It’s no secret that being a parent is the hardest job in the world, and first-time parenthood presents new moms and dads with enough challenges to make anyone’s head spin.
There are hundreds of manuals out there, but if you have little ones of your own, you know that there’s really no way to write the book on parenting. You have to fly by the seat of your pants and deal with everything as it comes. That being said, there are a few tenets of parenthood that apply to raising every bundle of joy: Always be ready for a tickle fight, don’t plan on getting much sleep, and try not to let them wander too far out of sight.
But what about leaving your baby in a cardboard box? Although that sounds like a terrible idea, that’s what the next 3,000 moms to give birth at Temple University Hospital will be doing when they get home.
Infant mortality rates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are almost double that of the national average.
Although it’s certainly not responsible for all infant deaths, the practice of co-sleeping claims hundreds of lives every year.
Co-sleeping occurs when parents allow their babies to sleep with them in the same bed. While this is typically not done with ill intent, doing so can put babies at risk. Some experts, like University of Notre Dame anthropologist James McKenna, say that there is little evidence to back up the widely held notion that co-sleeping is a bad idea, but physicians tend to err on the side of caution by urging parents not to partake.
According to Dr. Megan Heere, “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your baby should sleep alone on their back in their own crib.”
That’s where the baby box comes in.
Temple University Hospital physicians are now giving out free baby boxes — complete with necessary supplies, firm mattress pads, and blankets — to new moms in an effort to encourage safe sleeping practices.
The boxes may not come with all the bells and whistles of traditional cribs, but they are perfectly safe and they help little ones stay out of harm’s way.
To learn more about this life-saving collaboration between Temple University Hospital and The Baby Box Company, check out the video below!
(via Good Housekeeping)
The project has already proven to be extremely helpful to low-income families and new moms whose little ones arrived a bit earlier than expected. To learn more about The Baby Box Company, visit their website and follow them on Facebook for regular updates!
Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/baby-boxes/


EARLY DAY HISTORY: More than 130 years ago, the Cherokee Indians came to this area to build a nation after their westward trek from Georgia over the Trail of Tears. Tenkiller crossing -- where the dam is located -- is named for a famous Cherokee family and was a main traveled route across the Illinois River in frontier times. Here in the western foothills of the Arkansas Ozarks, the Cherokees invented a syllabary and developed an intricate government, including a system of courts of law. At Tahlequah, the Cherokees produced Oklahoma’s first newspaper in both Cherokee and English, and built a tribal government and schools. Here may be seen the historic Cherokee capital, the old tribal prison, the Cherokee Supreme Court Building, Cherokee Female Seminary built in 1889, and near the junctions of US Highway 62, State Highway 10 and State Highway 82, south of Tahlequah, is Tsa-La-Gi, an authentic replica of a Cherokee Village from the 1700s. There are many more points of interest within easy driving distance, including the Sequoyah Memorial, the historic Murrell Mansion, Dwight Mission, Fort Gibson National Cemetery, and Fort Gibson Stockade. The notable cliffs, forests and meadows along the shoreline of Lake Tenkiller are still much as they were years ago when outlaw gangs fled to the Cookson Hills for protection from the law.
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT: The Tenkiller Ferry project was authorized by Congress under the Flood Control Act of 1938. Installation of power features was authorized in the River and Harbor Act of 1946. It was designed and built by the Tulsa District, Corps of Engineers, at a cost of $23,687,000. The project was started in 1947, placed in flood control operation in July 1953 and power was placed on the line in December 1953.


METAL/NONMETAL MINE FATALITY - On January 19, 1998, a surveyor, with 8 years of mining experience, was killed at an underground lead/zinc mine. The victim was setting up his survey instruments in an intersection that was approximately 32 feet square and 16 feet high. An area of the back approximately 10 feet by 20 feet and weighing an estimated 12 tons fell on him. Reportedly, this intersection had been visually examined after blasting a few days earlier, however, the back had not been tested for loose ground conditions.
Ground conditions should be tested, as well as visually examined, after blasting and prior to work commencing, or as ground conditions warrant.
Loose ground must be taken down or supported.
When manual scaling is required, a scaling bar should be provided
This is the second fatality reported in calendar year 1998 in the metal and nonmetal mining industries. As of this date in 1997, there were four fatalities reported in these industries. This is the first fatality classified as Fall of Roof in 1998. There were no Fall of Roof fatalities during the same period in 1997.For more information:
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report


As Europe’s latest heat wave showed, climate change is scorching the Earth. The World Meteorological Organization suspects the period from 2015 to 2019 will be the warmest five years on record. China is particularly in trouble. As temperatures soar across the world, heat waves are expected to happen more often there.
Now, in a new study, researchers say that global warming will lead to tens of thousands of additional heat-related deaths every year in China. But limiting warming to 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial levels rather than 2C (3.6F) – a difference of less than 1 degree F – could save about 30,000 lives per year in the Asian nation alone. The discovery highlights the need for global cooperation to reduce the impacts of climate change.
“All countries in the world need to work together to limit the global warming, since this would significantly reduce risks and the impacts of climate change,” Chinese Academy of Sciences ecologist Su Buda, who led the new research, told Discover via email.
In 2015, the world’s nations came together to reach the Paris Agreement. The global action plan aims to limit global warming to at least less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial era temperatures. The Paris Agreement’s best-case scenario, however, would cap warming at 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Knowing that China’s aging population is especially susceptible to hot spells, Buda’s team wanted to find out how keeping temps to 1.5 degrees C might reduce the impacts of heat waves.
The researchers modeled five different population growth scenarios and more than 30 global climate models to examining how many people might die from heat across 27 densely populated Chinese cities. Their list includes major cities like Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing. And Buda says her team’s model is robust. It takes into account how high temperatures might impact some regions differently than others. And unlike previous studies, it also considered how swelling temperatures would affect older people differently than the younger population and women differently than men.
The model projected that 50 to 67 people per million would die from heat-related causes if climate change was kept under 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). But that number balloons to 60 to 80 people per million if Earth were to see 2 degree C (3.6 degree F) warming. The finding shows “an additional 0.5 degree C warming … will result in an additional 27,900 to 33,200 thousand heat-related deaths per year,” Buda said. That means that curbing global warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) could cut heat-related mortality in Chinese cities by 18 percent, the team reports Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Heat-related mortality will affect older generations and women disproportionately. Even at 1.5 degree C (2.7 degree F) warming, mortality in the retired population will increase by as much as 156 percent, the team found. Women – whose threshold for higher temperatures is lower than men’s – are also more susceptible to heat-related mortality.
The researchers hope technology advancements will help curb the country’s vulnerability to the coming extreme weather events. “With the development of socioeconomy and the advancement of science and technology, it is possible to reduce exposure by means of strengthening forecasts and early warnings,” Buda said.
“It is also possible to reduce vulnerability by increasing public health input, improving the sun protection capacity of buildings and the accessibility of clean drinking water,” she added.


On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) hit the Philippines. Tacloban, Leyte, and the surrounding shore of San Pedro Bay suffered the most damages. Because of strong winds brought by Yolanda, a 5–7meter-high storm surge took place. Yolanda, as the storm surge cause, killed more than 6,000 people.
Although we know that both floods and flash floods may cause harm, they are often used interchangeably. Are all floods, flash floods? Or are all flash floods, floods? Do they have a relationship? Just what is the difference between floods and flash floods?
Southeast Asian countries experienced terrible floods in 2020. In this blog, read the reasons, effects, and solutions for floods!
Southeast Asian countries experienced terrible floods in 2020. Find out how disasters related to floods negatively impacted these countries.
Flood damages can be avoided if you know the levels of flooding are and how to cope up with them.
Nature has provided man with gifts that often bring him joy and tranquility. Most people would opt to live in serene woodlands, others in the hinterlands, while others still, near waterways like rivers and lakes.


Find out more about how a child's motor skills develop.
Gross motor skills involve movement of the big muscles in the arms, legs and torso. In contrast, fine motor skills are those developed through the smaller muscles in the hands and fingers.
Motor development progress
For motor skills to develop babies need plenty of time playing on the floor and outdoors to exercise both sides of their brain and body. Every child develops their own unique way to move around – some babies will crawl on all fours, others one-foot-one-knee, and some will move along on their bottoms (commonly known as ‘bum-shuffling’).
As their big muscles develop, they will progress from holding onto and walking around the furniture (cruising) to stooping, picking something up off the floor and standing up again to explore it. These actions all continue to strengthen the big muscles in their legs, abdomen and back.
By this stage ‘baby’ has become a toddler who is consolidating their motor skills and coordination. As movements are repeated over and over again, important connections between brain cells become stronger and eventually permanent.
Refining their movements
During this time, children are likely to spend much of their day exploring and practicing movements as they play. Parents will notice how their child’s movements become smoother and more efficient as a result of the many repetitions, which strengthens their muscles and brain connections.
Standing and walking
By 15 months, most toddlers can confidently standing on their own, and most will be walking independently.
Other big muscle skills that develop in this period are those used in climbing and being able to carry something while walking. They will be able to throw a ball while either sitting or standing.
Toddlers need their whānau to provide:
- a safe environment
- opportunities to be active indoors and outdoors.


