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Changes in America
How America Would Be Different If the First Gulf War Had Not Occurred or Existed
Studies reveal that about 697,000 United States veterans provided services in the Persian Gulf War. It has been found that at least 263,000 veterans have gone ahead to seek medical at the Veterans Affairs Department. It will be realized that over 185,000 people have really filed claims with the Administration for Veterans that extend to entail medical disabilities related to the services they provided. This service related disabilities also include psychological and physical distress that the war veterans underwent as they participated in the operation. Studies further reveal that the main odd consequence of the first Persian Gulf was war illness. This clearly shows that if the First Persian Gulf war did not occur the American Veterans would not suffered from this illness. The Gulf War Illness essentially refers to the combination of psychological and physical signs that most of the personnel in the military develop as an effect of participating in the Gulf War. There are the three distinct symptoms associated with this illness which extend to include fatigue, musculoskeletal, cognition and mood problems (Fulco, Liverman& Sox, 2000).The veterans usually feel depressed, moody and anxious and they have difficulties in sleeping, concentrating and remembering events. Others report musculoskeletal problems that include muscle pain, joint pains and stiffness. In general if the war did not occur, the Americans who participated in the operation would not suffer from physical and psychological distress.
It will be realized that the total costs that were incurred in stopping the war were high which clearly reflected that the American outlays surpassed the contributions received from foreign countries. This meant that a lot of funds were required to ensure that the war came to an end. In order to fund for the war, taxes and external borrowings slightly increased. Therefore the Americans were negatively affected as a result of increased tax rates being passed to them. Studies further disclose that the gulf operations led to loss of equipment which in turn increased the replacement costs in America.
The First Gulf War actually triggered the recession in America. It will be realized that before the invasion, the Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, had clearly explained the dangers of recession if the Americans were to participate in the war and said that the Fed was ready to give credits to ensure that the recession did not occur. Studies explain that, other American economists plainly held that before the crisis occurred, the Federal Reserve was too tight and was experiencing a weak economy. It will be realized that if the Gulf War did not occur, the looming recession and high inflation would not crop up in America. The First Gulf War led to increase in oil prices which in turn led to the increased inflation in the United States. The oil shock that occurred in 1990 clearly confirmed to be less severe as compared to the two oil shocks that had earlier occurred in 1970’s. The oil prices in America increased because both Kuwaiti and Iraqi supplies were lost as a result of the war invasion. This negatively affected many industries in the United States particularly the aircraft industry. The war led to a decrease in the revenues obtained from the airlines because the traffic fell drastically. This would not be case if the war did not occur, industries would generate more revenues especially the airlines where more flights would be directed to the Persian Gulf (Mueller, 1994).
How America Would Be Different If the Iran-Contra Affair Had Not Occurred or Existed
During 1985, Iraq and Iran were at war and as a result Iran went ahead to make a secret request to purchase weapons from America (Tarock, 1998). Despite the fact that there was an embargo set on the sell of weapons to Iran, McFarlane proceeded to seek for Reagan’s approval. McFarlane clearly explained to Reagan that the sale of weapons was highly meant to improve the relations between the Iran and United States. He further revealed that the sale of arms would also improve the relations between America and Lebanon which in turn would increase the influence of the United States in the Middle East which was characterized by frequent troubles. This meant Reagan to be driven by unusual obsession. It will be realized that he had been frustrated by being unable to secure the discharge of some seven American hostages who were strictly held in Lebanon by the Iranian terrorists. This meant Reagan to feel that he had the duty to bring the seven Americans back home. In reality, shipping the weapons to Iran clearly violated the embargo that was earlier on set and also dealing with the terrorists further desecrated the promises he made during his campaign. It will be realized that the Iran-Contra Affair fully divided the administration. George Shultz who was the secretary of state and Caspar Weinberger who on the other hand was the secretary of defense had long served as policy adversaries opposed the deal. McFarlane, Reagan and William Casey who was the CIA director fully supported the deal. As a result of the arms-for-hostages proposal only three hostages were released and three new hostages were held by the terrorists. Reagan later denied that the deal was not meant to release the American hostages (Freedman, 1998).
If the Iran-Contra Affair did not occur the America’s faith in power would not have been destroyed. It made the congress to tirelessly work towards restoring its dignity and then that of the democratic institution. Studies further reveal that the affair deteriorated the relations that prevailed between American and both Lebanon and Iran. It is also good note that if the deal did not occur the United States export laws regarding sale of arms would not have been violated and more hostages would not have been held by the terrorists. In addition, the relations between the America and the terrorists would not have swelled up. In conclusion, the Iran-Contra Affair broke the law and the image of Reagan suffered that meant his popularity to rebound. As he left office in 1989 he had the highest president approval rating ever since Franklin Roosevelt. | https://essays-service.com/essays/Analysis/changes-in-america.html | fineweb | 6,302 | 3.421875 |
Let us look at some important benefits okra has to offer:
1. Boosts digestion
Adding okra to your diet will ensure a strengthened digestive system. It is due to the presence of fiber content in okra that helps move food through the digestive tract by adding bulk. This further ensures faster bowel movements and reduced gastrointestinal problems like gas, bloating, constipation, cramping, et al.
Adding okra to your diet will ensure a strengthened digestive system
2. Takes care of your blood pressure
Okra is an excellent source of potassium which is essential for keeping your blood circulation in check. Potassium is basically necessary to maintain proper fluid balance in the body as it balances sodium. Moreover, it helps to relax the blood vessels and arteries which further reduces blood pressure and in turn strengthens the cardiovascular system.
