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General view of Girona with the cathedral at one side The so-called “City of the Four Rivers”, shows us a historic centre dominated by medieval buildings and reminders of Romans, Arabs and Jews. Inside the walled enclosure of "La Força Vella" you can find the culiminating works of its historical destiny. Its excellent position between the Pyrenean chain and the Costa Brava makes a multitude of trips possible, for example, to natural areas which are worthy of mention. Everywhere, the traveller will have the opportunity to try the regional cuisine which brings together in its recipes products of the sea and the mountains. Set in the valley of the Ter, at the confluence of four rivers, we find the city of Girona. One of them, the Onyar, divides the historic centre from the modern city. The old centre of this Catalan city preserves remains of its long history, from the time it was founded by the Romans in the 1st century B. C. To them we owe its original wall, whose remains stretch from the Archaeological Walk to the Wall Gardens. La Força Vella Set in this walled enclosure (La Força Vella), stands the Cathedral. Its Romanesque origin is shown in its fortress-like appearance and strategic location, although the most outstanding aspect is an immense Gothic nave, the widest in Medieval European architecture. Inside, it preserves one of the textile jewels of Catalan Romanesque, the Creation Tapestry. Beside the entrance staircase to the cathedral is the Pia Alomoina, an old charitable institution in Gothic style. Girona has other key pieces of religious architecture, like the Benedictine monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants, a historic-artistic monument; or the church of Sant Nicolau. These are Romanesque churches whose apses and octagonal cupolas deserve a close look as they form key elements of the Catalan medieval style. The convent of Sant Doménech, built in Gothic style and clear example of the importance of the religious orders in the colonisation and repopulation of Catalonia during the Middle Ages, stands amid gardens. Also to this historical period belong important displays of Arab and Jewish art, the result of these cultures living side-by-side with Christianity for centuries. So, you will discover the multitude of small streets making up El Call, the Jewish quarter of Girona. Calle Força is the heart of this district, which had a synagogue and centres of cabbalistic study. The Plaça del Oli and the Plaça del Vi maintain all their flavour; and, in them are some of the greatest jewels of medieval palace architecture, like the Fontana d’Or. The Call is currently one of the best preserved Jewish quarters in Spain. Not far from here, a Capuchin convent houses the Arab Baths, where we should point out a pavilion built on eight fine columns and crowned by an octagonal cupola. Before crossing the river and walking towards modern Girona, you can climb up to the belltower of Sant Feliu or go to the Pont de Pedra (Stone Bridge) over the Onyar, where you can get overhead views of all the houses in the city and their façades painted in ochres, dark blues and copper. On the other side of the river you will find one of the most beautiful examples of Catalan Modernism, the work of Rafael Masó. Outstanding buildings are the Teixidor Factory and the Punxa House, among others. The Hospital de Santa Caterina, a Baroque building from the 17th century, is also in this area. And, on the other side of the Passeig Devesa, is one of the recreational areas for the people of Girona, the Parc Devesa. This is an exotic forest area largest made up of plane trees, giving a strong contrast with the city's medieval architecture. The Costa Brava Girona's excellent position, at the end of the Pyrenean chain and the Costa Brava, bathed by the Mediterranean sea, makes it easy for you to tour the whole province. The coastline that unfolds from Portbou (in the north) to Blanes (in the south) is made up of medieval churches, fishing villages, Roman remains, wide beaches and coves with clear water, among areas of cliffs. In all of them, the juxtaposition of sea and mountains forms an unforgettable landscape. You must not miss places like El Port de la Selva, with its monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes; the Cap de Creus Natural Park; the landscapes of Cadaqués and the gulf of Roses; historic-artistic sites like Pals; or walled towns beside the sea, like Tossa del Mar. And these are just some examples. Right on the Costa Brava, in the village of Begur and on Aiguablava beach, is its Parador de Turismo. It is a modern building that has all kinds of leisure facilities as well as enviable views of the cliffs of Punta D'es Muts, on which it is located. This lovely environment, surrounded by sea and pinewoods, is a fantastic place for discovering Girona cuisine. The combination of products from the coast and inland create recipes like snail stew, flame-grilled vegetables with romesco sauce (made with almonds and chorizo pepper) or rice with fish as starters. Among second courses, you can choose from grilled fish, chicken with spiny lobster or rabbit with chocolate. "Crema catalana" (custard with caramelised sugar on top) or apples in puff pastry, might be among the desserts you choose. All this suitably accompanied by whites, reds and rosés with the Ampurdán-Costa Brava Denomination of Origin. The summits and valleys of the Eastern Pyrenees are also worth a detailed tour. The valleys of Ribes and Núria soften a mountainous landscape crowned by high summits and crossed by fast-flowing rivers. The natural and landscape wealth of the Pyrenees is enriched by the medieval buildings of Puigcerdá or Sant Joan de les Abadesses, the popular architecture of mountain villages like Queralbs or ski stations like those at La Molina or Masella. The high natural value of Girona has earned the protection, as natural parks, of the Empordà wetlands and the Volcanic Area of La Garrotxa. These places are very different from one another. which tell us of the richness of this Catalan province. They can be toured with the help of information offered by their information centres.
In recent weeks, the River Trust placed wooden stands with litter pickers, a bottle of hand sanitiser, and burlap sacks by the beach where I live. The Trust has asked people to help clean the garbage that washes up from the sea or is left on the beach by visitors. This past weekend, my husband and I decided to help collect the litter because we are concerned about the environmental impact the trash has on animals, fish, and ourselves. Aside from doing our little bit for the environment, collecting the litter also reminded me of working on archaeological excavations. I am an archaeologist and ancient historian, and studied anthropology as an undergraduate. In the United States, archaeology is taught as a sub discipline of anthropology because archaeologists ascertain the lifestyles of people living in the past, just as anthropologists study different societies in the present. At that time, a key book I read In Small Things Forgotten: The Archaeology of Early American Life by James Deetz and a documentary I saw Other People’s Garbage, which featured Deetz, both had a profound impact on my interpretative approach to Roman history and archaeology that I continue to use in my teaching and research today. Both the book and the film clearly explained that archaeology is not simply about collecting artifacts. Rather, objects give us an insight into aspects of past lives that are not recorded in writing. Archaeologists ask questions about the artifacts, such as why and how they were made. They can also study them on a deeper level to learn about social rules of behaviour and people’s beliefs at the time they were used. For instance, by considering the types of artifacts and the places where they were discarded, we can learn about attitudes towards garbage and its proper disposal along with conceptions of cleanliness. Using an example from my home state of Pennsylvania, it was common for both German and English settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries to throw away household waste, usually consisting of food remains (shells, butchered bones, seeds, and fruit stones), broken pottery, and glass, outside the windows and doorways of their houses. On the other hand, human waste was disposed of in privies located away from their homes. Put simply, the settlers discerned that there were two types of waste, each with a place where it was socially acceptable to discard it. Collecting the garbage on the beach made me ask how archaeologists in the future would interpret our lifestyle from the trash we left on the shores and dumped into the sea. First, if they should find what my husband and I found, they would notice that the preponderance of the artifacts is plastic, that the number of plastic remains is very high, and that the majority were food related: small plastic straws from juice boxes, plastic tops from water and soda bottles, eating utensils, plastic bags, and candy wrappers. They would first note that plastics survive quiet well and do not break easily like glass or pottery. Yet, the high number of similar types of plastics would indicate that they were not reused, in spite of the fact the plastics were not broken. They would then ask why it was acceptable for us to use and discard objects made from reusable materials. Second, the future archaeologists might look at the chemical composition of the plastics and determine that petrol-based materials are dangerous. They might assume that we were unaware of this. However, if they could access the numerous scientific reports we wrote related to problems with plastics, it would become apparent to them that we understood the dangers they caused. For example, they might find that we knew that plastics break down into microplastics. These pollute our water supply, the land, and then work their way through the food chain, ultimately poisoning animals and humans. Therefore, another question that would arise from their studies would be, why, if they knew the harmful effects these objects were having on themselves and their entire eco-system did they continue to make, use, and discard them on such a regular basis? Herein lies the deeper question that archaeologists will ask, what was the socio-political context in the late 20th/early 21st century that led to this behaviour? There are a myriad of interrelated reasons that contribute to our reliance on single-use plastics: economic, food trends, and convenience, for example. However, one of the immediate answers that comes to mind is that today’s global world is one replete with time constraints. Today, many people have very busy work and home lives. After a long and stressful day at work, the last thing many people want to do is cook a meal. Since we are tired, we might buy ready-made food, often in plastic microwavable packaging. If someone has a late night in the office, it is also easier to grab something packed in plastic for the train ride home. Moreover, children’s lives are busy, too, and parents might find themselves taking their two children to six different after-school activities (I exaggerate) in one night; hence, there is little time for cooking or to sit down to a meal that is not rushed. If an archaeologist saw some of our calendars and diaries they would then deduce that our social practice of allowing dangerous plastic into our lives were, in part, dictated by our schedules. Then, a number of academic studies would follow from this initial deduction that would ask particular questions about our busy life-styles. Some they might ask are: 1. Why would they let their lives become so busy? Were economic problems so bad that they were essentially bound to their bosses and companies? Moreover, could they not think of another way through this besides working longer hours? 2. What was their understanding of living well-rounded lives? 3. How did they value time with family and friends? 4. What was their attitude towards food and eating habits? 5. What were they trying to achieve by being so focused on work and arranged activities that they would allow harmful products to enter the eco-system and their bodies? Anthropological studies on food have shown that not only is what people eat important to their identities, but how people eat is also socially significant. Meals are some of the main activities that keep societies and families together. Yet, now, at least in societies where both members of the family work, or someone works very long hours, meals are rushed, we do not take the time to enjoy preparing foods, or to regularly enjoy sitting with family and friends while we eat. The garbage we leave behind is a result of this. As I stated, there are a myriad of reasons for our reliance on harmful plastics. So the next time you see a non environmentally sustainable object, pretend you are an archaeologist in the future and ask how you might interpret our lifestyles in view of the garbage littering our beaches, roadsides, and other outdoor spaces. By doing this, we can discover underlying causes for our practices and try to make changes to them for the benefit of both our environmental and personal wellbeing.
By Diana Rocco PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Raising children today isn’t cheap. “It’s expensive. Keeping up with the Jones’s and keeping the kids in activities,” said Michelle Balisalisa as she was having lunch with her kids in Franklin Square Park. Those costs only seem to be rising, and new birth numbers suggest it’s leaving more couples to wait till later in life to have children. “We had our first at 32,” said Chris Lledo. “We wanted to be set before we started. We wanted to travel and do a few things before we started having kids,” Chris’ wife Lisa said. “We’d like to have another one, but it’s an on going debate with us.” And now new studies show the economy is also factoring into couples decisions. Studies show babies being born now can affect the population 20 years from now. Marketers are also paying close attention to birth numbers because they affect the sale of baby items. Over the last five years, as the economy fell, so did the number of new births in the United States. According to Demographic Intelligence, a company that produces quarterly birthing forecasts, the number of births per woman fell 12 percent since 2007, when the average American woman was having 2.12 children. This year that number is 1.87 and next year’s projection is 1.86. “Those groups that may be harder hit by the economic downturn are delaying child bearing, but they have the luxury of doing so when they are in their early twenties,” says Dr. Suleena Kalra, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Hispanics have seen the biggest decline, while Whites and Asian have actually seen an increase. “Women who are in their later thirties are probably having more kids due to a career and a number of other factors,” Kulra says.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer through the lens of Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development An EdD Assignment This paper will examine the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer focusing specifically on analyzing the review of Eric Metaxas’s biography of Bonhoeffer entitled, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, through the lens of Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a unique individual, born in Germany at the start of the twentieth century, experiencing both World War I and World War II. His father was a scientist and his mother originated from a line of pastor-theologians. This combination would prove formative for Bonhoeffer in regard to his worldview and approach to understanding things. Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor, theologian, and founding member of the Confessing Church. He is most known for his theological writings, most notably The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together. Bonhoeffer is also known for being resistant to the Nazi dictatorship and their persecution of Jews, which eventually led to him being arrested by the Nazi’s in April of 1943 and executed by hanging in April of 1945... Health, Wealth & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? By: David W. Jones & Russell S. Woodbridge The thesis of Health, Wealth & Happiness is "to address the failings of the prosperity gospel as well as give direction to disillusioned followers of prosperity theology" (p. 9) The book is divided into two major sections. The first portion provided a critique of the prosperity gospel by: establishing its origin in a history of the New Thought movement; defining the parameters of prosperity ministries; and exposing the erros of the prosperity gospel. The second portion provided a correction to the prosperity gospel by: discussing the Biblical teaching on suffering; wealth and poverty; and giving by way of a Scriptural defense. Health, Wealth & Happiness supported its thesis by detailing the flaws of the prosperity gospel, and also assisted to identify a solution for "disillusioned followers." The work is adequately filled with facts and evidence to introduce a churchgoer, or "disillusioned follower," of the error of the prosperity gospel... Those Who Must Give an Account By: John Hammett and Benjamin Merkle Those Who Must Give Account, edited by John S. Hammett and Benjamin L. Merkle, focuses on developing a healthy definition of church membership and a healthy understanding on the significance of church discipline. Their goal in developing Those Who Must Give Account is that as a result, there “will be churches that are closer to the goal of being radiant churches, without spot or wrinkle or blemish, churches that will bring glory to God.” (4). The purpose of this book is to give church leaders, “guidance on how they should receive and minister to those for whom they will have to give an account.” (1) The title of the book is based on Hebrews 13:17 where church leaders are to give an account. As the book develops, it focuses on the importance of church membership as a boundary for a leader’s responsibility and inevitably as a form of accountability to the member. Church discipline is set in place as a measure of defining that accountability in the hope of restoration and repentance... By: Larry Osborne One challenge to church membership and attendance in the twenty-first century is keeping people once they have attended a church. There have been many books and theories written on how to close the back door and help retain the members of a church. Larry Osborne offered his experience and formula for closing the back door in his book, Sticky Church. Osborne's philosophy on retaining membership is driven by a stron small group ministry. He believes that in order to be effective at keeping people, "our churches need to be stickier" (2008, p. 13). This stickiness will lead to healthier churches by having members that will "not only draw in spiritual window-shoppers and lead them to Christ; they also grow them up to maturity" (2008, p. 13). This method originated for Osborne through examinig the Great Commission passage, which calls Christians to make disciples. Osborne reminds his readers that this task includes "baptizing people and teaching them to obey everything he commanded (2008, p. 13)...
Enterprise Architecture gets defined as many different things – the Wikipedia definition takes up an entire slide. Jason Bloomberg, renowned architect/blogger remarks that nothing entertains an Enterprise Architect as much as a good old debate about what Enterprise Architecture is. For the sake of simplicity the important thing about Enterprise Architecture that compels me to write this blog, is that it involves visual models. Target State diagrams, Roadmaps, Customer Journeys, Logical Function models… all sorts of models that get produced, not exclusively, by Enterprise Architects. Models are a representation of something about an organisation that enables people to describe what’s going on, what needs to change, or even where-there-be-dragons. Using models helps condense and simplify. After all a picture tells a thousand words. As I visit clients I can’t help but notice however, how incredibly ugly most of the models are. Speed is important, but if the end result is an ugly mess – is the model actually fit for purpose? My mentor from my days at Gartner was convinced that “being right is only 10% of the problem”. This applies to so many architecture diagrams. They may be right, but who’s going to actually read them? Everyone has their own style – and everyone is a critic, but it is clear when someone takes pride in the appearance of their work, and when they don’t. It’s more than just style – studies have shown if something is in a format they recognise and is aesthetically pleasing, then people are more likely to agree with the messages within it. It increases ‘cognitive ease’ – the brain puts up less of a fight trying to disagree with it. So I’m on a campaign. Get Enterprise architects out of Visio, out of PowerPoint, and onto the walls. Not very digital – but to get attention you might need to get in people’s faces – and there’s nothing like a big poster on the wall to get attention. Information is beautiful is one of my favourite websites. Great for inspiration about different ways to show complex information. Advanced architects are using data analytics to diagnose action and make a case for change – imagine a heat-map of data quality across the enterprises logical data model. Now imagine it populated in real-time from operational systems? That would get some attention. Making architecture beautiful takes time and practice and a lot of trial and error. For many it’s a new and foreign skill. So grab a new font from Da Font.com, pick a palette from Adobe Kuler, some icons from the noun project, build a billion-dollar-gram of departmental spending and blue-tack it to the wall when you’ve finished.
Warning: content may be triggering for survivors of sexual assault/abuse. Elizabeth Wilde’s mouth was stuffed with cloth and her hands were tied behind her back. Hogs rummaged in the yard outside as her master, John Lumbrozo, forced himself on her repeatedly and threatened her with death if she resisted. When the 22-year old indentured servant girl later showed signs of being pregnant, witnesses reported that this respected doctor of Charles County, Maryland gave her a chemical “Phisick” that induced abortion. On a hot day in June, 1663 Elizabeth Wilde gave birth to “a Clod of blood,” while her rapist stood over her and performed the delivery of her dead fetus. “With the fetus and afterbirth in the chamber pot,” wrote historian Amanda Lea Miracle in her dissertation on the incident, “the doctor threw the contents into the street. And, as neighbors pointed out to her, a further indignity was that any roaming pig could devour it.” Lumbrozo had previously used sexual coercion against two other women, both of whom were his indentured servants. One, known only as Mrs. Hammond, he admitted to having sex with during his failed bid to challenge a lawsuit from her husband, Mr. John Hammond. The suit was filed, not for sexual assault, but because gossip over the incident was “severely hurting Hammond’s reputation so that his livelihood was in jeopardy.” In the other documented case, Lumbrozo attempted to force his servant, Margery Gold, to have sex with him because her husband owed him money. According to court testimony, Lumbrozo “took her and threw her upon the bed and would have forced her [but] she cried out and thereupon the doctor let her go.” The case was dismissed because there was no penile penetration. Our society has made significant advances for women’s rights and sexual equality during the last century, but this case study from nearly 350 years ago would not be out of place in the headlines of today. Just this year Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (an institution that claims to provide assistance for poor countries), was arrested for the alleged sexual assault on his maid, a refugee and rape survivor from African Guinea. According to statistics compiled by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission there were 12,772 workplace sexual harassment cases in 2010 (including all forms of sexual coercion, and representing a fraction of the number that actually occurred) and 84% of these cases were brought by women. Employers have gotten increasingly serious about cracking down on such abuses but during the last decade they were still held liable to the tune of $540 million. What is going on here? Could this kind of gender inequality be an intrinsic feature of human nature that we’re stuck with or is it simply a failure to create an environment that prevents such behaviors from reoccurring? Primatologists and evolutionary biologists have taken this question seriously and have developed some surprising conclusions that could inform our approach to this issue. Unlike Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer’s book A Natural History of Rape, a thesis that was criticized by scholars both in biology and gender studies, other evolutionary researchers have developed a much more balanced analysis. One example is from the recent edited volume Sexual Coercion in Primates and Humans by Martin Muller and Richard Wrangham. As they wrote in their introduction: [M]ales in a number of primate species appear to use force, or the threat of force, to coerce unwilling females to mate with them….Although the utility of this distinction has been disputed, there is no doubt that sexual coercion is a potentially important mechanism of mating bias within the broad framework of sexual conflict theory. There are three forms of sexual coercion that researchers have documented in both human and nonhuman primates: harassment, intimidation, and forced copulation. Harassment is the most common and results when males make repeated attempts to mate that imposes costs on females, intimidation is the use of physical violence inflicted on females who refuse to mate with a given male, and forced copulation (or “rape” in the human literature) is the least common form that involves violent restraint for immediate mating. The researchers found convincing evidence that the first two forms of sexual coercion (but not the third) increased the long-term reproductive success among males in Japanese macaques, baboons, and our closest evolutionary relatives the chimpanzees. This suggests that, at least for these three species, sexual coercion has been selected as an adaptive strategy in male sexual behavior. But what about humans? This is a difficult question to answer since, for reasons of privacy, researchers can’t very well study human sexuality by stationing a field researcher in our bedrooms. However, reported statistics on extreme forms of intimidation can perhaps give an indication of how common sexual coercion is in modern societies. Therefore, in the same edited volume, Evolutionary Psychologist Martin Daly republished the findings that he and his late wife, Margo Wilson, reported in their 1996 paper in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science (pdf here). To address this question they analyzed statistics for uxoricide (killings of wives) in England, Canada, and the United States between the years 1965 and 1990. Just like those researchers who studied nonhuman primates, Wilson and Daly operated under the assumption that the use of sexual coercion would be highest against those women with the highest “reproductive value.” In other words, men would be most likely to use threats or even violence against younger women who had the majority of their childbearing years ahead of them. As the graphs indicate, their results strongly supported this hypothesis. The highest number of uxoricides occurred in women from puberty to 24-years-old followed by those who were between 25 and 34 (see Figure 1). The lowest rate of uxoricide occurred in those women who were either approaching menopause or were already post-menopausal (50-years-old and older). The researchers also found identical trends for cases of sexual assault committed against both married and unmarried women, indicating that the murders likely had the same motivations as other cases of sexual violence (see Figure 2). Of course, one objection to these trends could be that younger men are simply more violence prone and would therefore be more likely to assault their partners. However, what Wilson and Daly discovered was that older men who were with younger women actually had a higher rate of intimidation than did younger men. These conclusions fit right in with those of our nonhuman male counterparts showing sexual coercion as a reoccurring feature of human behavior. These findings still need to be compared with results from non-Western societies to eliminate any potential bias produced as the result of culture or environment. But the uncomfortable implication is just what feminist scholars have been arguing all along: the patriarchy is real and it will require committed focus to reduce or eradicate sexual coercion in modern societies. However, an important thing to remember whenever reading about the implications of human evolution is that biology is not destiny. Fortunately, just as research with nonhuman primates has allowed us to better identify the problem in our own species, it can also provide us with some of the solutions. An important aspect of primate sexual coercion that shouldn’t be ignored is where it doesn’t exist and why. Bonobos are as closely related to us as chimpanzees are since we shared a common ancestor with both between four and six million years ago and the two species later diverged from each other only about a million years ago. There has never been an observed case of male sexual coercion in this species despite the fact that males are still somewhat larger than females. A unique aspect of bonobo society is that they are a female-dominated species thanks to the network of support that exists between bonobo females. Chimpanzee females are largely isolated from one another, but bonobo females come to one another’s aid. While there may be genetic differences that account for the lack of sexual coercion in bonobos, one important factor is the different environment that promotes these cooperative networks and limits the usefulness of male coercion (see my interview with Frans de Waal for more on this topic). Male bonobos mate more frequently by gaining support from these female networks rather than using sexual coercion as can be found in chimpanzees. Males grow up with this “culture” and observe the older males in their troop emphasize grooming over aggression and then adapt their own behavior in order to maximize their reproductive success. But bonobos aren’t the only ones. To illustrate how powerful the influence of culture can be for primate societies consider the most extreme example of a sexually coercive species: savanna baboons. Male baboons have been known to viciously maul a female that has rejected their advances and the level of male aggression is strongly correlated with their mating success. However, in a unique natural experiment Stanford primatologist Robert Sapolsky observed what developed when the largest and most aggressive males died out in a group known as Forest Troop (because they were feeding at the contaminated dump site of a Western safari lodge). In the intervening years Forest Group developed a culture in which kindness was rewarded more than aggression and adolescent males who migrated into the troop adopted this culture themselves. As Sapolsky related in his essay “A Natural History of Peace” for the journal Foreign Affairs (pdf here): The results were that Forest Troop was left with males who were less aggressive and more social than average and the troop now had double its previous female-to-male ratio. The social consequences of these changes were dramatic. There remained a hierarchy among the Forest Troop males, but it was far looser than before: compared with other, more typical savanna baboon groups, high-ranking males rarely harassed subordinates and occasionally even relinquished contested resources to them. Aggression was less frequent, particularly against third parties. And rates of affiliative behaviors, such as males and females grooming each other or sitting together, soared. There were even instances, now and then, of adult males grooming each other – a behavior nearly as unprecedented as baboons sprouting wings. . . By the early 1990s, none of the original low aggression/high affiliation males of Forest Troop’s tuberculosis period was still alive; all of the group’s adult males had joined after the epidemic. Despite this, the troop’s unique social milieu persisted – as it does to this day, some 20 years after the selective bottleneck. In other words, adolescent males that enter Forest Troop after having grown up elsewhere wind up adopting the unique behavioral style of the resident males. As defined by both anthropologists and animal behaviorists, “culture” consists of local behavioral variations, occurring for nongenetic and nonecological reasons, that last beyond the time of their originators. Forest Troop’s low aggression/high affiliation society constitutes nothing less than a multigenerational benign culture. These nonhuman primate examples suggest that an increased focus on women’s rights might not only reduce the current levels of sexual coercion but could benefit society as a whole. If women have increased social power (both politically and economically) they would be better able to resist male sexual coercion due to stronger networks of social support. At the same time this increased social power would be expected to help create a change in male culture that would influence how young men interact with women when trying to gain sexual access. While specific policies that protect women from coercion and exploitation remain important, what we’re ultimately after is social change. This is something that applies to men and women alike since many women actively participate in upholding sexual double standards. But while we work on promoting gender parity both politically and economically we should also follow the example of our baboon cousins and model the way that men interact with women. This means that more men should take issues of women’s rights seriously so that younger men who look up to them will follow in turn. By doing so perhaps we can create an environment where sexual coercion remains a thing of the past. This was the ultimate tragedy for Elizabeth Wilde and her own case of sexual coercion. The culture of colonial Maryland held that if a woman became pregnant she must have consented to sex, even if there was overwhelming evidence that she had been raped. As a result, it was the victim who ended up going on trial to face felony charges for “illicit sex” and the murder of her child. In the end her only recourse was to marry the man who raped her, a resolution that was morally acceptable to this deeply Christian community, and which cleared her of all charges. However, despite the limited options available, Elizabeth Wilde was not completely helpless and turns out to have had a reproductive strategy of her own. Once she realized that she’d been impregnated by her employer, Wilde confided in her fellow servant Joseph Dorrosell that she’d ingested “Ratsbeane” (or ratsbane, arsenic trioxide, a common poison at the time) in order to end the pregnancy. She was in terrible pain and feared death. It was only after Lumbrozo returned home and discovered her writhing in agony that he administered his own abortifacient. But, as Dorrosell testified, “it had done her no wrong” because it was the self-ingesting of rat poison that “did kill the child.” With little hope of finding justice in a patriarchal society, Wilde made the choice to deny her victimizer his reproductive success. We are fortunate today, at least in the Western world, that women have expanded the choices available to them after many years of successive, slight modifications to the status quo. Evolution may provide the background for some of our species’ recurrent behavioral strategies, but we have the ability to transform our physical and cultural environments in order to influence which strategies are ultimately the most successful. Many of our primate relatives and our own species’ history offers one approach. Perhaps we can choose another.
If you’re new to car audio, then you are probably wondering what all the hype is over having big subwoofers and lots of amplifiers. If you’ve ever asked yourself what does an amplifier do, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I will explain what a car amplifier is and what it does within your sound system. I will also cover the different types of amplifiers to help you decide which one will fulfill your car audio-related needs. The Amplifier: What Does It Do? In simple terms, a car amplifier boosts the electrical audio signal from your head unit to power high-power speakers and subwoofers. Almost all head units are limited in the amount of power they can send to a speaker. Your head unit can power your typical door speakers and such, but adding a subwoofer to the mix will require a tremendous amount of power to get that “hit you in the chest” type of bass. In order for that subwoofer to work properly, the amplifier takes the lower-power audio signal from the head unit and boosts it to a level that can really make that subwoofer move some air. How Do Amplifiers Work? Car audio amplifiers utilize specialized internal power supplies and circuitry to take the electrical audio signal from the head unit, amplify it, then send that “boosted” signal to the speaker terminals. All car audio amplifiers utilize the same basic components to perform the task it was designed to do. These components are divided into sections on the PCB (printed circuit board). These basic sections are as follows: - A DC to DC power supply (sometimes called a step-up power supply). This power supply is needed to create the power it takes to power a larger loudspeaker from a 12 volt powered audio source. This power supply can take the 12-volt power source and multiply it many times over. - Crossover circuits. This circuitry ensures that the proper frequencies are being sent to the speakers in order to provide the best possible sound quality and to avoid damage to the speakers. - Bridging circuits. Bridging circuits allow the amplifier to “bridge,” or combine, speaker outputs in order to provide an increase in power output. Bridging an amplifier’s speaker terminal is taking two channels and combining them to make a single channel. - Noise filtering circuitry (also known as “ground loop” noise). This circuitry helps to eliminate any unwanted “noise” from the audio signal. This “noise” can be alternator whine or some other interference within the audio signal. - Audio signal inputs. The audio inputs can be provided via the typical RCA-type input or speaker-level inputs (high-level input). I discussed what the high-level inputs are and how to utilize a line output converter to convert these speaker inputs to RCA outputs in this post if you’d like to know more. The Power Supply The most critical, or important, component of the amplifier is the power supply. This power supply is called the switch-mode power supply, or SMPS. It is the part of the amplifier that creates the higher voltage power from the 12 volts electrical supply source. The amp’s power supply is called switch-mode because it quickly turns transistors on and off, alternating the 12-volt power supply to the transformer. This switching, in turn, causes the transformer to produce high voltages on its output. The switching will also produce both positive and negative voltages. This will allow a fuller range of polarity when the signal is delivered to the output. The input section of the amplifier is just that, the input. This is where you will connect your head unit’s output via RCA patch cables or through speaker-level inputs. But, even though it seems pretty self-explanatory, the input circuitry of the amplifier actually handles more tasks than that. The input section performs these jobs: - Allows the amplifier to connect to your head unit using RCA or speaker-level inputs. - Contains circuitry to help eliminate noise from being boosted and sent through the speakers or subwoofer. - Performs the crossover tasks. - Handles the gain adjust of the amplifier. We will discuss the gain later on in this post. Preventing “Ground Loop” Noise Ground loop noise, also known as “alternator whine,” is an annoying buzzing or “whine” that can be heard through the speakers or subwoofer and can increase or decrease with engine speed. Ground loop noise is typically caused when an electrical current travels through the body panels of the vehicle and into the audio system. Luckily, most new amplifiers today contain the necessary circuitry components to nearly, if not completely eliminate all of this frustrating noise. Most, if not all amplifiers will have crossover functionality. This is a great feature to have because it can help you to fine-tune the frequencies that are sent to specific speakers. Most crossovers will have high-pass and low-pass adjustments that allow you to block or allow frequencies from being played. For example, the low-pass crossover will be used to send only low-end frequencies to the subwoofer. Depending on the size (diameter) of the subwoofer, these frequencies can range from 100 Hz and below. On the other hand, the high-pass crossover would be used to control the door speakers or tweeters. The GAIN: It’s Not A Volume Knob! As the title of this section indicates, the gain is in NO WAY a volume knob! The amplifier’s gain adjustment is used to match the speaker, or subwoofer, output signal with the head unit, or source, input signal. Even though amplifiers feature many other adjustments, the gain, in my opinion, is the most important adjustment of the amplifier and needs to be set properly in order to get the best possible sound quality and to prevent damage to your speakers or subwoofer. DO NOT just turn the gain like a volume knob. Just because your speakers are getting louder, doesn’t mean they are function properly. To ensure your amplifier gain has been set properly, you can use tools such as an oscilloscope (o-scope), or the SMD DD-1 Distortion Detector. Output: The Channels All amplifiers have audio output channels. These channels are the individual audio paths that deliver the audio signal to the speakers. There are different amplifier styles or configurations. They can range from a single channel (monoblock), up to 8 channels, or more. Most amplifiers can have their channels bridged, or combined, to create a single channel. This means that the user can take two separate channels and connect them in a specific configuration to create a single channel. This can be useful when you want a little more output wattage, or if you want to run a single speaker such as a subwoofer. Amplifiers: The Benefits Amplifiers are a great addition to a car audio system. There are several benefits to installing one in your vehicle. These include, but are not limited to the following: - Increased audio output (GET LOUD!) - The ability to add a subwoofer to a boring stock audio system. - The ability to tweak, or tune, tune the audio signals a bit more than the stock audio system will allow. This is just my opinion, but I really see no reason why you shouldn’t consider adding an amplifier and speaker or subwoofer upgrade to your vehicle. If you were unsure of what an amplifier was and what it could do for your audio system, I hope this post has given you some insight and understanding of some of the basics of the car audio amplifier.
One of the key reasons that companies lose new hires with some experience is that they fail to support these new hires adequately during their first few months. In some companies, it can be quite hard to understand how things work there, how to fit in and be successful, feel valued and included. Having a written onboarding plan from the start is a great way to bring more clarity to the person and also help them understand expectations during the crucial early months in their new roles in the new company. The onboarding plan can be written as early as during the recruitment process. In one best-case scenario, it was shared with a senior executive right after his interview with the CEO. It was such an unexpected and appreciated action that the executive commented how refreshing he found the transparency and it made him see the hiring company as head-and-shoulders above the competition which led to him accepting the offer and joining the company a few months later. While the plan can help clarify the set-up and structure for a new hire, it is important to set up review meetings with the newly hired managers or key hires. In some cases, reviews with an HRBP could be useful to understand for example how performance management is organized and how the process works. Such review moments could also clarify talent development programs and processes, which is useful to know for the new hire regarding his/her own career but also for helping the new hire manage the development actions for those who report to him/her. Review meetings with the manager that the new hire reports to could help identify priorities and understand where to connect with more people or build additional internal or external relationships. The manager can also answer questions about activities planned to ensure desired outcomes are achieved after 30-days, 60-days, and 90-days as captured in the onboarding plan. The people side of success The template captures not only the tasks and activities needed to succeed in a new role but also identifies people with whom to build relationships. These are important relationships and contacts that the new hire would need to establish and maintain to ensure his/her success in the long run. They could be key client contact personnel or contacts from key suppliers or subcontractors. They could also be internal – people who know how things work and who can advise on the best course of action to get something done at that company. And it is also important to identify people who can be trusted to keep things to themselves and who could advise on who to talk to before moving in specific directions for changes the new hire would like to implement. Either the HR Director/HRBP or the new hire’s manager may be helpful to identify who those contacts may be. Note that confidants or advisors may also be external people such as professional coaches or consultants. While it is important from a company’s perspective to ensure key new hires are provided with onboarding plans, completing the details and setting priorities to accomplish the outcomes defined in the plan lie with the new hire. The success of the new hire is only partially dependent on helping him/her get up to speed faster by having review meetings and an onboarding plan and giving him or her access to professional helpers and advisors. The new hire remains accountable for his or her own performance and following through on the items recorded in the onboarding plan. When both the process of onboarding works well and the new hire holds himself/herself accountable for the outcomes produced, the risks of failure due to onboarding gaps are lowered and retention success is more likely in the medium to long term! How can your network help you? What do you tell them ? When you talk to someone who already knows you, you do not need to introduce yourself. When talking to a contact of someone you know, introduce yourself. Make sure your message is complete: why are you talking to him/her? What exactly do you hope to get out of the conversation? Be specific about what you are looking for – i.e. role in sales, working on electric installation projects, etc. What are your training, certifications, experience, and skills to explain how you plan to successfully deliver in the role mentioned above? (the short version – only mention the most important ones!) Have your questions ready and be ready to rephrase any questions that are not easily understood by the person you are talking to. Give the other person time to think about their answers by being quiet after you asked. Show genuine interest in their advice or suggestions. Questions to ask The questions below can be used as a guide as you create your own list of questions to ask your contacts. Do consider how strong your history and relationship is with each person you talk to before you ask any of the questions. Rephrase any questions to allow for cultural differences and preferences and also to match the formality required for your conversation. Depending on the role of the person or his or her expertise/experience, you may choose different questions for each conversation. Note the specific questions you want to ask each person before you contact him/her. Limit yourself to a reasonable number of questions – something you can fit into a 30-minute call would be best when you talk to someone whom you have not met yet and who is giving you some of his/her precious time for this conversation. Are you aware of any job vacancies which would fit my skills/experience? Would you help me by looking out for opportunities you might become aware of and which might be useful to me? Do you know anyone who might be planning to change jobs where I might be a possible role replacement candidate? Do you know any companies where my skills and experience may be sought-after? Are you aware of any new companies moving into the area and/or whom I might be able to contact about a role there? Would you be willing to help me get an appointment for a discussion with a recruiter at your company? May I ask for your help in preparing for an interview (given your contacts/knowledge etc)? Would you be able to help me with more information about a company I would like to target for an unsolicited application? How would you advise me to proceed with my interest in THIS role or getting a role at Company X? Would you be willing to be a reference for me? Would you be willing to review my resume/CV and give me any tips or improvement suggestions? How do you plan your approach? Using the attached workbook below, start filling in the names on a sheet Note contact details you might have or if you are connected with any of them through social media Start with the people you know the best and explain what kind of opportunity you are looking for and listen to their advice or ideas of who they might know and would connect you with. After the discussion, capture their suggestions in the worksheet in the “Advice/Next step?” column. Follow-up on these, contact the person they suggested or introduced you to and ask for a meeting to discuss your interest in the company, work they do, etc. Each of the tabs in this worksheet (see file above) contains a table for you to capture the names of people you thought of while looking at the groups of people you are connected to. Complete the table for each of the groups you have considered as far as you can. (see example below for someone who identified 3 friends, but has not yet contacted them). To keep your momentum, monitor your follow-up actions which could range from contacting a suggested person or calling someone another time as agreed during the previous conversation you had with him or her. Set targets for yourself per day and per week to avoid procrastination or letting a contact “go cold”. This could happen if you call too long after the initial call and the person you are contacting may have forgotten that your mutual contact had introduced you to each other.! Networks of contacts and human connections can be a fragile environment and it is important that though your need for them to act on your behalf is high, you need to also maintain a good relationship throughout and continue to be someone whom they would like to help. Very few people HAVE to help you, they will because they want to. Your attitude and way of talking to them will determine how much they will be willing to help you. Be firm and confident, but not pushy. Sometimes there is a very thin line between those two. And the difference is often the strength of the history of your relationship with that person. If you know him or her for a long time and you have spent a lot of time together, you may be able to be a little pushier to get him or her to introduce you to someone else. When you have had only one or two conversations with someone at a conference, you would not likely have a strong enough relationship to be overly familiar or strong in your approach. Always be thankful. Even if you have known someone for a long time, if they introduce you to someone or give you a handy tip that leads to a conversation, do let them know how thankful you are for their help.. Also thank people for taking the time to talk to you regardless of the outcome. Only contact people from a conference or a class you took in the past if you actually spoke to them. It would be quite unusual to simply use a conference or class attendance list and email or contact each person on it regardless of whether you actually spoke to them at the time. Most people might disregard requests for calls or discussions in such cases. Do not expect your contacts to call you back when they have more information for you. Ask if it would be alright for you to call back within a week or two. When you had a great conversation with someone, why not add him or her to your list of future contacts? You never know when you may be able to introduce them to a new client or opportunity that fits into their business model! Ever left a job interview frustrated? Because the interviewer seemed unprepared and asked seemingly random questions making it hard to discuss your achievements, interest in the role and how you planned to contribute to the success of the company. Or maybe you have been the recruiter who could not get ratings or post-interview notes from a manager because they did not jot anything down and could not give you any feedback after an interview they had conducted? Getting the most out of the time you have to interview a candidate takes a lot of planning, focus and clarity on what exactly you want to establish. And yes, it also takes time management. An hour can fly past so fast without a plan! To make interviews work well, the recruiter needs to do 3 things diligently: Prepare an interview guide for each interviewer and provide them with that and any additional items such as the CV/Resume of the candidate, completed application forms and any other documents which have been provided by the candidate before the interview. Also include relevant notes from a screening call. Prepare all interviewers with interview training so they can use the interview guide correctly and understand how to phrase questions and follow-up questions. Include the use of behavioral questions in the training, which are powerful in establishing what a candidate had done in previous situations given key competencies required for the role. [Providing interviewers with training on natural biases, will improve fairness of interview outcomes] Follow up after the interview to collect notes and scores from interviewers. It is your summary of results that helps those making decisions about next steps in the recruitment process. The Interview Guide It is tough for interviewers to follow someone else’s plan verbatim and such an interview can come across as forced or staged. The preparation gives the interviewer a chance to consider rewording questions and possibly add their own questions. They may also want to change the sequence of questions. All of this will lead to a better and more natural interview experience for the job candidate. Setting expectations and clarity about the structure of the interview upfront is helpful for a candidate to understand the approach you plan to follow. Most candidates feel more relaxed understanding the structure that you will follow. 3. BehavioralQuestions – STARstyle Note that it is not advised to ask more than 3 behavioral questions during a 60 minute interview. To explore answers and ask follow-up questions can take time and you do want to leave time to answer the candidate’s questions too. If doing a panel interview, divide the 3 behavioral questions among members of the interview panel. Give the candidate an opportunity to ask questions to help him or her have a clear understanding of the role and how things work at your company. Then it is time to either ask any follow-up questions you may have left to the end (checking if you have enough time left to do so). One approach that is often used to give you time to check your notes is to ask the candidate a question and giving him or her some time to think about their answer (while you check your notes). Remember to share the next steps with the candidate i.e. when the interview phase will end and decisions will be made for the next phase in the recruitment process. Or if you do not know, let the candidate know that the recruiter will be able to answer next step answers. Follow through with interviewers to ensure results and scores are collected in a timely fashion to support data-based decision-making regarding next steps. Make sure you provide interviewers with a summary scoring sheet in the Interview Guide to select scores for answers obtained based on a pre-determined rating scale. This will avoid the need to go back and forth to interviewers while trying to understand their own way of scoring candidates. Not everyone enjoys a highly structured interview and in some company cultures or for roles in creative functions, this may be seen as an unproductive way to test the creativity of candidates or showcase the unpredictable nature of the industry or the environment. Let common sense prevail to ensure you have an interview protocol that meets the need to fairly evaluate all job candidates in a consistent manner. When your interview guides are online and so are your scoring sheets – this greatly improves your ability to quickly access post-interview notes and scores after interviews are completed. Do not under-estimate the training needed for interviewers to understand the recruitment process or the importance of being able to demonstrate that a fair and consistent approach was used to evaluate candidates before selecting the final candidate. Define what will be included in further detail and exercises during the workshop (bullet points should help you further) in order to meet the goal(s) you have set in point 2 for the group you have defined in point 1. Set a date when the workshop will be made available so you can remain focused on deadlines that help to meet that date. Start working on the next level of detail – Consider that you may want to do a combination of training solutions like assigning some online training before they come to the workshop to cover some knowledge you want them all to have at the start of the workshop. Also, work out your bullet points into a “storyline” that logically structures the sequence of topics to be covered and exercises you will use to help build competency in using specific tools or approaches. Use the slides I have attached for download (above). Using your answers to the points above – maybe you need ideas about how information can be sequenced? See if any of the sections in the slide deck help you fill in some of your planned learning areas. Maybe some of the exercises could be useful for your workshop? A friend of mine always says (in Dutch) – you can better creatively borrow ideas from others than come up with something yourself, which is lesser. So use this slide deck, and borrow ideas from it to get your budding Interview Training Workshop to the next level! After interviews have taken place you will want to take a few more steps before you decide whether to make an offer to one of the job candidates you have for a vacancy. You may want to ask candidates to complete assessments or you may want to get the perspectives of their former colleagues before you make a decision. Additional steps after initial interviews or between rounds of interviews could include: Tests or assessments. Practical exercises like a business case or even a presentation to be made to some senior leaders or experts at your company. Reference checking with former colleagues, former direct reports or former supervisors of the candidate(s). The (download) template I am sharing below contains a few questions to help you understand whether one candidate may be preferred compared to another given their experiences and approaches. Background checks are used in some countries but can be harder to obtain in countries or regions where data and privacy protection laws exist. In most cases, criminal background and/or financial history information can only be obtained if the prospective employer can show a direct link between the requirements of the role and the information it wishes to obtain. Reference checks are typically easier to conduct in most countries, but be mindful of the kinds of information that you would be reasonably able to obtain given local laws. Be mindful to: Ensure that you notify any impacted job candidates (i.e. in areas such as Europe) about the data you wish to obtain and how you would process this data to avoid the risk of non-compliance. Job candidates need to know this at the start of the process and they must (actively) agree with your proposal for collecting data before you are able to proceed. Ensure that all data obtained during the recruitment process is archived or destroyed after the process has been completed for a specific vacancy. All HR personnel who deal with such data would need to understand that this also includes any data that have been saved to their individual computers during the process. Make sure the data you wish to obtain is relevant to the hiring decisions you wish to make. And make sure that those who would speak with candidates or possible referees can explain the connection. Assuming that you have taken all precautions to ensure you are not incurring any risks with your planned reference checking approach, use the questions you have selected (the download template above can help) when you contact the list of referees provided by the job candidate. You can use the template in a few ways: Set up a time to talk to each referee via phone or Skype and go through the questions, capturing his or her responses. Send each referee a form and ask him/her to complete it and return it to you – typically via email. Be aware that this approach does not offer you much opportunity to ask further questions to clarify without creating a few extra emails to the original string. Set up the questions as an online survey (for example using www.surveymonkey.com) and share the link with referees. Note that data interpretation may be an issue here – not knowing what a referee meant by a specific score or comment. This also means you would have to contact referees again to clarify feedback. One way to improve data interpretation is to build in comment fields to explain scores. Finally, it is important to understand that a reference check is just one of the data points that could support decision-making related to hiring the best candidate for the vacancy. Feedback may be incomplete for a number of reasons: The referee wishes to avoid any unpleasant situation with the former employee and wishes to be cautious in his/her responses. There may be laws in the country which specifies what referees can or should say and what they cannot comment on. The previous company may have clear policies about what can be shared by referees, which may be limited to job title and years of employment at the company. Getting feedback from those who previously worked with a job candidate can still be valuable – understanding how the candidate’s knowledge or work methods would fit in with the job requirements or the company culture. For this reason, it can be good to get more perspectives. Just be aware of possible risks given the changing legal environment as you obtain feedback from referees. After interviewing some candidates for a vacancy it is easy to start getting confused about how the candidates compare to each other. If you have used the template for capturing information during interviews Job Applicant Interview Record then you will have a stack of records from those who have interviewed the candidates you are currently considering. How to bring it all together? Interviewers can also use this sheet to score each candidate they interview for a vacancy and then provided completed sheets back to the recruiter who consolidates all input received into one summary for final discussion and decision-making. Change column headings in this template to match the key criteria that you have used in your Interview Records for this vacancy and use the average scores that each of the candidates have obtained from interviewers when you create this summary. The Totals column adds up the overall score for each candidate so you can see how the scores compare and which candidates have scored better than others. This template is useful to the recruiter in advising the Hiring Manager on the outcomes of interviews in order to plan the next steps for that vacancy. You can add a row for weighting specific criteria in the spreadsheet. For example if you believe that one of the items is much more important than the others – could be language skills, or supervisory experience – you can decide to give it a higher importance by adding a higher “weighting” to it. (All of the weights for each of the rated categories together should add up to 100) The overall scores are now created by multiplying the score for each category with the weighting that you have assigned – based on the higher importance of some items. The Job Candidate Summary template can help you create one simple document which contains all of the feedback received about a candidate during the interview phase. And this greatly benefits a focused discussion about next steps with the Hiring Manager. A successful on-boarding process ensures that a new employee is able to deliver top performance (creating value) at your company as fast as possible. A successful new employee on-boarding process starts before the new employee is due to arrive and it is a structured process vs an afterthought. Some HR platforms include an on-boarding module which supports communication with the expected new employee and key stakeholders at the company who play a role in the on-boarding process. On-boarding activities can include training to be completed, forms that need to be finalized and submitted etc. Coordinating all of these activities and documenting the on-boarding plan is often the responsibility of HR. This template is a basic version and you should add your own additional items to help new employees understand your industry, office building and business better. If the new employee will be in a customer-facing role you may need to include introductions to customers too. I would say the signing off by the manager and new employee is optional – depends on your company culture and how you would prefer to run things at your office. The important part is THAT you have a structured process to bring someone new into the company and that this process is run in a consistent manner. That way you can be sure that each new employee has received all of the support needed to as quickly as possible understand the way things are done at your company and who to talk to about specific topics and ideas. This is a vital part of ensuring the newly hired employee gets to the top of their performance potential in the shortest possible time period and feel welcome – engaged – from day 1. Comparing multiple job applicants after the interviews are complete can be tough to do if you did not capture your impressions in a structured way. Without a structured process to capture impressions various forms of bias can creep into your decision-making. For example… most people tend to prefer people who are more like they are and therefore tend to hire people who are most like themselves. And it is also true that we often have a “feeling” of whether we like someone or not within the first 5 minutes of the interview. Trying to ignore these unconscious biases is hard to do without a structured process to capture your interview results. The template (download button is below) is a way for you to be more diligent in capturing specific feedback from the candidate as it relates to the job description and requirements for the vacancy. Avoid making decisions about whether or not to hire a person during the interview. Instead focus on the gathering the relevant data needed for making those decisions. A structured interview record can go a long way towards helping you do just that.