South Asia Division of the U-M Library
The South Asian studies collection at the University of Michigan Library covers the following countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sikkim (now a part of India), Sri Lanka, Tibet (for Buddhist studies), and, to a lesser degree, Afghanistan. Since many of these countries, or portions of them, were for extensive periods of time colonies of Portugal, France, and Great Britain, there are large overseas South Asian communities within the former colonial states. Similarly, there are significant immigrant populations in several other countries, including the United States, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and the Caribbean Islands. South Asian studies also encompass these communities in the former colonies.
Materials on and from South Asia defined in these very broad terms are acquired and catalogued by the South Asia Division. Although within this broad view there are variations in degree of coverage or emphasis on particular countries and disciplinary interests, the study of India and Indians remains the prime interest and importance.
285,000 monographic titles in various formats 1,700 current serial titles (vernacular and Western languages). A large collection of maps is housed in the Map Library.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet (Buddhist Studies).
English, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Tamil, Tibetan, Bengali (not currently collected); Classical languages: Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Persian, Arabic.
For School Teachers and Students
Below are resources for teachers from kindergarten to college level. We hope you find them useful:
AskAsia.org is a K-12 resource of the Asia Society. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the Society's mission is to strengthen mutual understanding between the United States and Asia in support of positive engagement between their societies and peoples. Please view information for curriculum planning on the AskAsia website.
The American Forum for Global Education is a private, non-for-profit organization
founded in 1970. Includes a new web-based curriculum, free. Simply register your email name and you have access to 170 curriculum units, a handful of which are focused on South Asia, and many that are applicable because of a global focus.
Outreach World is a comprehensive one-stop resource for teaching international and area studies and foreign languages in the precollegiate classroom.
Edsitement, The best of the humanities on the web, lesson plans made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Non U-M Digital Collections
The South Asia Microform Project (SAMP) is a cooperative program that seeks to acquire and maintain a readily accessible collection of unique materials in microform related to the study of South Asia. Materials are collected both through the filming efforts of the project and through the purchase of positive copies of materials filmed by other groups, institutions and companies.
Digital South Asia Library On-line information about contemporary and historical South Asia including: full-text documents; statistical data; electronic images; cartographic representations; pedagogical resources for language instruction; delivery on demand of page images from South Asia, scanned from both paper and microform sources; and internet-based indexes to highly select journals in the regional languages of South Asia.
Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project The British Library / University of Washington Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project was founded in September 1996 in order to promote the study, editing, and publication of a unique collection of fifty-seven fragments of Buddhist manuscripts on birch bark scrolls, written in the Kharosthi script and the Gandhari (Prakrit) language that were acquired by the British Library in 1994. The manuscripts date from, most likely, the first century A.D., and as such are the oldest surviving Buddhist texts, which promise to provide unprecedented insights into the early history of Buddhism in north India and in central and east Asia.


A MiddleWeb Blog
Congratulations on your new social studies class! Whether you are teaching fourth grade social studies, or seventh grade history, you are probably feeling a combination of excitement and trepidation. Maybe we can help with the trepidation!
The three of us who contribute to the Future of History blog got together to brainstorm what we wished we’d known our first year of teaching. We’ve tried to narrow our focus to the particular needs of the new teacher in the social studies classroom.
Many of our “tips” are things you’ve probably heard or tried out in your teacher preparation programs, but we know that being reminded of what’s essential never hurts.
Here’s what we came up with – hope it’s helpful!
• The volume of information in a history/social studies class is overwhelming. Talk to a veteran teacher and figure out what topics are MOST important.
• That being said, most schools hold students to particular standards, whether state or the new Common Core. Make sure that you know what your school/state expects students to know.
• If your school, district or state has a prescribed history curriculum, try to put as much of yourself (and the best practices that you’ve learned in your education programs) into the curriculum. It’s important to own what you teach.
• In a fact-based discipline, we need to focus on big ideas, patterns, and themes in history–don’t get bogged down in details that your students are likely to forget when they are done with your class.
• Even if you think you aren’t going to use it, read the textbook–so you understand what’s there.
• Any time you use texts and resources with alternate (political) perspectives, make sure you introduce them as such, and try to provide the other perspectives as well.
• In this day and age, history is most definitely not just memorization. Give your students the skills to analyze history, detect bias, and evaluate historical events.
• TeachingHistory.org, Finding Dulcinea and Facing History are among some great web-based resources that can help you help students to think critically about historical sources and what they find on the Internet.
• Have a timeline in your classroom of the major events you cover in class–especially if you are teaching thematically.
• Maps are very important in helping students contextualize the area they learn about. Get lots of them! And remember to constantly refer to them while you teach.
• It’s nice to have visuals displayed around your classroom, but only put something up if it is really relevant to your curriculum.
• Arrange your classroom to allow for collaboration.
• Even though we have content to convey, the strategies and teaching are as, if not more, important than the content. Remember that you are teaching students about history, as opposed to teaching history to students.
• Know your strengths! But also know where you need to focus your attention in your practice. If you are strong in pedagogy, watch content-matter specific documentaries and read up. If you are strong in content, look into new teaching strategies.
• Write a bunch of “Do Nows” ahead of time so you have them in your bank. Make sure they are relevant to the lesson you are about to teach — these class-starter activities will help your students realize that you are going to maximize your time with them, and the learning begins as soon as they enter the room.
• Find someone you respect and trust, whether at your site or another school, to talk about history content and the way you are teaching it.
• Keep a running list of things you want to change in your lessons for next school year. We promise, you won’t remember it if you don’t write it down!
• If you haven’t already, join an online professional learning network like Twitter. Some of the good hashtags for history teachers are #sschat and #historyteacher. Find interesting people to follow in the education field.
• Look into what your national association (NCSS) has to offer teachers at the middle level.
• Never give an assessment of any kind that you can’t complete yourself.
• Make sure your assessments are REALLY assessing the information or skills that you want your students to take with them after they have completed your class.
• Don’t test students on information that does not have that much historical importance or relevance to your overall learning goals.
Most of all: When in doubt, trust yourself and go with your gut. Soon you’ll have a room full of young historians, and you’ll find yourself doing many of the things in this list without even thinking about them.
What have we forgotten? If you’re a veteran teacher, include your history/ social studies teacher tips in the comments. If you’re a new teacher with a lingering question, please ask it here!
Aaron Brock has been a middle school social studies teacher in the Compton Unified School District for five years. He has a BA in History from California State University Northridge and received his teaching credential through University of California Los Angeles’ TeachLA program. Follow Aaron on Twitter @HistoryBrock.
Shara Peters (right) teaches eighth grade U.S. History in a Los Angeles independent school. She earned her teaching credential from Hebrew Union College and her M.A. in teaching from American Jewish University.
Jody Passanisi (left) is also an eighth grade U.S. History teacher at a Los Angeles independent school. She earned her credential and an M.S. in education from Mount St. Mary’s College. She is the author of the 2016 book from Routledge/MiddleWeb, History Class Revisited: Tools and Projects to Engage Middle School Students in Social Studies. Receive a 20% discount on History Class Revisited at the publisher’s website by using the coupon code IRK95.


