb ethnic vietnamese refugees from cambodia, and there have been no reports of political problems. some 30, 000 are receiving international assistance. section 3 respect for political rights : the right of citizens to change their government citizens are not free to change their government. all authority and political power is vested in the vcp ; political opposition and other political parties are not tolerated. the central committee of the vcp is the supreme decisionmaking body in the nation ; its 13 - member politburo is the locus of policymaking. the secretariat of the central committee oversees day - to - day implementation of leadership directives. debate and criticism is limited to certain aspects of individual, state, or party performance determined by the party itself. no challenge to the legitimacy of the one - party state, or even debate on this subject, is permitted. citizens elect members of the national assembly, ostensibly the chief legislative body, but it is still constrained by party guidance. the 395 delegates were elected in the summer of 1992. candidates for the national assembly election were carefully screened, and credible reports indicate that many people who wished to become candidates were not permitted to run because their views were not considered reliable. although candidates are screened by party front groups, they are not required to be party members themselves, and multiple candidates contest each seat. the law provides for equal participation in politics by women and minority groups, but in practice minority groups and women are underrepresented. the government has claimed that women hold 46 percent of the senior posts in government and that 18 percent of the members of the ninth national assembly are women. a woman was elected vice president of the country in 1992. the most senior leadership, however, is predominately male as can be seen, for example, in the all - male politburo and council of ministers. section 4 governmental attitude


a woman was elected vice president of the country in 1992. the most senior leadership, however, is predominately male as can be seen, for example, in the all - male politburo and council of ministers. section 4 governmental attitude regarding international and nongovernmental investigation of alleged violations of human rights vietnam does not permit private human rights organizations to form or operate. moreover, it generally prohibits private citizens from contacting international human rights organizations. since 1989, however, the vietnamese red cross has been permitted expanded cooperation with the american red cross in assisting persons seeking missing relatives, including those in reeducation centers. the srv has permitted international visitors to monitor implementation of its repatriation commitments under the comprehensive plan of action and carried on a limited dialog with human rights organizations. the srv has allowed some human rights organizations to visit. for example, it received a delegation from the u. s. - based human rights group asia watch. in addition, the srv has shown some willingness to discuss human rights issues bilaterally with other governments if such discussions take place under the rubric of " exchanges of ideas " rather than " investigations. " the srv refused, however, to grant a u. s. senator access to nguyen dan que ( see section 1. d. ). the government has on occasion granted consular access to third - country nationals imprisoned in vietnam. in november srv authorities for the first time allowed a u. s. consular official to visit an american citizen in a vietnamese prison. section 5 discrimination based on race, sex, religion, disability, language, or social status varying levels of discrimination have been reported by people released from reeducation camps in the areas of housing or education. those released from reeducation camps generally are not eligible to regain their citizenship rights until 1 year after their release date. they and their families are not allowed employment with the government, which restricts their access to housing and other benefits given to state employees. priority in social services is given to families of party members and families of soldiers who fought for the government. testing standards of university entrance examinations are reportedly lower for children of party officials. arbitrarily high standards are set to keep the children of suspect background out of a university. study abroad is also restricted to politically acceptable persons. women in general women do not appear to face discrimination in employment and are treated equally under the law. however, they face problems competing with men for higher status positions owing to attitudes deeply ingrained in traditional vietnamese society. such problems persist in


acceptable persons. women in general women do not appear to face discrimination in employment and are treated equally under the law. however, they face problems competing with men for higher status positions owing to attitudes deeply ingrained in traditional vietnamese society. such problems persist in spite of government efforts to mold popular attitudes to conform with the constitution, legislation, and regulations mandating equal treatment before the law in virtually all respects. article 63 of the new constitution provides that women and men receive equal pay for equal work, and a large body of legislation and regulations is devoted to the protection of women ' s rights in marriage as well as in the workplace. government statistics indicate that approximately 50 percent of the primary school students are girls and that women represent about 39 percent of university students. although vietnamese law does address the issue of domestic violence, there is no information readily available on how comprehensive the law is in this area. limited anecdotal evidence indicates that violence occurs ( although its extent is unclear ) and that law enforcement is somewhat limited. there are no official or unofficial statistics on domestic abuse. reputable international ngo ' s reported that the government ' s interest in children ' s issues and promoting child welfare was commendable. for example, the government began a nationwide immunization campaign for children. gradual assimilation appears to be the government ' s long - term strategy for ethnic minorities. a member of a northern highland minority is currently serving as president of the national assembly. the government has created special schools in the hanoi area for the education and indoctrination of members of minorities to be the " eyes and ears of the party " among their own people. highland minorities in central vietnam are subject to repression if suspected of ties with resistance groups. officially programmed resettlement of ethnic vietnamese into the highlands is designed in part to increase government control over minority groups. at the same time, the government appears to be trying to narrow the gap in the standard of living between highlanders and lowland ethnic vietnamese. people with disabilities there is little official protection or government support for the disabled, and, apparently, no laws mandating access for the disabled. section 6 worker rights a. the right of association vietnamese workers are not free to form or join unions of their own choosing. if working for the state sector, all workers automatically become members of the union in their workplace, and dues are deducted from their pay. these unions are organized by the party and belong to the party - controlled confederation of vietnamese workers ( cvw ). strikes are considered unpatriotic and are officially forbidden. nonetheless,


their workplace, and dues are deducted from their pay. these unions are organized by the party and belong to the party - controlled confederation of vietnamese workers ( cvw ). strikes are considered unpatriotic and are officially forbidden. nonetheless, authorities have tolerated a few peaceful strikes at foreign - owned factories. b. the right to organize and bargain collectively vietnamese workers do not have the right to organize unions of their own choosing or to bargain collectively. however, the chairman of the cvw is empowered by legislation to attend conferences of the council of ministers and raise issues on behalf of labor that cannot be resolved at lower levels. srv officials have stated that wages are set by a bureaucratic system and that the wage scales provided for existing state corporations are also imposed on newly formed enterprises. with a growing private sector, local market forces played a greater role in wage determination. the question of antiunion discrimination on the part of employers against employees seeking to organize does not arise. c. prohibition of forced or compulsory labor compulsory labor is permitted by the constitution, which states in article 80 that " citizens must pay taxes and labor in the common interest as provided by law. " refugees report that every vietnamese citizen is required by law to contribute 15 days of work per year to the state or pay a fee. a number of government projects have used forced labor provided by reeducation camp prisoners. d. minimum age for employment of children according to regulations inherited from the former french colonial administration, the minimum age for employment of workers is 17. there is no reliable information concerning the enforcement of these regulations, but refugees report that they are not enforced. there are no statistics available on the number of child workers in vietnam. refugees report that children under 15 are exempt from compulsory labor requirements. compulsory elementary education laws exist but appear to be honored mostly in the breach for the children of the poor. vietnamese culture holds education in high regard, however, and families send their children to school if they can afford to do so. e. acceptable conditions of work the government adopted the former french colonial administration ' s system of regulations pertaining to working conditions, including a minimum wage ; a maximum workday of 8 hours ; a workweek of 6 days ; and safety standards. existing standards do not appear to be widely enforced. wages are generally low in vietnam, inadequate to provide the cast majority of workers and their families a decent living. the minimum wage for employees at joint venture ( vietnamese and foreign ) companies is $ 35 per month ( vn dong 367, 500 ), which is


you are here : rehacare portal. up - to - date. archive. research. testing sign language by cell phone testing students are positive about its quality for fast communication ; © university of washington engineers are developing the first device able to transmit american sign language over u. s. cellular networks. the tool is just completing its initial field test. " this is the first study of how deaf people in the united states use mobile video phones, " said project leader eve riskin, a university of washington ( uw ) professor of electrical engineering. the mobileasl team has been working to optimise compressed video signals for sign language. by increasing image quality around the face and hands, researchers have brought the data rate down to 30 kilobytes per second while still delivering intelligible sign language. mobileasl also uses motion detection to identify whether a person is signing or not, in order to extend the phones ' battery life during video use. transmitting sign language as efficiently as possible increases affordability, improves reliability on slower networks and extends battery life, even on devices that might have the capacity to deliver higher quality video. this summer ' s field test is allowing the team to see how people use the tool in their daily lives and what obstacles they encounter. eleven participants are testing the phones for three weeks. they meet with the research team for interviews and occasionally have survey questions pop up after a call is completed asking about the call quality. in the first two and a half weeks of the study, some 200 calls were made with an average call duration of a minute and a half, researchers said. a larger field study will begin this winter. " we know these phones work in a lab setting, but conditions are different in people ' s everyday lives, " riskin said. " the field study is an important step toward putting this technology into practice. " most study participants say texting or e - mail is currently their preferred method for distance communication. their experiences with the mobileasl phone are, in general, positive. " it is good for fast communication, " said tong song, a chinese national who is studying at gallaudet university in washington, d. c. " texting sometimes is very slow, because you send the message and you ' re not sure that the person is going to get it right away. if you ' re using this kind of phone then you ' re either able to get in touch with the person or not right away, and you can save a lot of time. " some students also use video


