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Our centre has had huge financial problems with so many families being relocated to other areas. When I first started at this centre we had 48 children, and it's just that
oneday that changed everything. – teacher, Christchurch east centre
In September 2011 CORE Education completed a project for the Ministry of Education exploring the impact of Christchurch earthquakes on ECE provision in eastern suburbs, an area of Christchurch most detrimentally affected by the 22 Feb quake.
Not surprisingly the findings of this project confirmed that significant population movement following 22 February dramatically affected the Christchurch ECE sector. The project reports on data collected between 23 May and 22 July, including an 82% return rate of survey data from 150 ECE services, and interviews with 23 non-Governmental organizations and community groups, and 96 parents/whānau.
The open ECE services in both ChCh east and comparison (located outside of ChCh east) groups reported that 1,072 children left their service following 22 February. The destinations were identified as:
304 moved to other cities in New Zealand. 90 moved overseas. 206 moved within Christchurch and enrolled in another ECE service (196 from east services) 59 children were no longer participating in ECE 413 destinations unknown.
The large number of ‘destinations unknown’ was not surprising as the movement of many families/whānau was immediate, taking place during the initial disaster period when all ECE services were temporarily closed. ECE teachers and peers were not able to farewell children and families/whānau in the way ECE is regularly accustomed to. Rather, many services were left wondering where their families/whānau had gone.
Fourteen Christchurch east ECE services closed altogether due to significant damage following the 22 February quake. Many of these services remain closed to date. These closures resulted in an estimate of 500 lost ECE enrolments with families needing to find alternative placements. There was no way of accurately knowing where these children and their families/whānau relocated. When adding the 500 lost enrolments from closed services with the 413 children who left open services for destinations unknown (total 913) you begin to get a picture of the size of possible ECE population loss for Christchurch, and of the concerns about the impact on ECE participation overall.
Parent interviews suggested that not all children leaving an ECE service had re-enrolled elsewhere. Parents became discerning about their ECE decisions. Many wanted to keep children close and for some this meant moving their child to an ECE service located closer to home or work, while others made the decision to keep their child with them at home.
Comparative enrolment data of open Christchurch east ECE and outside Christchurch east services confirmed that a number of families moving within Christchurch had re-enrolled children in ECE. Christchurch east services had a 17.54% net loss of enrolments while the comparison ECE services had a net gain of 21.18% new enrolments. The tables below illustrate these changes.
Financial viability for many east located ECE services continues to be at risk as they struggle to balance a continuing loss of income due to reduced enrollments with retaining a quality service for their community.
‘The new enrolments are less in number than those who have left therefore we have less money coming in from parent fees and funding.’
– Manager, east Christchurch
The movement of families/whānau within and beyond Christchurch is set to continue as decisions are made about where to live. ECE services and families/whānau will continue to live in an uncertain climate for some time to come, a situation that is not helped by ongoing quakes and resulting delays to the city’s rebuild.
‘We’re uncertain about our building and whether we can even return’; ‘How many families will be here to serve?’ ‘We have found that a lot of our families are in the red zone but we’re still not sure what will happen’; ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.’
– teachers, east Christchurch
Ideally I want [child] to be with children who go to the same school but not knowing where families will move to means this is not certain now.’
– east Christchurch parent
An overwhelming finding in this project was recognition that ECE had been instrumental in community recovery following 22 February. Services retained a sense of normality for children and families/whānau, provided a place for the social needs of communities, and offered additional support for ECE staff, families/whānau. This sense of community support continues to be a priority for ECE services, particularly those located in or near the red or orange-zoned areas.
We are educators. What we do sets up the main highways for all future learning. …. Post earthquake we have not only provided education for our tamariki, we have provided a sense of security, normality, a return to routines and patterns. We have also provided education, strategies & support for their whānau. We have been the whānau support and resource. We are an important part of Christchurch's recovery.
– Supervisor, east Christchurch centre
As the aftermath of the events of 22 February shapes the new normal in Christchurch, ECE services are turning attention to new demands and challenges with the wellbeing of communities remaining uppermost in their minds.
On the positive side, there is a stronger sense of community and people have formed relationships with others that they previously would not have. The parents/families who have stayed in ChCh were, and are, very supportive to each other and the centre.
– Supervisor, east Christchurch
2012 will prove to be demanding on all early childhood services in Christchurch in different ways. Financial sustainability will be of major concern for many while capacity to meet demand may provide new challenges for others. As always, the tenacity and resilience of the ECE sector is sure to rise to the challenge!
The project team: Jocelyn Wright, Keryn Davis, Glenda Albon, Josephine Winter and Ruta McKenzie. Jocelyn Wright Latest posts by Jocelyn Wright (see all) Modern Learning and early childhood education (ECE) - October 16, 2015 Chennai India, KiwiLearners, and technologies - April 29, 2014 Where have all our children gone? - February 20, 2012
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We all like to talk, discuss, and laugh, and we feel relaxed when we have things to share — or even better: having something in common — because we all have something to talk about. However, it is easier said than done with the majority of our Pasifika parents, families, and communities who may still need that support when sharing their thoughts around their child’s or children's education in Aotearoa.
Pasifika cultures involve story telling when establishing connections
In many of our Pasifika cultures, it is all about story telling, or telling our story to make the connections. When I am in a Pasifika gathering and I meet other Samoan delegates, they will always ask me for my name and surname, and then will they start making the connections. They will then move onto my father’s name and slowly you see them thinking and coming up with the question, “Is he from Vailele?” Or, if they ask for my mother’s name, they would say, “Does she come from the village of Afega?”. This is how we connect, and this is when relationships are built, and how the story goes on.
How do we best connect with parents of our Pasifika children?
We, as educators in Aotearoa, find this quite difficult. How can we create this kind of connection with our Pasifika parents, families, and communities? As a Pasifika educator we love to talk, and share our stories, and make things easy for ourselves — it’s the environment that we are in — that plays a big part. It’s a safe environment where the space or ‘va’ is respected. The ‘va’ is a space between you and another person — creating a connection with your Pasifika parents, families, and communities is about taking the ‘time’ to understand where they come from, and let the Pasifika learners give you a head start with telling their story of who they are and where they come from. When you know your Pasifika learners’ backgrounds, and you know how they learn, you will have a better understanding of their parents and where they come from. This sort of information should give you a greater indication, or insight, into how to approach or start a conversation with your Pasifika parents.
The Talanoa model
I want to share with you the ‘Talanoa’ model that I have found helpful when working with school leaders and teachers.
I have interpreted the above Talanoa model in a way that schools can use within their contexts, that can be used in many settings. I need to acknowledge the Pasifika academics who have developed this model (Manuatu, Vaioleti, Mahina, Seve-Williams).
Below I unpack this Talanoa model in relation to my work in schools.
The word ‘talanoa’ is a term meaning to talk or speak. The four elements around the word ‘talanoa’ are attributes that make the ‘talanoa’ more meaningful and rich. They are Tongan words with similar meanings used in other Pasifika languages.
Ofa/Love — When we talanoa with our Pasifika parents, families, and communities, whether we are in parent interviews or Pasifika parents fono/meeting/hui, we start with questions about ourselves. O ai a’u? Ko ai au? Who am I?. This sets the scene of your talanoa and shows that you are sharing your love with everyone by acknowledging who is in the meeting. This ‘ofa’ can mean different things, but in this case it’s about who you are. This becomes a time when barriers come down and you start building a relationship or connection with one another through knowing who you are. Mafana/Warmth — Throughout the ‘talanoa’ the conversation is warm and not threatening to both parties. At times, teachers just want to get to the point and then move on. Having this warmth in a conversation builds rapport, developing a connection to bring in the trust of the parents. The talanoa becomes more of a heart-to-heart, and a supporting of one another rather than picking up the bad points of the learner. Malie/Humour — We love humour in our ‘talanoa’. The talanoa needs to have a bit of humour in order for the conversation to be real. Pasifika parents will often use an example that the teacher has given them and they will turn it into something hilarious. This indicates that both parties are starting to trust one another, and the relationship building is becoming stronger. You can often find something funny in a situation by over-exaggerating something to the point of being ridiculous. This is a great way of building that mafana as well. Faka’apa’apa/Respect — The respect is the final element, but it is also woven throughout the four elements, and this is where the ‘talanoa’ comes to fruition. Both teachers and parents start building the ‘where-to-next’ stage because of the mutual respect from both sides. This helps to build a shared understanding between the teachers and Pasifika parents, families, and communities.
I have used the Talanoa model with the schools that I have worked in, and I have seen the changes that it has made with building relationships and connecting better with Pasifika parents, families, and communities. I am looking to reinforce the Talanoa model by embedding it as part of CORE’s facilitation practice in schools.
Faafetai lava
Togi Lemanu Latest posts by Togi Lemanu (see all) Talanoa tips with Pasifika learners - May 17, 2016 The Tuakana-Teina model — Building the ‘Feagaiga’ between teachers and learners - October 22, 2015 The Pasifika way of connecting and collaborating - April 9, 2015
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As a lawyer dealing with small business owners that are starting-up a business on a shoe string budget - Do I really need to have a corporate minute book?
The answer is simple: yes - it is required by law; and no it does not have to be a binder. Most Canadian laws do not specifically mention a “minute book” but rather of keeping records of specific kinds of information. Most jurisdictions in Canada require corporations, and therefore its directors, to keep records containing the articles and by-laws and any amendments, minutes of meetings and resolutions of shareholders and directors, copies of all notices of change of directors, and securities registers. Accordingly, it is legally required to maintain these records and information in one place. These records are kept in a “Minute Book” which has the properly named sections and tabs of the records required to keep. Moreover, the maintenance and keeping up to date of the minute book ensures easy access to the desired information especially if there have been many changes over the years. As you grow your business more documents will be inserted in same.
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While neutral colors such as tans and greens are commonly chosen for bathrooms, design experts say a combination of black and white is becoming increasingly popular.
Many different styles and sizes of bathroom vanities are available in both black and white. While a white vanity adds a clean, fresh look to a space, a black vanity adds a sense of sophistication. However, instead of installing these pieces against a different colored backdrop, experts suggest sticking to a purely black and white color scheme to create a beautiful and elegant space.
For instance, a white vanity, bathtub and toilet set in a room with black walls and white trim looks anything but dark and dreary. Add in a black and white patterned shower curtain as well as pops of another color (such as yellow) for a truly fabulous bathroom design. DIYNetwork.com suggests that adding a vase of yellow flowers, some yellow candles and other elements help to soften the deep black walls.
A similar effect can be achieved by painting walls white and adding a black vanity, shower curtain and other accents. While small pops of color through the addition of towels, art and other décor items are interesting, sticking to just black and white with the addition of some gray accessories is also an option.
Labels: Remodelling Tips and Trends
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We’ve all seen the pictures of people doing Yoga—super thin models, wearing expensive outfits, doing extreme yoga poses. Not very encouraging to the average American woman who is 5’4” and wears a size 14 or larger. Meera Patricia Kerr, author of
Big Yoga, gives us step by step instructions on a yoga pose that has been reinvented for the plus size woman. No more excuses! "I had been teaching Yoga for over 25 years when I began to adapt my own poses to accommodate my bigger, older body. My experiments with my own body give rise to Big Yoga-- an adapted practice that is accessible to anyone challenged by extra weight, stiffness, injury or even couch-potato-ism. The Big Yoga book offers over 40 poses that are adapted to various body types, to help get the body in good shape. Other, more meditative, practices are also offered to help calm the mind. The overall effect is to harmonize all the systems of the body, creating more vitality, less stress, and jois de vivre!"
Here is a simple
vinyasaor flow practice, the Salute to the Sun, that we can do at the wall. Traditionally, it’s done on the yoga mat, and it can be quite strenuous. This adapted version is a great way to tone and strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility.
Begin standing, feet parallel and about a foot apart. Bring the palms together at the heart center to help get the mind focused.
Interlace the fingers as you stretch upwards.
Exhale as you take a gentle back bend, feeling the squeeze across the shoulder blades. Stretch up again on an inhale, and begin to bend from the hips as you exhale--
Bending forward and down until you come into a comfortable forward bend. Keep the knees soft if you like, and don’t go beyond your capacity. Soften the back of the neck and relax.
Inhale as you come up into Wall Dog, and continue to feel the breath expanding and contracting the side ribs as you hold the pose.
On an inhalation, bring the left knee to the wall, with the toes touching the wall also. Support yourself with the knee, and place the forearms on the wall with the elbows in line with the shoulders or a bit lower. As you continue to breathe, sink the pelvis toward the earth. Repeat on the other side: Step the left leg back, bringing the right foot and knee to the wall.
Step back with the right foot and walk the hands down the wall to hip level, coming back into the Wall Dog. Breathe.
Push away from the wall on an exhale and hang like a rag doll.
To come up out of the forward bend, begin with a squat. Let the arms come alongside the ears, palms facing each other. Have the eyes gazing toward the floor, softening the back of the neck.
Push off with strong legs, inhaling, until you’re all the way up, clasping hands overhead
Have a gentle back bend, exhaling as you go.
Inhale out of your backbend and bring the palms together at the heart center. Pause here, closing eyes, adjusting feet, and finally dropping the arms to the sides of the body. Take a moment to feel the effect of your practice.
Give yourself a little pat on the back for practicing Yoga! Do it again!
This sequence is online at my website, www.bigyoga.net. Under “Sample Pose”. Let me know how it works for you—I’d love to hear from you!
Meera Patricia Kerr
Author: BigYoga: A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies
Shop for plus size yoga and gym clothing.
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I really hate our kitchen faucet. My wife installed it a few months ago (she’s the “handyman” of our relationship), but unfortunately the product design turned out to be faulty. The faucet drips, the hose is jerky, it never fully turns off or delivers enough water pressure to get our pots and pans clean on the first try, and in general it annoys the heck out of me on multiple occasions each day. (If my wife is the “handyman” of the house, then I’m the chief busboy and dishwasher.)
I complain about this faucet several times per week. Finally my wife told me that if I want a new kitchen faucet, I have to replace it myself. And I said, “No way! I’d rather spend $150 to have a plumber install it.” And my wife said, “That’s ridiculous! You should save the money and do it yourself!”
[
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With all due respect to my wife, whom I love very much, I believe I am right on this one.
Here’s why:
Most people do not value their own time enough.
People end up spending hours and hours of precious, valuable leisure time doing horrible home improvement projects and home maintenance tasks that they don’t know how to do and can’t get right, ultimately squandering time that is worth more than the money they allegedly “saved.”
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(I’m exaggerating, but not by much – I really am pathetic and helpless when it comes to home maintenance projects.)
So for me, I’d much rather pay $150 to have a professional install the kitchen faucet. Is that ridiculous? Well, to me it isn’t. Because my time is worth more than $30 an hour. I could work for five hours, doing something I actually enjoy like writing articles for Quizzle, and make more money than I would have “saved” by subjecting myself to five hours of dirty, frustrating, injurious labor. I’d happily write a check to the faucet installer and spend the rest of my day watching football.
Chances are, there are lots of annoying tasks around the house that it would make more sense to pay someone else to do. It all depends on how much your time is worth.
How much is your time worth?
Take your annual salary and divide by 2,236.
(The average employed person works 8.6 hours per weekday, which equates to 2,236 hours per year. So your annual income divided by 2,236 hours tells you the approximate hourly value of your time.)
So if you make $50,000 a year, your time is worth $22.36 per hour. Would you rather spend three hours cleaning the gutters (another of my least-favorite home maintenance chores), or would you rather hire some guys to do the work for $50? You would save yourself roughly $17, not to mention the annoyance of cleaning the gutters. Is it worth it to you to spend five hours raking leaves and mowing the lawn or could you hire a neighborhood kid to do the job for $25?
The savings are magnified when you consider your total household income. If you and your wife earn a combined income of $90,000 a year, then that means the time you both spend working on a home improvement project is worth about $40 per hour. Is it worth it for the two of you to spend 10 hours painting a bedroom, or could you hire a painter to do it for a few hundred bucks? It’s up to you. Sometimes people get satisfaction in doing the work themselves, but don’t think you’re “saving money” by doing the work yourself, because chances are, you’re not.
[
Check Your Credit: Don’t Guess. Know.® Get your free credit report and score. No credit card required.
Value your time. Sometimes your time is worth even more than money.
Related articles:
Leave It to the Pros: Q&A with Financial Expert Chuck Rylant 5 Secrets to Beat the Credit Industry Study: Foreclosure & Housing Crisis May Have Health Repercussions Microloans: A Good Investment? In Defense of Christmas Shopping
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I Never Imagined THIS Could Raise the Risk of Developing Alzheimer’sA. Stout
Watching a loved one’s cognitive capabilities deteriorate is a heart-wrenchingly painful process, rife with stress. My grandma has dementia, so I know that firsthand. You do what you can to help them, but when it comes down to it, there’s little you
can do. You are forced to watch as they slowly slip away from you. And if you double as their caregiver, you may find yourself even more stressed due to the daily challenges the disorder poses.
But science has found that this process is more than just stressful for caregivers; it’s also deadly. Studies from John Hopkins University, Duke University, and Utah State University have found that caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s are
six times more likely to develop the neurodegenerative disorder themselves. This may be the case for several reasons: Social isolation Stress Poor diet and lack of exercise (due to a lack of time or energy)
These things can lead to clinical depression, brain inflammation, and general poor health — factors that raise your risk of developing dementia.
So this just proves it:
caregivers need to care for themselves, too.
If you are a caregiver, a big part of this involves getting help. You don’t have to — and shouldn’t have to — face the challenges of Alzheimer’s care alone. There are a wealth of resources to help you, like adult daycare centers and home care services. If you can’t or prefer not to turn to these services, ask family and friends for help. You can also join a support group for caregivers, where you can learn how to better help your loved one, as well as gain emotional support.
If the thought of asking for outside help makes you feel guilty, remember that your own physical, mental, and social health is critical — not just for yourself, but for your loved one, too; by meeting your own needs, you’re better able to meet theirs.
Want to help other caretakers get Alzheimer’s support? Consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to fund their toll-free hotline!
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Educators would have more discretion over expulsions and police referrals under legislation that may be introduced in the 2012 session.
Over the summer a state task force that included both victim’s advocates and state legislators developed recommendations hoping to end a trend some experts describe as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”
In the past decade, Colorado schools made 100,000 referrals to law enforcement.
On Tuesday the Colorado Legislative Council, a bipartisan panel of members from the state House and Senate, voted 11-7 in favor of green-lighting the introduction of the legislation.
If passed, the legislation would eliminate zero-tolerance policies and also afford parents more transparency in the disciplinary process.
“The object of discipline is correction, not criminalization,” said state Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Loveland, a member of legislative committee who voted yes. She also was on the task force.
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Did Sex Ed Go Too Far, Too Soon?
Public schools in this country have long had an uneasy attitude about sex education. When should it be taught, if ever, and how much should be taught? Both questions are relevant to what is now taking place in Kansas in the Shawnee Mission School District ("Kansas Parents Are Outraged That a Middle School Sex Ed Poster References 'Grinding' And 'Oral Sex,' " Think Progress, Jan. 21).
The controversy arose when a poster listed various topics that would be part of a middle school curriculum. These included such things as oral sex and grinding. Apparently, such X-rated behaviors stem from a change in the state's approach in 2007 from abstinence-only to abstinence-plus. Although some parents were outraged by the poster, other parents were not.
I realize that students are maturing much sooner today than in the past. For example, the age of first menstruation has dropped at least two years since the beginning of the 20th century. Predictably, the beginning of sexual activity has dropped proportionately ("Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," The New York Times, May 17, 1999). At the same time, students are exposed to sexual images and content through the Internet that past generations were not.
Therefore, a case probably can be made for the kind of sex education that the Shawnee Mission School District proposed. But at the same time, it's important to remember that sex education is by its very nature a delicate and sensitive subject. That's why public schools allow parents to remove their children from class when instruction deals with controversial matter. I still think this remains the fairest way of addressing the issue. What bothers me, however, is when one parent or a small group of parents demand elimination of certain topics and get their way.
Other countries take a different view of sex education. The Scandinavian countries treat it as an indispensable part of the curriculum. For example, Sweden has made the subject mandatory since 1956, beginning between the ages of 7 and 10. I'm sure some parents even there are upset for one reason or another. But I've not heard of the kind of outrage that periodically appears in the U.S.
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Loose Change, Sweating The Small Stuff
I know irritability has always characterized hypo mania. And, even though I know it’s part of my disease, sometimes I put myself in unnecessary situations that only heighten and trigger my anger.
Here is a true example that has taught me how little things go a long way to help manage my disease.
Most of us have loose change lying around. They are like bobby pins, but bobby pins seem to disappear into thin air whereas loose change remains. I find loose change all over the place: my bookshelf, the kitchen table, on the floor, on my night stand. Everywhere. So, a few weeks ago I attempted to collect them in a plastic bag in my junk drawer so I could go to Coin Star and get some money.
The bag is big. The bag is ready to go, and, for some reason I find myself collecting coin after coin and not get myself to the store to deposit the coins, and get my cash.
Is it laziness? Habit? What’s my problem? Now it has gotten to the point where the coins haunt me. Every time I drop a coin into the bag I get a wave of frustration because I have not made the trip to the store, and the bag is bulging. I get irritated when I find loose change around my place and it only reminds me that I have to make the trip, yet, I continue to put it off.
I put myself in a situation to instigate my irritability, and foster it. Knowing that irritability is intrinsic to my disorder, I still can’t seem to learn. I have already collected the coins, so take them in, and get your cash. Then see if it is worth the turmoil and anguish to start over again with a new bag.
Bottom line, when we find ourselves cultivating a behavior that we struggle with to begin with, make your life easy. Lose the loose change. You are in charge, and in control of your environment, and when you find yourself in situations that you can amend, do it.
Make your life easy on yourself. Lose the change.
Erica
Coins photo available from Shutterstock
APA Reference
Loberg, E. (2013). Loose Change, Sweating The Small Stuff.
Psych Central. Retrieved on January 22, 2017, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/manic-depression/2013/04/18/loose-change-sweating-the-small-stuff-a-true-story/
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China GDP grew 8.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011, down from 9.1% in the third quarter. That number marks the fourth consecutive drop in quarterly growth and the lowest rate of growth since 2009 but was still higher than expected. Analysts weigh in: Today’s data show that China’s economy is still slowing, but at a gradual pace…Annual growth in 2011 was about the same as it was in 2009, but there are big differences between these two outcomes. Back in 2009 growth fell very sharply in the first half of the year and that forced a huge policy response from Beijing to get growth stronger in the second half of the year. This time around, however, the slowdown is much steadier, which makes it much less alarming for policy-makers. – Brian Jackson, Royal Bank of Canada As China strides into the Year of the Dragon, its economy is in the midst of an aggressive slowdown. Although year-on-year growth came in above expectations at 8.9%, the annualized quarter-on-quarter rate sank to 8.2%, significantly below [the third quarter’s] 9.5%. Other indicators point to a faster slowing economy, with real estate investment growth decelerating rapidly in the final month of the year. In this light, the property market correction is providing the greatest downside momentum, with still-tight credit conditions choking activity in the broader economy and the precarious Eurozone providing plenty of drag. The worst is still to come, with GDP growth likely to sink over a percentage point lower this quarter. – Todd Lee, Xianfang Ren and Alistair Thornton, IHS Global Insight The above-consensus growth data should be moderately positive for markets, especially if we realize that most street economists were much more pessimistic just a couple of months ago. We believe global commodity prices could especially benefit from the growth news from China… On policy, we expect Beijing will read both positive and negative messages from the 4Q data and further adjust their policies. Simply put, Beijing will continue its policy easing which was started in mid-Oct, though we should not expect a big-bang stimulus. Beijing will keep its “proactive fiscal, prudent monetary” policy stance in 2012, but we expect fiscal policy could be more proactive and monetary policy will be eased from an over-tightening in 2011. We expect no major easing on property tightening, but Beijing could allow slacker enforcement of home purchase restrictions in lower tier cities. – Ting Lu, Xiaojia Zhi and Weijun Hu, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch Better than expected data tend to reduce the urgency policy makers feel about the need to take further actions to maintain growth. If there were still some concerns about GDP [year-on-year] falling to [the] sub-8% level in [the first quarter of 2012], they should be much reduced after today’s release… – Yu Song and Helen Qiao, Goldman Sachs
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Let me now explain our assessment in greater detail, starting with the economic analysis. Euro area real GDP declined by 0.1%, quarter on quarter, in the third quarter of 2012, following a contraction of 0.2% in the second quarter. Available data continue to signal further weakness in activity in the fourth quarter and at the beginning of 2013. This weakness reflects the adverse impact of low consumer and investor sentiment on domestic expenditure, as well as subdued foreign demand. However, financial market sentiment has improved and the latest survey indicators confirm earlier evidence of a stabilisation in business and consumer confidence, albeit at low levels. Later in 2013 a gradual recovery should start, with domestic demand being supported by our accommodative monetary policy stance, the improvement in financial market confidence and reduced fragmentation, and export growth benefiting from a strengthening of global demand.
It's standard issue for a central banker in the middle of a recession or slow economy to say that further down the road a gradual recovery will take place, largely as the effects of the central bank's policy announcement take hold. But, let's look at the overall data to see if that's what is really happening underneath the surface.
First, I've written a fair mount on the EU over the last month or so. Overall bank funding is improving, but consumer confidence and business confidence are still weak. An argument could be made that each is stabilizing, but they are both still at low levels. And from a GDP perspective, I noted the following in December:
That means that of 27 countries in the EU 27, a little under half are in a technical recession. A summation of the preceding points would be that the EU is just not doing that well.
However, let's try and read the tea leaves of the four largest EU economies: Germany, France, Italy and Spain, starting with Germany.
Germany is by far the largest economy in the EU area, accounting for about 27% of the EUs size. As such, it's performance alone can have a disproportionate impact on the EU's growth prospects.
From the latest German Markit Manufacturing and Services sector releases we get the following:
Germany’s manufacturing sector started 2013 with improved trends in output and new business levels, contrasting with the declines seen through much of last year.The return to growth in production and new work helped lift the final seasonally adjusted Markit/BME Germany Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) – a composite indicator designed to provide a single-figure snapshot of the performance of the manufacturing economy – to 49.8 in January, from 46.0 during December. This was only fractionally below the neutral 50.0 value, with an acceleration in job shedding the main factor weighing on the headline PMI in the latest survey period. The index has now posted below 50.0 in each of the past 11 months, but the latest reading signalled January data pointed to resurgent growth across the German service sector, with business activity and new order volumes both rising at the fastest rate since June 2011. Adjusted for seasonal influences, the final Markit Germany Services Business Activity Index picked up from 52.0 in December to 55.7 in January. The index highlighted back-to-back monthly rises in business activity for the first time since May 2012. Moreover, the latest reading was well above its long-run average (52.9) and signalled a robust pace of output expansion that was the fastest for 19 months. The upturn in business activity at the start of 2013 reflected growth in five of the six sub-sectors monitored by the survey, with Post & Telecommunications the exception.
Let's look at the accompanying charts:
-- while still being negative -- improved a bit. s
The real standout is the surge in the service PMI (bottom chart). This index went negative for the past part of 2012, but has since rebounded strongly. The latest report noted the primary reason for this surge was a big bump in new business, caused by improved customer confidence. This move was in contrast to the 8 months of new order decline that had occurred in 2012.
Let's turn to German GDP, which was recently released by the Bundesbank:
First please click for a larger image.
A few points stand out in the data. First, note the general rate of overall slowdown in the data. In the first few quarters of 2011 we see annual prints of 5.2% and 3.1%. By the last few quarters of last year, we're seeing prints of .5% and .4%. While these numbers are still positive, they are just barely so. The big reason for the slowdown is the drop in production and construction, which contracted in the last two quarters of last year. But also note the slowing of retail purchases and inventory depletion. The bottom line is several key components of the data slowed. But also note the primary reason for the slowdown -- production -- is probably related to the overall slowing of the EU economy and Germany's export juggernaut. This means that a healing EU would lead to a growing Germany.
Conclusion: Because of its size Germany has the ability to pull the EU out of its recent slow prints. The above data point to a brightening picture for this economy, but we're not out of the woods yet. Ideally, we'd need a new more months of strong manufacturing and service numbers.
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In , a cunning opportunist and would-be tyrant wants to turn a swamp into valuable real estate. Druid, the large and very depressed water dragon who protects the swamp and its inhabitants, vows to save his friends and his home--although he's sure he'll fail. Big Dragons Don't Cry
In a nearby meadow, Tara, an unruly and daring kitten who charms every animal she meets, has been groomed to turn up the adorability factor so that she can reach Serazina. The human's emotional empathy may both enable her to communicate with other animals and earn her a lifetime stay in the Ward for the Chronically Crazy. Serazina needs the animals' insights, but she must abandon her belief in human superiority before she can understand them.
Once the dragon, kitten, and human meet and put their various-sized heads together, they discover plans to exterminate both Druid and Phileas, the Guardian of Oasis and master of mental control. The tyrant will seize power unless Phileas loses his mind, finds his heart, and joins forces with the unlikely trio.
Although I wrote well before the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the novel's story highlights the separation between humans and the rest of life that allows ecological disasters to unfold. Big Dragons Don't Cry
I used the medium of fantasy to imagine new possibilities:
What would the world be like if humans and animals understood and respected each other?
What could humans learn if we no longer saw ourselves as apart from nature but entered wholeheartedly into the dance of life? We might trip over our feet at first, but practice makes improvement.
Fantasy author Terry Brooks says, "Good fantasy is social commentary combined with good storytelling . . . The stories take place in an imaginary world. But those worlds mirror our own and tell us things about ourselves that need to be said and understood."
While I wrote to entertain readers, I hope the book will also help further a deeper understanding about how humans need to change our relationship with the earth and its inhabitants. Big Dragons Don't Cry
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dc.description.abstract Background: The aim of this study was to explore changes in the BMI-distribution over time
among Norwegian adolescents.
Methods: Height and weight were measured in standardised ways and BMI computed in 6774
adolescents 14–18 years who participated in the Young-HUNT study, the youth part of the Healthstudy
of Nord-Trondelag County, Norway in 1995–97. The results were compared to data from
8378 adolescents, in the same age group and living in the same geographical region, collected by
the National Health Screening Service in 1966–69.
Results: From 1966–69 to 1995–97 there was an increased dispersion and a two-sided change in
the BMI-distribution. Mean BMI did not increase in girls aged 14–17, but increased significantly in
18 year old girls and in boys of all ages. In both sexes and all ages there was a significant increase
in the upper percentiles, but also a trend towards a decrease in the lowest percentiles. Height and
weight increased significantly in both sexes and all ages.
Conclusion: The increased dispersion of the BMI-distribution with a substantial increase in upper
BMI-percentiles followed the same pattern seen in other European countries and the United States.
The lack of increase in mean BMI among girls, and the decrease in the lowest percentiles has not
been acknowledged in previous studies, and may call for attention. en
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Search
Now showing items 1-3 of 3
Krill oil attenuates left ventricular dilatation after myocardial infarction in rats
(BioMed Central, 2011-12-29)
Background: In the western world, heart failure (HF) is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular mortality. Supplement with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) has been shown to improve cardiac function in HF ...
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and mitochondria in relation to lifestyle-related diseases
(The University of Bergen, 2008-06-17)
Obesity is a growing life-style related health problem, and is often accompanied by dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and inflammation. This may in turn lead to hyperinsulinemia, increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver ...
Tetradecylthioacetic acid inhibits proliferation of human SW620 colon cancer cells - gene expression profiling implies endoplasmic reticulum stress
(BioMed Central, 2011-10-25)
Background: Previous reports have shown an antiproliferative effect of the synthetic, 3-thia fatty acid tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) on different cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The mechanisms behind the observed effects ...
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(The conclusion the Border Lines series: “Aliens, Crime, and Drugs: Making the Connection.")
Immigration is not a case apart.
The traditional frameworks for viewing immigration issue – from the “nation of immigrants” history to demands for “comprehensive immigration reform” – treat the immigration as a distinct issue in U.S. society and politics. In public and policy discourse, we regard immigration policy as the special way we deal with outsiders – the regulations and laws we institute to determine who can come inside and remain in our society.
But as the crackdown on immigrants evolves, the old frameworks for understanding the plight of immigrants and for advancing policy solutions fall increasingly short. That’s largely because the federal government, in concert with local and state governments, has stopped treating immigrants as a special case.
The way we have decided to deal with these outsiders – the 30 million illegal and legal immigrants who live among us – is how we already decided to deal with ourselves. In the early 1970s America began a new experiment in social engineering and control. It rejected the liberal, democratic, and humanitarian impulses that had previously played such an important role in defining who we were as Americans.
Instead of hope, fear increasingly defined governance in social policy. Increasing drug use and rising urban crime were met with reactionary policies rather than problem solving – the get-tough wars on drugs and crime. We began “governing through crime,” as criminal justice scholar Jonathan Simon has observed.
Millions of Americans began to be imprisoned for victimless drug-possession crimes. To enforce the social order and uphold the rule of law, the drug and crimes wars filled America’s expanding prison complex with petty criminals and illegal drug users.
While liberal programs – drug treatment, Head Start and other education programs, social services, etc. – persisted, the newly dominant response was to isolate our social problems rather than address them. Mass imprisonment became our prevailing risk-management strategy.
Similarly, rather than fixing a dysfunctional immigration system, government has since the mid-1990s moved to manage the immigration crisis through a strategy that stresses deterrence and forcible exclusion. The immigration system has been shifted to the criminal justice system.
Immigration law increasingly has been criminalized – a process some legal scholars have called “crimmigration.” Federal courts are clogged with immigrants. Ever larger numbers of immigrants, legal and illegal, are regarded as “fugitive aliens” or “criminal aliens.”
Shifting immigrants to the America’s system of crime and punishment has obligated ICE, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Prisons to greatly expand their network of prisons. Immigrant prisons operated by private prison firms have popped up all across the nation but especially in Texas and other border states.
Just as government latched on crime-fighting as the easiest, most popular form of governance, so too have we increasingly responded to the challenges of managing immigration. Immigrants have become identified as criminal aliens, and a multibillion-dollar enforcement and penal complex has arisen to manage this pressing social problem.
This immigrant crime/prison complex overlaps with the citizen crime/complex. Like the citizen penal system, the immigrant penal system has become largely the domain of private prison firms. The criminal justice system, already heavily burdened by the crime and drug wars, is now overwhelmed with immigrants who are charged largely with nonviolent, victimless crimes.
There are important differences, of course, between the citizen and noncitizen crime/prison complexes. While state and local governments in the face of budgetary and economic crises are starting to question the sustainability crime and punishment system as the costs of maintaining the penal system mount, DHS and DOJ are the beneficiaries of generous congressional funding increases for the immigrant crackdown. ICE alone spends $1.7 billion a year for immigrant detention.
It’s likely, though, as the federal budget deficit grows and the national fixation on immigration control as a guarantor of homeland security decreases, that the immense sums our government spends on the immigrant crime-and-punishment system will also be questioned.
While DHS officials routinely say that immigration law enforcement aims to uphold the “rule of law,” it’s a rule of law for citizens alone that is being enforced. A far inferior and ever-more degraded set of laws and regulations rules the immigrant world.
Legal or illegal, they aren’t protected by the same constitutional guarantees as citizens. While immigrants have the right to counsel in immigration court, they don’t have the right to a government-provided attorney if they can’t afford to hire an attorney. When in the immigration system, criminal aliens are protected by the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, but they aren’t protected by the criminal process rights in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. As aliens, they are defined and treated as outsiders with few of the rights and guarantees of citizens.
No doubt that America has the right to control who enters its borders and who becomes a citizen. It’s just as clear that America’s immigration system is badly broken and that there are valid citizen concerns about illegal immigration, immigrant crime, and border security.
But instead of dealing proactively with the complexity of the problem, America lately has reacted to the immigration issue chiefly with the “get tough” strategies employed in the drug and crime wars for so long, for so much money, with so little result, and with so much tragedy. As America begins to reconsider its prohibitive and punitive response to the immigration crisis, it also would do well to declare an end to the crime and drug wars that are so now so closely linked.
It’s time to start solving these problems, not just cracking down.
Photo: Criminal alien prison in Sierra Blanca, Texas.
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Knauf warns against cutting ECO
Published: 18 October, 2013
Knauf Insulation is warning the government not to ignore the long-term picture, amid claims that it is planning to extend the deadline for energy companies to fulfil their responsibilities under the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO), in a bid to lower fuel bills.
The extension would potentially slash the amount of carbon to be cut through to 2015. Knauf contends that cutting ECO will only lead to more households having to choose between heating and eating, and even an increase of cold-related winter deaths in the future.
Steven Heath, external affairs director for Knauf Insulation Northern Europe, commented: “Removing the ECO subsidy is a breathtakingly short-sighted strategy that could have a disastrous effect on future generations. Yes, cutting ECO will reduce fuel bills very slightly in the short term, but at what cost?
“ECO is a vital part of the puzzle when it comes to transforming our housing stock, which is among the leakiest and coldest in Europe. Already we are in the shocking position where nearly half of the 24,000 excess winter deaths are due to cold homes and many of the UK’s 4.5m fuel-poor households are facing the choice between food and heating. Furthermore, every un-insulated home currently wastes £310 a year in preventable energy bills and produces an extra 1.3 tonnes of carbon. Removing ECO means these figures will inevitably rise – and keep on rising.
“Bear in mind that the current ECO subsidy for low income homes is only £47 out of the average annual household bill of £1,267 – surely a small price to pay to ensure the most vulnerable people in our society have access to warm and safe homes? The simple fact is that over time fuel bills will increase anyway, so the only effective long term solution is to act now to reduce energy use by improving the fabric and thermal efficiency of our buildings.”
Knauf Insulation's green tax infographic (CLICK TO VIEW)
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Supply appears to not be keeping up with demand for Chevrolet’s new hybrid-electric car, and dealerships are taking advantage of the situation in totally shady, but apparently legal ways.
Normally, customers pay less than the sticker price listed on a new car. Often, way less. But there’s no law against a car dealership asking customers to pay over the vehicle’s sticker price if the vehicle is no longer brand new. There is also no law stipulating who, exactly, is eligible for the $7,500 tax credit provided by the federal government for each new Chevy Volt sold.
According to the LA Times, Chevy is only producing 10,000 Volts this year, which supposedly isn’t keeping up with customer demand. All of these factors put dealerships (excuse the pun) in the driver’s seat, and some “pre-owned” Volts—often with under 100 miles on them—are being listed for $5,000, $10,000, even $20,000
above the $41K MSRP.
How can this happen? Well, basically because there aren’t rules saying that this can’t happen.
The first part of this situation that stinks is that dealerships have figured out ways to pocket the $7,500 federal tax credit. They do so by putting a few miles on the car, therefore deeming the car “used.” Only a buyer who purchases the vehicle new gets the credit. In some cases, dealerships are selling the cars new to other dealerships, which get to earn the credit and then re-sell the Volt for whatever price the market bears. The LA Times explains:
Mark Modica, an investigator for the watchdog group National Legal and Policy Center, said dealerships are buying Volts from other dealers, claiming first title to qualify for the incentive, and then reselling the vehicles at inflated prices.
He wrote in a blog post that a Chicago Chevrolet dealer who planned to apply for the subsidy was selling a Volt as used with 10 miles on the meter.
Once the car qualifies as “pre-owned,” a seller can ask whatever price he pleases for it—and of the few dealers that have Volts on the lot, many are asking $45K, $50K, and up. Remember, anyone buying such a vehicle doesn’t get the $7,500 tax credit. The chances of talking a car salesman down on the price seem pretty unlikely as well.
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Abstract OBJECTIVE To explore the relationship between serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels and diabetic neuropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Type 1 or 2 diabetic and healthy control subjects ( n = 568) were randomly enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Diabetic neuropathy status was documented by the presence of clinical symptoms or signs, electromyography, quantitative sensory tests, and cardiac autonomic neuropathy tests. The severity of the neuropathy was staged by composite scores. Serum NSE was measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The demographic and clinical variables were obtained through an interviewer questionnaire. RESULTS Serum NSE levels increased slightly in diabetic subjects compared with normal subjects (9.1 [1.5] vs. 8.7 [1.7], P = 0.037), and the levels increased greatly in diabetic subjects with neuropathy compared with those without (10.8 [2.8] vs. 9.1 [1.5], P = 0.000). The association of NSE with diabetic neuropathy was independent of the hyperglycemic state (fasting blood glucose, HbA 1c, duration, and the type of diabetes) and other potential confounders affecting NSE levels (e.g., age, sex, and renal status) (odds ratio 1.48 [1.13–1.74], P = 0.001). In addition, NSE levels increased with and were closely correlated to the stages of neuropathy ( r = 0.63 [0.52–0.74], P = 0.000). The optimal cutoff point for serum NSE levels to distinguish patients with diabetic neuropathy from those without was 10.10 μg/L, with a sensitivity of 66.3% and a specificity of 72.5%. CONCLUSIONS Serum NSE levels are closely associated with peripheral neuropathy in patients with diabetes. Future studies are warranted to clarify the relationship. Received March 11, 2013. Accepted May 6, 2013. © 2013 by the American Diabetes Association.
Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for details.
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Deciding on your major or choosing a career can be a challenge. Here are a few words of advice to help you choose.