Miniature Paintings : Although miniature
painting is most often associated with Mughal art, it dates back
many centuries in India where different styles developed. Yes, a
major change in style occurred Mughal rulers came with Persian
artists to India. Thus paintings in a new, distinctive Mughal style
came into existence.
Gemstone Paintings : The brighter colors
are added to various Rajasthani paintings by the use of gemstone
grinded finely. Various precious and semi precious stones are used
for different colors in a gemstone painting.
Phad Paintings : Par paintings depict
incidents in the lives of the folk hero-deities Pabuji and
Devnarayan of Rajasthan. Traditionally, they are used to accompany a
ritual in which the heroes' deeds are sung or recited by priests
Kajali Paintings : The collection of
Special Art of Rajasthan, which is done by very few people in
certain parts of Rajasthan. Every painting, made from black kajal
and stone colors, requires extensive hard work and expert hands.
Kishangarh Paintings : The most important
styles developed during 17th/18th century were in Mewar, Marwar,
Ambal, Kishangarh, and Hadoti. The Kishangarh artists under the
patronage of their rulers Raja Mansingh and Sawant Singh in 17th
century painted the romantic miniatures based on the stories of
Radha and Krishna.
Bani Thani Paintings : The Kishengarh
school excels in its Bani Thani paintings. The originality of style
can be credited to its royal patron - Raja Sawant Singh, also known
as Nagari Das, who was the originator of these paintings.
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The Food Standards Agency has announced a change to its advice about eating eggs - infants, children, pregnant women and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked eggs that are produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.
The revised advice, based on the latest scientific evidence, means that people vulnerable to infection or who are likely to suffer serious symptoms from food poisoning (such as infants, children, pregnant women and elderly people) can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs or foods containing them.
The decision to change the advice is a result of the findings from an expert group that was set up by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) in February 2015 to look at egg safety. Its report, published in July 2016, highlighted that the presence of salmonella in UK eggs has been dramatically reduced in recent years, and the risks are very low for eggs which have been produced according to food safety controls applied by the British Lion Code of Practice. More than 90% of UK eggs are produced under this scheme.
Heather Hancock, Chairman of the Food Standards Agency, said: “It's good news that now even vulnerable groups can safely eat UK eggs without needing to hardboil them, so long as they bear the British Lion mark. The FSA has thoroughly reviewed the scientific evidence about the safety of these eggs, and we're confident that we can now change our advice to consumers.
“The major reduction in the risk of salmonella in Lion eggs is testament to the work carried out by egg producers. The measures they've taken, from vaccination of hens through to improving hygiene on farms and better transportation, have dramatically reduced salmonella levels in UK hens.”
A range of interventions have been put in place across the food chain as part of the Lion scheme including: vaccinating hens, enhanced testing for salmonella, improved farm hygiene, effective rodent control, independent auditing and traceability, and keeping the eggs cool while transporting them from farm to shop.
The revised advice does not apply to severely immunocompromised individuals, who require medically supervised diets prescribed by health professionals, and is only for eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.
The existing advice on UK non-Lion eggs, non-hen eggs and eggs from outside the UK, is that they should always be cooked thoroughly for vulnerable groups.
When eating raw or lightly cooked eggs it is recommended to:
• store eggs safely in a cool dry place such as the fridge;
• follow good hygiene practices in the kitchen; avoiding cross contamination, cleaning work surfaces, dishes and utensils and making sure you wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling eggs
• observe ‘best before’ dates.
Source: the FSA


I stumbled across a nice website last week called Interactivate with 140 (or so) interactive Java-based activities for algebra, geometry, probability, statistics, etc. Many of the activities are modifications of other activities, but still there are at least 30 unique game-based activities here to help your students learn.
I particularly liked “Algebra Four” (a play on the game Connect Four). I am teaching my algebra students all about solving equations right now and this would give them some good practice. The student can choose the level of difficulty (one-step, two-step, distributive, etc.). So conceivably, a student could first play at the one-step level, then the two-step level, then add the distributive property, and work their way up. This is a two-player game, which is really the only drawback, as a student at home would have to play against themself (or convince someone else to play an algebra game with them… hmm… unlikely). I do like the timer, which would encourage the student to get faster at solving equations. And if a student doesn’t want to play against the timer, it could just be set for a high time.
Another nice game here is the “function machine” like we’ve seen in textbooks, only this one is really a machine where you (or the student) inputs values, and it (the machine) processes the values and outputs them. The “game” here is to guess the function. I could see using this one in a classroom when we talk about function notation, and writing out the function notation process of each “guess” and “answer” to the side of the projected machine. A small improvement on this game would be to show the function notation to the side and then run a version that would let the all-knowing instructor input “x” at the end of the game, to show that if you input “x” or “a” into the function notation, the function notation shows you exactly what happens during the processing.
One last gem from this site is Area Explorer, which shows the student a graph of connected, shaded squares, and asks the student to find the area and perimeter. What I like is that it emphasizes the underlying principle behind area and perimeter (area is counting unit squares in the interior of the figure and perimeter is counting unit lines on the perimeter of the figure). Our students today seem to often miss this concept alltogether and just want to boil everything down to a formula, so I think this would be a great activity to have students try on their own.
All in all… kudos to this site for creating some really nice interactive materials!
Possibly Related Posts:
- Group Exploration in Math
- WolframAlpha Facebook Report
- Level Up: Video Games for Learning Algebra
- Coming out of the Closet: I’m a Game Designer!
- Copyright Math


Genetic Information Discrimination
As of 2009, employment discrimination on the basis of an individual's genetic makeup is prohibited under federal law. That means employers, employment agencies and similar entities may not request, require, purchase or disclose a current or prospective employee's genetic information, nor make employment decisions based on such information. Harassment based on genetic information also is prohibited, as with any other type of harassment covered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Additionally, 34 states have laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of genetic information; some of them may apply to employers with less than 15 employees.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) covers all U.S. employers with 15 or more employees. "Genetic information," as defined by GINA, includes information about the following:
- An individual's genetic tests
- The genetic tests of an individual's family members
- The manifestation of a disease or disorder in an individual's family (i.e. family medical history)
- An individual's request for, or receipt of, genetic services (or that of a family member)
- The genetic makeup of a fetus being carried by an individual or family member
GINA does not cover individuals who already have impairments or conditions that may have a genetic basis, such as diabetes or certain forms of cancer. However, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against those whose condition meets the legal definition of "disability."
As with other protected characteristics such as race, gender, national origin, age or disability, an individual's genetic information is not considered relevant to that person's ability to work. Therefore, an employer may not use such information as the basis for hiring, firing, pay, promotions, job assignments, layoffs, benefits, training or any other employment action.
Harassment on the basis of one's genetic information, which also is prohibited under GINA, may consist offensive comments that are considered severe enough to cause a hostile or offensive work environment or which cause an adverse employment decision (i.e. the victim is demoted or terminated). Retaliation against an employee who has filed a complaint or otherwise opposed genetic discrimination also is illegal.
Acquisition of Genetic Information: Exceptions to GINA
While GINA prohibits employers and other covered entities to acquire genetic information, the EEOC designates the following narrow exceptions:
- Inadvertent acquisition of genetic information, such as an overheard conversation about an employee's illness
- In some situations where the individual has voluntarily provided such information as part of a health or wellness program
- Acquisition of family medical history as part of FMLA leave certification (i.e. employee is caring for a seriously ill family member)
- Information gleaned from publicly available sources, such as newspapers
- Information obtained through certain genetic monitoring programs that are required by law, where employee participation is voluntary
- Genetic information obtained in a facility that engages in DNA testing (such as a forensics lab), as used for analysis of DNA markers to detect sample contamination
Inadvertent GINA Violations: Safe Harbor
An employer may have to request health-related information from an employee in some cases, which can lead to the inadvertent acquisition of genetic information. For example, an employee may be requesting a reasonable accommodation under the ADA or request for extended medical leave. However, it is important for employers to create a safe harbor by providing a warning to the individual about GINA. The EEOC suggests the following, expressed either verbally or in writing:
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) prohibits employers and other entities covered by GINA Title II from requesting or requiring genetic information of an individual or family member of the individual, except as specifically allowed by this law. To comply with this law, we are asking that you not provide any genetic information when responding to this request for medical information. “Genetic information,” as defined by GINA, includes an individual’s family medical history, the results of an individual’s or family member’s genetic tests, the fact that an individual or an individual’s family member sought or received genetic services, and genetic information of a fetus carried by an individual or an individual’s family member or an embryo lawfully held by an individual or family member receiving assistive reproductive services.


