MEMOIR LOGO CONCEPT: The aleph and a Sufi mystic inspired my creation and design of the syzygy logo, which I initially based on the symbolism of the yin and yang.

But the concept expanded when I first saw the aleph in Judith Cornell’s
Mandala Healing Kit, My inexplicable attraction to it led me to incorporate it into my logo before I knew what it meant.

I later read that the “Aleph (the first letter of the sacred Hebrew alphabet) embodies the primordial, divine potential of the universe. ... Aleph contains all the universe’s potential and all of its emptiness   simultaneously. Aleph represents a dynamic process of movement from unity to diversity and back to unity,” Jennifer Judelsohn, Songs of Creation.

And the  mystic poet Rumi inspired me to use the fire and water concept after I read The  Question.  Here is an excerpt:

“The presence is there in front of me. A fire on the left, a lovely stream on the right.

One group walks toward the fire, into the fire. Another toward the sweet flowing water.

No one knows which are blessed and which are not.

Whoever walks into the fire appears suddenly in the stream.

A head goes under water, and that head pokes out of the fire.”

LOGO ART: Cropped fire and water images from Free Images

LOTUS LOGO: In spiritual and religious literature, “the lotus is a symbol for the macrocosm and the microcosm, the universe and man. The lotus represents the divinity of the cosmos as well as the divinity of man.

The lotus is the center of the infinite, omnipresent consciousness which connects with the consciousness of the universe. Through the intuition, one of man’s divine gifts, the spiritual student can see the infinite, omnipresent consciousness as the lotus flower within himself.”

LOTUS ART: Courtesy
Homestead, my website service provider. (Temporary art while I design of my own lotus logo.)

HomeHeal Within, Heal the WorldJungDreamsJung’s Theories & ToolsNote from the EditorTalk to Me

(Thru Amazon)

Sagittarius is the sign of the
‘Seeker of Spiritual Truth.’
(November 2012)
Excerpt from reading by Joan Porte
“With your chart, I’m getting a sense that you are at the very end of this old way of doing things. You are getting out of an old cycle and getting into a new cycle of yourself. You have all these planets in the first quadrant, which means self-discovery. You’ve got karmic-plus in the house once you re-orient your thinking.

“People with a lot of Scorpio predominately placed in their rising sign are people who always leave this world different from when they came in. That’s why I say this is like a big final cleaning up and stepping onto a new stage of complete self-awareness in your next lifetimes.

“And people say, doesn’t everybody change? No. Many people leave this world exactly as they were. They hang onto their beliefs. The idea of being able to transform, to metamorphize, is huge!

“With Jupiter hitting on Pluto … I see a spiritual journey. To me it’s not a robe kind of thing, but changing,
re-orienting your spiritual energy. The idea of getting beyond foreign ideas, foreign people, [and discovering] new philosophies, new spiritual pursuits to broaden this new horizon.

“This is ... an extremely powerful chart, an intense chart, a chart of new beginnings, a chart of self-awareness, which is always fun when you have something moving in such a positive direction instead of, oh, my god, this person is so stuck.”

(January to April 2013)
The huge increase in the number of synchronicities I experienced was mindboggling as I built (what I thought was) the bulk of this website from January to April of 2013.

The recurrence of the symbol of the cross is just one example of this intriguing phenomenon as it kept cropping up in unexpected ways at several turns and ultimately led me to reclaim my Dad’s rosary beads, which I had let slip through my fingers when he died in January.

The cross synchronicities can be followed from one page to another to another, from my initial Jung & Me page to Out of My Mind  to My Latest Revelation and, ultimately, to my Synchronicity page, which demonstrates how synchronicities can work together to deliver important messages from your higher Self. The burst of cross synchronicities during this period—along with the oracle card A New Dawn, which I repeatedly drew during this time as well— reflected my need to let go of my negative feelings.

Kidnapping a Child
(Monday, March 18, 2013)
I kidnapped a child, and on the run, I feel the child [my higher Self] is in grave danger. I went way around about eight city blocks so no one would see where I hid the child. But the child did not want to be hidden and showed back up right where we   started.

I’m at work in an office building, and we are all under investigation. There are many of us conspirators who were in on kidnapping the child. What a weird crime to commit, I think. It might be easier to understand, to explain, if someone had just held a gun to my head and forced me to rob a bank.

Interpretation: A baby or child in my dreams often seems to symbolize my higher Self. In this dream it seems my conscious ego is trying to hide the child (higher Self), but my higher Self does not want to be hidden. I think it would be easier to explain robbing a bank than to explain my spiritual Self if it is exposed.

This dream, however, seems to counter what I would expect. Since when would the ego want to protect the higher Self, and since when would the higher Self expose itself to its own detriment? Jungian experts say it is very difficult to interpret one’s own dreams. As Marie-Louise von Franz put it, it’s like trying to see your own backside, which seems to coincide with the concept that we can’t see our own shadow, that is, our own faults, but those closest to us can.

But I am a little confused on this point, and as soon as circumstances permit, and I can obtain the services of a Jungian analyst, I will request that this dream marks our first point of discussion. And second, I will ask the analyst to address my confusion about the need of an analyst to interpret dreams— which might seem like an obvious conflict of interest. However, I will ask only in the most gracious way since, on more than one occasion, an analyst has saved my life.

I think the answer might have something to do with archetypes and complexes, and it might just be beyond my ability to comprehend just yet.

Nonetheless, it seems to counter what I said on my dream page: If we each have a unique language with our unconscious soul, why do we need a third person to interpret this private dialogue? It kind of reminds me of the Catholic tradition of telling your sins to a priest, a middle man, who will then speak to God on your behalf.

(Monday, March 18, 2013)
Question: Dear Spirit Guides: I am excited as I watch for God’s miracles in my life, as my prayers have been answered, even though I can’t see how yet. The eviction date approaches, but I continue to keep faith, working away on my website, and trying to maintain my physical and mental strength. I will continue what I’m doing unless you have any further guidance at this time.

Answer: A New Dawn, “The worst is now behind you, and positive new experiences are on the horizon. You’ve endured storms over rough seas, but now the way is clear and smooth….Wash away the negativity.” Affirm, “I move on to a life of harmonious and peaceful actions.” Furthermore, “By pulling this card, you’ve turned a corner in your life, wherein your prayer and positive thoughts are delivering new rays of Divine light to illuminate your present and future.”

(Monday, April 8, 2013)
Question: Dear Spirit Guides, Mom and Dad, I hope all is well. What should be my principle focus between now and the 15th of April, E-Day?

Answer: Contemplation Time. “Spend time alone, meditating upon what you truly desire.” Further details say, “Take a pad of paper and pen and go preferably somewhere out in nature where you won’t be interrupted. Ask yourself, ‘What do I want to do next?’ Write whatever comes to mind, without regard if it’s correct or not. Then ask your subconscious, ‘What’s my heart’s true desire right now?’ Write down the answer. Then structure your time accordingly so that can do what’s truly important to you.”

Interpretation/Action: Without using the term coined by Jung, the Contemplation Time card was basically suggesting I try an “Active Imagination.” I walked to the park and sat by the pond with a pen and pad, relaxed, and asked my  unconscious, “What do I want to do next?”
Astrology, Oracle Cards, Synchronicities, Dreams, Alchemy,
and I Ching Converged to Send Me a Crucial Message from Source
Toward the end of his years, Jung hypothesized that if you asked a person during or shortly after a traumatic life experience to participate in various divinatory procedures that a gathering of strong unconscious connections would converge in the psyche and erupt into consciousness from every angle, regardless of which divinatory procedures the person engaged. By no means scientific of course, I unwittingly put Jung’s theory to the test when I looked for guidance using various divinatory procedures after I lost my job, which later resulted in the loss of my apartment, then my car, and so much more, as well as being displaced 2,000 miles away.

Unaware of Jung’s theory at the time, I nonetheless felt driven to engage various divination procedures as I sought guidance from my Spirit Guides which I recorded dating back to November 2012 (when I received a random astrology reading as a gift), through January 2013 (when I lost my job), and up to a few days before I was evicted in mid April 2013. During this uncertain time, as I continuously called upon my god, my dreams, my spirit guides, and my oracle cards for guidance, I became aware of synchronicities occurring at a phenomenal rate and—as if they were in cahoots with the oracle cards—they prompted me to attempt the active imagination technique (which I had not tried to do in 20 years); to cast the I Ching (which I had tried to cast 10 years before, but found confusing, sticks and stones, or something like that; and to research alchemy, which to my amazement showed me exactly where I was on my path of individuation—or so I thought.