Okra is an excellent source of potassium which is essential for keeping your blood circulation
3. Keeps you away from hunger pangs
It is due to the presence of soluble fiber that okra makes you feel full for longer, resulting in lesser hunger pangs through the day. So if you are looking at losing weight, you may want to consume more and more okra regularly.
It is due to the presence of soluble fiber that okra makes you feel full for longer
4. Improves your immunity system
The abundance of antioxidants makes okra a beneficial vegetable that can help fight free radicals, which are known to destroy body cells. Also, the presence of high amounts of vitamin C helps boost immunity as it helps create white blood cells in the body. White blood cells help combat infection and help build immunity.
The abundance of antioxidants makes okra a beneficial vegetable that can help fight free radicals
5. Ensures healthy vision
Okra is a rich source of vitamin A and other antioxidants like beta-carotene, xanthein and lutein that prevent macular degeneration and could help delay onset of cataracts.
Okra is a rich source of vitamin A and other antioxidants like beta-carotene
6. A perfect veggie for diabetics
Okra's peel and seeds are known to lower the blood glucose levels, hence making it safe for consumption by diabetics. They do so by inhibiting carb-breaking enzymes, increasing sensitivity to insulin and ensuring there are sufficient insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
7. Known to treat gastric issues
Bacteria known as H.pylori bacteria tend to infect the stomach lining and cause inflammation condition known as gastritis. Okra juice consists of anti-adhesive compounds that bind to the surface of free floating bacteria in the gut. This binding inhibits the bacteria from causing havoc on the stomach lining, preventing any inflammation and gastritis in the stomach.
Bacteria known as H.pylori bacteria tend to infect the stomach lining and cause inflammation
It is time we give this green veggie all the attention it deserves and make the best out of it to stay healthy and fit. | https://firenewsfeed.com/lifestyle/842008 | fineweb | 2,951 | 2.6875 |
Seeing any seed germinate is a thrill. Rearing it and finding the right place for it when it is finally capable of going it alone are equally rewarding, but if the plant you have nurtured becomes a permanent feature in the garden, you may go on to develop a lifelong friendship.
Growing trees from seed you have collected is a gratifying experience. It is not necessarily either quick or foolproof, but there are some simple steps you can take to help berries, nuts and assorted tree seeds germinate readily.
Stratification sounds technical, but it emulates a natural process. Nature always allows for a high degree of failure; if every haw on every hawthorn were to grow into a new sapling, we would soon be inundated with hawthorns. In reality, however, very few will become trees in their own right.
The embryo in every seed contains an inhibitor that prevents the seed germinating until the time is right. This is usually when the weather starts to warm up after a prolonged period of cold - in other words, when winter gives way to spring. By replicating this process in a controlled environment, not only can we maximise the seed's chance of success but we can telescope the process into a shorter time frame.
The easiest technique is to plant the seeds in open ground after collection, but in mild winters, soil temperatures may not be cold enough for long enough to ensure the seed germinates the following spring. The answer is to provide your own winter.
Mix seed with four times its volume of sieved, damp leaf mould and put the lot into a polythene bag (You can add coarse grit if it seems too cleggy.) Label, and leave in the warm for a couple of days while the seeds absorb enough moisture to make them swell, then put the bag into the coldest section of the fridge for two months.
Finally, sow the seeds into a prepared seed bed outside, adding leaf mould if you can, as it contains the fungi that are an essential element in healthy growth, forming complex symbiotic relationships with the roots.
Seeds have many idiosyncrasies, but this is a general practice that will work for most. | http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/22/carol-klein-trees | fineweb | 2,100 | 2.953125 |
Using flat-bottomed boats stored on the larger ships, the British began five disembarkations. Each wave of flatboats landed about 3,000 soldiers, in addition to ordnance and supplies. There were hundreds of cannon, mortars, and howitzers, plus tents and baggage for the 17,000 men. Add to that ammunition for the artillery: 300 rounds per each field piece and 6,000 spare rounds.
The process of debarking was slow — landing soldiers and equipment on unfamiliar terrain continued throughout the day. Soldiers spent the day constructing huts, foraging, and assisting in the unloading. Some of the British spent Monday night in huts, while others spent one last miserable night aboard ships.
On Tuesday morning, the last off the ships were the horses. 320 had started on the journey. Good, strong horses were needed for hauling the artillery's field pieces. Furthermore, steeds were needed for the "dragoons" (fearless and often reckless horsemen who lead the battle charges). But the horses were in bad shape. Of the 320 horses that began the voyage, fewer than half survived. | http://www.ushistory.org/March/other/debark.htm | fineweb | 1,074 | 3.25 |
First Nations Studies is an interdisciplinary degree program that reflects the holistic world view of the indigenous people of Turtle Island (North America), providing a non-western approach to teaching and learning within the academy. First Nations Studies is committed to the study of First Nations culture, philosophy, history, language, and the social, economic, and political status of First Nations people and their communities. The program is designed to preserve and promote the sovereign identity of the indigenous people of North America, with an emphasis on the nations of the western Great Lakes. First Nations Studies incorporates the teaching and learning approaches of tribal people, offering students a new way to learn within the academy. The program places emphasis on the indigenous oral tradition as preserved and shared by tribal Elders. Students take part in oral traditional learning experiences within the university classroom and, also, in tribal communities learning from tribal people. The Oneida Language Project is central to the program offering beginning and advanced courses in Oneida language in conjunction with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin's language revitalization efforts.