a number of recent articles including dr. boreinstein ' s study from uc berkeley and a feature in the economist questioning the cost effectiveness of solar, have sparked some serious debate amongst solar enthusiasts and have served to propagate false impressions about solar in the public arena. due to the complexity of the product and misconceptions surrounding solar energy, the solar industry could greatly benefit from a collective advertising and branding campaign in order to achieve consistent messaging and dispel widespread myths about solar. there is a common misconception that solar is not cost effective because most people compare the cost of distributed solar to wholesale electricity prices. this is an inaccurate comparison since homeowners are actually paying retail electricity prices and not wholesale electricity prices. one can argue that solar is cost effective now if we compare apples to apples. the cost of retail electricity in california can run upwards of $. 30 to $ 0. 41 cents per kwh for a household with high electricity consumption ( a home with an air conditioner, swimming pool, refrigerator, tv, and a few electronic toys ). a typical 3kw residential system costs $ 25, 000 without incentives, and will produce 4, 500 kwh per year virtually maintenance - free for 25 years. that works out to be 25 cents per kwh for solar — on a residential or commercial customer ' s rooftop. with the state rebate and federal tax credit the cost for solar is 18 cents per kwh. despite solar being an obvious smart financial and environmental decision for many home and business owners, daily articles from misinformed journalists claim that solar does not make financial sense. in order to create the drastic shift in the public ' s mind a pervasive and cooperative advertising effort on the behalf of all solar players is perhaps necessary. in fact, the solar industry could learn a thing or two from the beef, milk, and cell phone industries, who all managed to successfully brand their products into mainstream acceptance via collective advertising and branding campaigns. a commodity is a good with very little differentiation. beef, milk, cell phones and pv are all examples of commodities. when it comes to marketing a commodity, an individual company ' s marketing expenditures tend to have a poor return. however, by financing a branding campaign by spreading the cost across the entire industry, every actor in the marketplace pays for and benefits from the increased effectiveness. this strategy minimizes some players ' free - riding on other players ' marketing efforts. the 1985 beef act, passed by congress, was designed to promote the beef industry. the texas beef council spearheaded


the marketplace pays for and benefits from the increased effectiveness. this strategy minimizes some players ' free - riding on other players ' marketing efforts. the 1985 beef act, passed by congress, was designed to promote the beef industry. the texas beef council spearheaded a branding campaign that included the now - famous slogan, " beef : it ' s what ' s for dinner " and financed it with a $ 1 fee per head of beef cattle. this campaign ' s goal was to address the slump during the 1980 ' s within the beef industry. the branding campaign utilized by the beef industry had more than the catchy " beef : it ' s what ' s for dinner, " tagline. it also effectively utilized music within the branding campaign. aaron copland, an american composer, had originally written " hoe down " for the ballet rodeo in 1942. now, many people associate the distinctive melody with " beef : it ' s what ' s for dinner. " the ads for beef displayed everyday americans enjoying beef and focused on ease of preparation and the nutritional benefits. the ads typically displayed a family preparing or sitting down to a meal and featured recipes with estimated prep and cooking times that were typically quite short. through these ads, the beef industry was able to greatly increase its sales and profits by dispelling the unhealthy and difficult - to - prepare reputation that beef had acquired in the early 80s. the milk industry has also undergone several branding and re - branding campaigns as it sought to carve its own brand identity. in the past, milk ads used the tag line, " it does a body good, " to emphasize the health benefits of milk. the next generation of milk ads started with the " got milk? " campaign. the first " got milk? " ad was a television spot in which a fellow with a shrine to the alexander hamilton - aaron burr duel hears a radio promotion asking, " who killed alexander hamilton? " he phones into the contest, gets through, and tries to answer " aaron burr, " but his mouth is full of sticky peanut butter. because he is out of milk and cannot wash down the peanut butter, his answer is completely intelligible. as he screams in frustration from losing out on the large monetary prize, the words : " got milk? " flash on the screen. milk print ads briefly went to the " where ' s your mustache? " tagline, but that was dropped in favor of the more memorable " got milk? " tagline. these ads combined the memorable phrase with milk mustached celebrities


the screen. milk print ads briefly went to the " where ' s your mustache? " tagline, but that was dropped in favor of the more memorable " got milk? " tagline. these ads combined the memorable phrase with milk mustached celebrities, athletes, and other notables. the branding of milk emphasizes the health benefits that result from milk consumption. among the many benefits milk provides are the multiple essential nutrients to promote strong bones and shiny, healthy hair. awareness of the " got milk? " branding campaign rates over 90 % nationally, making it a highly successful brand. it is not just the milk and beef industries that have been transformed through branding campaigns. the high tech industry has also successfully used this approach with cell phones. it wasn ' t until 1984 that cellular phones were first mass marketed to the general public. it was a technical marvel by which people could reach into their pockets and simply make a call to someone — anywhere in the world. this new wireless gadget was bulky, expensive to operate ( compared to nowadays ) and back then seemed like just another toy on the wish list of those who had money. the aggressive branding campaigns from the cellular companies successfully branded the expensive cell phones into must - haves for mass consumers. all three industries have effectively used branding to increase awareness of their product as well as the industry as a whole. instead of putting so much emphasis into nickel and diming the cost effectiveness of solar, perhaps the solar industry would be best served by utilizing a collective branding effort in order to bring solar to the mainstream. to add your comments you must sign - in or create a free account.


washington - the voting rights act that goes on trial at the supreme court on wednesday has helped boost african americans ' presence in southern legislatures. but in a twist of irony, it also has contributed to their loss of political clout. since its passage in 1965, the law ' s section 5 has forced states with a history of racial discrimination to clear changes in voting procedures with the federal government. the justice department, in turn, has insisted that drawing district lines is one of those procedures ‚?? one that should give blacks and other minorities ample opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. that has led to the creation of so - called majority - minority election districts dominated by blacks or hispanics, nearly all of them democrats. achieving that goal, however, has required the simultaneous creation of more heavily white, republican districts in surrounding areas. although the voting rights act has played a major role in the south ' s racial transformation, it also has played a supporting role in its political transformation. in 1965, every state legislature was democratic. in 2013, they are all republican. " african americans are totally and completely shut out of any political influence, with a few exceptions, in the southern states, " says david bositis, senior research associate at the joint center for political and economic studies. the court ' s decision, expected in the spring, could have an equally ironic result. if the justices keep section 5 intact, it will help maintain or boost blacks ' and hispanics ' ability to win elections. but it won ' t help their party at the polls. " it is an unintended consequence, " says chris jankowski, president of the republican state leadership committee, which focuses on building gop majorities. " it ' s clear that the effect of compliance with the voting rights act to some extent does benefit the republicans. " in 1965, the 11 states of the old confederacy, stretching from virginia to texas, had a total of three black state legislators. by 2009, the number had grown to 321, or 18 % of the total, according to the national conference of state legislatures. but over the same period, southern legislatures that were overwhelmingly democratic in 1965 have switched to republican dominance. the last ones flipped over to the gop since 2010 in alabama, arkansas, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina and virginia. today, the gop controls both houses of the legislatures in all 11 states. even the virginia senate, tied 20 - 20, is ruled by republicans because of a gop lieutenant governor. and only three of the 321 black state legislators are


virginia. today, the gop controls both houses of the legislatures in all 11 states. even the virginia senate, tied 20 - 20, is ruled by republicans because of a gop lieutenant governor. and only three of the 321 black state legislators are republicans. most of the others come from majority - minority districts ‚?? but politically, they ' re back in the minority. the voting rights act ' s focus on creating opportunities for blacks to win election is just one factor. the south had been trending toward the republican party ever since the civil rights era, and in part because of it. the trend, which included democratic office - holders switching to the gop, increased during ronald reagan ' s presidency. " the real change was not the creation of majority - minority districts, especially in urban areas. it was more the ability of republicans to compete for and win white - majority seats in rural areas held by conservative, white, democratic incumbents, " says ralph reed, a georgian who chairs the conservative faith and freedom coalition. " and that took a while for that to happen. " the phenomenon calls attention to one of the lingering problems in the south that the voting rights act hasn ' t cured : racially polarized voting. for blacks to win election, they often require districts that are majority - black. the same goes for hispanics in the southwest. that dilutes their clout in neighboring districts, making it easier for republicans to capture those seats. at the same time, state legislatures that have sought to design " safe " republican or democratic districts for political advantage tend to draw them homogeneously, says haley barbour, a former mississippi governor and republican national committee chairman. " you have certainly had times where black democrats and white republicans had their interests served by the same redistricting, " barbour says. some don ' t think it ' s unintended. " there ' s been this unholy alliance between some democrats and some republicans on wanting to keep section 5 in place for that very reason, " says hans von spakovsky, a former federal election commission member now with the conservative heritage foundation. " it drains democratic voters out of surrounding districts, making very nice, tidy republican districts. " debo adegbile, special counsel to the naacp legal defense and educational fund, puts it another way. " in redistricting, " he says, " race and politics are not entirely distinct. " the latest effort to combine the two goals came in virginia earlier this month. senate republicans sought to create a sixth