I never knew that Antisocial Personality Disorder had different subtypes, but it does make sense that it would. These are Millon’s ten subtypes of ASPD (antisocial personality disorder). Theodore Millon was a psychologist who specialized in personality disorders and subdivided them into various subtypes. (In a future article, I’ll write a post about his Borderline Personality Disorder divisions.) This was a post I found on Psychforums (in the ASPD forum). I don’t know who wrote it, so I can’t give credit to the original source, only a link to where I found it. In the post I found, the the term “psychopath” is used, but I think these types more properly describe people with ASPD, most who are sociopaths (an acquired condition due to trauma that may also involve brain dysfunction), not psychopaths (a condition of the brain you are born with that has nothing or little to do with early trauma). There are also pro-social psychopaths (though all psychopaths lack a conscience), and none of these types seem very pro-social to me. So even though many psychopaths may fit these subtypes, I think it’s misleading so I took out the term “psychopath” in the subheads. Activities kept near or at the boundaries of the law; stereotyped social roles; con man, charlatan, fast-talking used car salesman.Expansive fantasies and exaggerated sense of self-importance.Willing to take advantage of and humiliate those who leave themselves open to deceit. May cultivate persuasiveness or charm as a means of getting others to lower their guard, but sees all prosocial behaviour as ultimately self-serving. Contemptuous of “the system”; working “the system” to avoid punishment seen as just “part of the game“. Sees self as wrongfully deprived of life’s necessities, leading to envy and resentment. Compensates by taking what he or she is entitled to as a means of revenging wrong and restoring “karmic balance” in life. Sees self as a victim of external forces, misunderstood by others and by society. Manipulates others as a meaning of proving own superiority, as well as avenging attributions of worthlessness. Smug and contemptuous toward victims, who may be viewed as pawns in the larger game. Prone to ostentatious displays of conspicuous consumption. Chronic underarousal leads to risk-taking as means of “feeling alive”. Fails to realize the consequences of risk-taking; believes that social rules are unnecessarily confining of own sense of adventure. Eschews normal desire for safety as evidence of cowardice. Proves own mettle as a means of proving self-esteem and worthiness to self and others. Superficial sociability (or even seductiveness) hides an impulsive, moody and resentful core. Emotionally labile, prone to excitement-seeking, stimulus-dependant behaviour, lacking in forethought, with a high potential for painful consequences. Rationalizes and projects blame onto others when attempts to solicit attention go awry. Aggression not intrinsically rewarding; psychopathic acts intended to others that the psychopath is not weak. Has first-strike mentality; strikes whenever own fearfulness peaks (perhaps in episodes of panic), regardless of objective degree of threat. Experiences fantasies of vulnerability; sees others as sadistic or exploiting. [my note–I’m not sure what “fantasies of vulnerability” would refer to] Prefers to be overtly contentious, confrontational, antagonistic rather than indirectly manipulative. Expects hostility from others, and pre-empts insults with own abrasiveness. Prefers to escalate arguments; experiences pleasure by frustrating others, making them back down. Inherently oppositional to any form of emotional control; seeks to break constraints simply because they exist. Realizes pleasure through total control of others. Employs violence instrumentally, to force perceived opponents to cower or submit. Projects image of power or brutality; supports self-image of power and superiority by inflicting pain and suffering, if not power. Low frustration threshold, resulting in episodes of uncontrollable rage and violent attack. Episodes may be instantaneous reaction to frustration or perceived insult, and thus may be perceived by others as random and unprovoked. Hateful, destructive defiance of values of social life. inherently distrustful, ruthless, cold-blooded, revengeful, punitive. Often isolated, paranoid, with ruminative fantasies of power and revenge. Sees others as inherently persecutory or treacherous. Uses hostility as a means of armoring self, forcin adversaries to take issue and withdraw.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial One of the most visited war memorials is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Constitution Avenue between 21st and 23rd Streets, 202/426-6841, 24 hours, free). This moving memorial honors U.S. service members who fought and died in the Vietnam War and also those who are missing in action. There are three parts to the memorial, the Three Soldiers Statue, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. There is a path along the base of the wall so visitors can walk along it, read names, and if desired, make pencil rubbings of a particular name.The focal point of the memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall completed in 1982, which is actually two 246-foot walls that are sunken into the ground and have the names of more than 58,000 service members who died in the war etched into them in chronological order. (The exact number changes each year as names are added.) When visitors look at the wall, they can see their reflections next to the etched names, symbolically linking the past and present. There is a path along the base of the wall so visitors can walk along it, read names, and if desired, make pencil rubbings of a particular name. The memorial is at the west end of the National Mall, adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial in West Potomac Park. It is open to the public 24 hours a day, and park staff conduct free daily interpretive tours on the hour 10am-11pm. National World War II Memorial The National World War II Memorial (17th Street between Constitution and Independence Avenues, 202/619-7222, 24 hours, free) honors the more than 400,000 people who died in World War II, the 16 million people who served the United States during the war in the armed forces, and the millions of people who provided support from home. The memorial contains 56 pillars and two triumphal arches arranged in a semicircle around a fountain and plaza. A Freedom Wall sits on the west side of the memorial bearing more than 4,000 gold stars on it, each representing 100 Americans who lost their lives in the war. An inscription in front of the wall reads, “Here we mark the price of freedom.” The memorial opened to the public in 2004 and is administered by the National Park Service. It is on the east end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Korean War Veterans Memorial The beautiful and haunting Korean War Veterans Memorial (17th Street SW, 202/426-6841, 24 hours, free) is also in West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial. Erected in 1995, it is dedicated to service members who served in the Korean War. The memorial was designed in the shape of a triangle intersecting a circle with walls depicting images of land, sea, and air troops who supported the war. The focal point, however, is 19 larger than life-size stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord within the walled triangle. The seven-foot-tall figures represent a patrol squad with members from each branch of the armed forces making their way through the harsh Korean terrain represented by strips of granite and bushes. The figures are dressed in full combat gear and look incredibly lifelike. The memorial is lit up at night, and when the figures are reflected on the surrounding wall, there appear to be 38 soldiers, which represents the 38th parallel dividing the two Koreas.
The easy answer is probably. You see, I love design. Properly love it. When i’m out and about I analyse things I see, remember things that may influence stuff I do in future, and talk about it a hell of a lot. But I have this nagging doubt now that the things I used to like, which used to influence me, just don’t anymore. For example, Kidrobot. Now don’t get me wrong I loved this stuff, you wouldn’t have found anyone more excited when they had a pop up shop in Selfridges in London, or when I found out they were actually opening a London store. However, I don’t want any of it anymore. I look at the Dunny ranges, and feel uninspired with them, i don’t care for them any more. Designers like Huck Gee, even though I would be (and have been in the past) destroyed for saying my reaction to his work is ‘meh’, I really feel that designers like this are living of their reputation, and are being far from creative anymore. What was once fun and different has been replaced with mundane repetition. I use Huck Gee as an example because this guy could spit on a piece of paper and some fools collectors would pay exorbitant amounts for it. They are buying ‘Huck Gee’ rather than buying what they like. Now I am not saying for one minute that I don’t think that Huck Gee isn’t a good designer, just one that has found his style, settled into a routine, churns out a few limited or one off pieces, sticks them on ebay, and makes a fortune. He then dishes out designs for the blind boxes, of which none have blown me away for a few years. I mean, if you could do that, make the money, then we all would - I just feel that this sends the wrong message out to up and coming designers. I would never encourage my students to play it safe with design. Design is about taking risks, thats why we are designers. If I wanted to play it safe, or for them to play it safe I would tell them to go and work in Tesco. As a designer it is the opportunity to inspire those around you with your work and creativity that should drive you forwards. To not play it safe and to set trends and develop them rather than replicate and follow trends. A designer I knew very well, when overlooked for a position within a consultancy that offered me a position actually said to me ‘Why did they offer YOU a job, I’m a much better designer than you?’. I have never forgot this, and it still pushes my creativity to this day. The simple answer is that I took risks. I didn’t care if someone told me my end product was crap, as long as I was happy that I had produced something that was my own, oh it may well have had influences from other designers, but the key was to have it inform and direct my own creativity, than than try to replicate what I wanted to produce in their style. This is what the other designer used to do. Take whatever was flavour of the month design-wise with them, and shoehorn it in whatever they were working on. Well of course their end product was supremely polished, because they knew what it should look like. Design should be about breaking new ground, opening up new experiences to the masses and encouraging others to explore their creativity. You should be exploring you own end product, and there is nothing more exciting, but fear-inducing as the halfway stage in a project where you don’t know whether its going to turn out ok or not. Which leads me back to my original question, do I think I am a design snob? Well for all intents and purposes, yes, possibly, probably. Do I care? Not really. I wish that sometimes that some areas of the design industry would take the chip off their shoulder, the one that rubs so many ‘non-designers’ up the wrong way. Yes we can all laugh at the amateur use of comic sans, or clip art in someone’s design, but when all is said and done, they don’t need an ‘expert’ to patronise them. They know they aren’t designers, thats why they approach design agencies to assist them and their businesses, but on the token, this is why people are going it alone and not consulting design agencies. I know many people who have been patronised and belittled when dealing with ‘well-known’ consultancies, made to feel stupid, and forced into going along with the ‘style’ of the consultancy. This is where I feel ashamed to have been a part of this industry, people don’t trust designers, not like they used to. People are more informed these days and rightly can make an informed decision about the direction of their project. There is an air of arrogance that surrounds many designers, who find their own self importance much more of a concern than the needs of Mr Smith the local butcher who wants to revamp his business, but to maintain his heritage, snow ploughing him into things he may not have the fortitude to disagree with, considering they are the ‘professionals’. Now I am not saying that I have not been guilty of this in the past, because I have been. You almost get pushed to be self confident to a fault in an agency, and because there is such an atmosphere of self competition, it can cause many issues to arise. I left the mainstream industry and I am totally glad that I did. I would not like to become the person I found myself becoming whilst working in the industry ever, and I would rather be snobby about design, and what I like and dislike within design than to think I knew better than everyone else. It is my opinion on design which matters to me, it isn’t my place to tell others what good and bad design is, we are created to be objective, and thats what everyone should be. Just because I don’t like comic sans, doesn’t mean you are wrong to like it……. but you are. I don’t know where I stand within design anymore, have I hit a point where the design cycle is passing me by and I am starting to get fed up of current trends? Maybe. All I know is that each and every day I find something new that I love, every day seeing something different, created by some of the most creative people in the world. Do I care that I won’t be fawning over Huck Gee’s new releases? Not at all, but then again, he probably doesn’t care what I think either.
At first glance, the sleek and sculptural 21-story Astor Place tower in New York City appears out of place in the heart of the bohemian East Village. But true to the spirit of the neighborhood, Astor Place is challenging convention and advancing the ideals of energy conservation and sustainability. These advancements were accomplished through a collaboration among a water technology company, building manager Related Management Co. and the Sustainable Engineering Lab at Columbia University, to test assumptions of energy efficiency in a retrofit of the building’s hydronic heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, later documented in a doctoral dissertation. The Astor Place Energy Improvement Project consisted of three primary steps: conducting an initial energy assessment of the hydronic system, updating the system with technologically advanced pumps and controls and adjusting the system in real time to evaluate the effects of the HVAC modifications. The impact of energy efficiency improvements is often difficult to demonstrate at the individual system level because buildings typically get billed for energy use at the building level. According to Luke Falk, assistant vice president at Related and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, the partnership among the water technology company, building manager and Columbia University allowed stakeholders to gain a granular understanding of exactly how much energy they would save by implementing a complex HVAC enhancement. The key finding from the testing was that right-sized pumps paired with variable frequency drives (VFDs) powering the chilled water portion of a hydraulically balanced system can deliver a 95 percent reduction in pumping energy, far exceeding the team’s expectations. As noted by the Columbia research team: “The pumping electricity reduction with VFDs was far more significant than the effects of (reduced pump size and pressure-independent control valves): Annual replacement of the chilled water (ChW) distribution pump electricity was 92 percent lower with VFDs than without. “When comparing the combined effects of the replacement pumps and the VFDs, the ChW distribution pumping electricity reduction was 95 percent.” Coupled with the findings in an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Journal article that concluded energy improvements in the HVAC system could substantially influence 43 percent of a building’s total energy, this has a dramatic impact on the overall building energy footprint (see Image 1). Using data collected during the initial energy assessment, Columbia University researchers and water technology company engineers jointly reviewed the data. Researchers then calculated potential energy savings and tracked key system parameters following the renovation of the chilled and hot water systems, developing a mathematical model from the data. This prescriptive pathway to assess performance offers relevant technical data that, before now, has been extrapolated solely from laboratory test results or obtained through time-consuming proprietary energy assessments. The Test Subject Astor Place was developed by Related Companies and completed in 2005. It includes 39 residential units with commercial space on the building’s first and second floors. The HVAC system uses hydronic space heating through boilers and cooling with central absorption chillers. Fan-coil units provide HVAC to residential floors; HVAC in the common and commercial spaces employs air-handling units. Only the central plant equipment and air handling equipment in the commercial and common spaces were included in the retrofit and subsequent evaluation. The approach to the ChW and hot water (HW) systems was nearly identical, though monitoring was more comprehensive on the ChW systems, the details of which are outlined here. On the cooling side, the original 30-horsepower (hp) condenser water pumps were replaced with lower horsepower but more technologically advanced pumps. The new pumps immediately delivered savings in electricity use—from 25.3 kilowatts (kW) to 18.0 kW. Other modifications included new piping to create primary/secondary chilled water loops out of the original primary only system and the addition of 7.5-hp primary pumps. Constant primary chilled water flow optimizes chiller performance. Decoupling the loops in the original one-loop system allowed for the installation of variable flow technologies on the secondary loop. New 15-hp pumps replaced the original 20-hp distribution pumps and were outfitted with VFDs. The head losses were lower than expected, so the team was able to use smaller replacement pumps. This created more energy savings potential with the VFDs than on the larger pumps. Savings from dynamic adjustment using VFDs offset additional electricity required to operate the new primary pumps. In providing their expertise, along with the pumps, drives and monitoring equipment for the project, the water technology company engineers obtained specific real-time data on pump and system performance.
The exhibit focused on the EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office and their work to ensure the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes. The opportunity to host this exhibit enabled the John Crerar library to highlight its historical and contemporary environmental collections as well as the University's programs in Environmental Studies. The exhibit presented major issues such as chemical contamination and habitat loss in the Great Lakes. Invasive organisms (such as the Sea lamprey, the Round Goby, and the famous Zebra Mussel) as well as sampling and analytical equipment used aboard the EPA's 180-foot Research Vessel the "Lake Guardian" were on display. In addition, informational pamphlets and booklets on a variety of Great Lakes environmental issues were available. There were four cases in total - each dealing with a different aspect of the Great Lakes.
Graz-based office Love Architecture and Urbanism designed the balconies as a simple way to transform the new Ragnitzstrasse 36 apartment block into something more striking. "This building's overall architectural character is defined by relatively inexpensive building components, such as the balconies." Related story: BIG designs honeycomb housing block for the Bahamas The four-storey building has 15 small apartments and one penthouse apartment, and is partly designed to meet housing demand from doctors, nurses and other medical staff working at a nearby hospital – the largest in Graz. The apartments range from 40 to 50 square metres, and the balconies give them another 17 square metres of space. "Apart from looking great and sculptural, the balconies were designed as a direct extension of the flats, to make the small spaces look bigger from the inside," said Schönherr. The triangular shape of each balcony's roof and floor creates a partially covered outdoor space, with a wide edge that can accommodate a table and chairs, and a thinner edge for plants and other small objects. Both the triangular shape and the fabric-covered openings in the partitions between them also allowed the architects to get around limitations set by authorities about how much floor space could be built on the site. "There is a maximum amount of gross floor area you are allowed to build," explained Schönherr. "The balconies are only included fully within this calculation if they are completely covered with a roof and two walls. By making balconies that are not fully enclosed by a wall and roof, we were able to limit how much they contribute to the calculation, without actually needing to limit their size." Love Architecture and Urbanism chose larch for the railings to soften the appearance of the south-facing facade. "Larch is regional, affordable and durable, and it has a nice feel and colour. We also think it will look beautiful when it ages to a greyer colour," said Schönherr. By contrast, the street-facing side of the building is covered in perforated metal, which acts as a privacy screen for external access balconies to the flats. "It also creates a sensitive, multi-layered sequence as you come from public to private space," said Schönherr. "It makes the distance between the street and the apartments feel bigger, and also provides shelter from rain and snow, without being completely closed." The bottom three storeys of the building house five apartments each, and a basement level accommodates parking space. The top floor has a larger penthouse apartment which is set back at the edges to create a large terrace on both sides. Photography is by Jasmin Schuller. Here's some more information from the architects: Ragnitzstrasse 36, Graz, Austria The construction of small apartments that are relatively inexpensive yet still high quality is currently one of the most essential challenges in housing construction. The Ragnitzstrasse 36 project is meeting these conflicting priorities in the following manner: a structurally simple, systematic and efficiently designed base building structure houses all apartments. To the south, this structure is flanked by zig-zag-shaped balconies, while the north side features a pergola opening encased in expanded metal. This building's overall architectural character is defined by relatively inexpensive building components, such as the balconies. The building houses 15 small apartments (40-50 square metres) and one penthouse on the top floor, with a subterranean parking level below. All apartments are oriented to the south and feature outside areas that face the green space of Ragnitzbach. The balconies and outside areas that cover the entire apartment widths are partially roofed and feature a minimum size of 17 square metres. Thus, the actual living area extends towards the outside area, and living rooms and bedrooms appear larger and more spacious. The larch-wood balcony railings are placed in a fan-like manner along the zig-zag rhythm of the cantilever slab, with both materials and workmanship creating a homely atmosphere. The north-facing pergola blocks the traffic noise of Ragnitzstrasse. The expanded metal facade is mounted such that it appears almost transparent from the west. However, when approaching the building from the east, the facade appears closed and volumetric, which creates a kind of visual tilting effect as one passes the building. Overall, the appearance of the structure varies dramatically depending on the viewer's perspective, which gives the building a very sculptural and three-dimensional feel. - H2O by Axis Mundi
Iwankapiya (Healing) - Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention and Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy for American Indians Supported by the Group Foundation’s Mitchell Hochberg Memorial Public Education Fund Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico Josephine Chase, PhD, MSW, Psychotherapy, Consultant, Horse Nation Healing, Inc. Rapid City, SD American Indians face pervasive trauma exposure, collective histories of communal suffering, and elevated risk for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. In addition to socioeconomic barriers, access to culturally responsive treatment is limited, which may compromise treatment engagement. The Iwankapiya study piloted the Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention (HTUG), combined with Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), to reduce symptoms of depression and related trauma and grief. HTUG + IPT or IPT Only groups were conducted at two tribal sites: one Northern Plains reservation (n-26) and one Southwest urban clinic (n-26). Depression scores significantly decreased for both treatments, but there were no significant differences in depression between the two groups. However, HTUG + IPT participants demonstrated significantly greater group engagement. Postintervention, clinicians expressed preference for HTUG+IPT based upon qualitative observations of greater perceived gains among participants. Given the degree of trauma exposure in tribal communities, these findings in a relatively small sample suggest HTUG should be further examined in context of treatment engagement. In addition to describing the study, Drs. Braveheart and Chase will discuss the importance of cultural context and describe how they came to recognize the need for the study. They will also share specific elements of the HTUG. Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, PhD, (Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota) is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Clinician Educator. Dr. Brave Heart joined the faculty of the University of New Mexico (UNM) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in October 2010. Dr. Brave Heart graduated in 1974 from Tufts University with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, magna cum laude. Dr. Brave Heart received her Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) then graduated in 1976 from Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW), an Ivy League institution, in the clinical tract. Dr. Brave Heart worked as a therapist and clinical supervisor in both reservation and urban clinics, and studied part-time in psychoanalytic institutes - Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in New York and Colorado. Dr. Brave Heart completed her doctoral education at Smith College School for Social Work (SSW), part of the Ivy League as well, in 1995. SSW’s origins were steeped in trauma treatment, especially focusing on “war neurosis” in World War I, the precursor to PTSD. Given the high rates of enlistment in the military among American Indians, Dr. Brave Heart’s education and her doctoral dissertation focused on trauma healing for tribal communities, particularly historical trauma and unresolved grief. Dr. Brave Heart was appointed Assistant Professor in 1992 and in 1995 after completing her dissertation The Return to the Sacred Path: Healing Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Among the Lakota, Dr. Brave Heart was promoted to tenured Associate Professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (DU-GSSW) and advanced to tenured Associate Professor. Columbia University then recruited Dr. Brave Heart as Associate Professor. Dr. Brave Heart was also a recipient of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Doctoral Fellowship for leadership in mental health. She is a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and has been Chair and Co-Chair of the ISTSS Special Interest Group on Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience for several years. More recently, Dr. Brave Heart was awarded a National Institute of Mental Health R34 pilot clinical randomized trial comparing the Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention that she developed combined with Group Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) vs IPT alone. Participants and providers reported preference for the HTUG+IPT vs IPT Only. There was greater group engagement and providers expressed preference for the HTUG component. The results of the study are published in a recent paper which we will forward separately. Dr. Chase was Principal Investigator at the Tribal site in South Dakota for a NIMH-funded R34 pilot study Iwankapiya-Healing: Historical Trauma Practice and Group IPT for American Indians. The goal of Iwankapiya is to examine the effectiveness of the HTUG intervention combined with group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for American Indian adults with depression and related disorders. Dr. Chase is also Co-Principal Investigator of the OLC American Indian Higher Education Consortium Behavioral Health Research Project funded by the Native American Research Centers for Health, under an initiative to create Behavioral Health research and curricula at Tribal Colleges and Universities. Dr. Chase has extensive history providing direct practice and supervision in Child Welfare, and Mental Health therapy with individuals, families, and groups She is trained and certified in providing Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Currently Dr. Chase provides Equine Assisted Psychotherapy to patients healing from PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and other disorders, as well as provides Teletherapy for Behavioral Health through private practice. She also offers consulting and training regarding Historical Trauma and other Behavioral Health related topics. The attendee will be able to: 1. Review assessment and treatment innovations that integrate the 4 components of the Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief intervention with Interpersonal Psychotherapy. 2. Explain and discuss the relationship of past and recent traumatic events and the effect on current life experiences of American Indian individuals, families and communities. 3. Synthesize research findings of a NIMH funded clinical research intervention to treat depression and trauma related symptoms in American Indian populations in a culturally effective manner.
English: seeded breadfruit, breadnut Spanish: pana de pepita, pana de grano Indonesia: kelur, timbul Origin and Distribution Native to New Guinea, and possibly the Moluccas and the Philippines. Widely cultivated throughout the humid tropics. Seeded breadfruit is a large tree, to 100 feet (30 m) tall, with large, spreading branches and a straight trunk with smooth gray bark. Leaves large, 16-20 inches (40-50 cm) wide and 24-35 inches (60-90 cm) long, with shallow lobes. All parts of the tree contain abundant white latex. Monecious, with axillary inflorescences. Male inflorescence elongated, 1-1.5 inches (3-4 cm) wide and 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) long, female inflorescence globose, 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) wide and 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long. Fruits large, spheroid, 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) in diameter, green and covered with soft spines. Fruits contain between 20-60 rounded or flattened seeds, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Seeds are cream colored and have a brown testa. Propagation and Culture Seeded breadfruit is propagated by seed, which must be planted while fresh or stored in damp medium for a short time. Viability is lost if seeds are allowed to dry out. Germination occurs in 1-2 weeks, and seedlings grow quickly. Flowers and fruits year round in tropical climates with little seasonal variation. In regions with a pronounced cool or dry period, trees may become partially deciduous and stop fruiting until conditions become more conducive to rapid growth. Seeded breadfruit grows and fruits best in fertile, well drained soils, but is widely adaptable. Will grow and fruit from sea level to over 4900 feet (1500 m) elevation. Cultivars and Related Species No cultivars of seeded breadfruit are known. Related species include Artocarpus altilis, the breadfruit, Artocarpus mariannensis, breadnut, Artocarpus heterophyllus, jackfruit, and Artocarpus integer, champedak. Immature fruits are cooked as a vegetable with coconut milk. Seeds are soft, edible and delicious, and may be boiled or roasted.
Rocket ‘Giove’ is a new wild rocket variety that has been bred for flavour. With an attractive dark green colour and distinctive flavour, it is the essence of a lightly flavoured rocket – honeyed, grassy and lightly peppery. It has good jagged leaves right from the initial cut. Rocket ‘Giove’ will grow in even the most inclement weather conditions. The plants are bolt-resistant, so don’t run to seed, allowing you to keep picking the leaves over a long period. Easy to grow, this cut and come again variety can be harvested almost year round. Sow directly outdoors during the spring through to autumn, and under protection during the winter. The plants grow best in full sun and well-drained, moist soil. The tangy leaves add a distinctive flavour to salads. They also give a lift to cooked dishes, add a few leaves at the end of cooking, they give a sweet and earthy, warm peppery finish to roasted vegetables, pasta bakes or risotto. This variety of edible Rocket has been named after the Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element. GIOVE is the name for each satellite in a series being built for the European Space Agency to test technology in orbit for the Galileo positioning system; the European GPS. Giove is also the Italian word for 'Jupiter'. The name was chosen as a tribute to Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), the Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Galileo discovered the first four natural satellites of Jupiter and later discovered that they could be used as a universal clock to obtain the longitude of a point on the Earth's surface. According to Stephen Hawking, Galileo probably bears more of the responsibility for the birth of modern science than anybody else, Albert Einstein called him the father of modern science. Among his inventions were telescopes, a compass and a thermometer. Galileo was born and lived in Pisa, and would have been used to eating wild rocket growing freely on the Italian hillsides. I am sure he would have approved of this modern variety. Sow directly into a bed containing any good fertile, well drained soil. Use a line to mark out the row. Sowing in a straight line allows you to identify where your rocket seedlings are and which are the weed seedlings to pick out. Sow just a small quantity at one time, and then sow successionally, to harvest over a longer period. A 1m (3ft) row is usually enough to get you started. Late summer sowings will carry on cropping into the winter if the plants are protected by cloches. Sow direct in spring for summer greens, and in autumn for winter greens. Sow thinly 6mm (¼in) deep in drills spaced 45 to 60cm (18 to 24in) apart. Sow the seeds thinly along the row, spacing them out as evenly as possible. The distance between the seeds should be about 3cm. (1¼in) Cover the seed lightly with soil. Remove any weed remnants or large stones as you go to ensure the plants have a good start. Water the seeds in well using a watering can with the rose attached. This means you drench the soil but minimise disturbance to the seeds. Flea beetle can be a problem in summer, nibbling holes in rocket leaves. The best defence is to cover the row with a length of horticultural fleece. Rocket will always want to flower in summer, because this is the time of year when all crucifers naturally flower, then produce seed. As autumn approaches, cover crops with sheets of horticultural fleece to keep the cold at bay, and you could be cropping right through to first frosts. Harvesting: 25 to 45 days. Simply pick the young leaves and the plant will keep generating new ones for months. Older leaves are a bit tougher and hotter. Pick over the whole row rather than just one or two plants as this would weaken them. As the flower buds appear pinch them out to prolong cropping. The flowers are small, yellow with dark centers and can be used in the salad for a light piquant flavour. Rinse the leaves in cool water and dry on paper towelling. Wrap leaves tightly in plastic or a zip lock bag. Best if used within two days. Arugula is a nutritional powerhouse, containing significant folate (folic acid) and calcium. Exceptionally high in beta carotene, vitamin C, and a good source of iron, Arugula is a member of the same family as cabbage and broccoli and like all such vegetables; it contains cancer-fighting phytochemicals called indoles. You can substitute water cress for a similar peppery flavor. You can also use fresh baby spinach (but the flavour will not be the same). Also dandelion greens have a tart flavour but a bit more bitter. The genus Diplotaxis is from the Greek diplous, meaning ‘double’, and taxis meaning ‘row’, because of the double row of seeds in the seed pod. The species name tenuifolia means ‘with finely-divided, slender leaves’. Eruca is a classical Latin name used by Pliny. The term arugula (variations of Italian dialects around Arigola) is used by the Italian diaspora in Australia and North America and from there picked up as a loan word to a varying degree in American and Australian English, particularly in culinary usage. The names ultimately all derive from the Latin word eruca. Vernacular names include Garden Rocket, Rocket, Eruca, Rocket salad, or Arugula (American English), In Italy, it can be known as Rucola, Rugola, Rucola gentile, Rughetta, Ruchetta or Rucola selvatica. Throughout the world there are variations: Rauke or ruke (German), Roquette (French), Rokka (Greek), Ruca (Catalan), Beharki (Basque), Oruga (Spanish), Rúcula (Portuguese) krapkool (Flemish), Arugula Selvatica, arugula sylvatica, aeruca rocket, eruka psevnaya (Russian), oruga (Spanish), jaramago (Spanish), Roman rocket, salad rocket, sciatica cress, shinlock… In Roman times Arugula was grown for both its leaves and the seed. The seed was used for flavouring oils. Part of a typical Roman meal was to offer a salad of greens, frequently arugula, romaine, chicory, mallow and lavender and seasoned with a 'cheese sauce for lettuce'. It has been used in England in salads since Elizabethan times. On another interesting note, Rocket or Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. (Cambridge World History of Food) - …but we can make no promises! Galileo Galilei - The man who invented the telescope. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was born in Pisa, Italy. He enrolled to do a medical degree at the University of Pisa but never finished, instead choosing to study mathematics. He was a ground breaking astronomer, physicist, mathematician, philosopher and inventor. Among his inventions were telescopes, a compass and a thermometer. Galileo built on the work of others to create a telescope with around 3x magnification, he later improved on this to make telescopes with around 30x magnification. With these telescopes, Galileo was able to observe the skies in ways previously not achieved. In 1610 he made observations of four objects surrounding Jupiter that behaved unlike stars, these turned out to be Jupiter’s four largest satellite moons: Io, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. They were later renamed the Galilean satellites in honor of Galileo himself. The discovery of these moons was not supported by the scientific principles of the time and Galileo had trouble convincing some people that he had indeed discovered such objects. This was similar to other ideas put forward by Galileo that were very controversial at the time. The Geocentric model of the universe which was embraced by earlier astronomers had the Earth at the center of the universe with other objects moving around it. Work by Galileo, Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler helped to supercede this theory with the more accurate heliocentric model. Such a view of the universe differed strongly with the beliefs of the Catholic Church at the time and Galileo was forced to withdraw many of his ideas and even spent the final years of his life under house arrest. Galileo refused to believe Kepler’s theory that the moon caused the tides, instead believing it was due to the nature of the Earth’s rotation - helping prove that even the smartest people can make mistakes.
5 Biggest Environmental Wins in 2016 Sure, it's been a tumultuous year for the planet. But here are some environmental achievements to celebrate: renewable energy, protected oceans, and deconstructed dams. The planet had a rough year in 2016. African elephants and rhinoceroses were ravaged by poachers. A new United Nations report suggested that biodiversity loss, land degradation, and water shortages are worsening. Arctic sea ice dwindled to record lows after several of the warmest years on record. But behind all the troubling environmental news there were some significant rays of hope in 2016: great feats of conservation, a few surprising global advances, and some noteworthy trends. It's easy to forget, for example, that the Obama Administration withdrew millions of acres of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans from consideration for future offshore oil and gas exploration. Carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise less than a quarter of a percent in 2016—the third year in a row of unexpectedly low growth or declines. And after more than two decades of trying, enough nations finally signed 2015's Paris accord that a global climate pact actually entered into force in November. Image: President Obama in September visited Midway Atoll, where he announced the quadrupling of a marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean that is home to more than 7,000 species. President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed to "cancel" the Paris agreement, and several of his proposed policies threaten to undo many environmental gains. But for the moment, at least, the rest of the world's top polluters—including China and India—remain committed to an effort to hold global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, while still aiming for a harder-to-reach 1.5 degree cap. In that spirit, as we head into 2017, here's a look back at some of the biggest environmental achievements of the past year. Renewable Energy Has a Record Year For the first time, installation of new renewable electric-generating capacity outpaced growth in fossil-fuel generating capacity. In other words, of all the new sources of electricity installed around the world in 2015, more gigawatts of power were produced from wind, solar, and other clean energy sources than from coal or oil. Certainly, energy from fossil fuels still accounts for the bulk of global generation. And although this milestone technically was achieved in 2015, it wasn't reported until 2016. It is part of a massive global transition not expected to abate. Image: JELLYFISH LAKEPalau’s most famous tourist attraction is a lake filled with jellyfish on Eil Malk island. Snorkeling among the jellies is generally considered safe because their stings are too weak to be felt by most people. (Image Courtesy: PHOTOGRAPH BY ENRIC SALA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE) In fact, another report by the U.S. Energy Information Agency concluded that based on current regulations, market forces, and government trends—even without the Obama Administration's plans to curb emissions from coal-fired power plants—renewable energy is set to overtake coal as the dominant source of electricity worldwide by 2040. And that pace, the report notes, could actually speed up. "The growth of clean, renewable energy to more than 50 percent of all new energy installations worldwide is part of a trend rather than an anomaly, and the growth is expected to increase," said Mark Z. Jacobson, a Stanford University clean-energy expert. "Ultimately, I expect that within five to 10 years, between 80 percent and 100 percent of all new annual electric power generation worldwide will be from wind, water, and solar." Bolstering that projection, some of the world’s top business leaders, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, announced this month that they are launching a venture to invest over one billion dollars in "next-generation energy technologies." New Funds for Dam Removal In the five years since the United States began dismantling the Elwha Dam and the 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, one thing has become clear: Dam removal works. Numbers of ocean-going chinook, coho, chum, and steelhead exploded in the newly free-running Elwha River after the largest dam-removal project in history. The estuary has grown, creating new life for crab and clams, drawing "a fantasia of birds" to feed on them, coastal watershed scientist Anne Shaffer told National Geographic in June. "The Elwha is a reminder of what we have to lose, and exactly how important it is to protect the intact ecosystems we have," Shaffer said this month. Protecting Waters off Hawaii and Cape Cod With just two moves in the last half of his final year in office, Barack Obama conserved more land or water than any president in American history. Days before Obama's historic trip to Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, his administration announced a quadrupling of President George W. Bush's signature conservation achievement, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in northwestern Hawaii. This coral-rich area twice the size of Texas is home to 7,000 species, including endangered monk seals and several types of shark. New deep-water fish species are still being discovered here. Then, two weeks later, Obama created the first marine protected area along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, off Cape Cod, a stretch of sea that includes giant undersea mountains. New England's Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is in a region of ocean off Connecticut that is particularly susceptible to damage from climate change. The new designation should allow scientists to use it as a living laboratory in hopes of finding fresh ways to defend seas from greenhouse gas emissions. If future generations are to have oceans is rich as those left to current generations, Obama said, "then we're going to have to act and we're going to have to act boldly." Preserving the World’s Oceans Boldness wasn't exclusively the province of the United States in 2016. Ocean protection is particularly difficult because vast stretches of the world's seas can be affected by the actions of many countries. But this year saw an astounding degree of international stewardship when it comes to the great big blue. (Image Courtesy: PHOTOGRAPH BY ENRIC SALA, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE) In September, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Colombia agreed to work together to protect 10,000 square miles of ocean wildlife corridors near the Galápagos. Then, a month later, another deal outlined to protect nearly 600,000 square miles of some of the most pristine ocean on earth off Antarctica, a place National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala called the "Serengeti of Antarctica." An international commission comprised of 25 countries including South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Russia agreed the Ross Sea should be left, as much as possible, a vast marine wilderness. In creating the Earth’s single largest protected area, the commission set a new highpoint in international marine preservation. The long-lasting refrigerants used in air conditioners and freezers called hydrofluorocarbons account for a tiny portion of greenhouse gas emissions. But these chemicals can be worse for the climate, capturing thousands of times more heat than CO2. And, as emerging economies in India and China grow and the world gets hotter, HFCs are the fastest-growing greenhouse gases, increasing 10 percent or more a year as more people seek air conditioning. So climate negotiators have spent years trying to rein in their use, a complicated task that hasn't borne fruit until this year. After a meeting in Rwanda in October, the U.S. State Department announced that nearly 200 countries had agreed that beginning in 2019 the world would begin eliminating the use of most these synthetic chemicals, replacing them with cleaner alternatives. Advocates had said that a complete phase-out could reduce warming by half a degree by the century's end. And the new commitment promises to achieve nearly 90 percent of that goal before mid-century. UN environment chief Erik Solheim called the move "a clear statement by all world leaders that the green transformation started in Paris is irreversible and unstoppable."
It all started on a whim. Four years ago, supermodel Karlie Kloss decided to take an intensive coding course at New York Flatiron School. She had never written a lick of code in her life, but she wanted to see what the fuss about coding was all about. Between runway shows in Paris and Milan, and magazine shoots in London and New York, she would sit down with her instructor, Avi Flombaum, and learn the basics of Ruby on Rails. “It was sheer curiosity that led me to take that class,” the 25-year-old Kloss tells Fast Company. “But it was really eye-opening to learn about the hardware and the software that goes into the tech we use every day.” As a successful model, Kloss didn’t have any immediate reason to learn how to code, but she soon realized the activity could bring sweet rewards–literally. “One of the first things I learned how to program was a drone that could pick up a cookie on one side of the room and deliver it to the other side of the room,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. “It’s still one of my favorite things I’ve learned to do with code.” Around 2012, coding bootcamps like the Flatiron course began popping up all over the country with the promise of equipping people with no prior training with the basics of computer science. In Kloss’s case, she was surprised to discover that coding wasn’t an impenetrable skill. “It’s a language just like any other language,” she says. “And the way our world is going, learning to code should be just as important as learning your mother tongue.” There’s a persistent narrative in our culture that women are less inclined to pursue computer science. This was evident in the infamous Google memo, in which an employee, James Damore, claimed that women are genetically less inclined to code. This hasn’t been Kloss’s experience, though. She’s encountered many young women who are just as curious as she is about the technology that surrounds them. “They are aware of the power of these technical skills and how they are shaping the world today,” Kloss says. “These young women grew up with this technology embedded and they’re not scared to try building things. They are more forward-thinking than we sometimes give them credit for.” The problem, she believes, is access. Many middle and high schools don’t offer coding courses, although this is slowly changing. And when they are offered, they tend to be oversubscribed by male students, creating an uncomfortable imbalance in the classroom. Then there are the popular coding bootcamps, such as the one that Kloss took, but they often come with hefty price tags: Tuition can cost upward of $1,000 a week. There have also been questions about how sustainable the coding bootcamp business model really is, since several companies, like The Iron Yard and Dev Bootcamp, have had to shut down recently. A Call To Action—And Lots Of Answers Back in 2014, Kloss put out a call on her social media channels, asking if there were like-minded young women out there who wanted to code but didn’t have access to a course. She received an avalanche of responses from young women and ultimately offered scholarships to 21 young women to attend a two-week summer camp at the Flatiron School. Three years later, Kloss says that this initiative–called Kode With Klossy–has grown and evolved. So far, more than 400 girls age 13 to 18 have gone through the Kode With Klossy summer camps. Kloss can now track where these students have ended up, and the results have been impressive. One of the original beneficiaries just won the grand prize at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon, together with three other high school girls. (The team beat out 750 engineers with a virtual reality app that can help treat and diagnose ADHD efficiently.) Another young woman from the first cohort has been accepted to top computer science college programs around the country, including NYU, Stony Brook, and Columbia. Inspired by these successes, Kloss is expanding the Kode With Klossy program. In addition to these two-week summer camps, she has started to partner with women-led community organizations around the country to launch three-day coding workshops. She’s already collaborated with Electric Girls in New Orleans, Girls Inc. of Omaha, and CoderGals in Miami to offer “back-to-school” coding workshops to teen girls, entirely free of charge. With the three-day workshops, she’s worked with educators to compress the curriculum of the two-week summer camp to distill the basics of coding. She believes that these shorter programs will allow her to impact more young women and allow them to get their feet wet in the world of computer science, with the hope that they will then continue to deepen their understanding of coding on their own, through online programs or through their school systems. This past weekend, on Women’s Equality Day, Kloss and Spanx founder Sara Blakely spent the day in Atlanta, working alongside 25 young women from the Atlanta Girls School. Kloss partnered with Blakely to help select and work with these young women with the help of the company’s charitable wing, the Sara Blakely Foundation. “I thought it would be inspiring for them to be learning about code while sitting in the offices of a company that is innovative, creative, and powered by technology in a lot of ways,” Kloss says. “It is a company that is led by an empowered woman that I hope the girls can relate to.” Changing The Gender Dynamic By offering a wider range of formats for her program, Kloss appears to be evolving the mission of her organization. In addition to the two-week summer cam program and a monthly Kode With Klossy Career Scholarship in partnership with the Flatiron School, Kloss is proving more opportunities to help young women overcome the initial hurdles that might prevent them from giving coding a chance. Part of this has to do with launching more of these short bootcamps that are designed to feel accessible and less like a major commitment. Over the next few months, she will be continuing to partner with other organizations to bring these intensive courses around the country. But Kloss is also trying to send a broader message that coding is something that all young women should be willing to learn about, even if they don’t see themselves spending their careers as web developers or tech entrepreneurs. “Just because I am a fashion model doesn’t mean that I couldn’t take a coding class,” Kloss says. “I have no plans to quit my day job, but I still think that learning these technical skills is incredibly valuable.” For Kloss, part of changing the gender dynamic in technology has to do with giving women the chance to tinker with coding and weave it into their existing interests. “The girls in the program may have learned about Kode With Klossy in Teen Vogue because they love fashion,” Kloss says. “I’m trying to communicate that there are so many creative ways that this technical problem-solving can be applied.”
Battling Somali pirates: Maritime businesses weigh in In London, the business capital of the world's maritime industry, firms shape decisions on arming ships and negotiating with pirates. London — Graeme Gibbon-Brooks knows a thing or two about boarding ships. These days, he offers his knowledge of piracy and terrorism as part of a thriving industry that is deeply rooted in Britain's heritage of merchant trading and naval dominance. In London, the business capital of the world's maritime industry, dozens of maritime law firms and insurers have a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years. Such firms provide services from security and legal advice to negotiations and handling of ransom situations – and demand has been steadily growing. "More often now, we are being asked by shipping companies to provide analysis of private security companies," says Mr. Gibbon-Brooks, whose firm, Dryad Maritime Intelligence, consults on security arrangements for shippers. Two high-profile rescues in the past week – one by US forces of the captain of the US-flagged Maersk Alabama, and one of hostages held on a French yacht – have underscored the increasing threat from pirates. Already this year, pirates have attacked at least 80 vessels. On Wednesday, the French Navy captured 11 pirates who had failed in an attack on the Liberian-flagged Safmarine Asia. The French frigate is part of "Operation Atalanta," a European Union's antipiracy effort. In response, companies are taking a variety of measures. Many opt to employ unarmed guards on ships navigating the Gulf of Aden. But taking more assertive measures is complicated by the laws governing the use of force and the carrying of weapons. Ships are governed by a variety of regulations – those of the ship's owners, for example, as well as the laws of the country whose flag the ship flies. They are much more stringent in relation to the carrying on board of automatic weapons than shotguns. Shotguns are more common, says Gibbon-Brooks – but similar to "using a dagger in a swordfight. "You are waiting for [pirates] to get extremely close before you use it," he says, explaining that Somali pirates typically shoot into a ship's bridge, intimidate the crew, and then climb on board. Dryad Intelligence sells nonlethal equipment like the long-range acoustic device (LRAD), which emits an almost ear-splitting noise when fired at targets. A device of this type was used unsuccessfully in February by former British Royal Marines working as guards on a US-owned tanker, the MV Biscaglia. The pirates were undeterred, and the guards eventually abandoned the ship by jumping overboard after trying to defend it using flares and pretending that scaffolding pipes were rocket launchers. Gibbon-Brooks explains that equipment such as the LRAD have to be seen in the context of naval strategy, which is about "layers" of defense. While unpleasant, its noise is largely intended to let the pirates know that they have been spotted at an early stage, suggesting that the "cavalry" could soon be on the way to a ship's rescue. Once a ship has been taken, a lengthy process of negotiation begins. Here's where companies such as Holman Fenwick Willan, which has been representing clients in shipwrecks and collisions since it was founded in 1883, come in. One of the most prominent legal firms, its staff operate around the clock in response to calls to an emergency hotline. "It's a 24-hour business, because, as you can imagine, there are underwriters here in London but then we have negotiators out in the Middle East and we have to correspond with them," says lawyer and partner Toby Stephens. The firm has had approximately 30 cases involving piracy since July last year; currently, it is handling more than four involving vessels still being held. In many cases, companies want to know first if it is even legal to pay a ransom. British law permits this, although it is not quite so straightforward everywhere. Ransom demands are commonly in the range of $1 million to $2 million, although pirates demanded as much as $25 million in the case of the Sirius Star, a Saudi oil tanker taken earlier this year with a cargo estimated to be worth more than $100 million. That case illustrated the difficulties for all sides in the actual delivery of the payment. At least five pirates drowned trying to collect part of the ransom – reportedly between $3 million and $3.5 million – after it was dropped close to the ship by parachute. Maritime firms, of which there are dozens, are quick to deny that they are exploiting the situation off the coast of Somali. But Simon Beale, a marine underwriter, admitted to the BBC that fees for firms whose vessels have been hijacked can cost just as much as the ransom itself when the services of lawyers and others are employed. Despite its obvious dangers, the trade continues to be a tempting one for Somali pirates, who are estimated to have made $50 million last year. But have the stakes now been raised by the recent rescues by American and French forces? Stephen Askins, a former Royal Marine now working at another London law firm dealing with kidnappings and ransoms at sea, says this is not necessarily so. "Certainly, it has raised the tension, but we have been through periods of tension before, and we will not really know for another two, three, or four weeks," says Mr. Askins, who argues that having armed guards on board ships raises the risk to the crew. "No one knows where the ripples will go." "I don't know what the real risk to the crew of the Maersk Alabama was, but in the context of what is going on, there is a code of conduct. No one takes it for granted, but generally, captured crews are well looked after. To put the French action into perspective, it took place on the same day as a commercial ship was released. "Perhaps if another French or American ship is taken," he continues, "it will show if the events of the last two weeks become aggravating factors, because there is no doubt that the pirates regard some people in different ways."
When migrants move abroad and start their life in a different location, they may keep their loyalties and links to their place of origin and combine them with newly built connections to their new location. Such transnationalism, though it is a well-known phenomenon, is perceived as problematic from the state point of view as it is difficult to predict the loyalty of such migrants (if they are loyal to their new state or the state of origin). However, it also brings many dilemmas for individual migrants. One of these dilemmas is how to answer to question, 'who am I'. New identities developed in a new place need to be combined with existing ones. This is extremely difficult in the case of national identities which are built on an opposition of ‘us’ and ‘them’. If I define myself as a member of particular nation in opposition to other nations, how do I develop a new identity related to a foreign land where a foreign national lives? How do I solve a conflict of loyalties between my old and new national identity? My Identities article, 'Game of labels: identification of highly skilled migrants', calls the process of building new hybrid identities ‘a game of labels’. Game of labels is a game played by migrants who try to avoid conflicting identifications. They can do it by playing with the scale of place. The place where we live can be understood as home, street, neighbourhood, city, country or even continent. Some scales are more important to us than others, and usually the national scale is the key for a person’s identification (Lewicka 2012). However, it is often not the case for ethnic, racial or religious minorities. It is also not the case of highly skilled migrants who live in Opole and Wrocław, two cities located in southwest Poland. Mahi, from India, who for several years has lived and worked in Wrocław, says about her Polish city: This is where I found myself, where I developed myself, where I became a mature person. For me this is home. I know that even if I move to another country, another city in the future, Wroclaw will still be my home because I know everything there is to know here. Mahi has developed a strong belonging to Wrocław and not to Poland. This may have happened because she needed to combine a new identity rooted in a new place with her former identity of being Indian. She explains: For me saying that I’m Indian is not a complete truth. I know I am not just Indian… I’m also a Wroclawian [Wrocławianka]. My Identities article argues that migrants avoid combining two national identities and instead use a ‘game of labels’. The most important rule in the game is to not combine two different national identities. Therefore, instead of calling themselves Polish, they express their new identification through different scale labels: city level (they call themselves Wrocławianin – inhabitants of Wrocław) or supranational – European, human. Coming to a new country, migrants not only learn a new national habitus but also build belonging to a new neighbourhood, new city and sometimes a new continent. Interestingly, by obtaining these identities, they join the groups that include both migrants and members of the hosting society. Both Poles and migrants may be citizens of Wrocław. Both Poles and migrants can claim to be Europeans. Membership in cross-national groups, above national or local groups, lets migrants overcome their exclusion, which appears when national identity is discussed.