Objectives and Student Outcomes
The learning objectives and student outcomes for First Nations Studies at UW Green Bay reflect the Standards for Instruction, Teacher Qualifications, and Course Content created and passed by the UW System American Indian Studies Consortium. These standards are included in Attachment E. In our description here, we acknowledge our colleagues in the American Indian Studies program at UW Eau Claire for providing us a model and for allowing us to draw upon their work. Our academic objectives and student outcomes are the following:
To present First Nations knowledge from an indigenous perspective, placing emphasis on the oral tradition, Elder epistemology, and oral scholars. Thus, information and knowledge reflect traditional (pre-contact) tribal protocols, whereby stories, images, objects, and artifacts are treated respectfully and not simply used for the convenience of students and faculty.
To teach First Nations Studies core knowledge while reflecting a holistic tribal world view, a world view which includes the concept of sacred or spiritual practice. First Nations Studies core knowledge is organized into Four Pillars of Learning. Courses in FNS reflect the Four Pillars: History (precontact, contact, contemporary periods), Sovereignty, Laws and Policies, Indigenous Philosophy and Intellectual Traditions.
To maintain and promote tribal oral knowledge in the traditional way of learning and interacting by working in tribal communities in the time-honored way of providing service through the use of skills and knowledge including acceptable research, scholarship, and useful publications.
To build and support collaborative relationships between tribal communities with particular emphasis on the nations in northeastern Wisconsin - Oneida, Menominee, and Mohican Nations.
To provide students with oral traditional teaching and learning opportunities in the classroom and within a tribal setting.
To provide suitable instruction, information and process to students and instructors of students in other disciplines in an effort to fulfill the requirements of Act 31.
Oral Tradition & Elder Knowledge
- Students will work with Elders in a tribal setting.
- Students will demonstrate oral traditional learning, listening, and remembering skills.
- Students will demonstrate the tribal values of respect, reciprocity, relationship, and responsibility.
- Students will take part in and demonstrate an understanding of Elder epistemology.
- Students will demonstrate protocols for learning and working in a tribal setting.
- Students will take part in participatory learning and will discuss the form and function of this traditional teaching/learning approach.
History - Precontact, Contact, Contemporary Eras
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of First Nations history in each of the three eras – precontact, contact, and contemporary.
- Students will demonstrate an in-depth developed historical awareness of the history of one nation in Wisconsin.
- Students will draw upon the oral tradition in the study of history.
- Students will use electronic and written sources in their study of history.
- Students will identify the political, economic, and social status of First Nations in each of the three historical eras.
- Students will define and understand precontact tribal sovereignty.
- Students will explain the erosion and persistence of tribal sovereignty after contact.
- Students will explain the federal trust relationship in the context of treaty-making.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of ways to promote and protect tribal sovereignty.
- Students will understand and demonstrate personal sovereignty.
Laws and Policies
- Students will understand and explain the major formal (congressional acts, court cases) and informal policies that make up the body of First Nations law.
- Students will provide a critical analysis of the major formal and informal policies in #1 above.
- Students will understand the powers and limitations of contemporary tribal governments.
- Students will use electronic and written materials in their examination of laws and policies.
Indigenous Philosophy and Intellectual Traditions
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of Elder epistemology in the oral tradition.
- Students will learn in a tribal community setting.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of First Nations philosophical teachings.
- Students will demonstrate an awareness of American Indian historical and contemporary intellectuals.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of First Nations values and their expression in a cultural context.
- Students will explain internalized oppression and approaches to decolonization.
- Students will identify the major language families on Turtle Island and explain how languages change over time.
- Students will understand the importance of language and cultural revitalization efforts.
- Students will demonstrate some acquisition of a First Nations language.
- Students will engage in language acquisition in a tribal setting. | http://www.uwgb.edu/fns/program/learning-outcomes/ | fineweb | 6,281 | 2.734375 |
It is the most iconic building in Whitby, yet the Abbey remains shrouded in mystery.
Over a period of 20 years archaeologists have dug trenches across the plain and dangled from cliffs as they sought to learn more about the area’s history.
Just this week, a previously unknown chapel was uncovered by archaeologists as the largest study ever undertaken within the Abbey grounds draws to a conclusion.
Tony Wilmot is leading a team of nine English Heritage specialists and he said: “There used to be an idea that Whitby Abbey was a little group of monks freezing in their cells. We have demonstrated that it was actually a large and substantial settlement in the Anglo-Saxon period.”
Hundreds of previously-unknown features have been uncovered, including a 1,300-year-old cemetery that contains around 300 burials.
At the centre of this a small chapel has been identified - one of the oldest buildings to have ever existed on the site.
It was a small sandstone building measuring just 10m by 5m and was in use 600 years before the familiar Abbey building we see today was even constructed.
The chapel was in use during a period of history when the British Isles were split into seven kingdoms and perpetual war meant life was tough, violent and often short - the average life expectancy was just 34 years.
From this turmoil a Northumbrian king named Oswy instructed Abbess Hild to construct a monastery in Whitby in 657AD, just in time to host the Synod of Whitby. This meeting brought together the Irish and Roman branches of the church, tying England together under the Catholic faith and fixing a date for Easter.
Tony said: “The Synod held here was of great significance and nothing more important happened until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.”
Since the project began in 1995, technology has greatly improved and high-tech tools are now used to accurately plot every artefact, stone, post hole and plough trough that is uncovered.