The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is in crisis. NATO is one of the most successful and longest-lasting military alliances in history.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
A glance at news headlines from any of the last seven decades might leave you thinking NATO has been in a perpetual state of crisis since its origins in 1949. And yet, time and time again, the Presidents and Prime Ministers of NATO states have decided that NATO should – indeed must – remain in existence. What explains this cycle of crises accompanied by determination to keep NATO together? How can every generation’s pundits write headlines warning of the imminent demise of the alliance, while its leaders insist that the alliance must continue?
The answer to the riddle lies in the fact that many of NATO’s largest and most important powers were led by governments that relied on public support for their political power. This led to what I call in Enduring Alliance: A History of NATO and the Postwar Global Order the “dangers of democracy.” It was these dangers that help us why NATO leaders thought the alliance was necessary but also why they constantly fretted about its future.
The leaders who formed and maintained NATO did so because they thought the alliance would protect members from being blackmailed by the Soviet Union. In the late 1940s, the British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin argued that the Soviet Union would use its military and political power to compel other states to act as Moscow wished. The “Russians,” as Bevin called them, “seem to be fairly confident of getting the fruits of war without going to war.” Soviet pressure on Finland, in which Moscow gained significant influence in the shaping of Finland’s foreign policies, offered an example of how this might happen. A Soviet ultimatum to Norway, and later a coup in Czechoslovakia, suggested that the Soviets would gain influence in Europe by picking off one state at a time. In the aftermath of the Second World War, it seemed likely that Europeans, cajoled or bullied by the Soviet Union, would urge their leaders to give in to any Soviet demands rather than risk confrontation. George F. Kennan, the famous American diplomat and expert on the Soviet Union, explained this fear eloquently when he said that “it is the shadows rather than the substance of things that move the hearts, and sway the deeds, of statesmen.” And the Kremlin cast long shadows.
NATO offered a solution.
NATO’s integrated military commands were never so much about being able to defend against the Soviet Union in case of war, but in cancelling out the Soviet Union’s ability to influence and compel European states to do what Moscow wished. Ideally, NATO would ensure that the Soviet Union would not bother trying to pressure an ally. But if a crisis came, NATO’s military capability had to be real enough to ensure that leaders could convince their citizens they did not have to give in. The alternative would be for frightened voters to pressure their leaders – be it through elections or other public protest – to give into Soviet demands. NATO insured against one danger of democracy – a panicked electorate faced with crisis – that might have otherwise allowed for the “Finlandization” of more European states.
The NATO leaders’ other worry, however, was that in times of peace, or even cold war, their electorates were not interested in maintaining the defense spending on which NATO relied.
Periods of détente with the Soviet Union seemed to strip away the rationale for NATO. The public reaction to the Vietnam War in both the United States and Europe caused allies to wonder whether there had been an outright rejection of the military instrument of foreign policy. These worries were amplified in the 1970s and 1980s as some protesters challenged NATO’s reliance on nuclear weapons.
NATO’s champion believed the alliance prevented crises and would allow them to prevail if one did occur.
They also believed that NATO worked, in a sense, too well – that it caused their voters to forget why NATO was important. On its 70th anniversary, the greatest challenge to the alliance may be an American president who ignores these nuances and does not understand the power of shadows.
About the author of this blog post: Timothy Andrews Sayle is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Toronto and a Senior Fellow of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History. He is the author of Enduring Alliance: A History of NATO and the Postwar Global Order, and the editor, with Jeffrey A. Engel, Hal Brands, and William Inboden of The Last Card: Inside George W. Bush’s Decisions to Surge in Iraq, forthcoming from Cornell University Press.


Switching describes a physician’s decision to exchange one product that a patient receives for another. With the introduction of biosimilars, physicians may be encouraged to switch patients from an original biologic (reference product) to any of its biosimilars (or vice versa) in order to reduce costs.
The considerations take into account the unique characteristics of biologic medicines, which are capable of treating patients with highly complex diseases – and caution that switching stable patients is still nascent in practice. The three associations underscore the central role of the physician – together with the patient – in the decision-making process when it comes to providing the appropriate treatment for both naïve and disease-stable patients.
This means that:
- the prescribing physician must always retain the option to designate which biological product should be dispensed. Treatment decisions must be made first on the basis of clinical judgment and then on the overall value proposition offered by individual medicines; and
- the treating physician, in consultation with the patient, should make any decision to switch patients from one biological product to another. Where switching occurs, it must be accompanied by adequate clinical monitoring and the patient must be informed appropriately at all times.
All biologics approved by regulatory authorities (e.g. the European Medicines Agency) in compliance with relevant WHO guidelines are safe, effective and of high quality. Moreover, a biosimilar must be compared in terms of quality, safety and efficacy with its reference product before it qualifies for approval. However, there is no regulatory requirement for individually approved biosimilars for the same reference product to be compared with each other. Consequently, this type of data may not be available to stakeholders when evaluating a switch between two biosimilars of the same reference product.
The complex nature of biological molecules, which are often used to treat patients who have multifaceted, chronic diseases, means that any decision to switch should be made on a case-by-case basis and must be patient-, disease- and product-specific. It is vital for a physician to balance the level of evidence against the level of risk or uncertainty in each particular case. A ‘one size fits all’ approach is not appropriate.
Biosimilars have an important role to play in promoting the sustainability of healthcare systems. Used appropriately, biosimilars will provide health systems with the financial headroom to maintain investment in new technologies and therapies. Our industry recognises its responsibility to support efforts that instill confidence in physicians and patients in the use of biosimilars, including through the promotion of appropriate clinical use and contributing to informed decision-making.
European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE) represents the voice of biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes in Europe and is a specialised group within the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Established in 2000, EBE is recognised as the leading biopharmaceutical association in Europe.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. EFPIA is the voice on the EU scene of 1,900 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing to patients new medicines that will improve health and the quality of life around the world.
IFPMA represents research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. The research-based pharmaceutical industry’s 2 million employees research, develop and provide medicines and vaccines that improve the life of patients worldwide. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.
EBE │Barbara Freischem │Executive Director│ Tel: +32 2 62 62 564 │email@example.com
IFPMA│Sadia Kaenzig│Manager, Communications │Tel: +41 22 338 32 49 │Mobile: +41 79 513 44 42 │ firstname.lastname@example.org


An engine hoist is a device used to remove and install an engine in a passenger car or truck. Commonly referred to as a cherry picker, one of the most used engine hoist designs commonly uses a hydraulic cylinder attached to a steel frame with a hook hanging down from the top. An adjustable upper boom allows the engine hoist’s reach potential to be adjusted, while optional folding legs allow the tool to be stored against a wall or out of the way when not in use. Other versions of the hoist consist of chain falls, come-along pullers and electric cable hoist.
To complete many different types of automobile engine or transmission repairs, the engine must often be removed from the vehicle. This is accomplished through the use of an engine hoist. On many vehicles, once the engine is disconnected from the chassis mounts, electrical harness and other fluid lines, an engine hoist can be attached to the engine by a lifting bracket or chains and lifted up and out of the vehicle. On many front-wheel drive vehicles, however, the engine requires removal from underneath the chassis. In this situation, the body is commonly blocked in an elevated position while the engine is lowered out of the chassis by an engine hoist.
When an overhead beam, tree limb or rafters are available, the come-along hoist, chain falls or electric cable winch can often be used to pull or replace an engine. When there is no overhead support present, the cherry picker is the best tool for the job. One set-back for the cherry picker is that the use of this type of engine hoist requires a solid floor in which to operate on. Soft ground will allow the picker’s wheels or casters to sink into the ground, preventing the cherry picker from easily being pulled out and away from the vehicle with the engine suspended in air.
The cherry picker can be positioned on a heavy sheet of plywood covering soft ground to allow the engine hoist to be pulled out and maneuvered under the vehicle. One precaution to take whenever using any type of engine hoist is to avoid leaving an engine hanging from the hoist for prolonged periods of time. The constant stress of the engine hanging unsupported from the hoist can lead to premature failure of the hoist, including damage to the engine from a sudden drop to the floor or ground.


Help writing sentences
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Peterson has just graduated from college and is now a junior member of the staff of a U.S. senator. He has been asked to draft a statement detailing the senator's position on the economic growth implications of immigration. His research on the topic has uncovered the following facts. First, more than a fifth of scientists actively involved in research at the US universities are immigrants. Second, foreign-born scientists residing in the United States write about 60 percent published research studies in the physical sciences and about 30 percent of research publications in the life sciences. Third, nearly a forth of the founders or chief executives of U.S. biotechnology firms that have become publics companies since the early 1990s were born abroad. Peterson knows that in the past the senator who employs him has generally been opposed to permitting unhindered immigration. Nevertheless, the senator also strongly favors policies that promote economic growth. Peterson's task, given what he has learned, is to compose a draft statement reconciling the senator's two positions.
1. Why might unhindered immigration have uncertain effects on US per capita GDP even though immigrant scientists contribute so much to the nation's stock of knowledge and expertise?
2. How might Peterson draw on the insights of new growth theory to draft a position statement ruling out unhindered immigration but proposing greater openness to "targeted immigrants"?
1. Unhindered immigration means that all people might be allowed into the United States - the immigration policies are not restricted only to those immigrants that will be useful to the United States economy. If unhindered immigration is allowed, poor and destitute people from the Third World countries, who might not have any professional skills at all, will rush to com into the United States where they can get adequate food shelter and welfare. Even if they are ...
The unhindered immigration's effects on US per capita GDP are shown.