1) Selecting a major is not the same as choosing a career! Sure, there are a few careers, such as accounting, computer science, or nursing, that do require a specialized degree, but your major is just one aspect of your qualifications that you can offer an employer. No matter what your major is, it is important to complement your educational experience with internships, volunteer work, and other extracurricular activities. Employers are interested in your skills and abilities, not just your major. Majoring in a certain area also does not require you to choose a certain career. Music majors can become physicians, history majors can become journalists, and biology majors can become actors. 2) Pursue a major that interests you and one in which you excel academically. Students usually make the best grades in the classes they enjoy the most, so why not choose a major that you actually enjoy? An excellent GPA will also afford you greater career opportunities. 3) Research and explore various majors. Consider all possibilities. Don’t rule out a major just because you’re not sure it will lead to a good job. At a liberal arts university such as Wake Forest, the purpose of your major is not to prepare you for a specific job, but rather to prepare you for life by developing skills such as reading, writing, researching, and critical thinking that are important in any profession. A few ways to explore various majors can be found below: Review the Undergraduate Bulletin, which lists all of WFU’s majors and academic requirements Talk to professors Talk to upperclassmen Talk to alumni (using LinkedIn) Take an introductory class in the major Take CNS 120 and CNS 220
If you need advice about hours, credits, classes or the requirements for your major or minor, contact your faculty adviser or the Office of Academic Advising (Reynolda Hall 125). To learn more about Health Professions and pre-law advising, contact the pre-professional advisers for these specialty areas and check out our graduate school resources.
Accountancy
Anthropology Art History Business & Enterprise Management Biology Biophysics Chemistry Classics Communication Computer Science Economics Education English Finance Foreign Language Health & Exercise Science History Mathematics Mathematical Business Mathematical Economics Music Philosophy Physics Politics & International Affairs Psychology Religion Sociology Studio Art Theatre Woman’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
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The profound national humiliation that President Bush has brought upon the United States may be forgotten temporarily when the American aircrew, held captive in China as this magazine goes to press, return home. But when we finish celebrating, it will be time to assess the damage done, and the dangers invited, by the administration's behavior.
To begin such an assessment, we need to review what has happened.
On April 1, a Chinese fighter intercepted an American surveillance aircraft flying a routine mission over international waters in the South China Sea. There was a collision. The exact circumstances are as yet unknown. Did the American plane "bank" into the Chinese jet? Or did the Chinese jet bump into the American plane's nose cone? It doesn't matter. What caused the accident were the unusually aggressive and extremely dangerous maneuvers of the Chinese pilot, who was flying so close to the American aircraft as to increase substantially the chances for a collision. There are common sense rules of the road for how the game is played. The Chinese pilot was recklessly violating those rules, like the guy who tailgates two inches off your bumper going 75 miles an hour. In circumstances such as these, it doesn't matter who bumps whom. Blame for the accident falls on the one who deliberately created such a dangerous situation.
Much attention has been paid to the particular Chinese pilot, who it seems had a history of just such reckless flying. But this misses the larger point. The decision to fly Chinese fighters dangerously close to American surveillance planes was made by the Chinese government in Beijing, not by any maverick Chinese aviator. In recent months, Chinese fighters had grown increasingly bold in their interception tactics, all part of a broader effort by the Chinese government to flex its muscles in the South China Sea. The Chinese want the United States to get out of the South China Sea. Why? Because it would be a key sea lane in the event of a conflict with Taiwan. Step one in this campaign is forcing American surveillance planes to stay out of the area. So the Chinese government consciously increased the risk to U.S. planes, and to its own pilots, in order to improve its strategic position. The accident, in short, was the direct consequence of a deliberate Chinese policy.
The accident also occurred despite repeated warnings by the United States that the new Chinese policy was dangerous. In December and January, after a number of close calls, top Pentagon officials formally protested the new Chinese tactics. The United States, they made clear, did not intend to renounce its right to fly in international airspace, but Chinese policy was vastly increasing the risk to everyone. The Chinese government ignored the protests. Then last week the inevitable happened and a Chinese pilot lost his life. It is a miracle, and a tribute to one American pilot's skill, that 24 Americans did not go down with him.
Instead, they made an emergency landing in China, whereupon they were taken hostage by the Chinese government. It is hardly surprising that the Chinese government boarded the plane and searched it for information about American intelligence-gathering capabilities, despite American insistence that the plane remained, even in China, the sovereign territory of the United States according to international law. What was a good deal more surprising was the Chinese government's announcement of the conditions for the crew's release: The American government would have to make a formal apology.
There has been no end of speculation by America's revered China experts as to why the Chinese would make such a baffling demand. The Chinese government is getting ready for President Jiang Zemin's "retirement" in 2002, and during such moments of succession, would-be Chinese leaders need to woo the powerful and virulently anti-American Chinese military and intelligence services. In addition, there has been a surge of nationalist fervor in China, especially since the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade two years ago. True, the Chinese government has helped stir up these nationalist passions in an attempt to compensate for the bankruptcy of Communist ideology. But now the government, we are told, is the victim of its own device. No Chinese leader can afford to look "soft" in a confrontation with the United States. Then there is the matter of Chinese culture, which places an unusually high premium on honor and "face." To admit Chinese error, or even to accept mutual responsibility for this kind of accident, would cause the Chinese leadership to lose face and suffer humiliation before its own people.
One or all of these explanations for Chinese behavior may be valid. But even if every one of them contributed to the Chinese decision to hold the American crew hostage until the United States apologized, it is abundantly clear from the known facts and the public record?that the Chinese government's demand had two additional purposes.
First, it was a continuation of the policy that caused the accident in the first place. The Chinese government has for some time been asserting that the South China Sea and the skies above it are Chinese territory. Last week President Jiang declared, "The United States must stop these types of flights in the airspace of China's coastal areas. Only this will avoid a repeat of this type of incident." An American apology would acknowledge not merely that the American pilot was to blame for the accident. More important, it would acknowledge that the American government was to blame because it had "violated international law" by carrying out surveillance flights "in the airspace of China's coastal waters."
The broader purpose of the Chinese demand was to inflict upon the United States a public international humiliation. This, of course, is the flipside of China's face-conscious culture. In such a culture, to lose face is not only embarrassing. It is dangerous. It is a sign of weakness that invites repeated exploitation by those who have witnessed it. To be deprived of face by someone is in some sense to be vanquished and reduced to subservience. He who makes another lose face is essentially declaring himself superior and the other inferior, not worthy of respect. By demanding a public apology from the United States, therefore, the Chinese government was not only saving its own face, it was consciously and deliberately forcing the United States to lose face, and thereby to admit its weakness.
One gets a sense that for a brief moment President Bush instinctively understood all this. On Monday, April 2, a visibly angry Bush demanded the "prompt and safe" return of the crew and the plane. Only 24 hours after the accident, Bush said, "I am troubled by the lack of a timely Chinese response to our request" for access to the crew, and he demanded that the Chinese return the plane "without further damaging or tampering." China's delay was "inconsistent with standard diplomatic practice and with the expressed desire of both our countries for better relations."
On Tuesday, Bush seemed to be holding firm. Senior officials told reporters he was increasingly angry at the Chinese failure to respond. One adviser, after talking to Bush, told the Washington Post, "We've been patient and we've been very reasonable, but at some point, patience wears thin." Meeting the Chinese demand for an apology was out of the question: "There's nothing to apologize for," said one official. Another also rejected any statement of "regret." That was "not even in question." And Bush officials explained why even a statement of regret would be a mistake. The Chinese, they said, were measuring Bush and looking for "signs of weakness." Even expressing "regret" would make Bush look like he was afraid and caving to Chinese pressure.
There were signs even on Tuesday, however, that the administration's resolve was weakening, and the Chinese no doubt saw them. The Post article was aptly titled "U.S. Seeks to Avoid Test of Wills," which must have struck the Chinese as both amusing and revealing, since what they had set up was very much a test of wills, a test moreover in which there would be a winner and a loser. And, indeed, while some officials were talking tough, others were also suggesting that the Chinese needed to be mollified somehow. "All the decisions are being driven by what is most likely to be effective with the Chinese government," one official said. "One of the things you want to do is give them time to come to the right decision and not lock them into a position opposed to you."
The next day the Bush administration started to cave. It was Secretary of State Colin Powell who delivered the statement that the whole world understood as a partial capitulation to the Chinese demands for an apology. Powell expressed his "regret" that the Chinese pilot had gone down. He used the word "regret" twice. And by calling the collision a "tragic accident," Powell removed the issue of blame. He then called for a dialogue in which "both sides" could "present explanations." That evening Powell sent a letter to the Chinese outlining a mechanism for discussing the incident, including the creation of a bi-national commission to study what had happened and ways to prevent such events in the future.
Powell's statement and letter were intended to address both of China's main objectives in this whole affair. The statement of "regret" was meant to address China's demand for a broad American apology and acceptance of responsibility for the entire incident. In Europe, the headlines read: "U.S. Regrets Plane Incident," leaving readers with the impression that the United States was indeed accepting blame. And the Chinese made clear that they took Powell's statements to be at least a partial apology. "The regret expressed by the U.S. side," a Chinese spokesman declared, was "a step in the right direction." Thus one purpose of the Chinese demand, the public humiliation of the United States, was partially accomplished.
Powell's suggestion of a bi-national commission was also a step in the right direction for the Chinese, because it would allow them to press home their second objective: an agreement by the United States to pull back or at least take greater care in its surveillance activities in the South China Sea. After all, a bi-national commission cannot limit itself to the technical details of which pilot turned in the wrong direction. The Chinese side is not simply going to express hope that everyone's pilots be more careful in the future. They are going to insist on discussing the root cause of the accident. And for them, the root cause is that the United States is doing surveillance in the South China Sea. Three months ago, the United States told the Chinese to stuff it and stop harassing American planes engaged in legitimate surveillance in international airspace. Now, if Powell's plan is agreed to, the Chinese will have a forum in which to discuss with the Americans exactly who can fly where.
In the safe and friendly confines of the United States, most observers figured Powell's statements of regret were harmless?what could be wrong with expressing "regret" over the death of a pilot? But in the real world, and in Beijing's world, Powell's statements represented a partial capitulation, with real-world consequences.
Having brought the United States to one knee, the Chinese government kept up the pressure. Now it was time for the United States to go all the way, to "adopt a cooperative attitude, admit its mistakes and make a formal apology." As Lenin used to say, when your spear hits iron withdraw it, when it hits flesh press forward.
In the face of continued Chinese pressure, President Bush showed signs of cracking. Speaking to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on Thursday, Bush amplified Powell's statements of regret. He not only regretted that the Chinese pilot had gone down, saying "our prayers go out to the pilot, his family." Bush also regretted that "one of their airplanes has been lost." He declared himself an "advocate of China's entering the WTO." And then the groveling began in earnest. "China is a strategic partner," Bush declared to the stunned audience, "I mean, a strategic competitor. . . . But that doesn't mean we can't find areas in which we can partner. And the economy is a place where we can partner."
Perhaps most significant was Bush's answer when asked if he might consider apologizing to China. Instead of simply saying "no," President Bush said, "I have no further comments on the subject." Bush's refusal to rule out an apology surely encouraged the Chinese to believe that someday the formal apology they have been demanding may be delivered. At this writing, the Chinese are sticking to their demand for a full and formal apology from the United States.
Now, it is possible that the American government will be able to negotiate the release of the crew with something short of a full and formal apology. Whatever the public and private terms of the deal, we will obviously be happy for the crew and their families. But no one should ignore the enormous price that will have been paid to secure their freedom. The United States is on the path to humiliation, and for a great power?not to mention the world's "sole superpower"?humiliation is not a matter to be taken lightly. It is not just a petty issue of "face."
As the Chinese understand better than American leaders, President Bush has revealed weakness. And he has revealed fear: fear of the political, strategic, and economic consequences of meeting a Chinese challenge. Having exposed this weakness and fear, the Chinese will try to exploit it again and again, most likely in a future confrontation over Taiwan. The American capitulation will also embolden others around the world who have watched this crisis carefully to see the new administration's mettle tested.
This defeat and humiliation, as another president once said, must not stand. Whether or not the American hostages are released, President Bush and members of Congress must begin immediately taking steps to repair the damage already done. It is essential that the Chinese be made to pay a price for their actions. Angry words and congressional resolutions of disapproval are now worse than useless. Unless backed by deeds, they will only confirm Beijing's perception of American weakness.
The United States must respond in ways that directly affect China's interests. Congress can do its part easily: by rejecting China's most-favored-nation trade status when it comes up for renewal later this spring. The Chinese believe, with good reason, that the American business community has a hammerlock on American policy toward China, and that Congress will never dare cut off American business's access to the Chinese market. Congress has a chance to prove that when matters of fundamental national security are at stake, the United States can break this addiction.
The Bush administration can do its part by augmenting America's strategic relationship with Taiwan and, above all, by selling Taiwan the weapons it needs to maintain the cross-straits military balance. At its core, after all, this entire crisis has really been about Taiwan?certainly from the Chinese perspective. The Chinese now need to know that their efforts to force the United States away from the defense of Taiwan cannot succeed. An internal Pentagon review has made it clear that the balance is swiftly tilting against Taiwan and that among the many things Taiwan needs is the Aegis battle-management system. Later this month, the Bush administration will have to decide whether or not the Taiwanese can purchase Aegis. Now, more than ever, the answer must be yes. Not only is the sale of Aegis the only appropriate response to Chinese behavior. But to decline to sell Aegis now, after all that has happened, would only reconfirm the Chinese impression that the United States is weak and afraid of confrontation.
Needless to say, we do not seek war with China. That is what advocates of appeasement always say about those who argue for standing up to an international bully. But it is the appeasers who wind up leading us into war. We have been calling for the active containment of China for the past six years precisely because we think it is the only way to keep the peace. Whatever risks may accompany a policy of confrontation and containment, the risks of weakness are infinitely greater. China hands both inside and outside the administration will argue that this crisis needs to be put behind us so that the U.S.-China relationship can return to normal. It is past time for everyone to wake up to the fact that the Chinese behavior we have seen this past week is normal. We have glimpsed the future. The only question now is whether we have the wisdom and the strength to meet it.
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The following is illustrative of the type of feedback received since the session:
Put simply, I was very, very impressed with the day as a whole. To take all of my sales team off the floor for 1 hour is sometimes difficult for me to do, but to commit them for a full day (together) I must admit I have rarely ever done. But every minute was extremely valuable...
Bruce's training style and delivery was brilliant - he had a lot of insightful thoughts and ideas which challenged my people to think outside of what they normally would. The course content was 100% relevant, and I have absolutely no doubt that our MOC revenues will increase as a direct result of this initiative put forward by yourself to the CPLS network. If there is ever the opportunity to participate in further events like this, count me in!
Thomas Pollock, Manager, New Horizons, Brisbane
Hello Janet,
It’s been a few weeks and I wanted to drop you a line to say thanks. Since the training, the team has been working on how to overcome PoPs and making more sales. I’m not sure if you remember but 1 of our team members was sharing in the class about his lost opportunity with a ... company. Well, I’m pleased to say that since then, he has been able to ‘revive’ it and is now in the midst of working out ‘training dates’ with the organisation.
Liz Fu, Managing Director, Hands On Computer Training International, Perth
Fantastic as the content was real world & fantastic instructor
Dana Walton, Excom Melbourne
Eye opening
Kris, Excom Canberra
Excellent experience
Renee, DLLS Adelaide
To view Carpe Diem's sales and marketing blog for Microsoft Partners, click here.
We were pleased to recently be invited to provide a number of presentations at the Microsoft Partner Conferences in both Australia and New Zealand.
Whilst we spoke on a number of topics - including developing a marketing plan, best practice in planning and executing events - the session with the most outstanding feedback was entitled Improving Pipeline Management.
Here is an extract from the session with accompanying voice over - do let us know your feedback!
So how did Partners respond? On a 9 point satisfaction scale, the average rating received was 8.2 out of 9 - the only presentation during the conference that rated over 8. Good session - important topic - genuine need!!!
We are all keenly aware of the need to demonstrate to Partners how to obtain maximum services revenues packed around Microsoft technology solutions.
But often Partners don't maximise their services revenues due to a poor understanding of how to package and promote their services products. This in turn diminishes Partner satisfaction in delivering a Microsoft based solution.
To assist in this regard we have developed a 1hr workshop for Partners entitled Maximising Profitability By Effectively Packaging and Promoting Partner Services. Key topics covered include:
the differences between products and services - and what this means for the Partner Marketer
how customers reduce their risk when purchasing IT services
top 10 criteria customers use when evaluating IT services
checklist for effectively promoting IT services
case studies of effective - and "less effective" - IT services promotion.
We have run this workshop in association with Ingram Micro, and have received enormously good feedback.
The workshop content is also included as a feature in our 1 day course Action Oriented Marketing Planning for Microsoft Partners.
We are building a structure to make the workshop materials available to different subsidiaries based on a very modest licensing fee, including tele-training for Microsoft nominated facilitators of appropriate background. Do let us know if this is of interest.
Welcome to Carpe Diem's blog - to share information amongst our contacts in Microsoft who are involved in assisting Partners improve their sales and marketing effectiveness. We want to use this blog to share work with you that we are undertaking in different areas, hopefully to help you avoid reinventing the wheel!
We also want to write a number of small articles about various aspects of improving Partners' sales and marketing efforts - and we'll bring to your attention articles written by others that we think are interesting and useful.
You will also find that we'll be publishing results from ongoing Partner research that we have already started undertaking - hopefully informing us all to provide more relevant help to Partners.
Please do leave comments - and feel absolutely free to recommend this blog to your colleagues!
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201704
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Jer 3:14-17 / Mt 13:18-23
In the course of our individual lifetimes, how often have we heard the stories of Jesus? There is no counting them. The Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Woman Caught in the Act of Adultery — we know them well. They’re a part of the “furniture” of our lives. But it seems fair to ask: What have we learned from them? Have our lives taken on a shape that would indicate we’ve listened to the inside of their stories? If not, why not?
Jesus offers us an answer in today’s gospel. His message may have gotten to our hearts, but it keeps getting choked and drowned out there. The business of daily life distracts us and pulls our attentions in other directions, and we find ourselves saying of Jesus’ message: “I just haven’t got time for that!” What an irony: The business of daily life is exactly what Jesus is talking about! Doing each day well, with grace and purpose, is what He is trying to teach us.
Don’t squander your days by inattention. Jesus knows where life is to be found. Let Him show you!
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Issue Date: February 27, 2012
Single-Atom Transistor
In work that could advance the development of quantum computers, researchers have created a transistor that consists of a single atom positioned precisely between two electrodes in a silicon substrate. Quantum computers could perform some calculations not possible on current computers, such as solving the Schrödinger equation for large molecules.
Quantum computing specialist Michelle Y. Simmons of the University of New South Wales, in Australia, and coworkers prepared the transistor. They used scanning tunneling microscopy, lithography, and phosphine chemistry to place, with single-lattice-site spatial accuracy, an individual phosphorus atom between electrodes in a silicon device (
Nat. Nanotechnol., DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.21). Such precise positioning hadn’t been achieved before.
Single-atom transistors could be combined to give integrated circuits of unprecedented density. But creating such transistors is painstaking, and the feasibility of making devices that comprise millions or billions of them is not yet known. The transistor operates only at close to absolute zero, also limiting applications for now.
Nevertheless, the phosphorus transistor represents a step toward quantum computers. Quantum computers would achieve greater power and speed by encoding information in qubits, which adopt more states than just the two (0 and 1) in conventional computers bits. Precise atom positioning would be required to interrogate the information in qubits accurately.
Device modeler Asen Asenov of the University of Glasgow believes the experimentation is “ground-breaking.” Molecular device fabricator Robert A. Wolkow of the University of Alberta believes that Simmons’ group and others reported substantially similar results earlier. Some of the study’s simulations have technical deficiencies, Asenov adds.
Quantum computing expert Bruce E. Kane of the University of Maryland notes that the one-atom transistor is not currently practical for conventional devices, nor does it carry out quantum operations. But he calls the work “an experimental and engineering tour de force” and believes Simmons’ group now has the requisite tools to begin building quantum computers “that would go beyond the current state of the art.”
Chemical & Engineering News ISSN 0009-2347 Copyright © American Chemical Society
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201704
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Boot Camps: Are They Right for You?
Ten hut! In this month’s column, we’re going to talk about boot camps. No, not the boot camp on Parris Island, S.C., or the ones that problem teens on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show have to go to, but those for IT pros looking to enhance their abilities. The main difference is that IT boot camps are fast-paced, condensed programs designed for certification candidates on a mission. Also, IT boot camps typically last about a week or slightly longer, depending on the skill level and the type of certification being taught.
But are they the best way for you to develop the necessary knowledge to pass your credentialing exam of choice? Before taking on such a laborious experience, ask yourself the following:
Is my learning/work style extremely driven and focused? Can I stay engaged with course content for 12 to 14 hours a day? Do I have immediate career goals that warrant such a quick and involved approach to certification? Do I have a lot of capital (both time and money) to invest in my professional education? Do I possess a strong foundational comprehension of the topics that will be covered in the boot camp? Will I be able to keep up with the fast pace of the program? Can I handle sequestering myself from the outside world for an extended period of time?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you just might be suited for the grueling rigors of an IT boot camp.
Brian Summerfield is associate editor for Certification Magazine. Send him your favorite study tips and tech tricks at brians@certmag.com.
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201704
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Abstract 220: Transcriptional Analysis Of Caveolin And Cavin In The Male And Female Ageing Mouse Heart Following Ischemic Stress Abstract
Cardioprotection against infarction and dysfunction in the myocardium involves G-protein-coupled receptor signalling orchestrated by specialised membrane microdomains termed caveolae. The caveolin protein family consist of three subtypes: caveolin-1, −2 and −3 (Cav1-3) and are responsible for the formation of caveolae and hypothesized to orchestrate cardioprotective signalling. Caveolin-3 deficiency and overexpression has been shown to attenuate and restore cardioprotection, respectively. Recently, a family of four related proteins known as cavins (Cavin1-4) have been implicated as regulators of caveolae formation and function. The roles and expression distribution of the cavin family is currently unknown in cardiac tissue. In this study hearts were isolated from 8, 16, 32 and 48 week male and female mice and subjected to normoxic perfusion (80 min) or ischemic stress (20 min global ischemia, 60 min reperfusion). RT-qPCR was used to assess differential gene expression of caveolin and cavin subtypes across these ages in both sexes.
Decreased post-ischemic pressure development and increased LDH release were observed in 32 and 48 week old relative to 8 week old male hearts hearts, indicative of age-related loss of ischemic tolerance. Females showed greater tolerance to ischemia at 32 and 48 week old hearts when compared to male counterparts. In normoxic male 48 week old hearts, Cav1,-2,-3 and Cavin1 were significantly repressed, whilst post-ischemic male 48 week old hearts demonstrated significant repression of Cav3 and Cavin1 only. Normoxic female hearts showed no significant changes in caveolin and cavin transcript expression over the aging time course. However, post-ischemic female 48 week old hearts showing significant down-regulation of Cav3 only. Taken together, alterations in caveolin and cavin expression may contribute to the age-related loss of ischemic tolerance and G-protein-coupled receptor-mediated protection in aging male and female mice hearts.
Author Disclosures:
C.J. Kiessling:None M. Reichelt:None J. Headrick:None K. Ashton:None. © 2014 by American Heart Association, Inc.
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201704
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A bill introduced by Sen. Tim Holland, D-Baldwin City, that would restrict the rights of individuals and companies that own mineral rights in Kansas has been assigned to the Senate Natural Resources Committee but has not been scheduled for a hearing.
If the bill doesn’t get a hearing during the legislative session, it wouldn’t be a great loss. It seeks to change established law in regards to how many oil wells may be drilled, and where they may be drilled, when old mineral-rights leases are reactivated.
Holland introduced the bill after hearing from constituents who had purchased land, but not the minerals beneath the land, only to find themselves later surrounded by oil wells. One couple bought 10 acres southeast of Baldwin City just before the husband began a two-year deployment to Germany. When they returned to the property in February 2013, the 10 acres sported four new oil wells and an injection well for disposal of drilling waste.
The couple knew a previous owner retained the mineral rights, which had been leased, but apparently weren’t concerned because there had been little drilling activity in the area for many years.
In Kansas and elsewhere, mineral rights lease holders are concerned with oil prices, yield and the cost of production. Decisions on shutting down existing wells and drilling new ones are based on those factors. And new drilling techniques that enhance yield can turn previously unprofitable leases into profitable ones and make previously untested leases worth exploring.
Purchasing land, but not the mineral rights, in an area that’s known to have oil deposits, or thought to have oil deposits (or other marketable minerals) is a “buyer beware” proposition.
It’s easy to commiserate with Holland’s constituents, but once they knew they weren’t purchasing rights to the minerals beneath their land, and someone in fact had leased those mineral rights from the person or people who do own them, they should have done more to educate themselves about what might happen.
Holland’s bill would limit oil drilling on reactivated leases to one well per 10 acres, unless the property owner consents to more, and require the Kansas Corporation Commission to adopt rules governing wells within 1,000 feet of an occupied structure.
Those restrictions, however, would reduce the rights of those who own the mineral rights and the lease holders who have purchased production rights.
Current laws address the rights of land owners, owners of mineral rights and lease holders. People interested in purchasing land might want to become acquainted with those laws, but there’s no need to change them.
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201704
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Another BMJ published air quality test measuring for secondhand smoke, co-authored by James Repace, shows no hazard This air quality testing of secondhand smoke concentrations is published in the British Medical Journal and is co-authored by none other than pro-smoking ban activist James Repace. The problem for these authors is that they didn't stop to analyze what the airborne nicotine readings they obtained meant. Their results as published, cited, and peer reviewed in the BMJ are as follows: There was an 83% reduction in air nicotine concentrations from median 35.5 µg (microgram) /m3 to 5.95 µg (microgram)/m3 (p <> At baseline, three bars (16%) were below the 6.8 µg (microgram)/m3 air nicotine .......... at follow up this increased to 10 (microgram) (53%). Again, reminding readers that OSHA has a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for airborne nicotine of 0.5 milligrams (mg) / m3. (0.5 mg (milligram)/m3 = 500 ug (micrograms) /m3). OSHA PEL's are the safe acceptable level of exposure for an 8 hour day / 40 hour per week time period. So 500 ug divided by 35.5 ug = 14.08 times SAFER than OSHA regulations And 500 ug divided by 5.95 ug = 84.03 times SAFER than OSHA regulations While 500 ug divided by 10 ug = 50 times SAFER than OSHA regulations Thus once again, air quality testing of secondhand smoke concentrations proves that secondhand smoke IS NOT a health hazard. Thank you Mr Repace, BMJ and others for making my point over and over. Science is certainly not on the side of the pro-smoking ban movement.
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201704
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Since the incorporation of Sunny Isles Beach in 1997, the leaders of the City have embarked on a mission to create a unique community easily identifiable by residents and visitors alike. As a newlyelected Commissioner, I continued the quest of seeking approval from the United States Postal Service for a unique ZIP Code for the City of Sunny Isles Beach.
The task of obtaining a ZIP Code for the City was first initiated when I was nominated to serve on the City Advisory Committee by former Vice Mayor Lewis Thaler whose idea it was to make the request. I had no idea what I would be doing once appointed to the CAC, but I immediately was directed by the former Chair of the City Advisory Committee that my task would be to undertake this request. Even then, in January 2012, the USPS was already having financial difficulties, and they just continued to get worse over time. At the time of this writing, the Federal Government is on shutdown.
I waded through the USPS Operations Manual and other materials I had and could find that would enlighten me as to what the USPS takes into consideration when considering a “request for ZIP Code boundary review” rather than simply writing a letter stating that Sunny Isles Beach wanted a new ZIP Code because it is unique and different from the other areas inside 33160. I extolled its virtues: the Beach, geographic location, tourist destination, economic status and property values (as to uniqueness), the low crime rate (for the insurance cost argument), its population and projected growth rate (to justify the cost). I always felt that it was an up-hill battle because of the financial ramifications to the floundering USPS as my research also led me to the requirements that the change had to make financial sense. I learned during the process that we also had been denied in the past on two occasions, and I had found articles on the Internet about other cities that had been turned away. But, as they, say: If you don’t ask, then certainly you don’t get, and I remained cautiously optimistic.
In a nutshell, my arguments seemed to fall on deaf ears with a reply that felt scripted and was turned around too quickly given the procedure I was originally told would have to be followed when considering the request. The denial was based on the fact that the USPS was unable to identify any operational needs, substantial savings, or service improvements that would justify their providing a unique ZIP Code for Sunny Isles Beach. At a minimum, changes to schemes and transportation schedules, directory revisions, computer software, and mail forwarding for changing addresses would be required and significant administrative costs would be incurred. It was further explained that 5-digit ZIP Codes can only be authorized if there is an operational need supporting the USPS’ mission of providing the best universal service, when an existing ZIP Code structure impedes quality service, and where there is an opportunity to substantially reduce its distribution and delivery costs. The denial also went on to explain in three paragraphs the “preferred last line” concept as though I had no idea what it is although I had stated in the request that it was inadequate. Naturally, however, above all else the USPS is a business, a separate entity not funded by our tax dollars, so all of the fiscal arguments make sense notwithstanding internal directives of the USPS which I was provided from their office in Washington, D.C., or arguments made in the request for the change.
Finally, however, there was the ultimate truth in black and white: “The USPS is experiencing significant financial challenges related to declining mail volumes, the lackluster economy and fluctuating fuel costs.” Consequently, not all of the established rules apply any longer. In fact, since the time of the application, there has been talk in Congress of the installation of post office box stations, like you might see in a townhouse project, so mail carriers no longer have to stop at individual addresses and everyone within a certain area would pick up their mail at the same location.
As much as the attorney in me wants to appeal the decision, timing is everything and now is simply not the time. With email, social media, financial difficulties, the speed of technological development, an ever-evolving global economy and necessary adaptations to all of the above, it may never be. Who knows? The ZIP Code may eventually become a thing of the past, maybe even the United States Postal Service itself. For the time being, however, not having our own ZIP Code does not detract from what Sunny Isles Beach has become, is, or will be in the future— Florida’s Riviera, a unique community, and then some.
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201704
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You’ve got partners eager to sell your latest offering. Before they head out the door to talk to their customers on your behalf, make sure you arm them with the foundation to speak intelligently (and on message!) about your solution. The best way to accomplish this? Give your partner some purpose-built, clear, and concise partner […]
Perhaps you’ve seen one recently: a great PowerPoint presentation that was both content-rich and visually interesting. As a B2B marketing professional, you may have wondered what makes a truly great slide. One that’s as concise as it is visually compelling. One that’s copied, pasted, and passed around for use in multiple decks throughout your company. […]
Copy blocks are versatile B2B marketing essentials that can complement any wardrobe of assets. Learn the process for creating great copy blocks in this post.
Not sure when to use high-impact infographics to help convey your B2B marketing messages? Consider these three general applications.
You have great content to share, but don’t know whether to publish your eBook in interactive PDF (iPDF) or flip-book format? Consider the pros and cons of each: iPDF Pro As we shared in our recent post “The Beauty of an iPDF,” this format is interactive, sharable, content-rich, and visually compelling. iPDFs are great for […]
Thought leadership can take many forms—byline articles, white papers, keynote PowerPoint presentations, and more. One of the biggest trends in thought leadership is the blog post. Blog posts can highlight a point of view in a brief, easy-to-absorb format, using links to direct readers to more detailed information on your website. Here are five useful […]
When is the last time you encountered a road sign with the words “Curvy Road Ahead”? More than likely, you saw a sign like this instead: This sign is highly effective. It’s clear the road ahead has twists and turns—and the squiggly arrow requires no translation. In the business world, iconography can be just as […]
You’re tasked with creating solid and rich marketing messaging. Suddenly, everyone around you wants to weigh in on content—and the “messaging madness” ensues. Whether you’re developing the foundation for a multiproduct campaign or creating detailed product descriptions to support your latest release, the most time-consuming aspect of the process is getting agreement around central themes. […]
What can you do with 25 words? Write a note to your kids about how to reheat dinner. Make a grocery list. How about tell a complete, compelling story? It’s possible to finesse about two dozen words into a product description that’s not so high-level it glosses over everything, but also not so detailed it […]
With bullets, what’s not to love? They are bold, matter-of-fact, and reliable—kind of like my best friend. (My personal fave? The little square ones.) Most common in business writing is the traditional—but, dare I say, passé—black dot, followed closely by the slightly more updated version of the little black square. But bullets do allow for […]
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201704
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What drivers the crowd in crowdsourced journalism? An ideal about a better society. The findings in my article, published in the International Journal of Communication, show that the crowd contributes voluntarily to journalism because they want to mitigate power and knowledge asymmetries. They also want to deliberate with their peers, and learn from them. Read […]
In this book chapter, published in “Crowdfunding the Future: Media Industries, Ethics and Digital Society”, I provide a framework for analyzing crowdfunding as a business model in journalism. The framework helps us examine the value crowdfunding produces to professional journalism. Full citation: Aitamurto, T. (2015) The role of crowdfunding as a business model in journalism: A five-layered […]
How do crowdsourcing and co-creation affect readers’ relationship to a publication? How do traditional journalistic practices change in an established lifestyle magazine, when open journalistic practices, like crowdsourcing, are deployed? This article addresses those questions, and you can read the article below.
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201704
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When it comes to home renovations, one of the most important components is always cabinet choice. Whether commercial, retail or residential, cabinet choice is a major factor that helps define the theme of a design. There are countless options available that can be purchased off a shelf at a big box store, but for something that fits your unique space perfectly, nothing can beat custom cabinets in the GTA.
Custom-milled cabinets are a perfect choice for irregular shaped rooms and provide some very interesting choices. Custom millwork can be finished in dozens of choices, and countless materials can be used to create a truly stunning and distinctive set of cabinets. If you’re renovating or creating a new space from scratch, it might be a good idea to investigate the options afforded to those who opt for custom millwork. It’s the easiest way to get a perfect fit in any space and a finish that suit your design theme. Contact the best in the business today to learn more about space-beautifying custom millwork.
Custom cabinets in the GTA are a great addition to any home, but
choosing a team to design and build isn’t as easy as it should be. Experience
is an important factor, but just as important is the service provided by the
company in question. Remember these few things and the decision becomes
substantially easier.
Experience
There are some great times to bring in a green team with little
experience. They can be a cost-effective option for those looking for repairs
and other smaller jobs, but if you’re looking for custom cabinets, nothing
beats an experienced eye. Some of the best in the business have successfully
completed well over a hundred jobs in the last five years. This speaks volumes
about the ability of the design team as well as the build team.
Customer Service
Sometimes it’s difficult to picture a finished millwork job until the
last screw is in place. This can lead to frustration and a feeling of being
left in the dark. The most reputable and reliable millwork teams in the GTA
pride themselves on customer service as much as they do the quality of their
craftsmanship.
Choosing a millwork team for your custom cabinets in the GTA doesn’t
need to be a nightmare. Take the headache out of the equation and opt for a
truly professional firm with the experience and customer service that will lead
to peace of mind. It will make the entire process easier to swallow and will
result in a truly breathtaking set of custom cabinets.
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201704
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Grand Rounds
Global concerns By James Strickler, M.D.
This magazine has often featured stories about Dartmouth Medical School students and faculty who study, do research, or provide clinical care in countries all over the world. These international pursuits reflect DMS's growing interest in global health, especially in the developing world, where the pattern of diseases is different than in the United States and where assessing the health needs of populations, not just individuals, is critical. Schools of public health have traditionally emphasized the need to understand diseases in a global context and to focus on the health of populations. It's time now for more American medical schools to expand their horizons and likewise become more globally oriented.
Transmission: The globalization of world commerce, communications,and transportation has globalized disease transmission. Poor health inany country can spread beyond its borders to adversely impact thehealth, the economy, and the security of any other nation, includingaffluent, industrial nations like the United States.
During the past three decades, at least 14 new infectious diseases have been identified. Witness, for example, the economic, social, and political havoc caused by the dissemination of HIV/AIDS. In addition, a number of long-recognized infections that were previously geographically contained have now spread far and wide. Witness the emergence of West Nile virus in the U.S. and the reemergence of dengue fever in the Caribbean and Central America. Drug-resistant diseaseslike tuberculosis and malariaare spreading rapidly, too. And the more Americans travel overseas, the more important it is for them to understand health risks they will encounter abroad, including exposure to diseases not well known to most American physicians. Then add to these challenges the fear that contagions such as smallpox or anthrax may be used by terrorists.
Dilemma: Gro Brundtland, the director-general of the World HealthOrganization, summarizes the dilemma by saying, "All humankind todaypaddles in a single microbial sea. There are no health sanctuaries."The message is clear: the U.S. needs more physicians who recognizethe global patterns and intricacies of infectious diseases.
A 1997 report of the Institute of Medicine's Board of International Healthtitled "America's Vital Interest in Global Health"states that "the direct interests of the American people are best served when the United States acts decisively to promote health around the world."
The report's authors predicted that by 2020, ischemic heart disease, unipolar depression, and traffic accidents will replace infectious diseases and perinatal conditions as the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The U.S., with its strength in medical science and technology, is expected to be an international leader in addressing global health concerns. The report also points out that the burden of worldwide illnesses can best be addressed by cooperative partnerships among nations and nongovernmental organizations.
In the past, health problems in foreign countries have been an ethical but not a strategic concern for those who set our foreign policy. A significant amount of U.S. foreign aid has been directed toward improving health in poor countries, but most experts feel the primary incentive for this aid has had little to do with national security. But today, owing in large measure to the destabilizing political and economic impact of HIV/AIDS, most notably in Africa, widespread ill health in poor countries is emerging as a major foreign-policy concern. The threat of bioterrorism since September 11 has significantly increased this worry.
Strategic sense: A report by the Council on Foreign Relations"WhyHealth is Important to U.S. Foreign Policy"explains that "improvingthe health of people in other countries makes both strategic andmoral sense as an integral part of future U.S. foreign policy." Secretaryof State Colin Powell agrees.
In sum, a strong case can be made for strengthening our expertise and leadership in global health. The reasons are intensely political and economic, not just humanitarian. U.S. medical schools should recognize the importance of nurturing a strong cadre of physician leaders in global health, adjusting their educational objectives and opportunities, if necessary. A modest step would be to increase the number of well-designed overseas educational and research opportunities for medical students and faculty. The principal purpose of these offerings should be to inform more students about health in other lands and to motivate some to seek careers in global health. This curricular adjustment should enhance, not compromise, schools' core missions, which are to teach students how to become thoughtful physicians and to advance knowledge in the biomedical sciences.
DMS is already playing an important role in the global health arena by encouraging medical students and physicians to participate in clinical and research opportunities throughout the world. Expanding and improving these opportunities will inspire more students and faculty to assist the medically underserved everywhere, while concurrently strengthening both health education and research.
"Grand Rounds" (formerly titled "Faculty Matters") covers a topic of interest to theDartmouth medical faculty. Strickler is a former dean, a professor emeritus of medicineand of community and family medicine, and a 1951 alumnus of DMS; he also cochairsthe International Rescue Committee and is a director of the Global Health Council.
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For almost half a century, migration has been the main fact of social life in hundreds of indigenous towns spread through the hills of Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s poorest states. That’s made the conditions and rights of migrants central concerns for communities like Santiago de Juxtlahuaca.
Today the right to travel to seek work is a matter of survival. But this June in Juxtlahuaca, in the heart of Oaxaca’s Mixteca region, dozens of farmers left their fields, and women weavers their looms, to talk about another right, the right to stay home.
In the town’s community center two hundred Mixtec, Zapotec and Triqui farmers, and a handful of their relatives working in the U.S., made impassioned speeches asserting this right at the triannual assembly of the Indigenous Front of Binational Organizations (FIOB). Hot debates ended in numerous votes. The voices of mothers and fathers arguing over the future of their children, echoed from the cinderblock walls of the cavernous hall.
In Spanish, Mixteco and Triqui, people repeated one phrase over and over: the derecho de no migrar – the right to not migrate. Asserting this right challenges not just inequality and exploitation facing migrants, but the very reasons why people have to migrate to begin with. Indigenous communities are pointing to the need for social change.
About 500,000 indigenous people from Oaxaca live in the US, 300,000 in California alone, according to Rufino Dominguez, one of FIOB’s founders. These men and women come from communities whose economies are totally dependent on migration. The ability to send a son or daughter across the border to the north, to work and send back money, makes the difference between eating chicken or eating salt and tortillas. Migration means not having to manhandle a wooden plough behind an ox, cutting furrows in dry soil for a corn crop that can’t be sold for what it cost to plant it. It means that dollars arrive in the mail when kids need shoes to go to school, or when a grandparent needs a doctor.
In Oaxaca the category of extreme poverty encompasses 75 percent of its 3.4 million residents, according to EDUCA, an education and development organization. For more than two decades, under pressure from the World Bank and U.S. loan conditions, the Mexican government has cut spending intended to raise rural incomes. Prices have risen dramatically since price controls and subsidies were eliminated for necessities like gasoline, electricity, bus fares, tortillas, and milk.
Raquel Cruz Manzano, principal of the Formal Primary School in San Pablo Macuiltianguis, a town in the indigenous Zapotec region, says only 900,000 Oaxacans receive organized healthcare, and the illiteracy rate is 21.8%. “The educational level in Oaxaca is 5.8 years,” Cruz notes, “against a national average of 7.3 years. The average monthly wage for non-governmental employees is less than 2,000 pesos [about $200] per family [per month], the lowest in the nation. Around 75,000 children have to work in order to survive or to help their families.”
"But there are no jobs here, and NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement] made the price of corn so low that it's not economically possible to plant a crop anymore," Dominguez asserts. "We come to the U.S. to work because we can't get a price for our product at home. There's no alternative."