Although unscientific, like I said, it positively amazed me how all these divination processes worked together, that is, they “constellated,” to use Jung’s term, to create a more powerful, more passionate, more urgent message than any individual process could have done. It was as if God, the Source, my Unconscious, my Spirit Guides, my higher Self—whatever you want to call this energy—used every possible medium to ensure it got its message across to me. And I still missed it!!! The recurring messages said to re-orient my thoughts and energy and release all negative experiences because positive new experiences, new beginnings, are on my horizon. The I Ching said the path was petering beneath my feet, to go Southwest (where much of my family lives), but to hide my light from those (presumably my family) who do not share my insights. It is madness that I spent endless hours asking what to do, and then completely misunderstand or outright ignored the answer, even though it seemed all the divinatory procedures had joined forces and were yelling it from the rooftop: “Wash away the negativity in order to make way for positive new experiences on your horizon.“
“Jung suggested investigating cases where it could be supposed that the archetypal layer of the unconscious is constellated—following a serious accident, for instance, or in the midst of a conflict or divorce situation—by having people engage in a divinatory procedure: throwing the I Ching, laying the Oracle cards, consulting the Mexican divination calendar, having a transit horoscope or a geomantic reading done. If Jung’s hypothesis is accurate, the results of all these procedures should converge.”

I cleared my mind and waited for the answer. I wanted the answer to come from within, from my unconscious, rather than my ego. But they were one and the same. Question: What do I want to do next? My Answer: Build I Ching page for my website. “What is my heart’s true desire right now?” My Answer: To make enough money through my website to pay off all of my bills and to support myself so I can dedicate the rest of my life to teaching others about the process of individuation as I undergo and document my own unique process.

(Friday, April 12, 2013, a.m., again)
Question: Should I send text to family about situation? What to say?

Answer: Contemplation Time. “What do I want to do next?” Answer (I already answered April 8): Build I Ching page, but I keep getting sidetracked.

Interpretation/Action: Okay, fine. Less than 72 hours to move—I know it seems crazy—but I’m going to build the I Ching page, even though I know nothing about it. With a little research, I was led to a site that offered a free online I Ching reading. Just enter my question in the space provided and click submit. Presto! The Universe would answer me.

(April 12, 2013, evening)
Question: What does the Universe have in store for me in the near future? Answer: Hexagram 36, Brightness Hidden, to Hexagram 39, Limping

Hexagram 36, Brightness Hidden
“Brightness hidden. How do you safeguard the light?” [This seems to echo my dream, where I kidnap my higher Self (my light?) to protect it, but it refuses to stay hidden? A foreshadowing?] “Since others do not share your standards or insight, it would be dangerous to let the light of your character shine out freely.     Constancy in hardship bears fruit.“ [I repeat—“Constancy in hardship bears fruit”—it would be the mantra that would keep me going in the difficult months ahead.] “Those in authority have something to say,” which would become much clearer later when I read Wilhelm’s original translation: “The host has occasion to gossip about him” [—precisely because I did not keep my light hidden.]

Hexagram 39, Limping
Changing lines one and five led me to Hexagram 39: Limping. “Limping. Fruitful in the Southwest, Not fruitful in the Northeast. Fruitful to see great people. Constancy, good fortune [sound familiar?]. ...  Really facing a problem means being prepared to tackle it in a different way, not just trudging doggedly onwards until the path peters out beneath your feet.”

Well, shut the front door! Consciously I wanted to build the I Ching page because I thought it was one of the last foundation pages to be built (of course I have added about three dozen pages since then), and I wanted to finish it before April 15, before I had to move. But my unconscious had its own motive. It just wanted me to consult the I Ching, period, and it spoke through the Contemplation Time oracle card to tell me to do an active imagination, in which my higher Self said to consult the I Ching—talk about divinatory processes working in tandem as Jung theorized!

I built the I Ching page as quickly as possible (and it shows), then texted my brothers and sisters, most of whom responded by the next morning. It was so clear. Go Southwest Jung girl—it so happens I have family in the Southwest. And go quickly as the path is petering out beneath your feet. But you must hide your light, and yet stay constant in your vision. What? Well, I will figure it out, but at the time I needed to get packing because two of my brothers were driving up from Texas to fetch me and my belongings.

As the golden rays of the setting sun streamed through the clouds and the mountain tops as we neared El Paso, where my brother and his wife live, I chatted on about how the scene looked just like an oracle card I drew that predicted positive new experiences on my horizon, and no sooner did I say that when we saw a sign that said Horizon City. A synchronicity within a synchronicity! My brother usually called El Paso his home, but technically he lived in Horizon City, one of its suburbs. Wow. New horizons in Horizon City.

So it seems Jung’s theory panned out in my little experiment given that the various divinatory procedures did converge during a traumatic period in my life to advise me and to warn me in very similar terms. Unfortunately, I did not heed the warnings to wash away the negativity so that I might enjoy positive new experiences on my horizon. No. I tried but somehow failed to let go of all that negative energy that consumed practically every waking thought without my even realizing it. And I did not heed the warning to hide my light, my higher Self. No. I spilled my guts all over the place, much to my detriment, I realized, as my own words came back to bite me, a true lesson in humility.

Of the various divination processes I have worked with in the past several months, I am most intrigued with the I Ching. I have found its divinatory capacity absolutely astonishing— even considering that there have been numerous occasions when I either misunderstood the guidance or the guidance did not make sense until after the fact. But I have read that if you consult the I Ching frequently and study it, you can improve your skill at understanding the messages from this valuable resource.

Also since building this web page, I have found far more reliable I Ching resources and techniques than what I used that first night. Since then, I have learned the coin-tossing method of consulting the I Ching and bought the Wilhelm/Baynes translation, which Jung wrote the foreword to. I am learning that the I Ching is often symbolic rather than literal, that it doesn’t necessarily view time linearly, and that it is very easy to misinterpret.

In retrospect, I realize that if I had begun consulting the I Ching, say, a year earlier—and if I had understood and heeded its advice—I probably would have seen the handwriting on the wall about the potential loss of my job, and would have sought other alternatives sooner, which may have, in turn, prevented the loss of my apartment, and the loss of so much more.  I am very excited to share some of the things I have learned concerning the I Ching and hope to have the second installment of that page ready for review soon.

Furthermore, although I had truly believed that I had released my negative thoughts and energy, I realized  a few months ago that all that negativity I was aware of in the previous couple of years did not wash away like I had thought. I had merely repressed it in my shadow, which became apparent to me after what might be called taking a backdoor into my thoughts, which I will explain in an upcoming web page on mantras, which discusses the power of positive thinking. ♂ ♀
Make No Mistake
The Divine in All Forms Tells Me to Release Negativity, New Beginnings on My Horizon,
and to Stay True to My Initial Vision Yet, While Hiding My Light, My True Self
The mind can be tricky in the information it selectively chooses you to see and then guides how you perceive and interpret such information, as you will see in the narrative below. For example, I don’t know what it’s called or if it even has a name, but I can’t be the only one whose mind plays tricks. When I repeatedly drew the New Dawn oracle card over the last few months, my naked eye saw the image on the left, but my mind’s eye saw the image on the right, to the point that I thought the image on the right was the background of the card on the left—until I went to show it to someone.
I CHING: Hexagram 36, Brightness Hidden, to Hexagram 39, Limping, seem to tell me to go Southwest while taking precautions to safeguard my light.
ASTROLOGYIn November 2012, astrologist Joan Porte said she saw in my chart a spiritual journey, an ending of an old cycle, a re-orienting of spiritual energy, and the broadening of new horizons.
DREAM: I had a dream in which I kidnapped a child [my higher Self, my Light?] and tried to hide it to keep it safe, but it did not want to be hidden, and despite my efforts, it exposed itself, an idea that is echoed later in an I Ching consultation, where I am warned to keep my brightness hidden.
SYNCHRONICITY: This sign convinced me that positive new experiences were on my horizon in Horizon City, and they may well have been but as the I Ching is also known as the Book of Changes, my destiny was perhaps altered for two reasons: I was unaware of, therefore, unable to wash away my constant negative thoughts, and I did not heed the warning to hide my light.
It seems we all have this penchant to reinvent the wheel when it comes to making our own mistakes rather than by learning from the mistakes of others. But I hope the following narrative will at least raise your awareness of potential pitfalls you may encounter if you are new to practicing divinatory practices.
Messages Converge, ‘Validate’ Constellation Theory
ORACLE CARDS: While the New Dawn card highlighted positive new experiences on my horizon, it also urged me to “Wash away the negativity from your consciousness and past memories, and keep only the positive lessons and love,” which the Father Healing card alluded to also.
SYNCHRONICITIES: The recurring interconnectedness
between my astrology reading, the crosses everywhere, the oracle cards I drew, my dreams, my discovery of alchemy, my Sunday morning messages from Joel, poetry and song lyrics and quotes and even commercials—all of it urged me to re-orient my thinking and release negativity because positive new experiences are on my horizon.
Marie-Louise von Franz, Matter and Psyche (1988)

© 1955–2015 Syzygy: Crossing the Bridge to Self. All Rights Reserved.


Ponderings on astronomy

From Anthroposophy

In the anthroposopical foundation of spiritual science in the period 1904-1924, Rudolf Steiner expanded on Charles Darwin's (1809-1882) theory of evolution based on natural selection (On the Origin of Species, 1859) and also Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) biogenetic law (1866, see also recapitulation theory).