Vital wastewater treatment technologies in the waste plastic processing industry
Technological machines for waste plastic processing may vary depending on the plastics processed (e.g. PET, PP, HDPE, LDPE etc.). Therefore, this article is not intended to cover the waste plastic processing machines per se, but rather the use of water in the process, wastewater production during recycling, and wastewater treatment technologies.
At first, it should be stressed that the type of the processed plastic has a significant impact on the composition of the produced wastewater. Crucial determinant is whether only plastic bottles for sweetened beverages (PET) or bottles for various detergents, softeners, shampoos etc. (HDPE) are processed on the same machine.
Water consumption during plastic recycling
To put the entire process in a nutshell, the wastewater is produced during the plastic material treatment. You can also use technological water with temperatures ranging from 10 to 15C. However, it will only wash off the dust, sand, or soluble components deposits.
The treatment performance can be enhanced by increasing the temperature, adding a detergent or sodium hydroxide solution which proved to be useful for such treatment.
Plastic recycling wastewater composition
When it comes to the wastewater composition, I once again have to highlight that the employed method and the variety of other materials collected together with the plastic is crucial.
Storage and treatment conditions have a significant impact as well. However, since we need a baseline, our pollution estimations can be based on Amélie Santos’ work from 2005.
Utmost attention must be paid to the total dissolved solids (TDS) which can reach a concentration of 5 to 8g/L after the treatment. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), i.e. the organic pollution could also be taken into consideration. The paper suggests COD concentrations from 200 to 900mg/L, similar to concentrations in sewage water.
Now I will investigate what could be put in place in a WWTP in the plastic processing industry.
Removal of plastic pieces and plastic fibers
First of all, you need to keep in mind that the machine cuts the material in question into small flocks. Along with the wastewater, small parts of plastics, foils, caps, plastic fibers etc. might be released. The machines are equipped with screens for this very purpose.
The first step might employ coarse screening with openings of 10 to 50mm. The retained material is usually highly polluted and destined to end up in a waste dump.
The second step should deploy a rotary drum screen with much thinner openings to retain any particles beyond 1 to 10mm.
Since the plastic waste travelled a long way through many places with different types of pollution, the machines need to deal with dust, sand, gravel etc. The next stage should comprise sand-based solid removal technology.
Sand catchers are sophisticated devices with very simple assembly. It is up to the investor which device he or she chooses based on its pros and cons.
We recommend using a device for the retained material and sand with press function to partially dewater the grit. Afterwards, the grit can be easily handled and stored.
The core of the technology
The core of the technology is a device for separation of insolubles. A regular sedimentation or a sedimentation with plates can be designed for its lower space requirements.
Floatation is also an option, with the advantage of sludge density control, and thus its reduction.
All these devices necessarily need chemical dosage.
The first group of chemicals consists of coagulants and flocculants which transform the insoluble materials into compact flocks, and hence improve their properties and enhance the separation process.
The second group comprises acids and alkalis to modify the pH-values. This step is crucial to decrease the range of pH-values to fit in a narrower interval of the flocculant.
After such treatment, the water with 90% of insoluble materials and 30% of organics (COD) removed can be discharged into public sewage.
Pre-cleaned water can be reused in recycling machines, saving operational costs for the purchase of new freshwater (so-called Zero Liquid Discharge).
However, if the applied sewer rates are too high or there is no connection to the sewage network, the wastewater can be further processed and cleaned to such extent which allows the operator to discharge it into rivers. The most common method of post-treatment is biological aerobic treatment.
The last topic which needs to be covered is sludge management. Sludge is a by-product of sewage treatment with the contents of the removed insolubles. Its quality depends on the technology employed (e.g. sedimentation, flocculation etc.)
Sludge concentration can constitute 10 to 60 g/L. Such liquid material can be disposed of by means of export. The disadvantage is its large volume. In practice, another device is usually used to dewater the sludge, reducing its concentration to 150-300 g/L and making it a solid material.
To have a better idea of the quantity, the approximate production of insolubles per ton of processed plastic amounts to 22kg. This means that processing 100t of plastics per day produces 2.2t of insolubles. This represents about 145-40m³of liquid sludge or 11m³ of sludge dewatered with separator, belt press, or using other technologies.
Plastic recycling machines produce wastewater during the treatment. Its main components are total dissolved solids with concentrations of 5 to 8 g/L. The primary technologies used in wastewater treatment plants should comprise screening, sand catcher, flotation or sedimentation, and a technology to thicken the produced sludge.
By: Ing. Matúš Palguta, Chemical Tech
In 2019, The European Environmental Agency published a report on water quality at bathing sites across Europe.
Researchers have discovered small plastic particles also in Slovak drinking water sources.
Hurricanes Irma, Katrina, and Dorian: all of them caused major flooding in the U.S. in the course of the last two decades. Flooding causes property...


Hybrid Anomaly Detection Using Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine
Intrusion detection systems (IDS) are the main components of network security. These systems analyze the network events for intrusion detection. The design of an IDS is through the training of normal traffic data or attack. The methods of machine learning are the best ways to design IDSs. In the method presented in this article, the pruning algorithm of C5.0 decision tree is being used to reduce the features of traffic data used and training IDS by the least square vector algorithm (LS-SVM). Then, the remaining features are arranged according to the predictor importance criterion. The least important features are eliminated in the order. The remaining features of this stage, which have created the highest level of accuracy in LS-SVM, are selected as the final features. The features obtained, compared to other similar articles which have examined the selected features in the least squared support vector machine model, are better in the accuracy, true positive rate, and false positive. The results are tested by the UNSW-NB15 dataset.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1317192Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF
 A. L. Buczak and E. Guven, "A survey of data mining and machine learning methods for cyber security intrusion detection," IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 1153-1176, 2016.
 B. W. Masduki, K. Ramli, F. A. Saputra, and D. Sugiarto, "Study on implementation of machine learning methods combination for improving attacks detection accuracy on Intrusion Detection System (IDS)," in Quality in Research (QiR), 2015 International Conference on, 2015, pp. 56-64: IEEE.
 R. K. Sharma, H. K. Kalita, and P. Borah, "Analysis of machine learning techniques based intrusion detection systems," in Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Advanced Computing, Networking and Informatics, 2016, pp. 485-493: Springer.
 Q. Yang, H. Fu, and T. Zhu, "An Optimization Method for Parameters of SVM in Network Intrusion Detection System," in Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS), 2016 International Conference on, 2016, pp. 136-142: IEEE.
 R. Kaur and M. Bansal, "Multidimensional attacks classification based on genetic algorithm and SVM," in Next Generation Computing Technologies (NGCT), 2016 2nd International Conference on, 2016, pp. 561-565: IEEE.
 A. Nema, B. Tiwari, and V. Tiwari, "Improving Accuracy for Intrusion Detection through Layered Approach Using Support Vector Machine with Feature Reduction," in Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Women in Research 2016, 2016, pp. 26-31: ACM.
 H. Gharaee and H. Hosseinvand, "A new feature selection IDS based on genetic algorithm and SVM," in Telecommunications (IST), 2016 8th International Symposium on, 2016, pp. 139-144: IEEE.
 H. Gharaee and M. Fekri, "A New Feature Selection For Intrusion Detection System," International Journal of Academic Research, vol. 7, 2015.
 R. R. Reddy, Y. Ramadevi, and K. N. Sunitha, "Effective discriminant function for intrusion detection using SVM," in Advances in Computing, Communications and Informatics (ICACCI), 2016 International Conference on, 2016, pp. 1148-1153: IEEE.
 P. Nskh, M. N. Varma, and R. R. Naik, "Principle component analysis based intrusion detection system using support vector machine," in Recent Trends in Electronics, Information & Communication Technology (RTEICT), IEEE International Conference on, 2016, pp. 1344-1350: IEEE.
 P. Wang, K.-M. Chao, H.-C. Lin, W.-H. Lin, and C.-C. Lo, "An Efficient Flow Control Approach for SDN-Based Network Threat Detection and Migration Using Support Vector Machine," in e-Business Engineering (ICEBE), 2016 IEEE 13th International Conference on, 2016, pp. 56-63: IEEE.
 F. Amiri, M. R. Yousefi, C. Lucas, A. Shakery, and N. Yazdani, "Mutual information-based feature selection for intrusion detection systems," Journal of Network and Computer Applications, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 1184-1199, 2011.
 T. Mehmood and H. B. M. Rais, "SVM for network anomaly detection using ACO feature subset," in Mathematical Sciences and Computing Research (iSMSC), International Symposium on, 2015, pp. 121-126: IEEE.
 A. D. Landress, "A hybrid approach to reducing the false positive rate in unsupervised machine learning intrusion detection," in SoutheastCon, 2016, 2016, pp. 1-6: IEEE.
 L. Rokach and O. Maimon, "Data Mining With Decision Trees: Theory and Applications," 2014.
 L. Li Zhong, Z. Ya Ming, and Z. Yu Bin, "Network intrusion detection method by least squares support vector machine classifier," in Computer Science and Information Technology (ICCSIT), Chengdu 2010.
 L. L. Zhong, Z. Y. Ming, and Z. Y. Bin, "Network intrusion detection method by least squares support vector machine classifier," in Computer Science and Information Technology (ICCSIT), 2010 3rd IEEE International Conference on, 2010, vol. 2, pp. 295-297: IEEE.
 M. Kuhn and K. Johnson, Applied predictive modeling. Springer, 2013.
 T. Janarthanan and S. Zargari, "Feature selection in UNSW-NB15 and KDDCUP'99 datasets," in Industrial Electronics (ISIE), 2017 IEEE 26th International Symposium on, 2017, pp. 1881-1886: IEEE.
 N. Moustafa and J. Slay, "The significant features of the UNSW-NB15 and the KDD99 data sets for Network Intrusion Detection Systems," in Building Analysis Datasets and Gathering Experience Returns for Security (BADGERS), 2015 4th International Workshop on, 2015, pp. 25-31: IEEE.