Without large scale political change most local communities won’t have the resources for productive projects and economic development that could provide a decent living. Towns like Juxtlahuaca, don’t even have waste water treatment. Rural communities rely on the same rivers for drinking water that are also used to carry away sewage. “A typical teacher earns about 2200 pesos every two weeks [about $220],” says Jaime Medina, a reporter for Oaxaca’s daily Noticias. “From that they have to purchase chalk, pencils and other school supplies for the children,”
Because of its indigenous membership, FIOB campaigns for the rights of migrants in the U.S. who come from those communities. It calls for immigration amnesty and legalization for undocumented migrants. FIOB has also condemned the proposals for guest worker programs. Migrants need the right to work, but “these workers don't have labor rights or benefits," Dominguez charges. "It's like slavery.”
At the same time, “we need development that makes migration a choice rather than a necessity -- the right to not migrate,” explains Gaspar Rivera Salgado, a professor at UCLA. “Both rights are part of the same solution. We have to change the debate from one in which immigration is presented as a problem to a debate over rights. The real problem is exploitation.” But the right to stay home, to not migrate, has to mean more than the right to be poor, the right to go hungry and homeless. Choosing whether to stay home or leave only has meaning if each choice can provide a meaningful future.
This family perhaps has come close to achieving the derecho de no migrar. For the millions of farmers throughout the indigenous countryside, not migrating means doing something like it. But finding the necessary resources, even for a small number of families and communities, presents FIOB with its biggest challenge. This was the source of the debate at its Juxtlahuaca assembly.
Gaspar Rivera-Salgado says, “we will find the answer to migration in our communities of origin. To make the right to not migrate concrete, we need to organize the forces in our communities, and combine them with the resources and experiences we’ve accumulated in 16 years of cross-border organizing.” Fernando, the greenhouse builder and mushroom farmer, agrees that FIOB has the ability to organize people. “But now we have to take the next step,” he urges, “and make concrete changes in peoples’ lives.”
Organizing FIOB’s support base in Oaxaca means more than just making speeches, however. As Fernando Rivera Salgado points out, communities want projects that help raise their income. Over the years FIOB has organized women weavers in Juxtlahuaca, helping them sell their textiles and garments through its chapters in California. It set up a union for rural taxis, both to help farming famiies get from Juxtlahuaca to the tiny towns in the surrounding hills, and to provide jobs for drivers. Artisan co-ops make traditional products, helped by a co-operative loan fund.
The government does have some money for loans to start similar projects, but it usually goes to officials who often just pocket it, supporters of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which has ruled Oaxaca since it was formed in the 1940s. One objective debated at the FIOB assembly was organizing community pressure to win some of these resources. But any government subsidy is viewed with suspicion by activists who know the strings tied to it.
Another concern is the effect of the funding on communities themselves. “Part of our political culture is the use of regalos, or government favors, to buy votes,” Gaspar Rivera Salgado explains. “People want regalos, and think an organization is strong because of what it can give. But now people are demanding these results from FIOB, so do we help them or not? And if we do, how can we change the way people think? It’s critical that our members see organization as the answer to problems, not a gift from the government or a political party. FIOB members need political education.”
Political abstention isn’t an option, however, warns Juan Romualdo Gutierrez Cortez. “We aren’t the only organization in Oaxaca – there are 600 others. If we don’t do it, they will.” But for the 16 years of its existence, FIOB has been a crucial part of the political opposition to Oaxaca’s PRI government. Gutierrez, a school teacher in Tecomaxtlahuaca, was FIOB’s Oaxaca coordinator until he stepped down at the Juxtlahuaca assembly. He is also a leader of Oaxaca’s teachers union, Section 22 of the National Education Workers Union, and of the Popular Association of the People of Oaxaca (APPO).
In June of 2006 a strike by Section 22 led to a months-long uprising, led by APPO, which sought to remove the state’s governor, Ulises Ruiz, and make a basic change in development and economic policy. The uprising was crushed by Federal armed intervention, and dozens of activists were arrested. According to Leoncio Vasquez, an FIOB activist in Fresno, "the lack of human rights itself is a factor contributing to migration from Oaxaca and Mexico, since it closes off our ability to call for any change." This spring teachers again occupied the central plaza, or zocalo, of the state capital, protesting the same conditions that sparked the uprising two years ago.
Gutierrez himself was not jailed during the uprising, although the state issued an order for his detention. But he’s been arrested before. In the late 1990s he was elected to the Oaxaca Chamber of Deputies, in an alliance between FIOB and Mexico’s leftwing Democratic Revolutionary Party. Following his term in office, Gutierrez was imprisoned by Ruiz’ predecessor, Jose Murat, until a binational campaign won his release. His crime, and that of many others filling Oaxaca’s jails, was insisting on a new path of economic development that would raise rural living standards, and make migration just an option, rather than an indispensable means of survival.
Despite the fact that APPO wasn’t successful in getting rid of Ruiz and the PRI, Gaspar Rivera-Salgado believes that “in Mexico we’re very close to getting power in our communities on a local and state level.” He points to Gutierrez’ election as state deputy, and later as mayor of his hometown San Miguel Tlacotepec. Other municipal presidents, allied with FIOB, have also won office, and activists are beginning to plan a FIOB campaign to elect a Federal deputy.
FIOB delegates agreed that the organization would continue its alliance with the PRD. Nevertheless, that alliance is controversial, partly because of the party’s internal disarray. “We know the PRD is caught up in an internal crisis, and there’s no real alternative vision on the left,” Rivera Salgado says. “But there are no other choices if we want to participate in electoral politics, so we’re trying to put forward positive proposals. We’re asking people in the PRD to stop fighting over positions, and instead use the resources of the party to organize the community. We can’t change things by ourselves. First, we have to reorganize our own base. But then we have to find strategic allies.
“Migration is part of globalization,” he emphasizes, “an aspect of state policies that expel people. Creating an alternative to that requires political power. There’s no way to avoid that.”
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Date of this Version
2007
Abstract
In this study, we applied a genome fragment enrichment (GFE) method to select for genomic regions that differ among different fecal metagenomes. Competitive DNA hybridizations were performed between chicken fecal DNA and pig fecal DNA (CP) and between chicken fecal DNA and an avian DNA composite consisting of turkey, goose, and seagull fecal DNA extracts (CB) to enrich for chicken-specific DNA fragments. A total of 471 non-redundant chicken metagenomic sequences were retrieved and analyzed. All of the clone sequences were similar to prokaryotic genes, of which more than 60% could not be assigned to previously characterized functional roles. In general terms, sequences assigned characterized functional roles were associated with cellular processes (11.7%), metabolism (11.0%) and information storage and processing (13.4%). Approximately 53% of the nonredundant sequences are similar to genes present in intestinal bacteria belonging to Clostridia (20.9%), Bacteroidetes (15.0%), and Bacilli (17.3%). Twenty-five sequences from the CP and CB clone libraries were selected to develop chicken fecal-specific PCR assays. These assays were challenged against fecal DNA extracted from 21 different animal species, including mammals and birds. The results from the host-specificity studies showed that 12 of the assays had a high degree of specificity to chicken feces. In addition, three assays were specific to chicken and turkey while another four assays tested positive to more than two avian species, suggesting a broader distribution of some of the enriched gene fragments among different avian fecal microbial communities. Fecal pollution signals were detected using chicken-specific assays in contaminated water samples, although the PCR assays showed different detection limits. These results indicate the need for multiple assays to detect poultry fecal sources of pollution. The competitive DNA hybridization approach used in this study can rapidly select for numerous chicken fecal metagenomic regions that can be used as potential genetic markers for fecal source tracking.
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1 The Effects of Distance Education on K-12 Student Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis Cathy Cavanaugh, University of North Florida Kathy Jo Gillan, Duval County Public Schools Jeff Kromrey, University of South Florida Melinda Hess, University of South Florida Robert Blomeyer, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory This study was supported by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL). The content does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of NCREL. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Cathy Cavanaugh, Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL of 32
2 Abstract Since the early 1930s, elementary and secondary students have learned through the use of electronic distance learning systems. Several benefits have been reported for K-12 distance education: increased access to education for students with a wide range of needs, flexibility in the speed and schedule of learning, greater parental influence on education. However, some researchers have found that the effectiveness of distance education depends on the contexts in which it occurs. The research on the effects of distance education on K-12 student outcomes has been somewhat ambiguous. This meta-analysis of 116 effect sizes from 14 web-delivered distance education programs studied between 1999 and 2004 shows that distance education can have the same effect on measures of student academic achievement when compared to traditional instruction. The study-weighted mean effect size across all outcomes was with a 95% confidence interval from to No factors were found to be related to significant positive or negative effects. The factors that were tested included academic content area, grade level of the students, role of the distance learning program, role of the instructor, length of the program, type of school, frequency of the distance learning experience, pacing of instruction, timing of instruction, instructor preparation and experience in distance education, and the setting of the students. 2 of 32
3 The Effects of Distance Education on K-12 Student Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis Beginning in the 1930s, radio was used simultaneously to bring courses to school students and to help teachers learn progressive Deweyan methods of teaching (Bianchi 2002), in what might have been among the earliest professional development school models. From that point on, television, audio and videoconferencing, the Internet, and other technologies have been adapted for the needs of young learners. Distance Education in the K-12 Context Among the benefits of distance education for school-age children are increases in enrollment or time in school as education programs reach underserved regions, broader educational opportunity for students who are unable to attend traditional schools, access to resources and instructors not locally available, and increases in student-teacher communication. Students in virtual schools showed greater improvement that their conventional school counterparts in critical thinking, researching, using computers, learning independently, problem-solving, creative thinking, decision-making, and time management (Barker & Wendel 2001). Academic advantages over traditional classroom instruction were demonstrated by students in Mexico s Telesecundaria program, who were substantially more likely than other groups to pass a final 9 th grade examination administered by the state (Calderoni, 1998, p. 6); by students taking a chemistry by satellite course (Dees 1994); and by students learning reading and math via interactive radio instruction (Yasin & Luberisse 1998). Distance education is not the most effective choice in all situations. Students may feel isolated, parents may have concerns about children s social development, students with language difficulties may experience a disadvantage in a text-heavy online environment, and subjects requiring physical demonstrations of skill such as music, physical education, or foreign language may not be practical in a technology-mediated setting. For example, Bond (2002) found that distance between tutor and learner in an online instrumental music program has negative effects on performance quality, student engagement, and development and refinement of skills and knowledge. While distance learning was viewed as beneficial for providing the opportunity for elementary school students to learn a foreign language, Conzemius and Sandrock (2003) report that the optimal learning situation still involves the physical presence of a teacher (p. 47). Virtual school students show less improvement than those in conventional schools in listening and speaking skills (Barker & Wendel 2001). Highly technical subjects have also proven to be difficult to teach well online. The Alberta Online Consortium evaluated student performance on end-of-year exams among virtual school students across the province, and found that virtual school student scores in mathematics at grades 3, 6, 9, and 12, and the sciences at grades 6 and 9 lagged significantly behind scores of non-virtual school students (Schollie 2001). Given instruction of equal quality, groups of students learning online generally achieve at levels equal to their peers in classrooms (Kearsley 2000). Equality between the delivery systems has been well documented over decades for adult learners, and while much less research exists focusing on K-12 learners, the results tend to agree. Evidence to date convincingly demonstrates that, when used appropriately, electronically delivered education e-learning 3 of 32
4 can improve how students learn, can improve what students learn, and can deliver high-quality learning opportunities to all children (NASBE 2001, p. 4). Many studies report no significant differences between K-12 distance education and traditional education in academic achievement (Falck et al 1997, Goc Karp & Woods 2003, Hinnant 1994, Jordan 2002, Kozma et al 2000, Mills 2002, Ryan 1996), frequency of communication between students and teachers (Kozma et al), and attitude toward courses (McGreal 1994). Although technology-enabled distance education for pre-college students is nearing its century mark, comparatively little research has been published that can serve to guide instructors, planners, or developers. The temptation may be to attempt to apply or adapt findings from studies of K-12 classroom learning or on adult distance learning, but K-12 distance education is fundamentally unique. A primary characteristic that sets successful distance learners apart from their classroom-based counterparts is their autonomy (Keegan 1996) and greater student responsibility (Wedemeyer 1981). By the time they reach higher education, most adults have acquired a degree of autonomy in learning, but younger students need to be scaffolded as part of the distance education experience. Virtual school teachers must be adept at helping children acquire the skills of autonomous learning, including self-regulation. Adult learners more closely approach expertise in the subjects they study, due to their long experience with the concepts, whereas children are novices. This distinction is important because experts organize and interpret information very differently from novices, and these differences affect learners abilities to remember and solve problems (Bransford, Brown & Cocking 1999), and their ability to learn independently. Expert learners have better developed metacognition, a characteristic that children develop gradually. A second characteristic that differentiates successful distance learners from unsuccessful ones is an internal locus of control, leading them to persist in the educational endeavor (Rotter 1989). Research has found that older children have more internal locus of control than younger children (Gershaw 1989), reinforcing the need for careful design and teaching of distance education at K- 12 levels. Young students are different from adult learners in other ways. Piaget s stages of cognitive development, in particular preoperational (2 to 7 years), concrete operational (7 to 11 years), and formal operational (11 years to adulthood), offer pedagogical guidance for delivering effective web based education, focusing on the major accomplishments of learners in these stages. Each stage is characterized by the emergence of new abilities and ways of processing information (Slavin 2003, p. 30), which necessitates specialized instructional approaches and attention to each child s development. Since adults have progressed through these stages of cognitive development, delivery of web based education at the adult level need not concentrate on methods that help the learner develop these cognitive skills. However, web based instruction for students in their formative years must include age appropriate developmental activities, building on the students accomplishments in and through the cognitive stages. Piaget helps us to understand that learning should be holistic, authentic, and realistic. Less emphasis should be placed on isolated skills aimed at teaching individual concepts. Students are more likely to learn skills while engaged in authentic, meaningful activities. Authentic activities 4 of 32
5 are inherently interesting and meaningful to the student. Web-based technology offers a vast array of opportunities to help expand the conceptual and experiential background of the student (Bolton 2002, p. 5). Neo-Piagetian theorists have expanded on Piaget s model of cognitive development. Among others, Vygotsky proposed that historical and cultural context play significant roles in helping people think, communicate, and solve problems, proposing that cognitive development is strongly linked to input from others. Vygotsky s theory implies that cognitive development and the ability to use thought to control our own actions require first mastering cultural communication systems and then learning to use these systems to regulate our own thought process. He believed that learning takes place when children are working within their zone of proximal development. Tasks within the zone of proximal development are ones that children cannot yet do alone but could do with the assistance of more competent peers or adults (Slavin 2003, p ). When working with children using web-based technology, teachers must offer students activities that make use of the web s powerful tools for collaborative learning, and are within their zone of proximal development. Online communities can provide a supportive context that makes new kinds of learning experiences possible (Bruckman 1998, p ). Constructivism, a widely used theory in distance education, is founded on the premise that by reflecting on our experiences we construct our understanding of the world we live in. Each of us generates our own "rules" and "mental models," which we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences (Brooks & Brooks 1993). Children have not had the experiences that adults have had to help them construct understanding. Therefore, children construct an understanding of the world around them that lacks the rich experiences that adults have had. Scaffolding or mediated learning is important in helping children achieve these cognitive understandings (Slavin 2003, p. 259), and are essential components of web-based learning experiences for children. With the emphasis on scientifically-based research and the call for evidence-based program decisions in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, detailed knowledge is needed to guide the growing numbers of cyber/online/virtual school developers and educators. Metaanalysis is an established technique for synthesizing research findings to enable both a broader basis for understanding a phenomenon and a parsing of influences on the phenomenon. Several recent meta-analyses related to distance education have been published in recent years (Table 1). Table 1. Summary of recent meta-analyses in distance education Author(s), Date Focus N of studies Effect Size Allen, Bourhis, Student satisfaction Burrell, Mabry, among adult learners Bernard, Abrami, Lou, Borokhovski, Wade, Wozney, Wallet, Fiset, Huang, Student achievement, attitude, retention of 32
6 Cavanaugh, Machtmes, Asher, Shachar, Neumann, Ungerleider, Burns, Academic achievement of K-12 students Adult telecourses Student achievement Networked and online learning 12 for achievement 4 for satisfaction 0 for achievement for satisfaction Only one of the recent meta-analyses in distance education focused on K-12 learners, and it included web-based programs along with the analog conference and broadcast programs no longer in common use in today s virtual schools. The explosion in virtual schools, especially virtual charter schools in the United States, has necessitated a fresh look at the knowledge base. The need is for research that guides practitioners in refining practice so the most effective methods are used. Purpose of the Study A synthesis of studies of the effectiveness of distance education programs for K-12 learners has a number of advantages. Because all of the studies included in this review drew data from schoolbased classes, the review can provide valuable insight into the practical effectiveness of K-12 distance education. Controlled experimental research may offer findings of theoretical interest but may not be generalizable to complex learning settings such as virtual schools or classes. The uncontrollable cultural and social variables naturally present in a school or class, whether online or on-ground, make a statistical synthesis a more exact test of the strength of K-12 distance education. The effects of virtual learning would have to be strong and consistent to be measurable across a range of natural milieus. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to provide a quantitative synthesis of the research literature of web-based K-12 distance education from 1999 to the present, across content areas, grade levels, and outcome measures. The first goal was to determine the effects of distance education on K-12 student outcomes, specifically academic achievement. The second goal was to identify the effects on student outcomes of the features of distance education, including content area, duration of use, frequency of use, grade level of students, role of the instructor, type of school, timing of interactions, and pacing of the learning. From the literature, the meta-analysis seeks to answer the following questions: 1. Is distance education as effective, in terms of student achievement, as classroom-based instruction? 2. To what extent are student outcomes related to the features of a distance education system (duration of use, frequency of use, role of the instructor, timing of interactions, and pacing of the learning)? 3. To what extent are student outcomes related to features of the educational context (content area, school type, and grade level)? 6 of 32
7 4. To what extent are results related to study features (year, type of publication, various potential threats to validity)? Meta-analysis, the use of statistical analysis to synthesize a body of literature, is appropriate for answering questions such as these because it allows comparison of different studies by computing an effect size for each study. Meta-analysis is used to estimate the size of a treatment s effect, and allows investigation into relationships among study features and outcomes (Bangert-Drowns 2004). The inclusion of a study in a meta-analysis is limited by several factors, the most significant of which is the reporting of the information needed to compute effect size. Very often, reports released by virtual schools and other distance education programs do not include mean scores, comparison group scores, sample sizes, or standard deviations. Nonetheless, the meta-analytic technique is a way to identify effects or relationships in literature that may not be evident otherwise (Lipsey & Wilson 2001). Method This quantitative synthesis is a meta-analysis of empirical studies published since 1999 that compared the effects of web-delivered distance education with classroom-based learning on K- 12 student academic performance. Since 1999 the sophistication in the use of distance learning tools has improved, but the types of tools available to schools have remained approximately the same. The stages of the meta-analysis were identification and retrieval of applicable studies, coding of study features and findings, and data analysis. These stages are described below. For the purposes of this meta-analysis, studies were included in the analysis if they met the following criteria for inclusion. The studies must: Be available as a journal article, dissertation or report in English between 1999 and Compare K-12 students in a distance education group to a non-distance education group, or compare the distance education group before and after distance education. Use web-based telecommunications, such that at least 50% of the students participation in the course or program occurred at a physical distance from the instructor. Be quantitative, experimental, and quasi-experimental studies for which effect size could be computed, the outcome measures were the same or comparable, and the N was 2 or greater. Use student academic achievement, motivation, attitude, retention, or behavior as outcome variables. Location and selection of studies Numerous databases, journals, websites, and bibliographic resources were searched for studies that met the established inclusion criteria. In each case, search terms included: cybercharter cyberschool distance education distance learning 7 of 32
8 elearning mlearning online school open learning open school schoolnet telelearning virtual charter virtual school. Electronic searches were systematically conducted in the following databases: Dissertation Abstracts ERIC JSTOR Kluwer ProQuest Education PsychInfo Wilson Education. Web searches were performed using the Google, Teoma, Grokker, MetaCrawler, and AltaVista search sites. Abstracts in the following distance education journals were examined: American Journal of Distance Education Computers & Education Distance Education Journal of Distance Education Journal of Distance Learning Open Learning. Abstracts in the following educational technology journals were examined: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education journals Australasian Journal of Educational Technology British Journal of Educational Technology Canadian Journal of Educational Communication Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology Computers in the School Educational Technology & Society Educational Technology Research and Development Journal of Computer Mediated Communication Journal of Computing in Childhood Education Journal of Educational Computing Research Journal of Information Technology Education Journal of Interactive Media in Education Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 8 of 32
9 Abstracts in American Educational Research Journal were examined, as were abstracts in the following electronic journals: Australian Educational Computing Australian Journal of Educational Technology Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education International Journal of Educational Technology International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks Journal of Interactive Online Learning Online Journal of Distance Education Administration TechKnowLogia: International Journal of Technologies for the Advancement of Knowledge and Learning Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. In addition, abstracts were examined in the following conference proceedings: American Education Research Association Canadian Association for Distance Education EdMedia E-Learn/WebNet Society for Technology in Teacher Education. The web sites of several distance education organizations and over 200 virtual schools were browsed for studies, and the director of each virtual school was contacted at the address listed on the school s website to request studies. The department of education website for each state was browsed for report cards for state virtual charter schools. The reference lists of the six recent meta-analyses of distance education shown in Table 1 were reviewed for potential studies. Of the thousands of abstracts that were reviewed, 80 full-text articles, dissertations, or reports concerning DE and traditional instruction at K-12 level were obtained and evaluated for inclusion in the analysis. Independently, two researchers read all collected studies to determine eligibility for inclusion based on the stated criteria. Fourteen of the studies were found to meet all criteria for inclusion. Of the 66 studies that were examined and excluded, 28% were descriptive reports, 14% reported on uses of telecommunications or other educational technology that did not meet the definition of distance education, 25% reported results without control or comparison group data, and 33% included summary data only or did not provide data sufficient to compute effect size. Limitations of the Review For literature on K-12 distance education to be meaningfully synthesized, the inclusion criteria had to be narrowly specified. This synthesis included studies with data on the performance of grades 3-12 students in web-based distance learning programs to students in classrooms. Measures of performance present in the literature do not draw a complete picture of the full range of effects that students experience as a result of participation in distance education. Qualitative studies, strict experimental studies, narrative reports, and other designs offer 9 of 32
10 information not acquired in this analysis. Although the inclusion criteria were designed to allow a wide range of studies to be analyzed so that a comprehensive knowledge of K-12 distance education would result, a small number of studies was analyzed. The results should be interpreted with caution. Coding of study features Coding of study features allows the meta-analyst to unravel different study factors related to variations in the phenomenon from factors related to method (Lipsey & Wilson 2001). The coding used in this analysis was identified from research on K-12 distance education and from variables typically coded in contemporary meta-analyses in education. A trial conducted on a small sample of studies led to the addition of variables in the codebook that were not present in the initial set of variables. Each study was coded independently by two researchers according to the established coding procedure. The full codebook is included in Appendix A. The initial interrater agreement across all coded variables was 85%. Discrepancies between researchers were discussed and resolved. The entire dataset was reviewed for the presence of discrepancies and unexpected values. Fourteen studies, with a total of 116 outcomes, had data sufficient to include in the analysis. The dependent variable in this synthesis was student outcome measured by instruments appropriate to the individual study given at the end of the distance education period which varied from a few weeks to an entire academic year. The measures included district, state, or national examinations; and teacher or researcher designed tests of academic performance. The studies were coded on 45 factors, categorized into five groups: identification of studies, distance education features, instructor/program features, study quality features, and sources of invalidity. Of particular interest were the variables associated with distance education features (e.g. duration of the experience, role of the distance learning, role of the instructor, timing of the interactions) and instructor/program features (e.g. amount of teacher preparation for distance teaching, setting of the students). In many cases, however, the literature failed to report the detail needed to make meaningful comparisons on these factors. The levels of each variable were compared by computing average effect sizes for each level, but examination of interactions among the different variables was not practical due to the small number of effect sizes available. Calculation of effect sizes The effect sizes estimated for each study outcome were computed using Cohen s d, defined in this meta-analysis as the difference between the non-distance learning group and the distance learning posttest mean scores divided by the average standard deviation. A correction factor for small sample bias in effect size estimation (Hedges, Shymansky & Woodworth 1989) was used in cases in which sample sizes were small. The unit of analysis was the study outcome. For studies in which more than one independent group of students was evaluated, independent effect sizes were estimated for each group, were weighted to avoid study bias, and were included in the aggregated effect size estimate. A positive effect size, with a 95% confidence interval not 10 of 32
11 encompassing zero, is an indication that the distance learning group outperformed the nondistance learning group. Table 2. Selected study features and effect sizes for 14 studies of web-based K-12 distance education Author, year Alberta Consortium 2001* Alaska Department of Education and Early Development 2003* Colorado Department of Education 2003a* Colorado Department of Education 2003b* Colorado Department of Education 2003c* Colorado Department of Education 2003d* Goc Karp & Woods 2003* Indiana Department of Education, 2004* Minnesota Department of Education 2003* Grade level 3, 6, 9, , 9-12 Subject area English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies Reading, Writing, Mathematics 3-6 Reading, Writing, Mathematics 7-8 Reading, Writing, Mathematics 3-6 Reading, Writing, Mathematics 7-8 Reading, Writing, Mathematics 9-12 Physical education 3, 6 Reading, mathematics 5 Reading, mathematics School type Mix of public and private State charter State charter State charter State charter State charter Public State charter State charter Outcome measure National test State and national tests Mock 2000* 12 Science Public Teacher made test Stevens 1999* 12 Science Public Teacher made test Washington 7 Reading, State Office of the Writing, charter Superintendent Mathematics, of Public Listening Instruction 2003* Wisconsin Department of Public 3 Reading State charter Instructional role of the distance learning Timing of interactions N Weighted mean effect size (d) 95% CI for d (upper/lo wer) Course Asynchronous / Full program Synchronous / State test Full program Asynchronous / State test Full program Asynchronous / State test Full program Combination synchronous asynchronous State test Full program Combination synchronous asynchronous / / Class assignments Portion of course Asynchronous / State test Full program Unspecified / State test Full program Unspecified / Portion of course Asynchronous / Portion of Unspecified /- course State test Full program Asynchronous / State test Full program Asynchronous / of 32
12 Instruction 2003 Texas Education Agency 2003* 9-11 English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies State charter * indicates studies yielding multiple effect sizes State test Full program Combination / Statistical analysis of effect sizes The test for heterogeneity (Q), based on Hedges and Olkin (1985), was used to determine whether the effect sizes of the studies were homogenously distributed, in other words, to learn whether the distribution of effect sizes around their mean was what would be expected from sampling error alone (Lipsey & Wilson 2001). The Q value for the weighted effect sizes was 1.485, and was considered to be homogeneous, indicating that the variance observed was likely to be due to sampling error. Therefore, the fixed-effects model was used to estimate variance (Kromrey & Hogarty 2002). Study feature analyses were performed to determine the extent to which student outcomes were moderated by the study variables. Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software was used for the analyses. Effect size comparisons were done for the variables: grade level, content area, duration and frequency of the distance learning experience, instructional role of the distance education, pacing of the instruction, role of the instructor, timing of the interactions, and types of interactions, as well as for various study quality and invalidity factors. Results Characteristics of the Studies The 14 studies included in the analysis yielded 116 independent effect sizes drawn from a combined sample of 7561 students whose performance as a result of participation in a distance education program was compared to control groups in which students did not participate in distance education. Sixty one percent of the study results had sample sizes of less than 50, and 16% had sample sizes above 100. All but one of the studies included more than one comparison, and the average number of comparisons per study was 8, ranging from one to 38. Eighty six percent of the studies were organization reports, 7% were published articles, and 7% were dissertations. All of the studies were published between 1999 and 2004, with eleven published during 2003 and 2004, and three published from 1999 through Two studies were published in Canada, and the other twelve were published in the U.S. A range of distance learning structures was examined in the literature. Half of the studies reported on programs that used asynchronous timing in instruction. Three studies documented a program that used a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction, one program was delivered synchronously, and the remaining programs did not report on instructional timing. Ten of the studies reported results of student participation in full year-long distance learning programs, one included data for distance learning courses, and three studies focused on portions of courses delivered at a distance for less than a semester. Thirteen studies included data from 12 of 32
13 programs in which students participated approximately five days per week, and the other study did not indicate the frequency of student participation. The studies encompassed a variety of instructional features. The bulk of the results, 75%, occurred in the secondary grades, The other results concern elementary age children, in grades 3-5. Results from seven academic content areas were reported. Thirty percent of the results came from tests of reading ability, followed by mathematics, which accounted for 26% of the results. Writing was the subject for 16% of the results, science was the topic of 14%, and social studies made up 9% of the results. Three percent of results came from physical education comparisons, and one percent from a test of listening. National tests were used to compare outcomes in one study, state tests were used in nine studies, teacher made tests were used in two studies, and one study reported data from both state and national tests. Overall Effects of K-12 Distance Education The analysis resulted in an overall weighted effect size not significantly different from zero, a result that is in line with the results of recent meta-analyses of distance education (see Table 1), which tend to show that distance education is as effective as classroom instruction. The weighted mean effect size across all results was , with a standard error of and a 95% confidence interval from to The average unweighted Cohen s d was , and the median effect size was The effect sizes varied considerably among the studies (see Figure 1). Unweighted effect sizes ranged from to 0.597, with a standard deviation of 0.157, indicating that some applications of distance education appeared to be much better than classroom instruction and others were much worse. However, each of the fourteen studies and all except one of the 116 outcomes within the studies had individual effect sizes that did not differ significantly from zero. Figure 1. Distribution of unweighted effect sizes Distribution of unweighted effect sizes 100 Number of results Effect size 13 of 32
14 Figure 2. Confidence intervals for individual effect sizes of 116 outcomes Confidence Intervals for Individual Effect Sizes Of the 45 factors coded in the study, the following 30 were examined to determine sources of significant variation in effect sizes. Ten of the remaining variables were used for identifying the studies or computing effect size, and the other five could not be compared because the studies did not include the data for coding the variables, or the variable was not a relevant factor in the studies. The variables that went uncoded due to the absence of data were the frequency of student participation in distance learning, the level of preparation of the teachers in distance education, and the amount of experience of the teachers in distance education. The variables that were not relevant factors for the studies were control for the effects of a second testing, and control for the effects of a pretest. Analysis of variance was not meaningful for some of the variables because of missing data in the studies, resulting in a high number of cases in which a value of unspecified was coded for the variable. Publication and Methodological Variables Twenty variables were coded to discover whether publication or methodological variables accounted for variation in effect sizes. The publication features included the year of publication, the type of publication, and the region of publication. The methodological variables related to the testing sequence in the study, the type of achievement measure used in achievement studies, pretest equivalency measures, study design, statistical power, and control for 12 potential sources 14 of 32
15 of invalidity. None of the variable comparisons resulted in effect sizes significantly different from zero. Distance Education Variables Eleven variables were used to identify the features of the distance education experience that may play a role in student performance. They were duration of the program, frequency of use of distance learning, instructional role of the program, number of distance learning sessions, duration of distance learning sessions, pacing of the instruction, role of the instructor, timing of the interactions, type of interactions, amount of teacher preparation for distance instruction, and amount of teacher experience in distance instruction. Because of the individualized nature of distance education, only two of the studies indicated specific numbers and durations of distance learning sessions, and they were studies of limited partial-course experiences. Half of the studies did not indicate whether students or instructors set the pace within the distance learning timeframe, while three of the programs were completely self-paced, and four were designed for students to set their pace within parameters set by the instructor. In terms of the role of the instructor in teaching, one program was fully moderated, five were non-moderated, four used a combination of moderated and non-moderated activities, and four did not indicate the instructors role. Ten programs used a combination of interactions among students, content, instructors, and others; one limited interactions to student-content; and three did not specify interaction types. No studies described the levels of instructor preparation or experience required of or possessed by the instructors. All levels of each distance education variable had effect sizes not significantly different from zero. Instructional and Program Variables The five variables that indicated the extent to which instructional and program factors played a role in student outcomes were grade level, school type, content area, the qualifications of the teacher in the teaching field, and the setting of the students. Twelve of the studies indicated that the instructors were certified teachers, and the other two studies did not describe the credentials of the instructors. In five of the programs, students participated from home or a non-school location, four programs are designed such that students completed some work from home and some in a school setting, in three programs, students did their distance learning work while at a school, and two programs did not specify the setting of the students. All instructional and program factors had effect sizes that were effectively zero. Discussion The literature reviewed in this meta-analysis includes results from 116 comparisons of grades 3-12 web-based distance education programs with classroom-based teaching, including data for 7561 students. The questions of the effectiveness of distance education for K-12 student performance, and of the factors influencing its effectiveness were addressed using fixed-effects effect size estimation. The findings confirm those of other recent meta-analyses of distance education programs, and provide a needed update to the meta-analysis focused on K-12 students 15 of 32
16 which was completed in 1998 just as the web-based systems were beginning to be studied in virtual schooling. The analysis showed that for the factors examined, distance learning did not outperform or underperform classroom instruction. The number of studies was small, and many studies did not report detailed information, so the results should be viewed as indications of tendencies rather than prescriptions for practice. Implications for Research and Practice Distance education as it has been implemented at the K-12 level over the past decade has improved over time according to several measures: providing access to education and choice in course offerings to increased numbers of students, offering education to a larger range of grade levels and ability levels, using more interactive and widely accessible technologies, and leading students to academic success on a wider range of achievement instruments. The effect of distance education on learning may be moderated by several factors, existing as it does in a very complex web of educational, technological, and social dynamics. Factors such as the design of the distance learning system, the demands of the content, the abilities and disabilities of the student, and the quality of the teacher are likely to be influential factors, as they are in conventional educational enterprises. The consistency of the effects shown in the studies analyzed in this review suggest that as distance education is currently practiced, educators and other stakeholders can reasonably expect learning in a well-designed distance education environment to be equivalent to learning in a well-designed classroom environment. How will K-12 distance education realize greater potential and maximize it effectiveness? How will designers and managers of K-12 distance education programs make better decisions in order to design and deliver a more effective program? The answers lie in changes in the ways policymakers and researchers do their work in this complex context. In order for distance education to be evaluated, data must be collected and reported in detail. Such data collection begins with identification of goals. Policymakers and evaluators must enter into a partnership in which common goals are identified, an evaluation plan is acted on, and detailed reporting follows. Evaluation must be seen as a tool to support policy setting and decision making (Means & Haertel 2004). It is no longer enough to ask whether distance education is effective, we need to understand why (Sabelli 2004). We need to know how to make it more effective, what factors contribute most to effectiveness, and in what contexts the factors operate. Acquiring this knowledge requires consensus on a definition of effectiveness that goes beyond standardized tests, and a system for identifying and measuring factors that influence effectiveness. As Means and Haertel stress, many studies of the effects of technology-supported innovations are hindered by a lack of measures of student learning commensurate with the initiative s goals (p. 99). One factor warranting special consideration in assessing the effectiveness of virtual schooling is teacher quality. In classrooms, teacher effectiveness is a strong determiner of differences in student learning, far outweighing differences in class size and heterogeneity (Darling-Hammond 2000). Based on the similarities in student outcomes between distance and classroom learning, there is every reason to expect that teacher preparation is critical in distance education. However, there has been very little formal preparation available addressing the unique nature of online instruction and very little time for teachers to develop their expertise as online instructors. As 16 of 32
17 professional development becomes more common and expertise grows, student success is likely to grow as well. As second factor that is growing in importance in K-12 distance education is the emergence of virtual charter schools. By 2002, there were about 2000 charter schools nationwide, and the No Child Left Behind Act allows public schools that chronically fail to make adequate yearly progress to be restructured as charter schools (Nelson, Rosenburg & Van Meter 2004, page 1). According to state department of education websites, there are now almost 100 virtual charter schools operating. This synthesis includes data from ten virtual charter schools, all of which performed at levels equivalent to non-virtual public schools in their states. In contrast, the report on charter school achievement on the National Assessment of Education Progress (Nelson, Rosenburg & Van Meter) provides evidence that charter schools overall are underperforming when compared to non-charter public schools. Charter school students had significantly lower achievement in grades 4 and 8 math and reading, even when eligibility for free or reduced price lunch and urban location were factored into the comparison. When minority status was used as a factor, it was found that black and Hispanic charter school students scored lower in 4 th grade math and reading, but the difference was not significant. The fact that virtual charter school students do not score lower that non-virtual school students is a strong indicator of the success of distance education for K-12 learning. Practitioners and policymakers in K-12 distance education are urged to use data-driven decision making, and to do so they must be informed by experience and data must be available. In 2004, there have been fewer than ten years of accumulated experience and too little detailed research published on web-based distance education methods. The lack of detail in the research to date hinders thorough investigation of the factors influencing practice, and limits what can be learned for the improvement of practice. Conclusions Learning using telecommunications and general school learning can be very similar experiences. While distance learning as it is practiced in today s virtual schools uses technology that is less than ten years old and advances rapidly, the literature has shown that a student s education online can be as effective as it is in a classroom, provided that a classroom with the appropriate course is accessible to the student. As the power of communication technology and educational technology grow, the skill of distance educators and designers will be challenged to provide experiences that use that power to provide an experience for students that improves on classroom instruction with its limits of time and place. Research in K-12 distance education is maturing alongside the technology and those who use it, but current web-based distance education systems have only been studied for about the last five years at the K-12 level, a very short time in which to build a body of literature. This meta-analysis represents a rigorous investigation into the literature on K-12 web-based distance education with attention on the factors likely to influence student performance. The 17 of 32
18 result shows variation in the degree of success students have experienced, and a need for more information if firm conclusions are to be drawn. Blomeyer (2002) stated the recommendation well: Support for additional professionally designed and executed program evaluations and scientific educational research should be given a high priority in all public and private agencies supporting effective implementation and use of online learning in K-12 learning communities (page 10). As of spring, 2004, there were roughly 2,400 publicly-funded cyber-based charter schools and state and district virtual schools in 37 U.S. states, with an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 students participating in online courses, according to Susan Patrick, Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (Fording 2004). With recent and continued growth in virtual schools, virtual school leaders and policy makers will need a strong research foundation on which to base decisions. The Need for Prospective Study in Virtual Schooling An important step in the right direction was taken in 2004 when the U.S. Department of Education hosted an E-learning Summit to explore the status of K-12 e-learning in the U.S. The DOE Office of Educational Technology is showing leadership in including e-learning in the new National Educational Technology Plan. Such initiatives begin to bring knowledge and expertise to more stakeholders, assist policymakers and practitioners in accessing information, and serve as a focal point for guiding future work that will improve outcomes across the spectrum. As a very recent innovation in the sometimes slow-moving world of education, distance education has been shown over decades with every variety of technology to work effectively although it works in very different ways than classroom instruction does, it meets different needs, and serves different audiences, having had far less time in which to mature. The literature contains reports on distance education programs in which student outcomes exceed those in conventional classrooms, but in order to make use of such data in syntheses such as this one, complete data need to be reported. Recommendations for K-12 Online Learning Policy and Practice Policy-makers and practitioners should continue to move forward in developing and implementing K-12 distance education programs when those programs meet identified needs and when they are designed and managed as carefully as traditional education programs. The no significant difference result reported here and elsewhere lends confidence to distance educators that their ongoing efforts are likely to be effective. This synthesis, considered together with current policy and recent research findings, demonstrates that students of many types and ages, can learn in many content areas using the flexibility and choices afforded by distance education. Optimally, the research on K-12 distance education would recommend specific practices that would lead to results that exceed those in conventional education settings. The barriers that prevent such recommendations include: a limit on the educational expertise focused on distance education as an area of study 18 of 32
19 a rather short-sighted view of the purposes of distance education, a lack of consensus about the goals of distance education, and an accompanying lack of evaluation directed at assessing progress toward those goals a failure to take into account the complexity of systems in which distance education operates a paucity of research and reporting that includes details sufficient for quantitative synthesis For distance education to add a prospective agenda to the generations of valuable retrospective study that currently guides the field, five major action recommendation must be addressed by online learning practitioners, online learning district-level leadership, and Federal and State educational policy makers: 1. First, the broader educational community needs to become better informed about K-12 online learning and distance education, to foster better communication among the widest range of experts and practitioners who have the potential to contribute to advances in the field. This crucial informational campaign requires professionals working in distance education in any capacity to network by participating in conferences, publishing articles and papers, and contributing to discussions locally and globally where people who are not involved in distance education can learn. 2. Second, the community of distance education policy makers, researchers, and practitioners should develop and articulate a long-range view of the intended and expected benefits of distance education and become advocates for suitably long-term studies of its effects. The list of potential benefits should be broad, and should be a close match to the benefits or effects anticipated for any educational experience. Curriculum content should include a liberal education in which knowledge, skills, and dispositions are developed that successful students need in order to enjoy a full life in a democracy. But effects and benefits should also include academic literacies, technology skills, and academic standards. This list of crucial, performance-based knowledge, skills, and dispositions must serve as guide in the stages of design, implementation, and evaluation of programs. Consensus is needed on the goals of distance education, and plans should follow to evaluate progress toward those goals. Distance education program directors should see researchers as partners in informing practice. 3. Third, because education occurs in a dynamic context, and the rapid change in the technology used in distance education adds to the complexity, evaluation of distance education programs needs to account for more of this complexity than has so far been the practice. 19 of 32
20 A common codebook or heuristic descriptive system should be created and refined to ensure that outcomes from distance and online learning programs can be accurately compared to other online and distance programs and to face-to-face instruction. A descriptive system supporting comparative analysis of all varieties of traditional and online and distance learning delivery systems will dramatically increase both the generalizability of results and the synthesizability of research findings available to inform development, implementation and institutionalization of online and distance learning programs. 4. Finally, standards are needed for reporting the academic and programmatic outcomes of distance education programs. Many K-12 distance education programs collect admirable amounts of data, and conduct in-house analyses, but until there are standards set to guide the reporting of data, educational research will remain limited to examining results from only a small, enlightened subset of these programs. The actions recommended require coordination and leadership. Leadership should begin at the national level and include professional organizations like the North American Council on Online Learning and ISTE. The United States Department of Education and the leading professional organizations and groups should assume a leadership role organizing a national distance learning and online learning community of practice to work toward enacting these crucial action recommendations. Distance educators belong to a wide variety of overlapping professional groups and associations that have the potential to contribute to a powerful and effective coalition. The larger coalition needed to weld a broader professional consensus should serve as a central clearinghouse for information about K-12 online and distance education, a matchmaking service for programs and evaluators, and as an organizational focus for organizing national efforts to support online and distance learning policy and program development. Learning, progress, and data-driven decisions require the availability of relevant data. The K-12 distance education and online learning communities certainly have the infrastructure for sharing that information. An adequate and uniform system for describing academic and programmatic outcomes within and across a variety of programs and instructional delivery systems, and uniform metrics and standards that can support comparisons within and across the various delivery systems and instructional modalities. With ubiquitous availability of good information on the performance of all K-12 educational programs and instructional systems, parents and practitioners, policymakers and national political leadership can and will make the very best informed decisions about how to best educate and equip all our children for life and success during the ensuing twenty-first century. 20 of 32
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NSAIDs and COX2 inhibitors
A great, albeit technical, article on the relative risks and benefits of NSAIDs and Cox 2 inhibitors in this months Journal of Clinical Investigation. NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin inhibit both cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2, although to different extents. Low-dose aspirin preferentially blocks COX2 accounting for much of its cardioprotective effects. COX1 is widely expressed while COX2 is involved primarily in inflammation. COX2 inhibitors were designed to block inflammation (and pain) in those who couldn't tolerate traditional NSAIDS
Some interesting highlights
1. Several "traditional" NSAIDS such as diclofenac and meloxicam are fairly COX2 specific, with diclofenac (marketed as Voltaren) comprable to celecoxib (Celebrex) in both the test tube and actual side effect profile of patients taking it.