educational fund, puts it another way. " in redistricting, " he says, " race and politics are not entirely distinct. " the latest effort to combine the two goals came in virginia earlier this month. senate republicans sought to create a sixth majority - black district in the 40 - seat senate while increasing the gop ' s margin in eight other districts. the effort, which could have solidified republican control of the 20 - 20 senate, was blocked ‚?? ironically ‚?? by the republican house speaker. but in north carolina, lawmakers have boosted black majorities in many legislative districts to greater percentages than are needed to elect black legislators ‚?? " effectively bleaching the rest of the state, " says paul smith, a civil liberties and human rights attorney. " there is a willful interpretation of the voting rights act that is justifying the re - segregation of north carolina, " smith says. mississippi, the state with the greatest percentage of black state legislators, is another example. " we still have a lot of racial polarization, a lot of racial voting, " says state sen. hillman frazier, a black lawmaker for the past 20 years. " it has benefited african - americans and republicans in terms of the results. " copyright 2013 usatoday. com read the original story : voting rights act : a political twist for the south


see what questions a doctor would ask. loss of speech : the loss of ones ability to communicate through speech. see detailed information below for a list of 49 causes of loss of speech, symptom checker, including diseases and drug side effect causes. listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with loss of speech, as listed in our database. visit the symptom checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition. review further information on loss of speech treatments. the following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible causes of loss of speech as a symptom. always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over - the - counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments. some of the comorbid or associated medical symptoms for loss of speech may include these symptoms : research the causes of these more general types of symptom : research the causes of this symptom in broader categories : research the causes of related medical symptoms such as : research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom loss of speech : read more about causes and loss of speech deaths. the list below shows some of the causes of loss of speech mentioned in various sources : this information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of loss of speech. of the 49 causes of loss of speech that we have listed, we have the following prevalence / incidence information : the following list of conditions have ' loss of speech ' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. this computer - generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom. select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of loss of speech or choose view all. ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums. medical story forums : if you have a medical story then we want to hear it. this information shows analysis of the list of causes of loss of speech based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient : medical conditions associated with loss of speech : symptoms related to loss of speech : speech symptoms ( 1393 causes ), hoarseness ( 417 causes ), voice symptoms ( 550 causes ), early - onset alzheimer ' s, familial forms of alzheimer ' s disease, familial porencephaly, hysteria ( 15 causes ), late - onset


india experiences three seasons a year : summer, rainy season ( monsoon ), and winter ( although the tropical south does not quite experience a cold winter ). except in the himalayan regions, there is usually never any snow. april and may are the hot months, june through september is the rainy season, and november through january is the winter season. there is a brief spring in february and march, especially in north india. from june through september, the southwest monsoon causes rains over most parts of the country. it hits the west coast the most and therefore the western coastline is much greener than the interior. the northeast monsoon hits the east coast between october and february, and causes much devastation due to the occasional cyclones. the only region that gets rains from both the southwest and the northeast monsoons is northeastern india, which experiences the highest rainfall in the world. india has many different regions and therefore, there are 22 official languages with hundreds of other less prominent languages. hindi is spoken by 30 % of the population and is the main working language of the central government. speaking hindi will allow you to get by in most of india, except in tamil nadu and the northeast, which is met with hostility from the locals. english is widely spoken in major cities and in most government offices. national holidays and festivals january 26 – republic day august 15 – independence day october 2 – gandhi jayanti february or march – holi ( festival of color ) september or october – navratri october or november – diwali ( festival of lights ) the official currency is the rupee. the subdivision is the paise ( at 100 paise per rupee ). the exchange rate as of feb 2010 is 46. 4 rupees to us $ 1. carry small denominations of cash with you wherever you go to avoid problems with changing larger denominations, as many merchants and taxi drivers will not be able to break a large bill or they do not want to be stuck with the large bill. rates for exchanging rupees overseas are often poor. bargaining is normal and is expected with vendors, but not with department stores and the like. you will get better prices when buying multiple items in the same store rather than by bargaining in different stores individually. tipping in india is practiced but is optional ; however, tipping to porters, tour guides, and tour drivers is customary and expected. in restaurants, if the service was good, a small tip is appreciated. in some cases, tipping can be done beforehand to ensure good service. 230v / 50hz ; indian ( old


snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when your breathing is obstructed in some way while you ' re sleeping. sometimes snoring may indicate a serious health condition. in addition, snoring can be a nuisance to your partner. as many as half of adults snore at least occasionally. snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in your throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as you breathe, which creates those irritating sounds. lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime or sleeping on your side, can help stop snoring. in addition, medical devices and surgery are available that may reduce disruptive snoring. however, these aren ' t suitable or necessary for everyone who snores. depending on the cause of your snoring, in addition to the noise caused by snoring, you may also experience : see your doctor if : these may indicate your snoring is caused by a more serious condition, such as obstructive sleep apnea. if your child snores, ask your pediatrician about it. children can have obstructive sleep apnea too. but, nose and throat problems — such as enlarged tonsils — and obesity often underlie habitual snoring in children. treating these conditions could help your child sleep better. there are a variety of factors that can lead to snoring, such as the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses, alcohol consumption, allergies, a cold, and your weight. when you doze off and progress from a light sleep to a deep sleep, the muscles in the roof of your mouth ( soft palate ), tongue and throat relax. the tissues in your throat can relax enough that they vibrate and may partially obstruct your airway. and, the more narrowed your airway, the more forceful the airflow becomes. this causes tissue vibration to increase, which makes your snoring grows louder. the following conditions can affect the airway and cause snoring : snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues, such as your tongue, soft palate and airway, as you breathe. the sagging tissues narrow your airway, causing these tissues to vibrate.... risk factors that may contribute to snoring include : habitual snoring may be more than just a nuisance. depending on the cause of your snoring, it may result in : preparing for your appointment you '


.... risk factors that may contribute to snoring include : habitual snoring may be more than just a nuisance. depending on the cause of your snoring, it may result in : preparing for your appointment you ' re likely to first see your family doctor or a general practitioner. however, you may then be referred to a doctor who specializes in treating sleep disorders or an ear, nose and throat specialist ( otolaryngologist ). because appointments can be brief, and there ' s often a lot of ground to cover, it ' s a good idea to arrive well prepared. here ' s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor. what you can do your time with your doctor may be limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together. for snoring, some basic questions to ask your doctor include : in addition to the questions that you ' ve prepared to ask your doctor, don ' t hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don ' t understand something. what to expect from your doctor what you can do in the meantime tests and diagnosis using sensors placed on your head and various parts of your body, polysomnography records your brain waves, blood oxygen level, heart rate and breathing rate, as well as eye and leg movements during sleep. sometimes, these tests can be done at home, but the in - center sleep tests tend to be more accurate than those done at home. treatments and drugs your doctor will likely first recommend lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime and changing sleeping positions. if lifestyle changes don ' t eliminate snoring, your doctor may suggest : continuous positive airway pressure ( cpap ) for moderate to severe sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend a common therapy device called a nasal continuous positive airway pressure ( cpap ) machine. a cpap machine delivers just enough air... lifestyle and home remedies to prevent or quiet snoring, try these tips : because snoring is such a common problem, there are numerous products available, such as nasal sprays or homeopathic therapies. however, most of the products haven ' t been proven effective in clinical trials. for example, msm ( methylsulfonylmethane ) is marketed in a nose drop formula to treat snoring, but there ' s no evidence it has any effect on snoring. the


been proven effective in clinical trials. for example, msm ( methylsulfonylmethane ) is marketed in a nose drop formula to treat snoring, but there ' s no evidence it has any effect on snoring. therapies that might help ease your snoring include : coping and support if your partner is the one who ' s snoring, you may sometimes feel frustrated as well as fatigued. suggest some of the home remedies mentioned, and if those don ' t help quiet your partner ' s nocturnal noisemaking, have your partner make a doctor ' s appointment. in the meantime, earplugs or earphones hooked up to soothing music might help block some of the noise. or, you could try going to sleep at different times. maybe if you ' re already asleep when your partner starts snoring, it might not bother you. last updated : 2010 - 05 - 25 © 1998 - 2013 mayo foundation for medical education and research ( mfmer ). all rights reserved. a single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. " mayo, " " mayo clinic, " " mayoclinic. com, " " mayo clinic health information, " " reliable information for a healthier life " and the triple - shield mayo logo are trademarks of mayo foundation for medical education and research. terms and conditions of use