Upto the 19th century, the basis for astronomy was based on the observation of the heavenly bodies, their movement and influences. Especially in the millenium before, sensory observation of physical light was the basis for astronomy. In ancient times of atavistic clairvoyance this was different again.

Since the 20th century, astronomy has ventured into the broadened spectrum of what is regarded as electromagnetic radiation:

  • from cosmic, gamma and X-rays on the one hand (above ultraviolet or UV)
  • and microwaves and radio waves on the other side (below infrared or IR) of the visible spectrum.

This new source of observational data coincided with a shift in the scientific paradigm to the use of mathematics as the basis for conceptual theories (eg general relativity, quantum mechanics, etc) within a purely materialistic framework of mineral science. Hence radio astronomy and mathematics have become key to cosmological theories.

Foundational elements of 20th century cosmological theories

The Big Bang theory was developed on the basis of, and rests on a foundational blocks of:

- on the other hand: gamma bursts from the sun, and x-rays from neutron stars

the physical matter studied by mineral science is maya due to ahrimanic influences

see also the five problems with science in Schema FMC00.275 on worldview

hence, the interpretative framework of all astronomical observations is vastly different

nebulae and galaxies

  • see comet statement 'astral hits etheric -> light'
  • christ impact first astral then etheric finally visible light (substance)
  • old sun light arising, what before? warmth .. and this light is not physical light

now considering: warmth - light - chemical - life

background radiation shows the sphere of warmth, which could map to the Old Saturn stage

gamma bursts from the sun could be the life ether

Related pages


Question: What Vegetables Can I Eat On HCG Phase 2?

Can you have broccoli on HCG phase 2?

One low-calorie vegetable is allowed as part of both lunch and dinner.

Recommended veggies include celery, spinach, fennel, cauliflower, chard, onions, beet greens, cucumbers, green salad, mixed greens, cabbage, red radishes, shallots, asparagus, tomatoes and broccoli, according to

Are carrots allowed on HCG diet?

ANY veggie but NO starchy peas, corn, potatoes, or beans. Should take it easy with carrots and beets too. 2 (two) servings of ANY fruits but NO bananas, pineapple or grapes!!! Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg brand is the best!)

Can you have olive oil on HCG diet?

If you combine too much starch with your food, you will gain weight because your new weight has not had enough time to stabilize. You will also start consuming healthy oils like coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil. Avoid unhealthy oils including shortening and vegetable oil.

Can you have ground turkey on HCG diet?

Try this yummy – HCG diet dinner in under 15 minutes In this recipe, we use ground turkey. However, you could also use a lean, grass-fed ground beef or a lean, organic ground chicken as well. In this recipe, I use a little bit of MCT oil.

How much vegetables on HCG Diet Can I eat?

2 proteins, 2 vegetables, and 2 fruits per day.

How long can you stay on HCG injections?

The weight loss phase typically lasts for 3-6 weeks and involves daily injections of hCG. In addition, you will eat 2 small meals with a strict 500-calorie limit each day.

What is HCG diet program?

The HCG diet is a weight-loss plan that combines daily injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) with severe calorie restriction — only 500 calories per day. HCG is a hormone that’s released in large quantities during pregnancy and can be extracted from the urine of pregnant women.

Can you eat deli meat on HCG diet?

Meats that are NOT allowed: Deli meats (cold cuts), salmon, eel, tuna, herring, dried or pickled fish. Regular (non-lean) beef cuts or ground of 80/20, 90/10, 93/7 are not allowed.

Can I eat sweet potato on HCG diet?

*Some vegetables such as beans and legumes contain more carbohydrates but also contain significant protein and fiber. These can be eaten in moderation. * Corn, peas, yams and sweet potatoes not allowed.

Can you exercise on HCG diet?

Another area of my life that compliments the HCG diet Phase 3 is exercise. During the low calorie phase, exercise (other than walking) is not recommended. In Phase 3 you can start to add in more physical activity as you ramp up your calories. I began with walking and steady state running.

How many units of HCG should I inject for weight loss?

The hCG injections are easy to administer with an insulin syringe. Most patients use 20 units or 2 cc’s daily. Most of our patients initially start out following the Clean28 weight loss program while on hCG.

What does HCG do to your body?

hCG stimulates the ovaries and helps a woman’s eggs to mature and be released into the woman’s ovarian tubes and then into the uterus. hCG also stimulates men’s testicles to make testosterone but lowers sperm counts (by suppressing an important hormone for sperm production) when used by normal men.

What is Phase 1 of the HCG diet?

Phase I: The Loading Phase During the loading phase of the HCG diet, you start to take HCG and eat plenty of foods high in calories and healthy fats. This phase lasts 48 hours. Most of our clients eat at maintenance during this phase. Therefore, no weight is lost.

What foods can I eat on HCG phase 2?

According to the HCG diet website, here are a list of the approved foods:Some FruitsLimited oranges, strawberries, apples, and red grapefruit.Nonstarchy Vegetables Lettuce, celery, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.Lean Meat Chicken breast, lean ground beef, shrimp, lobster, and white fish.Dec 13, 2017

What vegetables are allowed on HCG diet?

Vegetable choices include spinach, chard, chicory, beet greens, green salad, tomatoes, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cucumbers, asparagus, and cabbage. Bread can be one breadstick or one piece of melba toast. For fruit, you can choose an orange, an apple, a handful of strawberries, or half a grapefruit.

How much can you lose on HCG in 21 days?

Most hCG dieters report a loss of 1 to 2 lbs a day. At the very least, . 5 pound a day, and at the most, 3 + lbs a day. 1 lb is generally lost in the first day.

Can I have pickles on HCG phase 2?

Eat a pickle. Pickles can satisfy salty cravings. Both cucumbers and vinegar are on the approved list of foods for the diet, so this snack can help you get the crunch and sweet and salty flavors you desire.

How do I keep the weight off after the HCG diet?

Maintaining Weight After hCGStay hydrated. Dehydration is a major factor in feeling hungry. … Don’t be afraid to eat. After aggressive calorie-restriction it can be difficult to feel confident with a higher-calorie diet. … Support regeneration and energy with a daily multivitamin. … Be patient.May 15, 2018

Does HCG help with weight loss?

Can I eat pork on HCG phase 2?

Fatty meats – Do not include the fat selection of seafood and meats because you cannot consume sugar or starch. So, pork, lamb, beef chops, salmon, tuna, herring, canned meat, pickled fish are strict no-no. Sugar – It is important to avoid consuming sugar in almost all diets, as well as in the HCG diet.

Can you have almond milk on HCG diet?

UNSWEETENED ALMOND MILK – this is a new addition to the HCG Diet protocol at The Natural Path. I have been allowing my patients to have 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk daily as a creamer alternative and I have not seen any stalls as of yet with this addition.

Can you eat crackers on HCG diet?

Cut out the allowable carbohydrate snacks such as Grissini bread sticks, Melba toast and Wasa crackers. Do not eat the same protein, vegetable or fruit in the same day.

What is HCG rapid weight loss?

The HCG diet is an extreme diet meant to cause very fast weight loss of up to 1–2 pounds (0.45–1 kg) per day. Its proponents claim that it boosts metabolism and fat loss without inducing hunger ( 82 , 83 ). HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone present at high levels during early pregnancy.


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Is it possible to grow fruit trees in the Ozarks without pesticides?

Answer: As good and nutritious as apples, peaches, and seedless grapes are, they are subject to a myriad of pests and diseases in the Ozarks, and most varieties of these fruits can hardly be grown at all without regular applications of pesticides. On the other hand, native pawpaws, persimmons, and muscadines require no pesticides at all to yield their bounty. And there are other non-native species and lesser-known varieties of well-known species that can be grown in the Ozarks naturally without pesticides. This holds broadly true for all of the upper South, especially the southern highlands from the Arkansas and Missouri Ozarks east, through the southern Appalachians, to the Virginia Piedmont.The heat and humidity of Ozark growing seasons are especially conducive to pests and diseases of fruit trees, vines, and bushes. Unfortunately, apples, peaches, and grapes?especially varieties like Gala apple, Redhaven peach, and Flame Seedless grapes?commonly sold in local retail nurseries and big-box stores are susceptible to these local pests and diseases. Such plants cannot be grown without the help of synthetic pesticides and fungicides.People wanting to grow organically or naturally need fruit plants that can be managed without synthetic pesticides. Even home fruit growers who may have no objections to pesticides are busy with the details of life, jobs, and families and frequently do not get around to spraying at the proper time (usually well before symptoms are seen) or simply forget to spray at all. Because of this, species and varieties that can be managed with few or no applications of pesticides are the most desirable.You can learn much more about this topic in the ATTRA publication Fruit Trees, Bushes, and Vines for Natural Growing in the Ozarks. This publication discusses how to overcome common challenges of growing fruit trees, vines, and bushes in the Ozarks and suggests what to look for when choosing a variety that will thrive locally.