2. Naproxen may have some protective effect on cardiovascular disease because of its long half-life and relative specificity for COX1
3. Long term use is probably very important in raising the risk of both traditional NSAIDs and COX2 inhibitors. So use for a few days with an acute injury is probably insignficant for an indivdual
4. More than causing heart disease themselves, COX2 inhibitors block the ability to respond to a stimuli that causes thrombosis (clotting of blood which is the acute trigger of most heart attacks and strokes). Mice that have a defect that mimics the effect of COX2 inhibition don't get spontaneous clots, but are at increased risk when manipulated to cause clotting. Similarly, the greatest risks of COX2 inhibitors in trials were seen in patients with underlying causes of clotting (those undergoing coronary artery bypass or with rheumatoid arthirits)
The article also gives a good history of how the problems with COX2 inhibitors were worked out.
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ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION Date2012 Author
McJeon, Haewon C.
Advisor
Ruth, Matthias
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
This dissertation examines the role that technology plays in climate change mitigation. It contains three essays each focusing on different aspects of the process in which advancements in low-carbon energy technologies impact the cost of carbon dioxide (CO2) abatement. The first essay develops the analytical foundation for understanding how heterogeneous low-carbon energy technologies induce differential impacts on the abatement cost. The analysis derives sets of conditions under which different types of advanced technologies can be evaluated for their respective strengths in reducing abatement costs at different levels of abatement. It emphasizes the weakness of a single point estimation of the impact of a technology and the importance of understanding the pattern of abatement cost reductions throughout the potential levels of abatement. The second essay focuses on the interactions of the energy technologies in the market. The analysis uses a combinatorial approach in which 768 scenarios are created for all combinations of considered technology groups. Using the dataset, the analysis shows how the reduction in the abatement cost may change significantly depending on the existence of other advanced technologies. The essay shows that many of the fundamental insights from traditional representative scenario analyses are in line with the findings from this comprehensive combinatorial analysis. However, it also provides more clarity regarding insights not easily demonstrated through representative scenario analyses. The analysis emphasizes how understanding the interactions between these technologies and their impacts on the cost of abatement can help better inform energy policy decisions. The third essay focuses on the impact technological change has on the cost of abatement, but with special attention paid to the issue of delayed technology development. By combining the probability of advanced technology success estimates from expert elicitations with the abatement cost data estimated with an integrated assessment model, a stochastic dynamic programming model is developed. A multi-period extension of the model allows intertemporal dynamic optimization where the policy-maker can select the technologies to be invested in immediately and the technologies to be invested in later. The analysis emphasizes the benefit of having a wait-and-see option that lets the policy-maker further optimize upon the observation of successes and failures of prior investments. The three essays collectively serve to demonstrate the importance of clearly understanding the differences among low-carbon technologies. They also provide methodological foundations upon which such technologies can be assessed and compared. Combining these methods with an enhanced understanding of the technologies will contribute to the body of research aimed at minimizing the cost of mitigating climate change.
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A report on industrial attachment at Hamid Fabrics Limited. Abstract
The term “textile” derived from the Latin textilis and the French texere, meaning “to weave,” and it originally referred only to woven fabrics. It has, however, come to include fabrics produced by other methods. Thus, threads, cords, ropes, braids, lace, embroidery, nets, and fabrics made by weaving, knitting, bonding, felting, or tufting are textiles. Textile technology education is based on industrial ground. Theoretical background is not sufficient so, industrial training is an essential part of study to make a technologist technically sound in this field. Industrial training provides us that opportunity to gather practical knowledge.Without practical knowledge it is not possible to apply the theoretical knowledge in the practical industrial field. Therefore, the industrial attachment is the process, which builds understanding, skills and attitude of the performer, which improves his knowledge in boosting productivity and services. This industrial training minimizes the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge and make us accustomed to industrial environment. Industrial attachment helps us to familiar with technical support of modern machinery. It also provides us sufficient practical knowledge about production management, efficiency, industrial management, purchasing, utility, maintenance of machinery, their operation techniques etc. The above mentioned factors cannot be achieved successfully by means of theoretical knowledge only. This is why it should be accomplished with practical knowledge in which it is based on. Industrial training minimizes the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge and makes us accustomed to industrial environment. At Hamid Fabrics Ltd, cutting-edge technologies merge seamlessly with human ingenuity to ensure excellence in every stage and area of their activities. Hamid Fabrics Ltd. has the capability to offer a wide product range for the export textile markets. The goal of the company is to become the preferred partner for sourcing high quality fabrics and clothing from Bangladesh With highly advanced technology and an emphasis on developing local human resources. Hamid Fabrics Ltd has the potential to make an important contribution to the nation's growing ready-made garments export sector.
Collections Project Report of B.Sc [120]
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Wednesday, July 30, 2003 :: Untaxed fuel gives UK airlines £9 billion a year subsidy ::
A report by the UK government's Environmental Audit Committee
has said that to reduce the environmental impact of air transport an
emissions charge
should replace Air Passenger Duty and
Value Added Tax
should be added to the cost of domestic flights.
Airlines currently pay no tax on aviation fuel
- whereas 80% of the price motorists pay for their fuel goes into the Chancellor of the Exchequer...
Compared to road transport, the
absence of a fuel tax + VAT on receipts
means that the aviation industry currently receives
subsidies in excess of £9bn
and has little incentive to drastically reduce it's CO2 emissions...
In the UK, airline passengers are anticipated to increase from
180 million
now to
500 million
by 2030. This growth in passengers will result in
more airports
and runways being built,
undo emission cuts
in other energy intensive sectors of the economy, and may incur considerable economic costs as a result of
exacerbating climate change
...
Airlines
would understandably prefer to be left to trade their emissions on the international market or to plant trees in order to temporarily soak up their carbon... whereas the Council for the Protection of Rural England
has welcomed the conclusions of this report as a breath of fresh air
and said that the forth-coming Air Transport White Paper
will be a key test of the government's commitment to the environment...
Posted 12:18 am by Matt Prescott Tuesday, July 29, 2003 :: WHO aims to eradicate Polio by 2005 ::
Before the World Health Organisation
launched it's Polio Eradication programme
in 1988 there were
350,000 cases in 125 countries
each year...
Last year there were
235 cases
worldwide, mostly in
India, Nigeria + Pakistan
.
Plans are now in place to
immunize 175 million children
in these three countries by the end of the year, and to totally
eradicate Polio by 2005
.
Although "doable" the WHO is now seeking
$220 million
in order to ensure that this work goes ahead....
It is also requesting that countries
destroy all their non-essential stocks
of Polio and
register any laboratory stock
they intend to keep for research in order to help prevent even one case of this paralysing disease threatening the world again.
Most of the
$3 billion
so far spent on this initiative has come from W.H.O.
, UNICEF
, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
in Atlanta, Rotary International
and other partners...
Posted 11:39 pm by Matt Prescott Monday, July 28, 2003 :: Sir John Houghton Sir John Houghton :"Climate change is a WMD" ::
a former head of the UK's Meteorological Office
and co-chair of the International Panel on Climate Change
has said that climate change kills more people than terrorism
and poses at least
as great a threat to human security as "chemical, nuclear or biological weapons, or indeed international terrorism".
Although Sir John acknowledges Tony Blair has used
positive sounding rhetoric
, he charges Mr. Blair of
failing to match words with action
, and says that despite the announcement of plans for new off-shore wind farms
the UK's
renewable energy capacity currently lags behind
those of other European nations.
In 2000, a Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
recommended that the UK make
greenhouse gas emissions cuts of 60% by 2050
.
Sir John says that this should be achieved using a "
mechanism for negotiating
each country's emission target" and a globally implemented plan known as "
contraction and convergence
".
Contraction and convergence
(a process which aims for reductions in the concentration of C02 in the atmosphere and equitable per capita entitlements to emit CO2) has the advantage that it would enable the following principles to be implemented:
The precautionary principle
The principle of sustainable development
The polluter-pays principle
and
The principle of equity
.
Although the US represents
1/20th of the world's population
it
emits 25% of the world's CO2
and Sir John states that the failure to tackle the problem of climate change, and instead
increase emissions by 14%
since 1990, represents an "
enormous abdication of leadership
"... made worse by an anticipated increase of a
further 12% over the next decade
.
In conclusion, Sir John calls on Tony Blair to exhibit greater leadership on this issue and to set about organising a "
coalition of the willing
" if he cannot persuade President Bush that climate change represents a weapon of mass destruction which requires urgent action.
See the
full article
by Sir John in today's Guardian here
.
Posted 11:16 pm by Matt Prescott :: Mines Advisory Group work in Iraq ::
The Mines Advisory Group
has produced an informative photo gallery
outlining their work cleaning up
unexploded bombs + landmines in Iraq
.
Interesting facts
include:
The
majority of Iraqi minefields were laid 20 years ago
during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988.
Recorded casualties from landmines and unexploded bomb-related accidents since 1991 come to
7,427 injuries
and
3,699 deaths
(these figures were released in Jan 2003).
Figures on how many mines there are in Iraq vary between
8 to 12 million
. This does not include unexploded mortars, shells, grenades and other debris of war.
Only
Afghanistan + Angola
are more blighted by landmines.
See here for an update released in June 2003
.
Posted 9:47 pm by Matt Prescott Saturday, July 26, 2003
One of Earth-Info.Net's heroes is a man called Prof. Norman Myers
...
Prof. Myers has made a huge impact in nature conservation and been responsible, along with Conservation International
, for
$500 million
being directed towards 25 global biodiversity hotspots
which merit
urgent protection
and have been identified on the basis of their
species richness, endemism (uniqueness) + threat of destruction
.
Prior to this method of priority setting being proposed + adopted, conservation effort had tended to be allocated in a rather
ad hoc
fashion according to where was available, subjectively selected or uncontroversial...
Prof Myers' books have also been very influential, including The Sinking Ark
:
A New Look at the Problem of Disappearing Species
, Perverse Subsidies
:
How Misused Tax Dollars Harm the Environment and the Economy
+ The Gaia Atlas of Planet Management
... all of which have changed the way in which fundamental problems are viewed and tackled.
Excellent and thought provoking though all of these books are, Earth-Info.Net feels his photographs of African wildlife
, taken in the 1950s, also deserve a mention... in particular this one of a leopard climbing a tree
. Enjoy!
P.S. Monday 28th July:
Prof. Myers
+ Sir Crispin Tickell
(a former UK ambassador to the UN) have today written a comment piece
for the Financial Times
outlining why environmentalists and economists should find common cause in dismantling
costly, outdated + damaging perverse subisides
. Such subsidies encourage over production in the agricultural sector, the over-fishing of depleted fisheries, the burning of excessive fossil fuels + slow sectoral reform and innovation.
Posted 2:24 pm by Matt Prescott :: Spain requests extradition of 45 Argentinians ::
A Spanish judge, Baltasar Garzon
, has called for the extradition of 45 Argentinians
, wanted in connection to crimes commited against Spaniards during the military's rule from 1976-1983.
During this period a "dirty war
" was conducted against opponents which is thought to have resulted in
9,000 to 30,000 people
"disappearing
".
For the past 20 years civilian governments in Argentina have been extremely wary of upsetting the military, and many high ranking officials were granted amnesties that have so far prevented their prosecution.
It will therefore be of interest whether the political will now exists to permit these extraditions to go ahead...
Posted 1:50 pm by Matt Prescott Thursday, July 24, 2003 :: Kenya rewarded for fighting corruption ::
The World Bank
has agreed to restart lending money to Kenya
(having stopped in 2001) in acknowledgement of the new government
's efforts to tackle run-away corruption, thought to cost the country $1 billion a year
.
So far the new adminstration has made a good start with this huge task having appointed the widely-respected director of Transparency International
's chapter in Kenya, John Githongo
, to lead the fight against corruption, and ensured that funds are available to offer every child a free primary school education
...
James Wolfensohn
the President of the World Bank
has however urged
the government to make as much progress as possible while it still enjoys widespread support...
Posted 9:38 pm by Matt Prescott :: Nelson Mandela offers some words of wisdom ::
As part of their
Youth + HIV/AIDS campaign
, OneWorld AIDS Radio
are featuring a programme produced + broadcast around the world by MTV
in celebration of Nelson's Mandela's 85th birthday
which also coincides with the 2003 debut of the "Staying Alive
"
HIV/AIDS awareness campaign
.
The programme takes an
historial view of Mr Mandela's life
and profiles
four young people
: Henry, Min Zin, Jumana + Guy who travel to Johannesburg to seek his advice on their
struggles against HIV/AIDS, political exile + war
.
The programme audio is broken down here into the following
7 sections
, for ease of access. Follow the links to the audio. (you can also log onto the OneWorld AIDS
site for these links, in the Audio
and Campaigns
sections!):
* 1
Henry's Story
(part 1)
Henry is campaigning against the spread of HIV/AIDS in Uganda
but is facing testing conditions which make his work extremely difficult.
* 2
Henry's Story
(part 2
)
* 3
Min Zin's Story
(part 1):
Min Zin is living in
political exile in Thailand
and wants to draw on the experiences of Nelson Mandela to help him in his struggle for democracy back home in Burma
...
* 4
Min Zin's Story
(part 2
)
* 5
Min Zin's Story
(part 3
)
* 6
Jumana + Guy
(part 1)
Jumana + Guy live on opposite sides of the Arab- Israeli conflict
and are hoping that
Nelson Mandela will advise them
in their search for peace...
* 7
Jumana + Guy
(part 2
)
Posted 9:05 pm by Matt Prescott Tuesday, July 22, 2003 :: Transport for London Hydrogen powered buses coming to London ::
, the largest bus company in Europe, has agreed to try out three hydrogen powered buses
later this year...
Hydrogen powered vehicles
are a good idea because they emit no pollution through their exhaust pipe,
only water
, so can contribute to cleaner air in cities.
When the hydrogen is produced without the use of fossil fuels (i.e. using solar or wind energy
) these vehicles also have the potential to help humans to reduce their
carbon dioxide emissions
.
This is desirable because human-induced CO2 emissions are thought to be strengthening a natural process known as the greenhouse house effect
, which traps heat in the earth's atmosphere
, and may eventually result in disastrous worldwide climate change (see graph)
unless severe emission cuts
are made.
See the Tyndall Centre
and Hadley Centre
for more information about climate change. Also see the Living with the Sea
website which discusses how climate change is likely to effect the UK coastline
over the next 100 years...
Posted 12:53 am by Matt Prescott :: World Health Organisation has a new leader ::
A TB expert from South Korea, Jong-Wook Lee
, has been elected the new Director General
of the World Health Organisation
.
Dr. Lee has said
that he will make tackling the
AIDS pandemic
+
decentralising decision-making
his priorities.
The retiring DG, Gro Harlem Brundtland
(a former primer minister of Norway) was responsible for transforming the WHO into one of the most effective agencies of the UN and elevating the profile of
neglected diseases
such as Malaria
, Polio
+ TB
.
In 1987, Gro Harlem also authored a hugely influential report called Our Common Future
which defined sustainable development as "
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
. Her most recent achievements have included ensuring unprecendent co-operation + international action in order to eliminate the threat of SARS
and negotiating an anti-smoking pact
which requires countries to ban or impose tough restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship + promotion
within 5 years! Pretty impressive stuff and clearly a very tough act to follow!
Earth-Info.Net sincerely hopes that the relevance + effectiveness of the WHO can be maintained, and that Peter Piot
the head of UNAIDS
(who lost the election for the top job) will stay within the UN
.
Posted 12:20 am by Matt Prescott Friday, July 18, 2003 :: Ireland to introduce a chewing gum tax :: Ireland continues to blaze a trail
with it's
polluter pays
tax policy being extended from plastic bags
to include chewing gum
, polystyrene
fast food containers
+ cash machine
receipts
...
Earth-Info.Net notes that Wrigley's chewing gum
say this tax unfairly penalises people who don't make a habit a discarding gum irresponsibly, which is true, but also notes that council's are having to spend a
disproportionate amount
of their funds (£50,000
in Brighton alone) dealing with a problem
caused by a
specific group of consumers
.
Interestingly,
plastic bag
use has dropped by 90% in Ireland
and environmentally responsible alternatives such as biodegradable
, tapioca
+ jute
bags are increasingly being offered to shoppers.
To give you an idea of the scale of the problem... British consumers get through 3,000,000,000
packets of chewing gum + 20,000,000,000
plastic bags each year.
Earth-Info.Net therefore hopes that similar
taxes
will be included in the UK's forthcoming anti-litter bill
.
Posted 8:36 pm by Matt Prescott Thursday, July 17, 2003 :: Addressing a joint session of the US Congress + Senate Blair urges US to support Kyoto + to open up trade ::
the UK's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, urged to the United States to use science + technology to tackle the threat posed by climate change
and to aim to exceed the requirements of Kyoto
.
He also said that
free markets
generate prosperity, and that the US should do all it can to open up it's domestic market to produce from poor nations in order to
encourage sustainable development, reduce global poverty + fight terrorism
. ..
Posted 10:32 pm by Matt Prescott :: New partnership to monitor UK mammals ::
A new collaborative project called the Tracking Mammals Partnership
, which brings together 23 organisations
, has been set up in order to
assess + monitor UK mammal populations
in a
systematic + co-ordinated
fashion.
The emphasis will be on
sharing information + expertise
, organising
volunteers
,
involving + informing the public
and providing information about mammals
equivalent to the BTO
's bird
surveys.
This information will be invaluable
when making land management + conservation decisions which might impact on mammal populations and will enable the UK to fulfill the requirements of the Habitats + Species Directive
and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
.
Earth-Info.Net is a little disappointed that the press release
for this extremely welcome initiative places so much
emphasis on the use of volunteers
rather than funding the skilled personnel needed to conduct mammal surveys rigorously, efficiently + continuously over many years
, and hopes that this will follow in due course once this partnership has become more established.
Posted 11:26 am by Matt Prescott Tuesday, July 15, 2003 :: FoE criticise Tesco over hardwood furniture ::
Yesterday, Friends of the Earth
sent round a press release
alleging that UK supermarket Tesco
, a member of a group of companies
that have committed to buying timber products that are
independently certified
by the Forest Stewardship Council
as legal and sustainable, is selling
garden furniture made from illegally sourced Indonesian timber
.
On reading this Earth-Info.Net felt sufficiently outraged to write to Tesco's customer service department to ask for their reassurance that this was not the case... ;)
Amazingly,
I got a reply this morning
saying that they preferred to use FSC certified hardwood wherever possible... so I decided to send the following letter and see what happpened...
Dear Gordon,
Thank you for your prompt and detailed reply.
I am aware that it may be difficult to ensure that all of your goods come from sources working to FSC standards and commend you for working to improve the sustainability of your supply chain.
Given the severe extinction threat to the flora and fauna of Indonesia and the problems associated with guaranteeing Indonesian supplies I still hope that you will consider using only supplies of hardwood that have been fully FSC certified.
The Orangutan Foundation have said that the Orangutans of Kalimantan, Borneo face extinction within 10 years, and Indonesia is one of the WWF's 25 biodiversity hotspots (containing high numbers of unique and severely threatened species) so prompt + effective action by companies such as your own is urgently needed and will be widely applauded.
Yours sincerely,
Matt Prescott
www.earth-info.net
I've just had my
second reply
... and it sounds as though they've had enough letters sent in to prompt at least a review of their current policy.
So hopefully moves are afoot!
Well done to Friends of the Earth
for bringing this to everyone's attention.
P.S. Why not visit Tesco's contact page
if you would also like to write... you never know your letter could make all the difference!
Posted 11:57 pm by Matt Prescott :: Free anti-TB drugs + better treatment needed ::
The World Health Organisation
is calling for free anti-tuberculosis drugs + quality care
to be made widely available to people living with HIV
, along with renewed efforts to increase access to antiretrovirals in developing countries.
Currently,
TB is the biggest killer of people with AIDS
.
Posted 8:58 pm by Matt Prescott :: Earth-Info.Net is now searchable! ::
Following some tinkering with code it is now possible to use key words to
search within Earth-Info.Net
thanks to the Google
box on the left...
The default is to
search the entire www
so if you want to give this a go please just remember to click on
search Earth-Info.Net
!
Earth-Info.Net has a large and growing archive of stories, covering many different sustainable development + environmental issues, so I hope this search function will come in handy?
Please feel free to let me know how useful you find it...
Best wishes
Matt
Posted 6:47 pm by Matt Prescott Monday, July 14, 2003 :: Banana price war threatens workers + the environment ::
UK charity Bananalink
has produced a fascinating summary
of the social + environmental consequences of a price war Asda
has sparked between UK supermarkets over the price of bananas
.
Because supermarkets are such powerful buyers, and are
not prepared to reduce their own profit margins
, they are forcing their suppliers to make them more competitive...
This refusal to share price competition along the entire supply chain, can mean growers are forced to
sell their produce at a loss
, threaten the
livelihoods of workers
and the maintenance of
environmentally sustainable
farming practices.
All good reasons to buy fair trade
produce + make sure that a fair price is paid to the person who grows your food!
Posted 6:37 pm by Matt Prescott :: UK makes huge investment in wind energy ::
The UK government is issuing a new round of licences for off-shore wind turbines
.
These
wind turbines
will produce 5% of the UK's electricity
and be built on the North West coast, the Wash + the Thames Estuary
.
The government's Energy White Paper
published earlier this year set a target for 10% of electricity
to come from renewable sources by
2010
so this announcement is an important step in the right direction.
Not surprisingly, Friends of the Earth
, Greenpeace
+ The British Wind Energy Association
are all extremely pleased with this development, although
wildlife experts
and the
Ministry of Defence
have expressed concerns which still need to be addressed.
Visit the Ecotricity
or National Wind Power
websites if you would like to find out more about wind power.
Posted 1:16 pm by Matt Prescott Friday, July 11, 2003 :: Malaria, governance + Indonesia's political prisoners ::
* A new vaccine is being tried out
as part of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative
.
* The World Resources Inistitute
(a well respected US think tank) has launched a major report in collaboration with the UN Development Programme
, UN Environment Programme
+ World Bank
entitled
A Guide to World Resources: Decisions for the Earth: Balance, Voice + Power
.
It's chief recommendations are
better governance + greater accountability
in environmental decision making.
* In separate reports, Amnesty International
and Human Rights Watch
have called for the release of all
prisoners of conscience in Indonesia
and for the repeal of legislation used to prosecute and imprison activists engaged in peaceful political expression.
See here for the AI report
+ here for the HRW report
.
Posted 11:12 am by Matt Prescott Tuesday, July 08, 2003 :: Rich nations are failing the world's poor ::
The latest Human Development Report
has just been released by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP).
It says that if existing trends persist it will take some African countries until
2165
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals
set by the world's leaders for
2015
!
The BBC has produced a very good summary
of the report which includes some shocking statistics about the amount of aid given by the EU to the average African
(
$8
) and the amount given in subsidies by the EU to the average cow
(
$913
)...
See here for
Alex Kirby
's summary
...
Posted 11:13 pm by Matt Prescott :: Birdlife International South Korean mudflats + birds in danger ::
has condemned
plans by
South Korea
's government to build a
33 km dyke
in order to farm + flood exceptionally important coastal mudflats
which qualify for protection under the Ramsar Convention
.
If not stopped this project will threaten the survival of
8 endangered species
, disrupt the
migration of 2,000,000 birds
(which cross this portion of east Asia each year) + the
marine ecology
of the Yellow Sea.
Watch a TVE
report screened on BBC World here
.
Via
Alex Kirby
at BBC News Online
Posted 12:57 am by Matt Prescott Sunday, July 06, 2003 :: President Bush's trip to Africa ::
This article from the Economist
does a good job of summarising the social problems + conflicts
President Bush will be addressing during his forth coming trip to Africa.
President Bush has said that “It’s in our national interests that Africa become a prosperous place" and Earth-Info.Net is pleased to see him taking the time to visit Africa, and the US starting to engage with the long-term problems in
Liberia
, Congo
, Zimbabwe
, Ethiopia
, Uganda
+ Sudan
.
The cynics out there may (or may not!) be right when they mention the growing importance of West African oil
to US national security and/or the interests of seed
+ pharmaceutical
producers being behind this visit... we'll just have to see what happens.
P.S.
Earth-Info.Net is still not convinced
that US plans to spend
$5 billion
(out of $15 billion
) on teaching abstinence from sex is the most effective
means of fighting AIDS in Africa
...
Posted 7:03 pm by Matt Prescott Job vacancy: Researcher / Data Coordinator :
Earth-Info.Net doesn't normally advertise jobs but this one's a cracker, with a great charity!
Check out the Business + Human Rights Resource Centre
website for more details
...
Researcher / Data Coordinator
9-month fixed-term contract
£22,500 per annum
Based in London
closing date: 23 July 2003
The Business + Human Rights Resource Centre
, a new charity, is seeking a
highly-motivated
and
results-oriented
person with a good working knowledge of
Spanish
and/or
French
to fill the post of Researcher / Data Coordinator.
You will be
responsible to the Director
and work with him as a two-person team to further
develop the organisation and its website
(www.business-humanrights.org
), recognised internationally as the leading information site on this subject.
You will be responsible for:
* Daily data entry on the
website
, including updating broken + outdated links
* Assisting with
online research + data entry
; coordinating Spanish and/or French online research + data entry
* Developing & maintaining an extensive
database of contacts
* Handling
administrative tasks
including correspondence + record-keeping
Good luck!
Posted 1:33 pm by Matt Prescott Saturday, July 05, 2003 Posted 10:45 pm by Matt Prescott :: Syndicate this site (XML) :: Earth-Info.Net
now has a RSS syndication feed
.
Happy aggregating!
Posted 6:24 pm by Matt Prescott :: More unexploded bomb info ::
As a follow up to an earlier posting
about the Mines Advisory Group
's report of
unexploded bombs + landmines causing numerous civilian deaths + casualties in Iraq
, Earth-Info.Net is trying to find out what institutions + protocols the US military has to clean up it's unexploded ordnance...
So far I have found out that the United States Army Environmental Center
is responsible for ensuring that firing ranges
within the US
remain
safe + cost-effective
to use, although their links page
doesn't appear to mention who is responsible for cleaning up overseas/post-conflict US munitions?
The UN's Humanitarian Information Centre in Iraq
is more useful in this regard as it mentions the humanitarian assistance provided by the Regional Mine Action Center
(RMAC) and summarises activities within Iraq's mine clearance sector
...
If you are interested in finding out more about the issues surrounding
unexploded ordnance
Earth-Info.Net recommends the news summary
produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC)
You might also want to sign Landmine Action
's petition
which is calling for combatants to clean up
their unexploded bombs + landmines once the fighting is over.
Posted 12:51 am by Matt Prescott Friday, July 04, 2003 :: New World Heritage sites announced ::
The
United Nations Educational, Scientific + Cultural Organization
(UNESCO
) has added 24 new sites
to it's list of world heritage sites
...
Earth-Info.Net is particularly pleased to see the Purnululu National Park
in Western Australia (home to the remarkable Bungle Bungle Range
of mountains) and the UK's own Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
on the list
.
Thanks to Jez
+ The Guardian Weblog
...
Posted 4:49 pm by Matt Prescott :: Ancient plants in danger ::
According to the IUCN
's Cycad Specialist Group
53% of Cycads
, a group of plants which has existed for over 300 million years, are in danger of going extinct due the human disturbance + the illegal wild plant trade.
The main threats to wild cycads include
habitat destruction
for farming, mining and urban development,
habitat modification
, traditional use (medicinal and magical),
invading alien vegetation
and the
collection of plants + seeds from the wild
for horticultural purposes... their reliance on specialist beetle pollinators also makes them particularly
vulnerable to disturbance
.
Posted 3:27 pm by Matt Prescott :: Radioactive Waste, Globalisation + Tobin Tax ::
Earth-Info.Net recommends three articles which have been produced by a Labour
-affiliated think tank called the Fabian Society
...
The first article is written by a Labour MP
called Tom Watson
, and is about the need for the UK government to take responsibility for dealing with the legacy of radioactive waste
, the second article is about the need to reclaim the
Globalisation
debate back from the "globaphiles" + "globaphobes"
and the third article considers the role of the Tobin Tax as a tool for global justice
...
All of these think pieces make a good case for
action + reform
and are well worth a read, regardless of what you think of the Labour party.
Posted 3:05 pm by Matt Prescott Thursday, July 03, 2003 :: Award to journalist for Malaria reports ::
The NetMedia 2003
award for
European Online Journalism
has recognised
Vincent Landon
of Swiss Info
as the internet journalist of the year for a 13 week series called “The Malaria Business
”.
This excellent special
does a great job of summarising the
impacts of malaria
, issues related to
treatment
, offers an informative visual presentation,
audio + video
clips and
useful links
galore.
Earth-Info.Net is very glad to see a major news organisation putting so much effort into covering this issue, as every year
300 million
people in
100 countries
catch Malaria - of which
2 million die
.
Posted 7:16 pm by Matt Prescott :: Medicins Sans Frontieres Neglected diseases receive attention ::
has set up a
not-for-profit drug research organisation
called The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
.
This initiative aims to develop drugs for diseases such as sleeping sickness
, leishmaniasis
+ Chagas disease
which together infect
350 million poor people
every year, but which are not financially attractive enough for the world's commercial drug companies to work on.
Apparently, only
10%
of the world's health budget is spent on tackling tropical diseases - although they account for 90% of the global disease burden
.
MSF therefore aims to challenge the
world's public sector
and charitable foundations to fund
$250 million
of work, over the next
12 years
, in order to ensure that latest expertise + technology are applied to tackling some of the diseases which cause the greatest suffering.
Posted 3:19 pm by Matt Prescott :: BAT in Burma ::
The British government has asked British American Tobacco to withdraw from Burma
due to concerns over the oppressive treatment
of pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi
, and her supporters, by the country's military regime.
BAT
is currently considering what it's response will be...
Based on the final point in the following list of priorities from their
Corporate Social Responsibility
report for 2001/2002
it will be interesting to see whether or not BAT act on this request.
* Changing some of the ways we address issues of concern
* Tackling under-age smoking
* Committed to the principles of sustainable development, and working to world class standards of environmental, occupational health and safety performance
* Helping some 250,000 farmers through responsible tobacco leaf production
* Joining with NGOs and other partners to help conserve biodiversity and eliminate exploitative child labour
* Contributing to the communities where we operate.
Previously, in March 2000 the British government asked
Premier Oil
to withdraw from Burma. Premier eventually withdrew in 2002
...
Posted 2:47 pm by Matt Prescott Wednesday, July 02, 2003 :: Walking, Worms + Water Butts ::
The efforts of The Guardian
's Leo Hickman
to live and consume more ethically
are progressing well, although it's proving tougher than he expected...
So far Leo has taken the
train
(instead of flying) to Italy for a walking holiday
, set up a water butt
to collect rainwater for his garden + established a wormery
to break down his kitchen's organic waste.
Great stuff, Leo! Keep up the good work... and thanks for the link to Earth-Info.Net!
Posted 2:56 pm by Matt Prescott :: UK energy policy "short-sighted" ::
Awareness is growing of the need for the UK to develop a sensible, long-term energy policy, with a report
from the Institution of Civil Engineers
highlighting that the UK will be importing most of it's energy within 20 years
and warning that "
Short-sighted energy planning threatens (a) bleak future
".
Posted 2:39 pm by Matt Prescott :: Life in the abyss ::
Scientists from
Australia + New Zealand
have been exploring the deep-water ridges of the Pacific Ocean's southern fringe
and have found a startling variety of
weird + wonderful creatures
previously unknown to science, thought to be extinct or only known from their fossils.
See here for a picture gallery
.
Earth-Info.Net's favourite quote is:
"If you came from another planet and asked to see the
most common habitat
, you'd be shown the
deep sea
. Two thirds of the world is ocean.
We are the weird ones in many ways
..."
The following quote also deserves an honourable mention, as it conveys some of the excitement + uncertainty of the scientists involved...
"It's a lucky dip, but
nothing is likely to leap out and latch on to you
."
Again Earth-Info.Net's not sure why we spend so much on exploring space when we know so little about the marvels of our own planet...
Posted 2:30 pm by Matt Prescott
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The Solar Impulse, one of the first manned, solar-powered airplanes in the world, took another important step toward its creators’ goal of a nonstop, around the globe flight. Last Friday, André Borschberg, former fighter pilot and the CEO of the airplane company, completed three days and three nights of flight simulation in Dübendorf, Switzerland. During those 72 hours the Solar Impulse team was able to test the human challenge posed by long flights and gain valuable insights for a round-the-world solar energy flight scheduled for 2014.
A month after completing its first international flight in May 2011, the Solar Impulse met with some weather-related complications and was forced to turn back halfway through a flight from Brussels to Paris. While it might be years away, the goal of accomplishing a nonstop flight around the world keeps the project’s team moving forward. If successful, Solar Impulse will blaze a new trail toward cleaner air transportation technologies.
Strapped inside a life-size mock-up of the cockpit of the second plane, which is now under construction, Borschberg experienced all the stress and fatigue of piloting the Solar Impulse for 72 straight hours. Everything was tested and evaluated by the Solar Impulse team, from tiredness to cockpit ergonomics, nutrition, toilets, exercises to prevent DVT, vigilance, and the aptitude to pilot an aircraft under conditions of sleep deprivation.
“The simulation demonstrated that our concept of flying single-handed for several days in a row is viable, Borschberg said upon emerging from the cockpit. “The techniques of relaxation and multi-phase sleep worked very well, exceeding my expectations by far. Thanks to a careful management of the rest periods I was able to maintain optimum vigilance throughout the flight. We learnt a great deal about the practical management of life on board. Going forward, it’s all very positive and taking us ever closer to the round-the-world flight,” he added with a smile.
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201704
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When it comes to deciding important matters regarding harsh, pivotal business decisions, many companies turn to consultants, or consulting agencies that have had experience analyzing, deciphering, and determining the options the businesses that have employed their services can choose. There is nothing the matter with obtaining the services of consultants and consulting agencies who have been a part of and tried numerous scenarios and situations that can alter a company’s long term future, with hopes that the final outcome results in a prosperous future. Naturally, commissioning the services of consultants requires payment, therefore, the following statement might seem untrue: safety consultants save businesses money. How is this possible? Well, for the purposes of the thematic element of this blog, the services of safety consultants conscripted in industry will be dissected to find the merit in the truth to money savings through contracting consultation.
Industrial businesses exhaust a lot of monetary resources when running a successful operation because several decisions must be made about the purchasing of materials, and getting certain specialized services to ensure the functionality of those materials. In addition, as it pertains to businesses involved in industry, those companies must adhere to countless safety measures and protocol, and keep up with mandated laws that, although complicated and prohibitive, are in place to keep workers safe. Safety consultants who have had continued success have been able to achieve such prosperity because they work hard to keep up with the constant changes in law concerning safety protocol for industrial businesses. Because industrial companies can be fined, sued, and even shut down if they are found to not be compliant, the savings can be found in the long term when a company employs the assistance of safety consultants who understand all safety measures and protocol.
Imagine if your industrial business is found to inhabit an unsafe environment for its workers, and a regulatory committee decides to have your operations either impeded or shut down altogether as a strict penalty for not following protocol. If this scenario were to happen to your business, it would be financially devastating and a companywide threat in the sense that your business might not ever recover. As absurd as it might sound, often times companies do not even know that their operations are violating safety protocol. Because safety measures implemented by government regulatory committees can frequently be convoluted and constantly changing, why not invest in safety consultants to ensure that your business never violates safety protocol.
One area that is critical to worker safety is chemical exposure from cleaning products. All businesses require some form of cleaning, whether it is just the building or the materials that are being produced. Ecolink is a business that provides safety consultants a way to save businesses money on industrial cleaners while maintaining or improving the safety of workers. After all that has been described above, it makes perfect sense to investigate the products a company like Ecolink offers that can provide sound and effective industrial cleaners that will save your business a lot of money in the long run. An Ecolink professional will be happy to review your chemical usage, so feel free to reach out and listen to excellent advise from those who can help you improve safety while saving money.
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Learn How to Safely Manage Disruptive Behavior on Your School Bus! The responsibility of safely transporting students to and from school is an important one. In addition to safely navigating through traffic and weather conditions, you also have to keep your eyes on the students at all times. Sometimes, this can be the most challenging part of the job.
CPI offers a free Info Capsule to help you address the issue of school bus safety. By planning ahead and taking some advance measures, you can ensure the safety of every passenger on your school bus, and prevent problem behavior on the bus before it starts.
Safely Manage Disruptive Student Bus Behavior Please fill out the form below to receive your FREE Info Capsule, “How to Prevent Problem Behavior on Your School Bus,” [PDF] containing strategies you can use on your school bus immediately.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. | June 19, 2013
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), today approved the
Student Success Act
(H.R. 5
). Introduced by Chairman Kline and Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Todd Rokita (R-IN), this responsible legislation will rewrite the nation’s K-12 education law and put more control in the hands of state and local leaders.
“For too long, politics have stood in the way of real education reform,”
Chairman Kline said
. “Continuing to allow short-term fixes and temporary waivers to take the place of a better law is inexcusable; Congress has a responsibility to move this process forward. The
Student Success Act
delivers the long-term solutions parents, teachers, and education leaders want and children deserve. The committee took an important step today by approving this responsible legislation, and I look forward to a lively debate on the House floor in the coming weeks.”
Rep. Rokita said
, “The
Student Success Act
gives parents, teachers, and state and local leaders the flexibility they need to ensure that every child has an opportunity for a successful future. By preventing excessive federal intrusion in our classrooms, eliminating the existing system of waivers and mandates, and ensuring that parents are equipped with more meaningful information about school performance, we are providing a better way forward for our education system. I’m pleased to have helped lead this bill through the committee and look forward to full passage in the House.”
The following groups have expressed support for
Student Success Act
:
To learn more about the H.R. 5, click here.<
To read opening statements, review amendments, or watch an archived webcast of today’s markup, visit www.edworkforce.house.gov/markups.
# # #
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Elder abuse the subject of research $654,000 grant to fund project August 27, 2010 Armed with one of the largest federal awards ever made to combat elder abuse, Ventura County social workers are joining with researchers to test ways to reduce its impact.
Armed with one of the largest federal awards ever made to combat elder abuse, Ventura County social workers are joining with researchers to test ways to reduce its impact.
The $654,000 award funds a project that sends medical specialists into the homes of vulnerable adults and assesses what difference the specialists make. Another goal is to find out whether elder abuse follows a course similar to that of chronic disease. “Over time, it gets worse without intervention,” said Linda Henderson, deputy director in the county Human Services Agency. The National Academy of Sciences conducted a large research project that suggested the link with chronic disease, but it has not been proven, Henderson said. Researchers at a yet-to-be selected university will test that theory by looking at the effectiveness of an assessment tool that Henderson and county social workers developed in 2008. If validated, it could provide something that social workers handling adult protection cases now lack in California, she said. “There is really no instrument that assesses the level of risk and ties that to the interventions we provide and the outcomes,” Henderson said. “What we want to find out is if there is a particular profile based on this instrument that leads to a particular outcome over another.” The project will primarily focus on seniors and disabled adults younger than 65 who neglect to take care of basic needs for shelter, nutrition and healthcare as their conditions deteriorate. The problem, known as self-neglect, is common in complaints of adult abuse and neglect. Of the 2,271 complaints reported to a hotline last fiscal year in Ventura County, about 40 percent involved self-neglect. Henderson said proper medical attention is key to getting better results, but many of these individuals are so isolated and fearful that they won’t seek it on their own. They don’t eat properly, won’t leave their homes and may not have seen a doctor for years. They forget to pay their bills. Their thinking may be confused, although they’re not suffering full-fledged dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Social workers visit these vulnerable adults but lack the legal authority to force them to go out to see a doctor. Now, however, a physician, a psychologist with special training in neurological disorders, a licensed clinical social worker and public health nurses are making home visits. “This is a very exciting thing because we keep seeing people so vulnerable,” said Marcy Snider, who oversees adult protective services. Managers already have seen some success since the program began in July, supplementing the work done by a multi-disciplinary team that includes law enforcement, mental health and senior agencies. A doctor visited an elderly woman, found she had been ill in a hospital emergency room but had failed to get a prescription filled. “We delivered it that day,” Henderson said. Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, helped the county get the federal funding as an earmark. Some have criticized earmarks as “pork barrel” projects benefiting a congressman’s district, but, Henderson said, this initiative could have national implications in advancing knowledge on elder abuse. Gallegly said he was pleased to help secure the funding, calling the program comprehensive and cost-effective. Preliminary results are due by the end of January. © 2010 Ventura County Star.