the united states joined more than 50 countries thursday in a recommendation to regional fishery management organizations ( rfmos ) to better track vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated ( iuu ) fishing for tunas, swordfish, sharks and other highly migratory species. annual global economic losses due to iuu fishing are estimated to be as high as $ 23 billion. this action is a first step toward procedures for sharing information about vessels engaged in iuu fishing. global cooperation to prevent iuu fishing coupled with sound science and effective management are essential to the sustainability of these wide - ranging species that are highly valued in commercial and recreational fisheries. the recommendation means that the nations that make up the five regional fishery management organizations managing highly migratory species in the pacific, atlantic, and indian oceans and adjacent seas will share information about iuu vessels. rfmo rules require their member nations to prevent iuu fishing in their regions. sharing information about iuu vessels across the rfmos means an iuu vessel previously listed in only one region would have more difficulty avoiding detection by moving to another region. “ illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing undermines the sustainability of fisheries and the ability of fishermen who abide by the rules to make a decent living, ” said jane lubchenco, ph. d., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and noaa administrator. “ sharing information on iuu vessels across oceans will strengthen enforcement and prevent legal and sustainable fishing operations from being disadvantaged in the global marketplace. ” this outcome was a key goal for the noaa - led u. s. delegation to the third joint meeting of the world ’ s regional fisheries management organizations that manage tunas and other highly migratory species. this week ’ s meeting, known as kobe iii because it is the third in a series that began in kobe, japan in 2007, was hosted by noaa in la jolla, calif. “ i am pleased with the overall level of cooperation among participants. it has helped us make strides to coordinate measures that improve compliance with international fisheries management, ” said russell f. smith, noaa ’ s deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries, who chaired the meeting. “ now we must focus our efforts on meaningful, binding implementation of these measures within the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations. ” delegates also recommended to rfmos a set of decision - making principles designed to ensure all management measures are consistent with scientific advice. “ the long - term sustainability of tunas and


binding implementation of these measures within the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations. ” delegates also recommended to rfmos a set of decision - making principles designed to ensure all management measures are consistent with scientific advice. “ the long - term sustainability of tunas and other highly migratory fish stocks depends on international cooperation and a strong commitment to follow the scientific advice when setting quotas and other measures, ” said eric schwaab, assistant noaa administrator for noaa ’ s fisheries service, who headed the u. s. delegation. although recommendations and actions from the kobe iii meeting are not binding, this week ’ s agreements will inform negotiations for binding measures within each of the five regional tuna fishery management organizations. delegates from member countries to all five regional tuna fisheries management organizations participated in kobe iii. representatives from industry, environmental non - governmental organizations, academia, and inter - governmental organizations were observers at the meeting. the five tuna rfmos are the inter - american tropical tuna commission ( iattc ), international commission for the conservation of atlantic tunas ( iccat ), indian ocean tuna commission ( iotc ), western and central pacific fisheries commission ( wcpfc ) and the commission for the conservation of southern bluefin tuna ( ccsbt ). the united states is a member of iccat, iattc, wcpfc, and is an observer at iotc. these organizations are charged with coordinating scientific research and developing conservation and management measures for stocks of tunas and other tuna - like species that are caught in the same fisheries ( e. g. swordfish, marlins, sailfish and some sharks. ) to learn more about kobe, read dr. lubchenco ’ s opening remarks, see articles about participants and photos, go to http : / / www. nmfs. noaa. gov / stories / 2011 / 07 / kobeiii. html


the malagrotta affair was one of the major events that lead up to the reunification war. the incident occurred in february of 2573 and was a ' misunderstanding ' on all sides during an increasingly volatile time. both the star league and federated suns had become angry over the continued indifference of the taurian concordat ; the periphery nation would not bow or acknowledge the inner sphere ' s authority. but the concordat was not entirely clean in this debacle, as long - buried records imply that the ' error ' in navigation was less accident and more intent to gauge house davion ' s resolve. in 2499 the taurian concordat explored the malagrotta star system and discovered on one of the moons orbiting the gas giant deecee was tremendously rich in titanium. but right on their heels came a davion exploratory mission in the same system. though colonized first by the taurians, mining rights to the moon of fontana were granted to both taurian and davion mining concerns following the omsol accord in 2511. this treaty was one of the very few times a resolution was made without military force, a great rarity of the era. the treaty also stipulated that neither the concordat nor the federated suns could establish a military presence in the system. for over 60 years separate mining operations were successful for both nations when, during the escalating hostilities leading to the reunification war, a small taurian warship flotilla entered the system accidentally. the frightened davion mining crews immediately notified a davion fleet that happened to be waiting in a nearby system. the larger davion fleet jumped into the system and found the five taurian vessels orbiting the moon. unable to communicate with the ' invading ' warships, the davion officers ordered an attack, destroying two wagon wheel - class warships and capturing a third vessel. though the taurians were technically in the wrong, the davion response went far overboard. first lord ian cameron ordered both parties to come to him and let him mediate. however, alexander davion attempted to cover up the errors of his officers, and protector caterina calderon was not kind in her assertion that the matter was solely between the federated suns and the taurian concordat ; the first lord and his star league had no right to control mediation. thus, an irate first lord declared the taurians in the wrong and even commented " we have been compassionate long enough. i ' ll be damned if i am going to pull anymore punches.


comparative environmental economic analysis of the tourism sector in the mena region since the beginning of the 1990 ' s, the tourism sector has rapidly grown in the mena countries with adverse environmental effects. the relationship between environmental requirements and tourism productivity is complex. in fact, ecologists consider that tourism activities are incompatible with the current lack of resources ( e. g. fresh water, energy ) and may lead to large landscape and shore deteriorations. on the other hand, managers argue that tourism activities create high value - added and incentives for protecting the natural patrimony. the reality lies somewhere in between. in order to set the limits in this domain, policies are needed. the comparative environmental economic analysis of the tourism sector in the mena region will help to link environmental and economic perspectives. the project approach consists in estimating the monetary value of environmental damages the project will offer decision - making tools that can balance the economic and environmental perception of tourism. the findings and conclusions will support the policy - makers ' strategic choices and prioritizing. the project aims to define and analyse decision - makings tools ( based on the monetary valuation of the environment ) for the tourism sector in the mena region in order to ensure the economic efficiency of environmental protection ( i. e. to guarantee that the most efficient remediation measures are used first ). the overall goal of such environmental economic study is to address several normative issues to guide tourism activities. the environmental economic approach applied to the tourism sector in the mena region will answer the following questions : - what are the economic benefits for the tourism sector to protect the environment? - what are the most efficient remediation measures to be applied in the tourism sector? - what is the share of the tourism sector ( meso level ) in the national degradation of the environment ( macro level )? the project will also provide answers to the following questions : - what are the indicators allowing the monitoring of the environmental degradation evolution at the micro level ( hotel, resort, chain, touristic village, etc. )? - what are the best - chosen indicators to obtain a relevant comparative approach of environmental degradation due to tourism ( meso level ) in the mena region? additionally, the project will take into account potential problems that the tourism sector will face : - what would happen to water resources in case of a massive influx of tourists? - what is the impact of the development of tourism infrastructure on coastal ecosystems and natural resources? - how will the tourism sector evolve environmentally in the mena region? environmental category and data to conduct


to water resources in case of a massive influx of tourists? - what is the impact of the development of tourism infrastructure on coastal ecosystems and natural resources? - how will the tourism sector evolve environmentally in the mena region? environmental category and data to conduct such environmental economic study, it is important to define first the potential damage and inefficiency related to the tourism sector in the mena region. in this respect, the following environmental categories will be addressed : - soil degradation - air pollution - energy consumption - water consumption and pollution the analysis will observe the impact of tourism on the demand of water and natural resources, on traffic congestion and emissions as well as its impacts on land quality ( landscape, littoral ). the project requires secondary data to highlight the economic dimensions of the tourism sector ( va, turnover, direct and indirect employment, number of tourists, prices ) and its environmental repercussions ( resources used, waste generated, pollutant emitted ). the project will have three major outputs : - database of environmental and economic information. this database will be an important tool for managing the environmental dimensions of the tourism sector in the mena region. it will also indicate where important information is missing in order to be collected. - analysis of the main environmental economic results in order to decision - making process and priority setting of tourism managers and policy - makers in the mena region. - final executive report highlighting main findings of the project that will also be published in an international peer reviewed scientific magazine for a wide dissemination. this research is supported by a grant from the economic research forum : www. erf. org. eg main findings will be presented during an international conference to be held in morocco on 27 - 28 november 2010.