Fishin' with Capt. Gus: Make sure the battery works Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 21, 2012 One of the worst things that can happen to a boater is to hear a “click-click” noise when the ignition key is turned on. A dead battery at the ramp usually sets the tone for an aggravating, or perhaps even an aborted outing. “Battery issues occur all too frequently, particularly at the beginning of a new boating season,” says Interstate Battery representative, Craig Flanegan. The biggest reason is that batteries, regardless of chemistry, discharge over time when not in use. The rate varies, depending on temperature and a variety of conditions, but it is safe to say that a battery that hasn’t been charged for three to six months has lost most of its energy.” Below are a few tips that might help start your boat motor and keep electrical accessories running properly. • First and foremost, recharge your marine battery as soon after use as possible to prevent unnecessary loss of capacity. • Check the fluid levels of each cell at the beginning of the season and monthly thereafter. • If the electrolyte level (fluid) is below the bottom of the vent well and/or the tops of the plates, add distilled water as needed. Replace the caps firmly. • Check cables and clamps for damage or loose connections. • The battery top, terminals and connectors should be clean. • To prevent splashing and water loss from bubbling, do not remove vent caps while charging. • Better safe than sorry. Batteries that have been in use for two or more seasons are candidates for replacement. • Don’t leave home (the dock) without a set of battery jumper cables. The longer the better, since they must reach from one boats battery compartment to another. • Boat towing service companies usually include jump-starting your motor as part of their member benefits. Remember, the problem might not be the battery. There are other issues that can prevent a boat motor from starting. Something as simple as a loose or corroded connection, a tripped fuse, or a battery cutoff switch left in the off position. During the summer months, striped bass taken from deep water become stressed and usually die when released. For that reason, Lake Norman anglers are allowed to keep any size striper up to the creel limit of four, between June 1 and Sept. 30. While not mandatory, it is recommended, that once the creel limit has been achieved, anglers should cease to target stripers, and fish for other species. On Lake Murray in South Carolina, a new regulation, effective the first day of July, prohibits attempting to fish for striped bass once the limit of five has been reached. Hot spots of the week Lots of white perch are in water to 40 feet deep. Best baits are Sabiki rigs, fished along drop-offs and in mid areas of sloughs and coves. Cat fishing is very good for those using live bream, fresh cut bait or chicken parts laced with garlic seasoning. Spotted bass are chasing baitfish to the surface in boat basins and coves (early and late) and off shallow points throughout the day when the surface is calm. The surface water temperature varies by location, but is mainly in the 80s in waters not affected by power generation. The water level is about 1.5 feet below full pond on Lake Norman and about 3 feet below on Mountain Island Lake.
like me, you have realized that your user is the key to every project you have ever worked on or will ever complete let me give you some tips on how you can get started with the most important first step, Research. WHAT IS UX RESEARCH UX (user experience) research is the investigation of users and their requirements, you mainly focus on the end user but you also need to keep business goals in mind. This research will add context and insight into the process of designing. UX research employs a variety of techniques, tools, and methodologies to reach conclusions, determine facts, and uncover problems, revealing valuable information which should determine deliverables and your overall design. NO UX EXPERIENCE If you have no experience I say the best way to start is to jump right in. I think of all the aspects I faced as a noob the hardest was testing. You can get some experience doing this by asking friends to participate. Moderate mock user test sessions. This way you can get some hands on experience with moderating, observing user behavior and asking the right questions. (More on that below) But there are also plenty of things you can do where you don’t need external help (well other than Google). Start digging in to some user research and generating User Personas. Check out other companies that are in the same industry and see what their sites do well (and not so well). Research indirect competitors and try to find untapped opportunities for your client. You will make mistakes, and that’s normal when you’re getting started, plus it’s how you learn what not to do next time. The great thing about research is that you test your hypothesis and if you’re assumptions were incorrect you just learned something and you can adjust accordingly. Just remember that it’s best that these mistakes happen when there is a low level of pressure (even though the ones that happen in high pressure situations stay with me for life! and are never repeated) So crutial and you will regret it if you don’t get on the same page with your client. My initial step always is to meet with my stakeholder. I usually send them a copy of my initial project questionnaire so I can get a general feel for the scope of the project and also hear what they think the project will consist of. This also allows for a face-to-face so I can read body language and hopefully suss out problems they might not want to address so early in the process or don’t even realize they have. DESIGN WITH A PLAN This was a project killer for me when I first started out. My early clients didn’t give much feedback on the initial project/design ideas I had. I was given instructions like “Make me a website for my music” or “I have a site I just need to make it better”. So away I went diving into design and development knowing the fundamentals a site needed and what content to include. But almost every time I would present an 80% completed site I would get feedback like “I want it to look like ….” or “It would look better with …..”. Now, if I had known what I know now I could have handled this in a way that was proactive instead of reactive. Also, now when I have a client say this I can review with them the signed off wire frames and always reference back to the user profiles that I created. I use the personas as a gentle reminder that although it is their site, we always need to keep the end user in mind and what they need to achieve while using the product. AVOID LEADING QUESTIONS I think this one has been the hardest for me to overcome. In the other industries I’ve worked in you are supposed to lead the customer to the conclusion you want by your questions. UX is the total opposite (unless you want tainted data and really that just means having to start all over again) When it would finally be time for face to face testing I could almost feel my test subjects wanting to give the “right” answer even though I would tell them there is no right or wrong response. I feel that sometimes when you say that people still think that you are trying to trick them. My next tactic was to stand behind them and observe how they interacted with the site. This also caused issues since they were constantly turning around to look at me hoping for some kind of facial feedback if they were doing the right thing. My newest plan has been to resort to heat maps after a new version deployment. This way (with my musician based websites) I can get direct feedback from users with them just using the sites. Sarah is an awesome resource for all things UX. I first came across her when I was completing my Design certification at Skillcrush. She gave an awesome Master Class lecture on Prototyping. This is a great starting point if you are unsure how to pose your questions. This is also another great resource I came across to help you learn terminology, research methods and UX techniques.
These days, a knowledge of science must be part of the intellectual equipment of any educated person. Of course, that statement may always have been true, but we think there can be no arguing that an ability to confront the problems of concern to scientists is especially important today. Our world is increasingly technological, and many of our problems, and the answers to those problems, have a scientific or technological basis. Anyone who hopes to understand the world we live in, to evaluate many of the pressing questions of the present and the future—and to vote sensibly on them—must be scientifically literate. The study of chemistry is an ideal way to acquire at least part of that literacy. Chemistry is a central science in the sense that it bridges such disparate areas as physics and biology and connects those long-established sciences to the emerging disciplines of molecular biology and materials science. Similarly, as this book shows, organic chemistry sits at the center of chemistry, where it acts as a kind of intellectual glue, providing connections between all areas of chemistry. One does not have to be a chemist, or even a scientist, to profit from the study of organic chemistry. The power of organic chemistry comes from its ability to give insight into so many parts of our lives. How does penicillin work? Why is Teflon nonstick? Why does drinking a cup of coffee help me stay awake? How do plants defend themselves against herbivores? Why is ethyl alcohol a depressant? All these questions have answers based in organic chemistry. And the future will be filled with more organic chemistry—and more questions. What’s a buckyball or a nanotube, and how might it be important to my life? How might an organic superconductor be constructed? Why is something called the Michael reaction important in a potential cancer therapy? Read on, because this book will help you to deal with questions such as these, and many more we can’t even think up yet.
In 1973, Justice Harry Blackmun writing for the majority in Roe v. Wade stated: “We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer”. That is to say, according to Blackmun, when life begins is unknown, a mystery, and should be decided by the individual. But must we really give up this easily? Blackmun is begging the question here. The “pro-choice” position is not a neutral view. It is based on the assumption that the fetus is not a precious, vulnerable member of society who is worthy of protection. For the “pro-choice” position to be morally correct, it must be established that the fetus is not a human person with associated rights. And, if we truly remain agnostic on the status of the fetus, then it would be better to error on the side of life. We do not say, for example, “I’m not sure if this guy is alive, so I will bury him”. Blackmun’s opinion amounts to bad philosophy, bad medicine, and bad theology. Moreover, he commits the ad populum fallacy when he sought to divert our attention away from arguments and to consensus. Beliefs are not true or false depending on how many people believe it. They are true or false based their logical structure and correspondence to an actual state of affairs. Method always trumps consensus. The traditional prolife position is the following1: 1) It is wrong to kill innocent human persons 2) The fetus is an innocent human person 3) Therefore, it is wrong to kill the fetus This is a valid syllogism. That is, this is a logical construct such that IF the premises are true, the conclusion necessarily follows. And, when the premises have been demonstrated as true, the argument then becomes sound, demonstrated by the force of logic to be true and the case is successfully argued. In times past, the proposition “It is wrong to kill innocent human persons” was uncontroversial. More recently, however, leftists such as Mary Elizabeth Williams are becoming increasing comfortable with the idea. And, once the pro-choicer is forced into this indefensible corner and makes this concession, the moral debate is over. It has been for a long time actually. The pro-life camp has argued its positions with superior force for decades but we, as Americans, have just decided that we are going to legalize abortion anyway. “Why bother with the pretense of ethics? This is what we want!” a representative of the left, might say. It’s certainly not the good philosophy, though, that at least seemed important to Blackmun. Premise 1) should be taken as a self-evident First Principle. A First Principle is a proposition or statement that does not need to be proven because without its ‘a priori assumption of truth, one cannot hold a meaningful, intelligible discussion about something. For example, in logic we have the Law of Identity: A= A, that something is identical to itself. If we deny this First Principle, we cannot make sense of anything at all. If John is not equal to John, we may not love him, administer justice to him, etc. The person in question is both John and not John which is unintelligible. Like the laws of logic, there are also Moral First Principles- ideas, beliefs, or statements so fundamental to rational moral reflection that they are undeniable. It’s the starting point of moral reflection. Hadley Arkes comments: “Anyone tutored in logic would have understood that “First Principles” were indemonstrable in the sense that they depended on certain truths that had to be grasped, as Aquinas put it, per se nota, as things true in themselves, and true of necessity.” If those, like Williams, are willing to surrender such a First Principle, they run into a logical cul-de-sac whereby they surrender the very ability to discuss any moral issue intelligibly, including their own perceived rights. That is, if it is ok to kill innocent human persons, then surely nothing is wrong with denying a woman’s right to have an abortion. If it is ok to kill innocent human persons, then there are no real and meaningful rights at all- anywhere and for anyone- including the feminist. Therefore, it is a prima facie truth that “It is wrong to kill innocent human persons”. (Nor must one be a woman to know what a human person is and when it is wrong to kill.) Abortion advocates are also quick to decry what they consider inappropriate appeals to religious beliefs. Appeals to natural law, however, are metaphysical in nature but are also are grounded common, publicly available observances that do not require adherence to any particular faith. Peter Angeles defines natural law in the following way: “The description of what should be or what ought to be binding on all humans [i.e. universal] discovered by rational examination of human nature and successful human relationships…the moral rules of conduct, the sense of justice and fairness, which humans possess by the pure activity of their reason and which is obligatory independently of, and in spite of, what other forms of law prescribe.” Natural Rights, then, are freedoms (i.e. from being exploited) possessed innately and assumed by the very fact of being a human being. Natural Rights are grounded in ontological status, in human nature. Arkes summarizes his view with an appeal to the universality of the pro-life claims: “The founders assumed , as Lincoln did, that we could tell the difference between a man and a hog: They thought that the difference was fixed in nature, in way that we are obliged to accept, not in a way we were free to manipulate. If we were free to shade that definition of a human being, we were free to deny people the standing of ‘men’ or moral agents. The point warrants restating without apology: If there is no “nature”, there can be no “human” rights springing from that nature. But in that case- as I will argue more fully later- there would be no rights at all, in the hardest and strictest sense” Arkes makes a brilliant point. If there is no such thing as a human nature then there are no human rights to be had. The pro-choice’s claim to a right to abortion relies on the very thing for which they fault the pro-life camp. To say that a woman has a right to choose an abortion because there is no such thing as natural law or law above the law informing us as to whether our laws are just, is a self referentially refuting position. The very right claimed by the abortion advocate assumes the same natural law perspective that is earlier denied. Exactly where, we need to ask, is this right to choose coming from? Also implied is a recognition of a transcendent immaterial oughtness that cannot be accommodated by materialism. For if only the material world exists, things like “ought”, “should”, “good”, ‘rights” etc. have no real existence. A materialist has no grounds for using these terms. “Right” cannot be measured, weighed, or explained in the language of physics, chemistry, and biology. The pro-choice advocate co-opts a “religious” view that she earlier denies when she tells religious people or those arguing from metaphysical principles that they “ought” not think or behave in a certain way in denying her rights that can’t exist in her view. The best attempt to circumvent this criticism would include a discussion on how morality is based on rationality, but still, there is nothing pressing down us to prize rationality over other things such as pleasure, fulfillment, security, say-so, etc. But aren’t there exceptions? What if one had to kill an innocent human person in self-defense? Moral philosophy does recognize that there are rare circumstances whereby to either take action “A” or “not A” results in violating moral law. Included in such would be self-defense in genuine life threatening situations. For this reason, the only morally permissible reason to have an abortion is to save the life of the mother. That is, if it can be established medically that pregnancy is likely to result in the death of the mother. In Part 2, the second premise will be defended
I regularly write about presentation best practices, especially when it comes to preparing your presentation. Occasionally I’m asked about the worst tips or advice I’ve heard; this sometimes gets comical like the suggestion to bite your tongue before you go on stage to relieve anxiety. (Seriously, someone told me that one and I fear it will only hurt. Instead, try clenching your first to burn off some of those endorphins your nervous send out to your body.) Usually, these bad tips fall into misconstrued myths and are not really poor advice (let’s hope that is the case). However, I have seen a lot of bad presentations, and usually, it stems from poor preparation, so I thought I’d share the worst ways to prepare for a presentation. 3 Absolute Worst Ways to Prepare for a Presentation - Start By “Bulleting Out” a Presentation in PowerPoint – No, I don’t hate PowerPoint (I do prefer it over Prezi or Keynote). A presenter needs to have a good idea of what the presentation will look like before starting on the visual aid (e.g. PowerPoint). Even worse than starting with the visual aid is bulleting out your script in PowerPoint. It makes you a lazy presenter and annoys your audience because they can read the slides faster than you can say them. Reading your slides means you’re either interrupting your audience while they are reading or you are useless because they can read everything for themselves. If you even need a visual aid (see Do I Need a Visual Aid or Not?), I suggest not starting on the PowerPoint until you’ve walked through your presentation a few times and have your order in place and time in check. Otherwise, when you create your PowerPoint too soon, you have to make a lot of changes, which takes more time than preparing properly in the first place. - Script Your Presentation Word-for-Word – When you script your presentation, you put too much undue pressure on yourself to remember everything you want to say and you come across to the audience as being fake, like you’re acting. [Hence why I say public speaking is not similar to acting.] The other challenge with scripting your presentation is if you miss a line, you tend to skip over entire chunks of your message. Also, when scripting your presentation, you practice memorizing the words and your wording doesn’t evolve through each practice runs and in your rehearsals. Presenters that script a presentation also tend to not customize their presentation for the audience. Great speakers will adjust their message and tailor it for each audience. [These variations also keep speakers from getting bored.] - Preparing Your Presentation Last Minute – I once attended a presentation at 8:30 in the morning and overheard that the presenter created it that morning due to being busy. His lack of preparation showed to the audience because his slides were out of order forcing him to bounce around, he fumbled for his words throughout, and said more crutch words (um, so, you know) than usual. Not preparing accordingly is disrespectful to your audience. Your audience gives up their time to attend your presentation and you owe it to them to prepare properly. I know it takes time to develop a great presentation and that we’re all busy. You don’t have to spend huge chunks of time presenting because the mind will continue to think about your presentation even when you’re not working on it. Start by brainstorming your ideas and craft your thesis, later develop your outline and the order of your presentation. Walk through your presentation, then develop your visual aid, and practice it until you’re comfortable with it. Don’t forget to do a dress rehearsal too. This gives your brain the time it needs to think, refine your wording, and to make adjustments even when you’re not working on your presentation, such as when driving or in the shower. Over time, you’ll get much faster at preparing the more you present. Remember, most presenters can’t “wing” a great presentation, it takes time to develop and refine. Give your audience what they want and be respectful of their time, because the presentation is about them after all, not you. Even if you’re a good presenter mechanically (the delivery aspect of presenting), audiences will know when your message is off which makes your presentation a failure in the end.
Putting the Recent Uptick in Driving in Perspective With gas prices plummeting and employment figures rising, America’s per capita driving rate increased in 2014 for the first time in nearly a decade. But experts warn driving is far from back to its previous historical pattern. According to new data from the Federal Highway Administration, total driving mileage climbed 1.7 percent in 2014, higher than the rate of population growth. Gas prices are likely a major factor. In the first half of 2014, driving rose only about 0.8 percent, about the rate of population growth, compared to the same period in 2013. But during the second half of the year, as gas prices dropped substantially, total miles driven shot up 2.5 percent. Phineas Baxandall, a researcher with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, says the increase needs to be put in perspective: This doesn’t look like a return to historical driving trends. Prior to about 2005, traffic rose at a fairly steady rate, with some fluctuation around recessions. But this latest increase doesn’t signal a return to that path of constant growth — the kind that has been continually used to justify highway projects. “This past year saw big increases in employment and a precipitous dip in gasoline prices, yet the rate of increase in driving was still smaller than the normal increases for six decades before 2005,” Baxandall said in a statement. “The total volume of driving in 2014 still fell below 2007 levels, even despite the nation’s larger population.” Of course, policy makers could also act to spare Americans from the burden of increasing traffic, congestion, and emissions. “The volume of driving could be even lower if public policies in coming years give Americans more choices about whether or not to drive,” Baxandall added. “We hope that this past year’s data does not distract public leaders from the profound changes underway in transportation.”
Spatial positioning accuracy is a key issue in a computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery (CAOS) system. Since intraoperative fluoroscopic images are one of the most important input data to the CAOS system, the quality of these images should have a significant influence on the accuracy of the CAOS system. But the regularities and mechanism of the influence of the quality of intraoperative images on the accuracy of a CAOS system have yet to be studied.Two typical spatial positioning methods – a C-arm calibration-based method and a bi-planar positioning method – are used to study the influence of different image quality parameters, such as resolution, distortion, contrast and signal-to-noise ratio, on positioning accuracy. The error propagation rules of image error in different spatial positioning methods are analyzed by the Monte Carlo method.Correlation analysis showed that resolution and distortion had a significant influence on spatial positioning accuracy. In addition the C-arm calibration-based method was more sensitive to image distortion, while the bi-planar positioning method was more susceptible to image resolution. The image contrast and signal-to-noise ratio have no significant influence on the spatial positioning accuracy. The result of Monte Carlo analysis proved that generally the bi-planar positioning method was more sensitive to image quality than the C-arm calibration-based method.The quality of intraoperative fluoroscopic images is a key issue in the spatial positioning accuracy of a CAOS system. Although the 2 typical positioning methods have very similar mathematical principles, they showed different sensitivities to different image quality parameters. The result of this research may help to create a realistic standard for intraoperative fluoroscopic images for CAOS systems. The aim of study is to evaluate the accuracy of a navigation system during curved peri-acetabular osteotomy (CPO). Forty-seven patients (53 hips) with hip dysplasia were enrolled and underwent CPO with or without navigation during surgery. Clinical and radiographical evaluations were performed and compared between the navigation group and non-navigation group, post-operatively. The clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the navigation and non-navigation groups. Furthermore, post-operative reorientation of the acetabular fragment was similar between the navigation and non-navigation groups. However, the discrepancy between the pre-operative planning line and post-operative osteotomy line was significantly improved in the navigation group compared with that in the non-navigation group (p < 0.05). Further, the complication rate was significantly improved in the navigation group (p < 0.001). The accuracy of the osteotomy’s position was significantly improved by using the navigation. Therefore, the use of navigation during peri-acetabular osteotomy can avoid complications. Since the early 1970s, total knee arthroplasties have undergone many changes in both their design and their surgical instrumentation. It soon became apparent that to improve prosthesis durability, it was essential to have instruments which allowed them to be fitted reliably and consistently. Despite increasingly sophisticated surgical techniques, preoperative objectives were only met in 75% of cases, which led to the development, in the early 1990s, in Grenoble (France), of computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery for knee prosthesis implantation. In the early 2000s, many navigation systems emerged, some including pre-operative imagery (“CT-based”), others using intra-operative imagery (“fluoroscopy-based”), and yet others with no imagery at all (“imageless”), which soon became the navigation “gold standard”. They use an optoelectronic tracker, markers which are fixed solidly to the bones and instruments, and a navigation workstation (computer), with a control system (e.g. pedal). Despite numerous studies demonstrating the benefit of computer navigation in meeting preoperative objectives, such systems have not yet achieved the success they warrant, for various reasons we will be covering in this article. If the latest navigation systems prove to be as effective as the older systems, they should give this type of technology a well-deserved boost. Primary bone sarcoma of the pelvis is one of the more challenging pathologies treated by orthopedic oncologists. In particular, their anatomic complexity contributes to delays in diagnosis and high rates of positive margins with associated high rates of local recurrence, all contributing to poor outcomes in this patient population. Computer-assisted surgery in the form of navigation and patient-specific instrumentation has shown promise in other fields of orthopedics. Intuitively, in an effort to improve tumor resections and improve oncologic outcomes, surgeons have been working to apply these advances to orthopedic oncology. Early studies have demonstrated benefits from guided pelvic resections, with studies demonstrating improved resection accuracy, fewer positive margins and decreased rates of local recurrence. Although these techniques are promising and will likely become an essential tool for orthopedic oncologist, surgeons must understand the limitations and costs associated with each technology before blind adoption. Studies have showed improved accuracy of lower leg alignment, precise component position, and soft-tissue balance with robotic-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). No studies, however, have assessed the effect on mid-term survivorship. Therefore, the purpose of this prospective multicenter study was to determine mid-tem survivorship, modes of failure, and satisfaction of robotic-assisted medial UKA. 473 consecutive patients (528 knees) underwent robotic-arm assisted medial UKA surgery at four separate institutions between March 2009 and December 2011. All patients received a fixed-bearing metal-backed onlay tibial component. Each patient was contacted at minimum five-year follow-up and asked a series of questions to determine survival and satisfaction. Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine survivorship. Data was collected for 384 patients (432 knees) with mean follow-up of 5.7 years (5.0 – 7.7). The follow-up rate was 81.2%. In total, 13 revisions were performed, of which 11 knees were converted to TKA and in two cases one UKA component was revised, resulting in 97% survivorship. The mean time to revision was 2.27 years. The most common failure mode was aseptic loosening (7/13). Fourteen reoperations were reported. Of all unrevised patients, 91% was either very satisfied or satisfied with their knee function. Robotic-arm assisted medial UKA showed high survivorship and satisfaction at mid-term follow-up in this prospective multicenter study. However, in spite of the robotic technique, early fixation failure remains the primary cause for revision with cemented implants. Comparative studies are necessary to confirm these findings and compare to conventional implanted UKA and TKA. Computer-assisted navigation techniques are used to optimise component placement and alignment in total hip replacement. It has developed in the last 10 years but despite its advantages only 0.3% of all total hip replacements in England and Wales are done using computer navigation. One of the reasons for this is that computer-assisted technology increases operative time. A new method of pelvic registration has been developed without the need to register the anterior pelvic plane (BrainLab hip 6.0) which has shown to improve the accuracy of THR. The purpose of this study was to find out if the new method reduces the operating time. This was a retrospective analysis of comparing operating time in computer navigated primary uncemented total hip replacement using two methods of registration. Group 1 included 128 cases that were performed using BrainLab versions 2.1-5.1. This version relied on the acquisition of the anterior pelvic plane for registration. Group 2 included 128 cases that were performed using the newest navigation software, BrainLab hip 6.0 (registration possible with the patient in the lateral decubitus position). The operating time was 65.79 (40–98) minutes using the old method of registration and was 50.87 (33–74) minutes using the new method of registration. This difference was statistically significant. The body mass index (BMI) was comparable in both groups. The study supports the use of new method of registration in improving the operating time in computer navigated primary uncemented total hip replacements. Computer-assisted surgical (CAS) navigation has been developed with the aim of improving the accuracy and precision of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) component positioning and therefore overall limb alignment. The historical goal of knee arthroplasty has been to restore the mechanical alignment of the lower limb by aligning the femoral and tibial components perpendicular to the mechanical axis of the femur and tibia. Despite over four decades of TKA component development and nearly two decades of interest in CAS, the fundamental question remains; does the alignment goal and/or the method of achieving that goal affect the outcome of the TKA in terms of patient reported outcome measures and/or overall survivorship? The quest for reliable and reproducible achievement of the intra-operative alignment goal has been the primary motivator for the introduction, development and refinement of CAS navigation. Numerous proprietary systems now exist and rapid technological advancements in computer processing power are stimulating further development of robotic surgical systems. Three categories of CAS can be defined; image-based large console navigation; imageless large-console navigation and more recently, accelerometer based hand-held navigation systems have been developed. A review of the current literature demonstrates that there are enough well-designed studies to conclude that both large-console CAS and handheld navigation systems improve the accuracy and precision of component alignment in TKA. However, missing from the evidence base, other than the subgroup analysis provided by the AOANJRR, are any conclusive demonstrations of a clinical superiority in terms of improved patient reported outcome measures and/or decreased cumulative revision rates in the long term. Few authors would argue that accuracy of alignment is a goal to ignore, therefore in the absence of clinical evidence, many of the arguments against the use of large console CAS navigation centre on the prohibitive cost of the systems. The utilization of low-cost, handheld CAS navigation systems may therefore bridge this important gap and over time, further clinical evidence may emerge
Hyperglycemia commonly occurs in critically ill patients, even in patients without pre-existing diabetes mellitus. Critically ill patients with severe injury or infection can experience insulin resistance and hyperglycemia due to altered carbohydrate metabolism.1 An insulin infusion is the preferred method for management of hyperglycemia in this patient population as it can be easily titrated and closely monitored.2,3 (Class I, Level A) The goal of the insulin infusion is to decrease blood glucose levels while avoiding hypoglycemia as both hyper and hypo-glycemia are associated with adverse outcomes and death.2,4 The target goal for blood glucose control in non-surgical critically ill patients has been described in the NICE-SUGAR trial. The NICE-SUGAR trial demonstrated that intensive glucose control, targeting a blood glucose range of 81-108 mg/dL, was associated with higher incidence of 90-day mortality (OR 1.14; 95%CI 1.02-1.28; ARI 2.6%; NNH 38) and risk of severe hypoglycemia (OR 14.7; 95%CI 9.0-25.9) than when compared to a more conventional blood glucose control of < 180 mg/dL. Additionally, there were no differences in mechanical ventilation (p=0.56), renal replacement therapies (p=0.39), duration of ICU care (p=0.84) or length of hospital stay (p=0.86).5 Therefore, intensive glucose control is not recommended for critically ill patients.5 (Class III) Target glucose of < 180 mg/dL is recommended for persistent hyperglycemia.2,3,5 (Class I, Level A) For most critically ill patients a target glucose range of 140-180 mg/dL is recommended.2 (Class IIa, Level B) Tighter goals may be considered (i.e. 110-140 mg/dL) for select patients if it can be achieved while avoiding hypoglycemia.6,7 (Class IIa, Level B) Alternatively, higher glucose goals may be considered in terminally ill patients or in patients with severe co-morbidities.2 (Class IIb, Level C) When starting intravenous insulin, consider the target glucose range and most current blood glucose level to determine an initial infusion rate. Adjustments to the infusion rate will consider the target glucose range and increase or decrease the dose based on both the current glucose and the patient’s glycemic response. Hypoglycemia is defined as a blood glucose level < 70 mg/dL.2-4,8-11 Early identification and treatment of hypoglycemia is essential avoid severe hypoglycemia (blood glucose level < 50 mg/dL) and adverse events. Certain hospitalized patients may be at higher risk for hypoglycemia including: elderly, critically ill, decreased nutritional intake, interruptions in glucose monitoring, and not responding appropriately to glucose trends.2-4,8-11 Treatment of hypoglycemia in patients unable to swallow and with intravenous access is listed in Table 1. Intravenous insulin should be initiated, adjusted, and monitored based on protocols or algorithms that pre-define adjustments to the infusion rate based on glycemic changes and insulin doses.2,3 (Class IIb, Level C) 6. van den Berghe G, Wouters P, Weekers F, et al. Intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients. N Engl J Med. 2001; 345: 1359–1367. 7. Steg PG, James SK, Atar D, et al. Task Force on the management of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). ESC Guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation. Eur Heart J. 2012; 33: 2569–2619 8. Maynard G, Lee J, Phillips G, Fink E, Renvall M. Improved inpatient use of basal insulin, reduced hypoglycemia, and improved glycemic control: effect of structured subcutaneous insulin orders and an insulin management algorithm. J Hosp Med. 2009; 4:3-15. 9. Smith WD, Winterstein AG, Johns T, Rosenberg E, Sauer BC. Causes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in adult inpatients. Am J Health Sys Pharm. 2005; 62: 714-19. 10. Krinsley JS, Grover A. Severe hypoglycemia in critically ill patients: risk factors and outcomes. Crit Care Med. 2007; 35: 2262-67. 11. Kagansky N, Levy S, Rimon E, et al. Hypoglycemia as a predictor of mortality in hospitalized elderly patients. Arch Intern Med. 2003; 163: 1825-29.
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For finely detailed models, spray painting is the best way to go. Floquil® Polly Scale, when used with an air brush, gives great results. If brush painting is necessary, apply a coat of Floquil Barrier® and then apply paint sparingly. An alternative is to use various light coats of commercial spray paints. Care should be taken not to apply the paint too heavily. Heavy coats of paint will cover the fine details on the part and can cause dissolving or “orange-peel” effects. We find that after painting, detailing can be done with brushes and acrylic paints. Thin the paint to flow easily over your surface. Once your paint is completely dry, weathering and texturing can be done with pastel chalks or conte crayons. Just lightly stroke the crayons over the raised details to give the pieces more definition. If desired, you can add a coat of spray sealer over the project once this is done. One final tool we find useful is a permanent marker. Try painting a window white, then lay a Sharpie® on its side and stroke it over the outer frame. This results in a white interior window frame with a nicely delineated black outer frame. Painting tips from a painting guru Proper painting techniques and equipment are not only important to the overall appearance of a model, but also help to bring out and enhance the fine detail that styrene injection molding makes possible. Strikingly realistic results are possible using an air brush to apply several very light, successive oversprays of different colors over a base or primer coat. Previous colors should always be allowed to “bleed”, or show through. When styrene is used to represent wood, it should be distressed prior to the beginning of assembly. Very light distressing with the tip of a jewelers file may also be done after each overspray in order to bring out the “grain” and give contrast between individual “boards”. Using Floquil® colors, the following sequence of coats has been found to give excellent results for red freight cars. Thin the paint 50/50. Begin with a coat of gray primer. Follow this with successive coats of Roof Brown, Depot Buff, Grimy Black, and a 50/50 mixture of Box Car and Tuscan Red. Add a final coat of Boxcar Red. When the final color is a lighter version of the basic color, as for example, Boxcar Red is to the deeper red of the previous overspray, the natural air pattern from the air brush will allow fine details to be subtly highlighted, and, therefore, to be more visible. After applying decals, a very light overspray of colors (such as Dust, Foundation or Grimy Black) can be used to tone down the decals and to kill any shine from the decal film. As with any new technique, some experimentation on scrap materials is recommended before trying on newly assembled models.
Autothermal reforming processes of hydrocarbon liquids such as diesel fuels are spotlighted as methods to produce hydrogen for Fuel cell. However, the use of higher hydrocarbons as feedstocks for hydrogen production causes some problems which increase the catalyst deactivation by the carbon deposition. Coking can be inhibited by increasing the water dissociation on the catalyst surface. This results in catastrophic failure of whole system. Performance degradation of diesel autothermal reforming (ATR) leads to increase of undesirable hydrocarbons at reformed gases and subsequently decrease the performance. And it is hard to feed diesel fuel homogeneously because of high evaporation point. Non-homogeneous injection of fuel cause poor performance and fail of system. In this study, perovskites (ABO3)-based catalysts were investigated as alternatives to substitute the noble metal catalyst for the autothermal reforming (ATR) of diesel fuels. The investigated perovskite structure was based on LaCrO3. And some metals were added at the A-site to enhance oxygen ion mobility, transition metals were doped on the B-site to enhance the reformation. And we compare peroveskite based only catalysts and physically mixed provskite & noble catalyst(Pt-CGO). Pt-CGO catalyst is novel metal catalyst and it was used widely in the industrial fields. But high cost of novel metal is critical weak point. If the amount of noble catalyst were reduced without the degradation of performance, it can be significant. Substituted Lanthanum chromium perovskites were made by aqueous combustion synthesis, which can produce high surface area conveniently. For LaCrO3, lanthanum nitrate and chromium nitrate were dissolved in water and Ruthenium nitrate solution was added to the solution. Glycine as a fuel was added in the 1:1 molar ratio to the sum of La and Cr. The solution was slowly boiled in a quartz beaker and heated to cause the combustion. The produced oxides were calcined in air at 1250oC for 4hrs. The physically mixed catalyst were made by milling 24hr in 1:1 wt ratio of LaCrRu & Pt-CGO. Furthermore, for the homogeneous fuel supply, we made ultrasonic injection system for reforming. The ultrasonic injector made form of fuel to fine particle, so it is possible to get homogeneous mixing condition. We compared durability of evaporation system and ultrasonic system for fuel injection.
Recently, the government has been holding financial institutions to ever higher standards when it comes to “Know Your Customer” (KYC) laws—but established finance firms don't bear that burden alone. KYC regulations have far-reaching implications for consumers, and are increasingly becoming critical issues for just about any institution that touches money (so, just about every business). So while banks are required to comply with KYC to limit fraud, they also pass down that requirement to those with whom they do business. And with pretty good reason. The idea is that knowing your customers—verifying identities, making sure they’re real, confirming they’re not on any prohibited lists, and assessing their risk factors—can keep money laundering, terrorism financing, and more run-of-the-mill fraud schemes at bay. The key is finding a balance so that these efforts are effective without penalizing innocent consumers—or being so onerous that upstarts can’t comply with them (and hence can’t compete). The ABCs of KYC KYC laws were introduced in 2001 as part of the Patriot Act, which was passed after 9/11 to provide a variety of means to deter terrorist behavior. The section of the Act that pertained specifically to financial transactions added requirements and enforcement policies to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 that had thus far regulated banks and other institutions. These changes had been in the works for years before 9/11, but the terrorist attacks finally provided the political momentum needed to enact them. Thus, Title III of the Patriot Act requires that financial institutions deliver on two requirements to comply with the stricter KYC: the Customer Identification Program (CIP) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD). CIP is the more straightforward of the two components, and likely more familiar. To comply with CIP, a bank asks the customer for identifying information. Each bank conducts its own CIP process, so a customer may be asked for different information depending on the institution. An individual is generally asked for a driver’s license or a passport. Information requested for a company might include: - Certified articles of incorporation - Government-issued business license - Partnership agreement - Trust instrument For either a business or an individual, further verifying information might include: - Financial references - Information from a consumer reporting agency or public database - A financial statement Nonetheless, every bank is required to verify their customers’ identity and make sure a person or business is real. The second component, CDD, is more nuanced. In conducting due diligence, banks aim to predict the types of transactions a customer will make in order to then be able to detect anomalous (or suspicious) behavior; assign the customer a risk rating that will determine how much and how often the account is monitored; and identify customers whose risk is too great to do business with. Banks may ask the customer for a lot more information, which may include the source of funds, purpose of the account, occupation, financial statements, banking references, description of business operations, and others. There’s no standard procedure for conducting due diligence, which means banks are often left up to their own devices. In fact, the Patriot Act doesn’t even directly specify a CDD requirement, but rather specifies that a bank is required to file a suspicious activity report if it suspects or has reason to suspect such activity. But without knowing much about its customers, a bank won’t be able to meet this requirement—hence the CDD. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regulates—and strictly imposes—this aspect of KYC. FinCEN also manages other regulators for banks, including the Fed’s Board of Governors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the U.S. Treasury. Other financial institutions can be regulated by the SEC, the U.S. Treasury, the IRS, or the National Credit Union Administration, among others. As a result of due diligence, a bank might flag certain risk factors like frequent wire transfers, international transactions, and interactions with off-shore financial centers. A “high-risk” account is then monitored more frequently, and the customer might be asked more often to explain his transactions or provide other information periodically. Why KYC matters By first verifying customers’ identities and intentions and then understanding their customers’ transaction patterns, banks are able to more accurately pinpoint suspicious activities. Money-laundering and terrorist financing often relies on anonymously opened accounts, and the increased emphasis on KYC regulation has led to increased reporting of suspicious transactions—though this doesn’t necessarily mean there’s more bad activity out there, just better detection of it. In 2014, more than 1.7 million suspicious activity reports were filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, 35 percent more than in 2013. Regulations are becoming stricter, meaning financial institutions have to spend more money to comply with them—or be subjected to steep fines. These fines are also dramatically increasing: $4.3 billion in fines were levied against financial institutions in 2013 and 2014, a sum that quadrupled the fines of the nine previous years combined. As an example, JP Morgan and HSBC were recently each fined $2 million for a failure to report suspicious activity. The cost of doing business? Concerns abound about whether the increasing costs of anti-money laundering procedures are eventually going to become—or already are—prohibitive, keeping banks from effectively going about their daily business. What’s more, many are wary of the regulations leading to greater friction with customers who don’t appreciate having transactions blocked or having to constantly provide additional information. Of course, as with anything, striking a balance between what customers want and what institutions need to do to protect the system is key. Other businesses aren’t being regulated in the same way banks are, but knowing your customers is a good idea anyway. It lets you detect suspicious or potentially fraudulent customers before they get to the bank via your services, letting you stop the fraud before it happens. After all, if fraud is detected in your business’ bank account, you’ll likely be required to pay a substantial fine. The challenge and the opportunity The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which enforces high data quality among financial service providers, collected more than $80 million in fines in 2014. What’s more, if fraud costs skyrocket, they could eat into more than just your margins: you might lose the partnerships of credit card companies or banks, for example, or get a bad reputation among customers. There’s opportunity here, too: Because many KYC regulations were instituted before much of today’s technology existed, the means of collecting information about customers are woefully outdated. Fintech companies can help—and already are, in some cases—harness the power of big data to help big financial institutions collect more accurate data and comply even better.
Cell Treatment Arizona Looking for Cellular Therapy in Arizona People that suffer from chronic lung disease are often looking for new, alternative treatment options for their disease. Given the progressive nature and the fact that most lung diseases have no cure, the standard treatment for the disease is often not satisfactory for patients. With symptoms that keep sufferers on constant supplemental oxygen or confined to their homes, it is no wonder patients are seeking options outside of waiting and watching their disease get worse. Cellular therapy offers an option that many patients are seeking: a simple way to get their life back within reach. In Scottsdale, you can find cellular therapy Arizona. Cellular Therapy Basics Cells are the building blocks of life; they are essential to every living organism. They are able to self-renew and replicate—with the ability to form every type of tissue or organ in the body. Adult cells from one organ are able to create tissue for another organ; this is called plasticity. This is key to their function in regenerative medicine. Cellular Treatment in Arizona with the Lung Institute The Lung Institute offers cellular therapys for many of the major pulmonary conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease. The cells used by the Lung Institute are autologous, which means they come from the patient’s own body. The cells are extracted from bone marrow or the patient’s blood (venous) depending on the patient’s current condition and health history. Adult cells have the capacity to form many types of differentiated cells, so when the cells are returned to the patient, they will target the damaged tissue, which leads to improved lung function in patients with a chronic lung disease. Our minimally invasive, outpatient stem cell procedures are changing lives by helping patients breathe easier. Our Scottsdale, Arizona clinic has been treating patients seeking a new way to fight lung disease. The surrounding areas offer a large number of entertainment and historical sites. Whether you are interested in catching a spring training baseball game or visiting the Grand Canyon, there are plenty of ways to turn your medical trip to Arizona into a relaxing vacation.
A peer-to-peer network is when people send information directly to one another with no intermediaries. There are two peer-to-peer networks in Bitcoin. The most famous one is the peer-to-peer network between miners. But the most important one is the peer-to-peer network between users. The miners have a peer-to-peer network which they use to transmit blocks to each other. They are incentivized to transmit each block as quickly as possible to all other miners so that the other miners build on their block so that they get paid. In order to do this, each miner is incentivized to connect to each other miner. In the ideal the case, this forms a complete graph, where every miner is connected to every other miner. In reality, miners connect to most other miners, but not all of them, forming a near-complete graph. The miner network is use to solved the double spending problem. This is described in the whitepaper: “In this paper, we propose a solution to the double-spending problem using a peer-to-peer distributed timestamp server to generate computational proof of the chronological order of transactions. ” The miners are a peer-to-peer distributed timestamp server. They are not the same thing as users. The users have a different peer-to-peer network. Users do not necessarily connect to miners. But users do need to connect with each other in order to transact. Users are connected to other users who they transact with. Users are not incentivized to connect to all other users. Users are only incentivized to connect with the other users they want to transact with. Users form a mesh network, like the economy. Like the economy, a given user is many hops away from most other users. They are directly connected only to the users they care about. The whitepaper describes users like this: “It is possible to verify payments without running a full network node. A user only needs to keep a copy of the block headers of the longest proof-of-work chain, which he can get by querying network nodes until he’s convinced he has the longest chain, and obtain the Merkle branch linking the transaction to the block it’s timestamped in.” The whitepaper explicitly distinguishes between miners, which run a node, and users, who “do not need to run a full network node”. The title of the whitepaper is, “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. The peer-to-peer network in the title is the users, not the miners. That is because digital cash is transacted peer-to-peer. According to the whitepaper, “What is needed is an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party.” In Bitcoin, two people can exchange a transaction directly, peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party. Transactions are instant and limited only by the speed of light. When users do not have full trust with one another, miners (“network nodes”) can be queried to confirm the validity of a transaction. The user peer-to-peer network is more important than the miner peer-to-peer network because users are the reason why miners exist. Miners service the users. The original Bitcoin source code provided pay-to-ip, which was a method of transacting peer-to-peer. That code was removed. We are making peer-to-peer transactions possible again today with paymail. We encourage all wallets to adopt this approach.
There are a lot of planets in the universe. With hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable universe, and hundreds of billions of stars in each galaxy, we can safely assume that there are at least a million billion billion, or a septillion, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 worlds. With such an incredibly high number of planets, it seems statistically impossible that Earth is the only one with life. And statistics can tell us a lot more about what types of planets are most likely to have intelligent civilizations. We assume that life is most likely to exist on planets that are like Earth. There is life here, so we should look for similar conditions—which is a good place to start. But as Henry Reich points out in a wonderful new video from MinutePhysics, this assumption isn't entirely correct. You may wonder how we can make any inferences from just one example of a planet with life, just one data point, but we can because there are some mathematical laws in statistics that let us model the most likely distribution of alien life. Essentially, whenever there is a large number of individuals separated into groups that are different sizes, the majority of those individuals will be in a small number of large groups, while the majority of groups will be smaller and have fewer individuals. Take people and countries in the world for example. More than 50 percent of the world's population live in the seven most populated countries, which each have over 180 million people. But more than 50 percent of the world's 196 countries have fewer than 6 million people. What this means is that if you select an individual at random, they are more likely to live in one of the seven most populated countries than anywhere else. But if you select a country at random, it is more likely to be a smaller one with fewer than six million people. MinutePhysics has more examples to make this clear in the video. If we apply these same statistical laws to planets with intelligent populations, then we can learn a lot. If we imagine that an individual intelligent lifeform was selected at random, and that lifeform happened to be human, then we can see how it is more likely that humans are a large group than a small group. So other alien civilizations are likely in smaller groups. This isn't guaranteed, but it is the most probable scenario. Assuming that humans are a large group lets us make more predictions about alien civilizations. If intelligent aliens exist as a smaller population, they likely live on a smaller planet, they likely receive less energy from their host star to support the population, and they are likely larger than humans for the same reasons that smaller animals on Earth (insects) are more numerous than larger animals (mammals). We can even predict that the average intelligent alien in the universe would live on a planet 80 percent the diameter of Earth, in a population of 20 million total fellow aliens, and would be 770 lbs. So we should be looking for smaller, darker planets than Earth, because it is likely that there are more small dark planets with small alien populations than big bright ones with large populations.