On this day in 1684, a Monday, Captain Thomas Bowrey left Fort St George (Madras) for Porto Novo (Parangipettai). Today’s journey is different because, rather than travelling by sea, along the coast, this was overland whist Bowrey’s Borneo Merchant was riding out the monsoon in the Ennore Creek (a Madras backwater).
For some unknown reason, Bowrey wrote a detailed account of this journey. Other than that of his six-week tour of Holland and Flanders fourteen years later, this is the only diary Bowrey appears to have kept. Certainly, it is the only survival. The paper on which the account is written has a large piece missing from the right-hand corner but, unexpectedly, this damage occurred before Bowrey wrote on it. None of the text is missing.
The journey took under five days, starting at 09:30 pm and ending at 01:00 pm on Friday 12 December, during which Bowrey was carried in a palanquin by four or six Coolies sometimes up to their thighs in water. Strangely, he described the food eaten by his men but not what he ate during the journey. They rested once at a large stone Choultry (guesthouse) attached to the Bhoomeshwarar Temple close to the coastal town of Marakkananam and another time at the English factory at Koonimedu. Otherwise they slept out in the open together during the day and travelled in the late afternoon and overnight.
The total length of the journey was about 140 miles. The terrain varied between good dry ground, paddy (rice) fields, marshy ground and salt ponds. They crossed numerous rivers, some only knee deep but others as high as their navels.


Explore the Region
- 20 Things Coal Region Folks Know to Be True
- Wikipedia’s Entry on the Coal Region
- Coal Region Dialect
- CoalSpeak: Dictionary of the Coal Region
- Coal Region Towns and Patches
- Famous Coal Crackers
- 10 Favorite Coal Region Foods
- Who Are These People?
Pennsylvania Anthracite Fields
The Anthracite Coal Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania encompasses six counties in Pennsylvania: Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, and Schuylkill (a small portion of Dauphin County also contained coal). This region contains the only reserves of United States’ anthracite coal, which was heavily mined throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The industrial, institutional, and practical modernization of the United States was contingent on the labor and the lives both lived and lost in the Anthracite Coal Region.
Originally inhabited by the Delaware and Susquehannock nations, the first anthracite coal was discovered in the mid-18th century and the first mine established in 1775 near Pittston, Pennsylvania. By the 1820s, coal was being shipped in large quantities out of the region. The population rapidly grew following the American Civil War, with the expansion of the mining and railroad industries.
English, Welsh, Irish and German immigrants formed a large portion of this increase, followed by Polish, Slovak, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Italian, Russian and Lithuanian immigrants. The influence of these immigrant populations is still strongly felt in the region, with various towns possessing pronounced ethnic characters and cuisine.
The anthracite mining industry loomed over the region until its decline in the 1950s. Strip mines and fires, most notably in Centralia remain visible. Several violent incidences in the history of the U.S. labor movement occurred within the coal region as this was the location of the Lattimer Massacre and the home of the Molly Maguires.1
1 Penn State University Libraries


Policymakers have been arguing about what’s causing the increasing violence in Iraq. Some say it’s the chaos in Syria which has given the Sunni rebel group ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, alternatively known as ISIL) access to weaponry and a safe haven from which to organize attacks. Others argue that it was the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq that has allowed a resurgent violent Sunni movement to take hold. Others claim that this latest war is simply the continuation of the age-old religious divide between Sunnis and Shiites. Still others argue that the war is really just about control of oil rich land.
All of these explanations miss the critical variable driving violence. Violence in Iraq is not the result of the war in Syria, or the absence of American troops, or Sunni-Shiite hatred, or oil. It’s the result of a political system dominated by one group in society to the exclusion and detriment of another. To put it bluntly: the war in Iraq is all about Iraq’s lousy political system.
It is no surprise to anyone who has studied civil wars that Iraqi Sunnis have started a civil war. There are three robust findings in the civil war literature that strongly predicted this. In a study of all politically relevant ethnic groups from 1946-2005, Cederman, Wimmer and Min found that “large ethnic groups that are excluded from state power or underrepresented in government are much more likely to challenge the regime’s insiders through violent means.” They also found the “a loss of power in recent history or previous conflict further increases the likelihood of armed conflict.” This is exactly what happened to Iraqi Sunnis. When the United States set up the first post-Saddam Hussein government the intention was to share power between the more numerous Shiites and less numerous Sunnis. This did not happen. Instead, Shiites under Prime Minister al-Maliki have consolidated political control, essentially shutting out everyone else. This loss of political power (without any hope of gaining it in the future) created strong incentives for Sunnis to fight a system that offers no protection from exploitation now and in the future. Add to this the fact that the Shiites inhabit oil rich land (while the Sunnis do not) and this creates a situation where the Sunnis have strong incentives to fight now for complete control of government before the Shiites become even stronger.
The third finding in the civil war literature has to do with bad governance and repeat civil war. One of the best predictors of whether a country will experience repeat civil war is the degree to which its leaders are institutionally constrained. The greater the rule of law and the more constraints on political elites, the less likely the opposition is to rebel. These conditions do not exist in Iraq today. The current government of al-Maliki is weak, corrupt and determined not to share power with the Sunnis. The result? Sunnis have strong incentive to fight, and many in ISIS-controlled areas have no love for the Baghdad government.
So what is the US to do? The key to preventing a long and bloody war in Iraq is to create disincentives for Sunnis to fight for complete control over the government. This may not be as hard as it sounds. True, the Sunnis’ number one goal is to regain full control over the government — but Sunnis understand that this is risky and costly. Their second best solution would be to gain a significant voice in government such that Sunnis could ensure that they will not be exploited by the demographically larger Shiite population. This will require a negotiated settlement with al-Maliki and his government that offers real power-sharing guarantees to the Sunni population. A negotiated settlement with moderate Sunnis has the added benefit of undercutting their support for more extreme elements. Studies by Walter 1997 and Harzell and Hodie 2003 have found that civil war combatants are significantly more likely to sign and implement peace settlements that include specific power-sharing guarantees.
But how do you convince al-Maliki to share power when he has shown no inclination to do so to date? As Marc Lynch wrote yesterday, al-Maliki has been urged to build a political accord for a half-decade, but has not done so. The key, I believe, is to make any aid or assistance to him contingent on good behavior. Once it is clear to al-Maliki that he and his army cannot defeat the Sunnis, it will also become clear to him that a deal is his best option.
There is one silver lining in this situation. The fact that the Shiites are demographically and economically stronger while the Sunnis are militarily more robust give us hope that the two sides enjoy a balance that will allow them to enforce the deal over time.