Yet for archaeologists, their greatest tool remains the humble trowel.
On hands and knees, gradually scraping back the surface, an archaeologist forms a close attachment to his trowel.
“You love your trowel,” said Tony, who keeps the first one he ever bought as a good luck charm. “Everyone’s trowel develops the signature of their own way of digging.”
By gradually scraping back the surface, the cemetery and chapel have over the past two weeks been uncovered.
All the bodies interred within the cemetery are aligned east to west, confirming it was an early Christian burial ground. Yet the harsh Whitby clay at first made dating the graveyard difficult.
The clay upon which the Abbey was built is acidic and causes relatively rapid erosion of biological matter.
After 1,000 years all that remains of bone is crumbly fragments that fall to pieces as soon as they are revealed. In other graves the only evidence a human body ever lay there is a brown stain and tiny fragments of tooth enamel.
So it was fortunate when the archaeologists stumbled across an extremely rare cremation among the graves, which allowed carbon dating to take place.
This fixed the cemetery firmly within the first few decades of the Abbey’s history.
Almost 200 graves have been confirmed, but it is estimated there could be up to 300 in the area of excavation.
These new burials are basic and tightly packed, so they were the regular inhabitants of early Whitby - the everyday glassmakers, weavers, jet carvers and fishermen.
“I think this is the lay community,” said Tony. “You have men, women and children buried here.”
“We are really fortunate to have got the story out that we have,” added Tony. “It looks like you work hard for very little but by the time we have got the big picture I think people will be surprised at just what’s come out.”
A thousand years ago, the Abbey headland actually spread half a kilometre further out to sea and there is evidence of a large settlement there.
Whitby back then would have looked very different to today, although there was a thriving fishing community on the east side.
There would have been little inhabitation on the western banks of the Esk, while a large settlement grew up around the abbey as residents sought to take advantage of the huge wealth the establishment gathered.
The current dig at the Abbey is expected to be the last held within the grounds for a generation. Following its completion, Tony will begin writing a book that will span the history of the Abbey plain over 3,000 years, from the Bronze Age to the shelling of Whitby in 1914.
“We have answered some questions and we have asked some more,” he said. “But the process never stops and you can never say you know the truth about anything, like life. But you can make a damn good stab at it.”
Keep up to date with all the activity on the Whitby Abbey Facebook page, www.facebook.com/whitbyabbey | http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/tony-s-time-team-tracing-origin-of-abbey-1-6525469 | fineweb | 4,844 | 3.109375 |
Description - Mississippi's six National Forests form a majestic gateway to over one million acres of unspoiled timberland. Beyond the sights and sounds of civilization, a Forest visitor may wander through lush cypress swamps filled with insect-eating pitcher plants, centuries-old virgin pines and towering oaks, or blooming dogwood and giant magnolia trees. The National Park Service sites in Mississippi range from National Battlefields and an Historic Park, to a National Trail and a National Seashore.
- Mississippi's six National Forests include the Bienville, the Delta, the DeSoto, the Homochitto, the Holly Springs, and the Tombigbee. Within the Holly Springs are over 40 lakes constructed by the Soil Conservation Service. The lakes provide abundant recreational opportunities, especially warm water fishing from the banks or from small boats. The Delta National Forest covers one of the few hardwood forests remaining in the Mississippi Delta and the only bottomland hardwood National Forest in the nation. The Delta lies within the Mississippi Waterfowl Flyway and serves as an excellent place to watch the habits of migratory species of waterfowl. The De Soto which is mostly "pineywoods", covers a gently rolling terrain with stands of longleaf, slash and loblolly pine. The winding streams, unique to the Forest, form bottomlands that grow hardwood timber.
Mississippi's National Park Service sites include Brice's Cross and Tupelo National Battlefields, Natchez National Historic Park, Vicksburg National Military Park, the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, and Gulf Islands National Seashore. Within the Gulf Coast National Seashore, there are sparkling blue waters, magnificent snowy-white beaches, fertile coastal marshes,19th century forts, shaded picnic areas, winding nature trails, and comfortable campgrounds. Brice's Cross and Tupelo National Battlefields, and Vicksburg National Military Park all commemorate the Civil War. Natchez National Historical Park celebrates the history of Natchez, Mississippi and interprets the pivotal role the city played in the settlement of the old southwest, the Cotton Kingdom, and the Antebellum South. The Natchez Trace Parkway generally follows the old Indian trace, or trail, between Nashville, Tenn., and Natchez, Miss. Sections of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail are found alongside the Natchez Trace Parkway near Natchez and Jackson, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Recreation - Secluded areas for hunting and camping, meandering streams for canoeing, placid lakes for swimming, boating, and fishing, and tree-lined trails for hiking or horseback riding are found on the six Forests. The recreation areas on the National Forests in Mississippi enable visitors to enjoy fishing, camping, hiking, swimming, and other outdoor activities.
Recreation activities on the Park Service sites in Mississippi is as varied as the sites themselves. They provide opportunities for walking, hiking, viewing historic sites, and picnicking. The Gulf Coast National Seashore offers more opportunities than the other sites, including camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing, boating, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, bird watching, walking, and historical sight-seeing at the forts.
Climate - Mississippi's winter climate is generally mild with the coldest months experiencing low temperatures near 40 degrees F. Summer temperatures frequently reach 100 degrees, with coastal breezes providing cooling relief. Humidity is highest in August and September, reaching an average close to 90%. The highest rainfall comes during the spring months, but December and January are wet, too. Expect temperatures in the northeastern region to be somewhat cooler than the rest of the state.