Jess Miller, Director of Facilities and Security at Umpqua Community College, discusses the impact of BOC’s holistic approach to building management and why it is “absolutely critical to help you improve.” Tom Javins, Associate Director of Engineering and Utilities at the University of Montana, recommends BOC training because “in our industry, if you’re not learning, you’re falling behind.” Tom Coles, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor at Boise Airport, talks about the BOC’s hands-on approach and the immediate applicability of his training at one of his 123 facilities. Dennis Bursell, Facilities and Maintenance Manager at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains, Montana, talks about his BOC training and the value of certifying his staff. Don Larson, director of engineering at a major medical center, tells how BOC training builds a competent and confident workforce. Teresa Rogers, journeyman building engineer, talks about how Building Operator Certification (BOC) training helped advance her career in building operations and maintenance. Chris Hunsaker, HVAC Lead and Building Engineer at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA tells his story of how an energy efficient upgrade project to his facility’s boiler system saved the organization a quarter of a million dollars in less than six months. “The BOC information is an investment in better maintained buildings, better educated building operators, and gratified customers. The cost of the coursework is worth every penny because the knowledge and quality of the instructors is second to none. The knowledge gleaned from the coursework will only improve a person’s ability to perform building maintenance.” John M. Haran, California State University Northridge, Physical Plant Management Department Safety/Training Coordinator “I found BOC to be one of the most knowledgeable learning experiences I have had in a classroom setting. At that time, I had decided to send my department and they all could not say enough about the classes,” Noreen McKinley, Chief Engineer, Marriott Santa Clara, California “My introduction to the BOC came in 2007 when I enrolled in the level one course. That course was a career-changer for me. I learned that to take care of a building correctly, you have to be a scientist, mathematician, detective, communicator, and an advocate. The BOC gives you the understanding of how those professions blend to form a “Building Operator”. That alone would be appealing to most every organization that has a maintenance department. However, there is more: you save energy, and money along with it. After completing level I, I went back and made things happen, I even formed an Energy Management Team. A year later, I completed level II. The result: my organization went from a budget of $270,000 dollars for electricity to $185,000. When your building is performing well the entire organization enjoys the benefits.” Rick Meinking, Consultant, RM Services & Energy Efficiency Maine “Vancouver Public Schools (VPS) has been actively engaged in the BOC program since 2001. With the blessing and support of the VPS facilities manager, I enrolled myself and all 35 of the district’s lead custodial staff in the BOC program in 2001. Since graduation of the initial class in 2002, Vancouver Public Schools has continued its involvement in this certification training. On completion of the class of 2010, we will have sent a total of 59 active and retired Building Operators, Custodial Supervisors and HVAC technicians through BOC training. As a direct result of participation in the BOC training, graduates have contributed to over $300,000 per year in energy savings to our school district. Additionally, our school communities benefit from having certified operators in each facility that have a significant understanding of the building components and systems necessary to the maintenance of high performing environments for the students, staff and patrons of Vancouver Public Schools.” John Weber, Interim Custodial Maintenance Crew Leader, Vancouver Public Schools, Washington “BOC is the type of program that produces real benefits for our communities. City staff who go through this training and certification are well prepared to improve operational efficiencies in municipal facilities.” Jane Cummins, Senior Staff Associate, League of Oregon Cities “A hospital customer of PSE was participating in a commissioning project. Its building operators, some of whom are BOC participants, were an integral part of the commissioning crew. Now that their building is tuned up, they are taking pride in operating at an efficient level. In fact, they are using some of the things they learned about the building to improve operation beyond the commissioned state.” Bill Steigner, Senior Energy Management Engineer, Puget Sound Energy, Olympia, Washington “After I took the training several years ago, I interviewed for a position with three other qualified candidates. The only difference between us was my BOC certification. I’m not saying the BOC was solely responsible for me getting the job but it was a very significant factor in me being chosen over the other two candidates. At my current position with Granby Public Schools, I had my lead mechanic take the course.” Santi Camarotti, Director of Facilities, Granby Public Schools, Granby, Connecticut “The program is the best thing that has happened to public facilities maintenance people in years. Whether you are an experienced journeyman or, as in my case, have limited trades skills, the BOC has tremendous value. On the surface, you would think that having one- or two-day classes in a technical area such as electricity might not be very useful to those with no background in the area. For the experts in that area, you might think the instruction is going to be too simplified, and too much of an overview. Well, you will be wrong on both counts!” Duncan Crump, Senior Facilities Planner, Washington State General Administration “BOC certifications bring a level of trust for the customer that we have training and expertise that can help them in areas where they need utility assistance. The knowledge the staff members gain about building systems is value-added in term of their audit reporting capabilities and the training is also an opportunity for energy efficiency staff to talk with customers directly and explain our programs.” Tom Lienhard, Lead Energy DSM Engineer, Avista Utilities, Spokane, Washington “By taking the BOC courses, I was able to learn about in-depth real world equipment and scenarios. While you may learn theory in a lot of classes, I was able to come away with a better picture of a multitude of disciplines used in a building and tie them together overall.” Rick Gideon, Data Center Facilities Engineer, King County, Washington
Food is the fuel our bodies use for everything that they do. Food gives us the building blocks our bodies need to move, build new muscles, and keep our brain going. That's why nutrition is the most important thing for keeping your body healthy. Read on for some tips on nutrition that will make you feel better. When cooking your lower-calorie and lower-fat diet meals, increase the amount of spices and flavoring you use. This will help you feel more satisfied with less food. If you get a variety of tastes in your meal, you won't feel as deprived as if you are eating bland low-fat foods. Hard boiled eggs are a healthy and easily portable protein source. Boil a bunch and keep them in your fridge to take with you when on the go, or packing a lunch. They are economical and will help you feel great. Protein keeps us feeling full and energetic. Choose whole grain over white breads. White breads are made from flour that has been highly processed and has lost much of its original nutritional value. Instead, pick whole grain breads. Not only are they better for your health, they taste better and are more filling, meaning that you eat less. Your body requires vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells. The elderly and those who do not eat meat may not get enough of this vitamin from what they are eating. Additionally, people who have anemia do not usually get enough B12 from their diets. You could take a supplement or eat cereal, as many brands have lots of B-12. Try splitting meals with a date when going out to eat. Even healthy options are generally served in huge portions, thus, bringing excessive fat and calories. When you split your meal, you save yourself money and calories. This will allow you to go out to eat while maintaining a healthy diet. Be a good nutrition role model for your child and give them an early head start on eating healthy. If you like to munch on raw vegetables, your child will do the same. If you snack with a candy bar, your child learns that candy is good eating. Offer only healthy choices when it's time for a snack. You will want to watch out for any foods that are labeled "fat-free" or "zero trans fat." "Fat-free" foods may be devoid of fat, but in most cases, they certainly are NOT devoid of refined sugars. When you are reading the nutrition labels on these items, you will want to be careful and pay close attention. Research limited on collagen peptides - Daily Reflector You may recognize the word “collagen” from the variety of anti-aging health and beauty products displayed at the drugstore: anti-wrinkle face creams, skin-firming body lotions, lip-plumping glosses. Collagen injections are also commonly used to smooth face lines and enhance thinning lips. It’s as though this substance contains the essence of the fountain of youth. But a recent trend involves collagen as a dietary supplement, taken as capsules or as a powder that can be mixed into beverages. You may be wondering what this new fad is about and what the potential benefits are. Include two servings of oily fish in your meals each week. The fish contains DHA, which may reduce Alzheimer's and other memory related diseases. Usually people with high levels of DHA do better on memory related tasks and vocabulary tests, even as they age. Look for tuna, salmon, mackerel, herring, and trout. Two 6 oz servings of fish are recommended for optimal nutrition. When collagen peptides bulletproof are dining out, always ask your server about the healthiest options available on the menu, they will be able to point you in the right direction. You should also check to see if the restaurant has a healthy version of the menu. This is becoming more common in a lot of restaurants. Believe it or not, salad is not always your best bet when it comes to dining out. Fast food restaurants and chain eateries often offer up side salads that reach into the thousand calorie range - and that's before you add dressing and croutons. If you are at a restaurant and the salad still looks like your best bet, ask your waiter to bring out the dressing on the side. This ensures that you will not be forced into consuming an unnecessarily generous amount of dressing. Better yet, opt for fat-free dressings. Weight loss obsession in teens is common. While promoting good eating habit and exercise is important, explain that is can be overdone. Teens need to eat enough to fuel their growing body and brain. Make sure your child has plenty of healthy snacks in the house at all times to keep them refueled. Avoid making mouse click the up coming webpage of depending upon dietary supplements to supply the bulk of your nutrition needs. Supplements are simply meant for additions to diets that are already healthy. It is smart to take nothing more than a single multivitamin each day and work on getting the most of your nutrients from food. Replace your syrup with pureed fruit. Fill up your blender with any fruit that is in season or that you happen to get a good deal on at the supermarket. Blemishes don't matter so much because they won't be seen anyway. Instead of using syrup to top off your pancakes, French toast and waffles, make a healthier choice! Now that http://www.purevolume.com/listeners/shanda53jarred/posts/6526986/Taking+The+Uncertainty+Out+Of+Acquiring+A+++Collagen+Item know a little more about nutrition, you can see that it's not very difficult to stay properly nourished. There are many foods out there with great health benefits and many ways that you can stay as healthy as possible, just by simply making a few changes. Use these tips to help balance your nutrition.
Music is an integral part of a quality early childhood curriculum. It plays a role in setting the tone of the classroom, developing skills and concepts, helping children make transitions, and building a sense of community. Of course, if you ask the children, they will tell you singing is a fun part of their daily activities. In recent years, with a strong national focus on early literacy, we have begun to examine and redefine the valuable role singing songs and reciting chants and rhymes play in laying the foundation for reading readiness. We know, for example, that these activities can help build vocabulary and develop sound discrimination. Both skills are crucial to the development of literacy. The size of a child’s vocabulary and his or her ability to discriminate sounds are strong predictors of how easily a child will learn to read when exposed to formal instruction (Adams, et all). Oral language and phonological sensitivity (sound discrimination) are not the only skills that are developed when children are exposed to songs, chants, and rhyme. They can also develop listening and thinking skills. Oral language (vocabulary), phonological sensitivity and comprehension (thinking skills) are the building blocks of literacy. With conscious effort, songs, chants and rhymes become a perfect springboard for developing all three of these critical skill areas. Just singing the songs and reciting the chants and rhymes with children provides a great foundation for literacy development, but if we really want to capitalize on the full range of benefits in using songs, chants and rhymes as a springboard to literacy, we need to purposefully use them as learning opportunities. Using Songs and Rhymes to Build Vocabulary Many of us grew up singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” How many times did you sing the song before you actually knew what a waterspout was? Singing a song is not enough to optimize vocabulary growth. Although children hear the words of the song in context they may not actually know what the words mean. I thought the waterspout in “Itsy Bitsy Spider” was the faucet in the bathtub. My mother never could understand why I didn’t want to get in the tub until the faucet was turned off--I was waiting for the spider to come tumbling out! If you stop and discuss new words and their meanings, you can ensure clarity. This is an example of using the song’s vocabulary in an intentional and purposeful way to increase vocabulary. Here are more ideas for using songs to build vocabulary. 1. Change words in a familiar song. Sing “twinkle, twinkle brilliant star” or silent star, gigantic star or flashing star. Use your voice to help illustrate the new adjective. Sing about a gigantic star in a gigantic voice. Sing about a silent star in a whispering voice. 2. Use familiar tunes to create your own teaching songs. Here is a song sung to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” This song teaches opposite vocabulary. by Pam Schiller This is big and this is small, This is big; this is small, This is big and this is small, Sing along with me. Other verse possibilities: This is tall and this is short. This is up and this is down… This is in and this is out… This is happy and this is sad… This is soft and this is hard… This is fast and this is slow… This is here and this is there. .. 3. Use favorite rhymes to teach spatial vocabulary: The cow jumped over the moon, Jack and Jill went up the hill and the old lady and her children lived in a shoe. Using Songs and Rhymes to Teach Phonological Sensitivity (Sound Discrimination) Songs and rhymes are ready-made for developing phonological sensitivity. Here are some useful suggestions for developing sound discrimination. 1. Make a list of some of the familiar songs you sing with children each day. It is a pretty safe bet that the list includes songs rich in alliteration (“Miss Mary Mack” and “Billy Boy”), onomatopoeia (“The Wheels on the Bus” and “The Farmer in the Dell”) and rhyme (“Down by the Bay”)—all of which promote phonological sensitivity. Next time you sing these familiar songs make sure you point out the literacy lesson within. Here are few of my favorite songs for teaching phonological sensitivity. “A Ram Sam Sam” (Rhyme and Alliteration) A ram sam sam (Hit one fist on top of the other) A ram sam sam (Hit opposite fist on top of the other) Goolie Goolie Goolie, Goolie (Roll hand over hand) Ram Sam Sam (Hit fists again) A Raffy A Raffy (Lift arms) Goolie Goolie Goolie (Roll hands again) and a RAM SAM SAM! (Hit fists again) “Willoughby Wallaby Woo” (Alliteration and Rhyme) Willoughby wallaby wee, an elephant sat on me Willoughby wallaby woo, an elephant sat on you. Willoughby wallaby wustin, an elephant sat on Austin. Willoughby wallaby waria, an elephant sat on Maria. Willoughby wallaby wee, a kangaroo hopped on me Willoughby wallaby woo, a kangaroo hopped on you. Willoughby wallaby wabrielle, a kangaroo hopped on Gabrielle. Willoughby wallaby woo, a buffalo stepped on you. Willoughby wallaby warlos, a buffalo stepped on Carlos. Willoughby wallaby wadison, a buffalo stepped on Madison. “Zzzz! Zzzz! Snort! Snort!” Pam Schiller (Onomatopoeia) Tune: “The Wheels on the Bus” The firefly at night goes zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, Zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, The firefly at night goes zzzz, zzzz, zzzz, All around my yard. The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz The birds in the trees go chirp, chirp, chirp The cat on the porch goes meow, meow, meow, The dog by the gate goes bow-wow-wow The pig in the pen goes snort, snort, snort 2. Rhymes and chants can also be used to strengthen phonological sensitivity. Here are some ways to use nursery rhymes to promote the understanding of rhyming words. • Recite rhymes in a whisper and say the rhyming word aloud. • Recite the rhyme stopping and waiting for the children to fill in the second rhyming word in a rhyming word pair. • Recite the rhyme is a loud voice and whisper the rhyming word. • Have the children clap on rhyming word pairs. 3. Tongue twister rhymes reinforce alliteration. Teach the children one of your favorite tongue twisters or one of the tongue twisters below. If a Baker bakes for another baker, Does the baker who bakes, Bake the same way as the baker she is baking for? “Peter Piper “ Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers How many pails of pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? Not only can songs, chants, and rhymes develop vocabulary and phonological sensitivity, but these activities are an equally critical component of literacy disposition, that is, the desire to read. In order for children to become avid readers they must have mastery of the skills (mechanics) as well as disposition. Disposition grows from positive experiences. Singing songs and reciting chants and rhymes provides a natural way to build the development of skills while ensuring the acquisition of disposition, especially because children find singing activities enjoyable. The Role of Neurological Science in Literacy Development Experience wires the brain and repetition strengthens the wiring. This understanding should be at the heart of all interactions with children. It is important to understand that developmental timetables are windows of opportunity that maximize learning potential. You simply need to make sure the experience and repetition of experiences fall within these windows. In the case of literacy, the windows of opportunity provide a timetable for the wiring vocabulary, sound discrimination, and thinking skills (comprehension). Preschool children are in the most fertile period of life for this wiring. There is a direct correlation of early care and education experiences to the strength of the wiring for each of these skills. The chart below shows the initial wiring window and the enhancement timetables for early sounds, vocabulary and thinking skills. Remember that experience wires the brain and repetition of experience strengthens the wiring. In other words, initial experiences prepare the pathways and practice strengthens the pathways. Window for: Wiring Window Greatest Enhancement Opportunity Vocabulary Development 4 - 8 Months 8 Months-6 years 4 - 8 Months 8 Months-6 years 0-24 Months 2-7 years Cause and Effect Problem Solving 0-48 Months 4 years-puberty 0-15 Months 15 Months-puberty 15 Months-4 years 18 Months -puberty Ramey (1999), Nash (1997), Schiller (1999), Sousa (2003) Songs, chants and rhymes are a natural part of quality early childhood programs. Children love them. Teachers use them for many purposes--to assist with transitions, to enhance thematic units, to get children focused, and to get them up and moving. Now with a little forethought and a commitment to purposeful teaching methods, teachers can use songs, chants and rhymes as a springboard, and even as content, for their literacy lessons. Keep a song in your heart and a poem in your pocket. You’ll be glad you did. Campbell, Donald (1992) 100 Ways to Improve Your Teaching Using Your Voice and Music. Tucson: Zyphyr Press, 1992. Jensen, Eric (1998) Teaching with the Brain in Mind. ASCD, Alexandria, VA. Mobbs, D. Neuron, Dec. 4, 2003; vol 40: pp 1041-1048. . Nash, M. “Fertile Minds.” Time, February 1997, 48-56. Ramey, Craig T. and Sharon L. (1999) Right From Birth. Goddard Press, NY. Schiller, P. “Brain Research and Its Implications in Early Childhood Programs.” July/August 2002, Child Care Information Exchange. Schiller, P. (1999) Start Smart: Building Brain Power in the Early Years. Gryphon House, Beltsville, MD. Schiller, P. “Turning Knowledge Into Practice,” March/April 1999, Child Care Information Exchange. Sousa, Dr. David A. (2000) How the Brain Learns. Corwin Press. Thousand Oaks, CA. Pam Schiller is a freelance Early Childhood Consultant and Author. Dr. Schiller has been a childcare administrator for several years and has also taught in the public schools as a kindergarten teacher. She served as Head of the Early Childhood Department at the University of Houston where she also directed the Lab School. Dr. Schiller shares her extensive knowledge in workshops, radio and television interviews, and as a popular keynote speaker and author. She is Senior Author of the DLM Early Childhood Express, a full curriculum for for four year olds, the DLM Early Childhood Program, a full curriculum for Kindergarten and Early Impressions: Start Smart Edition, a full curriculum for infants and toddlers. Pam is also the author of several children's books, music CD's, DVD's and more than thirty teacher resource books for Gryphon House, Goodyear Books, SRA/McGraw-Hill, and Fearon Teaching Aids.
Magna’s student design competition asked young designers based in Europe, North America and China to develop innovative vehicle exterior designs for 20-30 years into the future. The winners of the North American region have just been decided The North America award, and $5,000, goes to Zehao Zhang, an ArtCenter student, who designed an autonomous Honda for urban nomads. He asked the question: Why should I spend 20K a year paying for someone else’s home when I can build my own and take it with me? Zhang created the persona Gee Xili, who lives a peripatetic life, revolving around creativity and travel. The car has to allow for cooking, bathing, sleeping but also have space for sketching, a tablet and a computer. Xili is living in a capsule hotel paying high rents, and when he gets a job as a freelance designer in Tokyo, he books the urban nomad service for 9 hours a day – he can customise the interior as he likes. The 9 hours concept also comes with access to the ‘living port’ which the vehicle plugs into at night, giving him access to laundry, shower, restroom, security and battery charge. Judge Jay Shuster (from Pixar Animation) described Zhang’s project as: “The most complete thought and presentation in the group, in my opinion. It addresses an important aspect of life for many people right now: how to affordably support oneself in over-populated city-centres while maintaining a job and life.” The runner-up position was awarded to Chris Kim with his design for Waymo Rider, a subscription-based ride system for three locations, or ’autonomous zones’, where the control of individually-owned cars will be either surrendered to the autonomous grid or restricted (depending on their capabilities). The Waymo Flow is a single passenger mobility pod that offers mobility as well as elegant usable space. It focuses on the user’s experience related to the space outside and inside. Chris Kim, a CCS student, had considered carefully how architecture and environment affect human behaviour and interaction and this theme ran through his designs. The Waymo Community (multiple passenger) vehicle was inspired by Greek ampitheatres. Judge Freeman Thomas (of Freeman Thomas Design) said: ”I loved the connection to to the environment. All the concepts showed simplicity and aspiration. A beautiful lack of complexity. Wonderfully resolved and rendered!” The third-best work was submitted by Dennis Stephan (also ArtCenter-trained). Stephan’s EQS design aimed to incorporate two experiences in one vehicle, a focused driving experience and a relaxed autonomous one. His design displays some clever consideration of aero for battery cooling, but also for performance. In his design the underbody of the exterior of the vehicle is shaped by the interior. Stephan’s vision of the autonomous future also does away with conventional headlights, rather light is used to emphasise details of the design and simultaneously indicate the speed the vehicle is travelling. Judge Brad Richards (of Harley Davidson) described the Mercedes EQS concept as “Beautiful design with the added flexibility or autonomous or non-autonomous configurations. I would love the ability to make the choice every morning whether to engage in the physical activity of driving or using the time to accomplish other things. Even though I can see the advantages of autonomous vehicles a future of driverless autos leaves me cold, uninspired and frightened for humanity – the ability to engage in both offers hope and, within that choice, true freedom.” Zehao Zhang has won $5,000 and will travel to the 2019 Car Design Forum at the LA auto show in November to discover who is the overall global winner of the Magna Global Bold Perspective Award design competition. China region winners Bolin Sun and Gong Jinyun, who won with their entry ‘Swifter’, will also be at LA competing for the overall winning prize of another $5,000. The Europe winner will be announced next month.
- Why is King Duncan unhappy with the Thane of Cawdor? - Does Lady Macbeth have a child? Why is the killing of Duncan not shown? One reason would be to suggest the murder of a king is too terrible to be shown so the audience has to use their own imagination. Therefore, ending the scene just as Macbeth enters Duncan’s room leaves the audience in suspense til Macbeth tells his wife that he has killed Duncan.. Why does Lady Macbeth want Duncan dead? Lady Macbeth wants Duncan dead so that her husband can become king. Her husband informs her of the witches’ prophecy in a letter, and she immediately resolves to set him to murdering the King. She fears that he is “too full of the milk o’human kindness” to do what she thinks must be done to fulfill the prophecy. Who actually killed King Duncan? King Duncan comes to stay at Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that she has got the King’s guards drunk. She sends him off to commit the murder. Is King Duncan dead? Duncan, the king of Scotland, was murdered in the castle of Macbeth the thane of Glamis and Cawdor in Castle Dunsinane at midnight on 12th November 1556. The king was murdered on his bed with a dagger. Two grooms of king were also dead; covered with blood of Duncan on their face and with the dagger used to kill him. How did Lady Macbeth die? The wife of the play’s tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes queen of Scotland. … She dies off-stage in the last act, an apparent suicide. Who really wrote Macbeth? William ShakespeareMacbeth/PlaywrightsWilliam Shakespeare. For one thing, Oxford died in 1604, and some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays (including “King Lear,” “The Tempest” and “Macbeth”) were published after that date. Is Lady Macbeth a true story? In doing so, he created Lady Macbeth, the ambitious wife, inciting her husband to murder in order to attain a throne only to be driven to madness and suicide. The character is fictional, but Macbeth was a real Scottish King with a wife named Gruoch. Why Macbeth was a bad king? A good thesis for why Macbeth was a bad leader may touch on his personality issues, his propensity for mistrust, or his tendency to put his desires above the wellbeing of the kingdom. Macbeth was easily manipulated by the witches and his wife. He distrusted his men and everyone who would have worked for him as king. Why is King Duncan angry at the Thane of Cawdor in Scene 2? In Act One, Scene 2, the audience learns that the Thane of Cawdor has committed treason by joining the Norwegian forces against Duncan’s Scottish troops. Duncan is furious at the Thane of Cawdor for betraying him and demands that he be executed immediately. Why is Thane of Cawdor executed? Why was the Thane of Cawdor ordered to be killed? He was considered to be a traitor who fought against the King of Scotland. He’ll be killed so he can’t fight against the King again. … The Thane of Cawdor lost his title to Macbeth. Who was the real King Duncan? Donnchad mac CrinainDonnchad mac Crinain (Modern Gaelic: Donnchadh mac Crìonain; anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, “the Diseased” or “the Sick”; ca. 1001 – 14 August 1040) was king of Scotland (Alba) from 1034 to 1040. He is the historical basis of the “King Duncan” in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. What the real King Duncan was like? In the play Duncan is portrayed as a strong, wise and elderly king whereas in reality he was a young, weak and ineffective ruler. How did the real King Duncan die? In reality, Duncan died by Macbeth’s hand during battle and possibly also with the help of Thorfinn, his cousin. The annals of Tigernach state that Duncan was “slain by his subjects.” It is believed that Macbeth was able to overthrow and succeed Duncan because of the disillusionment of his people who backed Macbeth. Is King Duncan Thane of Cawdor? Hearing this report, Scotland’s king, Duncan, tells Ross that he wants Macbeth awarded the title Thane of Cawdor because of his bravery and skill. Furthermore, King Duncan orders that the traitorous Thane of Cawdor be put to death and his title awarded to Macbeth for his bravery. Where will King Duncan be buried? The three met in battle near Elgin on 15 August 1040 and Duncan was killed. He was later buried in the graveyard at Saint Oran’s Chapel on the Isle of Iona. Duncan was succeeded by Macbeth. What is Lady Macbeth’s first name? GruochSo who was the historical Lady Macbeth? Her real name was Gruoch, born around 1005, and she was a direct descendent from the Gaelic kings of Scotland. Macbeth’s claim to the throne came through his marriage to her as she was said to have already been in line to the throne long before he married her. Act II Scene IIExpert Answers info Macbeth murders Duncan in his sleep with a dagger in Act II Scene II. Did the real Macbeth kill Duncan? In August 1040, he killed the ruling king, Duncan I, in battle near Elgin, Morayshire. Macbeth became king. His marriage to Kenneth III’s granddaughter Gruoch strengthened his claim to the throne. In 1045, Macbeth defeated and killed Duncan I’s father Crinan at Dunkeld. Is King Duncan a good king? King Duncan is a good king who lacks distrust of those around him. He is a generous man who wants the best for his kingdom. After he was told he would one day become king, General Macbeth desires to obtain the throne as soon as possible and murders the mild-mannered King Duncan. Why is King Duncan unhappy with the Thane of Cawdor? Duncan is clearly unhappy with the Thane of Fife because he’s a traitor. Who likes a traitor? And people in power are especially distraught when someone around them has betrayed them. More importantly to me, the Thane of Fife’s treason is the trigger for Macbeth’s quest for the throne. It’s widely known that Lady Macbeth talks of having given suck, and yet we have no evidence of there having been a young Macbeth. There are many academic interpretations of this, some of which dig in to the history of the real life Macbeths and the possibility of Lady Macbeth having had children from a former marriage.
If you have eczema, I'm sure you never thought it was a good thing that your skin was colonized by Staphylococcus aureus, the cause of so many runaway infections. If that weren't bad enough, scientists have now shown that S. aureus produces a toxin that enables other viruses to more easily infect skin cells. The work, done by a group led by Donald Leung at National Jewish Health Center in Denver, was presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology in Orlando, Florida. S. aureus produces a number of toxic substances, but one stands out in particular: "alpha-toxin." The researchers pretreated normal human skin cells with a variety of toxins, and then incubated the cells with two viruses: vaccinia and herpes simplex. Only alpha-toxin increased the amount of virus infecting the cells, compared to a control experiment. Alpha-toxin increased viral load of herpes in the skin cells by threefold, and that of vaccinia tenfold. This may explain, the authors say, why patients with eczema are much more susceptible in general to viral skin infections than "normal" people. Eczema patients, for whatever reason, host a semi-permanent population of S. aureus, which is pumping out alpha-toxin and opening the door for its viral relatives. [added later] It's well-known that people with eczema are more likely to develop warts, which are caused by viruses. Maybe if there were a way to neutralize S. aureus alpha-toxin, we could cut down on the number of times we get viral skin outbreaks and warts too.
One morning last summer, I sat next to the pool making small talk with another parent whose daughter was in Abigail’s swimming class. He was half of an interesting couple. An American artist married to a French gallery owner, their family had just moved to a little village outside Paris and were in town visiting family for a few weeks. Since they had met in the United States, I asked how they had settled on living in France. “There were several reasons,” he said. “But France is a better place to be an artist.” The French, he explained, place a higher value on owning art than people do in America. You just don’t find regular people in the U.S. saving their pennies for artwork, he explained. “Americans spend a lot on their cars, so they don’t have as much disposable income.” What this conversation highlighted for me is that we are, indeed, making a trade-off here when we decide to invest so heavily in auto-based transportation. As a nation, we’ve become gluttons for wide, expensive, high-speed roads – and just roads, with very little spent on infrastructure for getting around by cost-effective foot or bike. … what people spend on transportation can’t go to other sectors of the economy. That’s a problem because transit spending doesn’t create the same wealth as other investments, say in real estate or personal health. Meaning that what you spend on your car, you can’t spend on art – or anything else. Think of your wish list. Either the one in your head or tacked to the side of the fridge, the one that has things like “new sheets” and “cottage on a lake” written on it. What if you had another$8,000 to $9,000 a year to apply toward these things? What if it were feasible for you to drop one of your family cars, or not own a car at all? That’s quite a raise you’d be giving yourself. Of course, for most of us that doesn’t seem feasible. Our cities aren’t set up for people to go carless. But that, too, is a choice, and one we might keep in mind as the talking heads debate how to raise more money for roads. If there is a way for us to create communities that are more efficient… well, shouldn’t we do that?
Kids move, and that’s a good thing. Running, jumping, stretching, twirling, somersaulting, and cartwheeling are natural inclinations of the human body. Sitting still is another matter. We all need rest, even active kids, but sitting for several hours a day isn’t good for anyone. While schools try and figure out what the heck to do about research proving that piece of common sense, homeschoolers are free to let their kids move as much as they need to. Enter fidget spinners. They’re hot, they’re everywhere, they’re the latest craze for kids, and they’re driving adults crazy. Why? They’re addictive, some say. They’re annoying, distracting, and disruptive. Might they also be helpful? Research has shown that movement can help kids with ADHD concentrate. Label or no label, I’ve experienced for myself that our societal perception of what paying attention looks like is little more than a myth. In leading book groups, writing clubs, and other activities with homeschoolers, I’ve learned that kids don’t always sit still. At first this bothered me because I interpreted it as a lack of focus on the activity at hand, the activity I was facilitating. Being in the fortunate position of not having to grade, evaluate, or otherwise tangibly verify any particular outcome, I tried to stay open to what might be happening for the kids. Thus I learned that a person who is fidgeting about may simultaneously be paying rapt attention. Of course it is true that sometimes fidgeting signals boredom, as Kerry McDonald eloquently pointed out in a recent piece on The Fidget Toy Craze. Let’s not forget that sitting still can just as easily signal boredom. Daydreaming, i.e. tuning out, was my preferred method of escaping tedium when I was in school. I can’t imagine what my experience working with kids would have been like if I’d had the responsibility of covering a specific amount of material and using flawed tools like tests to evaluate the level that each child absorbed it. Could I have taken the time to sit with the annoyance and pressure I felt in the presence of fidgeting? I never oversaw a group of more than a dozen or so kids. Twenty or thirty in the same room, and an obligation to pursue mandated standards with rigidly prescribed materials? The word daunting comes to mind, and even that seems to understate the task. In addition to no grades and retaining the freedom to choose and modify materials based on the interests and needs of all involved, I had another advantage. If fidgeting became “disruptive,” this was generally a sign that the kid wasn’t interested in being part of what we were doing. In such cases, kids were free to leave and pursue some other learning trajectory that suited them better. In short, because of homeschooling, I and my kids benefited from powerful assets that allowed each of us, on our own terms, to learn, enjoy, and find meaning in what we were doing. Back to the fuss over fidget spinners. The fad will pass, as all fads do. In the meantime, if fidget spinners contribute to helping us get over the tyranny of sitting still, or serve as clues for genuine boredom and frustration, they’ll have done some good.
There's an art, and a method, to search engine optmisation. Among my technology peers there are certain terms that are almost guaranteed to get some eyes vigorously rolling - such as Y2K, Web 2.0, SEO. In website design meetings, as soon as a discussion moves to search engine optimisation (SEO) I see disengagement from the technical staff. I don’t know if it is from lack of interest or scepticism of the benefits, but there is a tangible shift in attitude. Search engine optimisation is primarily concerned with making your website content as discoverable and understandable to search engine crawlers (software that visits your site and indexes it) as possible. Google has the largest share of search traffic in Australia, so the more indexable your site is to the Google search engine, the more chance you have to appear in relevant searches which means more page views and exposure. Part of the problem with SEO is that there is a lot of snake oil practitioners out there who make outraging and unsubstantiated claims about how they can get your site at the top of the search rankings. Most developers have probably had a friend or relation ask them how get to the number one spot on Google search without wanting to spend any time and effort. I can understand the jaded opinion towards the topic. Secondly, much of the SEO push is driven by the marketing functions of the business. SEO seems to be pigeonholed as the concern of marketers. There is a tendency for marketing to include developers after the fact in their SEO strategy and for technology to see SEO as a problem for marketing to solve. I asked Ron Erdos, an ex-colleague and once a Fairfax Media SEO specialist and now audience optimisation strategist at Yahoo!7, for his take on how SEO can be seen more holistically in the organisation. “If you see SEO as some kind of trick, it's easy to treat it with disdain … However, if you learn the principles of SEO, you'll be able to make design decisions which not only meet your brief, but put a smile on the face of senior management, when they learn that you've brought them extra traffic.” Erdos says. The first thing to keep in mind is while Google doesn’t publish the secrets of their PageRank algorithms, that doesn’t mean they are unknowable. SEO is knowable by testing hypothesis and observing outcomes. There is no magic one-size-fits-all solution to SEO but there are parts that need to work together to achieve a good search outcome. Site architecture matters According to Erdos, "One URL per asset is the golden rule of SEO-friendly web development. If you have multiple URLs for the same asset, you are almost definitely diluting the SEO value of that asset.” This is why technical talent needs to be involved from the beginning of the SEO journey. Site structure and the way that the URLs are constructed materially affect how you are ranked. As you build your online software execution, how the URLs are presented and linked to each other need to be consistent to gain maximum advantage. Erdos recommends the “universal URL” approach, which Yahoo!7 have just implemented for their own assets. The universal URL is a reversal of the once fashionable subdomain approach - where a new subdomain for each channel such as m.example.com for mobile sites. “This is because the SEO strength of each url is determined, to a large degree, by the number of links pointing at that URL.” If site architecture is the domain of the technical team, equally important is choice of keywords which naturally fits with marketing. You have to use words to describe your products and content that your audience is going to use to search for it. “Keyword research - learning which words and phrases people are using to find content. You then use these words and phrases in the title and/or description of your app or web page, and in other strategic places.” says Erdos. For example, if you name your site or describe it using the word “laptop” but most of your target audience refers to them as “notebooks” then when they search for the notebook term and you haven’t used it in your content and links, then you are leaving it up to Google Search to know that the terms are equivalent. Google Search will try its best to recognise similar terms such as “laptop” and “notebook” depending on how interchangeably they have been used by search users. Even if you have a perfect system for serving SEO friendly URLs and have done your homework for naming and describing the content, you need to produce content that is relevant to the terms you promised in your keywords and URL names. If the SEO description of your site is for the terms “Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll” but the content is about insurance then your relevance will be low and your ranking sub-optimal. Erdos says that you still “need to prove that your content is engaging”. “In SEO, this is expressed as links pointing to your content, especially from authoritative sources such as news and government websites. It's also expressed by low bounce rates - users staying on your site for a decent amount of time instead of hurrying back to the Google search results page. Those are just two of the engagement metrics search engines use.” A good SEO approach combines the systems knowledge and analytical powers of your IT team with the audience understanding of marketing and disciplined content producers that keep site content current and engaging to their readers. SEO is not magic, it is hard work and good business.
Fornander writes that prior to the period of Pā‘ao “… the kapus (forbidden actions) were few and the ceremonials easy; that human sacrifices were not practiced, and cannibalism unknown; and that government was more of a patriarchal than of a regal nature.” Pā‘ao is said to have been a priest, as well as a chief and navigator, who arrived in the island of Hawai‘i as early as in the twelfth or thirteenth century (many say he was from Tahiti.) Pā‘ao is reported to have introduced (or, at least expanded upon) a religious and political code in old Hawai`i, collectively called the kapu system. This forbid many things and demanded many more, with many infractions being punishable by death. Pā‘ao’s period saw a greater rigidity of the kapus, the introduction of human sacrifices, “the hardening and confirming of the divisions of society, the exaltation of the nobles and the increase of their prerogatives, the separation and immunity of the priestly order, and the systematic setting down, if not actual debasement, of the commoners”. Many believe the expansion and rigidity of the kapu were established as a result of the migrations from Tahiti and elsewhere, (and with the arrival of Pā‘ao,) bringing to Hawai‘i a system of laws and rituals protecting the mana (spiritual power or energy) which existed in all living things. In establishing this strict religious system, Pā‘ao also introduced the custom of kapuō (prostration before kapu chiefs,) the pūloʻuloʻu (sign of kapu) and the walled heiau (previously, heiau had been open courtyards.) He introduced several changes to Hawaiian religious practices and social structure that affected temple construction, priestly ritual and worship practices. The large sacrificial government war temples, luakini heiau, contained altars where human lives were taken when assurance of success in combat was requested or when there was a very grave state emergency, such as pestilence or famine. Prior to the Pā‘ao’s arrival, the Hawaiians worshipped unseen deities. Reportedly, Pāʻao provided the people with something tangible to worship, through the introduction of wooden temple images as representations of the gods. These images were not worshipped as gods themselves, but it was thought that the mana or spirit of a god would occupy the carved statue and could be consulted in times of need. Many things were kapu under Hawaiian culture. Anything connected with the gods and their worship was considered sacred, such as idols, heiau and priests. Because chiefs were believed to be descendants of the gods, many kapu related to chiefs and their personal possessions, such as clothes, mats and houses. Certain objects were also kapu, and to be avoided, either because they were sacred or because they were defiling. Seasons and places could also be declared kapu. Certain religious kapu were permanent and unchangeable, relating to customary rites, observances, ceremonies and methods of worship, and to the maintenance of the gods and their priests. Likewise, Pā‘ao reportedly initiated a lineage of kings, starting with Pili Ka‘aiea (the 1st “Aliʻi ʻAimoku” for the Big Island – the first ruler (sometimes called the “king”) of the island.) The descendants of this king ruled the island of Hawai‘i until 1893, while Pā‘ao himself became the high priest of an order which he established and which continued until 1819. The form of the heiau was changed by Pā‘ao and his successors, and the general population mingled less freely in the ceremonies of sacrifice and other forms of worship. The high-priesthood became more mysterious and exclusive. This intricate system that supported Hawaiʻi’s social and political organization directed every activity of Hawaiian life, from birth through death, until its abolition by King Kamehameha II (Liholiho) in 1819.
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Here in the US, everything is supersized. From the cars that are on the road to the food that is served at restaurants, people tend to go big or go home! It is important to be aware that our reality is being skewed and serving sizes have gotten way out of control. A quick way to lose a few pounds, guaranteed, is to check your serving sizes. I would bet that they are bigger than ever and you are stashing extra calories that you didn’t even realize. So in this “supersized world” that we live in, how do we control our portions and succeed in eating less and losing more? Here are a few pointers to help you control your portions. These few tips have helped me and I hope they help you, too… 1. Purchase a Food Scale! Scales are a great idea when you are learning what a typical serving size is. Do you know what 4 ounces looks like? While I would suggest using a food scale, I would not get stuck on using a scale for life, that just isn’t very realistic, is it?! Are you really going to pull out a food scale at every meal or bring it with you to a guest’s house, pull it out of your purse and ask something to be weighed? I bet not! This isn’t very realistic, but after a month or so, you should be able to eyeball it and see what a portion is without using the scale. Keep in mind, it is smart to learn how to control your food, so you make sure you are not only not getting too much but that you are getting enough! 2. Measure Your Food In The Palm of Your Hand. You can use visuals as measuring tools, once you conquer the scale. A good rule of thumb is that 4 ounces (one serving) is the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand. A tablespoon is the size of a golf ball and a half cup of grains is the size of a tennis ball. 3. When you order out… Decide To Take Home Half Your Meal.Most restaurants serve large portions, as we all know, hence Cheesecake Factory, an American favorite! If you are ordering directly off the menu, I suggest you separate about half and immediately set it aside to take it home for another meal. A better option is to modify the menu so you immediately shed 50 percent of the calories. By ordering a green salad and/or veggies with a lean protein, all steamed or grilled with no butter and dressings on the side, allows you to eat the full portion completely guilt free. On another note, eat before you go out, pull up the menu online and know what you are going to order and how you are going to modify your meal before you get there. Finally, eat before you head out so you are not as hungry and are less likely to devour your meal. Have a shake before you walk out the door. Sounds funny to eat before you go out to eat but think about it… By the time you get there, get your table, (wait 2 hours, if you go to Cheesecake Factory or most places these days), order your food, etc., it has been your 2.5-3 hour mark and it is meal time, once again! Sounds funny and may look funny to anyone not following a program, but it makes perfect sense to me. How many times have you gone out to eat, starving, and everything on the menu looks good. You either give in to your craving or dig into the bread or chips in front of you. Better to be safe than sorry! 4. Prepare Your Own Meals. Headed out for work or running errands, be sure to have all your meals prepared in advance, packed in your cooler and ready to eat every 2.5-3 hours! Whenever possible, pack your own meals for the day. This helps avoid having to eat out and to know that you are eating the proper portions. Having meals with you also keeps you from going too long without eating and therefore wanting to eat everything in sight when you do get your hands on food. You must always have to plan for the worst! What if you are stuck in traffic or something comes up and you aren’t going to be home in time to eat and you are out of meals/snacks?? There is nothing worse than being hungry, trust me! Better to be safe and have food with you at all times! I keep individual servings of protein powder in my glove compartment for those emergencies when I do not have food with me. 5. Pack Meals In Smaller Containers. The larger the container, the larger the portion. Instead of one large container or large bag, use a few small ones to pack your meals. Almonds are a great snack, but best to have them pre-packaged in a Ziploc than bringing the entire bag. If you are like me, it is hard to open a large container or bag and only eat one serving. Better to pack your meals separately than all together. Some of you may have that control, but not everyone can do that. The food we learn to prepare is just too yummy. I envy those who can eat just one serving. If you are one, how do you do that? 6. Trick Yourself and Make Smaller Bite-Sized Portions. Make smaller bite-sized portions and/or cut your food into tiny pieces. When I make my protein pancakes or muffins, I always make as many small ones as possible rather than one giant one. I don’t know what it is, but the more we have, the more we feel like we are eating. Make two servings of batter for your muffins, bake one big one and then with the other serving, get a mini muffin tin and make six tiny “mini-muffins” and tell me which you prefer and which makes you feel like you are eating more?! Trick yourself! 7. Eat With Smaller Utensils. Revert back to your baby days and eat with a tiny spoon. I love my baby spoon. I use this to eat my oatmeal, protein shakes and anything you use a spoon for. The more bites you get, the more food it feels like you are eating. I also love my chop sticks. They are harder to eat with and therefore forces you to eat slower and feel like you are eating more food than you actually are. Oh, the small things in life that work… Give it a try! 8. Avoid Eating Seconds Unless They Are Green. If you feel hungry after eating your meal, take some time before deciding on whether to eat another portion. Often the sensation to eat again will disappear shortly after eating. It takes time for you to digest your food and for your brain to acknowledge you are full. If you are still hungry, go for the greens! Veggies are a must and can’t hurt you! If you still feel hungry, go for the green veggies and then seconds are OK! 9. Share Half Your Meal With a Friend. If you are eating with someone, split a meal. You can share an appetizer and an entrée with a friend and satisfy your hunger without over-eating. 10. Drink Water! Thirst can be disguised as hunger, so make sure you are incorporating lots of water in your day. When working out, make sure to drink water before, during and after your sessions. Often we think we are hungry, but we are dehydrated! Be sure to understand the difference. Be aware that most spices and condiments have sodium in them, so this can easily cause you to be thirsty and dehydrated. Drink plenty of water. If water gets old, drink tea or add lemon, lime or fruit slices to your water! 11. Veggies Are Your Friend. Eat plenty of veggies. On my plans, veggies are unlimited! I eat tons of veggies… you have no idea. Veggies keep you full, satisfied and are less likely to overfill your tummy with danger. The high fiber content also revs up your metabolism, which allows you to burn calories! Fill your plate with tons of veggies and add your proper portion of protein and carbs. If you feel you need more, once again, go for more veggies!
"Maybe later" has become the phrase overemployed by a generation of hectic parents, new research revealed on Wednesday. It has become the response frequently given to children when they asked their parents to play with them. Researchers found that, despite children being parents' 'main priority', 80 percent admit they don't devote enough time to them. In fact, the report found working parents spend less than an hour a day giving their kids one-to-one attention - with the average child getting just 36 minutes with their mother or father. Children's responses to the survey painted a similar picture, claiming parents are too preoccupied with working, tidying and checking emails to address their needs. And almost eight out of ten children said they were fed up of being parked in front of the television instead of being entertained. The trend - which also showed adults are parenting 'remotely' from their laptops or kitchen sink and continually promising their attention 'later' - was uncovered in a study of 3,000 working parents and their children by car insurance provider Admiral. James Carnduff of Admiral, which conducted the research as part of its Family Journeys campaign, said: ''The generation of 'Maybe Later' kids shows a worrying trend of parents not spending as much time as they should with their children. ''Parents admit their children aren't getting enough of their attention, and children are also feeling the impact of this, desperate for their parents to spend more time with them. ''We live in ever busier times with many parents taking work home with them once they leave the office, but it seems this is having a negative effect on the relationship they have with their children. ''Parents need to remember that playing with your kids is a great way to relieve stress and forget about work. ''The responses from the children we asked show that parents can't get away with simply sticking their children in front of the TV as that's simply no replacement for quality time.'' The research also found on top of a normal full time working week, busy parents log onto their emails as soon as they get home from work at least four nights a week. And at least one of the two parents misses dinner twice a week due to working late. When at home, 70 per cent of mums and dads admit they spend much of their spare time cooking and cleaning rather than playing with their children. And 56 per cent often find themselves promising to play with their children after they've finished a bit of work, checked their emails or completed household chores. But kids are fed up with being treated like second best. Two thirds said mum and dad are always saying they'll help with homework or play 'later'. Six in ten children said they wished their parents worked less and 55 per cent wished they would leave the cleaning until after they went to bed. Sixty eight per cent said they would like it if their parents had more time to play with them. James Carnduff added: ''Trying to balance work and home life can be difficult in modern society, but simple things like going on trips as a family can be easy and fun, and don't need to cost a lot of money. ''We're encouraging families to take more trips out together; these family memories are the things our kids remember from their childhood. ''Saying 'maybe later' to children needs to become a thing of the past for parents, as the results of our survey show that the nation's children are well and truly fed up.'' The poll reveals 92 per cent of parents consider their children to be their absolute highest priority in life. But 62 per cent admit they do regularly say 'maybe later' a lot to their children, without really realising the impact it is having. Nine in ten parents say they only work to give their children a nice life, and 90 per cent only want to keep a nice house so that their kids have somewhere nice to grow up. However, 86 per cent acknowledge their child would probably prefer to spend more time with them, rather than playing alone while their parents work or clean.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) treats premature inborn babies as well as infants transferred from other hospitals in Israel and around the world. About 10% of newborns require additional treatment and support after birth. The NICU offers close and sophisticated monitoring equipment, advanced respiratory care using some of the most advance ventilation support devices in the world as well as advanced diagnostic and surgery facilities. The Well Baby Nursery is where a healthy full term infant will spend the remainder of it's stay. Our nurses are trained and experienced in both mother and baby care. Following the birth of a baby, the mother may choose to have her baby with her all day, (rooming in) or may prefer that he or she spends time in the Well Baby Nursery while she rests. blood tests and immunization are done according to the Ministry of Health's requirements. Each newborn infant undergoes a complete physical examination by a doctor within 12 hours of birth and again before discharge. Most infants are examined by a pediatric orthopedics and If needed, a consultation with a multi-disciplinary team of doctors from the Dana Children's Hospital is done. The mother receives ample instruction about caring for her newborn, feeding and medical followup as needed, given by the nurses and qualified breastfeeding counselors
Therapists help dazed survivors TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines - Dozens of psychologists were starting work in the typhoon-raked Philippines Wednesday to help dazed survivors deal with the psychological fallout of one of the country's worst ever disasters. The operation is an early attempt by health professionals to head off what they fear could be serious problems down the road, even as the physical scars from the tragedy begin to heal. There have been sporadic incidents of riots and looting, including the storming of a rice warehouse that left 8 people dead, and experts warn these could spiral if the root causes – loss and helplessness – are not addressed. "We are worried that in the next few days there will be anarchy," said Annabelle de Veyra, chief administrator of the health department for the region. "Two big stores have already been looted. It's not just food that they are getting. It's more of a psychological reaction," she told AFP. "People from Tacloban are not like that. They need psychological counselling," she added. (READ: Survivors flee Tacloban) A 55-member team of psychologists from the health department arrived in Tacloban on Tuesday to help some of the city's 220,000 inhabitants deal with the disaster, which is feared to have cost as many as 10,000 lives. Normal in an abnormal situation Stories of almost unimaginable tragedy abound in Tacloban, a place where parents have been forced to abandon the bodies of their children as they struggle to hold on to their own shattered lives. Those who have the strength are trying to flee the stench of death that hangs in the city; others wander its broken streets, dazed by the magnitude of the horror they have confronted. Nedy Tayag, a clinical psychologist for the health department, told AFP that behavior being exhibited by the typhoon survivors was typical among those confronted by massive disasters or destructive conflict. "Their reaction is normal in light of the abnormal situation," the doctor said. Tayag, who worked with survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami as well as victims of other earthquakes and conflicts in the region, said Typhoon Haiyan was by far the worst disaster she had been involved with, and it was imperative that issues be addressed early. "It could lead to mental breakdown, emotional imbalance, confusion and depression," she said. The focus of the health department experts would be "psychological intervention" that could involve therapy and counselling sessions of both individuals and groups. De Veyra, the regional health official, said many of the survivors will need stress debriefing to combat their psychological reaction to the sight of water after the coastal city was flattened by deadly storm surges. She said the mental trauma of an event of this magnitude affected everyday behavior and decision-making. "Here people are walking to and fro, dazed. If there is a queue they automatically line up for it," she said. Looters were not only grabbing food, but also big appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, she said. "They are hoarding everything. These are psychological effects," said de Veyra, a trained nurse whose experience as a disaster responder included working with the victims of Typhoon Nargis in Myanmar which killed 138,000 people in 2008. Tayag said Tacloban looters were reacting to having lost everything to nature's wrath and the helplessness they felt. "There is a justification: 'I do not have anything but now I have the means to acquire them.' It's all about knowing that they are in control – they call the shots," she said. - Rappler.com In these changing times, courage and clarity become even more important.