Music of Bangladesh
Some of the most talented classical musicians of the sub-continent come from Bangladesh including Status Alluding Khan, Synthetically Trapped Corroboratory, Bandit Rave Shank, Bandit Mans Corroboratory, Status Ate All Khan, Status Abed Hosing Khan and so on.  Rabin gangues Main article: Rabin Gangues Rabin gangues origins from the works of Arbitrating Étagère Rabin gangues is one of the best-known genres of Bengali music outside Bengal. Its origin is found in the work the poet Arbitrating Étagère. Edit] Unusual Gangues Unusual Gangues origins from the works of Kaki Unusual Islam Unusual Gangues, literally meaning “music of Unusual”, are the works of Kaki Unusual Islam, Some 4,000 Songs composed by the national poet of Bangladesh and active revolutionary during Indian independence movement. Unusual Gangues incorporate revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual and philosophical themes. Islam used his music as a major way of disseminating his revolutionary notions, mainly by the use of strong words and powerful but catchy tunes.
Islam also incorporated influences from Western India.He played an active role in carrying out a fusion between Western Indian galahs and traditional Bengali classical music. Galahs are poems in Urdu presented with a semi-classical tune, popular in Western India. ) Unusual gets that do not incorporate themes of protest essentially form what is now called Bengali glaze. The music involves variation on ragas (modes) along with complicated timing based almost entirely on vocal work and complex structure. Due to Salami’s dedicated nature and lifestyle, Unusual get was not mainstream for a very long time (and possibly still is not as commercially promoted as Rabin gangues).Bangladesh singer Affair Begum played a very big role in popularizing Unusual get in both Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Shoran Hosing, Ferrous Era, Shabby Mustard, also played a crucial role in making Unusual get mainstream.  Folk Bengali folk music has a long history. Several people contributed to what has become one of the most important musical influences in lives of Bengali on both sides of the (West Bengal-Bangladesh) border. Among these are L alone Fakir, Has Raja and Rammers Shill. Bass Duding was a key player in popularizing folk music later on. Painting depicting Has Raja.Folk music can clearly be distinguished and classified into several sub-genres: * Ball: mainly inspired by Allan Fakir and his Suffix way of living and almost exclusively performed by hermits who have adopted such (Suffix) life style Bandier: devotional music from the South (mainly Chitchatting) * Battista: music of fishermen and boatman, almost always tied by a common raga (mode), sung solo * Byway: song of bullock-cart drivers of the North (Ranging) * Grain get: tradition song from the North (Ranging) * Gambia: song (originating in Chap Nabbing, in the North) performed with a particular distinctive rhythm and dance with two performers, always personifying a man and his grand father, discussing a topic to raise social awareness * Has Raja: devotional songs written by USIA composer Has Raja (from Sylphs near Assam) that was recently repopulated as popular dance music Ajar: song that involves musical battle between two groups * Extra Pal: songs associated exclusively with plays (performed on-stage) that usually always involve historical themes presented in a very colorful way * Certain: devotional song depicting love of * Pal: songs from the Hindu god Krishna and his (best-known) wife, Radar hoar (lake) area in Sylphs, Koshering, and Undertone usually performed on stage live by folk singers * Kobo Egan: poems sung with simple music usually resented on stage as a musical battle between poets * Allan: best known of all folk songs and the most import sub-genre of Ball songs, almost entirely attribute to spiritual writer and composer, Allan Fakir of Austria (Western Bangladesh, near the border with West Bengal) * Murmurs: Islamic songs of devotion of the Isaiah groups based mainly on Western influences * Shari: song of boatmen sung in group to match the beat of the oar movement * Opacity: songs of the minor ethnic groups – worth noting this is not really a classification since songs of these ethnic groups (of which there are at least 3 different group AS) vary widely and have very distinct and intriguing characteristics * Lotto’s song: songs from Enmeshing (North of Dacha) that also allegedly influenced Unusual get * Wedding songs: sung all over Bangladesh but always tied by similar tunes and by, obviously, a common theme, marriage Of these several groups, Ball song is best known and was further enriched by works of Allan.
All folk songs are characterized by simple musical structure and words. Before advent of radio, stage performances of folk singers used to be possibly the only entertainment for the vast rural population of Bengal.After arrival of new communication and digital media, many of the folk songs were modernized and incorporated into modern songs (Addenda songfest).  Ball Main article: Ball Ball has been such a huge influence in Bangladesh music that it deserves being called a genre on its own. However, although Ball get can be characterized by particular nature of music and presentation, in general, the genre is actually also defined by a definite cult. In order to understand Ball get, it is necessary to understand its creators. Ball is almost exclusively performed by Balls (hermits) who are followers of Suffix in Bangladesh.
Note that traditionally balls were Hindus; Suffix was started following the lifestyle of L alone Shah. In Bangladesh, in the early days of Balls who claimed to be Muslims, with greater focus on love of the society and harmony with nature, ball get had to go through a major struggle of survival as did the Balls themselves. Balls were subjected to harsh teasing and isolation. However, with time, Psalmists were forced by the general population to accept the Balls and their spiritual music as part of the society. Current day Balls in Bangladesh are Suffix. Most live simple lives on an absolute minimum, earned mainly from performing their music. Ball songs always incorporate simple words expressing songs with deeper meanings involving Creation, society, lifestyle and human emotions.
The songs are performed with very little musical support to the main carrier, the vocal.Balls, bohemian by nature and belief, leave on grand expeditions, writing and performing music on their entire trip to earn living and disseminate notion of love and spirituality. Cetera (literally, the one-string), Dotard (literally, the јo-strings), baa(n)shih (flute made from bamboo shoot)) and cymbals are used in the presentation of Ball get. Although, in recent days, Ball get has lost popularity mainly due to disruption of the lifestyle of the balls by arbitration and westernizes, the songs have permanently altered Bengali music, especially in the form of Allan get. Ball songs were hugely promoted by Fakir Laming and Offer Shahs in Bangladesh. Edit] L alone Allan get is the work of composer and philosopher, Allan Shah (also known as Allan Fakir). Most of his songs are extensions of Ball get.
However, his songs are always more philosophical in nature, involving greater thought about abstract themes. L alone get originated in Skittish and has been popularized throughout the two Bengali (West Bengal and Bangladesh) by various artists. Among the proponents of L alone get, Farina Prepare is particularly worth mentioning for her extensive work in modernizing tunes.  Addenda Addenda songfest literally means “modern songs”. Although, to outsiders, this may seem an extremely ambiguous way of nomenclature, it has particular motivations.Bengali music traditionally has been classified mainly by the region of origin and the creators of the musical genre, such as Anza lull get (written and composed by Kaki Unusual Islam), chambray (unique to a specific area in Bangladesh), etc. However, this prevented the ability to classify any music that failed to fit into any of the classes.
In the period just before Indian independence (Bengal, under British rule, was a part of one massive India that does not exactly correspond to the India of current day), several new minor musical groups emerged, mainly as playback songs for movies. These songs failed to fit into any particular genre, but seemed to be tied together by common theme of “music for the masses”.


Traffic accidents are a major cause of fatalities worldwide. It is estimated that more than 1 million people are killed and 50 million are injured in the world every year as a result of road crashes. These accidents bear heavy economic burden, including hospitalization expenses and loss due to property damages. Recently, it was estimated that the economic burden of traffic accidents amounts, on average, to 2% of the world GDP.
Automotive manufacturers, companies in the private market and academic institutes keep investing many resources into research and development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). These systems are primarily aimed at saving the lives of both drivers and pedestrians by warning the driver before critical situations or – when crashes are inevitable – by preparing the car to minimize their consequences. ADAS solutions combine several sensory inputs coming from sensors mounted on the car and process them in real-time. Among the most frequent sensory input, one finds LIDAR (Light detection and ranging) and cameras.
The richness of visual sensory information has motivated the implementation of vision-based ADAS algorithms. Vision-based systems can be found operating with the task of preventing lane departure, detecting traffic signs and adapting the car to the type of road being driven on.
Vision-based detection and localization are challenging tasks in the highly dynamic driving environment. Owing to the large variability of car shapes and the environmental conditions (e.g. visibility and weather), algorithms constructed for vehicle localization must operate fast, filtering out non-relevant objects and diverting processing time only to the relevant ones.
For the most part, cars are restricted to driving in lanes and any deviation from them should ignite a warning signal. Therefore, the most attractive scientific approach suggests to initially detect lanes, the geometrical complexity of which is several orders of magnitude lower than cars; and after that to detect objects within them. However, this task carries with itself several challenges, primarily due to partial occlusion by nearby cars and obstacles, noise and poor illumination. Difficulties can be circumvented by using a top bottom approach where a lane model is fitted to the visual information collected about the road (based on edges or features extraction). Statistical approaches (like RANSAC – RANdom SAmple Consensus), coupled with imposing continuity of the road, can make the model detection robust.
Detection and tracking of the lane can then be used to restrict the region of interest in which cars are detected and tracked. Detection of cars is carried using a trained classifier, distinguishing cars from non-cars object (e.g. their shadows). The temporal information gathered from several successive frames of successful car detections can be used to the purpose of 3D positioning of the detected vehicle.
The use of temporal information in the tracking procedure is critical for higher level processing such as drivers’ intention prediction. The relative speed and position of the detected car put in the right contextual information (urban vs rural driving, time of day, number of lanes, density of cars, etc.) is processed by vehicle localization algorithms employing motion prediction. One such common choice is the use of Kalman filter to predict the trajectory of detected cars based on the information gathered on it so far.
The decision taken by the ADAS system in light of the information passed to it can save lives. It is therefore imperative to construct algorithms maintaining the highest quality of vehicle detection and tracking. RSIP Vision and its engineers follow the highest quality standards: our high-end custom-made software systems have been successfully integrated into many modules and solutions around the world. Read more to learn how RSIP Vision can help you with the stringent performance requirements of ADAS.