ABOUT US At Augustsnow. we love every passion and interest on Earth because it is a reference to yours. And to spread exactly that is our core vision: Our products,Broad like the sea,Every corner of life can better help you.  Because we know you want a variety of products, we provide a large number of products for you to choose from, and we will review each product so that they can complete the rigorous selection process. No matter where you are, who you are and what you are passionate about we want to be able to provide you with provide you with the products you need.That's why in Augustsnow you will find a custom collection for every profession, hobby, sport, passion or anything you might think of. So whatever you're looking for, we plan to have it there for you. We are and would like to be here for YOU for a lifetime. Whatever you need, it's right here on  Augustsnow.


A step closer to mapping the rodent brain

The rodent Hippocampal formation is one of the most exhaustively studied regions in the mammalian brain but until now, there has not been a comprehensive knowledge base of its synaptic physiology. In a front cover paper published in the journal Hippocampus, researchers at EPFL’s Blue Brain Project present a data-driven approach to integrate the current knowledge on the hippocampal CA1 region using an open-access, comprehensive resource.

The seahorse-shaped hippocampus is a major component of the mammalian brain, which plays an important role in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory, and in spatial memory that enables navigation. The framework presented as a resource in this paper is an important building block towards a detailed, bottom-up model of the mammalian hippocampus. The framework could provide a platform to not only enable the integration of disparate datasets but also catalyze a community-driven consensus of synaptic organization in the hippocampal formation.

The closest cellular and synaptic-level approximation of cortical tissue to date in a model is the Blue Brain Project’s biologically detailed digital reconstruction of rat neocortical microcircuitry (Markram, Muller, Ramaswamy, Reimann et al. 2015). This computer model provided the optimal platform for the researchers to demonstrate, that a data-driven workflow grounded in biological first-principles, which was used to build a biologically detailed model of rat neocortical tissue, can be extended to model other brain regions such as the hippocampus.

In this instance, by extending the framework developed for the neocortex to the hippocampus, the method reconciles disparate cellular and synaptic data, extrapolates from the sparse set of experimentally obtained parameters, and predicts knowledge gaps. Therefore, the curated and predicted parameters could serve as a resource to model hippocampal synaptic physiology.

Building the in silico data integration pipeline

“By detailing all the integration steps in this study, we had two main objectives,” explains Blue Brain Ph.D. student and lead author on the paper, András Ecker. “First, we wanted to demonstrate that published parameters should not be taken at face value without rigorously checking their consistency within any modeling framework and the necessity of being abreast of the state-of-the-art experimental techniques. Second, we wanted to emphasize the fact that a growing diversity of experimental standards combined with published literature that provides access to only processed datasets but not raw experimental traces could lead to an inconsistent picture of a fundamental mechanism such as synaptic transmission,” he concludes.

This study is part of a pan-European consortium to build a detailed model of the rodent hippocampus between the EPFL Blue Brain Project, and Institutes across Hungary, Italy and the United Kingdom. By providing a comprehensive resource on synapses, this paper complements a recent study by the same consortium on electrical models of hippocampal neurons, and paves the way towards a large-scale model of the rodent hippocampus.

A step closer to mapping the rodent brain

Source: Read Full Article


The Final Days of the Convention

After three months of intense partisan divides and drawn-out battles, the Constitutional Convention entered its final phase—a phase which lasted about two or three weeks and was marked both by hurry and relative harmony. The delegates were eager to get home, and they completed their work with unusual dispatch. Perhaps, in some cases, even too much dispatch. Most of the delegates were pleased with the final plan as it was delivered by the Committee of Style, but there were three outspoken critics whose defection cast a pall over these final days. Nonetheless, most of the Framers left Philadelphia optimistic that their plan would succeed, even though they knew that they had their work cut-out for them in the ratification debates. The battle for ratification was indeed a struggle, and its outcome was by no means certain. The unexpected and pervasive demand for a bill of rights took many of the delegates by surprise. Many states, when they ratified the new plan of government, attached a statement expressing their expectation that the First Congress would address certain perceived defects through the Constitution’s amendment process, and they helpfully suggested which amendments Congress should propose to the states. James Madison took on that charge, partly as a personal duty and partly to prevent the job being hijacked by opponents to the Constitution.  He proposed a set of amendments to the House, and and did not slacken his efforts until he saw the amendment process through both Houses. Most of the Constitution’s former detractors were satisfied when the states ratified the first ten amendments, though several staunch Antifederalists had hoped to seem many more substantive changes to the Constitution. And with the new Bill of Rights, the Constitution could finally be said to unify a new nation.

The Last Two Weeks: Haste, Bustle, Polish, and Dissent

The delegates’ activities in the last two or three weeks of the Convention showed evidence of their unanimous wish to put an end to the bickering and go home. Numerous minor disagreements cropped up, but none of them could compete with the broad consensus to finish the remaining business quickly. The last of the “grand bargains” which had roiled competing factions was the 20-year compromise, which was not fully resolved until August 29. After that, the delegates entered into a phase of relative harmony that lasted until the end of the Convention. Unfortunately, their pervasive harmony and impatience to be done led to a few regrettable decisions. Immediately after the Deep South and the Northeastern States had struck their bargain regarding slave importations and navigation acts, the Deep South demanded further protections for recapturing runaway slaves who fled into neighboring states. In response, the Fugitive Slave Clause was duly passed with unanimous votes, almost no objections, and only minor alterations in the wording. In later years, Northern States would come to rue their delegates’ hasty concurrence with the demands of the Southerners, believing that they should have better represented the interests of free states and the cause of freedom. The phrasing of the Fugitive Slave Clause would prove to be a moral, political, and legal nightmare.

The process of electing the president was also worked out in the last days of the Convention. This question had divided the delegates for months, and proposals similar to the Electoral College had already been defeated decisively earlier in the summer. Yet, in light of the persistent dissatisfaction with the prevailing choice to have the president selected by the legislature, the Committee for Postponed Matters presented the plan for an Electoral College in the Convention’s waning days.  The Framers passed this complex proposal with few changes (although its perceived defects would require amendment by 1804).

The Question of a Bill of Rights

The delegates also stumbled when it came time to decide whether to include a bill of rights in the new Constitution. The subject did not even emerge until September 12, when George Mason, who was one of the three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution, expressed his wish to add one. Mason tried to reassure his colleagues that, “with the aid of the state declarations, a bill might be prepared in a few hours.” The Framers, however, no doubt rightly suspected that such a complex issue, broached this late in the summer, might keep them locked in debate for many more weeks. The charm of Philadelphia had worn off long ago, and many decided they would rather be home for the autumn. After the briefest of exchanges, the motion lost on a tied vote. This decision to forgo a bill of rights, which was probably made with little forethought, or even much thought at all, was a fateful misstep.  The Federalists would learn during the ratification period that many of their detractors (and even many of their friends) believed a bill of rights was essential to the Constitution.

The Committee of Style

However, these final days were not all haste and disorder. In the second week of September, the delegates decided that their sundry resolutions needed to be reworked into a more organized and elegant shape by a Committee of Style, and they chose a stellar five-man team for the job: William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, Rufus King, and James Madison. Hamilton had been absent for most of the second half of the Convention, but the rest of the members were all trusty stalwarts. And every member was brilliant in his own way. The Convention was still meeting during the day, so the members of the Committee spent their evenings drafting a final Constitution. They pored over the 23 articles that the Committee of Detail had prepared, combined with the innumerable amendments and committee reports that had been accepted since August 6, and they transformed the jumble of resolutions into a coherent plan of government.

Decades later, Madison gave most of the credit to one preeminent writer in the group: “The finish given to the style and arrangement of the Constitution fairly belongs to the pen of Mr. Morris.” Whereas the “phraseology” had principally been governed by the resolutions that had been proposed, altered, and adopted, Madison believed “there was sufficient room for the talents and taste stamped by the author on the face of it.” Morris’ greatest contribution was probably his composition of the Preamble, for his version had departed significantly from the Committee’s report. Then followed seven neatly arranged articles. The first three articles described the arrangement and powers of the three branches of government: the Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary. The fourth article described the relations of the states to one another and to the new federal government. The fifth article described how to amend the new Constitution. The sixth article guaranteed the payment of the old debts; asserted the supremacy of the federal government when exercising its legitimate powers; and prescribed oaths or affirmations to support the new Constitution. And the seventh article gave a very terse description of what would constitute ratification of the new Constitution. The Committee was ready to have their draft printed on September 12, after barely more than three days’ labors, so that each member could study its design and wording carefully in the Convention’s final few days. Madison was thoroughly pleased by the Committee’s choice of Morris as their draftsman: “A better choice could not have been made, as the performance of the task proved.”

Randolph, Mason, and Gerry Refuse to Sign

Although the last two weeks had primarily been stamped by haste and harmony, the last stage was still taking too long to suit the impatience of some members. On September 11, William Livingston complained to John Jay that he was losing hope of returning according to his earlier plan  “by reason of there being certain creatures in this world that are more pleased with their own speeches than they can prevail upon anybody else to be.” Livingston might have had the Convention’s three dissenters in mind when he wrote his letter. The day before, all three non-signers of the Constitution—Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge Gerry—had voiced their increasing alarm at the shape the document was taking. The advocates of the Constitution may have found it tedious to listen to the repeated objections of the dissenters at this late hour. Mason, however, felt that their concerns were being silenced and ignored, and that this assembly had turned into a cabal in its last days. He later confided to Jefferson that he had been “discouraged” from voicing his personal objections to the Constitution, “by the precipitate, & intemperate, not to say indecent manner in which the Business was conducted, during the last Week of the Convention.” The indecent treatment, he went on to say, was occasioned by the coalition that had been formed between the Deep South and the Northeastern states over the 20-year compromise over the slave trade.