Mississippi's six National Forests and its National Park sites are dispersed over the entire state. A map is a available on each page describing an individual forest or activity within a forest. | http://www.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=MSNFP&CU_ID=1 | fineweb | 3,930 | 3.3125 |
Plastic Bag & Plastic Film Recycling
Summary of Plastic Bag and Plastic Film Recycling:
- Whenever possible, use a reusable bag.
- Reuse bags over for groceries, as trash can liners, pet poop pick-up.
- Recycle clean plastic bags and plastic film.
- Ask retailers to put up reminder signs to bring a bag.
- Ask retailers to offer discounts for using your own bag or charge for bags.
(Target offers 5 cents off for each bag a customer brings; Aldi charges for bags)
Retailers Accepting Plastic Bags and Plastic Film:
Plastic Bag and Plastic Film Information
Most grocery stores and many large stores, such as Walmart and Meijer take back plastic bags. Plastic bags are considered plastic film. All clean plastic film can be recycled with plastic bags. Please recycle only clean, dry plastic bags and film. Remove receipts or any other items from bags.
• newspaper bags
• dry cleaning bags
• bread bags
• produce bags
• toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps
• furniture wrap
• electronic wrap
• plastic retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
• grocery bag
• sandwich bags and zip lock bags (remove hard components)
• plastic cereal box liners (if it tears like paper, do not include)
• Tyvek (no glue, labels, other material)
• diaper wrap (packaging)
• plastic shipping envelopes (no bubble wrap/remove labels)
• case wrap (e.g., snacks, water bottles)
• All clean, dry bags labeled #2 or #4.
For more information, view PlasticBagRecycling.org | http://www.willcountygreen.com/greenguide/plastic_bag__plastic_film_recycling.aspx | fineweb | 1,463 | 2.78125 |
A fundamental misconception about the role that carbon dioxide plays in glacial transitions has helped fuel the argument that the lag time between temperature and CO2 in the paleoclimate record casts doubt on carbon dioxide as an important greenhouse gas.
It’s crucial that media reporting on climate change understand an important distinction between the dual roles of greenhouse gases as both forcings and feedbacks.
In the geologic past, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases acted primarily as feedbacks to external climate forcings. Our current and basically unprecedented experience is that we as humans are directly emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that affect climate change.
That distinction – greenhouse gases as both forcings and feedbacks – is critical in understanding the behavior of these gases in the paleoclimatic and present periods.
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The figure to the right shows changes in temperature and CO2 concentrations over the past 450,000 years. Four distinct ice ages occurred during that time. The strong correlation of the curves makes it immediately apparent that some relationship seems to exist between temperature and CO2.
During both the transition in to and out of a glacial period, CO2 concentrations appear to lag temperature changes by an average of between 600 and 1,000 years (though some recent research suggests that this lag may be shorter than previously thought).
If CO2 lags behind temperature changes, it stands to reason that some other mechanism is responsible for the initial temperature change. In fact, we do know just such a mechanism that does a reasonably good job accounting for the initial cause and end of ice ages: changes in orbital forcing known as Milankovitch cycles.
Milankovitch cycles refer to the effects of periodic variations in Earth’s orbit on the amount of solar radiation reaching parts of the Earth’s surface. Three cycles are particularly important: the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit (e.g., how elliptical the Earth’s orbit is); the axial tilt of the Earth (known as obliquity); and the change in the direction of the Earth’s axis of rotation (known as precession). Each of these Milankovitch cycles has a recurring periodic variation, and the overlap of these periods combine to change the total solar forcing in a way that helps explain Earth’s periodic ice ages, as shown below.
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Initial temperature changes at the beginnings and ends of ice ages are caused by changes in orbital forcings. These temperature changes have effects on the natural carbon, nitrogen, and methane cycles. In particular, initial warming reduces ocean uptake of atmospheric carbon (because warmer water can absorb less CO2 from the atmosphere), and warmer temperatures increase the decay rate of vegetative matter. Similarly, cooling at the start of an ice age increases ocean uptake and reduces emissions from vegetative decay.
There are many other important interactions between temperature changes and the carbon cycle and many outstanding questions are only beginning to be answered by paleoclimatologists. However, the role of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses as a feedback to Milankovitch forcings during glacial and interglacial transitions provides a compelling explanation for observed changes. Jeff Severinghaus, professor of geosciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, succinctly explains:
The contribution of CO2 to the glacial-interglacial coolings and warmings amounts to about one-third of the full amplitude, about one-half if you include methane and nitrous oxide.
So one should not claim that greenhouse gases are the major cause of the ice ages. No credible scientist has argued that position (even though Al Gore implied as much in his movie). The fundamental driver has long been thought, and continues to be thought, to be the distribution of sunshine over the Earth’s surface as it is modified by orbital variations …
The greenhouse gases are best regarded as a biogeochemical feedback, initiated by the orbital variations, but then feeding back to amplify the warming once it is already underway.
Current climatic changes are substantially different from those that occurred in the past. For one thing, they are happening at a much faster rate than changes in past glacial periods. Significant climate changes are occurring over the course of decades and centuries, rather than millennia. Scientists know that Milankovitch forcings are not having a significant impact on changes observed over the past century, as they do not operate on such a short timescale, and scientists have good measurements of what their effect should be. For the first time, greenhouse gasses are primarily acting as forcings in the climate system instead of as a feedback to external forcing (though their role as feedbacks is still important, as illustrated in discussions of a potential methane feedback from melting arctic permafrost).