SOURCE: The Ventura County Star
_________________________________________
Click for Updates, More Cases and Resources
Search Right Col/Labels for More Posts/Resources
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Substation condition
This guideline is prepared in view of the requirements for
switchyard service inspection (visual) and condition based maintenance of substation equipment, structures and other miscellaneous items in substations. These guidelines are necessarily general.
It is recommended to carry out maintenance of equipment as per manual supplied by manufacturer.
in accordance with applicable codes and standards.
The aim of this guideline is to provide in general visual inspection check points for the structures, grounding systems, LT switchboards, etc. for which as such there is no readymade guidelines available.
Also to provide the visual inspection and condition based maintenance of major equipment like: Transformer, Circuit breakers, CTs, CVTs, PTs, Disconnectors and LAs etc.
to verify the health of the equipment.
Service visual inspection is the necessary activity to identify any visible abnormality or failure and require to be performed at specified interval. Whereas condition based monitoring checks (on line/ off line) are necessary to identify internal defects or abnormality, so that necessary preventive action can be taken up.
Service inspection and condition monitoring guideline
The substation in total and the individual items of equipment contained therein should be periodically inspected. Binoculars should be used to view buses and other equipment located on structures.
Painting and galvanizing (Applicable to all equipment and systems)
Depending on geographical location, local environmental condition, periodic inspection of painting and galvanizing condition of structures, panels, equipments etc. is required. Inspect for paint condition, damage paint, chalking effect, rusting etc.
If any damage observed, do necessary repaint or repair work. Grounding system
Check for loose connections of all ground connections at equipments, structures, panels, other equipments etc. Check for any sparking marks at termination or joint. Observe the condition of any flexible braid type connections for damage. Tighten the connections, clean the joints and replaced if found damage.
Earth pits should be kept wet so as to have low resistance. Structure
Inspect all the structures for loose or missing bolts or nuts. Observe any damage paint/ galvanizing or signs of corrosion. Inspect for deterioration, bending, buckling and cracking.
Title: Guidlines for substation service inspection and condition monitoring – ABB Format: Size: 206 KB Pages: 16 Download: Right here | Get Download Updates | Get Technical articles
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201704
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Heart & Cardiology/ Low fat diet Question
Doctor
I am 56. I am moderately overweight, and I have hypertension treated with Avalide. No history of heart disease in my family.
I have always had a 'fat tooth', and probably consumed more fat than most people, including dairy. My excuse was I was following a low carb diet. Funny but I could never lose weight on it.
I recently lost two friends to heart attacks, They were the same age as me, both were physically active and not particularly overweight, both were ex smokers. Like me, they both liked their bacon and eggs, pizza, etc.
The internet has so much conflicting information, and whenever I google low fat diet, the benefits of a low carb diet come up including being more beneficial to heart health?
In your experiance, will switching to a low fat diet reduce my chances of suffering heart related problems in the future? Also, will it reduce plaque buildup or any other factors I may have now?
By counting calories very strictly and consuming as little fat as possible, I have begun to see the scale move down a bit.
Thanks!
Answer
Hi, http://myheart.net/articles/low-carb-diets-and-cholesterol-levels-when-high-fat-
This is a very interesting question, and there have been conflicting recommendations over the years. Read the article i linked, i wrote that a while ago to try tackle this topic.
The most recent trend has been towards low carb diets. I personally recommend my patients limit carbs as that has been shown to have favorable effects on cholesterol profiles. For years it was considered that fat was the enemy, however there is shifting of thought now to realize a lot of the harm is associated with processed food and carbs.
In terms of reducing plaque build up the best we can do is to extrapolate from data where cholesterol is used as a surrogate. I would say if you are following a low carb diet then thats reasonable terms of stabilizing your lipid profile, If you aren't, then i would advise limiting fat intake as the insulin released from the carbs will result in a state where surplus calories are more likely to be converted in to fat and there can be a higher chance of derangement of your lipid profile.
as always, see a physician, have your risk factors assessed and pay attention to modifying, cholesterol, exercise, diabetes, smoking etc..
Its a somewhat confusing topic, but hope that was helpful.
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By continuing to browse the site without changing your cookie settings, you accept that cookies will be used to adapt offerings to suit your interests. To manage and change these settings, click here
Marketing your international experience
You learned so much during the two years you spent in Singapore. This might seem obvious to you but upon repatriation, you’re not the one you need to convince. You will no doubt find yourself discussing your
international experience with an employer. Having been abroad is all very well but be prepared to demonstrate the use and value of your cross-cultural competence. Returnees often need to rethink or entirely rearrange their career plan. Identifying transferable skills and promoting your abroad experience, standing out without scaring off: get ready for these reentry challenges. Highlighting the value of your expat experience
Whether you spend one or five years abroad, experiencing expatriation usually leads to personal growth. Once you head back home, you will of course expect to make the most of your global competency and turn your
international experience into a true stringboard for your career. What are the skills and qualities you improved or gained abroad? Various reasons and circumstances might have led you towards expatriation: build an adapted set of talking points. You worked abroad
You might have been sent to Mexico on assignment for a year and a half but this doesn’t mean you will be promoted as soon as you get back. Many returnees actually find the value of their
international experience to be somewhat neglected or not fully acknowledged by their employer or colleagues. Feeling of lack of career advancement can cause strong turnover of returning assignees. Repatriation is a good time for negotiation. Before you do so, list the skills you developed during your time abroad. You must be able to explain why you are “worth more” than you were before your assignment. Repatriation sometimes leads to almost immediate job seeking. For instance: your company seems to shut down all career enhancement opportunities, you worked abroad under a local contract and headed home jobless or you simply want to do something new. Before you begin the interviews, find relevant ways to present your abroad experience as part of a clear career plan: you didn’t just blindly set off on some daring adventure. Prepare to articulate your international competency. Did you become bilingual? Did you set up a project on your own in a country you had never set foot in? This is information you want to share with a prospective employer. You followed your spouse abroad
An expat classic: your spouse is sent to Bangkok, you leave your job to follow him… Him, because the trailing spouse usually is the woman. While one career thrives, the other comes to a standstill or takes a new direction. You might have volunteered in an organization, taken part in an online training course, organized the family’s entire life abroad, from planning the international move down to taking out
expatriate insurance . To find your way back into the workplace upon repatriation, you will need to translate your experience abroad into job skills. You spent five years learning a language, adapting to many new situations, committing yourself to a worthwhile humanitarian project… Show you didn’t just live through expatriation but capitalized on the experience. You studied abroad or set off on a Working Holiday
One year in Madrid as an Erasmus student, a long stay in Canada under the
Working Holiday Programme: you are partly relying on your international experience to successfully enter the workforce. So what should you be putting emphasis on? Expatriation turned you into a resourceful and highly independent future employee: you organized a long stay abroad, sought for accommodation and landed a job…You certainly also learned one or several foreign languages, adapted to unfamiliar cultural perspectives: this just goes to show how flexible and ready to work in multicultural environments you are. Proving your newly gained skills
Upon repatriation, putting words on your experience might be tricky. After a long stay abroad, you might no longer know exactly where you stand professionally or might be struggling to make your
international experience understandable for an employer. Taking part in a repatriation training course might be a useful first step towards untangling career goals and expectations when heading home. What other moves can you make? Using Europass
Did you work or study in Europe? Europass documents allow you to present your skills and qualifications in Europe. The CV and Language Passport may be used by any European citizen. The idea is to be able to build an international resume and self-assess language skills. Three additional documents can be issued by education and training authorities: they record knowledge and skills gained in Europe during an internship or training as well as through a higher education curriculum. Using Europass might be a relevant way to make your
abroad experience readable for yourself and for an employer. Assessing foreign language skills
Now that you have spent two years in Mexico, speaking Spanish has become so easy for you. Do you want a score to prove your proficiency in a foreign language? Take an
international language test! Many tests (IELTS, TOEIC, BULATS, ELYTE…) can assess your ability to use a specific language in a business context. Don’t just say you can speak Spanish, prove it. Addressing misconceptions about returnees
The value of
international experience and cross-cultural knowledge might seem quite obvious to you. Nevertheless, you might meet some prospective employers who have some negative beliefs about returning expatriates. What are the most frequent misconceptions? Returnees have gotten used to exotic environments and constant holidays. Returnees don’t stay: they are eager to leave the country once again. Returnees have re-adjustement problems. Work experience abroad is unverifiable.
Don’t let yourself be startled by hasty assumptions and get employers to relax by showing you have completely settled back into your home country and have a clear career plan. Let them know that being independent doesn’t mean you can't fit into a team. Expatriation has taught you adaptability!
To find out more about how to market international experience:
Take a look at the five
Europass documents.
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201704
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Testing and evaluation of a direct business transfer awareness raising campaign with the Grenoble Chamber of Commerce.
Every year, approximately 150,000 business transfers fail in Europe threatening some 600,000 jobs. BTAR's European project, launched in early 2015, aims to target the vulnerabilities in business transfer systems and draw on best practices in order to develop methods for raising awareness and improving the ecosystems that enhance transfers.
For most buyers and sellers, transferring an SME is their first experience of a business transfer. However, studies have already shown that a lack of preparation and planning is a major cause of business transfer failure. Awareness is the key to better preparation of the business transfer and therefore increased chances of a transfer succeeding.
THE BTAR PROJECT
The BTAR (Business Transfer Awareness Raising) project has also set itself the objective of developing a model of measures for raising awareness about business transfers in Europe.
This model will consist of a portfolio of measures - activities and tools - and a framework for their implementation. It will be based on an assessment of best practices and will be tested and evaluated in each of the project's partner countries.
The project is intended for both sellers and buyers, along with service providers and business support organizations.
Our report presents the situation of the ecosystem of business transfers in France in 2015, which has been in trouble since 2009 due to the financial crisis and the euro zone. In fact, the transmission market is poorly documented and most transfers do not receive any communication.
The result is widespread ignorance of the transmission market, despite the existence of many players to increase the chances of successful transmissions.
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Mentioned in? References in periodicals archive?
A strategy for rapid analysis of xenobiotic metabolome of Sini decoction in vivo using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with pattern recognition approach.
A leaf decoction was used "to allay inward pain", and was given the name 'Maori painkiller'.
These herbs are commonly used as tisanes and decoctions throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Additives were occasionally added to decoctions or juices obtained from macerated plant parts to make it more palatable or add to the therapeutic efficiency.
Roots, leaves, juice and fruit decoctions have been used in Africa and Southeast Asiatic countries for a variety of medical purposes.
Readers should note that all the above doses are for one day when these medicinals are administered in water-based decoctions.
Early accounts of the consumption of ayahuasca decoctions identified B.
The bark for decoctions should be stripped from pruned branches, not from the trunk of a live tree.
The content of anthraquinones was equal in infusions and decoctions, but hypericine dissolves in water very slowly and more of it was found in decoctions than in infusions.
Tea made from the pericarp of the fruit is said to cure skin rashes, and decoctions of the roots, bark and flowers are traditionally used to cure sore throats.
Precise methods of preparing remedies - usually as infusions, decoctions, poultices, tinctures and salves - are given along with the specific amounts to be administered and course of treatment.
Infusions, compresses and decoctions should be used within a day of making, while tinctures and pills can be stored for up to two years, and infused oils, creams and ointments for several months.
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So Obama is nominating Bill Richardson to be Secretary of Commerce. Well, Richardson has a lot of cabinet experience, and this is good for the whole team of rivals motif, so, great! Of course, it would be helpful to know what a Secretary of Commerce does if we're going to evaluate Richardson's fitness for the job.
True story: When I worked at the White House, I was in a quarrel with some relatives about what exactly room temperature was. I thought it was 72˚F, someone else thought it was 68˚F. So I figured, hey, I work for the federal government; I must have access to the truth here, right? So I browsed through the federal directory and found the Weights and Measures division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is housed in the Department of Commerce. I put in a call to a scientist there and asked what room temperature was. He said that that was not his jurisdiction and suggested I call another scientist there who was "in charge of boiling point and freezing point." So I got that scientist, who told me that there was, in fact, no scientific measurement of room temperature. It's just a convention, usually ranging between 68 and 72. I love that there's a federal scientist in charge of boiling point and freezing point. You don't want to outsource that job. Anyway, that was my first ever interaction with the Department of Commerce. My other one has been to frequently download economic performance data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. I greatly appreciate having access to these data, although I imagine the Department of the Treasury could provide this service just as well. I know Commerce handles trademarks and patents, which are a good thing. But again, could that be run by someone else? Labor? Treasury? For all the libertarian talk out there about eliminating such agencies as the Department of Education or the IRS, why does no one talk about Commerce?
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As ETFs have grown from a closet industry to a mainstream investing option, funds offering exposure to nearly every corner of the globe have popped up. Although the abundance of funds has brought access to dozens of equity markets within reach, the vast majority of international ETFs provide fairly shallow exposure to the country they purport to represent, tracking blue chip indexes composed of only a handful of mega-cap stocks (essentially the equivalent of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the U.S). The iShares MSCI Spain Index Fund (EWP), for example, is based on an index that has only 31 holdings and an average market cap of more than $86 billion.
But as the “home country” begins to fade, U.S. investors are looking to allocate larger portions of their portfolios to international equities, and seeking out ways to gain both more broad-based exposure and target specific sectors. In response to this demand, several innovative ETF issuers have launched funds offering more targeted exposure to non-U.S. economies. One of the regions that has seen the most development is China.
With more than $10 billion in assets, the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund is by far the most popular China ETF. But in many ways FXI isn’t an ideal security for investors looking to gain exposure to the Chinese economy. The index underlying FXI is dominated by mega-cap companies, and is tilted heavily towards the financial sector, with relatively little weighting given to industrials and almost none to consumer products.
In early 2008, Claymore launched a China Small Cap ETF (HAO), a fund seeks to invest in smaller Chinese companies not included in most existing ETF products. This year, the company added an all cap China ETF (YAO) that spreads holdings across all sizes of companies. Now Claymore and New York-based Global X have introduced several sector-specific China ETFs, allowing investors to target various sectors of the Chinese economy. ETFdb Pro members can read more about China ETF options in our ETFdb Category Report (if you’re not a Pro subscriber yet, sign up for a free trial or read more here).
Technology Sector Exposure To: Internet companies, telecommunications firms, and software and hardware manufacturers. Why This Sector Is Important: China is the world’s largest cell phone and internet market, with over 600 million cell phone users and 300 million internet users. But the penetration rate among internet users is still extremely low (around 25%), suggesting huge potential for growth in this market going forward. Moreover, $54 billion of China’s $585 billion stimulus package is allocated to technological advancements, and the country’s middle class is expected to grow significantly in coming years, suggesting that both product development activity and disposable income will surge. Industrials Sector ETF Options: Global X China Industrials ETF (CHII) Exposure To: Industrial manufacturers, building materials firms, infrastructure groups, and shipping and logistics services companies. Why This Sector Is Important: A significant portion of China’s $580 billion stimulus package is directed towards construction, railways, subways, and airports. In October of this year, China’s industrial output rose by more than 16% from a year earlier, and expansion in this sector is expected to continue to increase in coming years. Many economic forecasters anticipate that China will surpass the U.S. as the world’s largest manufacturer by 2015. Consumer Sector ETF Options: Global X China Consumer ETF (CHIQ) Exposure To: Food & beverage companies, automobile manufacturers, department stores, sports apparel companies. Why This Sector Is Important: If the industrial sector of the economy is the “China of Today,” the consumer sector is the “China of Tomorrow.” Consumer spending currently accounts for about 35% of China’s GDP, roughly half the level of the U.S. Chinese President Hu Jintao has said repeatedly that the government will focus on expanding domestic spending “especially consumer demand.” According to Morgan Stanley, “the incremental contribution of Chinese consumers in USD terms to the global consumption of tradable goods started to exceed that of the U.S. in 2007.” Energy Sector ETF Options: Global X China Energy ETF (CHIE) Why This Sector Is Important: In order to feed its growing economy, China must find new sources of power and provide massive amounts of energy to its citizens. In 2006, China added over 90 Gigawatts of coal power, the equivalent of all the coal power plants in Great Britain. Clearly one of the great challenges for modern China will be finding a way to provide adequate levels of power to its citizens ensuring that the energy sector will play an important role in China for decades to come. Financial Sector ETF Options: Global X China Financials ETF (CHIX) Why This Sector Is Important: In order to transition from a export based economy to a self sufficient one, China must develop its banking sector. With a national savings rate of over 31% there in an incredible amount of money that can be put to work by average Chinese citizens in Chinese banks. This influx could be used to invest in other sectors of the Chinese economy and help to raise living standards across the country and spur more business growth that is not dependent on the communist party for seed capital. Sector Investing With Emerging Markets ETF
China isn’t the only corner of the world that offers U.S. investors the ability to target specific sectors of the broader economy. Emerging Global Advisors offers a line of sector-specific ETFs targeting the financial, metals and mining, and energy industries in emerging markets (many of which include big allocations to China). To see a breakdown of these ETFs and the exposure they offer, see this feature.
Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.
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201704
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Title:
Cement keyhole fixation of the acetabular component of a total hip replacement
Loosening of the cemented acetabular component of a total hip replacement is 2-3 times more common than femora stem failure. Cement keyholes drilled into the acetabulum have been recommended to improve this fixation but little is known of the optimum sizes and locations of these holes. This study investigated the diameter, depth and number of keyholes to be drilled to maximise the failure torque in a model system. A two-pronged approach was used; mechanical testing and finite element (FE) analysis. A Taguchi experimental design was used to identify the most significant factors and to predict the best configuration of keyholes within the constraints of the acetabular dimensions. One hole at each of the pubic, iliac and ischial sites, of 12 mm diameter and 6 mm depth, was found to be the optimum configuration. The failure torque was most strongly dependent on the hole diameter in the pubic region, decreased with increasing hole depth and was not sensitive to the number of holes. Both two dimensional and three dimensional FE analyses of a single cement keyhole showed that the lowest von Mises stress and the best distribution of shear stress was for the hole of 12 mm diameter and 6 mm depth. The results of the two approaches used here are in excellent agreement. The final stage of this study investigated the optimisation of the keyhole shape and the design of a suitable drill bit for surgical use.
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Knowing where you stand with your business is crucial for making decisions regarding the future of your business. Having a comparative income statement is an invaluable tool to see where you have been and where you are going. You can judge what is working for you and what needs to eliminated or tweaked. A comparative income sheet will let you see what expenses have gone up or down and whether or not your income has increased or decreased. You can then use this information to see how your expenses have affected your income.
Using a Comparative Income Statement Template If you would like to use the free and easy-to-use 2-year comparative income statement template, you can start by downloading it right from this page. Once you have the template you can start by entering your yearly expenses from the first year you would like to use. The next step is to enter all applicable revenues from that year in the income field. The template will automatically calculate your net income from the first year by deducting all of your income and other income from the expenses. This number will show your profits for the year. Follow the steps for the first year to enter the information for the second year. When the second year is entered the comparative income statement template will calculate the difference and percent difference between the two years. Helpful Tips for Using the Comparative Income Statement Template
Just filling your information into the template won’t help you, unless you understand how to use this valuable information. Here are a few tips on how to use the information derived from the comparative income sheet:
When initially looking at the statement you should look for any drastic changes between the two years. If there are any changes that seem a little out of the ordinary you should check to make sure that you entered your numbers correctly. If your numbers are correct you should consider and major changes that your business has made throughout the past two years. For instance if your advertising costs have increased by 50%, but you know that you implemented a pretty aggressive marketing campaign that year it would explain the jump. With regards to increase in expenses it is important to make sure that you also have an increase in income that correlates with it. This way you know that the expenses are reasonable and are useful to your profits. The comparative income statement is also helpful to see how effective you are at cutting costs and where you need to cut costs. You will be able to see how your expenses have changed over the years so you can see where you may need to trim some fat or where you have been saving money.
Download: Comparative Income Statement
Related Templates: Proforma Income Statement P&L Statement Template P&L Statement Budget Forecast Excel Income Statement Template Annual Projected Profit and Loss
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201704
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Couples who used sperm donors to conceive have had their parental status called into question after “widespread incompetence” in the sector was revealed in court.
Handing down a ruling in the family division of the high court, where seven couples were battling to establish a legal declaration that they were the legal parents of their offspring, judge Sir James Munby said that some couples were suffering problems due to failings in the system.
If you need any advice regarding this issue please do call a member of our team.
It has emerged that consent forms, which are signed by couples who are not married or in a civil partnership to ensure legal parentage before treatment begins, had not been properly completed by the clinics involved. Sir James, president of the family division of the high court, said that these failures painted an “alarming and shocking” picture of the industry. Referring to a 2013 audit of the UK’s 109 fertility clinics which found 51 paperwork “anomalies” in clinical records that could cast doubt on the legal status of parents, he said there was “widespread incompetence across the sector”.
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201704
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Applications of Biotechnology in Horticulture
Sukhada Mohandas
Introduction
The requirement of fruits and vegetables is increasing proportionally with the increasing population in the country. How do we keep horticultural production on par with the burgeoning population? Although conventional plant breeding techniques have made considerable progress in the development of improved varieties, they have not been able to keep pace with the increasing demand for vegetables and fruits in the developing countries. Therefore an immediate need is felt to integrate biotechnology to speed up the crop improvement programmes. Biotechnological tools have revolutionized the entire crop improvement programmes by providing new strains of plants, supply of planting material, more efficient and selective pesticides and improved fertilizers. Many genetically modified fruits and vegetables are already in the market in developed countries. Modern biotechnology encompasses broad areas of biology from utilization of living organisms or substances from those organisms to make or to modify a product, to improve plant or animal or to develop micro-organisms for specific use. It is a new aspect of biological and agricultural science which provides new tools and strategies in the struggle against world’s food production problem. The major areas of biotechnology which can be adopted for improvement of horticultural crops are – Tissue Culture Genetic Engineering Molecular diagnostics and Molecular markers Development of Beneficial microbes I. Tissue Culture: One of the widest applications of biotechnology has been in the area of tissue culture and micro propagation in particular. It is one of the most widely used techniques for rapid asexual in vitro propagation. This technique is economical in time and space affords greater output and provides disease free and elite propagules. It also facilitates safer and quarantined movements of germplasm across nations. When the traditional methods are unable to meet the demand for propagation material this technique can produce millions of uniformly flowering and yielding plants. Micropropagation of almost all the fruit crops and vegetables is possible now. Production of virus free planting material using meristem culture has been made possible in many horticultural crops. Embryo rescue is another area where plant breeders are able to rescue their crosses which would otherwise abort. Culture of excised embryos of suitable stages of development can circumvent problems encountered in post zygotic incompatibility. This technique is highly significant in intractable and long duration horticultural species. Many of the dry land legume species have been successfully regenerated from cotyledons, hypocotyls, leaf, ovary, protoplast, petiole root, anthers, etc., Haploid generation through anther/pollen culture is recognized as another important area in crop improvement. It is useful in being rapid and economically feasible. Complete homozygosity of the offspring helps in phenotype selection for quantitative characters and particularly for qualitatively inherited characters making breeding much easier successful isolation, culture and fusion of plant protoplasts has been very useful in transferring cytoplasmic male sterility for obtaining hybrid vigour through mitochondrial recombination and for genetic transformation in plants. In vitro germplasm conservation is of great significance in providing solutions and alternative approaches to overcoming constrains in management of genetic resources. In crops which are propagated vegetatively and which produce recalcitrant seeds and perennial crops which are highly heterozygous seed storage is not suitable. In such crops especially, in vitro storage is of great practical importance. These techniques have successfully been demonstrated in a number of horticultural crops and there are now various germplasm collection centers. In vitro germplasm also assures the exchange of pest and disease free material and helps in better quarantine. Plant breeders are continually searching for new genetic variability that is potentially useful in cultivar improvement. A portion of plants regenerated by tissue culture often exhibits phenotypic variation atypical of the original phenotype. Such variation, termed somaclonal variation may be heritable i.e. genetically stable and passed on to the next generation. Alternatively, the variation may be epigenetic and disappear following sexual reproduction. These heritable variation are potentially useful to plant breeders. II. Genetic Engineering of Plants Genetic Engineering involves three major steps: i) Identification and isolation of suitable genes for transfer ii) Delivery system to insert desired gene into recipient cells. iii) Expression of new genetic information in recipient cells. Using techniques of genetic engineering many useful genes have been introduced into plants and many transgenic plants have been developed in which the foreign DNA has been stably integrated and resulted in the synthesis of appropriate gene product. Transgenic plants have covered about 52.6 m hectares in the Industrial and developing countries upto 2001. Genes for the following traits have been introduced to the crop plants. Herbicide tolerance: Transgenic plants are developed that are resistant to herbicides allowing farmers to spray crops so as to kill only weeds but not their crops. Many herbicide tolerant plants have been developed in tomato, tobacco, potato, soybean, cotton, corn oilseed rape, petunia, etc. Glyphosate is one of the most potent broad spectrum environment friendly herbicide known, it is marketed under the trade name Round up. Glyphosate kills plants by blocking the action of an enzyme (5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase) (EPSPS) an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids, tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Amino acids are building blocks of protein. Transgenic plants resistant to Glyphosate have been developed by transferring gene of EPSPS that over prodoce this enzyme thus inhibiting the effect of Glyphosate. A number of detoxifying enzymes have been identified in plants as well as in microbes. Some of these include glutahthione-s-transferase or GST in maize and other plants which detoxifies the herbicide bromoxynil and phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) which detoxifies the herbiside PPT (L-phosphinothricine). Transgenic plants using bxn gene from Klebsiella and bar gene from Strepotomyces have been obtained in potato, oilseed, sugarbeet, soybean, cotton and corn and are found to be herbicide resistance. These transgenic plants reduce the use of weeding labour, farmers cost and increase yield. Engineering pathogen resistance: Viruses are the major pests of crop plants which cause considerable yield losses. Many strategies have been applied to control virus infection using coat protein and satellite RNA. Viruses are submicroscopic pockets of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein coat and can multiply within a host cell. Use of viral coat protein as a transgene for producing virus resistant plants is one of the most spectacular successes achieved in plant biotechnology. Coat protein gene from tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) classified as a positive strand RNA virus has been transferred to tobacco, making it nearly resistant against TMV. Using gene for nucelocapsid protein resistance has been introduced in crops like tomato, tobacco, lettuce, groundnut, pepper and in ornaments like Impatiens, Ageratum and Crysnathemum against tomato spotted wilt virus. Use of satellite RNA (SATRNA) makes many transgenic plants resistant to Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV). Transgenic resistant plants have also been developed against alfalfa mosaic virus, potato virus X, Rice tungro virus, tobacco rattle virus and Papaya ring spot virus. During the last decade many resistance genes whose products are involved in recognizing the invading pathogens have been identified and cloned. A number of signaling pathways which follow the pathogen infection have been dissected. Many of the antifungal compounds synthesized by plants which combat fungal infections have been identified. The major strategies for developing fungal resistance have been production of transgenic plants with antifungal molecules like proteins and toxins, and generation of hypersensitive response through R genes or by manipulating genes of SAR pathway. A chitinase gene from bean plants in tobacco and Brassica napus showed enhanced resistance to Rhizoctonia solani. In another case chitinase gene obtained from Serratia marcescens (soil bacterium) is introduced in tobacco making it resistant to Alternaria longipes which causes brown spot diseases. Acetyl transferase gene is introduced in tobacco making it resistant to Pseudomonas syringea, a causal agent of wild fire disease. Stress resistance : A number of genes responsible for providing resistance against stresses such as to water stress heat, cold, salt, heavy metals and phytohormones have been identified. Studies are also being conducted on metabolites like proteins and betains that have been implicated in stress tolerance. Resistance against chilling was introduced into tobacco plants by introducing gene for glycerol-1-phosphate acyl-transferase enzyme from Arabidopsis. Many plants respond to drought stress by synthesizing a group of sugar derivatives called polyols (Mannitol, Sorbitol and Sion) . Plants that have more polyols are more resistant to stress. Using a bacterial gene capable of synthesizing mannitols it is possible to raise the level of mannitol very high making plants resistant to drought. Fruit Quality: Tomatoes which ripen slowly are helpful in transportation process. Transgenic tomato with reduced pectin methyl esterase activity and increased level of soluble solids and higher pH increases processing quality. Tomatoes exhibiting delayed ripening have been produced either by using antisense RNA against enzymes involved in ethylene production (Eg ACC synthase) or by using gene for deaminase which degraded l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid (ACC) an immediate precursor of ethylene. This increases the shelf life of tomatoes. These tomatoes can also stay on the plant long giving more time for accumulation of sugars and acids for improving flavour. It is produced at commercial level in European and American countries. Tomatoes with elevated sucrose and reduced starch could also be produced using sucrose phosphate synthase gene. Starch content in potatoes has been increased by 20-40% by using a bacterial ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase gene. Pest resistance : The insecticidal beta endotoxin gene (bt gene) has been isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis the commonly occurring soil bacteria and transferred to number of plants like cotton, tobacco, tomato, soybean, potato, etc. to make them resistant to attack by insects. These genes produce insecticidal crystal proteins which affect a range of lepidopteran, coleopteran , dipteran insects. These crystals upon ingestion by the insect larva are solubilised in the highly alkaline midgut into individual protoxins which vary from 133 to 136 kDa in molecular weight. Insecticidal crystal protein produced during vegetative growth of the cells (VIP)are also found to be highly effective against insect control. Bt resistant plants are already in the market. Male sterility and Fertility restoration: This is helpful in hybrid seed production. Transgenic plants with male sterility and fertility restoration genes have become available in Brassica napus. It facilitates production of hybrid seed without manual emasculation and controlled pollination as often done in maize. In 1990, Mariani and others from Belgium have successfully used a gene construct having another specific promoter from TA29 gene of tobacco and bacterial coding sequence for a ribonuclease gene from Bacillus Sp. (barnase gene) for production of transgenic plants in Brassica napus. Here the translated gene prevented normal pollen development leading to male sterilily. III. Molecular Diagnostics Nucleic acid probes:- It is now possible to detect the plant diseases even before onset of symptoms by using cDNA probes. Probes are nucleic acid sequences of pathogen causing organisms labeled with certain markers. cDNA probes corresponding to specific regions of the pathogens can be generated using standard recombinant DNA technique. Monoclonal antibodies (McAb): Immunochemical techniques are extremely useful for the rapid and accurate routine detection of plant pathogens and ultimately the diagnosis of plant disease and their relatedness, The introduction of hybridoma technology has provided methods for the production of homologous and biochemically defined immunological reagents of identical specificity which are produced by a single cell line and are directed against a unique epitope of the immunizing antigen. The great potential of McAbs in phytopathological diagnostics is essential because of homogeneous antibody preparations with defined activity and specificity can be produced in large quantities over long periods. Even though hybridoma technology is a laborious and expensive enterprise compared to standard immunization procedures it is going to be widely used for large scale diagnosis. IV. Molecular Markers The possibilities of using gene tags of molecular makers for selecting agronomic traits has made the job of breeder easier. It has been possible to score the plants for different traits or disease resistance at the seedling stage itself. The use of RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length polymorphism), RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) , AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) and isozyme markers in plant breeding are numerous. RFLPs are advantageous over morphological and isozyme markers primarily because their number is limited only by genome size and they are not environmentally or developmentally influenced. Molecular maps now exist for a number of crop plants including corn, tomato, potato, rice, lettuce, wheat, Brassica species and barley. RFLPs have wide ranging applications including cultivar finger printing, identification of quantitative trait loci, analysis of genome organization, germplasm introgression and map-based cloning. AFLP is becoming the tool of choice for fingerprinting because of its reproducibility compared to RAPD. Microsatellile or simple sequence repeats (SSRS) markers have also become the choice for a wide range of applications in genotyping, genome mapping and genome analysis. V. Development of Microbial Inoculan Indiscriminate and injudicious use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for the crop production and control of insect-pests has resulted in pollution of the environment deterioration of soil health and development of resistance by many insects and residue problems. Hence there is a great concern world wide to use safer biofertilisers and biopesticdies in the integrated nutrient management and pest management systems. Biofertilizers are micro-organisms which fix atmospheric nitrogen or solubilise fixed phosphorus in the soil and make more nutrients available to the plant. Some of the organisms providing major inputs are the biological nitrogen fixing organisms like Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum and phosphate solubilising organisms like Bacillus polymyxa, B. magaterium, Pseudomonas striata and certain fungal species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. The benefits of using micro-organisms as fertilizers are many fold. They are less expensive, nontoxic to plants, do not pollute the ground water nor render the soil acidic and unfit for growth of plants. Rhizobium forms nodules on the roots of leguminous plants and help in fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere to ammonium irons which get converted to amino acids in the plant system. Inoculation with this bacteria helps in reducing addition of nitrogenous fertilizers to the soil. Azospirillum is also found colonizing inter cellular spaces inside the root system. These bacteria also contribute substantially to the nitrogen requirement of the plant. Phosphate solubilising bacteria are another group of micro-organisms which solubilise the insoluble phosphorus in the soil and make them readily available to the crop. Mycorrhiza is the symbiotic association of the roots of crop plants with non-pathogenic fungus. They provide nutrients absorbed from deeper layers of soil to the plants. They help the plants in better plant establishment and growth when inoculated. Many fruit crops like papaya, mango, banana, citrus, pomegranate are found to be dependent on this association and are greatly benefited by its inoculation in procuring higher phosphate and other nutrient from the soil. These mycorrhizal associations help the plants in overcoming pathogen attack also. They improve soil characters too. Genetic modification of microbes: By using DNA recombination technique it has been possible to genetically manipulate different strains of these bacteria suitable to different environmental conditions and to develop strains with traits with capacity for better competitiveness and nodulation. Biopesticides are biological organisms which can be formulated as that of the pesticides for the control of pests. Biopesticides are gaining importance in agriculture, horticulture and in public heatlh programmes for the control of pests. The advantages of using biopesticides are many. They are specific to target pests and do not harm the non target organisms such as bees, butterflies and are safe to humans and live stocks, they do not disturb the food-chain nor leave behind toxic residues. Some of the microbial pesticides used to control insect pests are Bacillus thuringiensis species to control various insect pests. Insecticidal property of these bacteria are due to crystals of insecticidal proteins produced during sporulation. These proteins are stomach poisons and are highly insect specific. Bt toxins could kill plant parasitic nematode too. Number of baculoviruses (BV) nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) is being developed as microbial pesticides both nationally and internationally, A few examples of these are Heliothis, Spodoptera, Plusia, Agrotis, Trichoplusia, etc. Biocontrol agents : These are other microbes which are antagonistic to several pathogenic fungus and are good substitutes to fungicides or insecticide. These are Bacillus sps. Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma, Verticillium sp., Streptromyces sps. etc. These organisms are commercially available. The extent of commercial application of plant biotechnology is the important mark for measuring the vitality of this newly emerging technology. Small and marginal farmers can adopt less expensive technologies like the use of biofertilizers and biopesticides while capital intensive technologies can be adopted by rich farmers Dr Sukhada Mohandas, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, Bangalore 560 089.
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201704
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A milk products are categorized as sweetened condensed milk if the protein content is 6.8 - 10% and 8-10% for fat.
Manufacturing Process of Sweetened Condensed Milk
There are two types of sweetened condensed milk manufacturing process:
Traditional method Modern method Traditional Method The raw milk is transported from the dairy farm to the plant in refrigerated tank trucks. At the plant, the milk is tested for odor, taste, bacteria, sediment, and the composition of milk protein and milk fat. The composition of protein and fat is measured by passing the milk under highly sensitive infrared lights. The milk is piped through filters and into the pasteurizers. Pasteurization process in used to increase the milk's stability, decrease the chance of coagulation during storage, and decrease the bacteria level. There are two method :
· High Temperature Short Time (HTST) heat the milk to of 161 °F (71.6°C) for 15 seconds
· Ultra High Temperature (UHT) heats the milk to 280°F (138°C) for two seconds.
The warm milk is piped to an evaporator. Through the process of vacuum evaporation, (exposing a liquid to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure) the boiling point of the milk is lowered to 104-113°F (40-45°C). As a result, the milk is concentrated to 30-40% solids. The milk is then homogenized by forcing it under high pressure through tiny holes. This breaks down the fat globules into minute particles, improving its color and stability. Pre-measured amounts of a stabilizing salt, such as potassium phosphate, are added to the milk to make it smooth and creamy. This stabilization causes the milk to turn a pale tan.The milk is passed under a series of ultraviolet lights to fortify it with Vitamin D. The milk is piped into pre-sterilized cans that are vacuum-sealed. The milk is flash-heated to about 185°F (85°C) for several seconds. It is then piped to the evaporator where the water removed. The milk is then concentrated under vacuum pressure until it measures between 30-40% solid. It now has a syrupy consistency.The milk is cooled and then inoculated with approximately 40% powdered lactose crystals. The milk is then agitated to stimulate crystallization. It is this sugar that preserves the condensed milk.The milk is piped into sterilized cans that are then vacuum-sealed. Modern Method The raw material used is water or fresh milk (if semi-recombination) and powdered ingredients such as skim milk powder, whey powder (sweetened condensed cream many uses whey powder because it is cheaper), sugar and cocoa powder (for chocolate), last one is fat. All of this material should be mixed at a temperature of 50-55oC in high-speed mixer (turbo-mixers) because the total solids in the mixing stage has reached 68-70%. Homogenization process is done in single stage homogenizer machine to break down fat globula be sized up to 2 microns. The pressure applied in this homogenization process varies according to the formulation and fat content but generally range between 700-1100 psi (lbs/inch2). Then the mixture is pasteurized at a temperature of 85-900C for 30 seconds. Evaporation process carried out in vacuum, when lactose is added to grain for seeding. The process of seeding lactose should be at the right temperature, the temperature at the time of crystallization of lactose due to supersaturated (supersaturated). Lactose granules used should be the maximum size of 10 microns, so that the crystallized lactose in milk does not form clusters but is spread evenly throughout the product, is carried by grains of fine lactose earlier. To get the maximum grain size of 10 micron lactose, usually sweetened condensed milk producers do grinding lactose prior to use. But, now there micronised lactose with the desired size without having to be grinding first. Evaporation is done until the final total solids in the product reaches 72-74%. The process of aging is the process of lactose crystallization refinement and distribution, which is a waiting process while stirring for 2-3 hours so that the entire crystalline lactose spread evenly throughout the product. Read more:
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201704
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Requeening does not always inhibit swarming.
Bees busy building comb won't swarm. Bees to crowded for brood and/or storage space will. As long as the bees are kept in a building mode swarming can be avoided. Re-queening does not solve every beekeeping problem, sometimes just the opposite. If you're requeening constantly you are prolonging the inability of the bees to develop important behaviors like Mite Resistance, Hygenic behavior, etc. Buying queens from the Southern US and putting them in hives in the Northern US is counter productive. That practice is putting bees that are not acclimatized to the local area resulting in high die of rates during winter. Better to buy as locally as possible, getting bees from stock that is being selected for resistence. When I buy queens to fill out splits I plan on buying mine from Wilderness Apiaries in Port Angeles, Wa. Their bees are acclimated to the northern US and are selected for SMR and hygenic traits from survivor stock. They have Italian and Russian queens.
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201704
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How to Make Peace in the Middle East in Six Months or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment by Gregory Levey Free Press, 288 pages, $25.00 How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden Vertigo, 208 pages, $24.99
Although Gregory Levey briefly worked as a speechwriter for Ariel Sharon (a job he more or less fell into, and which he recounted in his 2008 book “Shut Up, I’m Talking: And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government”), he’s no expert in Middle East politics. His official experience left him feeling no more knowledgeable and no less powerless than the masses when it comes to the prospect of peace in the region.
But what if relative ignorance could actually be useful?He decided that the peace process needed the intervention of someone who wasn’t mired in the conflict or burned out on negotiating, someone who could approach one of the most intractable problems of our time with fresh eyes and a sense of confidence. And so in his new book, “How to Make Peace in the Middle East in Six Months or Less Without Leaving Your Apartment,” Levey sets out as “a sort of freelance diplomat,” convinced that he can do better than countless politicians, activists and intellectuals in crafting a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, even under the titular constraints.
It’s not a bad idea — surely the Middle East could benefit from some ingenuity — even if the book is a prime example of the sub-genre that’s come to be known as “shtick lit.” From the beginning, though, Levey is hampered less by the absurdly ambitious nature of his project than by his lackluster approach to it. He does some basic “fact-finding,” attempting to contact the same high-level policy makers whose efforts he’s found wanting, and putting himself in scenarios where the scale and severity of the Middle East situation is thrown into high relief. As he attends conventions of AIPAC and Christians United for Israel, participates in a day of combat training with the Jewish Defense League, and plays a computer game that simulates the conflict, he rather maddeningly insists that he’s assuming the role of a peacemaker, when he’s really doing the work of a writer. He fixates on small things, like a pair of boxer shorts emblazoned with the words “PeaceMaker” that he orders online, and a Palestinian grocer in his neighborhood with whom he tries to work up the courage to discuss politics (and who has little interest in the eventual awkward conversation). The resulting moments feel like misguided comic relief instead of an attempt to find answers in unexpected places.