On September 10, Randolph stated the various reasons why he thought the plan “would end in Tyranny.” And on September 15, Gerry named numerous objections “which determined him to withhold his name from the Constitution.”  The details of their respective objections differed from one another, but all three dwelt on the concentration of power, on particular powers they believed would be abused, and on the improper distribution of powers that were being granted to the three branches of the new government.  All three non-signers dangled the promise that they could be brought around, if only the Convention would agree to allow the states to submit amendments, and the final determination could be made by a second general convention. This offer had no chance of success, since the other delegates were convinced that a second general convention—probably made up of delegates who would arrive saddled with stringent and contradictory demands from each state—was a sure recipe for failure.

Madison’s Discontent

Yet the three members who openly refused to sign the Constitution were by no means the only disappointed members at the close of the business. On September 6, Madison admitted to Jefferson that, in his opinion, “the plan should it be adopted will neither effectually answer its national object nor prevent the local mischiefs which every where excite disgusts against the state governments.” Madison was still deeply concerned by the equal power of the states in the Senate, and even more the lack of a federal veto over state laws. In spite of his pessimism about the plan, however, Madison believed it was of paramount importance that it be adopted: “If the present moment be lost it is hard to say what may be our fate.”  Similarly, Hamilton expressed his own doubts about the Constitution on the last day of the Convention: “No man’s ideas were more remote from the plan than his were known to be.” Nonetheless, he urged every delegate to support the Constitution, because he saw their choices as lying “between anarchy and Convulsion on one side, and the chance of good to be expected from the plan on the other.” Both Madison and Hamilton, swallowing their personal misgivings, would be champions in the fight for ratification.

On September 15, in the turbulent wake of the threatening voices of the Constitution’s detractors, the Convention made its most momentous choice that summer. The day had been an especially long one, stretching into the evening. A plethora of trivial motions had been proposed, most of which were rejected. The three non-signers had made a last-ditch effort to forestall what they considered would be a disaster, but their call for a second general convention was met with a resounding negative. Finally, Madison reported simply: “On the question to agree to the Constitution, as amended. All the States ay.” This vote took place on a Saturday evening, and the text of the Constitution was handed over to Jacob Shallus, the assistant clerk for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, to be engrossed onto vellum parchment (a soft but durable animal hide) before their final meeting on Monday, September 17.


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Healthy Birth Outcomes through Cross-Sector Collaboration

by Admas Kanyagia; Lauren A. Smith; Miya Cain

Jul 1, 2018

Among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, the United States ranks near the bottom in infant mortality rates. This is particularly perilous for black babies in the U.S., who are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday as a white baby. In addition to the medical care and access a woman and baby receive, these poor outcomes are also driven by social determinants of health—non-clinical factors such as social, educational, environmental, and economic opportunities that affect a woman's overall health and wellbeing. This multi-faceted challenge requires a multi-faceted approach.

Cross-sector collaborations offer a way forward in their ability to direct multiple actors and interventions toward the same goal. In this report, we highlight lessons learned from two of our birth outcomes projects in Fresno County, California, and Staten Island, New York, to offer others insights into paths to success and challenges to be aware of when seeking to address birth outcomes through such collaborations.


Dissertation definition of terms

What is definition of terms in a research study?

 Definition of terms is usually an annex to a work (book, research paper , pamphlet,etc.) either at the beginning or more likely near the end with a list of acronyms, jargon, credits, etc. This is an important part of Research paper or report is that in which the key or important terms in the study are clearly defined .

What is definition of terms in qualitative research?

Qualitative – research definitions Qualitative research is defined as studies that focus on why and how things happen and that do not use numerical data as their primary facts. An example of qualitative research is a study group that focuses on how people respond to different types of pictures.

What is the example of definition of terms?

The definition of a term is a word or group of words that has a special meaning , a specific time period or a condition of a contract. An example of term is “cultural diversity.” An example of term is three months for a college semester. Term is defined as to give a name to something.

What is the purpose of definition of terms?

The purpose of a definition is to explain the meaning of a term which may be obscure or difficult, by the use of terms that are commonly understood and whose meaning is clear. The violation of this rule is known by the Latin term obscurum per obscurius.

What to write in Definition of Terms?

Your actual thesis statement should define the term in your own words . Keep the definition in your thesis brief and basic. You will elaborate on it more in the body of your paper. Avoid using passive phrases involving the word “is” when defining your term . Do not repeat part of the defined term in your definition .

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What are the two types of definition of terms?

All definitions attempt to explain or clarify a term . This lesson will introduce you to the three different types of definitions : formal, informal, and extended.

What is the definition of definition of terms?

1a : a word or expression that has a precise meaning in some uses or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or subject legal terms . b terms plural : expression of a specified kind described in glowing terms .

Why definition of terms is important in research?

It is important to include definition of terms in your thesis or dissertation in order to understand the key terms being used in the study . Terms defined should be arranged in alphabetical order and acronyms should always spell out fully most specially if it is used for the first time and not commonly known.

What is the use of definition of terms in research?

DEFINITION OF TERMS Definition of key terms will help clarify the purpose and direction of the study being conducted. 3. PRINCIPLES IN WRITING DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Make sure that in the definition , you focus on what something is, not just what its effects it is used for. 2.

What chapter is definition of terms?

Definition of terms works just like a glossary but have a different twist. It is placed on the last part of Chapter 1 to tell the meaning of the terms used throughout the said chapter .

Why is it important to define key terms?

In short, if you define your key terms , you’ll clarify the concepts behind the terms you are using in that argument, in that document you wrote, or if they are added to some custom dictionary, in that specific field the dictionary covers.


COVID-19 could pave the way for edtech funding, equity

(Getty Images)

Funding for educational technology is going to skyrocket now that the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic has revealed how critical it is in maintaining continuity of learning and facilitating impactful education, technology researcher Amber Case told attendees of a virtual conference on Wednesday.

But ensuring that technology supports education for all people will require creativity and a willingness to rethink and redesign technology, she said during the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference, which was held online this year. Over the past decade, technology has transformed how people live, receive services, connect with each other and learn — but it hasn’t benefited everyone equally, Case said.

“Only a couple of months ago, I was at CES, Consumer Electronics Show, and everybody was talking about 5G and how you’re just going to push so much data through everything,” she said, but added that no one was talking about low bandwidth solutions or rural users.

Now, in the face of a global health crisis, the importance of having technology that can connect everyone and improve peoples’ lives through simplistic design is more evident than before. And for better or worse, the current pandemic has given people the opportunity to make those changes, Case said.

“What was formerly difficult to do will be easier,” she said. “There is going to be such a rush to make things that work really well for everybody.”

Virtual reality, for example, has the potential to make education more immersive and impactful.

“This could be an amazing way to teach physics when you don’t have a lab to deal with dangerous chemicals, to understand how gravity works, to go to other places,” Case said, conceding that in its current form, virtual reality tools are relatively clunky.

The solution to creating technology that works for and supports everyone, Case said, is to focus on the task instead of the tool and to design solutions that are simple and support peoples’ lives without intruding on them.

“A good tool is invisible,” she said. “Not because it’s actually invisible-invisible, but because it doesn’t intrude on your consciousness.”

Ultimately, transforming technology to work for all members of society is not an easy task, she said, and encouraged educators to drive that change without fear of failure.

“We will need to work with limited resources and be clever,” Case said. “We need to all allow ourselves to be amateurs together and experiment and have fun and be unique and allow ourselves to be ourselves. … There are so many teachers and professors and educators that are already using technology in the classrooms and they’re being innovative and they will become rock stars if they’re not too afraid right now to be extreme amateurs and make something and be vulnerable.”

This is part of StateScoop and EdScoop’s special report on coronavirus response. Read the rest of the report.


What is Engage Wellbeing ?

What is Engage Wellbeing? TEst

The Engage Wellbeing Programme provides a volunteer befriender to support isolated adults (18+) to help them sustain or improve their emotional and mental wellbeing. This currently consists of a regular telephone calls to chat, share experiences and provide emotional support. As we come out of lockdown, it is anticipated that this will transition into a service which provides face to face befriending and support to vulnerable people; assisting them to rebuild confidence to engage in the wider community.

Engage Wellbeing is also working with a network of local churches to support the development of community cafe’s. These are designed to be safe spaces for those struggling with emotional and mental wellbeing to come to find friendship and support.

Why is this important?