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Telecommunications technologies use electronic signals over cables and the electro-magnetic spectrum to allow people to send and receive information quickly over great distances. Milwaukee has a history of ever-changing technologies, with varying levels of competition and regulation of the services used to connect Milwaukee to the world. Telecommunication began in Milwaukee when the Erie & Michigan Telegraph Company completed the first telegraph line from eastern cities through Chicago to Milwaukee in December 1847, several years before the arrival of railroads. The first official telegram arrived on January 15, 1848. By 1850, telegraph lines connected Milwaukee to Madison, Green Bay, and other cities. Early telegrams cost $1.00 to New York City and twenty-five cents to Chicago for ten words. Competing telegraph companies operated into Milwaukee during the nineteenth century, but Western Union Telegraph Company eventually became the dominant provider, starting with its absorption of the Erie & Michigan Telegraph Company in 1854, until it sent its last telegram in 2006. Until well into the 1960s with widespread availability of direct long distance dialing, telegrams were the predominant means of long distance telecommunication. For local communications, the telephone ultimately superseded the telegraph. Charles Haskins brought the first Bell telephone instruments to Milwaukee in early 1877, less than a year after Alexander Graham Bell filed for his patent in March 1876. The first subscriber was John S. George, the local agent of the Chicago & North Western Railway Co. The City of Milwaukee became an early customer for $77 annually when it leased three instruments to connect the mayor’s office in City Hall with the fire and police departments. Haskins himself made and installed the first telephone switchboard in Milwaukee on May 10, 1879. The first operators were telegraph messenger boys, who also delivered the printed telegrams to recipients. But after customer complaints about their rudeness and poor service, women soon replaced them. Mary Kemp, Carrie Bell, and Pauline Juneau (a niece of Solomon Juneau) were the first female operators. On July 7, 1882, Charles Haskins, his son Harry C. Haskins, and Attorney Benjamin K. Miller incorporated the Wisconsin Telephone Company, with a license to offer Bell telephone service throughout Wisconsin. Wisconsin Telephone initially served sixteen exchanges in Wisconsin. It served 600 Milwaukee customers from the site of the current AT&T Wisconsin headquarters building at 722 North Broadway. The building was constructed in 1917 and expanded to its current size in 1930. Among the many other southeastern Wisconsin communities in which Wisconsin Telephone provided service were West Bend (beginning in 1883 with six phones) and Port Washington (1882). The first long distance connection from Milwaukee to New York City was made in 1892, but it was 1915 before a call could be completed to the Pacific coast. In 1896, a dial telephone system was installed in the Milwaukee City Hall. Wisconsin Telephone introduced the candlestick telephone in 1910, wall phones in 1913, and its first dial phones in 1919. Direct dial long distance calling started in 1956, touchtone pulse dialing in 1964, electronic switching in 1969, and fiber optic cables in 1981. Although Wisconsin Telephone faced local exchange competitors in the first decades of its existence, its pricing policies and refusal to interconnect with other companies severely handicapped both local and long distance competitors. It also aggressively expanded by purchasing independent companies. In 1907 the Wisconsin Railroad Commission initiated regulation of the telephone industry. By the 1920s, regulation and the settlement of federal antitrust lawsuits created a monopoly system that eliminated competition both within exchanges and between adjacent telephone companies. As a regulated monopoly, a telephone company provided all services, and a company employee had to install or move all phones or extensions. All Bell phones were black, until color phones were first introduced in 1956. The Bell System handled all long distance calls, even calls between independent company customers. However, beginning in the 1960s, federal telecommunications policy, driven by changing technology, encouraged competition. Interexchange companies using microwave technology began offering alternative long distance services. Substitutes for company-provided equipment became available, enabling customers to easily buy, install, and move their own equipment. Competitors began offering local exchange services, either by building their own facilities or by reselling telephone company local services. The dismantling of the Bell System in 1984 as a result of the settlement of a government antitrust suit accelerated the transition to a competitive telecommunications marketplace. By the end of the twentieth century, the telephone industry in Wisconsin was largely deregulated through changes in both state and federal law. A major factor leading to deregulation was the developing competition to landline telephone service from mobile technologies. Although some mobile service was provided in Wisconsin beginning in 1946, the early radio technology limited it to only a few thousand customers. The new age of mobile cellular telephone service arrived when Ameritech and Verizon began offering the service in the mid-1980s. Other providers soon entered the market, until cell phones became ubiquitous. By 2015, about half of homes nationally obtained their phone service solely through cellphones without subscribing to a landline telephone. Cable television formed another key element of the telecommunications infrastructure. Although seventy-two cable systems operated in Wisconsin by 1972, cable television service did not arrive in the Milwaukee until it granted a non-exclusive franchise to Warner Amex Cable Communications in April 1983. The service started to became operational in December 1984, offering 108 channels using dual analog coaxial cable. Time Warner Cable Inc., the ultimate corporate successor to Warner Amex, began installing fiber optic cable in the late 1990s and upgrading to digital cable service, offering broadband internet access and video on-demand services. In 2005 it became a direct competitor to telephone communications by offering phone service over its cable network using digital broadband internet technologies. AT&T responded in 2006 with its U-Verse television, digital phone, and broadband internet services. Over the years, telecommunications in Milwaukee has seen changing technologies, with differing levels of competitive and monopoly services, both regulated and unregulated. The ongoing rapid transition to digital and broadband internet technologies will accelerate the pace of change and competition across all aspects of the telecommunications in Milwaukee. - ^ By 1900 there were twenty-five Bell telephones in West Bend. Dorothy E. Williams, The Spirit of West Bend (Madison, WI: Straus Printing Co., 1980), 127. Wisconsin Telephone concentrated mostly on providing service in larger Wisconsin municipalities. Some cities, smaller towns, and rural customers were frequently served by “independent” telephone companies, unaffiliated with Wisconsin Telephone or the Bell System. Among the independents was the Menomonee Falls Telephone Company, which provided service in Menomonee Falls, Granville, Lannon, Sussex, and Germantown. Menomonee Falls Chamber of Commerce, History of Menomonee Falls (Menomonee Falls, WI: Menomonee Falls Chamber of Commerce, 1950), 10-11. The Ozaukee-Washington Telephone Company in 1911 absorbed the even smaller Mequon Telephone Company (begun in 1902) and the Freistadt and Cedarburg Telephone Company (begun in 1904). Wisconsin Telephone bought the company in 1925. Ozaukee-Washington Telephone Company Records, 1901-1929, Wisconsin Historical Society, Library-Archives Division, housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries Archives Department/Milwaukee Area Research Center. In 1926 there were nearly 1,000 telephone companies, cooperatives, and farmers associations providing service in more than 600 exchanges in Wisconsin. Barsantee, “The History of the Telephone in Wisconsin,” 159. - ^ 53 Years on Broadway, 32. - ^ Wisconsin State Telephone Association, On the Line: A History of the Telephone Industry in Wisconsin (Madison, WI: Wisconsin State Telephone Association, 1985), 113. - ^ William D. Caughlin and Brian F. Coffey, Ameritech’s Legacy in Wisconsin: A Photo History (Chicago, IL: Ameritech Corporate Archives, 1999). - ^ David Joshua Gabel, “The Evolution of a Market: The Emergence of Regulation in the Telephone Industry of Wisconsin, 1893-1917” (Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987). - ^ The early contentious relationship between Wisconsin Telephone and the independent telephone companies is summarized in Barsantee, “The History of the Telephone in Wisconsin,” 156-158. - ^ 1907 Wisconsin Act 499. The legislative history of the Wisconsin Public Utility Law is discussed in Gabel, The Evolution of a Market, 283-356. - ^ E.g., Susan E. McMaster, The Telecommunications Industry (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002), 32-38; Gerald W. Brock, The Telecommunications Industry, The Dynamics of Market Structure (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981), 148-161. - ^ Caughlin and Coffey, Ameritech’s Legacy in Wisconsin. - ^ McMaster, The Telecommunications Industry, 91-109, 122-152. - ^ U.S. v. AT&T Co., 552 F.Supp.131 (D.D.C. 1982), aff’d sub nom., Maryland v U.S., 460 U.S. 1001 (1983). Wisconsin Telephone Company changed its name to Wisconsin Bell, Inc. effective with its divestiture from AT&T on January 1, 1984. Caughlin and Coffey, Ameritech’s Legacy in Wisconsin. Upon divestiture Wisconsin Bell became a subsidiary of American Information Technologies Corporation (“Ameritech”), the regional Bell operating company offering service in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Ameritech became part of SBC Communications Inc. in 2001, which in turn adopted its current name of AT&T, Inc., after SBC completed its combination with remnants of the post-divestiture Bell System in November 2005. “Business History of Telecommunications,” Business History website, accessed December 10, 2015. - ^ The major deregulatory legislation passed in Wisconsin was 1993 Wisconsin Act 496. The key federal law was the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-104, 110 Stat. 56, codified at 47 U.S.C. secs. 151 et seq. - ^ Caughlin and Coffey, Ameritech’s Legacy in Wisconsin. - ^ McMaster, The Telecommunications Industry, 114-16. - ^ Cable Franchise Agreement between the City of Milwaukee and Warner Amex Cable Communications Company of Milwaukee, executed June 1, 1983. Other cable television systems operated in smaller communities throughout Wisconsin as early as 1951 (Rice Lake). Wisconsin Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Cable Communications, “Cable Communications in Wisconsin, Analysis of Recommendations,” (Madison, WI, August 1972). In 1980 cable service began in Wauwatosa, the first system in the Milwaukee area. Christian Schneider, WPRI Report: The Benefit of Cable Competition in Wisconsin (Thiensville, WI: Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, Inc., March 2007), 8. - ^ Cable Franchise Agreement, June 1, 1983. - ^ Time Warner Cable, “Making Connections, Time Warner Cable and the Broadband Revolution,” , accessed December 10, 2015. - ^ Schneider, WPRI Report: The Benefit of Cable Competition in Wisconsin, 4. Internet-based technologies, including VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), are now being used extensively by telephone companies to provide landline service. See, e.g., William A. Flanagan, Understanding VoIP and Unified Communications: Internet Telephony and the Future Voice Network (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2012).
HTML: HTML (HyperText Markup Language): HTML is the most widely accepted language used to build websites. It is the main structure of a website. It builds tables, creates divisions, gives a heading message (In the title bar of programs), and actually outputs text. XHTML (eXtensible HyperText Markup Language): : XHTML is extremely similar but follows the rules of XML. The main differences between HTML and XHTML are the case-sensitivity, the need to use closing tags for all tags, the need to use quotes around all attribute values and that all attributes must be in lowercase as XML requires. Special characters between tags need to be replaced with its code equivalent. Declaring the correct doctype (first line in source code) and language (in meta tag in the head of the source code) is required. XHTML is used to be compatible with XML programming. Following the rules now would make it possible to include XML programming in the future. It is not difficult to change HTML pages to XHTML, but it can be time-consuming. Finding all line breaks and images to include closing tags, converting any uppercase to lowercase and any other incompatibility can be a nuisance. Using a find and replace program can allow you to edit your code faster, but you still have to reupload all those changes. It is recommended that programmers try to remember these rules to comply with W3C recommendations, so the web pages appear correctly in most browsers. When should you be concerned with XHTML instead of just plain HTML? If the website will contain a catalog of items as in an ecommerce site, the site accesses a database, the site accesses information from another source that uses a different programming language or the site is expected to grow and exist for many years. XHTML is used when referring to XML files used for RSS feeds, some music players, some image galleries and many more applications. XHTML is the same as HTML, except it has a cleaner syntax. XHTML uses the same tags as HTML, so people who know HTML know messy XHTML. Some new rules are followed in XHTML like: - XHTML elements must be properly nested. - XHTML elements must always be closed. - XHTML elements must be in lowercase. - XHTML documents must have one root element. - In HTML, some elements can be improperly nested within each other, like this: <b><i>This text is bold and italic</b></i> - In XHTML, all elements must be properly nested within each other, like this: <b><i>This text is bold and italic</i></b> Sample HTML code of .aspx file <title>The Professionals Point</title> Here we write code for designing the page.
Yould could learn about the organisation and the project here in Englishl: Proposed activities for EVS volunteers We can offer to volunteers in terms of service and learning opportunities. Concerning educational values we offer the opportunity to participate in our projects, that is building up the structures according to alternative masonry technologies, ecological farming i.e. market-gardening and stock raising, vegetable and fruit processing. Our project also includes running the local Community Centre which provides mostly latest information from the above mentioned topics. The accomodation facility is situated directly in the village. Volunteers will be provided with the room of his/her own (or with one another volunteer in one room if agreed), shared bathroom and kitchen. There is one grocery store in the village, other services are available in Rožňava town (30 km) or village of Štítnik (15 km). Bus links to mentioned places are available four times a day, once a week we offer a journey by our van. Role of EVS volunteers in the host organisation Volunteers will be actively involved in the common life and activities of the organisation, they will help with building the structures of the Centre, ecological planting and tree planting(eco-orchard, forest garden), and they will participate in the organizing the social and cultural events for local community as well as the volunteers. After becoming acquainted with the work in our small library, they should be able to manage basic works for distribution of sustanabilty related literature and other products. Beginning in July 2012 The project begins in July 2012 and it will last for 12 months, the 30th of April 2012 is deadline for submitting the application with all the documents required (CV and the motivation letter). This Service will promote the active citizenship of young people participating in the project by involving them mentally, emotionally and physically in daily activities of the project. From the theory (short seminar), passing through the motivational area of the group – the volunteers will “touch the thoughts and emotions” in the practical “green” activities connected mostly with global environmental challenges and sustainable rural development. Living, meeting and fulfilling tasks together with people from other European countries volunteers will have a chance to understand and develop solidarity and tolerance among young people. Every minute of their Service will give them opportunity for intercultural learning in a non-formal way. This EVS is being developed as a continual collaboration between Hungarian and Slovak NGOs working in the youth field and it strengthens and develops the relationship which will promote future European cooperation in the youth field. Main themes of the Service are Environment, Nature protection, Permaculture and Sustainable rural development. This Service will enable volunteers to be actively involved in the projects and non-profit activities of Alter Nativa connected with the programme Centre of the Alternative Lifestyle. The Service will continue the project with local, regional and old varieties of fruit trees with aim to save biological resources (seed-saving) and to create local food production and self-sufficiency. This includes ecological planting and tree planting (eco-orchard, forest gardening), young trees grafting, renewal of uncared orchards (cutting grass, treating old fruit trees, fertilization) and creating natural gardens (preparation of the soil, sowing seeds, planting). The fruit trees research contains localization of trees with GPS and camera, collecting biological samples of trees (leaves, buds, fruits, flowers), measuring and evaluating of collected samples and data processing afterwards. The seasonal outdoor activities of the project also include managing the functional local recycling system (sorting the collected materials, practical education on waste disposal ways) and assistance at building small natural structures around the village (compost sites, wooden bridges, corrals, ponds, fruit-dryer, herbal spirals etc.). Volunteers will take part in organising public courses on organic/natural agriculture (Permaculture), preparation of materials for workshops (such as osiers, barking the trees, wedging the clay) and they will assist with actual work in workshops (making of baskets, home-made carpets, pottery, bowls, spruce shingles, birch brooms). According to actual needs we are building new structures or reconstructing existing buildings in property of Alter Nativa. All of these building works are made in the most possible natural way, using natural (mostly) local materials (stone, clay, wood, straw, sand etc)and nature friendly building techniques (hand-work, hand-tools, slow processes). Another daily activity is taking care of some of our animals (goats, cow, chicken) – grazing, milking, feeding, producing milk and cheese, collecting eggs, cleaning stables and animals. After becoming acquainted with the work in our Community centre and a new small library, volunteers should be able to help the local people and visitors looking up the desired information via internet or books in library. The same place is used to provide distribution of literature concerning sustainability and home-made local products. All the activities are prepared and explained in regular weekly and monthly meetings of EVS coordinator and supervisor with other colleagues of Alter Nativa team. At these meetings we make planning for next period and also the evaluation of previous activities. In the beginning of the Activity, the supervisor is present before starting particular activity to explain in details and to show volunteers what to do. This is the space for volunteer’s questions, ideas and suggestions. After a time, volunteers are lead to work independently to fulfil their tasks and some activities are built as a team work with other local volunteers. This method is leading a volunteer to gain a sense for responsibility and independency and, on the other hand, the ability to work as a part of team in an intercultural, international environment. We expect and motivate our volunteers to bring and put forward their own ideas and opinions about the organisation’s strategy and life. We provide them space to share their previous experience and to do things in the way they think or know will bear good results in their individual future. All the activities will through the non-formal learning help volunteers to acquire practical skills, “green” skills and also knowledge about sustainable lifestyle, ecology, alternative technologies, local exchange-trading systems (alternative economics), self-employment opportunities in the remote and relatively isolated rural parts of the country. For some of our activities (courses, festivals) we invite other EVS volunteers in Slovakia so our volunteers have informal meetings with many different nationalities, cultures during working or free time. In general, the structure of the week has this content: 30% preparation, instructions, training; 50% particular work; 10% meetings with the organisation's members and the target group; 10% Slovak language course. The timetable is the same for both volunteers who will fulfil their tasks together as a team or divided to different places with other local volunteers or members of Alter Nativa. Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00-12:00 – taking care of animals, feeding and grazing, managing and maintaining suitable living conditions for animals; processing of animal products (milk, cheese, eggs etc) Slovak language classes – Monday and Friday (2 hours) Tuesday, Thursday 9:00-12:00 - recycling works, sorting the collected materials, education on waste disposal ways; indoor orchard research activities (data processing, measuring biological samples, taking pictures). 12.00-13.00 – lunch; Monday to Friday 13:30-16:30 – outdoor activities, i.e. renewal of uncared orchards, outdoor orchard research activities (see above), seasonal farming works, natural building, assistance at building small structures around the village (compost sites, wooden bridges, fowl house, corrals, ponds, herbal spirals etc.), assistant works in workshops (preparation of materials such as osiers, debarking the trees, wedging the clay) and actual work in workshops (making of baskets, pitchers, bowls, spruce shingles, birches). The tasks and positions of individual volunteers in a timetable will be changed according to actual needs of organisation and volunteers so that they will take part and get experience in all activities. Total amount of working hours of volunteers is 30 hours per week. The volunteer has the right to have 2 free days per week (Sunday and the day he would choose) and 2 days of holiday per month. We will be pleased if the volunteer takes part in the assistance and preparation of the organisation’s activities (courses, trainings, meetings and seminars, etc.) which usually take place on weekends. In that case she/he will obtain an equal time off. For six months of service she/he will get 12 days of holidays. Of course, if there are any urgent events she/he can leave for some days after consulting with the supervisor and the project manager. Many of our activities held outside are dependent on weather conditions. Therefore we might be pressed to adjust the timetable to actual seasonal conditions. In case of suitable weather the outdoor activities may last for 1 or 2 hours longer or the midday break may last longer in hot weather. Of course, the total amount of working hours per week will be not changed. Accommodation and food The accommodation facility is situated directly in the village. Volunteers will stay in the room of their own or shared with one more volunteer in a house with other EVS volunteers. There is a shared bathroom and kitchen in their house. Food preparation is individual or as a group after agreement with other volunteers (all necessary equipment is provided in shared kitchen). There is a shop opened daily in the village, other services are available in Rožňava - district town (30 km) or in a village of Štítnik (15 km). Bus links to mentioned places are available four times a day, once a week we can offer a journey by our van.
Azores in a Nutshell With dynamic volcanic topography hosting a variety of marine life, the islands of the Azores archipelago offer a special Atlantic diving experience. Introduction to the Azores Consisting of 9 beautiful islands, the Azores Archipelago boasts a variety of geographical diversity and a number of vacation activities. Each island features unique attractions, cuisine, and cultural charm. Suspended in the volcanic Atlantic between Europe and North America, this Portuguese island group has developed its own special identity throughout its dynamic history, and today boasts natural beauty and friendly, welcoming residents. Scuba Diving in the Azores The underwater realm of the Azores present divers with intriguing topography and a diversity of dive sites. A subtropical oceanic climate combines with the rich waters of the Gulf Stream, creating a healthy ecosystem that is rich with marine life. The relative isolation of the island group means the dive environment has remained pristine. Many of the Azores dive centers prioritize environmental conservation and educational eco-tourism, protecting the unspoiled beauty that attracts scuba divers from all over the world. A few of the varied sites include swim throughs and caves created by ancient lava flow, giant crater lakes, and World War II shipwrecks. As it is surrounded by the wide-open Atlantic, the Azores serve as a veritable beacon for whales. Resident sperm whales are joined by migratory blue, fin, humpback, minke, and sei whales plus orcas and several species of dolphins. The peak of whale spotting season is early spring, a period that also features a rare sight: Portuguese man o' war amass here in the thousands, thriving in the rich waters before vanishing as the temperatures increase. The best visibility in the Azores is found from June to October, when it can reach up to an impressive 90 feet. An up-and-coming destination for shark diving, scuba centers are now facilitating blue and mako shark encounters in the deep blue water setting. Manta rays are also prevelent in these outstanding depths, along with occasional whale sharks, hammerheads, and a wide array of large fish. Mediterranean parrotfish, large grouper, triggerfish, rainbow wrasse, red scorpion fish, yellowmouth barracuda, ocean sunfish, devil rays, and sea turtles are just a few of the hundreds of coastal marine species thriving in this rich environment. These waters are also home to several species of nudibranchs and other macro subjects. Most dive operators insist upon very small groups (approximately 6) in order to ensure the protection of the underwater environment and the marine life. This is particularly strictly enforced for large mammal and shark excursions. Water temperatures range from 63-77 degrees Fahrenheit (16-24 degrees Celsius). The volcanic quality of the Azores has created magnificent natural sights and experiences, including stunning lakes in volcano craters, hot springs, and dramatic peaks and valleys. There are abundant topside activities including golf, hiking, geotourism, canyoning, bike tours, horseback riding, paragliding, bird watching, canoeing, kayaking, whale watching, yachting, big game fishing, and surfing. Snorkeling is also considered a central activity to the Azores, with plenty of shallow water attractions to enjoy. Nightlife is sociable and the local residents are exceedingly friendly. Each island culture boasts its own special cuisines and traditions. With 9 diverse islands to choose from, no matter the interest, the Azores hold a special experience for everyone.
Vaccines and also drugs like Ritalin (Concerta, Strattera) are all designed to cause a partial lobotomy. This sounds like a improved partial lobotomy, with a chronical disease guarantee (cancer, multiple sclerosis etc..). No more stress, but you are brain-dead. What could possibly go wrong? (CBS) Stressed out? There’s no app for that, but soon enough there might be a vaccine. Dr Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscience professor at Stanford, says after 30 years of studying stress, his team might be on the verge of a novel cure. “To be honest, I’m still amazed that it works,” Sapolsky told Wired in an August profile. Sapolsky has long theorized that, unlike some animals, humans are unable to turn off stress chemicals used for the fight-or-flight mechanism. A class of hormone called glucocorticoids are one of the chief offenders, according to Sapolsky. So his team has pioneered a way to bootstrap a “herpes virus to carry engineered ‘neuroprotective’ genes deep into the brain to neutralize the rogue hormones before they can cause damage,” according to the Daily Mail.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria are a common cause of peptic ulcers (sores in the lining of the stomach, small intestine, or esophagus). In this test, a stool (feces) sample is used to determine if H. pylori antigens are present in your child's gastrointestinal (GI) system. Antigens are substances that trigger the immune system to fight infection. A doctor may request an H. pylori antigen stool test if your child has symptoms that could indicate the presence of a peptic ulcer, such as indigestion, abdominal pain, a full or bloated feeling, nausea, frequent belching, or vomiting. A test also might be ordered after your child completes a course of antibiotics for H. pylori to determine whether it eradicated the infection. Unlike most other lab tests, a stool sample is often collected by parents at home, not by health care professionals at a hospital or clinic. For 2 weeks before the test, your child may be asked to avoid certain medications such as antibiotics, antacids, bismuth, and peptic ulcer medicines such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 blockers. The doctor or hospital laboratory usually will provide written instructions on how to collect a stool sample. If instructions aren't provided, here are tips for collecting a stool sample from your child: Alternatively, a doctor or nurse may collect a small stool sample by inserting a swab into your child's rectum. When the sample arrives at the laboratory, a small amount of stool is placed in tiny vials. Specific chemicals and a color developer are added. At the end of the test, the presence of a blue color indicates the presence of H. pylori antigens. In general, the result of the H. pylori stool test is reported in 1-4 days. No risks are associated with collecting stool samples. Collecting a stool sample is painless. Tell your child that collecting the stool won't hurt, but it has to be done carefully. A child who's old enough might be able to collect the sample alone to avoid embarrassment. Tell your child how to do this properly. If the sample is collected by swabbing, your child may feel slight pressure in his or her rectum during the procedure. If you have questions about the H. pylori stool test, speak with your doctor.
Destroying Electronics With Electromagnetsby Micah McDunnigan Weak electromagnets are useful for electronics, such as those you find in speakers and headsets, but strong electromagnets can damage electronic components because of the way the electronic devices use electric charges to operate and to store data. While it will not physically destroy the device, a strong electromagnet can render a piece of electronic equipment useless by stripping away the device's programming. Electronics get their name because they function by storing electric charges in the form of electrons. These charges dictate the opening and closing of pathways for currents through circuits. Processors store and move charges between different transistors to run calculations and compare values. Disk-based hard drives use the presence or absence of an electronic charge on individual sectors of a spinning magnetic disk to store and retrieve files. The precise positioning of these charges is what electronics control. Computers run programs, but programs also run computers. Programs regulate the opening and closing of circuit gateways and interpret the presence or absences of charges in transistors or other storage media. These hardware-level programs are stored as electrical charges, in the same way as files, on hard drives or memory chips attached to the device's circuit boards. Electronics and Magnets Magnets exude a magnetic charge: either positive or negative. Positive and negatives charges are attracted to one another, while positive charges will repel other positive charges and negative charges will repel other negative charges. The magnetic force in electromagnets has been amplified by an electrical current. When a sufficiently powerful electromagnet gets near a piece of electronic equipment, it will affect the electrons in the transistors and memory sectors of hard drives and memory modules. When you expose a piece of electronic equipment to a powerful electromagnet, it can rip away the collections of electrons that constitute the programs which run the device's circuitry. Without the code for the program in the circuitry's storage, the device will be unable to function properly. While the physical circuitry will be intact after exposure to an electromagnet, the effect of the electromagnet will render the device useless. This makes electromagnetic exposure a popular method for deleting sensitive electronic data.
Interview Robert Alvarez - The scope of the problem facing Fort Carson's community - Institutional pressures to avoid diagnosing PTSD? - The use of prescription drugs in the combat zone - What happened in the Eastridge case - The challenges in dealing with traumatic brain injuries [Tell us what] you do now. I work for an organization called the National Organization on Disability. We have a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Army. We serve the U.S. Army with the Wounded Warrior Program [AW2]. That's our primary focus: to serve the U.S. Army's wounded warriors. ... All of our services and all of our efforts are designed to help these kids transition from the Army back into the civilian world and to deal with all the issues in terms of employment. In our program we address mental health and employment simultaneously, and it's a holistic program. We deal with families; we deal with the systems around the family. So we try to really provide holistic care for these guys until they completely reintegrate safely and are pretty independent and healthy. ... How did you end up getting involved in this work? A few years ago I took a job at Fort Carson working in the ACAP [Army Career Alumni Program] program, and ... the Army implemented the Warrior Transition Unit for the returning soldiers that were suffering from injuries from the war and needed consistent medical treatment. They were pulled out of their regular units and put into a special unit. ... This became a more specialized unit and had all kinds of medical care built in. [It is] now known as the Warrior Transition Unit and, in larger facilities, Warrior Transition Battalions. I was a counselor assigned to them from ACAP, and I became very intimately knowledgeable with the types of cases that were coming through from these wounded soldiers. I was being exposed to kids that were coming back that were facing all kinds of criminal charges. And as a therapist, I was recognizing the lineage between their service to their country and their history, and then started investigating with their families what kind of soldiers these kids were before they deployed, what kind of people they were. And I almost always found a pattern of kids that were fairly good people in society, very good kids. They wanted to serve their country. They went off to war, and when they came back, everybody around them noticed a distinct difference in their demeanor, in their character and in their behavior. It really piqued my interest, and I became familiar with an individual named Andrew Pogany, [a former U.S. soldier and volunteer at Fort Carson]. ... Andrew had already been heavily involved in cases. I started sharing cases with Andrew and spinning them off, basically saying: "Andrew, you know there's only so much I can do here. You certainly, in your capacity, can help these kids." And we kind of teamed up on a lot of cases to help these kids get the proper care and a dignified end to their military career instead of what we saw a lot in 2006, and '07 and '08 even, kids being chaptered out for issues that were absolutely attributed to their injuries from the battlefield. It just seemed completely unjust to do that to somebody who volunteered, put on a uniform and sacrificed so much. It really, really offended me as a former Marine and as an American citizen. It offended me to the core to see us put kids on the street in absolutely hopeless situations -- broken, ill and now financially destroyed because they lost their job at the Army and then they became the civilians' problem. They became our community here in Colorado Springs' problem. At the same time I was doing that, we were going to our district attorney saying, "We need to do something." And that's where the concept of developing a veterans court was hatched here in Colorado Springs. A number of us were all at the same time knocking on the door saying, "Something's wrong" -- some great people like [Kenny Eastridge's lawyer] Sheilagh McAteer from the public defender's office; a good friend of mine, Charles Corry, [the president of the Equal Justice Foundation]; Andrew Pogany. A number of us were saying: "Hey, we have kids that are very sick, but they're not criminals. They're sick, they're injured, and they're acting out because of their experiences from this battlefield." Looking at this community that's [around] Fort Carson, [which is] an enormous piece of the community -- the military community, the veterans' community, the civilian community -- what's the scope of the problem here? Wow. The impact on our community, I think it's still immeasurable. We are tapping into nonprofit resources every day for financial assistance for kids. Our mental health system is overtaxed. The military's overtaxed with the mental health problem. They're relying on the civilian population to assist when they're overtaxed. I know there's a problem with neurologists here. We have a number of kids that are coming back with brain injuries, and there's not near enough neurologists here in town, or psychiatrists. If one of my veterans needs to see a psychiatrist and he's unstable, but yet not suicidal or homicidal, he may have to wait five or six weeks to see a neurologist or a psychiatrist to get proper medications. That's not good. When you get somebody who's destabilizing and you tell them they have to wait five or six weeks to see a doctor, that's not good. That's very dangerous. And then if there's not anybody really case-managing the individual, they're just free individuals in the community and they don't have any support system, they might act out. That's why we have a very high crime problem here with veterans and with our active duties, because if we don't have the support systems for that individual, it's going to lead to unchecked behavior. And that's exactly what's happening here. It's unfortunate. Talk about what happens on Tejon Street [in Colorado Springs] on the weekends and how that's related to what we're talking about. We're dealing with a lot of young kids, kids that have experienced war. Unlike a lot of the previous veterans that have served in other wars, these kids have been back multiple times. I served right at the end of Vietnam, and I remember, just as it ended, and we had kids back in the units that served, and they did one tour, maybe two; but we're seeing kids doing three, four, five tours. Three tours is not an unusual number for a kid who's been in five years, six years in the service. And these are young kids that come in at 17. They're now 22, 23, 24 years old. They're kept away for a long time from their family, and then they come home. And when they're over there, they're not allowed to experience alcohol, and it's almost a binge thing when they come home. When they first hit our city, the big thing is to go out and have a lot of parties, and it's led to a lot of incidents and violence downtown. ... We're going to go into some of the different guys in our platoon, and we'll ask you to comment on facts of their cases and how that is an example of larger issues that we're dealing with. The first guy is David Nash. ... He was chaptered out after failing a drug test which he said he went to cocaine. He was too young to go to the bars, and he needed to self-medicate. Then when he realized he had a problem, he was asking for help for his addiction, but instead they demoted him, and they chaptered him out. They kicked him out. ... Anytime I have a soldier who is referred to me that has any type of problem with the law or with the illegal use of drugs or abuse of a substance, the first thing I want to find out is, what was his experience in Iraq or Afghanistan? ... My first interest is getting to know their personal experience in the battlefield because I want to know the level of mayhem, of carnage that they may have been exposed to. Quite often, in almost all the cases I've been involved in, these kids have had horrific experiences, and they're not diagnosed. And they're having symptoms such as, people that come back and are suddenly irritable all the time, absolutely snapping at their wives, snapping at their kids, snapping at NCOs [noncommissioned officers]. We see kids that have become discipline problems with authority, and then of course we see sometimes drinking, or we see them, in the case of this fellow, he couldn't get alcohol, [so] he went to another easy substance, which was cocaine. And we've seen them use that. Any substance will do; it doesn't really matter. It's whatever you can get your hands on. So I think the failure here is that the expediency in dealing with the problem, "You've got a cocaine problem," not "Why do you have a cocaine problem?," and that's the real thing. We ought to be asking why. And we need to keep asking them why until we get to the root cause of why. Because I like it -- not because I'm addicted to it, not because it's available, but because I have a problem with dealing with life since I've come back from this war. I have problems with nightmares; I have problems with friends; I have problems with my job. And so when I go to cocaine, I don't have problems anymore. So all the kid is doing is trying to calm his inner self because he's not getting that anywhere else. It's sad. I think it's a failure on the system to not answer the question, "Why?," the ultimate question, all the way back. ... We've invested in people. We've invested in their training, in their combat training, lots of money. So when a kid comes forward and he has a problem, the Army has a great program, the ACAP program, to treat some of these things. I think we should we should at least attempt to treat it first. And if treatment fails and there still isn't a hope, then we need to look at chaptering the person out or giving them a medical discharge if this is a result of post-traumatic stress. In Nash's case, as far as we can tell, he was never referred to the ACAP program; he was never counseled; he was never given any sort of treatment. Heidi Terrio, [the director of deployment health at the Soldier Readiness Center at Evans U.S. Army Community Hospital in Fort Carson,] tells us that if they're chaptering somebody out for substance abuse, the Army will always give them counseling before they go. She said, basically, "We'll fix them before we get rid of them." I'm not going to say that's absolutely 100 percent. That may be a good percentage of the time, but I've also seen chapters that have occurred in a matter of days. [The] ACAP program is three or four weeks long, and I've seen kids chaptered out within a week or two, and they're absolutely not receiving ACAP treatment. ... ... Could you explain how and why soldiers come home and feel the need to self-medicate once they're home? I think when a lot of these kids come back home, there's a sudden, rapid decompression from the battlefield. It's very hard to describe. People say you can't understand it unless you've been there. And to be honest with you, I can't disagree with that. To live every day in an environment where you accept the fact that you could die, and some of them expect at any time to be killed, and you live in that environment for 12 months, and you watch friends die, and you see children die, and then you come home and suddenly you're immersed in the normal environment that you and I live in, that ordinary people live in, and they're dealing with things that are insignificant -- kids fighting over this or that, and they've just come from a place where people are dying -- they can't cope with that. They have a lot of issue with it. A lot of them have problems with sleep. And one of the really dangerous things is when people become sleep-deprived, people can become psychotic from that depravation. People can act irrationally when they suffer from sleep depravation, and [for] a lot of our soldiers, that's one of their big complaints: sleep. They have very poor sleep patterns. So what they find out right away is, well, when [they] drink they believe they sleep. They really don't. The problem with alcohol is that it causes a very restless sleep. It doesn't allow good, natural REM sleep. It actually interferes with that. But the soldier thinks he sleeps because he goes to bed at 10:00 and he wakes up at 5:00 and he thinks he's got a good night's sleep when in fact his brain is very active during the night with nightmares. But because he's suffering from alcohol effects, he doesn't get up; he just lives through the nightmare, and he has that burned into him. So it's a very dangerous situation, and it creates a cycle of wanting to drink more to try to quell that same thing. And it does work. I mean, let's face it: Alcohol has a euphoric effect when you first drink it. For the first few drinks you're very euphoric. That's normal. But then it has the depressive effect, and it will put you to sleep, but the problem is it's addictive. ... I see a lot of veterans that have suffered from being chaptered out or had problems on their way out of the Army, especially veterans in the 2004, 2005, 2006 time frame. There's a number of them that left the service with bad conduct or Other than Honorable [OTH] conduct, and it was clear that they were undiagnosed; they were untreated. I think it's fair to say, at that time, everything that I know about the services [that] were available, they were woefully inadequate. They weren't as available. And worse than that, it was the stigma. I think a lot of soldiers came back, and they were trying to suppress the PTSD. And one of the ways you suppress is by doing cocaine, doing alcohol, doing illegal drugs, trying to distract your mind from dealing with the symptoms of PTSD. And it was more common back then. I think as we go forward here today in 2010, we're recognizing a lot more of these cases. In my opinion, there's still not enough proper treatment. We're using a lot of pharmacology to treat the symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression and anxiety and brain injuries, and we're using a lot of cocktails on kids that for the moment are somewhat stabilizing them, but they're also very dangerous because they cause addictions. But in the case of Nash, you know, if he's ticking off all these symptoms [on a questionnaire at Fort Carson] -- Back then -- we're talking 2005, right? Right at the end of 2005. He put down on his form and ticked all these boxes. Early 2006 he got an Other than Honorable discharge. 2005, 2006, in my opinion, that was probably the peak of all of the worst of the worst that happened in terms of care, lack of care, at a point where the problems were the greatest. I think everybody recognized that there was a much bigger problem than anyone admitted to prior to that. I think that's probably fair to say. I think the Army might even say that's true. But they really recognize that we have this wave coming back from this war of kids with PTSD and with traumatic brain injuries [TBI]. So they started to really plug in things besides just that screening that occurred with that young man. But it also relied heavily on the unit to follow up. As a squad leader or as a first sergeant, when you see these kids coming back and they're checking all the boxes, as a good leader you're saying: "Hey, this kid needs treatment. What's going on with you?" Call them in: "Have you gone to ACAP? Have you gone to mental health? Have you been up there?" Back then there wasn't any of that, because these battle-hardened first sergeants, they come back with these kids -- "Suck it up," you know, "Soldier on." There still wasn't acceptance as it is today with PTSD. A lot of people still thought it was bullshit. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from people with a lot of stripes on them, saying: "This is all bullshit. Kids are just using it to get away with stuff." As a mental health professional, we can be fooled, but if you're pretty good at what you do, you don't get fooled that often. ... I will absolutely say that 95 percent of the kids I've worked with have been absolutely legitimate, right on about what's going on with them. In fact, they often are reluctant to ask for help. They're not looking to get away with anything. ... I'm aware of the story [of the secret recordings] on Salon.com. I'm aware that, when I worked at Fort Carson, I saw cases of kids that I would absolutely believe to have PTSD. My professional judgment was they were suffering from a pretty serious case of PTSD, and yet they were coming in with diagnoses of anxiety disorder or anxiety and/or adjustment [disorder]. Of course, the argument went back and forth: Well, certainly PTSD has anxiety as one of its symptoms, but at a point where something passes anxiety and you attribute it to a profound experience, a horrific, profound experience, and it's chronic, the recurrence of this -- either nightmares, or this anger or irritability, or this inability to sleep -- you start to realize that we've passed anxiety; we've now gone onto PTSD. It's just like depression. People suffer depression, but then when it gets to a level where you're debilitated, to where you're suicidal, then it passes to a new phase called major depression. It's now got a new diagnosis. ... A social worker that we talked to, a fellow named Justin Cole, said, "I would give a diagnosis of PTSD, and I would have a supervisor of mine come in and say: 'Well, do you really think that is post-traumatic stress disorder? Do you really think that soldier deserves post-traumatic stress disorder associated with the true diagnosis? It's not like we're doing him a favor.'" He said these soldiers have legitimate, bona fide psychiatric ailments. Mental health diagnosis, PTSD, allowed them benefits, and the soldiers and commanders didn't want to give them the benefits. I've been on both sides of that conversation, where I've had soldiers say: "I didn't want to be diagnosed with PTSD. I don't want people to think I'm whacked out." And especially in 2007 and so on, and '06, if you got diagnosed with PTSD, truly diagnosed, it often led to you being kicked out of the service -- not kicked out, but medically retired and possibly chaptered out if you acted out badly. So people tried to hide from that diagnosis. They avoided mental health for that reason, or wanted to go off post or a number of places. But as the battle to destigmatize PTSD got under way somewhere around 2007, we saw a lot more people coming forward saying, "Yeah, I had PTSD." But it isn't soldiers waving the flag. They're coming in, and they're describing what they're suffering. And it's not like there aren't things around you to see that. For example, often the guy has got DUI, suppressed case of DUI. And once again, if you deconstruct and you talk to the family, yeah, he came home. He didn't drink before, but he started drinking as soon as he hit our home, and he's now up to drinking 24 cans of beer a night, and he never did that before. And he's up all hours of the night. And he can't sleep, and he's struggling. Nobody picked up on this. And [even] the soldier sometimes, because it ratchets up gradually, doesn't always recognize it -- you know, a little trouble sleeping, I'll drink a couple of beers. Doesn't associate it with PTSD right away. So a couple of beers helps. Next night, same problem. Well, I'll drink a couple, and I'll drink an extra one. And it slowly escalates until it's become a problem. And it's just like anything: If you gain weight, people living with you don't see it, but if you go to an old friend who hasn't seen you in three months, "What happened to you?" You know, it's dramatic. But people around [you] don't really notice it because it gradually happens. ... So just to be clear on this question of people being pressured not to give PTSD diagnoses, when you were at Fort Carson, did you ever have a situation where you wanted to give somebody a PTSD diagnosis and were told no? No, I was not in a position to diagnose at Fort Carson. That wasn't my role there. But I was in a position to recognize kids that were being told they didn't have a problem, being told they weren't suffering from PTSD and recognizing they clearly were. And why were they being told that? That answer I can't tell you. I suspect some things, but I think we had some bad players over there. What do you suspect? I suspect that there might have been a problem with the numbers, but I don't know. ... I know of some cases where we repeatedly referred people back for proper evaluation. Couldn't get it. Had to take them off post to private doctors [to] get the right diagnosis, the correct diagnosis, and then go back and argue with the Army. I remember a case of a particular soldier who Andrew Pogany and I worked on. The Army actually said he had nothing wrong with him, and I said: "No, this kid's bipolar. He's bipolar because he experienced this battle, but he never had it before. He's suffering from this, and it's part of a blast injury and a number of things." We finally got the kid to V.A. [U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs] while he was still on active duty. We asked the V.A. to evaluate him -- comes back bipolar. And the Army doc and [senior behavioral stress officer at Fort Carson] Col. [George] Brandt and everybody swore up and down: "Nope, nothing wrong with this kid. He's just a malingerer. He just a malingerer." And I'm saying: "Malingerer my tail. This kid has got bipolar disorder. It's obvious as hell. What's going on here? This is too fishy." But they were going to chapter him out ... because he was late for formation. He was having issues with behavioral problems and sleep. He was on a ton of medication. And even though they said he was malingering, they were treating him with antipsychotic medications, which was interesting, because the question I asked, "When do you treat normal people with antipsychotic medication?," and [they said], "Well, when people have a problem with sleep [we] give them antipsychotics." Wow, that's interesting news, something new for me to know, because civilian doctors don't do that that I know of. So the evidence pointed to something totally different, but their lips were saying different, which I thought was interesting. And it was funny. ... It was almost comical, except we were talking about some kid's life, sadly. ... This group of guys, it's not anywhere close to a generation, but the cohort in the early part of the war that came back, they're now well out of the Army, in civilian life, most of them. Talk about that group of guys before PTSD became something -- Every day in this job I run into people who are either referred to me or need help, and they're of that time frame 2004, '05, '06, that didn't get a med board [Medical Evaluation Board, or MEB] process; that simply left the Army with issues, and the issues weren't recognized, or they weren't treated, or they may have been recognized but went untreated, or they were chaptered out for conduct issues. There is a whole bunch of these kids out there, and I can't even guess the amount, but I would say they're in the thousands. I think that a fair thing to do would be probably to go back through those. Our government should probably go back through those cases and take a second look at them and see if in fact we have not mistakenly chaptered people out for PTSD. It's not that hard, because a lot of these kids have ended up at the V.A., and they've been diagnosed. ... That then gets into this whole question of the eligibility with the V.A., and these guys like David Nash who was [in] 2006 Other than Honorably discharged. ... What's the deal with being eligible [for benefits] when you have an Other than Honorable discharge? When you have an Other than Honorable, there's some limitations to what you can get. I know absolutely you're not going to get any of your educational benefits, even if you've served five or six years, eight years, 10 years. You get an Other than Honorable, you've lost your Montgomery GI Bill, [which provides education benefits to veterans and active-duty military]. You're not eligible for the new GI bill. In terms of medical care, I know the vet centers will treat them and do treat them. I have heard stories of vets that have been turned away. I know that somewhere around 2007 the Army came out with a policy that said that anyone who served in OEF [Operation Enduring Freedom] campaigns would be eligible for five years of medical care. Sadly, people like this individual need to go back through the Army's board of medical records to correct them, and that takes a year or two. So the care falls back on the civilian community again. Again, when we wrongfully discharge kids or don't treat them, they become a burden in the community. So now he's probably going to a private or to public mental health, I would imagine. Is that where this individual is? No, he's not. He's trying to get into V.A., and they said, "Well, there is a process." So talk about that process. One of the things that people that get an Other than Honorable can do is they can apply to upgrade. There's a process [whereby] you can upgrade your discharge. In my years of working with the military, I've never seen anybody who's successfully done it. I've been told you need to go through and get the support of a local congressman or senator to process this. I have not seen it done. I think you have a better chance of going back through the BCMR [Board for Correction of Military Records] ... for medical records to review those records and overturn your discharge than you do getting an upgraded discharge. It's terrible. ... I've run into numbers of kids with Other than Honorable discharges, what they call OTH, that clearly were kids that left the service with post-traumatic stress or a head injury or both. And because they acted out in ways that were behavioral problems for the military, they were kicked out and not eligible for a lot of the benefits that they should have today. ... And somebody like David Nash who, wandering around the country for four years, finally realizing that he's got these issues, or realizing enough to go to the V.A., the first day he went he went to the vet center and I talked with him and he was like, "Wow, it was great; I talked to this Vietnam vet, and he really understood me," and the next day they were signing up for the eligibility to get him to the medical center, and it was like he just got punched in the stomach. Yeah, my heart goes out to those guys, because for somebody who's served and deployed and gone into harm's way and suffered whatever injury it is, and then to come back and have issues and then be kicked out, I've seen that too often. I know, first of all, the devastation of losing your job, especially in today's economy, losing any job, much less a career job. A lot of the kids that I see planned on spending 20 years or more in the service. ... They were real gung-ho soldiers, and they went to war, and they did their job and came back broken, and then they had these problems. And to be kicked out and be stripped of your benefits, it's tragic. It is unconscionable, at best, to do that to these kids. And we need to look. The nation needs to look at fixing that. How do you fix that? I think the Obama administration needs to put out a directive to the military and to the V.A. to go back through these cases of veterans that are discharged who have wartime experience and were for some reason discharged on conduct issues. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the linkage. Go back through the medical history and go back through that solider or Marine or Air Force kid's battlefield experiences, and if he was there, we need to bring him back and evaluate whether or not this individual has psychiatric issues that were related to his combat experience. And if so, then you need to reverse it and fix it. I think it's the only honorable thing to do. People serve honorably, and our country ought to act honorably, and that's a mutual contract. It's not always kept. But the Army will tell us David Nash may have served honorably, but when he got back he had a terrible attitude. He pissed out once. He pissed out a second time. He wasn't going to turn into a good soldier, and the only thing we could do with him was an Other than Honorable discharge. Well, that's a sad, sad statement if somebody said that, because what David Nash should have gotten was medical treatment first. And they couldn't have fixed David. What they should have done is offered him the medical retirement he so deserved, not the front door or the front gate that he got. And if that's the circumstances in this case, I'd be deeply disappointed, especially if they occurred today. This is 2006. I think that that's very possible in 2006 that that happened way too often. If it happened today, I'd be very disappointed. Does it happen today? Yes, but less frequently. Here's what I experience: There's no real oversight. Kids are chaptered out. It's completely an Army decision. There is no independent agency overlooking. It's like all of the wolves have gathered to get rid of the chicken, and we've all decided we're going to eat the chicken; it's a done deal. There's no surveying agency stepping in and going: "Wait a minute. There's some wrongdoing here. There's some facts here you're not looking at." There is some. And we've advocated for that. ... The military traditionally has been a very, very closed organization. They don't like outsiders. They don't like people that poke their nose around inside the organization. They don't like reporters. Nobody's told you that, contrary to popular belief. They don't like people to come in and question them. But you know what? Every other part of our government [has] oversight. We need to have more oversight. Let's talk about drugs in the combat zone and the mental health report from the Pentagon that showed 12 percent of the troops in Iraq, 17 percent in Afghanistan are taking antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope. That's two years ago, so it's possibly quite higher. Two guys in our platoon talked about how easy it was to get those when they were out at FOB [Forward Operating Base] Falcon in 2007, [to] just go and say, "I need drugs." Yes. My experience as told to me by many, many, many soldiers over the last few years was that while in deployment, while in Iraq or Afghanistan, that it was common practice for the Army docs -- what they call the docs; the medics in the field -- to carry Baggies of medication that were unregulated. [There was] unsupervised distribution of medications like Ambien, for example. Kids would come back very, very dependent on Ambien and then suddenly not have accessibility to Ambien because they never got a prescription for it, and it never really was logged in their records that they were receiving Ambien. So now they've got a pretty good dependence on Ambien, even though it's not a very addictive drug, but you get used to something working for you. And so when a lot of our kids have come home, they couldn't get the Ambien, they switched over to alcohol, so that's created a problem. But it is not news to me to hear that. It is a very commonly known problem that kids had access to meds in Iraq that were given in Baggies, and there was not a lot of questions asked about it. And it wasn't prescribed by psychiatrists -- most often by the Army medic that was assigned to the platoon. What's the reason for that? Why do they need to give them these medications? I think it's to keep them battle-ready. The bottom line is, you're in a combat zone, and you need to get some sleep, and if you can't sleep you become ineffective and possibly could cause people to lose their lives. So it's very easy to say: "Here, take this. You can sleep." I don't have a problem with the use of medication; it's the abuse of it that I have a problem with. It's also recognizing that if we make people dependent on medication, then we have an obligation to make them independent of medications, and that's where we don't do a good job. Usually it comes at the end of something very bad happening: somebody getting in trouble, somebody getting caught buying illegal drugs because they can't get what they're used to, or somebody trading drugs to get what they need. Big problem. Are there pharmacological dangers of overprescribing a lot of drugs in a combat zone? Well, I would be worried. I'd be worried if somebody was on pain medication or things that alter their state of mind, absolutely. You can't imagine how focused you have to be in a battlefield or in a circumstance like they're in every day in Iraq. Personally, if I was there, I wouldn't want to be under the influence of drugs. I know in Vietnam there were a lot of guys that were on opium drugs and heroin. It was a big problem in Vietnam, because I think guys accepted the fact that death was imminent, so they wanted to go out and they didn't want to feel it. They didn't want to deal with it emotionally, so [the drugs] were accessible. In this case, they're handed to them by the medics. It's not as accessible [as] opium and these other illegal drugs because they don't mix with the population over there. It's not like in Vietnam. It's different. I have a lot of Vietnam vet friends who had drug problems, but they got it in Vietnam on the streets. Kenny Eastridge got his Valium from the Iraqi National Police they were working with. Oh, well, that's unusual. I've not heard of a lot of illegal drugs being a problem in Iraq. The drugs that I am aware of that were a problem were the ones that were handed to them from medics -- the Ambien, the painkillers, the OxyContin. Wow, some really bad stuff. The psychiatric medications, those usually got prescribed by a doc, but the painkillers and the sleep sedatives, those were available pretty much through the medics. ... This is a quote from the medic in our platoon who said everybody was on Ambien -- everybody: "It was hard to find somebody that wasn't taking Ambien. It helps you sleep, but it also fucks you up. So it's like a legal drug. You get a body high, and you have trouble remembering things. It lowers your inhibitions, all that stuff. They shouldn't give soldiers Ambien in Iraq." What's your response to that? I'm not going to disagree with that. It is. It has a number of warnings about the drug if you read about. People hallucinate on the drug, and I can't imagine if you're surrounded by weapons and people [and] are hallucinating. It would scare the crap out of me to be in an environment with people that are on those medications. But [I] also appreciate the need for sleep. So what do we do? You have to control it. You just can't, unregulated, give it out, because then it becomes a recreational thing. ... Somewhere we cross the line between wanting to do good and inadvertently doing bad. ... That leads me directly to my next quote from another guy in our unit, Jose Barco, who said they gave eight or nine different medications: "Every symptom for PTSD, they had a medication for it. If you couldn't sleep, they gave you something. If you had nightmares, they gave you something. If you drink too much, they have something for that. They were just pulling medications out of nowhere, like a business." I'm concerned with the pattern that I see of kids that are on six, seven, eight, I've seen as many as 12 medications in some of my soldiers that I work with, and it's very disturbing. First of all, you question the toxicity to the organs itself. We have young men who are 24 years old. They're being told in 10 to 15 years they'll start suffering organ failure, liver disease caused by these medications. That's a serious concern. The other thing is that, in my personal opinion, do we need medications? We do, but that is not the answer. That is not the final answer to what we do with these kids. We need to find solutions for what they're suffering from -- real solutions. Medications are useful at stabilizing, but at some point you need real treatment. We need to come up with more readily available treatment programs. One of my big concerns is we don't have enough inpatient PTSD treatment beds available to our soldiers and our veterans. And I know it. I have a soldier right now who just had a case of road rage, and he ran his car into some poor civilian and then fled the scene, and he's in trouble, and he's waiting for a bed, for a PTSD bed with the V.A. here, and there's no date in sight. And he's been out at the hospital. They hospitalized him for about a week to stabilize him. They did a really good job there, but now he's on this wait, and every day that he waits I am terrified the phone's going to ring and [hear that] he didn't make it to that bed. So he's in constant contact with me. His job is to call me at least once every day, if not twice, to let me know what's going on, to let me know where he's at mentally, if he's feeling good or he's feeling bad. And I don't criticize him; I just want to know. So I keep a gauge or a pulse on these kids to find out, but I don't know when he's going to get a bed up there. Andrew [Pogany] and I had a case on active duty where the kid's been waiting four months to get into an inpatient PTSD treatment, and he's been identified at Fort Carson by the medical staff as being a potential sentinel case. If you don't what "sentinel case" means, it means the person is at the risk of death or dying fairly soon ... because he's so psychologically damaged and he's on so many medications that he could inadvertently, accidentally or intentionally overmedicate and kill himself. Yet this fellow has been waiting four months to get to inpatient treatment. In the meantime, he's home free to kill himself, by accident or by intention. ... And this is happening right now? Yes, it's happening right now. And I'm not working with this particular soldier; I know of the case through Andrew Pogany. But it's like, wow, if we have a kid we've identified as an absolute risk for sentinel event, that is when you take action. As a therapist, if somebody tells me they're going to hurt themselves, man, I have to step in right then and there. I don't have a choice. I've done that from this desk many times. I've called V.A. and put kids right in the hospital. I had a spouse of a soldier, and I put her right in the hospital. I sent police right to the door at 5:00 in the morning when I got the call. I picked up. I [said], "Hang on a second. I need to call somebody," and I contacted the police. I'm not going to have somebody die because I didn't take action. I may take action sooner than some people, but I'd rather err on the side of being right than being wrong, because if I'm wrong, people die. And I just don't see a lot of that urgency in a lot of other individuals. ... [Let's] move on to Mr. Eastridge and this crescendo. From what we've been told -- and we've talked with him and lots of his buddies and his mother and his therapist and other people -- that basically he was a good soldier in the first tour. Came back, had some issues. Picked up this domestic violence charge but was deployed again, started self-medicating once he got back to Iraq the second time. Started having disciplinary problems, insubordination to officers, and then came back after being court-martialed for a month, summary court-martial. Was involved in an assault on a woman and then the accessory to the murder of Kevin Shields. What happened in that crescendo? It's like a recipe for disaster, and the fact is that all the ingredients that led up to the disaster were evident. The domestic violence: A huge red flag should have [gone] off immediately. If I was in a position to be his commander or his supervisor and I get a soldier like Eastridge who served honorably and did well, he comes home and is suddenly having problems -- the first thing is a DUI or a domestic violence or anything -- that should raise my level of awareness. Something is going on. Something uncharacteristic is happening. ... Specifically with Eastridge, what should the Army have done? I think they should have definitely evaluated him, diagnosed properly what he was suffering from and then put him in the proper treatment. Had they done that originally and early on, he might not be in prison today. And that is a common theme in a lot of the cases of kids that are in prison today, is that they were not identified, diagnosed or treated, and their behavior escalated. And rather than receive treatment, they receive punishment. It's the same argument with the civilian courts, that a number of these veterans leave the service under honorable conditions; they finish their obligation, and they come into our community, and they act out. [There is] a case of a young man named Nic Gray -- ... got out of the service a few years ago. Wonderful sergeant. Did a tour in Iraq. Watched people die. Came back. Thought he could handle it. Thought he was doing OK. … They told me he was fit as could be. ... He left the service, and he went out into our community to live his life, and within a few short months starts from PTSD. At first doesn't know what the heck is going on but recognizes that he's got a problem, goes to V.A. He starts receiving treatment. He's out of the service. Never got treated for it in the service. And he's doing OK. He's struggling with it. Has a lot of issues. One day he's on the phone talking to an Army buddy, chitchatting about his experience in Iraq, and he's sipping one glass of wine. And he nearly drank that. The next thing he's found three blocks over in his pajamas kicking in some poor civilian's door, trying to clear the house, trying to clear the insurgents. Total spontaneous flashback. Never treated for PTSD in the Army. Part of that [is] stigma, because even though he knew he was different and felt some issues in Iraq and had some problems, he never reached out for help till it became a real problem. But in Eastridge's case, there was ample evidence that this kid had something going on, and I think they have an obligation to figure it out. I think the responsibility is to try to fix every one of them if they can, and if they can't, then, with dignity, retire them and give them to V.A. to get the proper help, and make sure they get there. In August 2007, Eastridge had these charges against him for threatening an officer, and before they started the summary court-martial they had a mental health professional in Iraq evaluate him. Said he had chronic PTSD. They gave him the summary court-martial. They sent him back to Fort Carson. Unconscionable. Unconscionable. They diagnosed the kid with PTSD, and he acts out, and you know he has PTSD. It's unconscionable to punish him for the injury that you caused. It almost goes to the argument of self-defense. If I act out because you've injured me, isn't that self-defense? Doesn't that meet some sort of definition that aligns itself with self-defense? Being injured by the people I'm serving and then I act out -- it's just unconscionable. I can't even pretend to answer the question why that would occur. To me it would have to be sheer ignorance. And we're not that ignorant. But they would say it's not ignorance. This guy is not a good soldier anymore. He's not the soldier that he was the first time around, and he's a bad apple. That's what the first sergeant told us: He was a cancer; we needed to remove the cancer. No matter what, even if the Army or his first sergeant thought he was a cancer, this is a kid who honorably served, and up until that point they got every bit of use out of him, and then when he started to act out, what they owed that kid was help, not a kick in the ass by court-martialing him. All they did was add insult to his injury, and that is inexplainable [sic]. That is ignorance. It's ignorance to say he's cancer and not ask why. It's ignorance to say he's cancer and know he served honorably in his first tour and then started to come apart. It is ignorance because there is no other explanation for that, and I'm not going to offer one. It's simple as it is. ... It goes back to accountability. Kenny Eastridge is going to serve [10 years in prison]. ... The other guys are going away for the rest of their lives. ... They have responsibility in that, ... the folks that denied him treatment. ... With the domestic violence charge pending against him, should he have been deployed to Iraq? Under the laws of Lautenberg, no. When a person is charged with domestic violence, the Lautenberg [Amendment, or the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban], which is a federal act underneath the Brady Bill, kicks in, and even while the charges are pending, an individual is restricted from carrying a firearm, here or anywhere. So, by law, if you're charged with domestic violence, you cannot be a police officer and carry a weapon. You'd sit at a desk. You can be a soldier, but you can't carry a firearm. And one of the absolute basic tenets of being a soldier is being able to carry a weapon. You would not unarm a person and send him to Iraq. So with that pending against him, how could the Army have sent him? They should not have sent him. My opinion is an individual [who] is charged with domestic violence cannot deploy. In your opinion or in a court of law? In a court of law. Now, has it happened? I knew of some cases, yes. I know of some felony cases that are -- when you are charged with a felony, you can't have a firearm. Convicted felon in possession of a firearm is another crime. And yet I do know of cases as we speak of people that are on active duty getting ready to deploy, and they're convicted felons. And [I'm] not going to disclose because I'm happy that the person is able to maintain their job and serve their country. I'm not saying whether it's right or wrong. But the fact is, when we go back to the fact that somebody is charged with domestic violence, what it says to me is, should we deploy them, morally? Forget the legal question; let's ask the moral question. You've got a problem with somebody acting out violently, inappropriately, and now we're going to deploy them into a violent environment. I'm very concerned. [Eastridge] wanted to go back. Absolutely. I hear it all the time. Kids with PTSD want to go back. Soldiers do what soldiers do. They want to be with their troops. People that have been injured catastrophically, amputees, they all want to go serve again. Every kid that comes in my office to visit me, almost 100 percent will sit here and say, "I wish I could go back." But is that the proper thing to do? ... Would you put yourself back into an addictive environment? These kids want to serve with their comrades, their friends, but you know as professionals -- the Army has medical professionals, and their judgment should say no. All we're going to do is further damage the chance that you'll recover. Some people can go in there and serve three or four tours, and yes, they're probably going to get PTSD, but not near as bad as somebody who might have experienced one tour. But when somebody has been catastrophically damaged from a tour, they should not return ... to that environment. Even if we're able to stabilize them, get them healthy, until we come up with a treatment program that absolutely removes the effects, cleans the slate, kind of tabula rasa for that individual, we don't have that. We don't have a medicine. We don't have a therapy that creates that tabula rasa for somebody that has PTSD. So we're running a huge risk by putting them back out there, even if they want to. ... And the Army needs the bodies. And they need the bodies. I understand the constraints on the Army. They have a job to do. And if you come and volunteer yourself, even though you're broken -- I remember sitting with Andrew [and] with a commander, and he was questioning the soldier. He was begging to go back, and this was a very, very wise commander who says, "Son, I'm very worried about you going back." ... He had a domestic violence case. It got taken care of; it got dismissed. But it was enough for this commander to know he was a very good soldier who acted inappropriately and uncharacteristically, and he knew he had a problem. And he says, "We're going to see." He didn't promise anything. He said, "We're going to see how you progress in mental health" before he redeployed that soldier. But it's one of the first few times I actually saw a commander who acted in a way that I thought was 100 percent the way it should be. ... That's a pretty big indictment of the Army if that's one of the few times you've seen that. Unfortunately, I usually don't see the good cases. We see the bad cases. ... So I'm not so sure it's an indictment on the Army or just a case of -- it's like judges would say, "All I see are bad people; the world must be full of bad people." Not true. We just work in that arena. It's really daunting to understand TBI. What a subject. I've learned to [expect] one expert who contradicts another. So it just depends who wore a pretty suit that day: I'm going to go with you and not the other one. Science is still way behind, I think, on TBI. There are a number of guys in the platoon -- a lot of them ended up with Other than Honorable discharges who probably had mild TBI along the way, certainly not treated ever. Eastridge got blown up at one point. His ears were ringing, he had clear fluid running out of his ears, and they just went back in the war. This is [an] absolutely fascinating part of medicine today, these brain injury cases. I've sat in on experts in seminars. ... You have to be very careful when you say mild, moderate, severe [TBI]. What does that mean? I say, don't concern yourself with any of that stuff, but concern yourself with the behavior that presents. If you have an event where somebody has suffered a blast injury and they are acting uncharacteristically and uncannily and they're acting out behaviorally or ... they're having symptoms that are consistent with a brain injury, you treat it. The problem is, what do you do for them? Typically what I see a lot of is medication. There is cognitive therapy. If you test somebody and you determine they have cognitive deficiencies, you can retrain parts of the brain to basically to pick up the slack where other parts don't. It's kind of a rewiring of the brain. But the oxygen therapy is hopefully going to rejuvenate those damaged parts. And that's the theory behind that, is to rejuvenate those parts that are damaged. I think we're still years away from really, really being able to address TBI issue properly. Lots of research on it. I'll say that this war has really brought brain injuries to the forefront in this nation, because I don't know how many cases there are of brain injuries, but it's a very common injury in this country, and there's been a real lack of research because of dollars. And because of this war, we're now seeing a lot of dollars being poured into brain injury research. So it sounds, to us at least, that a lot of these guys in the platoon, their TBI issues really fell through the cracks. Do you think that still would be the case today, or has that situation changed? I still see cases where TBI cases fall through the cracks. ... There is that consensus out there that mild TBI will treat themselves; they'll heal themselves, and it shouldn't be a major issue. But in fact, I see symptoms that mild TBI cause major impediments to people's lives, and left untreated it often turns into the Eastridge cases and these other kids. I have no doubt it played a role in that. The lawyer in Barco's case, in the sentencing argument, talked to the judge about TBI and that he'd had it as a factor in contributing to his violent behavior. It's very tough. These are called the hidden wounds. Brain injuries are very difficult, for intelligent people included, to really appreciate. It takes a little wisdom to understand that we might not necessarily see that physical injury. I mean, if you walk into a courtroom and you're missing your leg or both your arms, judges are overly sympathetic. They get that. But when you walk into court and you've got two eyes, 10 fingers, 10 toes, you're dressed nice, the judge can't necessarily appreciate that you're suffering from a brain injury, much less that that brain injury caused you to do something violent. Very often, especially if it's a frontal lobe injury, you have impulsivity. We have people that act out violently. And that's our whole argument for this veterans court. If we can make that linkage between the brain injury and the act, and we can make that intelligently and articulate that, then how do you hold that person accountable? Is he a willful criminal, or is he a broken person with a damaged brain who's acting the way his brain has now been left to act and to tell the body to act? How would you go about making that linkage with someone like Jose Barco, who clearly had concussion, brain injury, TBI, and gets angry and shoots up a party and wounds a pregnant woman? I would imagine in this fellow's case he was drinking at the time, too -- another disinhibitor for the brain. So now if you have a brain injury and you're adding a chemical disinhibitor to yourself, you're now really escalating your chances of acting out violently or stupidly. How do you answer that? Some folks would say, well, he willfully drank the alcohol. Possibly. But in many of the cases with these kids, we know they're self-medicating. ... How do you answer that question? Is that it takes a little bit of education? It really does. And that's what I often do. I go to court, and I explain to judges, does it remove the criminal act? Does it make it go away? No. I can't heal the person that got injured, ... but what I can do is intelligently explain through brain scans, through neurophysiological testing, through clinical counseling assessments and psychometric tests, I can come into court and I can, with some level of science, say, "This individual is damaged." Better yet if I have some of this before you deploy and I can show that you suffered a loss in that battlefield. Pre- and post-deployment screenings are being done. So we're getting some of those now. Didn't in '04, '05, '06, '07. I want to say in '08, I think the Army started pre- and post-deployment testing, cognitive testing, which is, wow, that's tremendous. And it gives us an absolute concrete history. If you come back and you have cognitive deficits, if you have behavioral issues, we can now attribute it to this war. ... If we don't have a pre- and post-, then we have to rely on friends and family members [for] what we in our business call collateral information to determine, is this person acting characteristically or uncharacteristically? And the cases we've worked and stood behind, they're uncharacteristic. In Barco's case, when the judge sentenced -- and the judge was a pretty smart guy, and he was listening to the stuff -- he said: "You are a dishonor to the uniform that you're wearing. You bring shame upon it because you have to be held responsible for your actions, and your actions that night were reprehensible." Fifty-two years. Sounds very good politically. Sounds good to the public. Being tough on crime is always the winning thing. It takes courage, and it takes courage for a judicial system to say like the judge in the Thomas Delgado case said, "Son, you're a hero." He didn't call him a dishonor to his uniform because he harmed his wife. What he told [him] is: "You're a hero, and you have to remain a hero. And [the way] you have to do that is to get help. And you need to stay in the programs, complete them. You need to do what you need to do to get healthy." I commend a judge like that, who has the wisdom to know that this is not a criminal. This is a hero who acted criminally. There is a difference. ... What makes him a criminal is if he continues to do it, refuses all help, absolutely fails at every attempt to help him. Then when all that's happened, then maybe we say now you've become a criminal. But by locking him in a prison, that judge made that kid a criminal. He will forever be a criminal. For the rest of his life, if he's ever lucky enough to come back out into society, he will be a criminal, because now he has not received the help he needed, and now he's been exposed to an environment where criminality is an everyday event, just like war was for him when he was over in Iraq. So there won't be any deprogramming when he comes out. There will just be his instinct to survive left, so we've now created a wholly dangerous individual. So the public might feel safe, but someday he might come out. How safe are you going to feel when he comes out? ... It's easy to play the blame game. ... But when you find kids who join Army or the Marines or any of the branches and they serve honorably and come home, and they just completely disintegrate mentally and physically and act out, you don't have to be a psychotherapist; you don't have to be a medical doctor. You could just be Mom and say: "Something is wrong here. Something caused this to happen." ... We know what caused it: the trip to Iraq or Afghanistan. It's not a difficult thing to understand. It's just a question of whether we morally want to accept it or not. And my opinion, that's where we're failing. We're not morally doing the right thing all the time. Why not? Why don't we morally want to accept it? There's not enough people fighting for this cause. Let's face it: It's not popular to go into a courtroom where somebody has been injured and say, "Wait a minute. Don't put this kid in prison. Don't put this veteran in prison," because you know somebody has been injured and somebody wants that pound of flesh. .... Let's face it: If it was your daughter that suffered a brain injury at the hands of some veteran who beat her, you'd want that pound of flesh. You really don't care why that veteran got there. That's not your concern. You want him to pay. But it's somewhat of a shortsighted, selfish emotion, because ultimately he'll come out. Most of these guys come out of prison, ... and we know when they come out that they're not going to be better, and we're pretty sure they're going to be worse. ... Talk just a little bit about suicide. Big issue, increasing numbers. How are you dealing with it? How is the Army dealing with it? ... Is the Army doing something about it? Yes. Recently Fort Carson implemented -- I attended a seminar for command to educate them on suicide and what leads up to suicide. Tremendous presentation. The question is, has that come to fruition in terms of programs or pieces? There are some suicide prevention programs that have been implemented recently with soldiers and with command, and is it effective? Not yet. I think the numbers are still climbing. So obviously the program has not been effective. Some people might argue the numbers could be higher. We've prevented this number; instead this number has occurred. Here's my real concern: ... Preventing suicides is a multi-pronged effort. Needs to be. We need to educate family members. We need to educate commanders, NCOs [about] what it looks like. What are the identifiable factors that lead to suicide? There is a lot of them that are available to the military to see. ... A lot of the cases that I've seen suicides, there were signs. They were evident. And it was sad because they were ignored, just like in the Eastridge case, where it led to a homicide. ... I sat in a meeting where a commander says, "Well, the Army just found out that the main cause of suicide is divorce." I sat there, and I just had a grin on my face. I thought, wow, it can't be that simple. That's really crazy to say that. Yes, a number of soldiers are getting divorced that have committed suicide. But it goes back to what I keep saying. You've got to keep asking the why. Why is that soldier getting divorced in the first place? Why do you think the family is disintegrating? Is he just a bad husband? The fact is that, in a lot of these cases, they had PTSD, and they weren't getting proper treatment, or the treatment wasn't working, or they were substance abusing, or they were acting violently because of their PTSD. And then their wives left them, and it was the proverbial last straw. And that's what's really driving the suicide rate. ... I have a recent case where a soldier that I know ... was just [sitting] in my office two days ago, going through a divorce. They diagnosed him with adjustment disorder, and they're chaptering him out, kicking him to the curb. And the kid just got hospitalized for suicidal ideations. You want to know what drives suicide up? Right there. And to me, [an] absolute indicator of suicide is hopelessness. In the case of this young specialist, his wife has left him, and now the Army has left him. Why are there so many more hopeless soldiers now than there have been in the past? I think we've got a lot of soldiers walking around with PTSD, and one of the components of that is depression in a lot of kids, anxiety, depression which leads to a hopeless state to begin with. And even if it's manageable at some level, if you continue to pile on the hopelessness by now punishing and taking away the individual's job and then maybe now the family is disintegrating, more hopelessness [is] added to the hopelessness. So we keep piling that hopelessness up to where an individual has no strength left to hope that tomorrow is going to bring a better day. ... I can't just magically wave a wand. But if I could do something, that would be to prevent that loss of his job. To a lot of soldiers, the Army is like family. It's like family to them, so imagine your wife leaves you, and then your other family leaves you. And it is absolutely a big factor, I think, in a lot of the suicides is that we find kids who have been ridiculed. We find kids that have been punished instead of treated. Their mental health has been mismanaged, in my opinion, and they felt no other way out other than to take their life. Some of the suicides were people who become hopeless because of drug addiction. They've been hooked on some powerful narcotics, and they abused. And they were suffering depression, and whether it was accidental or intentional, it sometimes is hard to know. ... But it goes back to, why are they on that kind of medication? Why do they have that kind of availability to that kind of medication, and why aren't we recognizing that they're in this trouble? The EPICON [epidemiological consultation] report [PDF] that came out in the summer of 2009 supposedly was there to look into what had happened in the past and raise some awareness and come up with some suggestions and ways that things can be different. That's an extremely difficult question. If they've gotten better, they're not near better enough yet, that's for sure. I think that there's still humiliation. I think it comes back to accountability. When people humiliate these soldiers, there's no repercussions. ... One of the cases that I'm working on right now [is] where the soldier is in mental health and getting help in the unit, and his NCO called him out in front of the squad and humiliated him, told them he was a mental health patient. That's awful. That's awful. We identified this person to the command, and I've yet to hear that anything has been done about it. But this has been pretty common practice. It's sad if it occurs. Is that the Army's policy? Absolutely not. But sadly, if you make a policy and you really don't have any way to enforce it or to hold people accountable to that, or you refuse to make people accountable, then you really become ineffective. I think that the Army really needs to hold people accountable who do those kinds of things that deny mental health care, that humiliate soldiers. ... In my opinion, that's where the study absolutely failed and that it should have identified those people that consistently acted badly. We have individual providers that we know are consistently a common denominator in bad cases -- commonly misdiagnose, underdiagnose, wrongfully diagnose service members, and yet nothing happens. Nothing. ... And people make mistakes. I get it. I'm not perfect. This is not a science; it's an art. When you get into mental health, it's an art. We have to deal with the facts that are given to us, and we have to make some type of educated guess, sometimes, as to what's going on. But you need to do that not in a vacuum. We need to do that in absolute exploration of what's going on, going back to asking the "Why?" It takes a lot of time. In fairness, maybe they don't have the time over there to call up family members to find out what kind of person Johnny was before Johnny joined -- you know, "Did he do this? Did he do that?" ... I hear the problem [is] a lot of these clinicians have tremendous caseloads, not just there, V.A., [but] everywhere. They're overloaded. It's not fair. I carry 80 kids on my caseload. That's a lot when you're dealing with seriously injured people. And I want to serve all of them, and I don't want to turn any away. But I also recognize that I'm not able to give the right kind of care. And it's not by choice. It's just the reality of where we're at. We need more money. We need more help. ... Some of these decisions are based on the finances and the economics of it. Here's an interesting thing: So many of these kids today that are coming out of this war, the cost will be staggering in the future to our government. … I've got kids that are easily going to be million-dollar cases, that require well over a million dollars in care. And when you start to look at tens of thousands of kids, maybe hundreds of thousands ... that could be impacted by this war, and if they cost a million apiece, do the math. We have a major, major storm coming. And health care, it's already what, 17 percent of our economy, our budget for the government? I can't imagine what it's going to cost at the end of these wars. ... There have to be major factors in the decisions that go on in Washington. And I'm not privy to those, but I am smart enough to understand that this is a basic economic question. What's the question? The question is, what do we treat? What do we do, buy bullets, or do we create treatment programs, long-term care treatment programs for these kids? It's just like [V.A.,] when it takes months to get into an inpatient treatment program, it tells them that they need more of them. But yet we're not building new hospitals; we're not building new treatment programs to fill the need. So there's some constraint on the finances, and I think it's probably the cost of [maintaining wars]. ... My impression is that [Evans U.S. Army Community Hospital in Fort Carson] was under huge stresses, 2007-2008 -- just didn't have the staff to deal with the scale of the crisis. It's essentially in chaos. Do you think that situation's improved? 2006-'07, absolutely. Col. [Brandt], he said it openly himself that they were woefully short of providers, very, very short and having a hard time filling them, for whatever reason. I think that they're still woefully short, and how I know that is that we're still relying on care in the community. When the Army can't meet a need, then they go to the community, and until they have capacity to serve all the kids that they have over there, all the soldiers, they have to rely on the community. The community's pretty involved in treatment because there's not enough providers still. Even the civilian community is probably reaching capacity. We're just getting ready to see 2-12 [Infantry] come back again, a large wave of soldiers returning from their third tour, I believe. 2-12 is now coming back from its third tour, and we're at capacity now, and we're all wondering what's going to happen. It's a scary thought, what's going to happen in this community. Are we going to have more murders? Are we going to have more suicides, or are we going to have more crime? And I think the answer to that is probably yes, and we're going to have kids waiting for treatment that need it now. It's not OK to tell somebody who needs treatment, "You've got to wait two months to see a psychiatrist." It's not OK to tell a kid who needs treatment two or three times a week -- if that's what it takes to keep him from committing suicide -- that we can only see you once a week, or you'll have to go somewhere else; we'll have to wait for your doctor to approve treatment somewhere. That's crazy. ... [Can you talk about combat medics and what you've seen when they come back?] I lost a Marine buddy of ours who was a combat medic from Vietnam who drank himself to death a couple of years ago. He was one of our Marine Corps elite buddies, and he was a Navy doc. This was years ago when I knew Doc and that combat medics are unique and that they suffer multiple psychological assaults. They suffer the loss of comrades and friends that they become attached to in the units, because they're assigned to platoons, and they get to know these guys. They've got to work with them, and then they suffer an injury like a gunshot wound, and that's bad enough for everybody in their unit to experience that one of their fellow soldiers got shot and maybe even died. But then you're the combat medic who has to work on that individual, and you're desperately trying to save them, and you lose them. So now you have the same psychological damage of losing a buddy and then being responsible, thinking, wrongfully probably, that you failed to save his life. And not only do they treat their fellow soldiers but civilian casualties, children. They're the ones that are tasked with taking care of them, and the toll has been horrific, and most of my worst cases that I've run across over the years within combat medics, the suffering that these guys go through, these gals, is phenomenal. And I've had female combat medics, so they've all suffered equally. It is very common to see these guys widely and seriously affected by PTSD. They scare me. If you choose that MOS [military occupational specialty], I think you choose your fate. There's no doubt in my mind, and it's impossible not to experience that. Doctors have one of the highest suicide rates in this country, and most people don't know that, medical doctors. The correlation with our combat mates is probably right along with it, and there's an absolute reason for that. So those are guys you have to watch really closely and [really] pay attention to -- and not that they get special treatment, but that is to recognize that their experience is going to be probably a little more severe than just everybody else. You said a few minutes ago that 2-12 were about to come back, and your people are worried about what's going to happen. … We're about to have another 3,500 soldiers come home. … It's a brigade combat team [BCT] coming back, one in particular that's on its third tour. One of the concerns in our community today among people that work with these kids [is that] ... a brigade combat unit of several thousand soldiers will be returning from Iraq here, sometime in March, I believe, and this is their third combat tour. This is also a combat team that has been the single highest source of homicides in our community, identified specifically from a unit known as 2-12. So I think there's a lot of folks that are sitting on edge waiting for them to return, and we're hoping for the best, and we're preparing to give as much service as we can to prevent a repeat of some of the things that have occurred in their previous returns from the war zone, so we'll see how this works. ... I think we'll have a little bit of everything again. Hopefully won't be as bad as the past, but still, if it's half as bad, we're going to suffer some experiences that, in my opinion, are a direct result of the war. And what did it do to the community? That's a question that all of us asked. Right now, Colorado Springs is a wonderfully supporting community, but a community can only take so much before they turn. In the case of Nic Gray, the victim ... called [him] "one of the crazies from Fort Carson" -- [that] was the quote in court; that when they first heard somebody kicking on their door, they thought "one of the crazies from Fort Carson" was loose. So that kind of mentality, that we're creating "crazies" over there, is what the fear is, that there will be a backlash against these kids for what's happening. Fortunately, there's a lot of good education to the public. They're becoming more aware of PTSD -- what it's like, what it causes -- so we haven't reached that point where there's been a backlash yet, but there are a number of people that say, "Hey, is there a problem?" The Army's causing it, and they're angry. And it's an arguable question. Are they? Are they not?
Pet therapy offers emotional, cognitive, and social benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. This is the fourth in a series of articles covering complementary or alternative therapies for neurology patients—therapies that are now accepted by doctors to augment standard medical treatments. His full name is Champion Felicity's Diamond Jim, but his family just calls him James. And while this 6-year-old English Springer Spaniel leaped to national fame after winning the coveted “Best in Show” prize at the Westminster Kennel Club in February 2007, his true calling is not under the bright lights but in nursing homes and adult day-care centers. James is a certified therapy dog, and after the Westminster win, he's giving up the show ring to return to the life he loves best: bringing light to the lives of people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. From his puppyhood, James' owner, Terry Patton of Fairfax Station, Va., knew there was something special about this dog. Patton's father has normal pressure hydrocephalus, an abnormal increase of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain's ventricles that leads to mental impairment, problems with walking, and dementia. “He pets pretty hard because he doesn't have control of his hands. That will turn off a lot of dogs; they don't want any part of it,” says Patton. “But Jim was never bothered. He just sits there and lets my father pet him however he wants.” James is a frequent visitor at Birmingham Green Nursing Home and Assisted Living in Manassas, Va., which has several dementia units. “When we arrive, he's so excited and happy to be there. Then you see this special kind of calm and compassion come over his face,” says Patton. “James knows to sit and wait for some residents to approach him, and with others—the ones who like to have him put his head in their laps—he'll wait to be asked.” When visiting Birmingham Green's lock-down unit, where too much excitement from a pet therapy visit can be overstimulating and upsetting to the patients, James seems to have an internal timer. “He knows when it's time to go, and he'll just turn and walk toward the door. We just follow his lead—he's rarely wrong!” Patton says. Wherever James goes, stories of extraordinary responses to his furry appeal are sure to follow. One Christmas, the pet therapists at Birmingham Green planned a skit, walking the dogs around to music. “There was a lady who had not spoken or shown any kind of interest in the world around her for a very long time,” Patton says. “She actually got up, went over and laid down beside James, and then insisted on taking the leash. We'd go every couple of weeks, and there she'd be, waiting at the end of her bed for us to come in.” How can a dog like James reach people with dementia when so many other interventions cannot? Science still doesn't have exact answers to those questions, but there's little question that pet therapy noticeably improves the quality of life for many people with dementia. Mara Baun, D.Sc., a professor in the Department of Continuing Care at the University of Texas-Houston School of Nursing, has done several studies on the benefits of pet therapy—both with visiting dogs and resident dogs—for patients in dementia units. “We found that having dogs around improved socialization, reduced the agitation that often spikes in the early evening hours for people with dementia, and decreased problem behaviors,” she says. While there have been no major trials of this wagging, cold-nosed therapy, other small studies have shown similar results. Dr. Baun still remembers the golden retriever who began living on one Alzheimer's special-care unit in the large Midwestern veteran's hospital where she conducted much of her research. “There was a man on the unit who had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and was then in his late fifties,” she says. “He loved that dog, and the dog loved him. In the early days, he was much more active, and he'd take the dog out and play ball with him.” As his disease progressed, the man became increasingly restless, and often paced the long hall of the locked unit where he lived. “One day, he became extremely agitated and was shaking the door and trying to get out. The staff couldn't calm him down,” Dr. Baun says. “The dog went and took him by the sleeve, led him back to his room, and stayed with him until the man calmed down.” Such stories wouldn't surprise social worker Sandy Whiteside. Whiteside has been bringing a succession of dogs to the Memory Lane Club, a day program for people with advanced Alzheimer's disease at the Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation, for about three years now. “I first discovered what therapy dogs can do back in 1997, when my husband's mother was in a nursing home in Virginia,” she says. “We would bring my flat-coated retriever, Jetta, to visit her. There was a man there who was always grumpy and isolated. He never spoke. The first time she saw him, Jetta went right to him and laid her head on his lap. He started stroking her and said, ‘I used to raise cocker spaniels.’” Another patient, who also never spoke, spent most of her time crying. When she spotted Jetta, the woman's eyes brightened; she smiled and dipped her finger in her bottle of Ensure and held it up for the dog to lick. “I realized, ‘There's something special happening here!’” Whiteside recalls. Today, she's visiting the Memory Lane Club with Lola, a 6-year-old golden retriever adopted from the North Shore Animal League. About a dozen men and women sit in a circle in their day room, surrounded by colorful walls decorated with quilts, collages, and photos of black-and-white film stars. Not much engages them—until Lola strolls into the circle. Immediately, the dog plops her head in the lap of Ruth, a woman in purple velour pants who doesn't speak but happily strokes Lola's golden fur. Next to Ruth, a woman named Maggie suddenly brightens, her face transformed by a glowing smile. “I'm real glad to see you!” she says to Lola and Whiteside. “Where've you been?” Across the circle, more people eagerly wait for a chance to commune with Lola. Gunther, a patient who frequently asks when it will be time to go home, is distracted from his preoccupation with leaving by Lola's arrival. “I waited all week for this dog to come back,” he says, rubbing the dog's belly. “Oh, you're a nice dog.” Next to Gunther, tiny Marge is bundled up in a coat and knit hat. She, too, says little, but her practiced strokes and scratches of Lola's back and haunches show that she's had plenty of experience with dogs. Even one woman who's not fond of dogs, and nervously says “You don't come to me,” can't resist reaching out for a few awkward pats while Lola nuzzles the woman next to her. “Usually, when we get into the circle, it's hard to keep people seated and involved,” says Lori Goodcuff, director of the Alzheimer's Companion Respite Program at the Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation. “But when Sandy and Lola come, everyone watches the dog and calls to her. In the later stages of the disease, it's important to work with as many senses as we can, and being able to pet dogs is tactile and cognitively stimulating.” Or, as one woman who brings her mother to the day program says, “The dogs bring them alive!” WHAT KIND OF DOGS are best for pet therapy with people who have dementia? Certain breeds, like golden retrievers, seem to do particularly well, but Whiteside says it's less about the breed than about the individual dog. “Therapy dogs are born, not made,” she says. “The calm, the compassion–you can't teach it.”
The word penance is not found in most versions of the Bible, but when it is used, it refers to a voluntary act of self-mortification or devotion to show sorrow for sin or to seek God’s attention. The phrase “the Kingdom of God” is synonymous with “the Kingdom of Heaven.” Some writers in the Bible simply prefer one over the other; it is not meant to designate two different concepts. These two phrases could perhaps be best understood by considering that Jesus desires to bring heaven’s rule to earth. Under his rule, there are benefits and responsibilities to his subjects, the church. Jesus explains about the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven through parables: The parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30) The parable of Scattering Seed (Mark 4:26-27) The parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) The parable of the Pearl (Matthew 13:45) The parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-48) The parable of Settling Accounts (Matthew 18:23-35) The parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) The parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:2-14) The parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) This three-fold nature of God can be better understood by comparing it to water, which occurs in three forms or states: solid (ice), liquid (also called water), and gas (steam or vapor). Each is still water but exists in a different form. The same holds true for God. An alternate analogy is to consider an egg: there is the shell, the white, and the yolk. Each part is different, yet each is still part of the egg. So it is with the three forms of God. The Bible says to “put on the full armor of God.” Though this might seem like a call for military action, it’s merely a memory aid to help people remember key items needed to prevail in spiritual conflict, namely: truth, righteousness, sharing the gospel, faith, salvation, and the word of God (the only offensive tool of the group). Paul, in Ephesians 6:11-17, paints a word picture using the soldier of the day (with which readers would have been most familiar) connecting his essential gear with these key spiritual elements. To recall Paul’s list, readers needed only to envision a soldier in uniform, associating each spiritual element with its physical counterpart: - Belt: truth - Breastplate: righteousness (that is, right living) - Shoes: a readiness to share the gospel of peace - Shield: faith - Helmet: salvation - Sword: the word of God (depending on interpretation, this can be the written word or the spoken word of God) It’s not about a physical fight (which many have missed throughout the ages) but instead a spiritual conflict for which followers of Jesus must be prepared to engage in using truth, righteousness, sharing the gospel, faith, salvation, and the word of God. The prophet Amos had some condemning words for the people of Israel. Through Amos, God unleashed a lament against his chosen people. He says he despises their religious festivals, and their assemblies are a stench to him. Yeah, I get that. Those people sure rebelled against God; they deserved his stern rebuke. They went through the motions of worship but forgot to focus on why; to their shame they didn’t really understand who God is. Yet, I wonder if those words also apply to us today. Does God also despise our efforts at church? Are our gatherings a stench to him? God continues his stinging reproach. He calls their songs noise and refuses to listen to their music. Does God think the same way about our worship music today? Does our preoccupation with music style, instrument selection, volume level, worship team, and pursuit of excellence repeal God? I hope not, but I fear it might be so. A couple chapters later God says what he will do. He will turn their religious celebrations into mourning; he will change their singing into tears. Sometimes (too often) I sit in church and want to cry, at least on the inside. I thought this was because I was bored and disconnected, but now I wonder if maybe God isn’t revealing a bit of his heart to me. I fear there is more to worshiping God, so much more, but we largely miss it. Some of the Psalms are a lament, while others are a rant. (Too many, for my taste.) However, there are also Psalms that celebrate God and affirm the Almighty. (I like those.) Psalm 144:2 proclaims God is our fortress, stronghold, deliverer, and shield. In short, he keeps us safe from harm and our enemies. But to realize this, we need to be at the right place. A shield only protects when we stand behind it; a citadel only keeps us safe once we’re inside; and a liberator can only free those who will follow him. If we’re not in the right place, we may be foolish to assume no harm will befall us. Yes, I believe God wants the best for us, but I also realize I need to cooperate with him to fully realize it. May we strive to remain where we need to be, so we can fully receive all God has to offer. As I read the Psalms in the Amplified Bible this week, a curious phrase jumped out. The writer says to God, “Make me understand the way of your precepts.” Notice, he didn’t ask for assistance by saying, “Help me.” He was direct; he implored God to “Make me.” The NIV reads, “Cause me to understand the way of your precepts.” That’s not as strong as “make me,” but it’s still much different than “help me.” I’m dismayed to admit that while I often ask God to “help me,” I’ve never once implored the Almighty to “make me” do anything. Saying, “help me” suggests I’m in charge and merely want God’s assistance. Saying, “make me” acknowledges his power and relinquishes control to him, letting him be in charge instead of me. I think I’ll reform my prayers. Instead of asking God to help me, I’ll allow him to make me. What a profound difference.
Text description provided by the architects. At the border of an english landscape park in the city of Assen, an environmental education centre has be developed for the municipality. The programm includes offices, exhibition spaces, a restaurant and facilities for the neighbouring children’s farm. The ecological approach is visualized in the integration of the surrounding landscape and the building, mimimizing it’s footprint. The setup is like a termite hill providing natural ventilation just by set up with ground pipes and a solar tower. This tower functions as a look out tower, landmark and provides the building of natural ventilation. Natural energy sources are utilized like solar power and bio mass from wood.
Monsanto is being sued by the state of Oregon in an unprecedented case that could help bring justice to the company’s innumerable victims. The lawsuit was filed last week and is seeking to receive a “minimum” of $100 million in damages—the money will go towards medical costs and clean-ups after the damaging effects the state claims it endured. Oregon state claims that Monsanto “knew” many of its products were toxic and unsafe, but they continued to sell them to the public for decades. The specific chemical at the center of this lawsuit is called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The substance is regularly used in mechanical oils, paints, electronic devises and is fire resistant. Known to be unsafe for human consumption, the destructive chemical was already banned in 1979. Oregon released a statement on the matter: “Today, Oregon bears the burden of Monsanto’s decision to place profit above all else. The toxic legacy that Monsanto left Oregonians lives on, as PCBs persist in Oregon’s lands, rivers, and waterways, in its sediments, soils, and in the bodies of animals and humans. “It has caused harm to aquatic, marine, and avian species, and poses ongoing risks to the health of the people of the State of Oregon.” PCBs are so hazardous to humans that the EPA concluded it is likely to cause cancer, confirming is a study: “There is clear evidence that PCBs cause cancer in animals. EPA reviewed all of the available literature on the carcinogenicity of PCBs in animals as an important first step in the cancer reassessment. “An industry scientist commented that ‘all significant studies have been reviewed and are fairly represented in the document.’ The literature presents overwhelming evidence that PCBs cause cancer in animals. An industry-sponsored peer-reviewed rat study characterized as the ‘gold standard study’ by one peer reviewer, demonstrated that every commercial PCB mixture tested caused cancer. “The new studies reviewed in the PCB reassessment allowed EPA to develop more accurate potency estimates than previously available for PCBs. The reassessment provided EPA with sufficient information to develop a range of potency estimates for different PCB mixtures, based on the incidence of liver cancer and in consideration of the mobility of PCBs in the environment…. In addition to the animal studies, a number of epidemiological studies of workers exposed to PCBs have been performed. “Results of human studies raise concerns for the potential carcinogenicity of PCBs. Studies of PCB workers found increases in rare liver cancers and malignant melanoma. “The presence of cancer in the same target organ (liver) following exposure to PCBs both in animals and in humans and the finding of liver cancers and malignant melanomas across multiple human studies adds weight to the conclusion that PCBs are probable human carcinogens… EPA’s peer reviewedcancer reassessment concluded that PCBs are probable human carcinogens. “EPA is not alone in its conclusions regarding PCBs. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has declared PCBs to be probably carcinogenic to humans. The National Toxicology Program has stated that it is reasonable to conclude that PCBs are carcinogenic in humans. “The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has determined that PCBs are a potential occupational carcinogen.” Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in Multnomah is leading the lawsuit to the courts and she claims Monsanto was very aware of how dangerous PCBs were to the general public and the environment. “Monsanto knew decades before PCBs were banned that they were toxic to the environment, but they failed to disclose highly pertinent information. “Oregon is paying a big price as PCBs are being dredged up in river sediments and measured in the tissues of fish and wildlife throughout the state. “PCBs are extremely hard to get rid of — and it will take significant time and resources to fully clean them up. It only makes sense that the manufacturer of these PCBs, Monsanto, help clean up this mess with dollars.” Representatives for Monsanto have publicly responded to the lawsuit.claims, calling them “baseless“. The biotech giant’s vice president for global strategy, Scott Partridge, explained their side of the events in a statement: “[Monsanto] voluntarily stopped producing PCBs more than 40 years ago and didn’t use or dispose of any PCBs in the state of Oregon. “Clean-up efforts are underway in Oregon with the full group of responsible parties under supervision of the EPA, and it’s most important that everyone stay focused on that work. “This lawsuit is baseless and undermines the ongoing EPA cleanup efforts, and Monsanto will defend itself accordingly”. If the suit succeeds, the cleanup is expected to cost around $1.05 billion and take 13 years to complete.
Bachelor of Arts in Art; Concentration in Sculptural Practices The Department of Art offers its students an education in the visual arts as an integral part of a comprehensive educational experience. Our degree programs offer intense, professional education in the aesthetics and theories of the visual arts. Students will be trained in the skills and intellectual awareness that are the basis for a future of creative and professional achievement in the visual arts. Sculptural Practices Concentration The B.A. in Art with a concentration in Sculptural practices at UNLV centers around practical knowledge and conceptual development. Students attain the skills to fabricate artworks in traditional media such as wood, metal and plaster, and later expand to more conceptually challenging questions and methods. Critique skills are developed as a class, while historical and contemporary examples are discussed through lectures. Students leave the program with physical and conceptual skills that can lead to the beginning of an art practice, employment or advanced learning opportunities. Students graduating with a concentration in Sculptural practices will have the confidence and ability to manipulate new and existing materials with various methods and conceptual approaches to create works of art. This confidence is gained through working with wood, metal, plaster and other media with hands-‐on experience and a wide range of hand and power tools. In critique, students develop skills to examine, discuss and improve their work and the work of their peers. Advanced assignments introduce kinetic, interactive and public-‐based artwork and their unique demands, expanding the notions of what and where sculpture can be. Through projects and individual exploration, training in the wood and metal shops and the development of creative problem solving, their skills sharpen and become applicable to their artwork as well as practical applications. The B.A. in Art with a concentration in sculptural practices from UNLV prepares students for careers in the arts and the workplace. The conceptual and practical skills students acquire provide them opportunities in careers such as, but not limited to; gallery, museum and commission based artist, museum or gallery exhibit preparator, custom fabricator, art fabricator, wood or metal shop employee, artist’s studio assistant, the fields of carpentry, welding and more.
Replacement of data entry with data sensing can enable better, faster, and more relevant results from application software. But it’s important for software architects to see that this change means they are setting a course for their application away from decision support and toward control. Find the data Let’s start with a manufacturing example. People still do stock checks. Some examples of manual stock checks are remarkably efficient, such as a factory manager who walks past the sheet metal stores on the way to the parking lot at the end of each day. If any stack is below the line marked in its bay, then before she gets to her car, she phones in an order. But this is an exception. Most stock check procedures introduce hours of work and many chances for error: counting, weighing, estimating, then transcribing and formatting results, then keying-in the data. But this data is one of the critical inputs for production and supply chain planning software. Errors here can fool even the most sophisticated algorithm as it plans supplier orders, production, and shipments to customers. And that’s even before things go wrong at suppliers, in production and in distribution. So supply-chain processes need several layers of safety nets, even when the planning software provides an optimal plan. Progress chasers and rush job procedures are symptoms of the underlying problems and waste. Forget the plan: The real trigger is the production supervisor finding an unanswered Kanban replenishment signals and idle work cells due to a lack of materials on site. The manual stock check isn’t needed anymore—at least, not for the planning systems. The data was only ever an estimate of the real world. Now, network-connected sensors are everywhere, particularly in factory and warehouse automation. Costly, error-prone manual data entry can be replaced with low-cost, quick and reliable data sensing processes. For developers, the easy, minimum-impact change is to make data sensing a new option for data entry. Store the data into the same places used for the manual data. Gather and record data at the same daily/weekly/monthly frequency. Run the same reports at the same schedule. Costs go down, and there are fewer errors from incorrect data. But every software architect will recognize the transition to data sensing creates the opportunity to ask fundamental questions about the application. After the transition, a continuous plan update approach is possible and might even be desirable. But can the old architecture support continuous (or even frequent) plan updates? The old daily or weekly report outputs are no use. No one wants a whole new plan being issued on every change. In place of the old outputs, the application will have to report incremental changes, with whole plan restatement on demand, and a publish/subscribe approach so that people (and also machines) see just the data they need. Some plan changes may override subscriptions—a new order from a critical customer probably needs acknowledgement not only from sales, but also from the people whose work schedule must change to meet the promised delivery date. New software architecture The point I want to make is broader than production planning software, and it applies wherever a manual data input process is replaced by online data sensing. Naturally it will be tempting to build the new capability by adding layers over the existing software. But the implications will run deeply into the software. The existing code will contain hidden assumptions—for example, a fixed sequence of changes to shared data. This is OK because it’s in one block of code. The new approach may need separate modules, or a web interface may be leading you to different sequences of new or changed inputs. So, to fulfil this assumption, you’ll need a way to lock the data while one (or more) of the new modules is going through this fixed sequence. This is the world of control systems. Data models to represent finite-state machines can help manage the response of multiple independent software modules to asynchronous changes. Messaging interfaces take the place of parameter passing. A robust architecture for the new system will look more like a control system than a batch data processing program. But as you pause to consider potential opportunities for replacement of data entry with data sensing in your environment, here’s a small counter argument. If the only way to get the data in is to set it up physically and read the sensors, you might find you’ve made it hard to handle what-if queries.