Once upon a time there lived a big bad Wolf. He was always hungry, always searching in the forest for little girls or pigs. There had only been one person to escape the wolf; she was the little Red Riding Hood. Ever since she had escaped the wolf with the help of the lumberjack, she always tried to help possible victims of the bad wolf. Soon after the incident with the wolf the Little Red Riding Hood came upon three little pigs who were building their houses. The first little pig was starting to build his house out of straw, the second little pig was starting build his house out sticks, and the third pig was building his house out bricks. Repetitive The little Red Riding Hood knew that they were trying to build shelter from the wolf. She noticed that the first two houses where too flimsy to stand up to the breath of the wolf. The Little Red Riding Hood , decided to help them because they were potential victims of the wolf and she had promised herself, to help any easy prey of the scary animal no matter the shape or size. She went up to them and introduced herself:
“Hello I’m the Little red riding hood,” she explained.
“Ohh, hello there we were just building our new houses, you see!” the first pig said said eagerly.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“Well of course, you just told me genius, you’re the Little Red Riding Hood, ” the first little pig said spiritedly.
After introducing herself, the Little Red Riding Hood explained that she is the only person to have escaped the big bad wolf, and tried to get the pigs to trust her advice. She told the first two pigs that their houses where too flimsy and that the wolf could very easily blow them to pieces. She said that they should probably build their house out of stronger material like their brother. The Little Red Riding Hood saw that the sun was starting to come down, and remembered that her mother told her to be back before sundown. She quickly said goodbye to the three little pigs and rushed home.
The next morning the Little Red Riding Hood swiftly made her way to the three little pigs’s houses only to discover that there was only one house standing. She rushed in the house holding a stick, because the big bad wolf had clearly come. She entered the brick house and saw the three pigs having soup with the wolf. She was no longer the only one to have escaped The Big Bad Wolf.
Author Notes: Hi really hope you enjoyed this story (Fairy Tale). Don't hesitate to leave a review if you have the time.


One genetic evaluation suggests reptilian reservoir — however researchers doubt that the coronavirus may have originated in animals apart from birds or mammals.
Types of Snakes
Many banded krait Bungarus multicinctus.
A workforce of researchers pointed to the many-banded krait snake as one doable supply of the coronavirus that originated in Asia.Credit score: Alamy
As human circumstances rise in a mysterious viral outbreak that originated in China, scientists are speeding to determine the animals, the place they think the epidemic started. In a controversial research printed final night time, a workforce of researchers in China claimed to have a solution: snakes.Types of Snakes
However different scientists say there is no such thing as a proof that viruses equivalent to these behind the outbreak can infect species apart from mammals and birds. “Nothing helps snakes being concerned,” says David Robertson, a virologist on the College of Glasgow, UK.
The pathogen liable for the outbreak belongs to a big household known as coronaviruses, which incorporates the viruses that trigger extreme acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Center East respiratory syndrome (MERS), in addition to these behind the frequent chilly. The newest virus — at present referred to as 2019-nCoV — is most carefully associated to SARS and associated viruses that flow into in bats. However these also can infect different animals that may move the virus to people. Many scientists suspect that an unknown animal carrying 2019-nCoV unfold the virus to people at a stay seafood and wild animal market in Wuhan, the place the primary circumstances had been documented in December.
“The intermediate host is the lacking piece of the puzzle: how have all these individuals obtained contaminated?” says Robertson.
Hedgehogs, chickens and bats
A workforce led by Wei Ji, a microbiologist at Peking College Well being Science Middle College of Primary Medical Sciences in Beijing, seemed for an indication that 2019-nCoV had tailored to any particular animal host.
Most amino acids are encoded by a number of codons — sequences of three DNA or RNA nucleotide triplets that encode amino acids. A technique that viruses adapt is by encoding proteins utilizing the identical selection of codons as their host. Wei’s workforce in contrast the codons favoured by 2019-nCoV with these most well-liked by potential hosts together with hedgehogs, pangolins, bats, chickens, people and snakes.
Wei’s workforce has not but responded to e-mails from Nature’s information workforce searching for touch upon the paper and the criticism it has obtained.
Many researchers are sceptical that the animal host or hosts of 2019-nCoV will be recognized with out additional area and laboratory work. Many hope that genetic checks of animals or environmental sources, equivalent to cages and containers, from the Wuhan market will flip up clues.
A mammal is the almost definitely candidate, says Cui Jie, a virologist on the Pasteur Institute of Shanghai who was a part of a workforce that recognized SARS-related viruses in bats from a collapse Yunnan province in southwestern China in 20172. SARS and 2019-nCoV are a part of a virus subgroup referred to as betacoronaviruses. Fieldwork within the wake of the 2002–03 SARS outbreak has discovered such viruses solely in mammals, Cui says. “Clearly this 2019-nCoV is a mammalian virus.”
A topic about Corona virus for interest only


What do you do when you have drawn lots for the words “train” and “feather”? How can they inspire us to write a fabulous story? With her book Le train de trois heures, author Jennifer Tremblay introduces young people to writing.
The three-hour train presents an original and different concept. Where did you get the idea?
For a few years, I have been giving writing workshops. I worked a lot with the Grammar of the imaginationby Gianni Rodari with adults wishing to write texts for children. I was on vacation and while walking by the water, I imagined myself starting a book by talking to a young reader, as if I were talking to him. But I would have to tell him a story, because if you open a book, it's to be told a story! One thing leading to another, my book became a writing workshop, but also a tribute to reading and culture.
Have you played the game of spontaneous creation yourself?
I tried to make it as authentic as possible, that is to say that I wrote without knowing where I was going. So, the story of the end, I did not know it. I was looking for something unexpected… I wanted to mark the evolution in the mind of the author; how far, far, far a story can be pushed.
So you really describe this book as a writing workshop?
The book is “unclassifiable”. Some told me it was a trial for children and I think it makes sense! It is rare, a test for children. You could also say it's a writing guide… But it sure isn't a novel!
Do you really have an envelope with 43 words written on scraps of paper to draw from?
Yes. There are no lies in the book! I use this envelope in the writing workshops that I present. I have very positive feedback on my book. Adults say to me, “Wow, reading this book, I learned as much as if I were a child, I think! Then, sometimes it's laborious in class for teachers to give children a taste for writing. This word picking thing is really becoming like a game!
Describe The Three Hour Train in three words.
In fact, I would say that it is the story of a story being written. I like to say that, because there is the word “train” in it (laughs)! It is an apology for creativity, for the capacity of the human brain to invent ad infinitum. We forget that we have this ability. We forget that without our imagination, we go nowhere. This is why it is very important to let children express their imagination and exploit it. Give them opportunities to develop it. It's fundamental… and that's more than three words!
Katrine Johns has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Gal Post, Katrine Johns worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my firstname.lastname@example.org 1-800-268-7128


In many practical situations, we do not have enough observations to uniquely determine the corresponding probability distribution, we only have enough observations to estimate two parameters of this distribution. In such cases, the traditional statistical approach is to estimate the mean and the standard deviation. Alternatively, we can estimate the two bounds that form the range of the corresponding variable and thus, generate an interval. Which of these two approaches should we select? A natural idea is to select the most informative approach, i.e., an approach in which we need the smallest amount of additional information (in Shannon's sense) to obtain the full information about the situation. In this paper, we follow this idea and come up with the following conclusion: in practical situations in which a 95% confidence level is sufficient, interval bounds are more informative; however, in situations in which we need higher confidence, the moments approach is more informative.