While the lag between temperature and greenhouse gas changes in the paleoclimate record is important in understanding the function of greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s climate, and has helped in estimating the effects of CO2 concentrations on radiative forcing, it in no way discredits the conventional knowledge that CO2 is forcing recent changes in the Earth’s climate.
As Eric Steig, a geochemist at the University of Washington who works extensively with ice cores, remarks, “the ice core data in no way contradict our understanding of the relationship between CO2 and temperature”. | http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2007/10/common-climate-misconceptions-co2-as-a-feedback-and-forcing-in-the-climate-system/ | fineweb | 5,535 | 3.78125 |
Living By Our Values
What do we do if we are asked to do something we know is wrong? What if we are ordered to? In this week's Torah portion, Shifra and Puah, the two Jewish midwives, are faced with this dilemma. Although their job is to help the Jewish women give birth to healthy babies, Pharaoh, the wicked Egyptian king, orders them to take part in his evil plot to kill the babies as soon as they are born. The midwives realized that Pharaoh could punish them if they didn't comply. But they also knew that what they were being asked to do was wrong, and they wouldn't compromise their values. They stood their ground and continued to help, and not hurt the mothers and babies. We learn from these brave women how to stand up for our values, even under pressure.
In our story a boy doesn't give in to someone who pressures him to do wrong.
"Just one more lap," Marc Cooper told himself as he did a perfect flip-turn in the Olympic sized swimming pool. As trainer and senior member of the Hillcrest school swim team, Marc easily outpaced the new recruits he was helping to train. Having finished his practice laps way before the other swimmers, the boy got out of the pool in order to help Kurt, the assistant coach, prepare the schedule for the upcoming meet.
He went over to Kurt and was taken aback by the strange look in his eyes. "Cooper, get over here, now!" he hissed, waving him over toward the now empty locker room.
"Come help me 'clean out' some of these lockers before the other guys get out of the pool." Marc was shocked as he realized that Kurt was planning to steal money out of the boys' wallets, and actually wanted him to help!
"I'll be on lookout as you get the stuff," he said. "We'll make some easy cash, heh heh. They'll never suspect us. And you had better do as I order, or you're in big trouble!" he added with a snarl as he noticed Marc's hesitation.
Reluctantly the boy made his way into the locker room. As he stood in front of the first locker, Marc's thoughts raced. He realized that if he didn't do as Kurt said he might get kicked off of the swim team. Not only that, who knew what an angry Kurt might decide to do to get back at him?
Marc started to open the locker door, then he pulled his hand back.
"What am I crazy?" he thought. "I never stole a thing in my life. Just because this guy is threatening me, am I going to turn into a thief? No way!"
"Hurry up, the guys are starting to come out of the pool!" barked Kurt from the corridor.
Marc knew what he had to do. The boy turned and slowly walked towards the assistant coach. "Well, how much did we get?" asked Kurt out of the side of his mouth. Marc felt scared of Kurt's reaction but also really empowered by the knowledge that he had resisted his pressure, and done what he knew was right.
Looking him right in the eye, the boy shook his head and said, "Sorry Kurt. You had better find another partner in crime. My job around here is to help these boys and not to rip them off."
Marc walked out of the pool complex, past the dumbfounded coach. He hoped it would all blow over and he would be able to stay on the team, but come what may, he was glad that he had stuck by his values and kept his hands clean and his head above water.
Q. How did Marc feel when Kurt first ordered him to help him steal money?
A. He didn't want to do it but felt like he didn't have a choice, because Kurt ordered him.
Q. How did he feel after he stood up to Kurt, and didn't steal?
A. He felt great that he hadn't done something wrong even though he was pressured to do so.
Q. What should a person do if someone in authority tells him to do something against his values?
A. It isn't comfortable to stand up to people in authority, and generally it is an important value to try to comply with what we are asked by them to do. But there may be times that what someone asks of us might be unjustifiably harmful to ourselves or others. In that case the higher value would be to refuse, on the grounds that we are obeying an even higher authority --- our deepest values of what is right and wrong. That is what Marc did when he refused to help his assistant coach steal from the boys.
Q. What can someone do if they are asked to do something that they think is wrong, but they're just not sure?
A. In such a case it is generally a good idea not to act hastily. We should give ourselves time to think it over with a clear head. Often when we're no longer under the pressure of the moment things become clear. Also it is worthwhile to consult with someone whose judgment we trust who can help us gain perspective.
Q. Have you ever been asked to do something that you know is wrong? How did you feel? What did you do?
Ages 10 and Up
Q. What is the difference between something we don't feel like doing and something we should not do?
A. There may be times that we are asked to do something that we don't want to do. We might find it inconvenient or even pointless. Whether we choose to do it or not is not necessarily based on any deep convictions that we have. However if we are asked to do something that would contradict a genuine moral principle, such as not to be dishonest, in such a case we are obligated to refuse. It is important not to get these two categories confused.
Q. Marc could have told himself that he is just following orders. Is 'just following orders' ever an acceptable excuse to do something harmful?
A. Each human being is given a capacity to understand what is right and wrong. Likewise, each of us is responsible for our own actions. It is never justified to blindly follow someone's orders and feel as if the responsibility of decision-making has been somehow removed from us. We are always responsible for our actions.