No-one won the Nobel Prize for mathematics in 2010 ... because there isn't a Nobel Prize for maths. Some have speculated that Alfred Nobel neglected maths because his wife ran off with a mathematician, but the rumour seems to be unfounded. But whatever the reason for its non-appearance in the original Nobel list, it's maths that makes the science-based Nobel subjects possible and it plays a fundamental role in many of the laureates' work. Here we'll have a look at two of the prizes awarded this year, in physics and economics. Andre Geim. Image Prolineserver. The Nobel Prize in physics went to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for their discovery in 2004 of a material called graphene, which no-one believed could actually exist. Graphene is the thinnest material that's ever been found — it's made up of a single layer of carbon atoms locked together in a honeycomb lattice. If you stack 3 million layers of graphene on top of one another you get a layer of graphite, the material you find in ordinary pencils, that's only 1mm thick. The strong bonds between the atoms in graphene make it incredibly robust. Apparently, if you manage to balance a pencil on its tip on a sheet of graphene and then manage to balance an elephant on top of the pencil, the pencil still won't puncture the sheet. While strong, the bonds between atoms are flexible enough to allow the lattice to stretch by up to 20% of its original size. And as if that wasn't enough, graphene is the best conductor of heat known to science, an extremely good conductor of electricity and very nearly transparent. The unusual properties of graphene had already been predicted theoretically as early as 1947, but no-one believed that such a thin material could actually exist in reality. Geim and Novoselov first managed to produce it by ripping layers off graphite using adhesive tape. Konstantin Novoselov. Image Prolineserver. With its amazing properties, the list of potential applications of graphene is truly impressive. Mixing it in with other substances we may be able to produce super-strong but elastic and leightweight composite materials for aircraft, satellites and cars. It could be used to make transparent touch screens and flexible, wafer-thin computer monitors you can fit in your pocket. Graphene could replace sillicone as the material from which to make computer chips, with the unusual behaviour of electrons in graphene leading to ever faster and efficient computers. A graphene transistor that's as fast as its sillicone counterpart has already been built a few years ago. The most exciting application of graphene, however, has little to do with gadgets, or at least not directly. It goes straight to the heart of theoretical physics. It turns out that the interaction between graphene electrons and its special lattice structure means that the electrons behave very similar to photons, the particles that make up light. Similar to photons, which have no mass at all, the electrons in graphene also behave as if they had absolutely no mass. Their behaviour is therefore governed by the Dirac equation, which gives a quantum-mechanical description of electrons moving relativistically, that is near the speed of light. The electrons travelling in graphene move at a constant speed of one million meters per second. And this speedy behaviour may give ways of testing for strange relativistic phenomena, which are predicted by the underlying mathematical theory but have never been observed, without having to build large and expensive particle accelerators. Graphene is a honeycomb lattice made of carbon atoms. Image AlexanderAIUS. One strange effect that graphene may shed light on involves something called quantum tunnelling. Sometimes physical particles perform feats that require levels of energy the particle doesn't actually have. This happens, for example, in a certain type of radioactive decay (known as alpha-decay), where the decay process requires more energy than the decaying atom has available (see Play the quantum lottery for more information). Acquiring energy from out of nowhere violates the laws of classical physics, but it's explained by quantum mechanics. Loosely speaking, quantum mechanics says that when you look at a physical system over very, very small time scales, the information you have about the energy in the system becomes hazy. This isn't because your tools to measure the energy are too imprecise, but because there is inherent uncertainty: there isn't one true value for the energy in the system, but a whole range of possible values, each of which the system's energy could take with a certain probability. Thus, there is a real chance — a non-zero probability — that for a split second the system acquires more energy than it should have according to classical physics. This process is called quantum tunnelling because it's akin to a particle sitting at the foot of a mountain — the energy potential barrier — which it doesn't have enough energy to climb. Quantum mechanics allows the particle to tunnel into the mountain instead, and possibly to emerge on the other side. For ordinary particles, the probability of tunnelling decreases exponentially with the height of the barrier. However, the Swedish physicist Oskar Klein showed in 1929 that the underlying mathematics predicts something very different for relativistic particles. Here the tunnelling probability actually increases with the height of the barrier, until for very high barriers the mountain becomes completely "transparent" for the particle. This mathematical fact is so counter-intuitive that people called it the Klein paradox. It's never been observed in reality because creating a high enough barrier would involve a super-heavy nucleus or even a black hole. However, Geim, Novoselov and their colleagues have shown that using the massless electrons in graphene, it should be much easier to create the effect. If the effect doesn't materialise, then something is wrong with the theory of quantum mechanics. Geim is no stranger to scientific accolade. In 2000 he and his colleague Sir Michael Berry received the Ig-Nobel Prize for improbable research for using magnets to levitate a frog. Geim is the first person to have received both prizes — congratulations! Economical models can be perplexingly simplistic. The classical view of markets, for example, assumes that buyers and sellers have no trouble finding each other and have perfect information about all the prices and goods that are available. But if you've ever sold a house or changed jobs, you know that this couldn't be further from the truth. Finding a potential buyer or new job is expensive in terms of both time and money, and even when you've found one there's no guarantee the deal will come off. This year's laureates of the Prize in Economic Sciences, Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides received their price for developing a mathematical theory that takes account of such frictions in the market. In particular, they've developed a mathematical model for the labour market, known as the DMP model, which gives insights into how unemployment depends on various factors, such as hiring and firing cost, the level of unemployment benefits and the efficiency of recruitment agencies. The DMP model incorporates several components describing features such as wage negotiation, the decision of companies to create new jobs, just how much a given job is worth to the employee and the overall flow of the labour market. As an example of how features like these can be captured mathematically, think of the labour market as a whole. Assume that there are workers on the market, each of whom can be either employed or unemployed. Suppose that as time goes by, all employed workers lose jobs at the same rate, which is reflected in a constant job destruction rate . The rate at which unemployed workers find jobs is given by a function . It depends on the ratio , where is the number of vacancies and the number of unemployed people. The function increases with , that is the more vacancies there are per unemployed worker, the easier it is to get a job. The function is constructed in a special way so that it also describes the frictions in the labour market, that is the ease (or lack of it) with which workers and employers find each other. Christopher Pissarides. Image: Nigel Stead/LSE. Now if nothing drastic happens to the market, it eventually settles in an equilibrium with a constant rate of unemployment. In other words, the flow of workers from employment to unemployment equals the flow of workers from unemployment into employment. The first of these two quantities can be written as , where is the number of employed people. The second quantity can be written as . If the market is in equilibrium, then the first equals the second, so From this we can work out the equilibrium unemployment rate : This equation describes how the equilibrium unemployment rate depends on the job destruction rate and the job-finding rate . Since also reflects frictions in the market, we can see how these frictions effect the equilibrium unemployment rate. The Beveridge curve. Image from Wikipedia. Interestingly, this component of the DMP model also gives a theoretical explanation for a relationship that has long been observed empirically. As an economy goes through the usual cycle from relative boom to relative bust, its equilibrium unemployment rate, as well as the vacancy rate (the number of vacancies per worker), change. If you plot unemployment rate against vacancy rate at various points in the cycle, you find that the points you get trace out a curve with a distinctive downward sloping shape, known as the Beveridge curve (after William Beveridge, whose work served as a foundation for the welfare state). The curve indicates that high unemployment goes with fewer vacancies and vice versa. The equation we found above relates the equilibrium unemployment rate to the job-finding rate , which in turn depends on the number of vacancies . You can re-write this equation to relate the unemployment rate to the vacancy rate. If you then plot the graph for this relationship (for a fixed and ), you get a Beveridge curve, which has been observed so many times in real economies. The Beveridge curve of an economy can shift its location. Image from Wikipedia. But while an economy can slide along such a curve as it goes through the business cycle, it can also shift to another curve with the same shape. According to our equation, this corresponds to a change in the job destruction rate or the friction in the labour market, as reflected in the function . Thus, if an economy jumps from one Beveridge curve to another, you know that something fundamental has changed in the workings of the labour market. For example, there may have been a fundamental shift in technology leaving companies with a skill shortage as workers have not yet caught up with the change. In that case, the curve will shift upwards and to the right: for the same number of vacancies there now are more unemployed workers, since many of them lack the new skills. So while an economy's position on the Beveridge curve indicates where it is in the business cycle, the location of the curve as a whole reflects how well the labour market itself is working.
Toxic mining disasters loom in eastern Europe as the European Union has failed to pass legislation a year after Hungary's lethal toxic mud spill, an environmentalist group said on Monday. "Hungary has let its presidency of the EU pass without taking any action to defuse further ticking time bombs in Central and Eastern Europe," said Gabor Figeczky, the head of WWF in Hungary, which chaired the 27-member union in the first half of 2011. Prior to the first anniversary of Hungary's biggest ever environmental diseaster the organisation demanded that Brussels draw up an action plan to ensure the EU's existing rules on mining waste were applied. "The EU directive which was introduced in 2006 is in principle good, but must now be effectively implemented," said Figeckzy. In September, Hungarian authoritites slapped a massive fine of 135 billion forints (470 million euros) on the alumina plant MAL Zrt responsible for the spill which killed 10 people and sent 1.1 million cubic metres (38.8 million cubic feet) of toxic red mud cascading into surrounding villages. WWF said that sum should be used not only for compensation but also "to identify other time bombs still ticking in Hungary". It warned that potentially dangerous toxic waste dumps existed all over the former communist bloc. Last week, environmental pressure group Greenpeace staged a protest against the storage of dangerous substances at another red mud reservoir in Hungary, demanding its immediate closure.
Cleansing is the most common form of taking care of your skin and usually the first step people take into finding a regimen that works for them. Cleansing your face helps to remove build of dirt, sweat, pollution, oils etc. from your skin which when removed creates a refreshed look. Looking deeper past visual results, cleansing helps to clean out pores which is the major area where bacteria grows. Bacteria leads to breakouts, redness and blackheads among other problems which have adverse affects on your skin which can result in scarring, dullness and overall negative skin health. Exfoliating is the removal of dead skin cells from the skin. Dead and or dying skin cells make up the very first layer of skin found on your body. Removing them is an essential part to keeping revitalized and healthy skin as well as helping with new skin being generated and coming to the top layer. Chemical and mechanical are the 2 different types of exfoliation. Chemical uses acids, retinol or enzymes to help melt away the top layer of dead skin cells while mechanical uses a physical tool (brush, washcloth) or a substrate (seed, oatmeal, shell powder) to help remove cells. In our regimen we chose to use chemical as it usually is best for the skin and we chose lactic acid for its versatility in all skin types as well as it abilities to help moisturize the skin while exfoliating. Toners are often overlooked when it comes to basic skin care needs. Whether you tone after your twice a day cleanse or after you exfoliate it is important to keep this step in your regimen. Toning helps to soothe the skin after cleansing and exfoliating and also provides moisture back into your skin, but the most important job of a toner is to restore your skin’s pH balance. Your skin's natural pH balance is 5.5, depending on where you live water can have a pH up to 9.5 which in turn throws your skin's natural balance off, throwing your face into a whirlwind of trying to get back to 5.5 which can take over an hour and actually causes stress to your skin’s cells. Having a balanced pH is extremely important in overall skin health, when your pH is off it can lead to redness, outbreaks, wrinkles and many more problems. Our toner also has added astringent properties which will help to reduce pore size. Smaller pores equal less oil production, less chance of bacteria growth and overall better appearance of the skin. Moisturizing is the second most popular and used step of skin care regimens. This step can also be one of the trickiest as your skin type, geographical area, season of the year, age and other factors will play a role in what type of moisturizer is best. Please take a glance at our skin types page to get a better idea on some of the factors. When you are done cleansing your face is stripped of its natural oils, so replenishing moisture is key in keeping your skin’s appearance sharp and young. After the oils are stripped your skin will react by telling itself it needs to produce more oil, but if you moisturize your skin will notice and will not need to produce much oil and will slow production. Moisturizing is also the best first step in fighting against fine lines and aging, making it a key in every regimen. Applications in the morning and night after cleansing will yield the best results.
Paternalism in the age of climate change New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg recently proposed a ban on sales of sugary drinks over 16 oz., prompting an astonishing outpouring of strong pundit feelings on the subject of “paternalism” in government policy. (Honestly, I saw more genuine anger over this than I have seen over torture, food-stamp cuts, climate denial … it does not speak well of the political elite, frankly.) I’m not all that interested in soda policy as such. I agree with many others that taxing soda would make more sense than banning specific sizes. I am, however, interested in the deeper issues at stake in this discussion. The clearest articulation of the anti-paternalistic case, the one that gets at the fundamentals, comes by way of one of my favorite writers, Will Wilkinson: [I]deas about the human good are variable, controversial, and ever-changing. Indeed, the fact of pluralism — the diversity of conceptions of the good and the right — is much the original impetus of liberalism. The liberal idea was that, in the interests of civil peace and the benefits thereof, the state should remove itself as much as possible from controversies over religion and morality and allow each individual conscience sovereignty over each individual life. How do we stay (or become) liberal? By opposing state encroachment on the individual’s rightful sphere of sovereignty. So, what are the bounds of this “sphere of sovereignty”? As I understand it, a good (small-l) liberal will say that it contains all “victimless” decisions — all those decisions that bring consequences only for the decider. If it only affects me, the state should butt out of it. This was always the objection to seat belt laws (who is hurt but the person who chooses not to wear one?) and is now the objection to soda laws (who gets obese but the soda drinker?) and marijuana laws (my being high doesn’t hurt you). By temperament and general philosophical orientation, I’m extremely sympathetic to this kind of argument. There was a time in my life when I identified as a fairly rabid libertarian. (Hey, we all experimented in college.) The problem that has nagged me more and more over the years is simply that the class of “actions that do not affect others” is a null set. Nothing I do in the world only affects me. I don’t just mean this only as an airy-fairy metaphysical observation (though I mean it that way too), but as a practical matter. Take sodas, for instance: The costs of health care in the U.S. are socialized to some degree, so individual decisions to get unhealthier do affect me. I pay when rates are driven up, or when people end up in the emergency room. So whatever the line is — between the sphere of rights and sovereign individuality on one hand and the sphere of interconnectedness and social responsibility on the other — it can’t be “actions that don’t affect others.” There are none! Perhaps, then, the distinction is between actions that mostly affect me and those that substantially affect others. If I dump trash in a neighbor’s yard, obviously I’m violating her sovereignty and the state has a legitimate right to constrain my liberty; no one would call that “paternalism.” But the causal chain between my decision to drink a big soda and the effect on health-care costs is long, tenuous, incremental, and uncertain. Perhaps I decided to jog home after my soda! Do I get a tax credit for that? In the case of soda, the claim to individual sovereignty is more immediate, more tangible, than the long thread connecting the decision to impacts on the collective welfare. What this reveals is that state decisions to restrict individual behavior can not be guided by a clean line between the individual and collective spheres; there is no clean line. Restrictions on individual liberty will always be judgment calls about whether negative effects on others (externalities) outweigh the presumption of sovereignty. This dilemma is on the mind of anyone who covers climate and energy. Climate change is, among other things, a fascinating conceptual problem. The causal chain between individual actions and changes in the climate is extremely long and hazy. That is true of any individual action (except maybe Lindsey Graham’s decision to bail on the climate bill, the jerk). Does this mean that a liberal society can’t constrain individuals in the name of climate change at all? That would be awkward. Or take energy efficiency. The enduring problem is that a given individual or company generally saves a pretty modest amount of money by, say, better insulating their buildings or buying a more efficient clothes washer — often not enough to spur action. But collectively, enough energy can be profitably saved to materially affect pollution levels, climate emissions, and decisions to add new generation units, all of which have substantial collective impact. Some individuals bridle at the (ahem, mythical) loss of their freedom to buy incandescent light bulbs, but is that freedom sacrosanct relative to, say, the freedom of Tuvalu to stay above the water line? Is the connection direct enough to warrant state intervention? What we’ve learned from climate change is that we are on a small planet hurtling through space and the decisions we make today affect all of humanity and future generations. There is no resource consumption that doesn’t affect others, no “away” to throw anything. Often individual effects on global ecosystems are so tenuous and distant that they seem a weak justification for direct restrictions on individual choice. Yet avoiding catastrophe will almost certainly involve substantial behavior changes. What to do? The answer cannot be to use the fact of collective climate responsibility to justify any and every state intervention. This is what every right-winger believes that enviros secretly yearn for — a justification to meddle in everything, to force people to live the “right” way. I have never met any actual enviro who pines for that. The ones I’ve talked to share my conviction that we must preserve the presumption of individual sovereignty that makes liberalism work so much better than the alternatives. But neither can the answer be simply to default back to atomism and forget what we know about the immense scope and, in come cases, irrevocability of our collective impacts. Scientists are rather frantically signaling to us that serious disruptions in the planet’s biophysical systems are approaching rapidly. Those systems form the substrate of all human societies, the preconditions for our thriving. If the sh*t hits the fan, there will be heavy-handed government intervention. Nothing fertilizes government power like fear, want, and lawlessness. A wise society would use some foresight and begin now, openly and democratically, discussing what collective changes in behavior will be necessary to pass on to our descendents a planet that contains the prerequisites of a free, happy life. We should update our conception of liberalism in light of ecological realities. Keeping things as they are is not an option; change will come, either ramped up slowly (via a fair bit of paternalism) or arriving later in jolts and traumas.
Immunohistochemistry is becoming an increasingly important aspect of histology. Though there is not an ASCP certification for immunohistochemistry, the ASCP does offer a qualification; the QIHC. The QIHC exam is a 50-question online test, covering a variety of IHC topics including detection systems, specimen handling, staining, antigen retrieval, and laboratory operations. NSH asked two of our QIHC certified members, Robert Embree, BS, MBA, HT(ASCP), QIHC(ASCP) and Brandon Ward, BS, HTL(ASCP), QIHC(ASCP) to share their thoughts on the exam, and why they decided to take it. NSH: Why did you take the QIHC exam? Robert: I was looking for something that would reinforce the foundation of my existing knowledge of IHC as well as provide an opportunity to expand on my knowledge base thus ultimately increasing my confidence so that I would be able to help others better understand the science. Brandon: I took the QIHC exam for a couple reasons. 1. I wanted to test my knowledge of immunohistochemical processes, staining results, and application. 2. As the education coordinator for my laboratory, I wanted to be able to help guide our technicians and technologists in their own preparation for the examination. In taking the exam myself, this allowed me to understand what materials were most helpful in preparing. NSH: How has having your QIHC certification helped your career? Robert: I believe that having my QIHC Certification has increased my industry knowledge, my credibility, and has dramatically expanded opportunities that I may not have been made aware of. Brandon: Aside from assembling the best study materials for the QIHC exam, this has helped me in relaying to my students the theory and application behind immunohistochemical staining, as the students prepare for their HT and HTL examinations. NSH: What would you tell someone who was taking the QIHC exam? Robert: I tell everyone that education is an investment in yourself and something that no one can ever take away. The QIHC certification program has helped make me who I am today and is proof of my ability to demonstrate the knowledge and expertise that I have achieved. Brandon: The exam contains a lot of challenging information. Preparing for the QIHC will not only help you be successful when taking the exam but will enhance your knowledge as a technician/technologist, which will assist you in doing your job even better! If you are interested in taking the QIHC exam, check out NSH’s new QIHC Prep Course, an online course that includes three hours of instruction, an indexed study guide, and a Knowledge Check question bank to prepare to take the QIHC exam.
A thesis or dissertation is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings. In some contexts, the word "thesis" or a cognate is used for part of a bachelor's or master's course, while "dissertation" is normally applied to a doctorate, while in other contexts, the reverse is true. The term graduate thesis is sometimes used to refer to both master's theses and doctoral dissertations. Dissertations and theses may be considered to be grey literature. The required complexity and/or quality of research of a thesis or dissertation can vary by country, university and/or program, an the required minimum study period may thus vary significantly in duration. The word dissertation can at times be used to describe a treatise without relation to obtaining an academic degree. The term thesis is also used to refer to the general claim of an essay or similar work. A thesis (or dissertation) may be arranged as a thesis by publication or a monograph, with or without appended papers respectively. An ordinary monograph has a title page, an abstract, a table of contents, comprising the various chapters (introduction, literature review, findings, etc.), and a bibliography or (more usually) a references section. They differ in their structure in accordance with the many different areas of study (arts, humanities, social sciences, technology, sciences, etc.) and the minimal differences between them. In a thesis by publication, the chapters constitute an introductory and comprehensive review of the appended published and unpublished article documents. Dissertations normally report on a research project or study, or an extended analysis of a topic. The structure of the thesis or dissertation explains the purpose, the previous research literature which impinges on the topic of the study, the methods used and the findings of the project. Most world universities use a multiple chapter format : a) an introduction, which introduces the research topic, the methodology, as well as its scope and significance; b) a literature review, reviewing relevant literature and showing how this has informed the research issue; c) a methodology chapter, explaining how the research has been designed and why the research methods/population/data collection and analysis being used have been chosen; d) a findings chapter, outlining the findings of the research itself; e) an analysis and discussion chapter, analysing the findings and discussing them in the context of the literature review (this chapter is often divided into two—analysis and discussion); f) a conclusion. Degree-awarding institutions often define their own house style that candidates have to follow when preparing a thesis document. In addition to institution-specific house styles, there exist a number of field-specific, national, and international standards and recommendations for the presentation of theses, for instance ISO 7144. Other applicable international standards include ISO 2145 on section numbers, ISO 690 on bibliographic references, and ISO 31 on quantities or units. Some older house styles specify that front matter (title page, abstract, table of content, etc.) uses a separate page-number sequence from the main text, using Roman numerals. The relevant international standard and many newer style guides recognize that this book design practice can cause confusion where electronic document viewers number all pages of a document continuously from the first page, independent of any printed page numbers. They therefore avoid the traditional separate number sequence for front matter and require a single sequence of Arabic numerals starting with 1 for the first printed page (the recto of the title page). Presentation requirements, including pagination, layout, type and color of paper, use of acid-free paper (where a copy of the dissertation will become a permanent part of the library collection), paper size, order of components, and citation style, will be checked page by page by the accepting officer before the thesis is accepted and a receipt is issued. However, strict standards are not always required. Most Italian universities, for example, have only general requirements on the character size and the page formatting, and leave much freedom on the actual typographic details. A thesis or dissertation committee is a committee that supervises a student's dissertation. This committee, at least in the US model, usually consists of a primary supervisor or advisor and two or more committee members, who supervise the progress of the dissertation and may also act as the examining committee, or jury, at the oral examination of the thesis (see below). At most universities, the committee is chosen by the student in conjunction with his or her primary adviser, usually after completion of the comprehensive examinations or prospectus meeting, and may consist of members of the comps committee. The committee members are doctors in their field (whether a PhD or other designation) and have the task of reading the dissertation, making suggestions for changes and improvements, and sitting in on the defense. Sometimes, at least one member of the committee must be a professor in a department that is different from that of the student. Regional and degree-specific practices and terminologies In the Latin American docta, the academic dissertation can be referred to as different stages inside the academic program that the student is seeking to achieve into a recognized Argentine University, in all the cases the students must develop original contribution in the chosen fields by means of several paper work and essays that comprehend the body of the thesis. Correspondingly to the academic degree, the last phase of an academic thesis is called in Spanish a defensa de grado, defensa magistral or defensa doctoral in cases in which the university candidate is finalizing his or her licentiate, master's, or PhD program. According to a committee resolution, the dissertation can be approved or rejected by an academic committee consisting of the thesis director, the thesis coordinator, and at least one evaluator from another recognized university in which the student is pursuing his or her academic program. All the dissertation referees must already have achieved at least the academic degree that the candidate is trying to reach. At English-speaking Canadian universities, writings presented in fulfillment of undergraduate coursework requirements are normally called papers, term papers or essays. A longer paper or essay presented for completion of a 4-year bachelor's degree is sometimes called a major paper. High-quality research papers presented as the empirical study of a "postgraduate" consecutive bachelor with Honours or Baccalaureatus Cum Honore degree are called thesis (Honours Seminar Thesis). Major papers presented as the final project for a master's degree are normally called thesis; and major papers presenting the student's research towards a doctoral degree are called theses or dissertations. At Canadian universities under the French influenced system, students may have a choice between presenting a "mémoire"', which is a shorter synthetic work (roughly 75 pages) and a thèse which is one hundred pages or more. A synthetic monograph associated with doctoral work is referred to as a "thèse". See also compilation thesis. Either work can be awarded a "mention d'honneur" (excellence) as a result of the decision by the examination committee, although these are rare. A typical undergraduate paper or essay might be forty pages. A "postgraduate" Baccalaureatus Cum Honore thesis is roughly seventy pages. Master's theses are approximately one hundred pages. PhD theses are usually over two hundred pages. This may vary greatly by discipline, program and/or college or university. However, normally the required minimum study period is primarily depending on the complexity and/or quality of research requirements. Theses Canada acquires and preserves a comprehensive collection of Canadian theses at Library and Archives Canada' (LAC) through partnership with Canadian universities who participate in the program. In the Czech republic, higher education is completed by passing all classes remaining to the educational compendium for given degree and defending a thesis. For bachelors programme the thesis is called bakalářská práce (bachelors thesis), for master's degrees and also doctor of medicine or dentistry degrees it is the diplomová práce (master's thesis), and for Philosophiae doctor (PhD.) degree it is dissertation dizertační práce. Thesis for so called Higher-Professional School (Vyšší odborná škola, VOŠ) is called absolventská práce. In France, the academic dissertation or thesis is called a thèse and it is reserved for the final work of doctoral candidates. The minimum page length is generally (and not formally) 100 pages (or about 400,000 characters), but is usually several times longer (except for technical theses and for "exact sciences" such as physics and maths). To complete a master's degree in research, a student is required to write a mémoire, the French equivalent of a master's thesis in other higher education systems. The word dissertation in French is reserved for shorter (1,000–2,000 words), more generic academic treatises. The defence is called a soutenance. In Germany, an academic thesis is called an Abschlussarbeit (for non-doctorate and non-Habilitation degrees) or the basic name of the degree complemented by -arbeit (e.g., Diplomarbeit, Masterarbeit, Doktorarbeit, but Habilitationsschrift not Habilitationsarbeit). Length is often given in page count and depends upon departments, faculties, and fields of study. A bachelor's thesis is often 40–60 pages long, a diploma thesis and a master's thesis usually 60-100. The required submission for a doctorate is called a Dissertation or Doktorarbeit. The submission for a Habilitation is called Habilitationsschrift. PhD by publication is becoming increasingly common in many fields of study. A doctoral degree is earned with multiple levels of a Latin honors remark for the thesis ranging from summa cum laude (best) to rite (duly). A thesis can also be rejected with a Latin remark (non rite, non sufficit or worst as sub omni canone). In India the thesis defence is called a viva voce (Latin for "by live voice") examination (viva in short). Involved in the viva are two examiners and the candidate. One examiner is an academic from the candidate's own university department (but not one of the candidate's supervisors) and the other is an external examiner from a different university. In India, PG Qualifications such as M.Sc. Physics accompanies submission of dissertation in Part I and submission of a Project (a working model of an innovation) in Part II. Engineering qualifications such as Diploma, B.Tech or B.E., M.Tech or M.Des also involves submission of dissertation. In all the cases, the dissertation can be extended for summer internship at certain research and development organizations or also as PhD synopsis. In Italy there are normally three types of thesis. In order of complexity: one for the Laurea (equivalent to the UK Bachelor's Degree), another one for the Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to the UK Master's Degree) and then a thesis to complete the Dottorato di Ricerca (PhD). Thesis requirements vary greatly between degrees and disciplines, ranging from as low as 3-4 ECTS credits to more than 30. Thesis work is mandatory for the completion of a degree. In Pakistan, at undergraduate level the thesis is usually called final year project, as it is completed in the senior year of the degree, the name project usually implies that the work carried out is less extensive than a thesis and bears lesser credit hours too. The undergraduate level project is presented through an elaborate written report and a presentation to the advisor, a board of faculty members and students. At graduate level however, i.e. in MS, some universities allow students to accomplish a project of 6 credits or a thesis of 9 credits, at least one publication is normally considered enough for the awarding of the degree with project and is considered mandatory for the awarding of a degree with thesis. A written report and a public thesis defence is mandatory, in the presence of a board of senior researchers, consisting of members from an outside organization or a university. A PhD candidate is supposed to accomplish extensive research work to fulfill the dissertation requirements with international publications being a mandatory requirement. The defence of the research work is done publicly. In Poland, a bachelor's degree usually requires a praca licencjacka (bachelor's thesis), the master's degree requires a praca magisterska (master's thesis), and a degree in engineering requires a praca inżynierska (engineer's thesis). The academic dissertation for a PhD is called a dysertacja or praca doktorska. The submission for the Habilitation is called praca habilitacyjna" or dysertacja habilitacyjna". Thus the term dysertacja is reserved for PhD and Habilitation degrees. All the theses need to be "defended" by the author during a special examination for the given degree. Examinations for PhD and Habilitation degrees are public. Portugal and Brazil In Portugal and Brazil, a dissertation (dissertação) is required for completion of a master's degree. The defense is done in a public presentation in which teachers, students, and the general public can participate. For the PhD a thesis (tese) is presented for defense in a public exam. The exam typically extends over 3 hours. The examination board typically involves 5 to 6 Professors or other experts with a PhD degree (generally at least half of them must be external to the university where the candidate defends the thesis, but may depend on the University). Each university / faculty defines the length of these documents, but typical numbers of pages are around 60–80 for MSc and 150–250 for PhD. Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine In Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine an academic dissertation or thesis is called what can be literally translated as a "master's degree work" (thesis), whereas the word dissertation is reserved for doctoral theses (Candidate of Sciences). To complete a master's degree, a student is required to write a thesis and to then defend the work publicly. Length of this manuscript usually is given in page count and depends upon educational institution, its departments, faculties, and fields of study At universities in Slovenia, an academic thesis called diploma thesis is a prerequisite for completing undergraduate studies. The thesis used to be 40–60 pages long, but has been reduced to 20–30 pages in new Bologna process programmes. To complete Master's studies, a candidate must write magistrsko delo (Master's thesis) that is longer and more detailed than the undergraduate thesis. The required submission for the doctorate is called doktorska disertacija (doctoral dissertation). In pre Bologna programmes students were able to skip the preparation and presentation of a Master's thesis and continue straightforward towards doctorate. In Slovakia, higher education is completed by defending a thesis, which is called bachelors thesis "bakalárska práca" for bachelors programme, master's thesis or "diplomová práca" for master's degrees and also doctor of medicine or dentistry degrees and dissertation "dizertačná práca" for Philosophiae doctor (PhD.) degree. In Sweden, there are different types of theses. Practices and definitions vary between fields but commnly include the C thesis/Bachelor thesis, which corresponds to 15 HP or 10 weeks of independent studies, D thesis/one year master's thesis, which corresponds to 15 HP or 10 weeks of independent studies and E Thesis/two year master's thesis, which corresponds to 30 HP or 20 weeks of independent studies. After that there are two types of post graduate degrees, Licentiate dissertation and PhD dissertation. A licentiate degree is approximately "half a PhD" in terms of size and scope of the thesis. Swedish PhD studies should in theory last for four years, including course work and thesis work, but as many PhD students also teach, the PhD often takes longer to complete. Outside the academic community, the terms thesis and dissertation are interchangeable. At universities in the United Kingdom, the term thesis is usually associated with PhD/EngD (doctoral) and research master's degrees, while dissertation is the more common term for a substantial project submitted as part of a taught master's degree or an undergraduate degree (e.g. BA, BSc, BMus, BEd, BEng etc.). Thesis word lengths may differ by faculty/department and are set by individual universities. A wide range of supervisory arrangements can be found in the British academy, from single supervisors (more usual for undergraduate and Masters level work) to supervisory teams of up to three supervisors. In teams, there will often be a Director of Studies, usually someone with broader experience (perhaps having passed some threshold of successful supervisions). The Director may be involved with regular supervision along with the other supervisors, or may have more of an oversight role, with the other supervisors taking on the more day-to-day responsibilities of supervision. In some U.S. doctoral programs, the term "dissertation" can refer to the major part of the student's total time spent (along with two or three years of classes), and may take years of full-time work to complete. At most universities, dissertation is the term for the required submission for the doctorate, and thesis refers only to the master's degree requirement. Thesis is also used to describe a cumulative project for a bachelor's degree, and is more common at selective colleges and universities, or for those seeking admittance to graduate school or to obtain an honors academic designation. These are called "senior projects" or "senior theses;" they are generally done in the senior year near graduation after having completed other courses, the independent study period, and the internship and/or student teaching period (the completion of most of the requirements before the writing of the paper ensures adequate knowledge and aptitude for the challenge). Unlike a dissertation or master's thesis, they are not as long, they do not require a novel contribution to knowledge, or even a very narrow focus on a set subtopic. Like them, they can be lengthy and require months of work, they require supervision by at least one professor adviser, they must be focused on a certain area of knowledge, and they must use an appreciable amount of scholarly citations. They may or may not be defended before a committee, but usually are not; there is generally no preceding examination before the writing of the paper, except for at a very few colleges. Because of the nature of the graduate thesis or dissertation having to be more narrow and more novel, the result of original research, these usually have a smaller proportion of the work that is cited from other sources, though the fact that they are lengthier may mean they still have more total citations. Specific undergraduate courses, especially writing-intensive courses and/or courses taken by upperclassmen, may also require one or more extensive written assignments referred to variously as theses, essays, or papers. Increasingly, high schools are requiring students to complete a senior project or senior thesis on a chosen topic during the final year as a prerequisite for graduation. The extended essay component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, offered in a growing number of American high schools, is another example of this trend. Generally speaking, a dissertation is judged as to whether or not it makes an original and unique contribution to scholarship. Lesser projects (a master's thesis, for example) are judged by whether or not they demonstrate mastery of available scholarship in the presentation of an idea.[dubious ] The required complexity or quality of research of a thesis may vary significantly among universities or programs. One of the requirements for certain advanced degrees is often an oral examination (a.k.a. viva voce examination or just viva). This examination normally occurs after the dissertation is finished but before it is submitted to the university, and may comprise a presentation by the student and questions posed by an examining committee or jury. In North America, an initial oral examination in the field of specialization may take place just before the student settles down to work on the dissertation. An additional oral exam may take place after the dissertation is completed and is known as a thesis or dissertation "defense," which at some universities may be a mere formality and at others may result in the student being required to make significant revisions. In the UK and certain other English-speaking countries, an oral examination is called a viva voce. The result of the examination may be given immediately following deliberation by the examiners (in which case the candidate may immediately be considered to have received his or her degree), or at a later date, in which case the examiners may prepare a defense report that is forwarded to a Board or Committee of Postgraduate Studies, which then officially recommends the candidate for the degree. Potential decisions (or "verdicts") include: - Accepted/pass with no corrections. - The thesis is accepted as presented. A grade may be awarded, though in many countries PhDs are not graded at all, and in others only one of the theoretically possible grades (the highest) is ever used in practice. - The thesis must be revised. - Revisions (for example, correction of numerous grammatical or spelling errors; clarification of concepts or methodology; addition of sections) are required. One or more members of the jury and/or the thesis supervisor will make the decision on the acceptability of revisions and provide written confirmation that they have been satisfactorily completed. If, as is often the case, the needed revisions are relatively modest, the examiners may all sign the thesis with the verbal understanding that the candidate will review the revised thesis with his or her supervisor before submitting the completed version. - Extensive revision required. - The thesis must be revised extensively and undergo the evaluation and defense process again from the beginning with the same examiners. Problems may include theoretical or methodological issues. A candidate who is not recommended for the degree after the second defense must normally withdraw from the program. - The thesis is unacceptable and the candidate must withdraw from the program. - This verdict is given only when the thesis requires major revisions and when the examination makes it clear that the candidate is incapable of making such revisions. At most North American institutions the latter two verdicts are extremely rare, for two reasons. First, to obtain the status of doctoral candidates, graduate students typically write a qualifying examination or comprehensive examination, which often includes an oral defense. Students who pass the qualifying examination are deemed capable of completing scholarly work independently and are allowed to proceed with working on a dissertation. Second, since the thesis supervisor (and the other members of the advisory committee) will normally have reviewed the thesis extensively before recommending the student proceed to the defense, such an outcome would be regarded as a major failure not only on the part of the candidate but also by the candidate's supervisor (who should have recognized the substandard quality of the dissertation long before the defense was allowed to take place). It is also fairly rare for a thesis to be accepted without any revisions; the most common outcome of a defense is for the examiners to specify minor revisions (which the candidate typically completes in a few days or weeks). On the other hand, at universities on the British pattern it is not uncommon for theses to be failed at the viva stage, in which case either a major rewrite is required, followed by a new viva, or the thesis may be awarded the lesser degree of M.Phil (Master of Philosophy) instead, preventing the candidate from resubmitting the thesis. In Australia, doctoral theses are usually examined by three examiners although some, like the Australian Catholic University and the University of New South Wales, have shifted to using only two examiners; without a live defence except in extremely rare exceptions. In the case of a master's degree by research the thesis is usually examined by only two examiners. Typically one of these examiners will be from within the candidate's own department; the other(s) will usually be from other universities and often from overseas. Following submission of the thesis, copies are sent by mail to examiners and then reports sent back to the institution. Similar to a master's degree by research thesis, a thesis for the research component of a master's degree by coursework is also usually examined by two examiners, one from the candidate's department and one from another university. For an Honours year, which is a fourth year in addition to the usual three-year bachelor's degree, the thesis is also examined by two examiners, though both are usually from the candidate's own department. Honours and Master's by coursework theses do not require an oral defence before they are accepted. In Germany, a thesis is often examined with an oral defense (Verteidigung), also called Disputation. This applies to almost all Magister, master's and doctoral degrees as well as to bachelor's degrees. The minimum word count varies but is usually between 15,000 to 17,500 words. Master's Degrees sometimes dictate that 30,000 words must be written. In the Philippines, a thesis is followed by an oral defense. In Portugal, a thesis is examined with an oral defense, which includes an initial presentation by the candidate followed by an extensive questioning/answering period. Typical duration for the total exam is 1 hour 30 minutes for the MSc and 3 hours for the PhD. The examining committee normally consists of the thesis committee, usually a given number of professors mainly from the student's university plus his or her primary supervisor, an external examiner (someone not otherwise connected to the university), and a chair person. Each committee member will have been given a completed copy of the dissertation prior to the defense, and will come prepared to ask questions about the thesis itself and the subject matter. In many schools, master's thesis defenses are restricted to the examinee and the examiners, but doctoral defenses are open to the public. The typical format will see the candidate giving a short (20–40 minute) presentation of his or her research, followed by one to two hours of questions. At some U.S. institutions, a longer public lecture (known as a "thesis talk" or "thesis seminar") by the candidate will accompany the defense itself, in which case only the candidate, the examiners, and other members of the faculty may attend the actual defense. Russia and Ukraine A student in Ukraine or Russia has to complete a thesis and then defend it in front of their department. Sometimes the defense meeting is made up of the learning institute’s professionals, and sometimes the students peers are allowed to view and/or join in. After the presentation and defense of the thesis, the final conclusion of the department should be that none of them have reservations on the content and quality of the thesis. A conclusion on the thesis has to be approved by the rector of the educational institute. This conclusion (final grade so to speak) of the thesis can be defended/argued not only in the thesis council at, but also in any other thesis council of Russia or Ukraine. The Diploma de estudios avanzados (DEA) can last two years and candidates must complete coursework and demonstrate their ability to research the specific topics they have studied. After completing this part of the PhD, students begin a dissertation on a set topic. The dissertation must reach a minimum length depending on the subject and it is valued more highly if it contains field research. Once candidates have finished their written dissertations, they must present them before a committee. Following this presentation, the examiners will ask questions. In Hong Kong, Ireland and the United Kingdom, the thesis defense is called a viva voce (Latin for "by live voice") examination (viva for short). A typical viva lasts for approximately 3 hours, though there is no formal time limit. Involved in the viva are two examiners and the candidate. Usually, one examiner is an academic from the candidate's own university department (but not one of the candidate's supervisors) and the other is an external examiner from a different university. Increasingly, the examination may involve a third academic, the 'chair'; this person, from the candidate's institution, acts as an impartial observer with oversight of the examination process to ensure that the examination is fair. The 'chair' does not ask academic questions of the candidate. In the United Kingdom, there are only two or at most three examiners, and in many universities the examination is held in private. The candidate's primary supervisor is not permitted to ask or answer questions during the viva, and their presence is not necessary. However, some universities permit members of the faculty or the university to attend. At the University of Oxford, for instance, any member of the University may attend a DPhil viva (the University's regulations require that details of the examination and its time and place be published formally in advance) provided he or she attends in full academic dress. Submission of the thesis A submission of the thesis is the last formal requirement for most students after the defense. By the final deadline, the student must submit a complete copy of the thesis to the appropriate body within the accepting institution, along with the appropriate forms, bearing the signatures of the primary supervisor, the examiners, and, in some cases, the head of the student's department. Other required forms may include library authorizations (giving the university library permission to make the thesis available as part of its collection) and copyright permissions (in the event that the student has incorporated copyrighted materials in the thesis). Many large scientific publishing houses (e.g. Taylor & Francis, Elsevier) use copyright agreements that allow the authors to incorporate their published articles into dissertations without separate authorization. Failure to submit the thesis by the deadline may result in graduation (and granting of the degree) being delayed. At most U.S. institutions, there will also be various fees (for binding, microfilming, copyright registration, and the like), which must be paid before the degree will be granted. Once all the paperwork is in order, copies of the thesis may be made available in one or more university libraries. Specialist abstracting services exist to publicize the content of these beyond the institutions in which they are produced. Many institutions now insist on submission of digitized as well as printed copies of theses; the digitized versions of successful theses are often made available online. - Comprehensive examination - Dissertations Abstracts - Grey literature - Postgraduate education - Compilation thesis - Comparison of reference management software - Originally, the concepts "dissertation" and "thesis" (plural, "theses") were not interchangeable. When, at ancient universities, the lector had completed his lecture, there would traditionally follow a disputation, during which students could take up certain points and argue them. The position that one took during a disputation was the thesis, while the dissertation was the line of reasoning with which one buttressed it. Olga Weijers: The medieval disputatio. In: Hora est! (On dissertations), p.23-27. Leiden University Library, 2005
Gloria Steinem, co-founder of Ms. Magazine and one of the most prominent leaders of the women’s movement, answered questions and provided living history lessons to a group of students actively involved with the Women’s Center, as part of the Center’s 40th anniversary program on Friday. Sitting among a circle of about 20 students in the Center’s program room, Steinem spent more than an hour discussing issues ranging from politics and the Vietnam War to economic parity and sexuality, before delivering remarks to a capacity audience in the Student Union Theatre. Answering a question about the development of activism for women’s rights, Steinem said the women’s movement resulted from the treatment of women who were part of the civil rights and anti-war protests of the 1960s. She said male participants in the protests treated women “just the way corporations did,” often limiting their role to making copies of protest fliers and serving coffee. “That really was the birth of the understanding that there needed to be an autonomous women’s movement,” Steinem said, noting that Betty Friedan’s landmark book The Feminine Mystique (1963) had addressed college-educated women sitting in the suburbs realizing there must be something more to life. “More came out of the civil rights and anti-war movements.” One student asked about her experience protesting against the Vietnam conflict, something that today’s young people read about in history books, and noted that the same kind of protests do not occur now. Steinem said today’s anti-war efforts are actually more effective, because one of the main issues in the Vietnam protests was the drafting of Americans to serve in the military as part of the war effort. “It was not as good as it is now, [when] we turned against two wars in half the time, in terms of the national feelings against Iraq and Afghanistan,” she said. “I do think we may romanticize that time in the past. It was actually all about the draft … When the draft disappeared a lot of the anti-war feeling went. It was exhilarating and it was brave, but I would say it was more limited than similar kinds of movements we see now.” In a discussion about economic disparity between men and women, Steinem said equal pay for women could be “the biggest, most effective economic stimulus this country could possibly have,” pumping $200 billion into the national economy. “Those women are going to spend the money,” she said. “They’re not going to send it to Switzerland or invest it in China. They’re going to spend it, and it’s going to create jobs.” Using the example of parking lot attendants – who are men – making more money than childcare givers – who are women, Steinem said that after equal pay, there needs to be a value placed on “all productive human work.” “Right now a third of the work that is caregiving, whether it’s raising children, taking care of relatives or invalids, [takes place in the home]” she said. “The country could not go on without it. It has no economic value. You could attribute that replacement level and economic value … and make that tax deductible. Whether it’s men or women, it’s in the national interest because usually care given in the home is better and less expensive than institutionalized care.” Turning to politics, Steinem noted that often when she speaks on a university campus, she will be asked why some groups are against lesbians and birth control. “Those groups really believe that human sexuality is only moral and OK if it’s directed toward having children and inside patriarchal marriage, so the children are properly owned,” she said. “They object to any de-linkage of sexual expression from reproduction. That is contrary to human nature. Sexuality has always been a way we expressed caring, love, closeness, and pleasure, not only a way we have children. Women have always known how to control their own fertility and whether and when to have children.” She said that social movements continue to be spoken of as isolated entities, “still spoken of as in silos, as if they are separate, without enough explanation of the connections.” She said this was apparent during the 2008 Presidential election, when Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were competing in the Democratic primary and the news media portrayed the candidates as representing separate constituencies. “It had to be you were putting sex over race, or race over sex,” she said. “It was profoundly destructive.”
It was my first day at UCL. In the morning the induction was much the same as any other departments. Talks on plagiarism, university policies, timetabling/deadlines, and marking schemes. It got real when researchers started giving talks on their projects. What really encapsulated the essence of why I wanted to apply physics to medicine was a talk on diffraction imaging with X-rays. This is where the scattered beam produces a diffraction pattern which is then used to reconstruct the image via an algorithm. The main selling point of this is that you can get away with a lower dose of radiation. However, it doesn’t stop there. This technique can also detect plastics so the research team is also working with the department of homeland security for detecting plastic bomb detonators. But wait! There’s another use! This technique also detects stresses and strains that cannot be seen by conventional methods on aeroplane materials so the aviation industry is also interested in this technique for materials testing. This is why I love physics, coding, and engineering. The skills you learn cannot only be applied to other fields, they can be a game changer in many different fields. Others may want to live their lives the way they see fit and interpret freedom in whatever sense makes them happy as long as they do not harm others. To me, combining the transferable skills of logical proofs and mechanics of the universe with the brute force of computing is freedom. It’s the freedom to influence multiple fields, and it’s the freedom to make the impossible possible!
We model the long-term evolution of the Hilda collisional family located in the 3/2 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter. Its eccentricity distribution evolves mostly due to the Yarkovsky/YORP effect and assuming that (i) impact disruption was isotropic and (ii) albedo distribution of small asteroids is the same as for large ones, we can estimate the age of the Hilda family to be 4+0−1 Gyr. We also calculate collisional activity in the J3/2 region. Our results indicate that current collisional rates are very low for a 200-km parent body such that the number of expected events over gigayears is much smaller than 1. The large age and the low probability of the collisional disruption lead us to the conclusion that the Hilda family might have been created during the late heavy bombardment (LHB) when the collisions were much more frequent. The Hilda family may thus serve as a test of orbital behaviour of planets during the LHB. We have tested the influence of the giant-planet migration on the distribution of the family members. The scenarios that are consistent with the observed Hilda family are those with fast migration time-scales ≃0.3–3 Myr, because longer time-scales produce a family that is depleted and too much spread in eccentricity. Moreover, there is an indication that Jupiter and Saturn were no longer in a compact configuration (with period ratio PS/PJ > 2.09) at the time when the Hilda family was created.