Engage Wellbeing has developed as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a growing need to support people whose emotional and mental health and wellbeing have been affected; particularly as a result of enforced isolation. . Research by the Mental Health Foundation which has monitored people’s mental health throughout the course of the pandemic indicates that whilst the population as a whole has coped well there are groups of people. (eg long term sick, single parents, young people) who have been most vulnerable to deterioration in mental health. In our own work through the pandemic, 98% of those referred to Engage Wellbeing and in need of our service would fit one of the above criteria. We know from research by AgeUK that isolation has a significant detrimental effect upon a person’s sense of wellbeing. (AgeUK 2017)

Our aim therefore is to  support the recovery of those who have experienced emotional or mental ill health difficulties during the pandemic by providing positive, affirming relationships and practical emotional support, resulting in an improved emotional resilience and sense of wellbeing.

The Engage Befriending Programme


How to annotate a movie in an essay

An annotated bibliography includes a list of sources used in a research paper along with a description and analysis of each citation. For personal interviews, this includes consideration of the content of the interview itself, the person interviewed and how that interview impacted the paper.

To write a good annotation means that you have understood the content of the cited titles very well, and also that you are able to evaluate them critically. If you are required to write an annotated bibliography in Turabian style, then you should follow some rules. Turabian annotated bibliography - 6 important rules Bibliography for the Essay - Bibliography for the essay (a.k.a. Reference list or Works Cited) is an essential part of the paper. It is not enough just to express a certain idea with the help of your own words. Quite often it is necessary to resort to the use of outside sources. Analysis Essay Writing, examples, topics, outlines Analysis Essay Outline. As a rule, there are standardized requirements as to analysis essay outline and format. Your analysis essay must have title page (if required), introduction, thesis statement (optionally), body, conclusion and list of works cited. Logically, the body is the main part of an analysis essay. There you should present a ... How to Make an Essay Outline: Format, Structure | EssayService

Essay and article writing: what are the differences

How to Cite a Movie Quote in MLA, APA, and Chicago ... 31 May 2019 ... When you are caught up in writing an essay, paper, or article, you may need to throw in a direct quote here and there. The purposes may vary ... How to Write an Annotated Bibliography That Works - Kibin 20 Jul 2015 ... An annotated bibliography is simply a bibliography with annotations. ... If you're writing a research paper with three sources, it's pretty easy to ... Annotated Bibliography - Organizing Your Social Sciences ... In lieu of writing a formal research paper or in preparation for a larger project, your .... Your method for selecting which sources to annotate depends on the purpose ... non-textual items, such as, films, maps, photographs, and audio recordings, ...

How to structure a paragraph in essay writing - EssayMin

Write out your own original ideas in the margins. When you find a passage that may apply to your assignment, create brackets around the text. Then, record significant observations or ideas in the margins. Be prepared to explain how the passage or quote relates back to your argument or thesis for the assignment. How to Cite Movie Lines in MLA in an Essay | Pen and the Pad Movie lines can provide relevant punch to an essay. But if you quote a film, be sure to cite it just as conscientiously as you would cite a novel or poem. The first requirement is to quote the movie precisely; any words in quotation marks must be identical to the actual lines spoken in the movie. You also need to know ... Do you underline a TV show in an essay? -

Should An Annotated Bibliography Have A Title - Essay Writing ... Explain a process (How to Write an Essay) Deliver an argument (The Case Against Essay Questions) Critique (My Least Favorite Movie) Essays can be either long or short, serious or humorous, formal or informal. It can describe your opinions or be a synopsis of expert opinions. The trick to writing a good one is to stay on topic. Annotated Bibliographies - The Writing Center What this handout is about. This handout will explain why annotated bibliographies are useful for researchers, provide an explanation of what constitutes an annotation, describe various types of annotations and styles for writing them, and offer multiple examples of annotated bibliographies in the MLA, APA, and CBE/CSE styles of citation.

How to Write a Title of a Movie in a Paper | Pen and the Pad

Annotated Bibliography Introduction Paragraph

How to cite a documentary film (Harvard style) in the ... Inside the text you'll need to write title and year; the filmmaker's name, format and place of recording should be included only in the reference list, not in-text. How to Write an Evaluation Paper with Sample Essays I need your opinion on writing an evaluation essay about the dangerous of marijuana my problem that I didn't wrote an evaluation essay before only argument essays can you help me with any suggestion about this topic also with suggestion building my criteria, and how to distinguished between argument type of dissolution and evaluation because ... 45 Easy Essay Hooks for How to Write a Good Introduction


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Read This Before Investing in Renewable Energy

It's no secret that renewable energy, in this case, wind power, is a long-term growth industry. Indeed, leading energy industry bodies such as the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) believe that, on average and without tax credits, onshore wind power will make more financial sense than combined cycle (gas and steam) power within the next 20 years. However, the industry's growth will be lumpy at best, and investors will need to be stock selective because end-market conditions will vary over the next decade. Here's why.

Three arguments about renewable energy

I want to flesh out the following points:

  • Wind power has long-term growth prospects, but global onshore wind power installations will be flat in the medium term, while global offshore installations will likely only take off in 2025 and afterward.
  • Reports of the death of gas power have been greatly exaggerated, and combined cycle plants still have a future.
  • Given this combination, it makes sense to invest in companies like General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Siemens Energy (OTC: SMEG.F).

Image source: Getty Images.

Medium-term wind power installations

All the leading wind power companies, including GE, Siemens Gamesa (OTC: GCTAY), and Vestas (OTC: VWDRY), cite research from consultancy Wood Mackenzie when making forecasts, so it's no surprise that they are all saying a similar thing about medium-term demand. The critical number to follow in the power industry is installations measured in gigawatts (GW).

I've added trend lines in the chart below so readers can get an idea of the medium-term situation. Overall new installations will grow between 2020 and 2025, but this is because of offshore wind power growth. On top of new installations, wind power companies have an opportunity to grow revenue through repowering aging turbines. That's part of the reason why GE is taking action to recycle repurposed wind blades -- it will encourage more repowering activity.

Data source: Wood Mackenzie. Chart by author.

In this environment, I think Siemens Energy (a company that comprises a 67% share of Siemens Gamesa and the former gas and power business of Siemens) and the renewable energy business of GE are more exciting businesses than Vestas and others.

Focusing on Vestas is illustrative. Wall Street analysts have the company's revenue peaking at 16.7 billion euros in 2021, only to decline for the next couple of years. Furthermore, Vestas' management expects its offshore power business to peak in 2021-2022 at around 2 billion euros to 2.5 billion euros, before declining to 1 billion euros to 2 billion euros in 2023-2024 and then finally rising to 3 billion euros in 2025. In a nutshell, if you buy Vestas, you should be ready to wait until 2025 for a significant pickup in revenue.

Siemens Energy and GE

The name of the game for Vestas is margin expansion, but in this regard, it might make sense to buy Siemens Energy or GE instead. The difference is that Vestas already has a decent profit margin, but GE Renewable Energy and Siemens Gamesa (remember that Siemens Energy owns 67% of Siemens Gamesa) have more potential to grow their margin and, therefore, profitability.

Wall Street analysts expect Siemens Gamesa to grow revenue at a mid-to-high-single-digit rate in a couple of years after 2021, and profit margin is forecast to get back to high single digits by 2022. Meanwhile, GE's management expects GE Renewable Energy to grow revenue at a mid-single-digit rate and turn margin positive in 2022 while aiming to reach the high-single-digit rate in the future.

2019 Profit Margin

2020 Profit Margin

2021 Estimated Profit Margin

2022 Estimated Profit Margin

Siemens Gamesa

GE Renewable Energy*

Data source:, Siemens Gamesa, and Vestas are analyst consensus. *GE management guidance for segment margin.

One key difference with GE Renewable Energy is that it's growing its offshore business from a low base. Management expects to grow its offshore revenue from just $200 million in 2020 to $3 billion by 2024. Simply put, GE is growing in the right area of the market.

Image source: Getty Images.

Gas power isn't dead

The second reason to favor Siemens Energy and GE (GE also owns a substantive power business) comes from two ideas suggesting that gas power and gas turbines still will play a significant role in energy production.

First, if gas prices fall over the long term, it will become relatively cheaper to use gas turbines to generate electricity. Renewable energy is substantially more expensive in terms of upfront costs, but its fuel source is essentially free. Lower gas prices would reduce that advantage.

Second, renewable being cheaper only makes more sense now, on average, because of tax credits. Moreover, renewable energy won't be the best option worldwide. Even if the average cost of renewable energy is less than a combined cycle plant, it won't be the case everywhere. There are plenty of geographic, political, and environmental factors at play here.

What it means for investors

All told, renewable energy investors can expect a bright future but need to be ready for some varied conditions in the next few years. It makes sense to look at the companies that can grow their earnings significantly through margin expansion (GE Renewable Energy and Siemens Gamesa).

Also, don't be surprised if gas power makes a comeback after a half-decade slump in orders. Some exposure to gas turbine demand (GE and Siemens Energy) when onshore wind power is set for a flat period makes sense, too.