how to calculate and make estimated tax payments by caron _ beesley, community moderator - created : march 5, 2012, 7 : 54 am as a new business owner, understanding your tax obligations is critical and one of the first requirements you ’ ll need to understand are estimated tax payments. what are estimated taxes? who must pay them and how? below are some facts from the irs estimated tax guide to help new small business owners understand their estimated tax obligations. what are estimated taxes? the irs and your state ’ s treasury department require that individuals and businesses pay taxes almost as quickly as they earn income. if taxes aren ’ t withheld from wages or other payments, then you will likely need to pay estimated tax payments each quarter. think of estimated taxes as a “ pay - as - you - go ” tax. four times a year ( quarterly ), you are required to send uncle sam enough of your revenues to cover your income tax and your self - employment tax ( social security and medicare ) obligations. if you don ’ t pay enough tax throughout the year, either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax. however, the irs knows that calculating earnings isn ’ t easy, so it offers a safe harbor rule – if you pay at least as much as your previous year ’ s liability or pay within 90 percent of your actual liability, there ’ s no penalty for underpayment. who pays estimated taxes? if you are self - employed and expect to owe $ 1, 000 or more when you file your annual return, then you must pay estimated taxes on income. if it ’ s not through withholding, then it has to be done by quarterly estimated taxes. if your business is structured as a corporation, you ’ ll need to pay estimated taxes if you expect to owe $ 500 when you file. how much should you pay in estimated taxes? calculating what you owe each quarter requires figuring out your expected adjusted gross income, taxable income, taxes, deductions, and credits for the year. each business situation is different, especially if you are a new business owner, so it ’ s worth spending some time with a tax advisor to understand the best calculation method for your situation. you have a number of options when it comes to calculating what you owe each quarter : - use form 1040 - es – you can calculate your quarterly estimated tax payment using form 1040 - es ( the same form used to pay estimated taxes ), which includes a


number of options when it comes to calculating what you owe each quarter : - use form 1040 - es – you can calculate your quarterly estimated tax payment using form 1040 - es ( the same form used to pay estimated taxes ), which includes a worksheet that helps you estimate how much you owe for the current year. corporations should use form 1120 - w to calculate estimated taxes. - refer to last year ’ s return – if you have been in business for a while, you can refer to your previous year ' s federal tax return. include all the income and deductions you expect to take on your current year ' s tax return and refer to the total tax you paid so that your estimated tax payments are in the same range as last year ’ s taxes ( 100 - 110 percent is the range to shoot for to avoid underpayment problems ). - make a quarterly calculation – if you are a freelancer or independent contractor and face fluctuating or cyclical income, you might prefer to calculate your estimated taxes on a quarterly basis. the irs offers more advice in its estimated taxes guide on how to calculate your payment and adjust estimates if you think you are paying too much – or too little – as the year progresses. when are payments due? for estimated tax purposes, the year is divided into four payment periods. payments for each year are due on the 15th day of april, june, september and the following january. you should try to pay at least the minimum owed by the due date ( with the remainder paid on april 15 ), or risk incurring penalties from the irs or your state. how to pay estimated taxes paying your estimated taxes is an easy process. if you are filing as a self - employed individual, use form 1040 - es, which includes quarterly payment vouchers to submit with your payment. corporations can deposit the payments by using the electronic federal tax payment system for deposit coupons ( forms 8109 ). once you are in the system, the irs will send you payment vouchers at the end of each tax year so you won ' t have to worry about downloading the latest forms. paying estimate taxes to your state? you need to pay your estimated state income taxes at the same time you pay your federal taxes. find links to your state ' s tax office for the appropriate forms here. talk to a tax specialist spend an hour with a tax specialist to help you understand what the best calculation methods are, how to appropriately track and deduct expenses, and how to


hands - on is minds - on want to engage every student? break out the old - fashioned scissors and glue second - grade teacher becky hicks has learned that there is no substitute for activities that require kids to use their hands as well as their minds. during literacy hour in hicks ' s class at blanchard elementary school in cape girardeau, missouri, students pair up and head to one of 16 " corners, " or centers, to tackle hands - on vocabulary, reading, and math activities. in the abc corner, students thumb through clues to find mystery words. in the math corner, students stack buttons, plastic fruit, and toy bugs to create graphs. and in the spelling corner, they manipulate alphabet puzzle shapes to piece together vocabulary words. in corners, hicks ' s students practice what they know by playing teacher. " look closely at the clock ' s hands, " one student says to her partner in her best teacher voice. " which one shows the hour, and which one shows the minutes? " some explain their work to other students by showing them how to move, group, or assemble objects. concepts are explained through tactile procedures, and skills are bolstered as children practice new ideas and test out theories. over the years, hicks has noticed that her students are more engaged and focused when they ' re working on hands - on projects — even those who fidget during large - group lessons. in her classroom, hicks has figured out what research has revealed : the best way to engage kids ' brains is by having them move their hands. busy hands, busy brains as students put projects together, create crafts, or use familiar materials in new ways, they ' re constructing meaning. " kids learn through all their senses, " says ben mardell, phd, a researcher with project zero at harvard university, " and they like to touch and manipulate things. " but more than simply moving materials around, hands - on activities activate kids ' brains. according to cindy middendorf, educational consultant and author of the scholastic differentiated instruction plan book ( scholastic, 2009 ), between the ages of four and seven, the right side of the brain is developing and learning comes easily through visual and spatial activities. the left hemisphere of the brain — the side that ' s involved in more analytical and language skills — develops later, around ages 10 and 11. when you combine activities that require movement, talking, and listening, it activates multiple areas of the brain. " the more parts of your brain you use, the more likely you are to retain


skills — develops later, around ages 10 and 11. when you combine activities that require movement, talking, and listening, it activates multiple areas of the brain. " the more parts of your brain you use, the more likely you are to retain information, " says judy dodge, author of 25 quick formative assessments for a differentiated classroom ( scholastic, 2009 ). " if you ' re only listening, you ' re only activating one part of the brain, " she says, " but if you ' re drawing and explaining to a peer, then you ' re making connections in the brain. " multitasking in the classroom is not a negative when it comes to hands - on activities such as coloring, scribbling, or cutting with scissors. indeed, even adults benefit from the " busy hands, busy brain " phenomenon : recent research has shown that people who doodle during business meetings have better memory recall. a report in the journal applied cognitive psychology demonstrated that volunteers who doodled during a dull verbal message were 29 percent better at recalling details from the message. researchers suggest that engaging in a simple hands - on task, such as cutting out a shape with scissors, can help prevent daydreaming and restlessness during a learning experience. if adults in business settings can benefit from mnemonic tricks such as doodling, then students should certainly be encouraged to try these strategies. the hands - on classroom terri lachance, a kindergarten teacher at darcey school in cheshire, connecticut, uses hands - on activities all day, every day, to let all her students shine. currently, lachance is teaching a student who is a gifted artist but has poor language skills. he fidgets during large - group activities but can spend hours drawing or building. lachance nurtures his interest and talent by allowing him to make projects ; she recalls one day when he carefully constructed bird beaks out of recycled materials, then gave them to other kids to wear in class. through art projects and play, lachance has seen the student ' s language skills improve as he answers questions about his creations and illustrations. we know our students learn in many different ways : visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, and social. still, says dodge, most of us teach the way we ' re most comfortable, and that ' s not necessarily the way our students learn. " it ' s a missed opportunity if we don ' t use the way that a child learns best to hook them and get them excited about learning, "


way we ' re most comfortable, and that ' s not necessarily the way our students learn. " it ' s a missed opportunity if we don ' t use the way that a child learns best to hook them and get them excited about learning, " says dodge. hands - on projects obviously engage kids who are tactile or kinesthetic learners, who need movement to learn best. they also engage students who are auditory learners, who talk about what they ' re doing, and visual learners, who have the opportunity to see what everyone else is creating. for social learners, the time spent in small group conversation will strengthen their knowledge. just as hicks has found in her classroom, hands - on activities let students become teachers. " when students explain and demonstrate skills to each other, " says sheldon horowitz, edd, director of professional services for the national center for learning disabilities, " they are validating their understanding of the material being learned and, often in ways that adults are less successful, helping their peers to build and master new skills. ” hands - on activities also lend themselves to authentic assessment and observation, says lanise jacoby, a 2nd grade teacher at pierce school in arlington, massachusetts, who observes how well her students follow directions and use fine motor skills during center time. next time your students are working on a craft project or in centers, ask each student to quickly explain what they ' re doing and why, as well as what they ' re learning along the way. using tools such as markers, scissors, and glue in hands - on projects also builds the fine motor skills that children will need to use for functional activities throughout their lives. simple tasks such as buttoning, tying shoes, and using a key to open a lock all require manual precision. the best way to build that precision is, of course, through practice. yet practice need not be dull and repetitive. activities such as constructing a miniature city out of recycled materials, or crafting a butterfly ' s life cycle using fabric scraps, not only help kids strengthen their hands and minds - - they are also fun and engaging. the more arts and crafts that teachers can bring into the classroom, the more opportunity they have to reach every child in the room, from kids with sensory difficulties to those who need an extra challenge in order to stay focused. hands - on, creative, and artistic activities help students to focus and retain knowledge, and at the same time emphasize the importance of beauty and design in our world. tips for using tactile learning here are