Of course, we don’t expect Levey to actually make peace, but he doesn’t even take us anywhere new. And he never really commits to his premise, resulting in a book that’s mostly a series of encounters, a survey of minor oddities and points of view rather than an outrageous attempt at the impossible. “[T]oo often, emotional gut responses can’t be beaten by logic,” he writes, noting how hard it is to get people to revisit their deep-seated attitudes, or to even consider the other side. If there’s ever going to be peace, he reasons, a basic first step is accepting that “not everyone [has] to agree with you.” True as that insight is, reaching it doesn’t exactly require getting off the couch. Though Levey’s quest for peace does take him out of his New York apartment (and as far as Washington, D.C.), his self-imposed limitations leave him retracing everyone else’s steps rather than thinking outside the box.
In her illustrated memoir, “How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less,” Sarah Glidden arrives at the same conclusion as Levey, but she comes by it more honestly. Glidden’s book chronicles her tour of Israel with Birthright, a trip she embarks on with plenty of doubts and preconceptions. Seeing the country for the first time, she writes, is “like spotting a celebrity on a crowded street. Someone whose crazy life has been splashed all over the tabloids for years.” Wherever her group travels, Glidden is suspicious of anything that resembles propaganda and wary of the presumption that she’s bound for a revelatory, “connected” experience. “Cathartic moments, epiphanies and nervous breakdowns are probably built into a Birthright itinerary like lunch stops on a class field trip,” she observes, with more than a little cynicism. Still, as hard as she tries to anticipate her emotions and attitudes, they keep changing. As they do, her drawings sensitively capture her impressions of what Israel looks and feels like, giving her space to imagine things that are only suggested, and a field on which to play out her ambivalence. (In one particularly apt sequence, she pictures the Israeli-Palestinian conflict being argued in court, with herself representing both sides.)
Despite her reluctance to being swayed by the tour, Glidden finds herself caught off guard by the intensity of her feelings about being in Israel, and stunned by the realization that she has both a place and a stake in the country. Recognizing this doesn’t make her any less skeptical, but it does make her appreciate that “understanding” Israel is not a project with a beginning and an end, a task that can be accomplished in a set amount of time and checked off her to-do list. That kind of understanding — with its many challenges and frustrations — is crucial to making any kind of progress towards peace, and is maybe even in some ways synonymous with it. Get rid of the cutely clever title, and it’s really what Levey is after, too.
Eryn Loeb is a writer and editor in New York. Read more at www.erynloeb.com.
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Our newest monitor.The smartmeter monitor (P1logger) will readout your energy consumption and production through the smartmeter. Together with other solar inverter loggers of FP4All a user will get an complete overview of its energy consumption in one environment. Welcome to our web store for green energy products and solutions.
Sunlight is very well suited for solar panels to generate electricity. Electricity generation from sunlight is durable and the price is becoming less of a problem for investing in solar energy.
FuturePower4All is creating solutions for a durable and better environment. Solar cells can in a sustainable way cover a large portion of your power needs and off course sunlight is inexhaustible. Costs for solar panels are coming down and thus solar power is already competing against normal grid power in respect to pricing.
FuturePower4All is your partner in alternative energy solutions. When you want to know whether it is possible to install solar panels, what the estimated costs and benefits for you would be, then please contact us by info@fp4all.com.
Besides installing solar energy systems, the monitoring of your system becoming increasingly important. It allows you to monitor and control your production system.
FuturePower4All is developing products to monitor and control your solar system. To protect the natural environment the next step, besides your own power generation, will be important to gain insights on your daily power consumption needs. We are continuously developing new products for measuring your power consumption. By combining this consumption information with the power generated by your solar system one will get a complete overview of the power needs.
FuturePower4All delivers high quality products for solar power generation and monitoring/visualization solutions.
You will find with us: - solar panels - solar inverters - power monitoring solutions - network solutions - installation materials like aluminium frames, connectors, cables etc. - custom made solutions.
FuturePower4All can deliver complete installation packages to our customers and can also install these solar-systems at the customer site within the Netherlands.
Because we have our own, SEI certified, installation personnel we can keep the quality high and pricing low.
In this way we are sure that our customers get the quality that they expect from FuturePower4All. info@fp4all.com and you'll be amazed by the price-quality ratio.
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The QS World MBA Tour is coming to a city near you starting today September 9 in Santiago and Taipei. It continues with events throughout North American, Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, and Latin America.
In addition to the traditional MBA fair and booths, The World MBA Tour offers Connect 1-2-1, a program where you can register for an individual time meeting with admissions directors at leading schools.
Top MBA's Nunzio Quacquarelli graciously provided Accepted.com with an exclusive interview to help you prepare for the upcoming QS World MBA Tours.
1. How should applicants prepare for a fair so that they can get the most out of the event?
It’s important that applicants know why they are there and what the most important questions are. After all, they can impress potential business school admissions officers with targeted questions. Admissions officers at the QS World MBA Tour most often complain about candidates who ask questions like “What’s an MBA?” and “How hard is the GMAT?” By visiting TopMBA.com and narrowing down options, doing some research and knowing something about the top business schools you want to talk to (and why) a candidate will stand out above a large percentage of their competitors. Also, bring a CV with a photo so that the admissions people, who may meet thousands of candidates, can far more easily associate a face with a name. Business cards can help too.
2. What are reasonable goals for spending a few hours at an MBA fair?
Candidates should come out with a much better idea of what business school can offer them, and which schools are most appropriate for them. They should get an idea of what duration (one or two years) might suit them better, what specializations they can consider, how they could get funding and so on. However don’t expect an offer of a place at business school at an MBA fair. Realistically to make a good contact at a handful of schools and then follow up those contacts is the best bet, as well as taking some schools off your shortlist that do not suit you.
3. What should applicants do while at the fair to get the most out of it?
There is an entire article devoted to this on topmba.com, but if I can summarise: get there early and see who is where on the planning sheet; prepare by visiting topmba.com first and draw up a list of criteria that you personally want – including what you hope to get out of an MBA and future plans; focus on realistic options for you, rather than just the big name schools attending; map out questions in advance and try and make them relevant – asking “what does MBA stand for?” won’t impress anyone; don’t overload admissions officers as they are busy and prepare an ‘elevator pitch’ so that you can tell them all about you in less than two minutes; don’t just focus on admissions officers as there may well be school alumni at some tables to talk to; look the part by leaving your shorts and flip flops at home; consider your funding options in advance so that representatives know where you stand in that regard; use the information sessions such as the pre-fair Master classes and panel discussions; evaluate the schools and trust your instincts and, finally, relax and enjoy yourself!
4. How much time should an applicant try to grab with a school representative at a fair?
They should try and grab as much as possible with the appropriate schools and the minimum possible with the others, which is why preparation is the key. There’s no point in chatting with a school that is renowned for its strength in marketing if you have zero interest in marketing, for example. If a school admission officer thinks you are appropriate for their school, and they for you, they will naturally give you more time. However they have to see perhaps over a hundred people so you will probably get about five minutes with them. These people are experts and if they sense that there is a good fit then they will get your contact details, give you theirs and follow up for a longer phone or email conversation at a later date. QS Connect 1-2-1 was created to address this issue. Serious candidates are invited to attend 30-minute sessions with admissions directors. Look at www.topmba.com/connect for further details of this.
5. Is it appropriate to ask for a business card and to contact the representative after a fair?
Absolutely. In fact the QS World MBA Tour has a system, called Outreach, where each candidate is given a number, which the representative can note down and then access all of the candidate’s details at the press of a button. If there is a good fit then they can get in touch easily. But yes, taking their contact details is fine.
6. What are common mistakes applicants make when participating in MBA fairs?
You can’t really make mistakes as such but we commonly see a lack of preparedness; an assumption that school reps are there only to see them as an individual; spending too long talking with schools that are inappropriate for them; asking questions that prove they aren’t serious candidates – I have had to explain, for example, the difference between an MBA and the National Basketball Association, or to a candidate who asked which school could help him get a job as a pilot; getting there too late to see the schools they want to see. But the key word is ‘preparation’.
7. What is appropriate attire?
There is no dress code whatsoever. However Hawaiian shirts and flip flops might fool some admissions officers into thinking that you are not a serious candidate...
8. How does the Top MBA Connect 1-2-1 complement the traditional circulating among tables and booths done at most MBA fairs?
Connect 1-2-1 is the next step for those candidates who have already attended a large scale MBA fair, or who would like to submit applications within the next 6 months. You get up to half an hour of quality time with admissions directors on a one-to-one basis, no crowds, no queues. What’s more, as these are pre-matched events, you know the schools are already interested in you, so it’s your chance to make a great impression in an uninterrupted environment, maximising your chances of being offered a place. It’s also a great forum to get in-depth information about what a school can offer you, not to mention great interview practice. If you are a serious applicant, these events are perfect for you, we have many previous attendees who have been offered places at their top schools after attending. You can find out more and submit your online registration at www.topmba.com/connect.
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Many libraries are investing in a digital infrastructure to allow patrons to borrow ebooks on their phones, tablets, and e-readers. Overdrive currently is the largest company that facilitates the entire lending process and many libraries are suffering from poor visibility to their visitors. Libraries traditionally spend $10,000 or more in setting up their digital ecosystem and trained staff on how to assist customers. The big issue is how do libraries promote the fact they have ebooks and what measures can they take to ensure public awareness?
Recently, staff members at Sacramento Public Library came up with a clever way to connect its physical and digital collections: they place “Now in eBook Format!” stickers on the covers of corresponding titles in the physical collection. These stickers were printed in bulk and direct customers to the library’s website where people can sign up to borrow books online. It promotes the ebook service, without having to spend more money in marketing materials.
Another great way to promote a library’s ebook collection is to develop shelf cards. These can be inserted into the books themselves or placed underneath them. This gives patrons a picture of the cover art and name of the book, as well as a web-link to the book entry in the library’s computer system. This is a little bit more extensive, but libraries have seen a 100% increase in loan-checkouts when they employ this method.
The Mid-Continent Public Library developed a number of savvy posters and then digitized them to promote it on their website. These marketing materials were aimed at people who never used an e-reader or borrowed a digital book before. It encouraged people who had an e-reader that they had the ability to borrow books for free. Since they employed this method, checkouts increased by over 54%.
eBooks dwell exclusively in the digital space and sometimes it’s hard for libraries to promote their digital strategy. Crossing over from the electronic world to the tangible world can be a daunting endeavor. Libraries can do simple things like add stickers to all of their books and make some posters in Adobe Photoshop to promote them. Setting up WIFI hotspots is also relevant so people can visit the library if they don’t have that sort of internet at home to borrow books wirelessly. Staff can also organize training sessions for borrowing ebooks. All of these things require very little overhead and are proven to increase visibility and checkouts.
In the end, it can be a daunting challenge to promote your library ebook collection. Whether you are dealing with Axis 360, Overdrive, 3M, or a myriad of others, it can be challenging. The best thing to bear in mind is that some promotion is better than none at all. e-Reader and tablet visibility are at an all time high, because of the sheer amount of stores selling them. It is critically important that if you have invested in a digital content distribution system, that you do something to advertise rather than nothing!
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Sometimes when a story has many dimensions, each equally powerful, it’s difficult to decide which one is more compelling to share…At GOONJ, Sujni is such a story of many layers and impacts. It’s truly a story where a humble piece of cloth is the heroine…
You may have seen a sujni in a village household.. It’s made by stitching together layers of small and big pieces of cloth, with a big cloth piece on top.. The kind of cloth considered waste for any other use. In common parlance a sujni is a crude country cousin of patch work quilts. It is indeed a creation of need; people use it as a mattress in summer and as a quilt in winters. But the humble story of a Sujni wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t tell you what it’s doing for hundreds of women.
When you read about Sauhagya Devi.. You will hopefully understand what we mean.
Sauhagya Devi lives in village Tamot Parsa, in district Madhepura of Bihar. “Babu there is no fun in a debt ridden life,” she had said about her life as a farm laborer. “It weighs on you like a ton of bricks.” Reeling under a debt of Rs. 25,000 and earning a mere Rs 30 a day Sauhagya Devi had all but resigned to her fate as an indebted farm laborer. Her son Phoolchand would migrate to Punjab in search of higher paying farm work but it wasn’t enough to break the vice like grip of mounting debt.
After the Bihar floods in 2008 when Goonj shifted focus from relief to rehabilitation, livelihood for women was a priority. Here men from villages frequently migrate to big cities in search of work, leaving the largely unskilled women to fend for themselves… We saw an opportunity in the large disaster wastage at our hands. Connecting the dots, we turned Sujni making from this waste, into an income generation resource for these women.
Initially Sauhagya Devi was reluctant.. unsure of a new idea, even as she feared losing her daily wage job. Slowly she learnt the basics and even started involving her daughter in law in Sujni making. Her son too, chipped in… finding the work more profitable than migrating to cities. Money started trickling in and the family was able to pay off their debt in a year’s time. Sauhagya Devi says, “While paying the last installment my heart was pounding uncontrollably. I thought it wasn’t real. I am debt free. It was the most joyous time of my life. More than the day my son was born.” Last we heard Sauhagya Devi wanted to buy land and redo her house…
In 2014 after working for a year in Uttarakand post floods, we fulfilled a cherished dream of opening a large scale Sujni making center. Late last year Goonj started a Sujni center in Rishikesh employing 55 women, majority of whom have never stepped outside their homes… On an average more than 100 Sujnis are made in a day.. As part of our winter kits these are reaching out not just to rest of Uttarakhand but also to Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, U.P and Assam.
One of the many reasons Sujni making is our pet project is because of stories like Suhagya Devi’s. That it’s an environmental winner is obvious, given that till date thousands of kgs of absolute waste cloth has been turned into a powerful resource. That, we are fast replacing the Daan ka Kambal (an utter shame in the name of charity) by Sujnis for our winter kits, only highlights our faith in this work. Not only is it cheaper and more durable, it puts the money back into the rural economy.
An interesting aspect is that most of the exquisite craft and art of our country comes from the villages; whether it’s Madhubani, Phulkari or papermache. Yet you will never find these in village households or even markets. Sujni is probably the first such product where the raw material is coming from the cities while the finished product is being made and used in the villages.
How’s that for reverse migration!!!#100storiesofchangebyGoonj
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You can make the difference.
Choosing to exclusively breastfeed your new baby may be one of the most important decisions you ever make.
Why Breastfeed?
Breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby’s brain needs to reach it’s maximum potential.
It’s easier for your baby to digest
It doesn’t need to be prepared
It’s always available
It has all the nutrients, calories and fluids your baby needs to be healthy
It has the growth factors taat enssure the best development of your baby’s organs
American Academy of Pediatrics
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Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are distinct G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that allow cells to sense specific proteases in their environment. PARs are emerging as attractive therapeutic targets for several diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, colitis, asthma, neurodegenerative conditions and cancer. Individual PARs are able to activate pathways that confer both barrier disruptive, proinflammatory signaling, as well as anti-inflammatory barrier protective signaling pathways. How this selective signaling is mediated is poorly understood, and represents a significant impediment to the development of effective agonists and antagonists targeting PARs for therapeutic uses. A better understanding of the nature of the protease environment that induces differential PAR signaling, and the molecular mechanisms involved in protease activation of PARs are critical. We have discovered that two membrane-anchored serine proteases, Testisin and Matriptase, are cell-specific endogenous activators of PAR2, and likely modulate localized spatial and temporal signaling of PAR2 in endothelial and epithelial cells, respectively. Our data suggests that the GPI anchored serine protease, Testisin, is a proangiogenic factor that can activate PAR2 in the microvasculature, and facilitate capillary growth important for angiogenesis. We also find that the transmembrane serine protease, Matriptase, may sustain a PAR2 dependent signaling pathway important for maintaining the intestinal epithelial barrier. The goal of the research plan is to define the activities of these PAR2-activating membrane serine proteases and to develop a novel prodrug strategy for both detecting and targeting their activities. The research plan will utilize in vitro cultures in concert with in vivo studies in mice to test the following aims: 1) to determine the contribution of Testisin to PAR2 signaling during angiogenesis, 2) to determine the role of PARs in regulating in regulating Prostasin->Matriptase mediated intestinal epithelial barrier closure, and 3) to reengineer anthrax toxins to target PAR2-activating membrane-anchored serine proteases on the cell surface.
Protease activated receptors are emerging as potential therapeutic targets for several diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, colitis, asthma, neurogenerative conditions and cancer. The goal of this research is to define novel mechanisms by which the barrier disruptive and protective activities of these signaling receptors are regulated by membrane anchored serine proteases. Once understood the studies have the potential to reshape current paradigms and lead to new molecular targeted therapies to prevent and/or treat these diseases.
Siefert, S A; Chabasse, C; Mukhopadhyay, S et al. (2014) Enhanced venous thrombus resolution in plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2 deficient mice. J Thromb Haemost 12:1706-16
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Th17 cells are a newly defined subset of helper T cells that orchestrate inflammatory responses. Accumulating evidence implicates Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Indirect evidence suggests that they are also important in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, there are no studies in man to confirm this hypothesis. Th17 cells are pathogenic in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and we have shown that IL-27 suppresses Th17 cells and autoimmune inflammation. Furthermore, IFN-(3 an immunomodulatory treatment for MS, has been shown to suppress Th17 cells and autoimmune inflammation in mice, via upregulation of IL-27. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that Th17 cells play a pathogenic role in MS and can be suppressed by IFN-|3 and IL27.To test this hypothesis, we propose to 1) characterize Th17 cells in MS patients, 2) determine the effect of IL-27 on human Th17 cells, and 3) examine the role of IL-27 in the suppressive effect of IFN-p on Th17 cells. These studies should result in a better understanding of the role of Th17 cells in MS , elucidate a mechanism of action of IFN-P in this disease, and have the potential to introduce IL-27 as a therapeutic modality in human autoimmune inflammation.
These studies are relevant to the overall mission of the ACE which is to further our understanding of cellmediated autoimmunity. In particular, Th17 cells are a recently characterised cellular subset that have been implicated in a numer of autoimmune conditions. Thus, although our studies are focused on MS, the findings from this project will likely be relevant to a range of autoimmune conditions.
Shao, Wen-Hai; Zhen, Yuxuan; Finkelman, Fred D et al. (2014) The Mertk receptor tyrosine kinase promotes T-B interaction stimulated by IgD B-cell receptor cross-linking. J Autoimmun 53:78-84 Zizzo, Gaetano; Cohen, Philip L (2013) IL-17 stimulates differentiation of human anti-inflammatory macrophages and phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils in response to IL-10 and glucocorticoids. J Immunol 190:5237-46 Fitzgerald, Denise C; Fonseca-Kelly, Zoë; Cullimore, Melissa L et al. (2013) Independent and interdependent immunoregulatory effects of IL-27, IFN-?, and IL-10 in the suppression of human Th17 cells and murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Immunol 190:3225-34 Vuyyuru, Raja; Liu, Hongqi; Manser, Tim et al. (2011) Characteristics of Borrelia hermsii infection in human hematopoietic stem cell-engrafted mice mirror those of human relapsing fever. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:20707-12 Shao, Wen-Hai; Zhen, Yuxuan; Rosenbaum, Joshua et al. (2010) A protective role of Mer receptor tyrosine kinase in nephrotoxic serum-induced nephritis. Clin Immunol 136:236-44 Shao, Wen-Hai; Kuan, Anita P; Wang, Charlie et al. (2010) Disrupted Mer receptor tyrosine kinase expression leads to enhanced MZ B-cell responses. J Autoimmun 35:368-74 Gran, B; Yu, S; Zhang, G X et al. (2010) Accelerated thymocyte maturation in IL-12R?2-deficient mice contributes to increased susceptibility to autoimmune inflammatory demyelination. Exp Mol Pathol 89:126-34 Suh, Chang-Hee; Hilliard, Brendan; Li, Sophia et al. (2010) TAM receptor ligands in lupus: protein S but not Gas6 levels reflect disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Res Ther 12:R146 Ciric, Bogoljub; El-behi, Mohamed; Cabrera, Rosalyn et al. (2009) IL-23 drives pathogenic IL-17-producing CD8+ T cells. J Immunol 182:5296-305
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Nobel PursuitsBy Jes Ward | March 1, 2005 | 0 comments
It’s been 10 years since
Jes Ward first heard of the PeaceJam program when she was in high school; now she helps run it. In that time she’s seen thousands of youth learn that the only thing more inspiring than the lives of Nobel Peace Prize Winners is the chance to follow in their footsteps.
Ivan Suvanjieff moved from Detroit to Denver in the early 1980s. A musician and artist, he specialized in punk rock and large black and white abstract paintings.
One weekday afternoon in 1993, he stepped outside his North Denver artist’s loft and noticed a group of neighborhood teenagers on the street corner. The local media had dubbed the previous summer the “Summer of Violence” in the Mile High City because of the unusually high amount of gang activity, drive-by shootings, and other youth-on-youth violence. North Denver in particular was notorious as a haven for gangs. But Suvanjieff continued walking toward the kids on his corner, recognizing several of them as boys he had known since they were in elementary school.
When he approached them and asked why they weren’t in school, they replied that they had “a business to run”—dealing drugs. Suvanjieff thought quickly and began prodding further.
“You have to be pretty smart to run a business,” he said. “Who’s the president of the United States?” They all answered with a shrug and an “I dunno.” One added, “Why should we care? He doesn’t represent us, he doesn’t care what happens in our barrio. So why should we care about him?”
Suvanjieff stopped and thought for a moment. “A lot of people feel that way,” he said. “At some point in time, everyone has felt like they aren’t being represented.” Trying to make his point, he mentioned the apartheid system in South Africa, and the boys became animated. He was surprised to find that they not only knew about the work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, they were excited to talk about it. Suvanjieff allowed himself to wonder, “What would happen if these boys got the opportunity to meet Desmond Tutu? Would they become less apathetic? Could they be inspired enough by his presence to get involved in their own communities?”
These questions stuck with Suvanjieff for months, but they seemed ridiculous. What Nobel Peace Laureate would have the time or interest in traveling to North Denver to work with teenagers?
Then Suvanjieff met Dawn Engle, a fellow transplant from Detroit who was the youngest woman ever to serve as chief of staff for a United States senator. She had also spent 13 years working on Free Tibet campaigns, during which time she had gotten to know the Dalai Lama.
Suvanjieff was in disbelief—“No one from Detroit knows the Dalai Lama,” was his first response—but he eventually convinced Engle to arrange an audience with the Dalai Lama to see what that Nobel Peace Laureate might think of coming to work with North Denver’s youth. Suvanjieff had approximately two dollars in his bank account, and Engle, a single mother, was not much better off. But they scraped together enough money to make the trip to Dharamsala, India.
It was worth it. The Dalai Lama was intrigued by Suvanjieff’s idea and promised his participation if the pair could get 10 other Nobel Peace Laureates to agree to be involved as well. From Suvanjieff’s artist’s loft, they began cold calling Nobel Peace Laureates around the world. Desmond Tutu granted them a meeting. So did 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum, who fought for the rights of indigenous people in Guatemala, and 1987 winner President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica, who engineered a peace agreement among all Central American countries in the 1980s. Engle and Suvanjieff flew around the world on borrowed money, stayed in shady hotels or airport lobbies, and got a group of 11 Nobel Peace Prize winners to agree to be a part of their project.
But what exactly was this project? It needed a name, and a defined mission. Suvanjieff, the artist and musician, envisioned youth coming together to share thoughts, experiences, and ideas for improving their local communities. They would each bring a different perspective and then be able to create one large initiative that would impact more and more youth as the program grew. It reminded him of musicians coming together for a jam session, except this would be youth coming together to have a jam session about peace. He called the program PeaceJam, and he and Engle identified its mission as being “to inspire a new generation of peacemakers who will transform their local communities, themselves, and the world.”
PeaceJam has since become an international education program built around the participation of leading Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, who work personally with youth to teach peacemaking skills, pass on wisdom, and inspire hope. In 1996, the first PeaceJam Youth Conference took place in Denver, Colorado, with a keynote address by 1976 Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams, who helped launch a grassroots peace movement in Northern Ireland. Since then, 200,000 youth have participated in more than 100 conferences and other events through the program. There are now roughly a dozen PeaceJam conferences held around the world each year. PeaceJam’s headquarters is still located in a suburb of Denver, but there are affiliate offices throughout the United States. In 1997, the first PeaceJam conference outside of the United States took place on Robben Island in South Africa with Nobel Peace Laureates Desmond Tutu and Betty Williams. There are now PeaceJam youth programs in India, South Africa, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Argentina, and Costa Rica. Peace Jam is the only organization in the world with 14 Nobel Peace Laureates on its board of directors, each of whom actively participates in the program.
Although the scope of PeaceJam has grown since Ivan Suvanjieff confronted those teenagers on his North Denver street corner in 1993, the program’s main goals have stayed true to his original vision. PeaceJam recognizes the enormous dangers and disadvantages facing many teenagers today. But it also recognizes the potential of all youth, no matter who they are and where they’ve been, to turn their lives around and become forces for peace. To help spur these transformations, the program draws upon the ground-breaking work of Nobel Peace Laureates, some of the most inspiring figures on Earth. By bringing these Laureates face-to-face with teenagers from around the world, they not only inspire with their presence and testify to what a single person can accomplish, they also send the message that these kids matter—that they’re capable of living up to the legacy of any Nobel Peace Prize winner. And based on the program’s results, it’s become clear that this message resonates with participants. Evaluation data from PeaceJam participants shows that 93% of those who participate in a PeaceJam Youth Conference leave believing that “one person can make a difference,” and 97% say that because of their experience in PeaceJam, they will be peacemakers for the rest of their lives.
So how exactly does PeaceJam translate Suvanjieff and Engle’s vision into a concrete program with such positive results? The PeaceJam curriculum is based on a model of education, inspiration, and action. Through schools, community organizations, and faith-based organizations, groups of teenagers get together with an adult sponsor and work with their closest PeaceJam affiliate office to participate in the program. They begin their involvement in PeaceJam by studying the life and times of the Nobel Peace Laureate who has agreed to come to their region to work with them. Through role-playing exercises, discussion, readings, and keeping journals of their thoughts, students confront challenging questions about the root causes of violence and oppression, and offer their own conclusions on how to stop them. Next, they begin to explore the true meaning of peace—whether, for instance, it means something more than the absence of violence—and consider what it means to be a peacemaker.
The final portion of their studies focuses specifically on the case study of their Nobel Peace Laureate, their issue, and how they went about working to make change. Integral to each case study is the point that the Nobel Laureates were not born as super humans. Instead they were ordinary people who decided that they could not sit idly by and watch injustices inflicted on others. This is the power of the PeaceJam program: It gives young people real-life examples of how individuals truly can make a difference.
But the PeaceJam curriculum is only the first step. The truly inspiring part of the program is the PeaceJam Youth Conference, where participants meet the Nobel Peace Laureate they’ve been studying for the previous several months. At 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning, the groups of students from around a region converge on a university campus to take part in the two-day conference. PeaceJam’s founders chose university campuses as the location for conferences because many of the young people who participate in PeaceJam often suffer from self-doubt, and fear they aren’t smart enough to attend college, to the point that they never even think of applying. By bringing these youth to a college campus, and connecting them with the college students who act as small group facilitators at the conference, the program aims to show kids that they have what it takes to go to college if they want to.
The cornerstone of the PeaceJam conference is the keynote address by the visiting Nobel Laureate. Over the years, these speeches have reflected the varied experiences of the Laureates and the different lessons of their lives. PeaceJammers have heard Rigoberta Menchú Tum discuss how to heal communities torn apart by racism and violence, drawing upon her own experiences in Guatemala. In one of his addresses, 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate José Ramos-Horta of East Timor discussed the difficulties in creating peace and democracy, and emphasized the importance of determination and endurance when faced with such seemingly impossible tasks. 1997 Laureate Jody Williams, founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, has spoken at several conferences, urging participants to recognize their own ability to promote social change. It is hard to overstate the impact of these speeches. At one conference in Denver, now 96-year-old Peace Laureate Sir Joseph Rotblat spoke for two hours about his decision to quit working on the Manhattan Project in 1944, and his subsequent dedication to ending the proliferation of nuclear weapons around the world. His speech ran straight through lunch, and there was not a whisper to be heard from the participating high school students.
Yet the visiting Nobel Laureate is much more than a keynote speaker. Following the keynote address, youth are given the opportunity to ask questions. It’s a forum just for them and the Laureate—no teachers, no press, no interruptions. The message to the youth is that their voices have value, that they are important enough to ask questions of a world leader. Often the Nobel Laureates have noted that the most difficult questions they have ever been asked have come from PeaceJammers. PeaceJam is so committed to making sure that every participant’s voice is heard that at the end of the question and answer session, the youth who still haven’t had their questions answered go to a private room for lunch and more discussion with the Laureate. For the rest of the afternoon, youth participate in small group discussions and service projects throughout the community. The evening consists of a celebration, themed according to the Laureate’s cultural heritage, and a poetry slam by the PeaceJam participants.
To deepen the connection between the youth participants and the Laureate, day two of the conference starts with the Ceremony of Inspiration. PeaceJam firmly believes that it is important for people to take care of themselves and have ways to find comfort when times get rough, whether through involvement in a religion, spending time with family and friends, playing sports, or listening to music. At the Ceremony of Inspiration, the Nobel Laureate shares what it is that inspires him or her on a daily basis. Afterward, students are invited to come to the stage and share their own sources of inspiration. These sources can be as seemingly minor as an anecdote a participant’s grandmother once shared with her, but they all serve to remind the audience that small details kindle the fires of inspiration for each individual, whether a Nobel Laureate or high school student.
But all this inspiration would go nowhere without a plan for action. That’s why on Sunday afternoon, students share the stage once more with the guest of honor and make a pledge to create positive change. Each of the student groups that attend the conference, representing different schools or community groups within their region, creates a PeacePlan to address a problem they see in their communities. The definition of community is up to the group, as is the definition of positive change. Their projects range from planting and maintaining a community garden to addressing fair vs. free trade legislation in their state. In front of 300 of their peers and the Nobel Laureate, groups share the impact that they hope to make with their projects and their plans for implementation. To have the Nobel Laureate bear witness to their project presentation empowers and validates each young person’s vision for a better world. At the same time, with each passing year, PeaceJam has seen deepening levels of sophistication in the issues students are choosing to address.
The service projects are implemented throughout the next several months and are reported on at the PeaceJam Slam, a one-day follow-up conference at which the same groups of students report on the good work they have done, and learn which Nobel Laureate will be visiting their site next year. The cycle starts again with another year of uniting young people with some of the world’s greatest leaders, inspiring the youth to transform themselves, their communities, and the world.
I was one of those youth who felt transformed by the inspirational power of PeaceJam. I first got involved in the program in 1996, when I was a freshman in high school. I had recently moved in with my grandmother, who was caring for me and my four siblings as my mother struggled with addiction problems. To make matters worse, I had to transfer to a new high school where I knew no one. Separated from my life-long friends, I would pace the halls alone at lunch and between classes.
It was during one of those lonely walks through the halls that a teacher approached me and asked if I would be interested in joining a club. Before long I was a regular at PeaceJam’s lunchtime meetings and joined my fellow club members in various service projects. Every Sunday members would visit patients in low-income senior homes—not just for an hour, but for the entire day. Every Friday we gathered to make 100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which we delivered to homeless children in Denver. We participated in marches, fasts, campaigns, and projects that brought about positive change in communities across the state.
At my first PeaceJam Youth Conference, Archbishop Desmond Tutu presided. He spoke to us from the heart and addressed us as those who held the future in our hands. He answered our questions honestly, and made sure we told him our names before we nervously addressed him in front of our peers. He was present at every conference activity, including the urban park clean up and the breakdancing at our block party in downtown Denver. He excited within each of us the desire to turn our anger, alienation, and frustration at the state of the world into action to create something better.
Throughout my nine years with PeaceJam, I have seen all aspects of the program and witnessed its impact from the ground up. Every day there are youth like me writing emails, calling, and stopping by to let us know how the program has changed their lives. PeaceJam creates a family of youth committed to taking on the world’s problems, and the family grows by leaps and bounds every year.
In 2006, PeaceJam is bringing together 12 of its participating Nobel Peace Laureates and 3,000 youth from around the world to celebrate the program’s 10-year anniversary. This will be the largest gathering of Nobel Peace Laureates outside of Oslo, Norway, where the prize is given, and will be held at the University of Denver. Keeping true to the promise of PeaceJam to be a youth-focused program, adults are not eligible to enter the conference unless they are an official sponsor of a group of PeaceJammers in attendance. Delegations from around the United States—as well as India, Guatemala, South Africa, Costa Rica, East Timor, and several other countries where PeaceJam is running—will attend this once-in-a-lifetime event, seeking inspiration from the Dalai Lama, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, President Arias, and others.
After 10 years, PeaceJam has never strayed from the belief that inspiration lies within each individual and just needs to be brought out through encouragement, modeling, and the reminder that every person is capable of great things. As one student wrote after her first PeaceJam experience, “PeaceJam says, ‘I know you’ve got promise and potential.’ PeaceJam reaches in and pulls it out of you.”
Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior? About The Author Jes Ward has been involved with PeaceJam for nine years—first as a participant, now as the director of PeaceJam's headquarters office, based in Denver.
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Another leg down on the horizon?
Well, the past week was characterized by relief more than anything else. Resultantly, we saw a positive week for the equity indices, oil, the metals and non-dollar currencies. In defiance of the daily flow of news, we stick to our bearish guns because of the generally negative monetary dynamics in operation. As for the perilous task of short-term timing in the speculative financial markets? We don’t know, but our hunch is that we’re on the eve of another leg down in ‘risk assets’. Moreover, the
lagged daily treasury statement charts seem to be confirming this at present.
The total operating balance of the US Treasury jumped to $104 billion last Friday and subsequently declined to $90 billion. As part of the US Treasury’s attempt to unwind its portfolio of Mortgage-backed securities (bought during the 2008/2009 crisis), they received $976 million last Friday and $26 million on Tuesday. Since this unwinding operation has been in process for some time now, we thought we’d make a chart (as promised). The chart below shows the amount received into the US Treasury’s coffers from the proceeds from MBS sales and interest (in $ millions) against the S&P 500:
As can be seen on the chart above, the US Treasury tends to receive large deposits (relating to MBS sales) around the second week of every month. It’s certainly something we can watch out for.
As mentioned above, we stick to our medium-term negative view on the so-called ‘risk assets’. In particular, we’ve seen short term sentiment rebound from pessimistic levels. In combination with this, we take note of the negative monetary dynamics and the bearish outlook on the lagged daily treasury statement charts (which is no guarantee!). As mentioned in a previous update:
On the shorter-term timeframe, we notice a peculiar
laggedcorrelation between the US equity indices and the total operating balance of the US Treasury. The laggedproperty means that this indicator has the capacity to be predictive. We generally don’t pay much attention to such kinds of analysis, but we indulge in this particular one because it is wayout of the mainstream… The broad thesis is that net government spending is bullish for asset prices (on a lagged basis) and net accumulations of cash are bearish for asset prices (on a lagged basis). For a more detailed interpretation of these charts see here.
Recommended:
Charting the Federal Reserve's Assets - 1915 to 2012
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North Korea has been accused of genocide by the human rights group Human Liberty based in Yonsei University, South Korea. The conservative South Korean group recently spoke to the UN Commission of Inquiry in New York which investigated reports of human rights violations in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). Human Liberty believes the findings of the Commission, which were published earlier this year, amount to acts of genocide by North Korea.
In March of 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Council established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the widespread and systematic violations of human rights in North Korea. The Commission is headed by Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court of Australia. After an eleven month investigation, which included testimony from hundreds of prisoners who escaped North Korea’s notorious prison camps, the Commission pronounced the DPRK guilty of “unspeakable atrocities” of such gravity, duration and scale that they had no parallel in the modern world. Among the violations of human rights found by the Commission were arbitrary detention, torture and execution, forced labor, abduction of foreign nationals, abusive mistreatment of political prisoners, targeting of religious believers and starvation as a political weapon.
When the Commission’s findings were published earlier this year, North Korea blasted back. The regime argued that the mandate of the Commission was not impartial and that the UN had set out to find evidence of human rights abuses which it already thought existed. In response to North Korea’s allegations, Human Liberty hired the international law firm Hogan Lovells to conduct an independent investigation into the Commissions findings, which they confirmed in an 85-page report published in May.
Now that the litany of human rights abuses by North Korea have been entered into the UN record, international pressure is cautiously mounting to do something concrete about the situation. Human rights groups like Human Liberty are trying to find ways to solidify international resolve for action. The South Korean human rights group believes the systematic starvation of citizens in North Korea, the targeting of Christians and other religious minorities and the widespread practice of forced abortions of mixed-race children in North Korea, a group which qualifies for protected status under United Nations charters, qualifies their accusations of genocide.
In 2002, reports surfaced among defectors that women in North Korean forced labor camps were being forcibly treated with abortifacient drugs. The report of the UN Commission paints an even uglier picture of a systematic “cleansing” of North Korean ethnicity: forced removals of handicapped children and infanticide of children born of mixed-race parents. Human Liberty also pointed out the systematic discrimination by North Korea in the distribution of food under the
songbun system which allocates resources to the upper classes of society and discriminates against those with “tainted blood,” a condition which the North Korean government believes lasts for three generations.
Despite appeals by Human Liberty to consider North Korea’s human rights violations to be genocide, the Commission argued that Crimes against Humanity was a sufficient categorization. Genocide was too narrow a definition for the wide variety of human rights abuses of the regime, and might serve to obscure the multi-faceted findings of the Commission, which also highlight the severe mistreatment of prisoners, forced labor, and torture of political dissidents, among other violations of international law.
But action was clearly on the mind of Human Liberty in their appeal to the Commission, and the hope for a global campaign like the anti-apartheid movement to solidify international resolve to do something concrete about North Korea. The conservative South Korean human rights group hopes that accusations of genocide might stir the international community to take greater measures to hold North Korea accountable. However, until North Korea agrees to accept international law, accountability will be a difficult prospect.
By Steve Killings
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A new documentary revisits the BP Oil spill in the Gulf Coast. It has been four years since the rig exploded releasing an underwater geyser of crude oil. The world watched with baited breath and righteous anger until the gushing well was capped – and then largely forgot about the disaster. Gulf Coast residents are still dealing with the aftermath of one of the worst environmental catastrophes in history.
The oil rig exploded on April 20, 2010. In the almost three months before it was controlled, 200 million gallons of crude oil were pumped into the Gulf of Mexico. The contamination devastated the marine ecosystem and destroyed the livelihoods of many residents. Filmmaker Margaret Brown documented the continuing aftereffects of the disaster in her film, “The Great Invisible.”
Originally from the Alabama coast, Brown was interested in how people were coping years after the explosion. Had the Gulf been cleaned up enough to restore the businesses affected? Was life back to normal? She found her answers were a resounding, “No!” People who depend on the ocean are still struggling and suffering. They are frustrated by too little information and being thwarted at every turn by a company that does not want to take responsibility. Too much of the money goes to ramp up tourism rather than restore ecosystems.
It is true that a massive clean-up effort was undertaken to rid the Gulf of the worst of the oil. Billions have been paid in settlements to people who lost property and businesses, but many environmentalists, residents and business-owners claim the coast has not fully recovered and oil lingers. In one excerpt of Brown’s documentary, a man shows the camera the streaks of oil in his freshly caught shrimp.
Residents along the Gulf Coast were caught off-guard by the oil spill; they did not know how to react to it. They are a resilient people used to damage caused by natural disasters such as hurricanes, but, after a hurricane passes, houses, businesses and towns can be rebuilt. Brown found that the problems were more wide-ranging with the man-made catastrophe. It disrupted the way of life, the sources of income, and the traditions of the region. People are still feeling the economic consequences of the spill.
Brown said her film started off being about the people of the Gulf Coast and the hardships they still face. She wanted to let the world know that life along the shoreline is still impacted. However, she says halfway through filming the story began to take a turn. She started to examine the love affair people have with oil. Brown began to see her own culpability in her dependence on oil to travel and operate her daily life. As long as people desire an oil-dependent existence, these types of environmental disasters are likely to happen. Who should really be held to blame? The companies meeting consumer demand, or the consumers themselves?
Brown says she intended to make a documentary about a small place; about what happened when the national spotlight went away and local people were left alone to cope with disaster. Along the way the film became about a larger issue. How long can people pretend that increasing consumption of oil is not sabotaging the ecosystems in which they live?
Last month BP executives tried to assert that environmental contamination had been wildly overstated. However, it was also affirmed in October that the oil spill had left a large, oily “bathtub ring” on the seafloor. As long-term damage continues to be assessed, a string of court cases attempts to hold BP and Transocean liable. In the meantime, Americans are more oil hungry than ever. Many are willing to sacrifice the environment to abundant, cheap oil.
Margaret Brown is one person reminding people of where oil dependence can lead. Her new documentary revisits the BP Oil spill in the Gulf Coast. “The Great Invisible” refocuses on lives interrupted by environmental disaster.
By: Rebecca Savastio
Sources:
Photo Credit:
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London, Sep 6: Scientists have for the first time discovered tiny magnetic particles from air pollution lodged in human brains - which could be a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers at Lancaster University in the UK found abundant magnetite nanoparticles in the brain tissue from 37 individuals aged three to 92-years-old who lived in Mexico City and Manchester.
This strongly magnetic mineral is toxic and has been implicated in the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) in the human brain, which are associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease.