Q. Can you think of a time that someone pressured you to do something that you thought was wrong? How did you react? Would you react differently the next time? | http://www.aish.com/tp/pak/fp/48891182.html | fineweb | 5,876 | 2.609375 |
A study of babies and infants admitted to public and private hospitals in the Karachi, Hyderabad and Matiari districts of Sindh has revealed that pneumococcal meningitis is life threatening and its after effects can dramatically impact the quality of a child’s life.
Pneumococcal bacteria are now the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in Sindh. Meningitis, an inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord, can occur because of a bacterial or viral infection; but bacteria cause the most severe cases.
Fifty-one children were diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis at these hospitals, with 28 per cent dying at the hospital or home. Out of the survivors, almost three-quarters of the children suffered some damage to the brain and the nervous system resulting in delayed development, paralysis, epilepsy, and severe hearing and vision loss.
The results of the study, conducted by Aga Khan University (AKU) in collaboration with the federal Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), were shared by Dr Anita Zaidi, Professor and Chair, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, AKU, while addressing an awareness session on pneumonia and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). Researchers initially assessed children at different hospitals in the three districts and six months later at AKU. The study was sponsored by the GAVI Alliance.
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children worldwide. Fifteen countries account for nearly 75 per cent of child pneumonia worldwide with countries in South Asia, including Pakistan, amongst the most affected.
PCV protects children against deadly pneumonia and meningitis and is being included in the routine immunisation programme by the Government of Sindh from November 10. The campaign was launched in the federal capital and the Punjab on October 10, and it will be extended to the rest of the country early next year. With this launch, Pakistan is the first country in South Asia to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine in its national vaccination programme. The vaccine is available in the private sector but the three doses needed costs around Rs 13,000.
Dr Salma Sheikh talked about the volume of severe pneumonia and meningitis in young children at public hospitals. “While the new vaccine cannot prevent every single case of pneumonia, it does prevent a significant proportion of cases – so having the potential to save many thousands of lives from preventable sickness and death,” she said.
“Introduction of PCV in Pakistan’s EPI is a major achievement and it will prevent thousands of children from dying or being permanently maimed each year,” said Dr Zaidi. “Now it is our responsibility to deliver the vaccine to those who needed it most as increasing immunization coverage in poorest groups is essential to realize full benefit of preventing pneumonia.”
Addressing the session, Qadir Bux Abbasi, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, EPI, Pakistan; Dr Bux Ali Patafi, District Health Officer, Hyderabad; Dr Zahoor Baloch, Additional Director, EPI, Sindh and Dr Salma Sheikh, Professor, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, vowed to fight pneumonia and to deliver the vaccine to each and every child.
The session organised by AKU in collaboration with GAVI CSO Alliance Pakistan, and EPI, was well attended by local doctors, health workers, and community and media representatives. School children also presented a skit about pneumonia and pneumococcal vaccine.
Similar workshops were conducted in Thatta and Naushero Feroz recently and another one is to be held in Sukkur on November 1.
Fabeha Pervez, Media Executive, Department of Public Affairs, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, on +92 21 3486 2925 or [email protected] | http://www.aku.edu/aboutaku/newsandevents/Pages/Study-Reveals-Serious-Consequences-of-Pneumonia-.aspx | fineweb | 3,736 | 2.796875 |
The recycling crisis
Much of the stuff Americans think they are "recycling" now ends up in landfills and incinerators. Why?
Much of the stuff Americans think they are 'recycling' now ends up in landfills and incinerators. Why? Here's everything you need to know:
Where do recyclables go?Until recently, the U.S. and other developed countries sold much of their recyclables to China, which accepted more than 40 percent of American wastepaper, plastic, glass, metal, and other reusable materials. Several other Asian countries and some U.S. processing companies bought most of the rest. China began importing trash in the late 1980s to feed its growing manufacturing sector. Taking advantage of the country's abundant supply of cheap labor, Chinese companies employed legions of people to sort through the junk; it was then converted into cheap exports such as shoes, bottles, hoses, and phones. Shipping containers filled with Chinese goods would drop off their cargo in the U.S. and return filled with recyclable trash to be turned into more stuff. That all changed in January 2018. That's when China banned most imports of "loathsome foreign garbage," including post-consumer plastic and mixed paper. The recycling industry — which handles about 25 percent of America's total waste — now has nowhere to send what it collects. "I've been in garbage all my life," says Kevin Barnes, the solid-waste director for the city of Bakersfield, California. "This is unprecedented."
What's happening instead?More trash is being buried or burned. Many communities used to make money selling trash to private recycling companies that would process the materials and then sell them to China or to manufacturers. Now they're having to pay those companies to take their recycling away. Philadelphia went from making $67 a ton selling trash in 2012 to having to pay $40 a ton in mid-2018 to get rid of its recycling. The city now burns about half of the city's recycling, converting the waste to energy. Other cities have responded by cutting back the kinds of recycling they accept, while many small communities have been forced to suspend or cancel recycling programs altogether and send everything to landfills.