10 stocks we like better than General Electric

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and General Electric wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

See the 10 stocks

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021

Lee Samaha owns shares of Siemens Energy AG. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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More Money to MIVILUDES: The French “Mind Police” Is Back

Patricia Duval

The French government, in the person of its minister Marlene Schiappa, took a very questionable decision by choosing to increase funding to the "anti-religious police", the controversial ministerial mission called MIVILUDES, now under the ministry of the Interior. Bribing this anti-religious body with French taxpayers' money means directly funding the infamous FECRIS (European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Cults), which has always been financed largely by MIVILUDES. Let us remember that FECRIS, through its federated micro associations scattered as metastases in dozens of European and non-European countries, has been trying for decades to negatively influence the policies of the governments of these countries with regard to freedom of religion and belief. Their main activity is the spread of alarmist news about religious minorities, a drip of always inflated, often altered, "news", when they are not simply invented. An interminable campaign of hatred and disinformation that has been going on for years. This is what the French Minister has chosen to finance with public money, thus influencing also countries that do not share French liberticidal positions.

On the subject we publish an article by the French lawyer Patricia Duval, member of the Scientific Committee of FOB.

The governmental anti-cult mission that his former member, sociologist Olivier Bobineau, denounced as a “police des esprits” will receive € 1 million per year.

by Patricia Duval — On April 9, 2021, the French Minister Delegate for Citizenship at the Ministry of Interior, Marlène Schiappa, was interviewed by France Info. She announced that MIVILUDES, the Inter-ministerial mission for monitoring and combating cultic deviances (dérives sectaires), which is now part of the Ministry of the Interior, will experience a revival of sort.

After MIVILUDES’ gradual disappearance during the last few years, especially since 2015, when priority was given to combating Islamist terrorism, Schiappa has now decided to multiply its present budget by ten, to reach euro 1 million per year.

This announcement followed the publication of a report by MIVILUDES in February 2021, and the issuance of new Circular on the French anti-cult policy in March.

1. MIVILUDES’ Report of February 2021
2. A new Circular to increase repression based on denunciations
3. Seeking more prosecutions
4. The mind police

1. MIVILUDES’ Report of February 2021[⬆]

The report contains mainly generalities on the fight against cultic deviances, as the Mission did not want to cite specific names or groups, either due to pending judiciary procedures or to avoid being accused of stigmatization.

However, an inventory of the “new trends of cultic deviances” was attached to the report. Although the report mentions that only 25% of the complaints it received in 2019 were connected with religious beliefs, the inventory contains a section on “Religious Movements,” where the Jehovah’s Witnesses are accused of having taken advantage of the health crisis linked to Covid-19 to carry out “abusive proselytism” amongst the French population, through mails and emails.

It also mentions that new Evangelical Churches allegedly advocate “values contrary to those of the French Republic,” including the demonization of homosexuality.

Demonstration against the MIVILUDES in Paris

2. Demonstration against the MIVILUDES in Paris

A new Circular to increase repression based on denunciations[⬆]

On March 2, 2021, Schiappa, issued a new Circular to all police high officers on the French “policy to combat cultic deviance.”

It gives instruction for the detection of “high risk situations,” based on reports received from “persons linked to those subjected to the undue influence of cultic groups, or in the process of being subjected to it, who might be worried and report their concerns: family, neighbors, friends, teachers or colleagues, health professionals, social, cultural, sport or leisure workers, etc.”

The purpose of “reporting” on someone is, according to the Minister, to “allow if needed for his/her protection and that of society.” Schiappa states that “the rules of professional secrecy are not systematically incompatible with reporting a situation identified as problematic.”

Apparently, the Minister believes that professionals should be exempted from the rules of professional secrecy and file these reports, although violation of professional secrecy is a criminal offense in France.

According to her, this policy based on denunciations is part of the “fight against all forms of separatism.”

Cultic deviances are then considered as dangerous as the other forms of separatism, including “Islamist” extremism, that the new law currently being voted by the Parliament is intended to counter.

This is why she recommends applying against “cults” Article 212-1 of the Internal Security Code, which allows for the dissolution of armed groups and militias by the Executive.

This Article has been amended in the new Law proposal to allow for dissolution of groups inciting hatred or discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. As the Evangelicals are accused of homophobia by MIVILUDES, this article may become applicable to them.

3. Seeking more prosecutions[⬆]

The Circular also gives instructions to systematically refer to the Prosecutors reported cases of “mere suspicion of deviant practices.”

It recommends using MIVILUDES’ files (consisting of denunciations and derogatory press articles) to “enrich the reports sent to the judicial authorities.”

Not only does this interference of the Executive (MIVILUDES) on the Judiciary infringe fundamental rights, creates an imbalance between the prosecution and the defense, and violates the principle of presumption of innocence, but the instruction to prosecute “mere suspicions” of “cultic deviances” raises a serious problem, due to the vagueness and the arbitrary nature of this notion.

A “cultic deviance” is defined in the Circular as an action which may “undermine one’s freedom of thought, opinion, or religion, infringing on public order, laws and regulations, fundamental rights, or the security or integrity of the individual.” All this constitutes “undue influence.”

A “cultic deviance,” according to the MIVILUDES, is characterized by the implementation by an organized group or a single individual, whatever their nature or activity, of “pressures or techniques designed at creating, maintaining or exploiting a state of psychological or physical subjection, by depriving the individuals of part of their free will, with prejudicial consequences for them, their relatives, or society.”

Under this definition, any religious minority deemed to have “deviant” beliefs can be accused of undue influence, and of creating a state of psychological subjection. New followers can be deemed to have lost their free will when they adhere to these beliefs.

The notion of the loss of free will for adults with full mental capacity who have chosen beliefs that are “not politically correct” contradicts the basic fundaments of civil law. It amounts to an invalidation of a choice freely made on religious or spiritual matters.

Considering that followers have lost their own free will also open the door to the criminalization of proselytism. To this end, Annex 2 to the Circular gives a list of criteria for reporting to the Prosecutor, amongst which is “Proselytism: the method of recruitment of followers, the time invested, the specific targeting, infiltration, the use of a website.”

Proselytism by the Jehovah’s Witnesses can then be labeled as “abusive” by MIVILUDES since they consider that it constitutes “infiltration” (entrisme) and a “deviant practice.”

This approach constitutes a blatant violation of freedom of religion or belief protected by the Human Rights treaties France has committed to.

In its 1995 decision Kokkinakis v. Greece, the European Court of Human Rights did not find any violation when some Greek Jehovah’s Witnesses called on their neighbor to discuss religious issues with her since that act, in the Court’s view, fell under “bearing Christian witness,” and was therefore protected by article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

4. The mind police[⬆]

MIVILUDES appears to play the role of a mind police, through its power to distinguish between “deviant” or “non-deviant” beliefs and practices.

Olivier Bobineau is a sociologist of religion and lecturer at the Catholic Institute of Paris and the Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences-Po). He resigned in 2005 from his position as scientific advisor at MIVILUDES and has been from January 2006 to January 2011 a scientific associate of the Director of the Central Office for Religious Affairs (Bureau Central des Cultes) at the Ministry of Interior.

Based on his experience at MIVILUDES, Bobineau is of the opinion that “MIVILUDES plays the role of an administrative mind police, which searches for scapegoats and stigmatizes certain groups.” In an interview he gave on 8 June 2009, he gave the following explanation:

Reporter: Is there, according to you, a stigmatization of certain groups or movements?

O. Bobineau: Yes, it belongs to the French tradition of suspicion of the spiritual, of opposition of freedom of thought, political and philosophical, and freedom of conscience, spiritual. This latter is suspect as it has generated religious passions from which France has still not yet recovered: extremely violent confrontations between Catholics and Protestants, opposition between the Church and the Republican State at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century… Since then, freedom of conscience is suspect, deemed irrational. In the name of freedom of thought, people want to control it. MIVILUDES plays the role of an administrative mind police, which looks for scapegoats and stigmatizes small groups.”

MIVILUDES is the State arm for deciding what is deviant or not, and assigning the “cultic” label. But why would the ethos of churches advocating traditional marriage between a man and a woman be more deviant than the words of Minister Marlène Schiappa, when she stated to the public, referring to the prohibition of polygamy, that “three-partner sex” could still be practiced?

Schiappa: “Three-partner sex [plans à 3] will not be forbidden” [by an anti-polygamy law].

The enforced dogmatism of MIVILUDES constitutes an actual violation of the freedom of conscience and belief.

The revival of MIVILUDES represents a serious step backwards.

And the reintegration of Georges Fenech, former investigating judge and MIVILUDES President, who was known for his brutal raids with journalists into small harmless religious communities, out of any judicial mandate or procedure, is not a good signal for fundamental liberties in a country boasting to be the land of human rights.

Source: Bitter Winter


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A philosophy can not be summed up in a slogan or an advertising hook, I will allow myself here to develop the reflections which are at the origin of this project.

RESPECT is the starting point, the basis of my philosophy.

I think that respect must be a sine qua non condition at the origin of any project.

What are the actions that come into play in the production of chocolate? And what are the direct and indirect consequences to take into consideration to ensure the production of a respectful and respectable chocolate? A quick list of the elements to be respected would be: the Earth, the farmers, the chocolate makers, the consumers. I will then introduce other elements.