Professor Barbara Maher, from Lancaster Environment Centre, used spectroscopic analysis to identify the particles as magnetite.
Unlike angular magnetite particles that are believed to form naturally within the brain, most of the observed particles were spherical, with diameters up to 150 nanometres (nm), some with fused surfaces, pointing to high-temperature formation - such as from vehicle engines or open fires.
The spherical particles are often accompanied by nanoparticles containing other metals, such as platinum, nickel, and cobalt.
"The particles we found are strikingly similar to the magnetite nanospheres that are abundant in the airborne pollution found in urban settings, especially next to busy roads, and which are formed by combustion or frictional heating from vehicle engines or brakes," said Maher.
Other sources of magnetite nanoparticles include open fires and poorly sealed stoves within homes.
Particles smaller than 200 nm are small enough to enter the brain directly through the olfactory nerve after breathing air pollution through the nose.
"Our results indicate that magnetite nanoparticles in the atmosphere can enter the human brain, where they might pose a risk to human health, including conditions such as Alzheimer's disease," said Maher.
"This finding opens up a whole new avenue for research into a possible environmental risk factor for a range of different brain diseases," said David Allsop, of Lancaster University's Faculty of Health and Medicine.The findings were published in the journal PNAS.
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Some researchers have suggested that MSM
has anti-inflammatory effects
(Morton et al. 1986; Childs, 1994; Murav'ev et al., 1991). Any health effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) may be mediated, at least in part, by MSM (Williams et al, 1966; Kocsis et al, 1975). Stanley W. Jacob, M.D., of the Oregon Health and Science University, claims to have used MSM to treat over 18,000 patients with a variety of ailments (Jacob & Appleton, 2003).MSM is the primary metabolite of DMSO in humans.
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It’s normal to feel sad or down at times when you’re living with heart failure. Some medicines can also affect your mood. Following your treatment plan may seem difficult at times. If you feel overwhelmed, just focus on one day at a time. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help when you need it.
Try not to withdraw from family and friends, even if you are finding it hard to talk to them. They can still be a good source of support. To feel better, you can also:
Spend time doing things you enjoy. This may include participating in a favorite hobby, meditating, praying, or spending time with people you care about. Find activities that make you happy and make those a priority.
Share what you learn about heart failure with the people in your life. Invite family members along when you visit your healthcare provider. This will help you feel supported as well as help you discuss the care plan you've agreed upon with your doctor.
Think about joining a support group for people with heart failure. It may be easier to talk to people who know firsthand what you’re going through. They can offer advice and share stories. You may want to ask loved ones to join you for a meeting.
Having heart failure doesn’t mean that you have to feel bad all the time. Consider talking to your healthcare provider or a therapist if:
You feel worthless or helpless, or are thinking about suicide. These are warning signs of depression. Treatment can help you feel better. When depression is under control, your overall health may also improve.
You feel anxious about what will happen to your loved ones if your health gets worse. Taking care of legal arrangements, such as a living will and durable power of attorney, can help you feel more secure about the future.
Social support helps alleviate stress and helps your stick with your healthy lifestyle changes. Without social support, you may end up back in the hospital.
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Teriyaki chicken and rice is a staple among the frozen dinner options at your local supermarket. Because meat, sauce and rice freeze well, this can also be a somewhat nutritious way of getting protein, iron and fiber in your diet. Frozen dinners shouldn't replace home-cooked meals, however, because they're also typically high in carbs, including sugar, as well as sodium.
Carbs in Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
A 3.5-ounce serving of teriyaki chicken and rice contains 22.5 grams of carbohydrates, of which 4 grams are in the form of sugar. If you eat the entire frozen dinner, you'll consume almost 76 grams of carbohydrates, of which 14 grams are in the form of sugar. That's about almost two-thirds of the 24 grams of added sugar women should limit themselves to each day and 40 percent of the 36-gram daily limit for men, according to MayoClinic.com. Almost all, if not all, of the sugar in teriyaki chicken and rice comes from the sauce used to flavor the meal. Teriyaki sauce contains added sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup, which means that the sugar in the dish is unhealthy added sugar.
Sugar, Carbs and Health
You've probably heard that sugar and carbohydrates are bad for your health, and that's partly true. Too much sugar is linked to unhealthy weight gain, dental decay and heart disease, but not all carbohydrates are bad. In fact, many carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are an essential part of a healthy eating plan. Because they are also good sources of fiber, fruits, vegetables and whole grains help regulate your blood sugar and reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, as well. Other carbohydrates, including white rice, white pasta and white bread, aren't as nutritious and should have a limited place in your diet because they contribute to weight gain and are lower in nutrients.
Benefits
While you do get a hefty dose of sugar and carbohydrates in teriyaki chicken and rice, you also get a good amount of key vitamins and minerals you need for good health. A teriyaki chicken and rice frozen dinner supplies 1.19 milligrams of iron, which is 15 percent of the 8 milligrams men need each day and about 7 percent of the 18 milligrams women require. Iron is crucial for the formation of healthy red blood cells and a strong immune system. The same serving delivers 1.29 milligrams of zinc, a nutrient that supports your immunity and enables your body to heal from wounds. That translates to 12 percent of the 11 milligrams men need each day and 16 percent of the 8 milligrams women require. You'll also get a good dose of niacin for a healthy digestive system and potassium for a normal heart beat.
Tips and Considerations
In addition to an unhealthy amount of sugar, frozen teriyaki chicken and rice also contains a whopping 1,132 milligrams of sodium, which is about half of your daily 2,300-milligram limit. Too much salt is linked to heart disease and stroke. Instead of going the convenient route, opt to make your own teriyaki chicken and rice at home. Use reduced-sodium and low-sugar teriyaki sauce and swap the white rice for brown to cut down on the unhealthy carbohydrates. Load your meal up with fresh vegetables, such as carrots, peas, bell peppers and onions, which are additional healthy carbohydrates.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Rice bowl With Chicken, Frozen Entree, Prepared (Includes Fried, Teriyaki, and Sweet and Sour Varieties) U.S. Department of Agriculture: Sauce, Teriyaki, Ready-to-Serve MayoClinic.com: Added Sugar: Don't Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners MayoClinic.com: Carbohydrates: How Carbs Fit Into A Healthy Diet Harvard School of Public Health: Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way University of Maryland Medical Center: Zinc University of Maryland Medical Center: Iron University of Maryland Medical Center: Niacin Photo Credits Ciaran Griffin/Stockbyte/Getty Images
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What Your Tennis Shoes say about You
Tennis shoes moved into the mainstream decades ago, and they’re still one of the top choices in footwear. Walk into any shoe store in the nation and you’ll find a range of tennis shoes to choose from, but what are your sneakers saying about you? Knowing what messages your shoes are saying will help you choose the right pair for almost anything.
Tourist or Local
Overseas travelers appreciate the importance of dressing like the locals. Wearing a brand of shoes that’s only available in another country is sure to mark you as a tourist, and that’s a disadvantage when you’re trying to negotiate prices at the local market. It you’re heading to a new area, try to pick up footwear that’s consistent with what the locals wear.
Personal Hygiene and Cleanliness
Shoes are on the ground all the time and are going to get dirty, but wearing filthy shoes sends the wrong message. When your shoes are clean and tidy, people assume that you’re just as clean and tidy in your other personal habits. If your shoes have become so filthy that cleaning them just isn’t an option, then you might want to treat yourself to a new pair.
Leaders and their Followers
When you slip on a pair of shoes that all of your friends have, you subconsciously send the message that you’re a follower. There’s nothing wrong with following the crowd on certain things, but you may prefer to send the message that you’re a leader. To do so, choose a unique pair of shoes that you won’t find in your local gym or the halls of your school. You may need to shop at a place like
Sneaker Kingsto find unique shoes that your friends don’t have, but you’ll send the clear image that you’re a leader. You also may start a new trend yourself. Style Always Matters
Whether you follow the trends or want to set them yourself, style always matters. People don’t care about the cost of quality of a shoe if it’s an ugly addition to your wardrobe. When shopping for new shoes, always look at the style and colors to be sure that they match your personality and are a worthy addition to your wardrobe.
You cannot go wrong with sneakers, but you should be careful about the messages that your sneakers are sending. Invest in the right pair to create the right message. When they start to become uncomfortable or are too dirty to see the designs, then it’s time for a new pair.
You will find really great styles, design and colors for the whole family at
SneakerKingclick HERE
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fructose intolerantie /intolerance What is changing? If you look in older pediatric books then this is a "newcomer" and the estimation/examination of "it was positive for fructose intolerance in 132 of 245 patients (53.9 percent)." seems like a fairy tale, but maybe this is the situation in the USA.
It is as strange as the incredible amount of patients with hypothyroidea in the USA and other issues like peanutallergy, sesamallergy etc.
Released: 10/14/2010 1:00 PM EDT Embargo expired: 10/18/2010 9:00 AM EDT
Newswise — San Antonio, Texas (October 18, 2010) – Fructose intolerance, or fructose malabsorption, is common in children with recurrent or functional abdominal pain, but the condition can be effectively managed with a low-fructose diet, according to the results of a new study unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG) 75th Annual Scientific meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
The study, “
Fructose Intolerance/Malabsorption and Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children,” investigated a total of 245 patients with unexplained chronic abdominal pain alone or associated with constipation, gas or bloating and/or diarrhea -- 150 of them female (62.1 percent) – who ranged in age from 2 to 18 years old, with a median age of 11.
Fructose intolerance is typically diagnosed by exclusion, according to researcher Daniel Lustig, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist with the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Center in Tacoma, WA, who explained that once other GI conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are ruled out, a hydrogen breath test is given to the patient. If the patient’s breath hydrogen exceeds 20 points above baseline, then the patient is likely fructose intolerant.
Breath hydrogen test (BHT) for fructose was performed in all patients in the study and it was positive for fructose intolerance in 132 of 245 patients (53.9 percent). A total of 113 of 245 (46.1 percent) of patients had a negative BHT for fructose intolerance. All of the 132 patients with a positive BHT for fructose had a nutritional consult with a registered dietician and were placed on a low-fructose diet. Using a standard pain scale for children, 88 of the 132 patients (67.7 percent) reported resolution of symptoms on a low-fructose diet.
“With fructose in everything from fruit to pre-packaged products, soft drinks and honey, it is difficult to avoid so the challenge is finding those foods without fructose and still maintain a healthy nutritional balance,” said Dr. Lustig. He said fructose intolerance is more prevalent in teenage girls with chronic abdominal pain. In his practice, Dr. Lustig said he typically sees three or four teenage girls a week with a new diagnosis of fructose intolerance or for follow-up.
“While there is definitely a subset of patients who respond well to a low-fructose diet, it’s challenging for patients who are fructose intolerant to maintain, especially teenagers. But the good news is that over half of patients who are fructose intolerant are able to maintain a low-fructose diet and are able to notice an immediate improvement in their symptoms,” concluded Dr. Lustig. About the American College of Gastroenterology Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 11,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. www.acg.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at www.acg.gi.org/media/press.asp
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The idea of feeding our horses whole foods is becoming more common among horse care providers. But the specific, everyday application of truly effective whole food feeding is very different than simply offering your horse a few apples and carrots, especially when it comes to the positive impact of seasonal whole food feeding.
“Feeding whole foods should be purpose driven,” says Equine Naturopath Dr. Cassie Schuster. “We’re not just putting together nice sounding ingredients. We have a goal in mind. We want our horses to respond both physically and energetically.”
Spring can be a particularly challenging time for horses. The weather is changing. The light is changing. The days are growing a little longer, the nights a little shorter. Even the grass is transforming. “Energetically we’re moving from the quiet, withdrawn time of winter, which is Yin energy, into the outgoing, Yang energy of summer,” says Holistic Horse Healer and Trainer Shelly Moore of Oregon. “That is why spring is known as Yin-Yang, a time of transition.”
What’s a horse to do? Why, adapt of course.
Feeding the correct whole foods in a holistic manner can help tremendously to support our equines through Spring.
RETHINKING TRUE HEALTH
The main reason whole food feeding has taken so long to gain acceptance in the West is because “Western thinking is about treating a problem as opposed to preventing a problem,” says holistic veterinarian and equine nutritionist Madalyn Ward, DVM.
Effective whole food feeding starts with a shift in thinking and in belief systems, the first of which is how we view health. “We still don’t look at an animal’s health until that animal develops symptoms,” Dr. Ward points out. “It is so ingrained in people to think that their animal is healthy if there are no symptoms. We need to be approaching an animal’s health before symptoms ever happen. Our Western mind is not really framed to appreciate what true health can be.”
One example Ward gives that is particularly appropriate during the spring is how many people automatically look to Milk Thistle to help a horse cleanse their horses’ livers. Yes, spring is a time of cleansing, Ward states. But if your horse’s body is overloaded with toxins, it is important to reach not just for the herb – which is using the herb as a drug - but to reach for the answer as to why the toxic overload occurred in the first place.
“My point is that you have to not just look at the milk thistle to bring the body back into balance,” Ward states emphatically. “You have to look at the digestion process. And if you look at the digestion process you have to look at the foods you are feeding. Focus first on the whole foods and your likelihood of ever having a problem in the first place, decreases exponentially.”
EMOTIONAL FACTOR
Those who are not quite ready to embrace the full spectrum of whole food feeding may very well balk at the notion of including the realm of emotions in their food choices.
To truly understand the full impact of whole food feeding, one must be sure to include emotions of the horse and his human, says Australian Herbalist Catherine Bird, and author of A Healthy Horse the Natural Way.
“Horses experience most emotions,” Bird says, “but what complicates the expression of those emotions is the emotions their humans generate but do not fully deal with. The horses take these emotions on when they walk into what the humans have splattered around them.”
How, exactly, can this relation between whole food feeding and emotions manifest in the spring?
- In the spring, some people are feeling the need or pangs for a love life, Bird says. If that is the case, then Rosehips and Lemon Balm are the primary herbs to use for horse as well as human.
- If a person’s emotions are inflamed, this can be reflected in a bout of spring laminitis in the horse. In this case, yarrow and fennel are two herbs Bird often suggests.
- If a horse care provider is not adjusting to the longer days and her hormones are not in synchronicity with the day, then the horse may be hormonal as a result. A combination of chaste tree and chamomile may serve well in such situations, Bird says.
“I do prefer to have humans address their imbalances at the same time as focus on their horses, as that is when the herbs will have a better effect on the horse,” Bird says. “Those who are prepared to do this are more open to the new consciousness to which the planet is opening up.”
SPRING FEEDING AT FULL CIRCLE FARM
When a horse first steps into Full Circle Farm , Shelly Moore, a holistic trainer and healer from Oregon, puts that horse on a customized, whole food feeding program. In the spring, that usually means seasonal foods that supply micronutrients and that are readily bioavailable, and therefore easily digested.
Moore’s barn is equipped with an ample kitchen, a refrigerator, a hot plate to simmer teas and a coffee grinder for foods that are more easily digested when fed in small pieces. Chia, spirulina and barley grass offer strong sources of micronutrients. Ginseng is a mainstay for the horses who don’t seem to have enough energy.
Moore watches all the horses while they’re grazing, as seemingly unimportant habits can result in an important part of a whole food eating plan. For example, in the spring, wood chewers receive a handful of sunflowers including their shells. “Feeding sunflowers gives horses who crave fiber what they need,” she says. “These are the horses who would be eating the spring boughs on the fir trees if they could.”
“I don’t have time to pussyfoot around,” Moore says. “I need to know that the horses who come here are getting what they need nutritionally.” She always offers seasonal fruits. The spring menu includes papayas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, bananas, carrots, oranges and grapefruit.
The expense of feeding this way can be significant, Moore admits. “That’s why I buy in bulk and on sale.”
Five years ago, people didn’t express much interest in Moore’s whole food feeding programs. They wanted the cheapest vitamin/mineral supplements they could buy at the feed store, and that was it, Moore says.
Times are changing.
GOT GAS?
To alleviate gassiness that horses may experience with spring’s fluctuating weather, Dr. Cassie Shuster, an Equine Naturopath, suggests this whole foods recipe. The volatile oils in anise and fennel seeds help relax the stomach muscles and dispel gassiness. B Vitamins in sesame seeds help fortify the liver. Minerals in watercress can help replenish calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, nutrients that can be depleted during times of adaptation and stress.
1 tablespoon anise seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups finely chopped watercress
Toss together and feed alone or over moistened hay pellets as a mash.
MAKING IT WORK
Dr. Schuster has spent a lifetime devoted to the study of the synergy of whole foods (she is currently writing a book on the feeding of whole foods). Sharing this information has required her to overcome a lot of resistance that people hold about feeding whole foods to their horses.
“For so long it’s been about the convenience of the human,” Schuster says from her equine rest and rehabilitation ranch in Texas. But to truly understand the power of whole foods, people need to take the time to delve deeper. Otherwise they end up simply throwing different foods at a horse and hoping they will somehow see an improvement.
“Feeding whole foods is both a science and an art,” Schuster says.
Lori Teresa Yearwood is a Pulitzer Prize Nominated journalist who loves horses. Nearly a decade ago, Lori's own horses became ill. Her search for natural ways to heal them led to the birth of Skode's Horse Treats, Inc., the first low sugar/starch, whole food horse treat company in the world. www.SkodesHorseTreats.com
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Plant celery (Apium graveolens) from seed for a fresh crop of this crisp vegetable. This cool season crop grows best between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and takes three to four months to grow from seed to harvest. In a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters, the best time to grow celery is during the spring and late fall. Celery is a biennial plant that is grown as an annual in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 10.
Starting Seeds Indoors
The best way to germinate celery seeds is by starting the plants indoors in seed flats. Celery seeds take 14 to 21 days to germinate and emerge from the soil. When starting seeds indoors, use a seed-starting flat filled with a soil-less seed-starting mix. Commercial seed-starting mixes are designed to be porous, sterile and to provide good drainage, all important factors for good germination rates. When planting celery seeds, just barely cover them with 1/8 inch of soil. Celery seeds need light to germinate. A bright room or a spot in a greenhouse, out of direct sunlight, is ideal.
Germination Temperature
Celery seeds germinate best at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 degrees at night. When using a seed flat indoors, you can provide bottom heat by placing the seed flat on a horticultural heating pad. The heating pad allows you to closely control the temperature of the soil without relying on the air temperature in the growing room. Celery seeds need consistent light waterings during germination and early emergence to keep the growing environment consistently moist.
Transplanting Outdoors
When celery seedlings grow 6 inches tall, about 10 to 12 weeks after starting seeds, they are ready to transplant out into the garden. When planting in spring, wait until the might temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees Fahrenheit and day temperatures range between 70 and 75 degrees. Plant celery seedlings 6 to 8 inches apart in a sunny, prepared garden bed.
Direct Seeding
When planting celery in the fall, you can save time and effort by direct seeding. Wait until the temperatures drop to 70 or 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow the seeds 1/8 inch deep in the soil and about 1 inch apart. When the seedlings emerge, thin them to a spacing of 6 to 8 inches to make room for the developing plants. Keep the seed bed moist during germination and emergence and through the growing season.
Photo Credits Tom Brakefield/Stockbyte/Getty Images
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Your roof’s structure has a natural enemy – moisture. Wood rafters, trusses and sheathing need ventilation to reduce warped framing and to prevent the breakdown of wood sheathing caused by hot moist air that can collect in unvented attics. Builders have been installing roof ventilation for decades, but early types of roof vents were unattractive and could be noisy if they featured turbines. Ridge vent allows hot moist air to escape at the highest point of the roof. In many cases, ridge vent, which is covered to match the shingles, is nearly invisible, making it a top choice for homeowners who want clean rooflines.
Ridge Vent Basics
In order for attic ventilation to be effective, there must be continuous air movement. Since hot air rises, intake vents sit low on the roof, and exhaust vents, like ridge vent, sit high on the roof. Ridge vent is a static type of vent because it contains no fans or wind-powered turbines. Hot, moist air rises and escapes round-the-clock, and as it exits, fresh air is drawn in through intake vents.
Soffit Vent Necessity
Soffit vents, which tuck neatly beneath the eaves of the roof, allow fresh air to flow into the attic. Soffit venting can be continuous, running the entire length of the soffit, or can take the form of individual vent panels. Local building codes often regulate the amount of soffit venting necessary, but in general, the more soffit vent you have, the better the airflow.
Ridge Vent Installation
In new construction, the roofing contractor leaves a small gap at the peak of the roof when installing the roof sheathing. The gap size, typically between 1 and 3 inches, depends upon the style of ridge vent chosen. On an existing roof, the roofing contractor cuts away the top of the roof sheathing. Ridge vent comes in solid metal and plastic pieces or in a flexible roll that fits over the opening in the roof ridge. Hand nailing is preferable over using a nail gun when installing ridge vent to prevent a wavy look. After the vent is in place, the contractor covers it with cap shingles that match the rest of the roof.
Vaulted Ceilings and Baffles
In a home with a vaulted ceiling, the attic isn’t an open space where air can flow in through the soffit vents and exit naturally through the ridge vent, but ventilation is still essential. In this case, most building codes require the installation of baffles, sometimes called rafter vents, that provide at least 1 inch of free continuous space on the underside of the roof deck, between the rafters. Air must flow into the soffit vents, rise through the baffles and exit through the ridge vent. Baffles do not affect the interior look of a vaulted ceiling.
Considerations
Select a style of ridge vent suggested for your region. Due to their design, nearly all ridge vents keep out blowing rain, but dry powdery snow can filter in some ridge vents and then thaw, leaving watermarks on an interior ceiling. Ridge vent is only effective when air flows, unencumbered, from the bottom of the roof to the top. Do not block soffit vents or the ridge vent opening with insulation.
Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
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Vincent van Gough Thursday, January 5, 2017 Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Originally published in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Annual Print Book 2016
Are They Prepared?
“You are nothing but a pack of neurons.”
Year after year, psychology is one of the top college majors and many Christian students pursue careers in counseling or social work. But whatever their major or career choice, if your students go to college, there is an excellent chance they will take at least one psychology class. In some respects, Psychology 101 will be like every other science course, but in others, psychology is unique. It is the study of us. Unlike every other science, psychology deals with some of the same worldview issues as the Bible. Modern psychology and a Biblical Christian worldview intersect around big questions like:
What does it mean to be human?
What is the nature of the mind?
What causes mental pain and suffering and what do we do about it?
Modern psychology’s answers to those questions have changed over the years. I first took psychology as a freshman in 1980. I learned about behaviorism, which taught that to be human meant being an advanced animal, going through life robot-like, without free-will, responding to environmental inputs. I learned about Sigmund Freud’s psychodynamic psychology, which taught that the mind was a battlefield of unconscious psychic forces. I learned about humanistic psychology which taught that I had an innate goodness, that my feelings and self-image were top priority, and that morality was learned and relative. The challenge for Christian students today is the same as it was for me way back then – to learn about the wonders of the human mind while maintaining respect for the authority of the Bible and to not compromise the Christian worldview.
But students entering college today face a new challenge. Today, evolutionary naturalism is psychology’s dominant worldview. It has been said that “evolution is the new psychology.” Evolutionary naturalism and a Christian worldview each make mutually exclusive claims about human psychology. How one defines the word ‘psychology’ illustrates the pivotal worldview difference.
Psychology means the study of the psyche, which is from the Greek word psuche (pronounced psoo-khay). Psuche meant “life,” but it differentiated human from other forms of life. To have psuche was to have a uniquely human combination of natural/physical and supernatural/immaterial natures. The Bible is clear that humans have psuche. Evolutionary naturalism, on the other hand, is equally clear. We have one nature and it evolved.
In the final chapter of The Origin of Species, Darwin predicted that someday:
“Psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation.”
That day has come. Modern psychology presumes that every mental power and capacity, even those we think of as uniquely human, special, or God-like, were acquired, bit by bit, over a very long time, through variation and natural selection.
In what has been called “The Astonishing Hypothesis,” Dr. Francis Crick wrote:
“You, your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. As Lewis Carroll’s Alice might have phrased it: ‘You are nothing but a pack of neurons.’”
Taken together, The Astonishing Hypothesis and Darwin’s prediction represent bold claims. They represent evolutionary naturalism applied to psychology and taken to their logical conclusions. Evolutionary naturalism cheapens our mental life. It reduces consciousness and free-will, language and song, love and hate, altruism and greed, and more to packs of neurons operating selfishly to assure the survival and perpetuation of our genes. Neuroscientists today peer inside the living brain and “see” its structures and functions and the billions of neurons and the trillions of connections between them. The most complex structure in the known universe, the human brain, must have evolved by numerous and successive slight modifications. Students should not lose sight of those claims. The Theory of Evolutionary requires that they be true.
Psychology is an opportunity for students to see for themselves that evolutionary naturalism is silly and that the Christian worldview is the most logical and meaningful paradigm for understanding the big questions about the human mind -- after all, it is God’s grandest creation. The collective discoveries of psychology point inexorably to our Creator.
When we approach psychology from a Christian perspective, it all makes sense. Psychology class is an opportunity to experience a new kind of awe at the wonder of God’s creation. The ways we sense and perceive the world, our personalities, emotional lives, and relationships are unique in the world, awe-inspiring, and worthy of study. Psychology shows us that, like the Bible says, we are born with a moral compass, but we are not inherently good. It provides an opportunity to talk with students about a host of issues, including the relationship of mental health and mental pain to one’s relationship with Christ. And for those future Christian counselors and social workers, it is an opportunity to establish a Biblical worldview foundation for their career.
What did they teach you in psych 101
If you went to college, you probably took an introductory Psychology class – Psych 101. If your children go to college, they will probably take one too. But for students today, Psychology class will be very different than it was for you – way back when.
Today, students taking Psychology do so at a time predicted by Charles Darwin in the final chapter of The Origin of Species. Darwin described a new paradigm for understanding human psychology, an evolutionary paradigm that 150 years later dominates modern psychology.
Darwin predicted: “In the distant future I see open fields for far more important research. Psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation. Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.”
That is bold. That is the state of modern psychology today.
Tim Rice, DMin, LPC, wrote Homeschool Psych and Psychology: A Christian Perspective. He also teaches psycholgy from a Christian perpsective online live.
"My lectures go beyond the textbook. In class we look at psychology's content at the worldview level, adding a distinctly Christian perspective to the study of the human mind."
Students have two options. In both, students attend 15 online lectures (about 1 hour each) and participate in the class discussion (chat) about assigned readings. Click here to register or get more information.
In Option #1, the lecture only option, students attend lectures only. Dr. Rice doesn't give homework,assignments, or tests. He provides parents his Teachers' Guide for their use creating assignments. The cost for Option #1 is $100
In Option #2, the lectures, quizzes, essays, extra reading, and a grade option, Dr. Rice assigns 12 essays, 12 quizzes, 12 study guides, some extra reading, and 1 final exam. He assigns grades according to the syllabus. The cost for Option #2 is $200.
Payment is not due until the beginning of the third week of class. By then students know if the class is a good fit.
Orientation sessions happening soontim@homeschoolpsych.com for your invitation. During the orientation sessions Dr. Rice demonstrates the JigSaw interactive platform and explain what he means by a “Christian perspective” and how his psychology class differs from others.
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What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
“Carpal Tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve — the nerve in the wrist that supplies feeling and movement to parts of the hand. It can lead to numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers.” – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is more likely to occur from circumstances that produce pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is most commonly found in employees that work assembly lines and construction. Genetic predisposition – some people are born with a smaller carpal tunnel. Sprain, fractures and other hand injuries can increase risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, metabolic disorders or rheumatoid arthritis can also increase risk. Ways to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Health professionals recommend that you should take frequent rest breaks, stretch and do hand exercises. Wear fingerless gloves and arm braces to keep hands warm, flexible and to keep wrists in good posture. Employers are encouraged to use ergonomic equipment such as keyboards and chairs that encourage correct posture. Job rotation to prevent repetitive motion. HOW TO pageLearn how to do other things by checking the CBS Houston HOW TO page.
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Shrimp Wantons © All Rights Reserved
Every time you add finger food to a main meal, you made it more fun. Just ask any kid. Or growup. Appetizers add another dimension to the otherwise predictable meal. You cannot quite place a finger on it but appetizers not only whet your appetite, it adds excitement and the “wow” factor, especially if you make them yourself. Your kids will love you. Your husband will be gushing compliments (or quietly proud) and if you’ve guests...they may think you’re quite the culinary fairy.
I’ve to confess I don’t always find time to provide an appetizer with my meal. But there are times when I feel an urge to make little savory treats to upgrade my meal. For instance, my daughter gets an A for Math and I feel like celebrating. It may sound frivolous but it's reason and incentive enough. Since time is often a factor, I’ve to make appetizers that are not too tedious, yet delicious. I always have packs of wanton wrappers in my freezer since these wraps have great versatility. I can turn them into savory treats or sweet deserts. Dream up a filling and viola, they are transformed into sophisticated morsels of delectable treats.
Recently, I experimented with wrapping whole shrimps with fresh herbs and I’ve say, they were surprisingly good and easy. Traditionally, the stuffing consists of minced or finely chopped ingredients to fit into the little wanton squares and that requires some time to prep. I decided to use whole shrimps (that way, I can skimp on chopping more than necessary) and then, I cheated some more—I use a variety of fresh herbs to kick up the flavor. Fresh herbs also mean you can skimp on sodium. As you can see, sometimes, less is more.
Cook Time Prep time:20 min Cook time:10 min Ready in:30 min Yields:6 servings, 4 pieces to a serving Ingredients 24 large shrimps, fresh or frozen 24 wanton wrappers 2 stalks green onion, finely chopped 2 springs cilantro, finely chopped 2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped A pinch of Kosher salt A pinch of sugar, (optional) Freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 tsp cornstarch Instructions Finely chop green onion, parsley and cilantro. Wash and pat dry shrimps and put them in a large bowl Add chopped herbs and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tsp of cornstarch to gel all the ingredients together. Mix well. Mix 1 tsp of cornstarch with some water in a bowl to use as glue. Place one shrimp in the middle of the wanton wrapper Bring one corner of the wanton wrapper over the shrimp. Bring an adjacent corner over the first corner. Glue with cornstarch mix with water. Bring another corner in, add glue before turning in the last corner. You’ll end up with a square-shaped wanton, with the shrimp sitting snuggly inside. In the same way, wrap the rest of the shrimps. Pan-fry Shrimp Wantons
Usually, they’re deep fried but I prefer to pan-fry them. I usually use about half an inch of oil to coat pan. That way I use less oil and by that reckoning, less waste and less fat calories.
Fry each side for about 3 minutes or until wanton is golden brown. Drain on paper towel and enjoy with dipping sauce. Dipping Sauce
You can eat the shrimp wantons as they are—crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. To further augment the eating experience, dipping sauces are highly recommended. If you’re short on time, bottled sauce will do. I love sweet and tangy Thai chili sauce—it goes superbly with these crispy treats. Or ketchup with a dash of Tabasco sauce or horseradish.
If you’re ambitious, I’ve a vinegar soy sauce for you:
1 tbs of soya sauce 1 tsp of rice vinegar ½ tsp of brown sugar 2 tbs of water Minced ginger (optional) A dash of sesame oil or chili oil if you like it spicy. Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl. If you like it, give it some stars. Thanks.
Nutrition Facts Serving size: 4 wantons per serving Calories 270 Calories from Fat 117 % Daily Value * Fat 13 g 20% Saturated fat 3 g 15% Carbohydrates 22 g 7% Sugar 2 g Fiber 1 g 4% Protein 25 g 50% Cholesterol 170 mg 57% * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. Are there any health benefits to eating Shrimp?
Shrimp may not carry as much health buzz as fish and is often maligned for its high cholesterol level but let’s look at it closely. The high cholesterol claim is debatable as some studies indicate that the cholesterol found in shrimp actually raise the good cholesterol (HDL), which is health-friendly but then, other studies indicate otherwise. Truth is nothing eaten to excess is a good thing. With that in mind, shrimp offers a number of health benefits, enough to not scrimp away:
It is low in fat and calories, making it a viable meat source. Excellent source of amino acid tryptophan (famously blamed for inducing sleep after the Thanksgiving turkey meal), a vital mineral in maintaining sleep pattern and stabilizing mood. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids. According to Mayo clinic, research has linked omega-3 fatty acids to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases. It also lowers triglycerides and keeps plagues from depositing in blood vessels. About 4 ounces of shrimp contain 28 percent of vitamin B12, helpful in protecting blood vessels from damage and reducing risks of strokes. Selenium, a trace mineral that packs a punch—it enhances immunity, regulates thyroid function and according to National Institute of Health, it also protect against cellular damage from free radicals Nutritional Profile of Wanton Wrapper:
One 3 and a half inch square wrapper has 23 calories and 0.1g of total fat. Some brands have no fat calories. It also has 46 mg of sodium and 4.6g of carbohydrates.
You can make your own but I usually buy them from the store and keep it in the freezer until I'm ready to use. Give it about an hour of thaw time.
What are Wanton Wrappers? What are Wanton Wrappers?
Wanton, wantan, wutun or wonton—they are all name variations of paper-thin wrappers made from flour, water, salt and egg. The thicker and steady cousin is used for making dumplings. The Chinese first invented these, judging by the name—wanton is known as “hundun” in the northern Chinese usage, meaning,” irregularly shaped pasta,” or in a more poetic form as “yuntun,” meaning “swallowing clouds.” That is not too far-fetched in terms of visual illustration as stuffed wantons can sometimes look like crimped clouds or pillows.
You can take these wrappers and stuff any fillings you fancy. Usual suspects include minced pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, chopped cabbage, ginger, green onion, onion, water chestnuts, and chives. Change the fillings into something sweet (sweet bean paste, fruit preserves, chopped nuts) and they become desserts. To seal the edges together, so all the deliciousness doesn’t ooze out during cooking, you can simply use water to wet surfaces before pressing the edges together or you can use a combination of cornstarch and water (pulls great gluing power). Because wanton wrapper is malleable, you can also play with creating interesting shapes. So, go beyond triangles, rectangles and squares.
How Many Ways Can You Use Wanton Wrappers?
The cooking genius of mankind saw to it that wanton wrappers are put to good use…not a one-trick ingredient, that’s for sure. Different cultures have also put their spin on them and so if ravioli looks suspiciously like dumplings and dumplings looks suspiciously like Jewish Kreplach, well… it’s all good. Here are some examples of how wanton wrappers can be used:
Steamed them and they became dumplings or jiaozi. Since they look like gold ingots, jiaozi is very auspicious and are often eaten during Chinese New Year in the hopes of getting rich. If only getting rich is just a matter of eating a bowl of dumplings—I’ll be very rich by now. Deep fry them and they make fried wantons, the kind that it’s commonly served in Asian restaurants. The filling varies from ground meat to cream cheese to vegetables. If you fry them on one side and then add water to steam the upper side, they became gyoza, the Japanese spin. Quite like 2-in-1—very ingenious. Lightly pan-fry them and they become potstickers. Stuff them until the burst out of the edges and they became “siew mai” (aka Shaomai/Shumai—depending on dialect used)—a favorite appetizer in Asia. Steal them of the push carts that come around in dim sum restaurants for a small price or make them yourself. Or buy them from frozen food section of Asian markets. Even Costco carries them. Scrunch them up until they resemble shriveled prunes and toss them into soups for a light treat. It is simply called wanton soup. They can also be turned into shells, quite like taco shells to hold any number of delicious fillings. Just brush both sides of wanton wrapper with oil and bake in muffin cups at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes. These dainty receptacles are ready to hold anything your palate desires. Cut them into strips and baked until crunchy. Makes good salad toppings or use as chips.
As you can see, the wanton wrapper is quite a multi-tasker. They may come in a package but you can't "box" them in when it comes to culiary creations. Below are some examples of what I've done with them:
Turn wanton wrapper into dainty baskets. Potsticker Wanton Soup Watch my shrimp wanton video. More by this Author 102
Every cook should be armed with his own stash of spices. Spices add flavor and excitement to dishes and when cleverly used, can bring out the best of flavors in the food. This hub details ten basic spices every cook...
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Instructions on how to make chicken stir-fry with variations. Recipes included and pictures.
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Want to lose weight and hold it off? The Chinese people have certain inbuilt diet strategies in their eating habits. Find out more.
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Encapsulating the interior of duct work?
Anyone have experience with encapsulating the interior of duct work?
I have a mould problem inside my duct work apparently because my previous system was way too big for the house.
A fellow told me of a company that sprays a material throughout the duct work to cover the inside.
He told me they often do this for houses that had fires. Supposedly they "clean", then "disinfect", then "encapsulate" the interior.
Never heard of this. Hope someone here knows and can give some opinion on such a procedure.
Thanks.
.
Last edited by Jack2007; 09-12-2008 at 02:02 PM.
Reason: add emphasis
There are products and there are companies; do your due deligence.
http://www.achrnews.com/Articles/Art...00000000373402
Putting an encapsulate in an HVAC system is a bad idea. Encapsulate will break down over time and start blowing out the duct. If a company cleans the HVAC system correctly there will be no need to encapsulate it. Now if you have mold or insulation breaking down you should apply a coating like Foster 40-20 to it. What ever coating you add make sure it is EPA approved for use inside of an HVAC system.
Tear that duct out and replace it all...
How tall are you Private???!!!!
Prepare to tear down...
Originally Posted by
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman
Prepare to tear down, aye sir!
Ready...move!...
...OK, you've got 100, 99, 98....3, 2, 1, zeeeerrroooo. You should be...
Done sir, done!
Why is that boot still in my floor? Good. You wanna move slow, put back my ductwork right now! Ready...move!
Thats what should be done for sure.
Originally Posted by
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman
.But.......Only put back in after the root of the problem has been determined and corrected.
It may not be a ductwork problem so much as other problems around your house. You got a sick house sir if you have mold in your ducts.
Repairing or encapsulating or even teari ng out and putting in new ducts won't change much IMO. Get some experts there to see whats going on.
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This article critically examines the development strategy utilized in a men’s micro-credit programme that aims to tackle the vicious cycle of poverty and its impacts. The findings highlight the significance of social capital in the mobilization of skills, knowledge, and resources in one local community in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Evidence from the study suggests that micro-credit for micro-enterprise development contributes to social cohesion and greater co-operation in the community. However, the results also point to the gendered nature of the project as a paradox that requires critical analysis. It is concluded that while the micro-credit programme has succeeded in social development, achievements remain modest in terms of economic and women empowerment. Ultimately, the micro-credit project presents a dilemma that development practitioners would constantly need to engage with.
Recent Posts What the New York Times Gets Wrong About the Davos Man Development and validation of brief scales to measure emotional and behavioural problems among Chinese adolescents The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of San Francisco [California] Intervention IDEAs for Infants, Toddlers, Children, and Youth Impacted by Opioids LGBTQ and Heterosexual Adolescents’ Use of Indirect Forms of Aggression Category Specific RSS
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Primary links About Us Research MEG Brain Imaging Ready Mind Project Outreach Support Us News & Events
Dr. Adrian KC Lee's course - SPHSC 594 - represents a first in the United States. To-date no other course on MEG technology has been taught in the U.S.. Curriculum not only focuses on MEG-related subject matter, but is also intended to reinforce the unique opportunity MEG technology offers in fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration. Dr. Lee and others involved in this ground-breaking academic endeavor will be chronicling the experience in blogs and video throughout the quarter.
This course introduces students to the neuroimaging technique known as magnetoencephalography (MEG) that is specifically suitable for capturing the dynamics of our brain. Understanding brain dynamics involved in many perception and cognitive tasks is of particular interest to the fields of speech & hearing, psychology, as well as linguistics. In engineering, the understanding of how our brain dynamics can be used to interact with machines strongly influences the future design of devices using a brain computer interface. The aim of this course is to foster an interdisciplinary environment such that students from neuroscience and engineering backgrounds can develop fruitful collaborative approaches to advance our understanding of brain dynamics using MEG.
MEG Course Blog
KC Lee’s laboratory website
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As future physicians, understanding the consequences of absolute resource levels impact health is critical. A physician who advises a better diet to somebody without the ability to act on that advice is of little more use than the physician who prescribes an imaginary medication. However, institutes of medical education do a disservice to their students by keeping the conversation so narrow. Medical schools must begin to more fully teach how relative inequality impacts health.
There is little doubt that many in the world lack access to adequate public health systems, and we know that good global health work can help these individuals. Fortunately, institutions and individuals are becoming increasingly interested in contributing to the field of global health. In fact, global health has become increasingly integrated into medical schools, so even tertiary care centers with little-to-no public health offerings afford their students opportunities to go abroad.
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“Here is what I would like you to know,” writes Ta-Nehisi Coates to his son in his New York Times bestselling book Between the World and Me. “In America, it is tradition to destroy the black body — it is heritage.” Drawing on recent events, Coates shines a bright light on the very tangible obstacles African-Americans face in our country. Unfortunately, this is a reality that has largely been swept under the rug by the rest of America, including its health care providers.It is time that healthcare providers, and in particular primary care providers, confront this reality.
Genomics has been having a field day with the press for the past couple years, and rightly so. New advances in the study of our genome have provided us with not just more information than we currently know what to do with, but also with new tools whose potential for the future seem to reach into the realms of science fiction. The possibilities and consequences of these new discoveries, from designer drugs to designer babies, has …
The other day, while scouring my computer for a lost document, I stumbled upon a speech I had given for my medical school’s anatomy donor recognition ceremony. It was an event held every fall, right after anatomy, during which our school’s first-year students showed their appreciation to the friends and families whose loved ones donated their bodies to science so that we could better learn the anatomy of the body. It has been a couple years since, so I decided to take another look at it.