extra challenge in order to stay focused. hands - on, creative, and artistic activities help students to focus and retain knowledge, and at the same time emphasize the importance of beauty and design in our world. tips for using tactile learning here are more ways to increase the amount of time your students spend with their hands and minds in motion : - provide self - check materials : hands - on activities naturally lend themselves to differentiation, but cindy middendorf suggests adding in tools, such as number charts, for kids to use at each center to help them work independently. - include assessment : in addition to observing and asking students to talk about what they ' ve learned, teacher becky hicks has students record their center work and what they learned on individual accountability sheets. judy dodge suggests creating flip books with a page for each center so children can record what they learn at each station. - keep kids moving : dodge suggests using rotation stations that change every few minutes. some examples : an observation station where students peer at objects under a microscope ; an exploration station where students explore materials that you ' ve just introduced ; a visualization station where students draw what they ' ve learned ; a collaboration station where students talk about what they ' ve learned ; and a " ketchup and mustard " ( catch - up and must - do ) station where students can make up work they didn ' t get to. - move the materials : if you can ' t handle all the movement of center rotations, dodge suggests putting each activity and the necessary supplies in a basket. then pass the baskets from table to table instead of moving the students. - group students by interest : grouping students according to what they ' re interested in can increase their engagement. " when you ' re in a small group, you have more air time, " says ben mardell, phd, with project zero at harvard university. " kids can talk more and if you put a group together based on interest, then you have kids who share a passion and they ' re more involved in being there. " small groups also build accountability, as each child has to attend to the activity for the product to come together. - incorporate language : as students move into third grade and beyond, the amount of language used in class will increase. prepare them by incorporating speaking skills into your assessment of tactile activities : ask students to explain what they ' re doing and end some units with oral presentations. - adjust expectations : kindergarten teacher terri lachance admits that during hands - on activities, her classroom is louder. to


29 november 2010 | en average growing period for crops may reduce ( grey and black areas ) by 20 per cent ( black ) in africa over the next 80 years thornton et al. ( 2010 ) / the royal society 2010 a widespread farming catastrophe could hit africa if global temperatures rose by four degrees celsius or more, according to a study that calls for urgent planning for a much warmer future and investment in technology to avert disaster. in most of southern africa the growing season could shrink by as much as a fifth, according to scientists at the international livestock research institute ( ilri ) in kenya, who carried out simulation studies based on existing climate change models. the ' four degrees plus ' scenario is increasingly being contemplated as negotiations, which began again in cancun, mexico, today ( 29 november – 10 december ), have stalled on measures aimed at limiting the global temperature rise to two degrees. drastic changes to farming will be needed under such a scenario, said carlos sere, director - general of ilri. " the general feeling is that the world is not going to move quickly enough on [ confining global warming to ] two degrees, " he told scidev. net : " we are not getting traction. " the common thinking has been that there will be enough variability in farming today to allow us to cope, but the reality is that in a four degree world the range of options is very narrow. " according to the models, the growing season may increase modestly in eastern africa. but cropping seasons are likely to decline more quickly everywhere in the region except central africa. much of southern africa ' s rain - fed agriculture could fail every other season by the 2090s, says the study. " it is not difficult to envisage a situation where the adaptive capacity and resilience of hundreds of millions of people in sub - saharan africa could simply be overwhelmed by events. " simply making crops more drought - tolerant or flood - resistant is just tinkering about the edges, said sere. " the changes which will be required in the farming system are quite drastic, pushing farmers beyond the limits of their knowledge and experience. they will be overwhelmed by extreme climate events, " he told scidev. net. " we are talking about farmers abandoning cropping and migrating out of those regions. but where are farmers who cannot cope with this level of stress in the system to go? " where is the alternative livelihood for 60 per cent of the continent where farming is still a very key part of coping with food security? you cannot


those regions. but where are farmers who cannot cope with this level of stress in the system to go? " where is the alternative livelihood for 60 per cent of the continent where farming is still a very key part of coping with food security? you cannot escape the fact that for decades many people are going to be in the rural sector. it is a moral imperative to give those people a livelihood. " we need to understand and find much smarter ways to get knowledge out there. extension services in africa have largely collapsed in many countries ". the intergovernmental panel on climate change fourth assessment report in 2007 assumed that regional shortfalls in food production in sub - saharan africa could be plugged with imports from global markets, says the paper, but it adds that the experience of the 2008 food crisis highlighted the difficulties of such an ' adaptation ' strategy. instead ilri scientists are calling for better monitoring, in particular ' back to basics ', land - based observation and data collection in africa, which have been in decline for decades. information on weather, land use, markets and crop and livestock distribution is critical for an effective response to climate change, they said. " africa ' s data - collection systems could be improved with relatively modest additional effort, " the study says. philosophical transactions of the royal society, series a doi : 10. 1098 / rsta. 2010. 0246 all scidev. net material is free to reproduce providing that the source and author are appropriately credited. for further details see creative commons.


jan. 21, 2005 wheat grown under elevated levels of carbon dioxide over the next half - century will need slightly more nitrogen to grow, but not as much as previously predicted, according to a two - year study by agricultural research service scientists and cooperators. atmospheric carbon dioxide ( co2 ) levels are projected to increase 43 percent by 2050. the increased co2 makes plants like wheat grow larger. but a bigger plant needs more nutrients such as nitrogen, at least in theory, according to ars soil scientist floyd j. adamsen, who works at the agency ' s u. s. water conservation laboratory in phoenix, ariz. so the ars scientists have been trying to determine whether higher co2 levels will increase the amount of nitrogen that wheat and other crops need to grow. they reported their findings on the interaction between carbon dioxide and nitrogen in the january - february 2005 issue of agronomy journal. at the maricopa agricultural center near phoenix, the team compared wheat grown under current levels of co2 to wheat grown with the co2 levels expected by 2050. a series of tubes injected co2 into circular, open - air field plots to increase the co2 concentration in the air during the two - year experiment. the plants grown with higher co2 levels only used about 3 to 4 percent more nitrogen than the plants grown at current co2 levels. the researchers applied fertilizer four times, which spread out the uptake of the nutrients. based on the study ' s findings, farmers in the future may need to apply fertilizer four times on wheat, instead of the traditional one or two applications. the scientists believe growers need to understand how rising levels of co2 may affect their crops. accordingly, farmers may have to adapt their farming practices - - such as altering the timing and amounts of nitrogen fertilizer - - to produce crops in the changing environmental conditions of the future. ars is the u. s. department of agriculture ' s chief scientific research agency. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


june 14, 2007 at one time cyclone gonu was a powerful category 5 storm packing sustained winds of 160 mph ( 139 knots ), according to the joint typhoon warning center, making it the most powerful cyclone ever to threaten the arabian peninsula since record keeping began back in 1945. fortunately the storm weakened significantly by the time it brushed the far eastern tip of oman, but it still threatened petroleum shipping lanes in the northern part of the arabian sea that are unprepared for such an intense cyclone. while tropical cyclones occasionally form in the arabian sea, they rarely exceed tropical storm intensity. in 2006, tropical storm mukda was the only tropical system to form in the region and it remained well out to sea before dissipating. gonu became a tropical storm on the morning ( local time ) of sat., jun. 2, in the east - central arabian sea. after some initial fluctuations in direction, it settled on a northwesterly track and began to intensify. gonu strengthened from tropical storm intensity on the morning of june 3 to category 2 that night. by daybreak on june 4, gonu had intensified to category 4 with winds estimated at 132 mph ( 115 knots ). nasa ' s tropical rainfall measuring mission ( trmm ) satellite captured an image of gonu as it was moving northwest through the central arabian sea. taken on mon., jun. 4 at 0323 utc ( 11 : 23 p. m. edt on sun., jun. 3 ), it shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity looking down on the storm. trmm reveals the tell - tale signs of a potent storm. not only does gonu have a complete, well - formed symmetrical eye surrounded by an intense eyewall ( innermost red ring ), this inner eyewall is surrounded by a concentric outer eyewall ( outermost red and green ring ). this double eyewall structure only occurs in very intense storms. eventually the outer eyewall will contract and replace the inner eyewall. another image provides a unique 3 - d perspective of gonu using data collected from the trmm precipitation radar from the same overpass as the previous image. higher radar echo tops are indicated in red. the areas of intense rain in the previous image are associated with deep convective towers both in the innermost eyewall and in parts of outer eyewall. the inner ring has the higher tops at this time. deep convective towers near the storm ' s center can be a precursor to future strengthening as they indicate that large amounts of heat