I am often called an extremist. Yes, thank you, that's right. I am for extreme respect and extreme common sense. Do not stop in the middle of an idea, but go all the way! Do not just hit my neighbor a bit but do not hit him at all…

The Earth being our home to all, without exception, like a huge common house, it seems logical to respect it. If we break a piece of wall here and a part of framework by there, without repairing the damage, it is our comfort to all which is in danger, even our survival because damage after damage there is a threat of collapse. To avoid the double effort: that of breaking then that of rebuilding, it is easier not to affect the Earth and to respect it as it is. Especially since, unlike a house, the Earth does not require any maintenance, it is autonomous to keep itself in good condition, provided not to affect its natural functioning.

Cocoa must therefore come from a non-destructive farming, called organic farming. I'm not talking here just about the organic label, which does not by itself ensure the farmer's good intentions towards the Earth. Indeed, a farmer certified organic can participate in destroying the Earth, and conversely a farmer not labeled organic can very well have non-destructive biological practices. Respect goes much further than just a label.

By the way, why was the BIO label invented, should not we instead introduce a NON BIO (or NON-RESPECTFUL) label, which would be fee-based and mandatory. The amount of the fee would correspond to the cost of cleaning up poisons used, land recovery after use for future generations, and participation in social security costs for the health problems generated? We would soon realize that organic products are cheaper… much better, right? Indeed, all these costs that result from non-respectful agriculture, are nowadays the responsibility of all, through taxes, social charges and health problems. What a great lesson for our children: Theft is encouraged and lucrative, and even called CONVENTIONAL.

My vision of a respectful agriculture is the absence of use of any product of synthesis, without exception, the respect of the ground (its nature and the life which composes it) as well as the respect of the local biodiversity (fauna and flora). All these elements, when they are respected, work for the Earth and its inhabitants (including the human being, who persists in domesticating and controlling his entire environment, wasting energy for very negative results).

I would have been treated as an extremist a few years ago, I dare to hope that respectful agriculture, called organic, no longer shocks today.

Farmers (employers and employees) also deserve respect. Slavery is unfortunately still relevant today. A few hundred years ago, wanting to give rights to a slave would have been considered madness, even terrorism. Today, fortunately, people who have stood up for the abolition of slavery have gone from being terrorists to being heroes. How to explain that a cocoa farmer earns only 1% of a chocolate maker's salary? Does he work less hard? Is it not a cooperation?

Again a label HARVESTED BY SLAVES, or HARVESTED BY UNDER-PAID MEN should exist! There is trade, called fair trade, which provides so-called fair revenues. Let's analyze this a bit. A work day will bring the farmer an income of the order of one euro. The remuneration of other stakeholders (carrier, processor, chocolatier, distributor, consumer, fair trade controller,…) will be of the order of one hundred euros. The so-called fair trade provides a little better income to farmers, say on average, no more than double, which is good you say… but far from what I would call fair. I would call it "little less unfair trade".

It is widely accepted that a person living in a so-called developed or northern country needs a higher income than a person living in a so-called third world or southern country.

Indeed in the northern countries, spending is higher: housing, car, education, health … than in the southern countries. It would therefore make sense that incomes are also higher. But in fact, if we really compare, a car of equivalent quality is often much more expensive in the southern countries, the same for housing, education, health,… It is actually just accepted that the comfort of life is tied to the standard of the country, so that a southerner does not need the same comfort as a northerner. Is it fair? My concept of comfort is far from what is considered standard in the northern countries, I would need much less (or say different), so I will not go into the debate about what should be the level of comfort, but at least let everyone have the freedom to choose for themselves. If we allow ourselves a certain income, can we agree to give our southern colleagues 100 times less? I am not in favor of a strict control system, which would spend (waste) a lot of human energy, but at least that the benefits of the cocoa trade should be distributed more equitably and according to the work provided, and not according to the geographic or hierarchical position of the work provided.

It also seems important to me to point out that a large number of slave children have been observed coming from kidnappers who trafficked children in West African cocoa-producing countries. This is a repugnant practice, to be banned altogether, but which, in my opinion, is the result of the price forcing down by the giants of cocoa trade and processing, which operate quasi monopoly on the market and therefore have the opportunity to set prices as they please.

To stop slavery, it would redistribute this monopoly to an infinity of small artisans, in direct contact with farmers to organize a trade respectful of all, without possibility (nor willingness) of blackmail.

I will quickly pass on the respect of chocolate makers, I will just say that like farmers, they deserve good working conditions and income according to the work provided and energy spent, rather than according to the stock market and the "competition", by the way, I dream that this word is transformed one day in cooperation. Competition might help to push some people to give the best of what they can, but from a global point of view, it is very inefficient because this is a waste of human energy : different people with the same goal are working against each other to become the first or the best, when they could achieve so much more by sharing and working hand in hand.

This brings us to the respect for the other chocolate makers. By doing low quality and/or cheap products, we impact the perception of the whole chocolate world. By doing cheap products, it lowers the global value of chocolate. Too cheap products are becoming the standart, the reference. A normal priced product is then called expensive when it's supposed to be the reference if we wish to live in a fair world. Large retailers champions at pushing producers to sell them their products at a very low price, giving them the opportunity to sell a larger amount. The same happens with the quality, as low quality chocolate is now the standart. Respecting the other chocolate makers means to me giving the fair price, doing high quality products and refuse to sell throught large retailers.

Respect for the consumer is the result of this whole chain of respect. The Earth being respected, will give the best to the farmer, who is also respected will do his best to produce the best quality of cocoa possible for the chocolate maker, who also being respected will do the same to produce the best chocolate to, at the end, delight the consumer, who will enjoy a healthy chocolate, good and full of love, that will be gracefully given back to the Earth after good use. The cycle is complete.

To this I would add the crucial step of importing. As cocoa is an exotic fruit, growing only around the equator, we therefore resort to the transport of goods over long distances. Nowadays, it is common practice to import almost everything we eat, food or otherwise. Each region of the globe specializes in production to meet the demands of the rest of the world. This results in an infernal and continual coming and going of all sorts of goods traveling thousands of kilometers before reaching their destination. We come to bring from the other side of the world what we already have on the spot. This is often due to the difference in the price of labor between different regions of the world. A certain amount of working hours + transportation over several thousand kilometers cost less than the same amount of local working hours without transportation. It doesn’t make any sense to me. We come back to the above: do not allow disproportionately higher incomes to our partners in the rest of the world (or in other words: do not allow us to compensate the work of our partners disproportionately less than ours), and this problem will be from the past. Locating the production of what we can, and keeping the imports only for products impossible to produce locally, and consider these products as luxury products. This is exactly the case with cocoa. The current means of transport are very harmful for our environment. By locating production, it is quite possible to reduce imports / exports to a fraction of what they are today. For the rest, nothing is better than the wind, clean and inexhaustible energy, to move the goods on long trips at sea. The sailboat is the solution that seems to me the most suitable for the transport of cocoa.

I would like to finish on a very important point in my eyes. I'm talking about a sensitive subject. Surely as sensitive, if not more than the abolition of human slavery a few hundred years ago. All the more sensitive because these are traditions that have not been questioned until now, and therefore accepted by all as normal since childhood, as an integral part of our society and of ourselves. It is not uncommon for a tradition to justify horrors, as we have observed in all periods of history. At each period its challenges. We are no longer burning witches, racism and sexism are not what they used to be, plastic is starting to make people talk and people are starting to get rid of it. I fully understand this mechanism that drives us to protect traditions. We are products of our traditions, how to question a whole life? How to question entire generations, centuries, millennia of traditions? I have a regret with the traditions: it is that the practices are transmitted, but not the reasons which are at their origins. We therefore have no choice but to accept them by forced and unconscious practice since birth. If we would focus as much in transmitting the history of tradition as the practice of tradition itself, then we would have a real free will to accept the acceptable and reject the unacceptable.

This subject that I want to talk about is that of the condition of our cohabitants on Earth: the rest of the animal world; whose living conditions depend mainly on the human will. They became submissive beings with no self-determination of their lives. I wish for myself to be free and independent, not to be the private property of anyone. In the same way, I wish it to all, human or not. Human is almost omnipresent on Earth, everything is organized to serve its function, without the knowledge of other living beings.

So to the other respects stated above I would add respect for animals. In the manufacture of chocolate, this involves the exclusive use of plant based products, so as not to be involved in the massacre or slavery of innocent people who have done nothing wrong and do not deserve their deprivation of freedom or even the death penalty.

I’m aware that the tradition of eating, killing and using animals for the pleasure of our taste buds is firmly rooted in our traditions. But for all animals, I hope that in the near future these traditions will be considered as prehistory.

From a purely egoistic point of view, and to the dismay of the pharmaceutical industry, the abolition of this slavery would lead to a revival of vitality and a much better public health. So in addition to saving tens of billions of animal deaths, we would save millions of sick and premature human deaths, as well as all the health costs they incur.