A guest blog, written by Arthur Ainsberg, was posted yesterday on DiabetesMine.com. DiabetesMine was founded by Amy Tenderich, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in May 2003. She writes of the site: “I started this blog to connect with others, to offset the feeling of isolation with diabetes, and to sort out and share some of what I was learning. It’s my “gold mine of informational nuggets,’ if you will…” A full re-posting of Arthur’s guest post is below: Arthur Ainsberg is the successful director of a New York-based financial firm. He is also a survivor himself and successful “hobby author,” who is just completing a new book on the discovery of insulin — “a drug that turned a death sentence into something more akin to a chronic nuisance.” According to early reviews, his book Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle is “an important read for anyone with diabetes” and at the same time “an enjoyable read for those who love mystery and human drama.” Today, a word from Arthur himself on the journey that is chronic illness, and the medical miracles that have kept us alive: At age 11, Elizabeth Hughes was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her parents, Antoinette and Charles, were devastated — especially when told she had less than a year to live. It was 1919 and insulin had yet to be discovered. Elizabeth’s only recourse was to starve her body — severely limiting the calories consumed — so that she might live just a little longer. The treatment was not only ironic, it was painful and difficult to maintain. But in 1922, when Elizabeth had lived longer than anyone had hoped, she became one of the first and most famous diabetics to receive insulin. It saved her life and returned her to health. The tireless, and often tumultuous, efforts of a group of Canadian researchers had transformed Elizabeth’s fate. And the impact of their discovery stretches across 90 years affecting diabetics around the world to this day. The story of this amazing little girl and the medical breakthrough that saved her life is profoundly personal for me. You see, Elizabeth’s story mirrors my own. Like Elizabeth, I was given a diagnosis that would change everything, and I, too, would be indebted with my life to a new treatment. It was 1975 and I was 28. One morning I awoke with a lump in my neck. The diagnosis: Hodgkin’s disease. I had a 25-year-old wife, a four-year-old son, and a disease that had invaded my life without invitation or regard. Hodgkin’s disease is a cancer of the immune system. And until the 1960s, a diagnosis was uniformly fatal. But thanks to advances in treatment, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it is today highly treatable. In fact, Hodgkin’s disease patients are often told how lucky they are. Believe me, this is a kind of luck I could live without! Well, that’s only partially true. The disease was unwelcome, to say the least, but had I been diagnosed just over 10 years earlier I wouldn’t have survived. Elizabeth had been granted similar fortune. She was lucky enough to be diagnosed just a few years from one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of our time. Still, the road is not an easy one. After my diagnosis I became an expert on cancer. I learned a bevy of multi-syllabic words and terms related to my cancer. I spent many summer days holed up in the library at Mount Sinai Hospital reading every book on Hodgkin’s. Because the disease had only so recently become treatable, there wasn’t anyone to look to as a model of longtime survival, no support groups to attend. So knowledge and an understanding of my disease offered some measure of comfort, some semblance of control. Elizabeth Hughes approached her diagnosis with the same determination, keeping meticulous records of every calorie she consumed and analysis of her sugar levels. She knew what metabolism was and the amount of carbohydrates in everything. When Elizabeth began her insulin treatment, it brought triumphs that for anyone else would be mundane, but were for her grand symbols of life. These included eating a banana or grapes or macaroni and cheese for the first time in over three years. How I can relate to the ordinary-as-extraordinary! For me, it’s sitting in the doctor’s office and hearing the words “looks okay.” Those two words grant passage into another year of life. I know how Elizabeth felt after her diagnosis, fighting to stay positive. How when she first began her insulin injections, that despite the swelling or the numbness of her leg from multiple injections, she was grateful for the life it allowed her. I relate to the agony her family felt, watching helplessly at her side. Her father, Charles Evans Hughes, was one of the most famous men in America as U.S. secretary of state, but even he could not make her disease go away. I also understand the lasting effects her experience would have on her. My post-diagnosis life is dramatically different. I dread annual physicals, pay close attention to every mole, bump, and lump. But I also eat better, exercise, and, most importantly, take the time to enjoy life’s pleasures. I’ve traveled around the world, been to every baseball stadium in the country and take care to hug loved ones. I will never take life for granted. At the time of her death in 1981, Elizabeth had injected herself with insulin some 42,000 times, but she never talked about having diabetes. Perhaps it’s because she grew up in a time when illness of any kind was not talked about, or perhaps she just didn’t want to be defined by her disease. For me, I gladly talk about my experience with cancer and take pleasure in offering wisdom, guidance, and comfort to anyone who may be facing a similar path. And though Elizabeth didn’t talk about it herself, today her story serves as an inspiration to all who face struggles in life. Elizabeth’s life, and mine, are proof of the profound and lasting impact a medical breakthrough can have. And that is something I will pay homage to with every breath I take.
The Unbridled Learning accountability results have been out for a few days now, and we are seeing lots of articles, board presentations, parent workshops and discussion about the accountability results. Early reports seem to focus on the overall drop in proficiency (which was predicted) and the new emphasis by the state to provide a percentile rank for schools and districts. However, there has not been much discussion about the significant increase in the percentage of graduates who are college- and career-ready. This is somewhat disappointing, since college and career readiness is the underlying principle for the accountability model and was the key requirement from 2009’s Senate Bill 1. Other key issues we are hearing about include the usefulness of the tools provided. While there are massive amounts of data in the new School Report Card, schools are reacting very positively to the data being in one place and the user-friendly nature of the School Report Card. The report card gives a quick and easy snapshot of performance of schools and districts and also provides a multilevel, complex view of the components that make up the overall score for schools and districts. The percentile rank system has been well received by most, since it provides an easy way to understand how your school/district performance compares to other Kentucky schools. This percentile system is similar to what parents receive from testing reports. Parents may not understand the test score from the state or national test; however, they do understand and want to know how their child's performance compares to other children across the state and nation. The release of the accountability model has also given the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) an opportunity to receive constructive feedback on concerns with the model. Among these concerns are: - complexity of the system - science and social studies scores -- too high, compared to math and reading - comparisons with national assessments - understanding student growth - understanding student gap group results - perceived lack of consequences for low-performing schools KDE will share these concerns and others as we present the Unbridled Learning accountability results to the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) at the December board meeting. Most of these concerns can be addressed by clarification of the model and how the results are reported. There will be those that call for immediate action to address concerns. I want to close with some of the state and national issues that will certainly impact any immediate or long-range changes to the model. The Kentucky Board of Education has certainly stated a clear intent to improve the accountability model as we get feedback from the field. The first issue we must consider is that schools and districts entered the 2012-13 school year knowing the "rules of the game" for accountability, and we should not change the rules in the middle of the game. Therefore, I would recommend to KBE that no major changes be made to regulations governing the model until we have at least two years of data from the model. Also, we are governed by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver, and any changes to our accountability model would require federal review. Finally, all states are hoping for reauthorization of ESEA (No Child Left Behind), which most certainly will impact the Unbridled Learning model. As we close out November, parents across Kentucky now know if their child is on target to be college- and career-ready. From 3rd grade through 12th grade, every student and parent has the information to know the status of a trajectory to reach college/career readiness by graduation. This information provides students, parents and educators with the information needed to take action to ensure more of our students reach college/career readiness and have a positive impact on the economy of Kentucky.
Reports of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne infection, have more than doubled in UK travellers from 166 reported cases in 2009 to 406 in 2010, according to new figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Dengue fever does not occur in the UK and the highest proportion of cases were associated with travel to India - 84 cases (21 per cent) and Thailand - 61 cases (15 per cent). This increase in dengue reports is coupled with a 34 percent rise in the number of reported cases of chikungunya, another mosquito borne infection, which rose from 59 cases in 2009 to 79 in 2010. Nearly 50 per cent of these cases were associated with travel to India.
Developmental stage theories There are a number of different views about the way in which psychological and physical development proceed throughout the life span. In addition to individual differences in development, developmental psychologists generally agree that development occurs in an orderly way and in different areas simultaneously. Continuous versus discontinuous development One of the major controversies in developmental psychology centres whether development is continuous or discontinuous. Those psychologists who support the continuous view of development suggest that development involves gradual and ongoing changes throughout the life span, with behaviour in the earlier stages of development providing the basis of skills and abilities required for the next stages. Not all psychologists, however, agree that development is a continuous process. Some view development as a discontinuous process. They believe development involves distinct and separate stages with different kinds of behaviour occurring in each stage. This suggests that the development of certain abilities in each stage, such as specific emotions or ways of thinking, have a definite starting and ending point. However, there is no exact time at which an ability suddenly appears or disappears. Although some types of thinking, feeling or behaving may seem to appear suddenly, it is more than likely that this has been developing gradually for some time. Stage theories of development rest on the assumption that development is a discontinuous process involving distinct stages which are characterized by qualitative differences in behaviour. They also assume that the structure of the stages is not variable according to each individual, however the time of each stage may vary individually. Stage theories can be contrasted with continuous theories, which posit that development is an incremental process. Examples of stage theories There are many stage (discontinuous) theories in developmental psychology including: - Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development expanded on Freud's psychosexual stages, he defined eight stages that describe how individuals relate to their social world. - Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual stages described the progression of an individual's unconscious desires. - Robert Kegan's subject–object constructive developmental theory. - Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development described how individuals developed moral reasoning. - Margaret Mahler's separation-individuation theory of child development contained three phases regarding the child's object relations. - Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development described how children represent and reason about the world. - Rudolf Steiner's seven-year phases, similar to Piaget's stage theory but extending into adulthood. While some of these theories focus primarily on the healthy development of children, others propose stages that are characterized by a maturity rarely reached before old age.
As I begin my new role as Acting Dean of the Faculty of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, I feel extraordinarily privileged to be leading an institution with such tremendous momentum behind its work. Much of this forward movement derives from the visionary leadership of former Dean Julio Frenk. But even as the President conducts a search for a new dean, we will not let our momentum flag. The word “momentum” comes from Latin roots meaning “to move,” “a moving force,” “an impelling strength.” Defined in these ways, public health is the embodiment of momentum. Its cumulative research can nudge individuals toward healthy behaviors and choices. Its data-driven insights can advance policy toward the goal of equitable well-being for all. And public health’s success builds on itself, making it a formidable and trusted force that can guide wise action in times of crisis. Our cover story on the aging society reflects the School’s growing body of research—from basic biology to social epidemiology to health policy—on a demographic trend that will bring profound changes across the world. The feature on Ellen Agler, MPH ’04, describes how an alumna’s passionate commitment to ending neglected tropical diseases has persuaded individuals, foundations, and governments to address the issue. Our interviews with Xihong Lin, our new chair of the Department of Biostatistics, and with Barbara Burleigh, professor of immunology and infectious diseases, illustrate how breakthroughs in big data and genomics have generated scientific momentum on both chronic and infectious diseases. And Harvard Chan students’ ongoing response to this spring’s earthquakes in Nepal has spurred a momentum in on-the-ground logistics and public awareness that is aiding the long recovery process. In every department at the Harvard Chan School, the scientific enterprise carries a momentum that will not be reversed. When the search process for a dean is over, that trajectory will carry us into a new era of leadership. In the interim, I see my role as centered on the “acting” part of my Acting Dean title—focused on sustaining our momentum to improve the public’s health.
Pillow cover Kandinsky - Auf Weiss II Vassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) was a major figure in twentieth century art and the undisputed master of abstraction. He was born in Moscow. Before finally settling in France, he spent the period between the two world wars in Berlin and taught at the Bauhaus from 1922. He developed a geometric artistic vocabulary that attached great importance to the intuitive process. Kandinsky painted On White II in 1923. He moved away from the lyrical levitation of free forms. Geometrical elements took on increasing importance. Triangles and circles dominate in his work. The lines are fully affirmed. The large diagonal lines smoothly structure the composition of a new pictorial space based on the presence of a vacuum. The work : Auf Weiss II (On white II) Oil of canvas 105 x 98 cm 45 x 45 cm Jules Pansu, weaver in Paris since 1878 MADE IN FRANCE
Intravenous literature: Wise, M.E., Scott, R.D. 2nd, Baggs, J.M., Edwards, J.R., Ellingson, K.D., Fridkin, S.K., McDonald, L.C. and Jernigan, J.A. (2013) National estimates of central line-associated bloodstream infections in critical care patients. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 34(6), p.547-54. Objective. Recent studies have demonstrated that central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are preventable through implementation of evidence-based prevention practices. Hospitals have reported CLABSI data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the 1970s, providing an opportunity to characterize the national impact of CLABSIs over time. Our objective was to describe changes in the annual number of CLABSIs in critical care patients in the United States. Design. Monte Carlo simulation. Setting. US acute care hospitals. Patients. Nonneonatal critical care patients. Methods. We obtained administrative data on patient-days for nearly all US hospitals and applied CLABSI rates from the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance and the National Healthcare Safety Network systems to estimate the annual number of CLABSIs in critical care patients nationally during the period 1990-2010 and the number of CLABSIs prevented since 1990. Results. We estimated that there were between 462,000 and 636,000 CLABSIs in nonneonatal critical care patients in the United States during 1990-2010. CLABSI rate reductions led to between 104,000 and 198,000 fewer CLABSIs than would have occurred if rates had remained unchanged since 1990. There were 15,000 hospital-onset CLABSIs in nonneonatal critical care patients in 2010; 70% occurred in medium and large teaching hospitals. Conclusions. Substantial progress has been made in reducing the occurrence of CLABSIs in US critical care patients over the past 2 decades. The concentration of critical care CLABSIs in medium and large teaching hospitals suggests that a targeted approach may be warranted to continue achieving reductions in critical care CLABSIs nationally.
For the first time ever, a synthetic medication produced by the pharmaceutical industry has been discovered in strong concentrations in a natural source. The surprising discovery by a team of European researchers is reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie. Led by Michel De Waard from the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences, the team found that the African plant Nauclea latifolia produces large quantities of molecules that are identical to Tramadol, a wholly synthetic medication that is used world-wide as a painkiller. The discovery is an important one in the ongoing effort by scientists to identify pharmaceutically active substances in traditional medicinal plants. Nauclea latifolia is a small shrub that is abundant throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. In traditional medicine, the plant is used to treat different pathologies including epilepsy, fevers, malaria, and pain. De Waard said the researchers were able to isolate the components in the plant that were responsible for the presumed analgesic effects by analyzing the root bark. “The biggest surprise in this study was the fact that this molecule was a known one,” he explained. “It was identical to Tramadol, a synthetic medication developed in the seventies. This medication is used world-wide, because although it is a derivative of morphine, it has fewer side effects than morphine, in particular addiction problems.” The study reports that the concentration of Tramadol in the dried bark extracts was measured at 0.4 percent and 3.9 percent. “These are extremely high levels of active substance,” noted De Waard.
A field trial to test Pee Power in a remote location in Uganda has successfully been completed. The technology generates electricity using urine as a fuel, among other types of wastewater. A research team from Bristol BioEnergy Centre (BBiC) – part of Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) at the University of the West of England – travelled to the Sesame Girls School in the village of Kisoro in July to install Pee Power and a lighting system for a toilet block. It used to be unlit and was difficult to access safely during the night, when girls at the school study late in the evening as it is cooler. The power is enough to light the outside of the building and the pathway leading to the toilet block. The team initially installed the technology, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, at the Glastonbury Festival.
Subject: Processing tomatoes having suppressed polygalacturonase (PG) activity This meeting was intended to bring Zeneca's consultation started in the Fall of 1992 to closure (see SBJ 1319). Zeneca had previously submitted (September 6, 1994) a summary of the safety assessment of their transgenic tomato together with a copy of the petition to USDA requesting approval for commercial release of the new varieties of tomato. Introduced Genetic Material Zeneca described the identity and function of the genetic material introduced into the tomato using the Agrobacterium transformation system (summarized on page 28 of summary document). Zeneca presented Southern blot analysis, PCR analysis, and segregation data to show that they have 1) properly identified the sequences that were inserted into the plant genome, 2) ascertained that the introduced genetic material was integrated at a single insertion site, and 3) showed that the inserts remain stably integrated through successive generations. Identity and Function of Expression Products Encoded by the Inserted Genetic Material The only new protein that is expressed in the transgenic tomato is the enzyme aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase II (APH(3')II), which is encoded by the kanr (nptII) gene originally isolated from transposon Tn5 isolated from E. coli. The kanr gene is used as a selectable marker. Zeneca stated that they carried out an open reading frame analysis of the entire inserted DNA and that, while the analysis showed the presence of several potential open reading frames, the only ones associated with plant DNA elements required for expression are in the opposite strand of the kanr gene and are therefore highly unlikely to be expressed as their expression would almost certainly interfere with APH(3')II expression. Such interference was not observed. The insert also contains a fragment of the polygalacturonase (PG) gene which is responsible for the trait of the transgenic tomato. The PG gene fragment (which may be in the sense or antisense orientation) is driven by the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter. Transcription of the PG gene fragment results in the inhibition of the endogenous PG enzyme. PG enzyme is responsible for the normal breakdown of pectin molecules (a large polymer of galacturonic acid residues) in the cell wall of tomato fruits during ripening. Thus, the net result of the modification is that the pectin chains found in ripe transgenic tomatoes would be longer than those normally found in ripe tomatoes. According to Zeneca, this change increases the thickness of the tomatoes which are used to make processed tomato products and reduces waste due to spoilage. Safety of the Introduced Protein As mentioned above, the new varieties contain only one added protein, namely APH(3')II. Zeneca noted that the safety of this protein in the development of new varieties of tomatoes has been addressed previously (21 CFR 173.170 and 21 CFR 573.130). Nonetheless, Zeneca presented data to show that the protein was expressed at extremely low levels in fresh tomato fruits and was essentially absent from processed products due to denaturation and inactivation (summarized on p. 17 of the summary document). According to Zeneca, the only difference between the new and the parental variety of tomatoes is one of size distribution of pectin molecules. The agency has previously determined that this difference does not raise a safety concern. Not only is pectin widely consumed as a component of many fruits and vegetables, but it is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance that is directly added to many food products as a gelling agent or as a stabilizer (Summary of consultation with Calgene, Inc., regarding FLAVR SAVR™ tomatoes, May 17, 1994). In addition, Zeneca pointed out that pectin chain length breaks down during normal processing and that pectin chain length in processed products of the new tomato variety is well within the range commonly found in processed products of traditional tomatoes. Zeneca stated that they tested for the glycoalkaloids chaconine and solanine but did not detect any. Zeneca also stated that data obtained from two laboratories indicate that the glycoalkaloid tomatine was detectable but at levels which were equivalent to levels in tomatoes obtained from the parental variety and in other traditionally bred tomatoes. We noted that, although we do not anticipate that tomatine levels in the transgenic tomatoes would be any different from levels in tomatoes obtained from the parental or in other traditionally bred tomatoes, tomatine levels reported in Zeneca's summary document were measured by an analytical laboratory using a non-standard analytical method. We routinely recommend that non-standard analytical methods be supported with satisfactory validation data. Because Zeneca stated that validation data were not included in the reports obtained from the analytical laboratory, we advised that Zeneca request such data and make sure that they are within the range generally accepted by analytical chemists. Zeneca stated that they intend to follow up on our suggestion to ensure that any data that they would rely upon have been properly validated. Regarding nutrients, Zeneca stated that they have analyzed for vitamins A and C, as well for calorie content, fat, sodium, carbohydrate, fructose, glucose, dietary fiber, protein, calcium and iron and found no statistically significant differences between the new and traditional varieties in any of these parameters. Zeneca also noted that there were no differences in insoluble or soluble fiber content, in ash, titratable acidity, pH or Hunter color L:A:B: (a measure of color). These data are summarized on pp. 29-32 of the summary document. Zeneca has concluded, in essence, that the new tomato variety they have developed is not significantly altered within the meaning of 21 CFR 170.30(f)(2) when compared to tomato varieties with a history of safe use. At this time, based on Zeneca's description of its data and analysis, the agency considers Zeneca's consultation on this product to be complete.
This is the seventh post in Peconic Landing’s community educational series about retirement. View the other posts HERE. Aging isn’t an invitation to simply kick back and relax. That’s because our brain, our muscles, everything, works better when we move. “People are always looking for some magical pill to keep them healthy, but people do not understand that moving is magic,” said Dr. Roger Landry, a preventive medicine physician who strives to help Americans age successfully. “It is very critical that people understand that movement is the very foundation of health and aging in a better way.” If you start moving, you will find you will be in the mood to learn more, to participate in activities and even have a better outlook on life. Making a change isn’t as tough as it seems as physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits. It could be as simple as getting a pedometer and counting your steps daily for a week, said Dr. Landry. “Then make a commitment to add a little bit each day. Do it in very small bits.” Starting out slow, yet strong, can help to ensure success, said Carmine Arpaia, Peconic Landing’s lead trainer. Older adults can benefit from daily moderate-intensity physical activity; and moderately intense activities include simple tasks like walking or cleaning around the house. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need just two hours and 30 minutes (or 150 minutes) of relatively moderate-intensity each week to receive substantial health benefits. “The trick is to keep moving, in whatever ways work for you,” Carmine said. “Don’t limit yourself.” Carmine works with residents to create unique wellness plans catered to their lifestyle, figuring out how best to keep members moving in ways they will enjoy. This means you don’t have to attend a fitness class to get your daily fix of activity, said Dr. Landry. Participating in groups and activities can also do the trick, such as volunteering at a local hospital or animal shelter or leading a group at a local church. Studies show that physical activity also helps to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and fosters enhanced feelings of well-being. When feeling well, seniors are more likely to stay active and engaged, taking part in social events and activities. “You begin to feel so much better and so many magical things happen when you’re feeling better,” Dr. Landry said. To learn more about how to live an active lifestyle visit the Peconic Landing website.
Video:Explaining Newton's Law of Gravitywith Amrita Ngen Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Gravity states there is a gravitational force between all objects in the universe. The law of gravity is a fundamental principle in physics.See Transcript Transcript:Explaining Newton's Law of GravityNewton's law of gravity defines the attractive force between all objects that possess mass. Understanding the law of gravity, one of the fundamental forces of physics, offers profound insights into the way our universe functions. Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of GravityThe famous story that Newton came up with the idea for the law of gravity by having an apple fall on his head is not true, although he did begin thinking it when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He wondered if the same force at work on the apple was also at work on the moon. If so, why did the apple fall to the Earth and not the moon? Gravitational Forces Law of Gravity Is UniversalNewton eventually came to the conclusion that, in fact, the apple and the moon were influenced by the same force – that is gravity. He defined it as: Every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the particles, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The Equation for Law of GravityMathematically, this translates into the force equation. In this equation, the quantities are defined as: Fg = The force of gravity (typically in newtons) G = The gravitational constant, which adds the proper level of proportionality to the equation. m1 & m1 = The masses of the two particles (typically in kilograms) r = The straight-line distance between the two particles (typically in meters) This equation gives us the magnitude of the force, which is an attractive force and therefore always directed toward the other particle. As per Newton's Third Law of Motion, this force is always equal and opposite.
Welcome my fellow Nepholologist! A Neph-o-lo-lo-gist is a person who studies clouds. Today we are going to do just that! We are going to explore what exactly a cloud is and some of the different kinds of clouds that we see in the sky. After you finish exploring each page make sure you take the quiz. Are you ready? Click on the balloon to get started and hold on as we go up into the clouds! GO ! Cumulus Clouds What is a cloud? Cirrus Clouds Stratus Clouds What is a cloud? A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air. Next How are clouds made? All air contains water, but near the ground it is usually in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool air can't hold as much water vapor as warm air, so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air and forms a tiny droplet around each dust particle. When billions of these droplets come together they become a visible cloud. Why are clouds white? Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun. Light is made up of colors of the rainbow and when you add them all together you get white. The sun appears a yellow color because it sends out more yellow light than any other color. Clouds reflect all the colors the exact same amount so they look white. Menu Cirrus clouds are the most common of the high clouds. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict nice weather. Look out the nearest window. Do you see any cirrus clouds right now? By watching the movement of cirrus clouds you can tell from which direction weather is approaching. When you see cirrus clouds, it usually indicates that a change in the weather will occur within 24 hours. Menu Stratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They look like a big gray blanket that hangs close to the ground. Stratus clouds mean rain if it is warm and snow if it is cold. Menu Usually stratus clouds and fog form when it has been cold out and then warmer, wet air blows in. As the warm air flows over the cold ground or over the cold air near the ground, the water vapor in the warm air condenses into drops of water that make a cloud. Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather clouds". The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers. How can you tell that these clouds are cumulus clouds? Menu When the top of the cumulus clouds resemble the head of a cauliflower, it is called cumulus congestus or towering cumulus. These clouds grow upward and they can develop into giant cumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorm clouds.
It’s a shame that we can no longer tutoyer in English. French, like many other languages, has two forms for the second-person pronoun, tu and vous. But for the French, the distinction is not merely between singular and plural forms, but also for a whole gradation of social meanings. Tutoyer, to address familiarly, allows the speaker to use tu for those with whom one is on intimate terms—a spouse, one’s children, a lover, pets. But it can also be used with social inferiors, e.g., the help. The formal vous can be used as a term of respect for a boss or other social superior, but it can also be used to pointedly distance oneself from a social equal—we know each other, but we are not really friends. English used to have that capacity, with thou and you.* Now even the Quakers have given up on it. Instead of an easy marker, we have to look for more subtle clues to those social gradations, especially now that everyone also appears to be on a first-name basis with everyone else. When the boss calls the underlings “you guys,” the tutoyer may be a signal of something ugly in the offing. And that exquisite Southern courtesy may be telling you that you have gotten through the door, but you’ll never get into the club. *Speaking of that, where are the peevers? Who is protecting us from the long slide into barbarism? The thou/you thing used to be a rule, people. You’re letting down the side.
Perimenopause Symptoms - C Perimenopause symptoms beginning with C are: Crashing fatigue during perimenopause is an all encompassing feeling of tiredness and exhaustion that may be related to sleep disturbances that accompany perimenopause due to estrogen fluctuations. Crashing fatigue during perimenopause is a debilitating and complex disorder experienced as complete bodily exhaustion with extremely poor stamina that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. It affects half of all women in perimenopause. Perimenopause Symptoms A to Z Symptoms of Perimenopause Managing Perimenopause Symptoms Perimenopause Symptoms - Medical Treatment
An adult bird unable to fly has usually been subjected to trauma. Birds that fly into windows are very common. Birds that fly into a window and fall to the ground may not, however, be seriously injured. If there is an obvious injury: bleeding from the beak, off balance while standing, broken wing, etc., transport it immediately to a rehab facility. If there are no obvious injuries, the bird may only be stunned from the collision. When rescuing one of these birds, place it in a small-enclosed container and put the container in a place that is quiet and warm. After about two hours, open the container and allow the bird to escape. More often than not, the bird will fly away. If it can’t fly away, transport it to a rehabilitation facility. Cat-caught birds are also common. All cat-caught birds should be transported to a rehabber as soon as possible. The sooner it receives antibiotics the better its chances for survival. Baby birds are a different story. In the spring, it is very common to find baby birds hoping around on the ground unable to fly. Most of these little guys do not and should not be rescued. To have an understanding of when to rescue requires a basic knowledge of bird development. When a baby bird is found on the ground, it probably fell or jumped out of its nest. Before you make a decision on what you should do with the bird, you must determine what you are working with. Birds in different stages of their development have different needs. A hatchling is a newly hatched bird and will be featherless and have its eyes closed. These birds cannot regulate their body temperature and need immediate attention. When you find a hatchling, try to locate the nest that it fell from. If you can locate it, put the bird back into the nest. Folklore tells us that a bird that has been handled by humans carry a human scent and cannot be returned to its mother. This is not true. Birds, as a rule, have no sense of smell. Babies that have had human contact are readily accepted back into the nest. If you can’t find a nest, or it’s too high to reach, warm and transport the bird to a rehabber. Nestlings are birds with open eyes that have either feather traces or downer feathers. These birds also need warmth and care from the parent birds and should also be returned to the nest. A fledgling is a bird that is almost fully feathered and has short tail feathers, but no ability to fly. They are ready to leave the nest [have fledged from the nest.] A fledgling will leave the nest on its own as a natural part of its development. It will spend a few days on the ground or in low bushes before it can fly and feed on its own. These birds are very susceptible to predators. You will usually find more than one fledging in the same area. During this time, the parent birds are still feeding the fledglings and showing them where to feed. Most rescued fledglings are erroneously rescued. If you find a fledgling, leave it alone. If someone has already picked it up, return it to the place where it was caught and let it go. Try to get local homeowners to keep pets and children away from the birds and watch from a distance to be sure the parents are feeding them. If no adult bird comes within a few hours, rescue is appropriate. When watching, keep your distance or the adults may not approach the babies.
Use Stateflow® charts to create test vectors that change dynamically during simulation, based on the state of the system you are modeling. For example, suppose you want to test an automatic car transmission controller in the situation where a car is coasting. To achieve a coasting state, a driver accelerates until the transmission shifts into the highest gear, then eases up on the gas pedal. To test this scenario, you could generate a signal that represents this behavior, as in the following Signal Builder block. However, this approach has limitations. The signal changes value based on time, but cannot respond dynamically to changes in the system that are not governed by time alone. For example, how does the signal know when the transmission shifts into the highest gear? In this case, the signal assumes that the shift always occurs at time 5 because it cannot test for other deterministic conditions such as the speed of the vehicle. Moreover, you cannot change the signal based on outputs from the model. By contrast, you can use Stateflow charts to develop test vectors that use conditional logic to evaluate and respond to changes in system state as they occur. For example, to test the coasting scenario, the chart can evaluate an output that represents the gear range and reduce speed only after the transmission shifts to the highest gear. That is, the car slows down as a direct result of the gear shift and not at a predetermined time. For a detailed look at this type of chart, see A Dynamic Test Vector Chart. The following model of an automatic transmission controller uses a Stateflow chart to implement test vectors that represent brake, throttle, and gear shift dynamics. The chart, called Dynamic Test Vectors, interfaces with the rest of the model as shown. The chart models the dynamic relationship between the brake and throttle to test four driving scenarios. Each scenario is represented by a state. In some of these scenarios, the throttle changes in response to time; in other cases, it responds to gear selection, an output of the Stateflow chart Shift_logic. The Shift_logic chart determines the gear value based on the speed of the vehicle. The key behaviors of the test vector chart and model are: The Dynamic Test Vectors chart represents each test case as an exclusive (OR) state. Each state manipulates brake and throttle values in a unique way, based on the time and gear inputs to the chart. The chart determines which test to execute from the value of a constant signal case, output from the Signal Builder block. Each test case corresponds to a unique signal value. The Dynamic Test Vectors chart uses conditions on transitions to test time and gear level, and then adjusts brake and throttle accordingly for each driving scenario. Stateflow charts provide many constructs for testing system state and responding to changes, including: Temporal logic (see Control Chart Execution Using Temporal Logic) Change detection operators (see Detect Changes in Data Values) MATLAB® functions (see Access Built-In MATLAB Functions and Workspace Data) The model uses a Signal Builder block to provide an interface for selecting test scenarios to simulate. Select and Run Test Cases. In the Signal Builder, select and run test cases as follows: \|To Test:\|\|Do This:\| Click the tab that corresponds to the driving scenario you want to test and click the Start simulation button: All cases and produce a model coverage report (requires a Simulink® Coverage™ software license) Click the Run all and produce coverage button: The Signal Builder block sends to the Dynamic Test Vectors chart one or more constant signal values that correspond to the driving scenarios you select. The chart uses these values to activate the appropriate test cases. To run the sf_test_vectors model, follow Open the model by clicking sf_test_vectors or typing the MATLAB command prompt. Open the Dynamic Test Vectors chart, the Signal Builder block, and the Scope block. Select and simulate a driving scenario from the Signal Builder block, as described in Select and Run Test Cases. The scope shows the interaction between speed and throttle for the selected scenario. \|Driving Scenario\|\|Scope Display\|\|Description\| Driver accelerates rapidly. At t = 15 seconds, steps the throttle to 100. With continued heavy throttle, the vehicle accelerates to about 100 MPH and then shifts into overdrive at about t = 21 seconds. The vehicle cruises along in fourth gear for the remainder of the simulation. Driver maintains a slow but steady rate of acceleration. Driver accelerates until the transmission shifts to third gear, then removes foot from the gas pedal. After a short delay, moves foot to the brake pedal and pushes hard. Driver accelerates until transmission shifts to highest gear, then eases up on the gas.
The death of Rabbi Mendel Deitsch last week resonated through the Jewish community and throws up parallels with the past. The Rabbi was beaten up in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir at in October last year, at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. He was robbed of his money and mobile phone at the city’s train station, suffering multiple head injuries and brain trauma. He was not discovered until hours later and was airlifted to hospital in Israel, where he remained unconscious until his death on 14 April. Ukraine continues to suffer high levels of anti-Semitic crime, despite the appointment of a Jewish prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, last year. Incidents include the desecration of Holocaust memorials and Jewish cemeteries with Swastikas and Nazi slogans, and an attack on a former synagogue in Uzhgorod, western Ukraine, which was daubed with red paint and anti-Semitic pamphlets. Most shockingly, the grave of one of Judaism’s most revered figures, Rabbi Nachman of Breslav in Uman was vandalised on the eve of Hannukah and adorned with a pig’s head. In Zhitomir, the scene of Rabbi Deitsch’s attack, the mass graves of holocaust victims were dug up earlier this year by thieves looking for gold teeth. In early 1919, Zhitomir was the scene of one of the worst anti-Semitic attacks of Russia’s Civil War. Just like the assault on Rabbi Deitsch almost 100 years later, the initial attacks took place at the city’s train station, where followers of Symon Petlyura, one of the leaders of Ukraine’s fight for independence and a vicious anti-Semite, carried out a massacre, killing 17 Jews, many of them old men on their way home from synagogue. But it didn’t stop there. Local peasants started a rumour that spread around the whole of Zhitomir in a matter of hours. They said that during the recent brief period that the Red Army had occupied the city, the Jews who had taken charge of the civil authorities had put to death nearly two thousand Christians. Who were these condemned men? Why and where were they killed? Nobody knew the answer to these questions – because there had been no mass execution. The rumours were pure fantasy, aimed at inciting hatred against the Jews. Thankfully the stories of Christian carnage provided a warning and when the pogrom began, all those who were able had already scattered to the wind or sought refuge with Ukrainian friends or neighbours. The only Jews left were the elderly or infirm, pregnant women and nursing mothers. But the slaughter went ahead regardless. An old man on his way to synagogue with his prayer shawl over his arm was the first to die. He was propped against a tree and shot. But the bullet didn’t kill him. The old man dragged himself towards the synagogue on his hands and knees, but collapsed and died in the street just yards from the door, while Petlyura’s men stood and watched. Witnesses spoke of seeing people having their eyes gouged out, their clothes torn off and the skin of their shoulders engraved by knife-blade with the badge of rank of their killer. The pogrom lasted for five days. Over three hundred Jews were killed.
Installation of steel tree structure commenced in mid-April, 2018; 700 clay sculpture pieces will be installed on the tree through the summer. For the better part of a year, Phoenix-based artist Margarita Cabrera has been working on Árbol de Vida: Voces de Tierra, a community-based sculpture for San Antonio’s Misión Espada and Rancho de las Cabras. The installation, commission by the San Antonio River Foundation, is slated to open in October of 2018. Cabrera was born in Monterrey, Mexico and has lived much of her life in Houston, El Paso, and currently Phoenix. Her work is highly empathetic to social-political community issues, much of which has evolved and expanded to collaborative processes involving entire communities. The project was initiated in 2003 when the San Antonio River Foundation led the charge to beautify the area along the San Antonio River. Currently, SARF is focusing its attention on Mission Reach in the southern edge of the city, with beautification projects such as public parks, public art installations, and habitat restoration along the river, including site-specific, permanent sculptures and enlisting national contemporary artists such as Cabrera. Misión Espada, along with the Concepción, San José, and San Juan missions, was constructed between 1720 and 1755. While the Alamo has remained an important part of the Texas spirit and identity, these four missions took a backseat to Texas lore and fell into disrepair and neglect. But in 2015, their fate changed dramatically when together they were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each mission occupies a strategic location along the San Antonio River only about three miles from each other. They are reminders of the impact of the colonization of the northern territory of New Spain in the 18th century, including the Catholic evangelization of indigenous people already inhabiting the area. Each mission functioned as a self-sustaining fortress, fending off attacks by surrounding indigenous groups, and protecting colonizers as they spread the doctrine of the Spanish crown. Still in process, Árbol de Vida will result in a massive canopy 40 feet tall and extending 80 feet wide, located along the San Antonio River near Misión Espada itself. The canopy will serve as the base for over 750 clay sculptures of about 20 inches in height and width, and made by over 700 individuals. As its title implies, Árbol de Vida takes its reference from the trees of life, or genealogy trees traditional in Mexican culture, originally from the municipality of Metepec in the State of Mexico. Typically made of clay, these sculptures became popular and useful for evangelization of the indigenous population post-Conquest and in the immediate colonial period. They were crafted to tell the biblical stories visually and have evolved significantly to include secular stories and family lineages. In the hands of Cabrera, Árbol de Vida uses the traditional tree of life to reclaim the histories of San Antonio, and to visually tell the story of Misión Espada and its role in the ranching industry. She says, “The culture of our ranching industry began with the Spanish, who established rancho de las cabras, where they also established that ranching history. But this history is also the history of San Antonio, as well as the history of the Americas.” However, Cabrera is not simply celebrating the history, but allowing the communities affected by the ranching industry, or those who have close ties to the industry, tell the story through her work. “We wanted to bring light and focus to the natural beauty around the missions as historical sites…to make sure we were celebrating the community of people who live around the mission.” The mammoth project has come along in a various phases throughout the course of the year, and through a growing network of collaborative partners from San Antonio arts institutions, local public schools, and up to 700 participants willing to fashion their story into clay. The first phase of the project involved gathering oral histories, and learning about the impact of the ranching industry on the community through a series of open format charlas, or talks, all of which influenced Cabrera’s process as she became malleable to the needs and voices of the community directly impacted by the ranching industry. The second phase was a series of workshops for which Cabrera invited members of the community to join her in making clay sculptures that were representative of their personal history and stories. Both the charlas and workshops were hosted by arts organizations and schools all over the city of San Antonio such as Blue Star Contemporary, The Southwest School of Art, and Jefferson High School, extending the artists collaborative reach even further. The current phase is production, and according to Cabrera, “Has required a lot of patience from everyone on the team. I haven’t done a project of this scale before so we are all learning as we go.” Cabrera’s artistic vision is largely a support for the history of the community, and a celebration of the ranching industry in the state of Texas. The monument is not narrating a history or attempting to tell the story of the hegemonic power structure, but rather of the people who have been directly affected by or who act as prominent members of their community in San Antonio and around Misión Espada. Here the nature of the public work and monument responds to an already existent narrative, relinquishing agency, and allowing for the voices of the community to narrate their own stories.
Tethys, like many moons in the solar system, keeps one face pointed towards the planet around which it orbits. Tethys' anti-Saturn face is seen here, fully illuminated, basking in sunlight. On the right side of the moon in this image is the huge crater Odysseus. The Odysseus crater is 280 miles (450 kilometers) across while Tethys is 660 miles (1,062 kilometers) across. See PIA07693 for a closer view and more information on the Odysseus crater. This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Tethys. North on Tethys is up and rotated 33 degrees to the right. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 15, 2013. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 503,000 miles (809,000 kilometers) from Tethys. Image scale is 3 miles (5 kilometers) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
What Skills Are Needed to Be an Interior Decorator? Interior decorators create new designs or plan renovations to interior rooms in homes or businesses that improve their functionality or aesthetic appeal. They select the right materials, furnishings lighting and overall style to best suit the client's needs. Some work independently, while others work for design firms. The 2019 median interior designer salary was $56,040, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A bachelor's degree is a standard requirement. Skills needed for interior design include knowledge of the basic principles of design and the ability to effectively apply them. These include the development of an orderly look and feel, a proper flow of eye movement in a room or on a wall, an overall sense of unity among the elements of a space and emphasis on signature pieces of furniture or wall decor. Working all of these principles together is vital to a functionally useful and beautiful design. Decorators should also have technical proficiency on graphics programs commonly used in design. Interior decorators provide an intangible service. While a passion for design typically drives them into this line of work, decorators have to put the interests of their clients first. This means listening carefully to the needs of the client and customizing the design and decor to match those needs. Keeping up with trends is important to offer the best and most modern solutions to your client, according to Meditec. For example, in the early 21st century, emphasis has also been placed on environmental consciousness. Residential and business clients often ask decorators to use recycled and environmentally friendly materials as much as possible. It is in an interior decorator's best interest to already have knowledge of product availability, cost and effectiveness. People within interior design careers use communication skills in all aspects of their work. They must listen to clients but also use persuasion at times to sell ideas. An attitude of cooperation and collaboration is key. Decorators spend a lot of time interacting with furniture and decor suppliers, contractors and architects. The decorator conveys the design plan and needs of the client to the people who do the physical work and install the furniture and decor. Interior decorators are critical thinkers who must use their time wisely and make sound decisions on the go. Some homes or offices have impediments, like wall supports or limited space, that get in the way of client requests. Designers need to come up with strategies to work around these problems or discuss other ideas with clients when getting around these challenges is not possible. Delays in shipments and installations can also cause schedule conflicts, forcing the decorator to work with the client and supplier on best possible solutions.
Cable TV news is filled with examples of moral outrage. Hosts of news programs display high levels of anger at some situation going on in the world. They describe a violation of a deeply-held belief and then their emotion bubbles to the surface. And, chances are, you have experienced this emotion yourself when a situation crosses one of your moral boundaries. But, what kind of an emotion is moral outrage? This question was explored in a paper in the October, 2013 issue of Psychological Science by Jessica Salerno and Liana Peter-Hagene. They explored the influence of anger and disgust on feelings of moral outrage. The word outrage suggests that anger is a big part of this moral feeling. And when you are experiencing moral outrage, it certainly feels like intense anger. These researchers suggest that what separates moral outrage from anger, though, is disgust. They argue that people need the combination of disgust and anger to get real moral outrage. In one study, participants viewed testimony and lawyers’ arguments from a murder case. The testimony included pictures and descriptions of stab wounds from the victim’s throat. Afterward, participants stated whether they thought the defendant was guilty. They rated their degree of anger and disgust as well as their sense of moral outrage at the defendant. People’s judgments of moral outrage were predicted by a combination of anger and disgust. In particular, anger alone and disgust alone do not create moral outrage. Instead, it was important to have the combination of the two to experience moral outrage. The degree of moral outrage then influenced people’s sense of the guilt of the defendant and their confidence in that verdict. The researchers also replicated the relationship between anger, disgust and moral outrage using scenarios involving a church group picketing a soldier’s funeral and a description of a sexual assault. Once again, the combination of anger and disgust led to feelings of moral outrage. This research fits with a growing body of work exploring the role of disgust in moral judgments. Clearly, we experience disgust when there is some situation or food that is dirty. We extend that disgust to situations that violate our moral beliefs. So, things that are disgusting have the prospect to engage our moral sense. When we combine that disgust with anger, then we can slip into the white-hot rage that is common for moral situations.
Speaker: Amanda Etches Asked some folks on Twitter why their library has a website. A few of the responses: to link to online resources, to allow access to the catalog, to support research needs, to provide access to resources & services, to teach, to help, to provide access to account function, to post events, to post policies & hours, it’s the primary way our patrons interact with us, and as a two-way communication tool between the library and the community they serve. Audience member noted that marketing your library is missing. While we are all unique little snowflakes, we aren’t all that unique in our motivations for having a library website. So, how can we learn from each other? Website planning needs to have a clear understanding of scope. Since most of us have a website, this talk will focus more on redesign than from building from scratch. Most people tend to skip the scoping step when doing a redesign because we assume that it will cover the same stuff we already have. Sadly, most libraries are like a big, messy junk drawer of stuff. We tend to take a “just in case” approach to designing sites. Less is not more, less is actually less, and that’s a good thing. Consider the signal to noise ratio of your website. What users don’t need is too much noise drowning out the signal. Pay attention to how much you are putting on the site that meets your needs rather than your user’s needs. It’s better for half of your website to be amazing than all of it to be bland. Think about your website like a pyramid, where the bottom half is the basics, followed by destination information, then participatory components, and finally a community portal. Think of it like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — the basic stuff has to be good or you can’t get to the participatory level. Etches and some colleagues created a website experiment that is an entire library site on one page called the One-Pager. Freehold Public Library has taken this and ran with it, if you want to see it working in the real world. Designing for mobility requires you to pare back to what you consider to be essential functionality, and a great way to help scope your website. If you wouldn’t put it on your mobile version, think about why you should put it on your desktop website. Recommend the book Mobile First as an inspiration for scope. How do you determine critical tasks of a website? As your users. A simple one-page survey, interviews, focus groups, and heat maps. Asking staff is the least useful way to do it. Web users don’t read content, they skim/scan it. People don’t want to read your website; they want to find information on it. When writing copy for your website, pare it down, and then pare it down again. Your website should be your FAQ, not your junk drawer. Think about your website as bite-sized chunks of information, not documentation. Adopt the inverted pyramid style for writing copy. If you have a lot of text, bold key concepts to catch skimming eyes. Eye-catching headers work well in conjunction with the inverted pyramid and bolded key concepts. Treat your website like a conversation between you and your users/audience. Pages not be written by passive voiced writers. Write in the active voice, all of the time, every time. Library = we; User = you It is not easy to redo the navigation on a website. Bad navigation makes you think, good navigation is virtually invisible. Navigation needs to serve the purposes of telling the user: site name, page name, where they are, whey they can go, and how they can search. Salt Lake City Public Library and Vancouver Public Library do this very well, if you want some real-world examples. It’s very important to match navigation labels to page names. Also keep in mind that your navigation is not your org chart, so don’t design navigation along that. Do not, ever (and I’m surprised we still have to talk about this 15 years after I learned it), use “click here”. Links should be descriptive. Why test websites at all? A lack of information is at the root of all bad design decisions. Usability testing runs the gamut from short & easy to long & hard. Watch people use your site. It can take just five minutes to do that. We are not our patrons, so don’t test librarians and library staff. They are also not your primary user group and not the ones you need to worry about the most. Five testers are usually enough for any given test, more than that and you’ll get repetition. No test is too small; don’t test more than three things at once. Make iterative changes as you go along. Test early and often. The best websites do iterative changes over time based on constant testing. Have a script when you are testing. You want to ensure that all testers receive the same instructions and makes it a little more comfortable for the test giver. Provide testers with an outline of what they will be doing, and also give them a paper list of tasks they will be doing. Remind them that they aren’t the ones being tested, the website is. Don’t tell them where to go and what to do (i.e. “search a library database for an article on x topic”). All of your navigation items should be in one place and consistent across the site. What do you do when use and usability says that you should remove a page a librarian is keen to keep? One suggestion is to put it in a LibGuide. Then LibGuides become the junk drawer. One way to keep that from happening is to standardizing the look and feel of LibGuides. For policies, you could put a summary on the website and then link to the full document.
Many late developing countries face tremendous challenges: They have to deal simultaneously with their economic and demographic transitions in the context of globalization and under the constraints of climate change. Based on new evidence from an in-depth survey that included 8,000 rural households in 7 developing countries, Structural Transformation and Rural Change Revisited addresses the unique situation of regions that remain deeply engaged in agriculture. It explores the reality of their integration into global markets and the nature of the rural nonfarm economy. It then shows the paths through which agricultural economies diversify, and finally proposes a set of policy orientations that could facilitate the process of rural change. These include a clear need to engage in targeted development strategies at the regional level, to focus on staples and family agriculture, and to pursue a policy of "territorial development" that promotes strong rural- urban linkages at the level of rural localities, towns, and districts.
Thirty Metre Optical and Infrared ground-based telescopes should be seeing first light in about 2011, and be fully operational by 2015. Four such instruments are in the works, CalTech?s TMT, Gemini?s GSMT, Canada?s VLOT, and Europe?s ELT. With 100 times the speed of Hubble, and three times the resolution of the Keck instruments, these tools will help unlock some new keys to our understanding the cosmos. Earth-based thirty-metre telescopes are being funded, and designed now. Caltech’s TMT project will undergo design reviews in 2006 and 2007 with full construction funding scheduled to be given by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in July 2008. Gordon Moore [of Moore?s Law fame] was the founder of Intel. His foundation supplied a 17 million dollar grant to design the TMT in October 2003. In total the instrument is expected to cost about 800 million dollars. Adaptive optics have proved a tremendous success, and are one reason that there will be no replacement for the Hubble telescope as a space based tool for covering the optical and near infrared part of the spectrum. These three instruments will be getting first light with some segments about the same time that the 6.5 metre James Webb Space Telescope will begin its science mission in 2011-2. Robert Gilmozzi?s OverWhelmingly Large Telescope [OWL project] is also trying to get first light by 2015, but faces more financial and technical obstacles than the 30-meter instruments. If the OWL doesn?t get built in this go-around, similar designs will likely be used for the following decade. These instruments will be able to perform many tasks that the current generation of instruments either can?t do, or would require prohibitive amounts of observing time to accomplish including the following: - Map the density and heavy element content of the intergalactic media from nearby to beyond z=1.5 by measuring the details absorption spectra of 100,000 QSOs. - Observe the galaxy formation process by studying the movement of ionized gas clouds from z=3 to 8. Note these instruments can discern sources as close as 150 parsecs apart at z=3. - Chart the distortion of images of background galaxies when looking through galactic clusters to map the presence of dark matter to an unprecedented level of detail. - Chart the star populations of nearby galaxies observing element abundances, and determining formation histories. - Observe planet formation around the nearest thousand new stars. This instrument will be able to resolve to 0.4AU when looking at objects 33 light-years away. - Detect and characterize mature planets around nearby stars.

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