the innermost eyewall and in parts of outer eyewall. the inner ring has the higher tops at this time. deep convective towers near the storm ' s center can be a precursor to future strengthening as they indicate that large amounts of heat are being released into the storm ' s core. at the time of these images, gonu was a category 4 cyclone. several hours later, gonu reached category 5 intensity. the system finally began to weaken during the night of june 4 and was downgraded to a category 3 storm at 1200 utc ( 8 : 00 a. m. edt ) on june 5. nasa ' s quikscat spacecraft also observed gonu. its seawinds scatterometer, a specialized microwave radar, measured near - surface wind speed and direction within the storm. gonu continued to weaken as it neared the coast of oman. the center remained just offshore oman ' s northeast coast as a category 1 storm before turning northward towards iran, where it is expected to make landfall as a tropical storm. trmm is a joint mission between nasa and the japanese space agency jaxa. quikscat is managed by nasa ' s jet propulsion laboratory. images produced by hal pierce ( ssai / nasa gsfc ). caption by steve lang ( ssai / nasa gsfc ), mike bettwy ( rsis / nasa gsfc ), and nasa / jpl / quikscat science team. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


sep. 13, 2012 it ' s not a magic trick and it ' s not sleight of hand - - scientists really are using levitation to improve the drug development process, eventually yielding more effective pharmaceuticals with fewer side effects. scientists at the u. s. department of energy ' s ( doe ) argonne national laboratory have discovered a way to use sound waves to levitate individual droplets of solutions containing different pharmaceuticals. while the connection between levitation and drug development may not be immediately apparent, a special relationship emerges at the molecular level. at the molecular level, pharmaceutical structures fall into one of two categories : amorphous or crystalline. amorphous drugs typically are more efficiently taken up by the body than their crystalline cousins ; this is because amorphous drugs are both more highly soluble and have a higher bioavailability, suggesting that a lower dose can produce the desired effect. " one of the biggest challenges when it comes to drug development is in reducing the amount of the drug needed to attain the therapeutic benefit, whatever it is, " said argonne x - ray physicist chris benmore, who led the study. " most drugs on the market are crystalline - - they don ' t get fully absorbed by the body and thus we aren ' t getting the most efficient use out of them, " added yash vaishnav, argonne senior manager for intellectual property development and commercialization. getting pharmaceuticals from solution into an amorphous state, however, is no easy task. if the solution evaporates while it is in contact with part of a vessel, it is far more likely to solidify in its crystalline form. " it ' s almost as if these substances want to find a way to become crystalline, " benmore said. in order to avoid this problem, benmore needed to find a way to evaporate a solution without it touching anything. because liquids conform to the shape of their containers, this was a nearly impossible requirement - - so difficult, in fact, that benmore had to turn to an acoustic levitator, a piece of equipment originally developed for nasa to simulate microgravity conditions. levitation or " containerless processing " can form pristine samples that can be probed in situ with the high - energy x - ray beam at argonne ' s advanced photon source. " this allows amorphization of the drug to be studied while it is being processed, " said rick weber, who works on the project team at the synchrotron. the acoustic levitat


at argonne ' s advanced photon source. " this allows amorphization of the drug to be studied while it is being processed, " said rick weber, who works on the project team at the synchrotron. the acoustic levitator uses two small speakers to generate sound waves at frequencies slightly above the audible range - - roughly 22 kilohertz. when the top and bottom speakers are precisely aligned, they create two sets of sound waves that perfectly interfere with each other, setting up a phenomenon known as a standing wave. at certain points along a standing wave, known as nodes, there is no net transfer of energy at all. because the acoustic pressure from the sound waves is sufficient to cancel the effect of gravity, light objects are able to levitate when placed at the nodes. although only small quantities of a drug can currently be " amorphized " using this technique, it remains a powerful analytical tool for understanding the conditions that make for the best amorphous preparation, vaishnav explained. argonne researchers have already investigated more than a dozen different pharmaceuticals, and the laboratory ' s technology development & commercialization division is currently pursuing a patent for the method. technology development & commercialization is also interested in partnering with the pharmaceutical industry to develop the technology further as well as to license it for commercial development. after adapting the technology for drug research, the argonne scientists teamed up with professors stephen byrn and lynne taylor at the department of industrial and physical pharmacy at purdue university and jeffery yarger of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at arizona state university. the group is now working on identifying which drugs the levitation instrumentation will impact most strongly. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


feb. 1, 2013 a genetically reprogrammed herpes simplex virus ( hsv ) can cure metastatic diffusion of human cancer cells in the abdomen of laboratory mice, according to a new study published january 31 in the open access journal plos pathogens. the paper reports on the collaborative research from scientists at the at the university of bologna and specifically describes that the hsv converted into a therapeutic anticancer agent attacks breast and ovarian cancer metastases. past decades have witnessed significant progress in the ability to treat numerous cancers by means of surgery, chemo - and radio - therapy, or combinations thereof. however, many treatments prolong life for a short time only, or are associated with a poor quality of life. lead investigator gabriella campadelli - fiume and colleagues re - engineered the entry apparatus of a candidate oncolytic herpesvirus. the reprogrammed virus no longer infects the cells usually targeted by the wild - type virus, nor does it cause herpes - related pathologies. rather, it acts as a specific weapon against tumor cells that express the her - 2 oncogene. " numerous laboratories worldwide are using viruses as more specific weapons against cancer cells, called oncolytic viruses, " says campadelli - fiume, professor of microbiology and virology. " safety concerns prevailed so far, and all oncolytic herpesviruses now in clinical trials are debilitated viruses, effective only against a fraction of tumors. we were the first to obtain a herpes virus reprogrammed to enter her - 2 - positive tumor cells, unable to infect any other cell, yet preserves the full - blown killing capacity of the wild - type hsv. " additionally, the laboratory of pier - luigi lollini, patrizia nanni and carla de giovanni in collaboration with researchers at the rizzoli institute, established the new model of human cancer metastases in mice that was used to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of the reprogrammed virus. the positive results obtained in the treatment of experimental metastasis hold the promise that the newly retargeted oncolytic hsv described in plos pathogens is a good candidate to become a novel type of cancer treatment, and represents a key step forward in the path to clinical trials for late stage human breast and ovarian cancers. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : the above story is reprinted from materials provided by public library of science. - patrizia nanni


the chemical traces of water have been found in this moon rock, called the genesis rock. the moon rock was collected by astronauts during the apollo 15 mission in 1971 and is thought to be a piece of the moon ' s primordial crust. image : nasa / johnson space center the discovery of " significant amounts " of water in moon rock samples collected by nasa ' s apollo astronauts is challenging a longstanding theory about how the moon formed, scientists say. since the apollo era, scientists have thought the moon came to be after a mars - size object smashed into earth early in the planet ' s history, generating a ring of debris that slowly coalesced over millions of years. that process, scientists have said, should have flung away the water - forming element hydrogen into space. but a new study suggests the accepted scenario is not possible given the amount of water found in moon rocks collected from the lunar surface in the early 1970s during the apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions. by " water, " the researchers don ' t mean liquid water, but hydroxyl, a chemical that includes the hydrogen and oxygen ingredients of water. those water - forming elements would have been on the moon all along, the scientist said. [ water on the moon : the search in photos ] " i still think the impact scenario is the best formation scenario for the moon, but we need to reconcile the theory of hydrogen, " study leader hejiu hui, an engineering researcher at the university of notre dame, told space. com. the results were published in nature geoscienceon sunday ( feb. 17 ). water in moon ' s ' genesis rock ' past studies have suggested water - forming elements came to the moon from outside sources long after the moon ' s crust cooled. the solar wind — a stream of particles emanating from the sun — as well as meteorites and comets were pegged as possible sources ofwater depositson the moon in recent studies. but that explanation does not account for the amount of water found in the apollo samples, the researchers stated in the new study. because they found hydroxyl deep inside each sampled rock, the scientists say they have eliminated the solar wind moon water explanation, because those particles can penetrate the surface only slightly. an impact from an asteroid or comet could push the hydrogen in further, but it would not be as pristine as the samples the researchers observed, because it would have melted from the heat of the asteroid collision. researchers probed samples from the late apollo missions, including the famous " genesis rock " that was


hydrogen in further, but it would not be as pristine as the samples the researchers observed, because it would have melted from the heat of the asteroid collision. researchers probed samples from the late apollo missions, including the famous " genesis rock " that was named for its advanced age of 4. 5 billion years, about the same time the moon is thought to have formed. using an infrared spectrometer, the researchers found water embedded in the genesis rock, as well as all the apollo samples they studied. this implies that the various landing sites of apollo 15, 16 and 17 each had water present. hui ' s research flies in the face of past analyses of apollo rocks that found they were very dry, except for a small bit of water attributed to the rock containers leaking when they were returned to earth. past instruments that analyzed these samples, however, were not very sensitive. hui said those older spectrometers had a sensitivity of around 50 parts per million ( ppm ), while his instruments were able to detect water at concentrations of about 6 ppm in anorthosites and 2. 7 ppm in troctolites, which are both igneous rocks found in the moon ' s crust. troctolites form in the highlands as part of the moon ' s highland upper crust, and anorthosites are believed to be a part of the moon ' s " primary " crust, which solidified around the same time as other bodies in the solar system.