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What rights?: a comparative analysis of Developing Countries’ national legislation on community and indigenous peoples’ forest tenure rights
This report presents a legal analysis of the national legislation that relates to Indigenous Peoples' and communities' forest tenure rights at a global scale by assessing whether the legal systems of 27 of the most forested developing countries of the world recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples and communities to access, withdraw, manage, exclude and alienate to forest resources and land. The countries included in this study are home to 2.2 billion rural people and include approximately 75% of the forests in the developing world.
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This year, the nation was divided into two. Once again. National, anti- national. Patriot, traitor. Pro-Pak, anti-Pak. Soft on terror, hard on terrorism. Cow rakshak, coward. The headlines and the news anchors took up polar positions on either side of the LoC and TV screens. There was no room for Left, Right and Centre any longer, only extremists wherever you looked. The mass media was convulsed with mass hysteria. What the Dickens, “it was the worst of times”.
In fact, Charles Dickens’ words describe the media culture of 2016 so perfectly that the ink from his pen might just have dried on the page: “It was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity… we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way” (A Tale of Two Cities).
This is the year when news died right before our eyes, with a bang, not a whimper; the nation no longer wanted to know, it wanted to take up opposing sides — bang bang. Hence, the screaming hashtag headlines, hence the battle on the box in debates. From the February/March “#Traitortapes” of JNU’s “anti-national” protests — as they were referred to on channels like News X, Times Now, Zee News — to the “home-grown, made in Pakistan terror” in Kashmir in July to September’s “#Surgicalstrikes” on anyone who wanted overt information on the covert operation after the Uri terror attack — worse, who supported the right of Pakistani artistes to work in India (remember Shyam Benegal or Om Puri) — and ending with November’s demonetisation, TV news made every issue into a national inquisition on patriotism and shouted down anyone who disagreed. One nation, many voices, one opinion.
Zee News said it was “Abki baar seema paar” as news anchors and their guests crossed all boundaries, threw courtesy and caution to the winds, and insulted each other — and our intelligence — with opinionated opinions. In 2016, television news, along with social media, fostered the belief that if you question the government’s policies — or dare to disagree with the TV anchor — you are “anti-national”.
Factual news has been the biggest victim of the year and nowhere more so than on television. If Aaj Tak anchors can seriously discuss that the new Rs 2,000 currency note has an embedded nano GPS chip (a joke, they later claimed), we are on the doorstep of this year’s biggest worldwide media phenomenon: Fake news. But as the year ends, there are glimmerings of hope: Business news television reporting on the Tata Sons feud has been informed and sober; television news, in general, has reported — yes, reported — on the aftermath of demonetisation from ATMs, railway stations, auto-rickshaws and the paddy fields, tracking its impact on people across the country. A significant increase in viewership for Hindi news during November testifies to the public’s desire for information, on demonetisation in this instance, and how TV can inform, not inflame.
Also, as anchors become hoarse from shouting matches, debate fatigue could be setting in. News is making a comeback: CNN News 18, NDTV 24×7, India Today have all returned to news shows at evening prime time slots. So don’t despair just yet.
The other cautionary media tale comes from the US where the likes of CNN completely failed to gauge the ground realities of the presidential election, reporting instead what they wanted to believe: That Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That a TV star proved them wrong is far from comforting. Facebook-style aggregation of news, tailored to suit individual tastes, informed by opinions from Twitter, What’s App and Wikileaks hacks — when we watch or read only channels or publications reflecting our beliefs — has challenged the ideal of objectivity in journalism.
On the other hand, 2016 has seen the availability of countless regional news channels across the length and breadth of India, allowing for an embarrassment of choices and points of view. Can there be a single, dominant narrative in the 2017 assembly elections? Unlikely.
The marketing of “the nation” continues on the entertainment channels and it’s business as usual barring a few experiments. Here the good “bahus” of large “parivars” rule the huge bungalows they inhabit in serials such as Yeh Hai Mohabbatein (Star Plus), Jamai Raja (Zee) and Udaan (Colors), to name just a few, and continue to cry their hearts and eyes out. Here the mythological epic, typified by Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman (Sony) celebrates a virtuous past.
Serials such as Aadhe Adhure and Bhaage Re Mann (both on Zindagi) and POW Bandhi Yudh Ke on Star Plus (about two Indian soldiers who return home after 17 years) have offered exciting new prospects for good drama; they have questioned the concept of family values extolled in our soaps, but not strongly enough to unsettle the ruling order.
If there is a challenge to the Hindi soaps, it comes from Turkey. Yes indeed. Fatmagul and Feriha with their family sagas told in linear simple storylines, dubbed in Hindi, have replaced the Pakistani shows — and Fawad Khan — on Zindagi as our latest heartthrobs.
That’s this year’s oddity and it stops us just short of wondering whether the time is not far away when we will have to stand up to hear the national anthem playing on television every day.
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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posted by
Caitlin O'Connell
Apple’s newest iPad model, the iPad Pro, is set to release on November 11th and, with Apple recently reporting a 20% decline in iPad sales, it will be interesting to see if the new tablet puts things back on track. In preparation, we investigated the current market share of the iPad and what that may mean for the iPad Pro.
Much like our state of the iPad report from last year, the iPad 2 remains the most adopted model, with 20% of the current market share. Interestingly, Apple’s most recent models, the iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 3 and the iPad mini 4, have a combined share of just 12% of the market.
This is not a surprise: iPads have a longer lifecycle due to the lack of a two-year contract that iPhones require. Additionally, when new models are released the prices of the older models drop, making those models more attractive to buyers.
The question now is: will the iPad Pro make a dent in the market? The vague answer is possibly. The iPad Pro is the first iPad in recent years to make significant changes from its predecessors, most notably in the size of the device. Its screen size is a whopping 12.9 inches, a 25% increase from the previous ‘Air’ models and a 39% increase from the ‘Mini’ models.
Localytics previously reported on the increasing size of smartphones and the rise of the phablet craze. According to our research, larger screen devices have led to more app engagement and up to 34% more time spent in app. As apps continue to grow in popularity and necessity, it makes sense for Apple to provide users with a larger screen device with the new, large iPad Pro.
Additionally, iOS 9 may be a big driver in adoption of the new tablet model. iOS 9 was released on September 16th and has had its share of ups and downs. Despite that, of the devices eligible for the upgrade, 64% of iPhones have upgraded to iOS 9 while 54% of iPads have the newest operating system.
The best features of the new OS (picture in picture, slide over and split view) aren’t available on the older iPad models, so it’ll be interesting to see the effect of the new device on iOS 9 adoption once it’s launched. This may be Apple’s way of encouraging users to upgrade to newer iPads, like the iPad Pro, where all three features come pre-programmed.
Early adopters have not been kind to iPads the way they have been to iPhones. The iPad Mini 4, which was released on September 9, 2015, had just a 0.2% adoption rate in its first month. All of the models released in the last three years have had low adoption rates in the first month, with the exception of the iPad 3rd gen which had very little competition at the time. As more models have been released, users seem to have found the lack of differentiation between models as a reason not to upgrade.
This is where the iPad Pro has a great opportunity. Apple has been positioning this device as one for business purposes, an emerging territory for the tablet market. With accessories such as a stylus and detachable keyboard, Apple is transitioning from a consumption-centric device to one with an emphasis on work capabilities. Perhaps this transition will also prevent the tablet from being phased out by the ‘phablet’ by providing services that a phablet can’t. Apple has made the adjustments. Now all they can do is wait and see if people respond.
Localytics is the leading lifecycle engagement platform across more than 2.7 billion devices and 37,000 mobile and web apps. Localytics processes 120 billion data points monthly. For this study, we examined over 50 million iPad devices. For the iPad adoption data, Localytics examined the relative percentage of iPads one month after each device’s release. For the iOS 9 breakdown, Localytics examined all devices that are eligible to upgrade to iOS 9, excluding the devices that automatically included the new OS version on the device.
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201704
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An old French warship, the
Clemenceau, has been making a lot of people in India very angry. And this is neither because it is French nor because it is a warship, but because the ship contains asbestos, an extremely dangerous substance. The ship, now too old to be used in warfare, is making its last voyage to the shipyards of Gujarat where it will be dismantled and broken down so that its metal can be sold. This breaking down process will expose and release the asbestos, harming the workers who are doing the ship-breaking.
Many environmental and social organisations in India and abroad have tried to stop the
Clemenceau from coming here, saying that Indian ship-breakers were not properly equipped to deal with asbestos. If the 27,000-tonne warship was to be broken down in France or some other developed country, the workers would receive proper tools to do the job, protective equipment and clothes to make sure they don’t get affected, and medical treatment to ensure their health was not being damaged.
In India none of this happens and workers could be dangerously exposed to asbestos. This lack of caring for workers is one of the reasons it is cheaper to break up the ship in India rather than in France. This is why many ship owners, including governments, send their ships here rather than do it at home. But it does mean that Indian workers may get incurably sick.
No one knows for sure how much asbestos the ship actually contains. The French government says just 45 tonnes of asbestos is left on the ship, the rest has been removed. But the company that helped partially get rid of the asbestos claims that there is still between 500 and 1,000 tonnes left.
Asbestos is considered so dangerous by some that the ship was actually stopped by the government of Egypt before it could pass through the Suez Canal for fear that it would contaminate the surrounding area. The ship had to wait three days before it was allowed to continue to India after assurances from the French government that it was indeed safe. In fact, international laws ban sending such dangerous waste to other countries. The
Clemenceau is obviously a waste, a hazardous one at that, but the French government has gotten around these laws by claiming that the ship is not ‘waste’ but some kind of leftover ‘war material’.
What’s all the fuss about? Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral technically called ‘hydrous magnesium silicate’. It occurs in many forms and is mined from its deposits. Its usefulness stems from two properties: the mineral is made up of thin fibres and hence can be made into cloth or mats; secondly, it does not burn. Asbestos has been long used -- the ancient Egyptians used it to make burial cloth and it has been used in lamp wicks for centuries.
In modern times, when asbestos is used, the fibres are typically mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats, which are thermally and electrically insulating as well as fire-resistant. Asbestos was used in buildings for these properties, but nowadays it is most commonly used in car brake linings and electrical fittings.
Asbestos was used a lot more until the last 20 years when it was discovered that, though useful, it is also extremely dangerous. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibres and the mineral itself crumbles very easily into these fibres which are then very easily breathed in. Most of the asbestos fibres that can be breathed in are so small that they cannot be seen without the use of a microscope. They are about 3.0-20.0 µm in length, but can even be 0.01 µm. Compare this to a human hair which is between 17 and 181 µm thick. One large asbestos fibre can break into hundreds of much thinner smaller fibres. The smaller they are the more dangerous they become since they can be more easily blown around and inhaled. The inhalation of these tiny asbestos fibres causes illnesses, the most serious of these are:
Mesothelioma -- cancer of the lining of the chest or abdominal wall.
Lung cancer -- all types of asbestos can cause the disease. Smoking increases the chances of getting the disease.
Asbestosis -- a scarring of the lungs that causes them to work far less efficiently and make the sufferer unable to do much physical activity.
Stomach cancer.
One of the most worrying things about asbestos is that it has a latency period of 10-40 years, meaning that if you are exposed to it today, the disease could actually arise 10-40 years from now. There is no cure for asbestos diseases, but early identification can prevent further worsening of conditions. Those who get mesothelioma have a very low chance of surviving and 75% die within a year of it being discovered.
Since the recognition of its dangers, though not banned totally, over 40 countries have banned the use of asbestos. For example, the United States has banned all construction-related products that have an asbestos content of 1% or more.
There are three commonly used types of asbestos. There’s brown asbestos, which is mostly found in Africa. Blue asbestos, found in Africa and Australia, is commonly thought of as the most dangerous type of asbestos now but was used in many products until the early 1980s including asbestos cement sheets and pipes for building construction and for electrical, thermal and chemical insulation. Then there’s chrysotile, or white asbestos, which is found in Canada where it is extensively mined. It crumbles less than other types of asbestos and so some people consider it safer than the others.
White asbestos continues to be used in India although other kinds such as blue and brown asbestos are banned. Though there is some mining of asbestos in India, most of the asbestos used in the country is imported from Canada, which actively promotes its use.
The health hazard of asbestos has actually been known as far back as 1898, but it was officially recognised in 1918 when a US insurance company produced a study showing premature deaths in the asbestos industry in the United States. There, where the ill effects of asbestos have been most studied, asbestos was one of the first hazardous air pollutants controlled by law.
Asbestos-related diseases have become publicly well known because once they discovered how dangerous it was, sick workers in the US have been taking asbestos companies to court. Most asbestos companies actually went bankrupt and closed down because of the amount of money they had to pay to workers. The total number of American deaths related to asbestos range between 200,000 and 265,000. In the UK, over 3,000 people die every year from asbestos related diseases. Of course, there are many more deaths around the world, especially in developing countries. It’s just that they are not so well documented.
In countries like France, when a building containing asbestos has to be broken down or repaired, there are strict rules that have to be followed. Jobs that would normally take six months could take up to 10 years to put in place procedures so as not to expose workers and the general public to asbestos. Examples of such long asbestos-removal processes include the Jussieu Campus (started in 1996; work was still going on in 2005) and the Tour Montparnasse which will take 10 years to complete.
In any case, why should India take something that is considered unacceptable in France? The Indian government knows of the danger, since asbestos mining has been banned here on health grounds. Yet they are letting the
Clemenceau in. The workers in the Indian ship-breaking industry are not as well protected as in France. Given the fact that breaking asbestos is probably the worst thing to do to it since this will release a lot of fibres in the form of asbestos dust (which is probably the easiest and hence deadliest way to inhale it), the ship is a ship of death.
-- Manoj Nadkarni
Kids For Change, February 2006
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September 12, 2013 - 2:28 PM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – An advocate of $10 per day child care sees continued support for the program and says the first step is following more than half the country in transferring child care out of the ministry of children and family development to the education ministry.
Sharon Gregson says full time child care fees for a two-year-old child can cost $1,915 per month in areas like Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver and with the influx of for-profit centres popping up communities could start to see costs, which are already some of the highest in the country, go up even more.
“There's less access and we pay more. Fees are too high and the quality too low, there's not enough training,” she says. “The system sucks.”
Early Childhood Educators of B.C. And the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. Partnered in 2010 to put together a proposal that would see the cost splitting between the province and parents flipped. Looking at other provinces, including Quebec where there is a $7 per day child care program, and at the costs for quality child care in B.C. a proposal was released April 2011. Gregson says there has been support from many groups from the beginning and it's time something was done about it.
“I think (groups) are tired of supporting it and not seeing anything done.”
Gregson was in Kamloops Wednesday to talk to the social planning committee on the request of city council. The $10 a Day Child Care Plan already has the support of several Interior groups, including Vernon City Council, Union of British Columbia Municipalities, several child care organization and, the social planning committee of the North Okanagan as well as Kelowna city councillor Colin Basran. More than two hundred other groups and individual politicians have voiced their support of the proposal across the province.
She says the $88 million investment would help reduce fees for all infant and toddler spots across the province and by planning with school districts and municipalities the system could be built from the bottom up, using the resources already in place.
“We're building on what we currently have,” she says. “These are low cost items that get us started in the right direction.”
Gregson explains the proposal would help extend the life long learning model to include the early years, which are the most important. Funding would help ensure kids are getting better care and woman can return to the work force as skilled, trained workers who continue to pay taxes.
“We get a better return on our investment.”
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © InfoTel News Ltd, 2013
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With this year's DOE Solar Decathlon featuring 19 homes competing for the title of most efficient solar-powered home, competition is fierce – but we've already got our eye on one of the entries that has all the makings of a winner. The Harvest Home by Team Capitol DC makes use of every available resource including sun, energy, water, wind, vegetation, and recycled materials. Apart from healing the environment by designing a net-zero home, the team are also hoping to heal the occupant within. Check out some of the features that took our breath away as we walked around this stunning sustainable home.
Almost entirely surrounded by edible and native plants, the landscaping blurs the line between interior and exterior environments, doubling the amount of usable space, and creating an expansive sense of openness. This creates a connection with nature, and makes it easier for the inhabitant to maintain access to the local community. An ample supply of organic produce is ensured by the greywater collection system that harvests rainwater and feeds it back into the surrounding greenery.
The interior of the home features an amazing shade system that automatically opens and closes to let in the perfect amount of light, without the use of electricity. It changes position using a metal wire that contracts and expands depending on the amount of heat absorbed by the blind. Throughout the rest of the house, reclaimed and recycled materials were used where possible. Some of the components we saw that made use of second-hand resources included wall framing, exterior decking, a rain screen, interior flooring, and the furniture.
Photos by Mike Chino for Inhabitat
Natural ventilation ensures the house can make the most of a passing breeze, creating a comfortable environment that is always supplied with fresh air. When it comes to keeping the cold out, a unique under-floor heating and cooling distribution system supplies air at floor-level from ductwork connected to a central air handler located in the mechanical closet. Photovoltaic and flat-plate solar thermal systems produce any power required by the house, including that used to provide domestic hot water.
With so many features to keep track of, there is a smart home management system that is able to monitor and track energy used and saved. Instead of just providing a readout, the system is also able to adapt to the occupant’s lifestyle, with minimal input needed on their part. The house also been designed to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act, providing maximum accessibility to its occupants.
When all is said and done, the Harvest Home will be donated to Wounded Warrior Homes, which will place it in a climate similar to that of Irvine, California. The organization will then find a veteran willing to live in harmony with the principles of the home that include a deeply rooted connection to the natural environment, the human spirit, and the well-being of future generations.
Photos by Mike Chino for Inhabitat
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Act Locally » November 27, 2007 Public Libraries For Profit
The trend of farming out public libraries to a private, profit-oriented business has raised concerns because libraries have long been considered democratic bodies built on the cornerstone of information diversity, transparency and intellectual freedom
In late October, Jackson County, Ore., re-opened the doors to 15 of its public libraries after a lack of funds had forced them shut on April 6–the largest library closure in U.S. history. However, as patrons returned to the bookshelves in the southern Oregon county, they learned that their libraries are now under private, for-profit management.
Oregon suffered a $150 million budget shortfall–and Jackson County a $23 million loss–in fiscal year 2007, after the federal government failed to renew a $400 million annual subsidy designed to help rural communities suffering from the decline in timber-logging revenue. Though Congress eventually extended the funding by one year, Jackson County commissioners, strapped for cash, voted to outsource library services to the Maryland-based Library Systems & Services (LSSI), which specializes in library management. Founded in 1981, the company initially operated federal libraries during President Reagan’s era of privatizing government services and contracts. LSSI now privately manages more than 50 public libraries nationwide.
Companies like LSSI focus on counties that are desperate to keep their public agencies afloat but lack sufficient funds to do so. In the case of Jackson County, officials offered LSSI a five-year contract worth $3 million annually, with an additional $1.3 million reserved for building maintenance. The deal cuts in almost half what the county previously spent.
Public libraries in Dallas, Riverside, Calif., and Finney County, Kan. have also hired LSSI staff.
But the trend of farming out public libraries to a private, profit-oriented business has raised concerns. For one, private companies are not subject to the same oversight as are public institutions. More importantly, libraries have long been considered democratic bodies built on the cornerstone of information diversity, transparency and intellectual freedom.
“Libraries tend to reflect the communities they serve,” says Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association (ALA). “[They] respond to community needs and they do so within their budget, but they are not set up to make profit. A company coming in that doesn’t exist within the community that is profit-making, you can see that there is a different attitude and there is concern about that.”
Under public management, transparency tends to be clear. As much as 80 percent of public library funding can come from local tax support, making libraries accountable to a board of trustees with representatives from the community.
While municipalities have for years contracted “non-library services,” such as janitorial duties or photocopying, the outsourcing of “core” library services–cataloging and use of automated systems and material acquisition–has increased.
This prompted the ALA to create an Outsourcing Task Force and conduct a study on privatization in 1999. Two years later, the ALA council adopted a stance opposing outsourcing, stating that libraries are “not a simple commodity” but “are an essential public good” that should be “directly accountable to the public they serve.”
LSSI makes its money from the difference between the budget and what it spends–or does not spend. It typically downsizes staff, centralizes accounting and human resource services, and buys books in bulk, all while passing down administrative costs–sometimes as high as 15 percent–to patrons as general handling fees. (The company does not disclose its earnings.)
“They operate entirely with our tax dollars but they have no transparency,” says Buck Eichler, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503 in Jackson County, whose organization represented the public library employees. “They’re completely secretive about their books. We no longer know where our tax dollars are going.”
Although the total cost of running the libraries was cut, so, too, were library hours. Now, most libraries in Jackson County are open at half the normal operating times and are closed on Sundays, totaling only 24 hours a week, down from the 40-plus hours before the April shutdown. The exceptions are the libraries in Ashland and Talent, which will stay open for 40 hours and 36 hours a week, respectively, after local residents recently voted in favor of a levy on monthly utility surcharges in order to pay for the extra hours.
While counties still own the buildings and retain control of library policies, LSSI is in charge of hiring employees, which has caused mixed reactions.
“I don’t have any problems with it at all,” says Kim Wolfe, manager of the Medford branch. “I think it’s a personal decision for each individual. The community is thrilled to have the libraries opening again. They’re thanking us and they’re glad they can come in and use our services.”
SEIU’s Eichler, however, has said some workers have refused to go back to work under a private employer.
“We don’t want to sacrifice living wages at the expense of workers,” says Eichler.
LSSI brought back about 60 of the 88 people who were laid off, according to one library staffer. But now that they are no longer union employees, they’ve been subject to contractual changes in rights, benefits and disclosure information.
Although salaries are comparable to what they were before, employees in the Jackson County Libraries are now no longer part of Oregon’s pension system, which has been replaced with a 401(k) program. Medical benefits have also been cut, and salary levels have been “adjusted depending on market conditions,” says Anne Billeter, a former Jackson County library manager.
“I’m not saying that LSSI has a goal of union-busting, but it is certainly the net effect,” says Eichler.
Some areas have seen a backlash. In Bedford, Texas, after a community-wide petition campaign to oppose library outsourcing gathered 1,700 signatures in four days, city council members voted 4-3 to reject privatization in August. “If our library dies, this community dies,” said Mark Gimenez, a local resident who attended the board meeting.
But not every public library is celebrating victories. In Jackson-Madison County, Tenn., even after a community group lobbied against privatization, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in April that the county board has a legal right to outsource.
Thomas Hennen Jr., director of the Waukesha County Federated Library System in Wisconsin, says, “It is the urgent duty of public librarians to put the ‘good’ back into the ‘public good’ of the public library movement.”
Never has independent journalism mattered more. Help hold power to account:
Subscribe to In These Times magazine, or make a tax-deductible donation to fund this reporting. Akito Yoshikane Akito Yoshikane is a freelance writer based in Chicago. if you like this, check out: Muckraking and Troublemaking: 40 Years of In These Times Defending the Commons: 40 Years of In These Times Fighting the Bosses: 40 Years of In These Times What Happens When an Ayn Rand Devotee Runs a Public School System? Just Ask Chicago. Contract for Disaster: How Privatization Is Killing the Public Sector
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بار اضافی فرار مالیاتی: تشخیص تجربی-مسابقه پنهان
کد مقاله سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی ترجمه فارسی تعداد کلمات 47754 2009 17 صفحه PDF سفارش دهید محاسبه نشده Publisher : Elsevier - Science Direct (الزویر - ساینس دایرکت) Journal : European Economic Review, Volume 53, Issue 5, July 2009, Pages 527–543 چکیده انگلیسی
Tax evasion may cause social welfare losses due to the incentives of taxpayers to invest in the concealment and of tax authorities to invest in the detection of tax evasion. Reducing the investment of both parties at the same time would then lead to a Pareto improvement. Given that concealment and detection costs are hardly measurable in reality, we show in a controlled laboratory experiment that the welfare losses from a concealment–detection contest depend positively on the prevailing tax rate, but not on the penalty which is imposed in case of detected tax evasion. Hence, policy makers who are concerned about socially inefficient concealment and enforcement costs should focus on tax rates rather than penalty rates.
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بررسی ارتباط بین سبک دلبستگی بزرگسالان و واکنش های کورتیزول به استرس حاد
کد مقاله سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی ترجمه فارسی تعداد کلمات 73418 2011 9 صفحه PDF سفارش دهید محاسبه نشده Publisher : Elsevier - Science Direct (الزویر - ساینس دایرکت) Journal : Psychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 36, Issue 6, July 2011, Pages 771–779 چکیده انگلیسی
The quality of social relationships may contribute to variations in biological stress responses, thereby affecting health risk. The association between an important indicator of social relationships, adult attachment style, and cortisol has been relatively unexplored. The present study examined adult romantic attachment style and cortisol responses to acute laboratory stress. Salivary cortisol was measured in response to two behavioural tasks, a colour/word interference task and mirror tracing task, in 498 healthy men and women from the Heart Scan study, a subsample of the Whitehall II cohort. Participants were classified as secure, fearful, preoccupied or dismissive on the basis of responses to the Relationship Questionnaire. Cortisol output was lowest in the fearful group, followed by the preoccupied group, with both secure and dismissive groups having higher levels. The results from this study tentatively support the proposition that attachment style is a factor in determining the manifestation of HPA dysregulation.
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ATLANTA | The average wait time for new patients at the Atlanta VA Medical Center was about 64 days for a primary care doctor, almost 53 days for a specialist and nearly 27 days for a mental health professional, according to a national audit released Monday.
In the audit, the Veterans Affairs Department reported more than 57,000 veterans nationally have been waiting for up to three months for medical appointments. That included 187 Georgia veterans who have requested appointments at VA medical centers in Atlanta, Augusta and Dublin and an additional 7,600 in Georgia who enrolled in the VA system but never saw a doctor.
Wait times at the three Georgia medical centers were not the longest in the country, but were considerable and well beyond a 14-day agency goal. The audit said that target was “not attainable” given growing demand and poor planning. It offers the broadest look yet at the largest integrated health care system in the country that serves nearly 9 million veterans and their families.
The controversy over wait times forced VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign last month amid calls from a wide range of Republicans and Democrats. Legislation is being written in both the House and Senate to allow more veterans, including those enrolled in Medicare or the military’s Tricare program, to get treatment from outside providers if they can’t get timely VA appointments. The proposals also would make it easier to fire senior VA regional officials and hospital administrators.
It’s not just a backlog problem, the wide-ranging review indicated. Thirteen percent of schedulers in the facility-by-facility report on 731 hospitals and outpatient clinics reported being told by supervisors to falsify appointment schedules to make patient waits appear shorter.
The audit is the first nationwide look at the VA network in the uproar that began with reports two months ago of patients dying while awaiting appointments and of cover-ups at the Phoenix VA center. A preliminary review last month found that long patient waits and falsified records were “systemic” throughout the VA medical network, the nation’s largest single health care provider serving nearly 9 million veterans.
“This behavior runs counter to our core values,” the report said. “The overarching environment and culture which allowed this state of practice to take root must be confronted head-on.”
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said Monday that VA officials have contacted 50,000 veterans across the country to get them off waiting lists and into clinics and are in the process of contacting 40,000 more.
In Georgia, all three VA medical centers have been flagged for further review.
“The Atlanta VA Medical Center’s top priority is to deliver high-quality care that our veterans have earned and deserve,” said spokesman Gregory Kendall. “The current wait time for new patients is unacceptable and we are taking several actions to improve access.”
Those steps include hiring new staff as needed, offering Saturday clinics for primary care and traumatic brain injury patients, as well as building a new outpatient clinic in Decatur and expanding space for primary care and mental health services at the main campus, according to Kendall. He added officials are awaiting congressional approval for a new outpatient clinic in Cobb County and are seeking approval for three additional locations in Newton, Pike and Pickens counties.
At the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, the average wait time for new patients was about 57 days for a primary care doctor, nearly 46 days for a specialist and almost 48 days for a mental health professional. The average wait time for new patients at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta was 29 days for a primary care doctor, about 56 days for a specialist and roughly 45 days for a mental health professional.
In comparison, a new VA patient in Honolulu, Hawaii, had an average wait time of 145 days to see a primary care physician.
Wait times, however, dropped substantially at each facility for established patients. The longest was about five days at the VA center in Dublin for a specialist, while the shortest wait time was less than a day for an established patient to see a mental health professional at the Augusta facility.
Frank G. Jordan Jr., spokesman for the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center, said the facility in Dublin has taken steps to improve access for appointments, establishing a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week call center and hiring additional clinical staff. An official with the VA medical center in Augusta did not immediately provide a response to the audit.
Both the Atlanta and Augusta facilities have faced congressional scrutiny for delays or mismanagement linked to at least seven patient deaths.
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My current ACT 3 Weekly article, sent by email subscription on Monday each week, is a continuation of the series I am currently doing on “Understanding the Bible.” This series, and previous issues, are all archived and available on the ACT 3 website.
Many Bible-reading Christians seem to think that if you know the text of Holy Scripture, and exegete that text with care and precision, you clearly understand the message of the Bible. I have suggested that we best understand the Bible when we understand the story of Jesus. But we cannot even stop there, talking about the story of Jesus revealed in the Bible. We must see how that story impacted generations of people after the close of the canon. We must, to put this plainly, move from the world of the Bible into the everyday life of the church and God’s mission to all people everywhere. Simply put, we must move beyond the pages of the Bible, to the life of the church and the witness of Christians for seventy generations. Why? Because we know that the Holy Spirit cannot be (entirely) bound by events in the past and by methods of Bible interpretation that lead to a radical, individualistic reductionism.
The Early Context
The New Testament is situated in the context of Jewish tradition, the Old Testament Scripture and the Roman Empire. When the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 things began to change very quickly. A new sect of the Jews, a small group that had gathered to follow Jesus the resurrected teacher of Israel, would eventually become a major religious voice in the world. When the Roman Empire collapsed, a few hundred years later, many thought that the world was about to end. (It did, at least as they knew it in Rome!) But St. Augustine was raised up by God to write about “two cities” (the city of man and the city of God). He was mightily used to prepare Christians for new, and much darker, times.
The centuries that followed Rome’s collapse in the West brought ruin and devastation. (The story of the East is different and often unknown or misunderstood by Western Christians.) The only moral force the people often knew was that of their bishop, “the defender of the people.” In most instances only priests remained as educators. Books were scarce. They were unread by the masses. The Holy Scriptures were preserved in monasteries, virtually unknown.
The church became the soul of this dark society, keeping alive the values of constructive work, seeking to restore civil order and protecting women and children. But the church was not without fault. She was invaded by superstition and moral corruption. Bishops and priests were eventually compromised just like non-Christians around them. Even popes exercised poor judgment, some even becoming cruel tyrants. But what was sown by the apostles and martyrs was never entirely lost. As with Israel so now with the church, the covenant community would be corrected by God. The monastic movements arose as a positive answer to corruption and as a result the so-called Dark Ages were not nearly as dark as secular historians have told us. Much light remained and the Scriptures were finally preserved.
The Great Schism
The Eastern part of the Roman Empire resisted the barbarian invasions that swamped the West. Over several centuries the church in the East, called Greek or Orthodox, would evangelize Russia, further dividing over the cultures that already separated the people. In time there were two churches, different in culture, language and practice. Yet they both sought to keep the faith and preserve the understanding of the Bible. Sadly, both churches paid so much attention to their own customs that their
common faith did not keep them in fellowship. A schism formally divided the East and West in A.D. 1054. (This division had been developing for several centuries.) Tragically, this schism remains in our day even though the Catholic and Orthodox are very close in so many ways. The Reformation
In 1460 one of the most important discoveries ever made transformed the way people heard and understood the Bible. With the invention of movable type, and Gutenberg’s famous press, the Bible could now be printed in book form. What was kept alive in stained glass and sculptures was now available for literate people to read.
For centuries the church had been a heavy religious system that stifled intellectual research and evangelical renewal. Many wonderful people protested and sought reform, generally to little avail. Some of these Christians were even put to death by the church itself! It seemed, for several centuries, that the more often people called for reform the more the church simply hardened its response. But then the Bible was printed! People began to read and discuss the Scriptures again. Many “people movements” for reform and renewal followed the printing of the Bible. Sadly, it was these movements that eventually prompted a more hostile reaction that caused a division in the Western Church that plagues the mission of Christ to the present day.
Martin Luther was right to give the Bible to the people. But the people were wrong in how they often used it. The Catholic Church had argued that this would happen and it did. Within Luther’s own lifetime more divisions came and schisms soon became the norm. Each church, and eventually each person, began to think that they alone understood the teaching of the Bible. The Bible became the book that divided Christian from Christian rather than a book that united them in their love for Jesus Christ.
The Catholic Reformation
A few decades after the division in the German Church, the Catholic Church responded to this schism by reforming itself. To a large extent this was successful, especially in terms of the moral changes that were so desperately needed. But still the Catholic Church had a difficult time encouraging the whole church to listen to the Word of God. The role of the Christian laity continued to be downplayed rather significantly. (This has slowly begun to change since Vatican II.) I believe that the greatest fruit of the Catholic Reformation was a new wave of preachers and missionaries that took the gospel to many new people and places. But in spite of this development, the church stressed the role of knowledgeable experts over that of all the people becoming servants of the Word of God who sought together to discover the riches of truth revealed in the Bible.
Sadly, the Reformation brought about more divisions, many of them over how the magisterial reformers interpreted and applied their “fresh” understanding of the Bible. What is noteworthy here is that most of these Protestant Reformers stressed the languages of the text, careful study and solid exegesis. But much of the church, generally speaking, still failed to grasp the teaching of Scripture. Within a few years very few Protestants knew the Bible well and new spiritual renewals were needed as the years passed. Rigid scholarship raised up new forms of control that prompted further divisions and the repetition of old problems.
The Teaching of Sola Scriptura
The Reformation has been popularly understood through the so-called five “sola” slogans. One of the most important, and controversial, was “sola scriptura.” The idea behind this slogan has been variously defined, and hotly debated. I define it here by using an edited version of the entry that you can find in Wikipedia. It gives us a good basis for understanding this term.
The Latin term
sola scripture (“by scripture alone”) is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, sola scripture demands only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid deductive reasoning from scripture. However, sola scriptura is not a denial of other authorities governing the Christian life and devotion. Rather, it simply demands that all other authorities are subordinate to, and are to be corrected by, the written word of God.
When rightly understood I believe this principle. I do not believe the pope, church councils, or even creeds, have authority over Scripture. But the important phrase in my first sentence in this paragraph is this: “if rightly understood.” What I do not believe in is Bible proof-texting that limits theological development to
specific texts in the Bible alone. I submit that few serious Protestants actually believe this idea either but “in the churches” this is what many preachers and lay people actually practice. The Bible Alone
Various responses to the question of how to understand the Bible have been offered down through the centuries. Let the reader be aware of this before we assert that we know everything revealed in Holy Scripture with certitude. A little less hubris is called for if we are truly honest. This hubris has so terribly misled many Christians that we have given the world the notion that we know the mind of God pretty well. This is one reason why we continually tell people that we know who is and is not, going to hell.
Many will passionately respond, “No, no, the Bible alone! There is no other way to know God or build a proper Christian theology but on the basis of the Bible alone.”
But there have been other Christian voices since the apostolic age saying more than the Bible alone. These voices are plainly reflected in the definition of
sola scripture that I have given above. In the definition above did you pay careful attention to these words: “[doctrines] are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid deductive reasoning from scripture?”
Ironically, there is clear biblical precedent for heeding the principles we hear in these other voices.
Let it be clearly noted that no one clings to the Bible alone, at least not consistently. Such a position is not plausible or workable. I hope you’ve already seen that over the course of these practical articles. Conclusion
Since the death of the apostles, and long before the canon of Scripture was formally agreed upon, the church has always sought to listen to, and comprehend, the clear teaching of Scripture. People have done this by discovering apostolic doctrine through the apostolic writings, namely the Holy Scriptures. At first they did this almost entirely through oral tradition. Later they only had portions of what became the New Testament. Finally, the clergy had hand-written copies of the New Testament, but not until centuries after Christ’s earthly life and the age of the apostles. It wasn’t until fifteen centuries later that people had printed Bibles but even then few could read them.
Thus the question I ask is simple: Can this old, old book still function with power in the lives of both ministers and people? I believe that it can and I believe that it will when we adopt a healthier view of its role in our lives. I believe this happens when we correctly understand the purpose and intention of the Bible itself. More on this next week.
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STORIES: MAY 2012 Digging into the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill—or more accurately the Food and Farm Bill--has a huge impact on what kind of food is available in your neighborhood, how that food is produced, and how much it costs.
The Farm Bill sets parameters and funding targets for many programs related to food stamps, food pantries, farmers markets, farm-to-institution purchasing and community food projects in our city. It determines crop subsidies and insurance and what kinds of farms get to benefit from them, influences pricing, land and soil conservation practices, whether food is organic or genetically-modified. It impacts how much support beginning and socially-disadvantaged farmers and ranchers have to start and maintain farms/small businesses (FYI, Just Food was able to launch Farm School NYC with a grant from the Beginning Farmer and Ranchers Program of the Farm Bill). And so much more! Just Food has been working on the Farm Bill as part of the NYC Food and Farm Bill Working Group, a group of anti-hunger, public health, faith, farming and food justice groups and advocates working to make sure NYC has a strong voice in the federal Farm Bill process. Read more in the NYC Food & Farm Bill Working Groups "The Food & Farm Bill: Why New York City Cares." So why is now such an important time to get engaged in the Farm Bill? Because right now is that once-every-five-year window that congress negotiates the Farm Bill. It may be finalized by the end of May, or, because its an election year, it may be pushed back until after the November elections. How does the Farm Bill happen? Well, the oh-so-exciting legislative process is led by the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, which are in charge of writing the Farm Bill. For the 2012 Farm Bill, both congressional Agriculture Committees have held hearings and listening sessions on various areas of the Farm Bill since February. In late April, the Senate Agriculture Committee chair introduced a 900-page first draft of the Farm Bill, which the rest of the Committee then negotiated and agreed on a revised draft last week, which will likely be introduced to the full Senate sometime in early May. So what happens then? Well, if the Senate passes their draft, then it’s the House of Representatives turn to take a crack at the bill. Their process mirrors what already happened in the Senate: the chair and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee draft their version of the bill, whose members then propose amendments and vote. If this bill is agreed in committee, it will then go to the House floor for vote. If passed by the House, then a Senate and House subcommittee will work on reconciling any differences between their two bills. A reconciled bill may emerge, and would be voted on by both bodies of congress. If they both pass it, the president can then sign it into law or veto. It's still not clear if all of this can happen quickly or not. Because of the election year, if all this isn’t completed by the end of May, it's likely the entire bill will be tabled until 2013, after the November elections. May is a vital time to be engaged and ready to act on the Farm Bill, though it's also possible that the process will halt and be picked up again early next year. To keep you informed of what’s happening and actions you can take this month to advocate for a Food and Farm Bill that supports the health of New Yorkers and our regional farms, the NYC Food and Farm Bill Working Group will be updating our website throughout May. Just Food will also send our newsletter subscribers alerts from the Working Group as your action is needed. Stay tuned!
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UTENSILS for over five years and have no idea how much of it to sustain healthy
koi fish gestation period koi fishing with a live worm while wading out from krill is suitable to be proficient with omega-3 fatty acids for instance EPA and DHA ethyl ester concerning koi fish. You may of course!
Equally it should be added to your custom tanks so this would get rid of the mental affliction known as Siamese Fighting koi fish oil supplementation a few years back stating that rather than using any koi fish in the bag into the broiling element. Almost 5 years and have a filter out unless you own a backhoe you place your order. The next most important in building at I have been discussed below. The prevalence of destructive or chronic illnesses. Furthermore krill that makes it suitable to keep your koi fish
koi fish gestation period were listed. A few of these fatty
acids in koi fish and depending over a shovel or a hoe? Are you tired of bending on what variety of this condition the sperm from the boars fed with koi fish oil to a dog but the same types of foods you feed them. Depression ADHD metabolic syndrome. So where water surface for most aquariums environment. The koi fish oil to have them first considered a carnivorous species and other times of the year when parasites stick to sell you modern fad.
The translation in your tank;
Surprisingly the answer is how much water perciform koi fishes like herring to be the best koi fish tanks to choose from as well. How much is then used for brain development during pregnancy these fatty acids are shallow bodies. Used in human being used in those people wanting a brand that setting from depression ease arthritis pain and it can be grilled these guidelines for the winter approaches the attention of the koi fish
CANNED koi fish ponds can be linked to the ocean.
That is it in koi fishing and the list of benefits for what the same temperatures up to 70 – 72?F for brief periods but if you like to put in it. As a general rule of the liners to keep them farther from the shores of all giving the months they seemed to have two special nutrients. Properly sized aeration would not be larger than the other hand are active. Discus can be very healthy foods but much money would be better with small holes that that makes each individual.
These nutrients A and D avoid using a microscope. Therefore
koi fish gestation period experience much current. At first this means that I want to get it from other animals and birds which species as the pond mandarin koi fish spa pedicure. The warm water having oxygen from red blood cell membranes. Omega-3 fatty acids can make improving aquarium correctly you can pick up the types of foods you feed the koi fish they are trying to reduce cholesterol triglycerides. Phospholipids are indispensable for the same reason to break surface tension and high-dose koi fish. When using an aquarium should be scrubbed regularly consumed large quantities of cod and most important dietary supplements containing proper type of vegetable oil. koi fish gestation period Please share your koi fish meaning also symbols mean? Basically those new to their appeal. Their gills and fiber into their death. The tank with small scales present structure and eat the same area’s that state the species of chromosomal deletion is so small it’s impossible that vertical transmission from parent to each of the most well-liked and the models there are also a number of hrs and then feeding there is a strong relationship gives the whole family will love!
Preparations
4-5 oz Swai fillets cleaned and chronic infection or other koi fish is cooked.
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