curbing waste : simple actions like cutting back on food waste or properly inflating tires on your car could collectively cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as one billion metric tons. image : © istockphoto. com energy efficiency seems to make rational economic sense — the less energy used, the more money saved. yet, in the real world it ' s actually competition with neighbors rather than cost savings that can drive people to turn down their thermostats, install insulation or simply switch off the lights when they leave a room. such is the lesson of a host of efforts, ranging from a group called opower ' s comparative use utility billing to switching from miles per gallon to rate vehicle efficiency to gallons per mile. now a new collaborative study from the natural resources defense council ( nrdc ) and the garrison institute ' s climate, mind and behavior project reveals that such simple actions — from taking one fewer flight per year to wasting less food — can add up. the environmental group estimates that if all americans adopted 14 such steps over the next decade the country would avoid one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 — or the equivalent of the entire annual greenhouse gas emissions of germany. " much of this is eliminating waste — and most waste costs you money, " says nrdc ' s executive director peter lehner. " if all americans did take a fairly modest range of actions, most of which actually save you money, we can make a big difference. " the recommendations, in addition to flying less and wasting 25 percent less food, include : carpooling or telecommuting once a week ( 75 million metric tons of co2 equivalent ( co2e ) saved by 2020, if adopted by all americans ) ; maintaining your car or truck, such as keeping tires properly inflated ( 45 million metric tons of co2e ) ; cutting the time spent idling in a vehicle in half ( 40 million metric tons of co2e ) ; better insulation at home ( 85 million metric tons of co2e ) ; programmable thermostats set higher ( 80 million metric tons of co2e ) ; reducing electricity demand from appliances that are " off, " so - called phantom demand ( 70 million metric tons co2e ) ; using hot water more efficiently, such as washing clothes in colder water ( 65 million metric tons of co2e ) ; buying energystar appliances when old ones wear out ( 55 million metric tons co2e ) ; replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescents ( 30 million metric tons


in colder water ( 65 million metric tons of co2e ) ; buying energystar appliances when old ones wear out ( 55 million metric tons co2e ) ; replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescents ( 30 million metric tons co2e ) ; eating chicken instead of beef two days a week ( 105 million metric tons of co2e ) ; increased recycling of paper, plastics and metals ( 105 million metric tons of co2e ) ; " responsible " consumption, such as buying less bottled water ( 60 million metric tons co2e ). " we make bad decisions all the time, " says sabine marx, associate director at the center for research on environmental decisions at columbia university, thanks to incomplete information or other barriers to action, like high up - front costs for things like insulation. overcoming those " doesn ' t mean we have to manipulate people ' s minds, " marx says, but rather make good decisions easier. for example, rates of organ donation vary widely within europe, from 100 percent in france and poland to 17 percent in the u. k. and just 4 percent in denmark. the difference cannot be ascribed to different cultural views about organ donation but rather whether the country in question has a policy that is opt - in ( check this box if you want to donate your organs ) or opt - out ( check this box if you do not want to donate your organs ). " we think we ' re rational, " says economist john gowdy of rensselaer polytechnic institute in troy, n. y. " but really it ' s the person who designs the question on the back of a driver ' s license who made the choice for us. " nrdc, the garrison institute and others hope to bring this kind of choice editing to the world of personal behavior. part of this is a result of ongoing frustration with broader policy measures, particularly at the national level, when it comes to confronting climate change. " if congress does enact something, it will be completely inadequate to the task, " says gus speth, former dean of yale university ' s school of forestry and environmental studies. it would be a " first step, " however, lehner notes. the primary benefit of personal action is that it can start immediately, he adds. but lehner admits that his organization has no idea how to convince people to undertake these 14 steps in the next decade on their own. and there is significant danger that any energy efficiency undertaking ends up ultimately increasing energy use. " the rebound effect is quite clear,


warsaw ghetto uprising the event known as the warsaw ghetto uprising began on april 19, 1943 and ended on may 16, 1943. a total of 56, 065 jews were captured by the germans during the uprising, and around 6, 000 were killed during the destruction of the buildings in the ghetto. all the photos on this page are from the photo album of jurgen stroop, the commander of the ss troops who put down the warsaw ghetto uprising in 1943. there are 50 photos included in the stroop report, which documents the destruction of the warsaw ghetto during this action. in spite of the fact that the photo above is included in the stroop report, which was compiled during april and may, 1943, it was identified by holocaust survivor tsvi c. nussbaum as a photo taken after the warsaw ghetto uprising on july 13, 1943 in front of the hotel polski on the aryan side of the warsaw ghetto, where some jews had been living as gentiles. nussbaum claims that he is the seven - year - old boy in the photo and that the woman on his left is his aunt. since nussbaum and his aunt had foreign passports, they were sent to the bergen - belsen detention camp as " exchange jews. " the soldier, who is holding a gun on the little boy in the photo, was josef blosche ; he was put on trial in east germany after the war and was executed after being convicted of participating in the action to put down the warsaw ghetto uprising. beginning in june 1942, the jews in the warsaw ghetto were transported to the treblinka death camp on the bug river, near the eastern border of german - occupied poland, where they were immediately killed in gas chambers. eventually, reports of the mass murder got back to the warsaw ghetto and a resistance organization called the z. o. b. ( zydowska organizacja bojowa ) was formed to prevent any more deportations from the ghetto. the leader of the z. o. b. was mordecai anielewicz. in january 1943, the jews in the warsaw ghetto resisted the next round - up for deportation to treblinka ; the young z. o. b fighters fired on german troops as they tried to get the jews into railroad cars to be transported to the death camp. the germans retreated after four days of fighting and the jews began to prepare to hold out against future attempts to liquidate the ghetto. the following quote is from the opening statement by robert jackson


the jews into railroad cars to be transported to the death camp. the germans retreated after four days of fighting and the jews began to prepare to hold out against future attempts to liquidate the ghetto. the following quote is from the opening statement by robert jackson at the nuremberg international military tribunal in which he reads from the summary of the stroop report : it is the original report of the ss brigadier general stroop in charge of the destruction of the warsaw ghetto, and its title page carries the inscription " the jewish ghetto in warsaw no longer exists. " it is characteristic that one of the captions explains that the photograph ( the photo shown at the top of this page ) concerned shows the driving out of jewish " bandits " ; those whom the photograph shows being driven out are almost entirely women and little children. it contains a day - by - day account of the killings mainly carried out by the ss organization, too long to relate, but let me quote general stroop ' s summary : " the resistance put up by the jews and bandits could only be suppressed by energetic actions of our troops day and night. the reichsfuehrer ss ordered, therefore, on 4 / 23 / 1943, the cleaning out of the ghetto with utter ruthlessness and merciless tenacity. i, therefore, decided to destroy and burn down the entire ghetto without regard to the armament factories. these factories were systematically dismantled and then burned. jews usually left their hideouts, but frequently remained in the burning buildings and jumped out of the windows only when the heat became unbearable. they then tried to crawl with broken bones across the street into buildings which were not afire. sometimes they changed their hideouts during the night into the ruins of burned buildings. life in the sewers was not pleasant after the first week. many times we could hear loud voices in the sewers. ss men or policemen climbed bravely through the manholes to capture these jews. sometimes they stumbled over jewish corpses : sometimes they were shot at. tear gas bombs were thrown into the manholes and the jews driven out of the sewers and captured. countless numbers of jews were liquidated in sewers and bunkers through blasting. the longer the resistance continued the tougher became the members of the waffen ss, police and wehrmacht who always discharged their duties in an exemplary manner. frequently jews who tied to replenish their food supplies during the night or to communicate with neighboring groups were exterminated. " this action eliminated, " says the ss commander, " a proved total of 56