Aren't there other buyers?Many waste management companies don't want America's recycling because it's too dirty. It's estimated that about 25 percent of American recyclables are contaminated with food waste and nonrecyclable materials, according to the National Waste & Recycling Association trade group. The spread of "single stream" recycling programs, where consumers dump all of their recycled items into one bin, is part of the problem. Many Americans are what waste management experts call "aspirational recyclers." Wanting to do their part for the environment, they put anything and everything into recycling bins — bowling balls, used syringes, even used diapers. This stuff wreaks havoc on the equipment recycling companies use to automatically sort incoming trash. Other stuff that is theoretically recyclable is too dirty to be useful. Pizza boxes, for example, can't be recycled because the grease can't be separated from the cardboard fibers. If recyclers don't wash the food and residue out of their used cans and plastic bottles, they're also useless. The expense of recycling this tainted garbage makes it cheaper for many companies to simply buy new materials, especially virgin plastic. "We have not been successful at recycling," Ellen MacArthur, an environmentalist who founded a group devoted to reducing plastic waste, told the Financial Times. "After 40 years of trying, we have not been able to make it work."
Can it work?In theory, yes — if people were meticulous about cleaning and sorting their recyclables. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that recycling and composting prevented approximately 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere in 2013, the equivalent of taking 39 million cars off the road. But recycling is not an environmental panacea. For example, you would have to personally recycle 40,000 plastic bottles to offset your carbon footprint from taking one round-trip flight between New York City and London. During the current crisis, policymakers are hesitant to ask consumers to make big changes for fear they'll stop recycling altogether. In a recent Harris Poll, 66 percent of people surveyed said that they wouldn't recycle at all if it wasn't easy to do. Some cities are still asking people to keep putting out their recycling while they look for alternative markets, even though in the meantime it's just as likely to go to a landfill. It's "difficult with the public to turn the spigot on and off," says Brian Fuller, a waste manager with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
What are the solutions?The best solution, experts agree, is to create less waste in the first place. Only 9 percent of all the plastic produced in the past 68 years has been recycled. To encourage less consumption, some experts suggest a tax on garbage. About 350 communities throughout the U.S. have already implemented policies for reducing waste, like charging extra for plastic bags. In the long run, environmentalists say, the recycling crisis might force a necessary reckoning with how much the U.S. consumes and throws away. "Our plastic chickens are coming home to roost," says George Leonard, chief scientist at the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy. "We are going to have to deal with this problem."
One man's trash ...Entrepreneurs spy opportunity in America's growing mounds of trash. Waste Management, the nation's largest trash hauler, is partnering with a startup called Compology to make smart dumpsters that can alert the owner when tainted recycling has contaminated the load. In Wisconsin, the used-cardboard glut created by China's decision to stop buying most used cardboard is helping to revive the state's old paper industry, which is recycling the millions of boxes used by online shipping giants like Amazon and Walmart. It now costs 70 percent less for paper mills in the state to buy used cardboard, which can be crushed and converted into the "brown paper" that is used to make new cardboard for shipping boxes. Rick Strick was one of 600 people who lost their jobs in 2017 when the paper mill in Combined Locks, Wisconsin, shut down, and he was recently rehired when the same mill abruptly reopened to start recycling cardboard. "Brown," Strick told The New York Times, "is the future." | https://theweek.com/articles/831864/recycling-crisis | fineweb | 6,497 | 3.0625 |
Electrosensitive people try to escape wireless technology
Although these people are sick, their illness is difficult to diagnose, and it’s even harder to convince others that it actually exists. Their symptoms include cluster headaches, nausea, chronic fatigue, a burning sensation on the skin, and a metallic taste in the mouth. Sufferers claim the cause is wireless technology. There’s no known cure, and the only way to alleviate the symptoms seems to be to distance themselves from electronic devices and the influence of omnipresent wireless networks.
Electrosensitive people insist that Wi-Fi and cell phones are inflicting constant harm on humans, animals, and nature. Their testimonies are not the only evidence that non-ionising radiation may not be as harmless as we have been led to believe. Scientific studies that have been conducted on plants, insects, and mice suggest these electromagnetic waves may be damaging living organisms. Scientists from around the world have appealed to the UN, warning of the negative, long-term effects that electromagnetic fields could be having on animal and plant life.
At the moment, electrosensitive people have no choice but to flee to the woods or distant rural areas that wireless technology hasn’t yet reached. This often means leaving their families behind. Such sanctuaries are not easy to find, however, and they are becoming scarcer by the day. Sufferers warn that they are just the first to have detected the problem, which they expect to get worse and affect more and more people. Their message is not to stop progress, but to proceed with caution, making sure new technology is really safe before it is made widely available. | https://thoughtcrimeradio.net/2017/07/wifi-refugees/ | fineweb | 1,685 | 2.59375 |
English / Illiad Reflection
Autor: Paul 14 April 2011
Words: 435 | Pages: 2
Rituals of burial and hospitality bridge private and public worlds in the Iliad. When Achilleus dishonored Hektor’s body by tying it on the back of his chariot and dragging it through dirt he felt as though thing would be revenge in a sense (p.379 line 14). He wanted everyone to grieve and weep about Hektor’s body just as much as he had done about Patroklos’. The gods did not like the disrespect Achilleus was showing. Apollo takes action and protects Hektor’s body from the elements and decay, seeing as how he had been dead almost twelve days now (p.381). Zeus demands Thetis to be a messenger to Achilleus and makes Achilleus give Hektor’s body back to his father. However, King Priam does not come empty handed; he brought gifts for his son’s body in return (p.381 line 111). Achilleus wants men and women from both sides of the war to be able to respect the now dead Hektor and give him a proper burial and funeral ceremony. Although Achilleus hated Hektor for killing Patroklos he felt like he should show him enough respect to give him a proper burial. This bridges public life and private life by showing no matter how much you may hate one another or what happens between you, you should always be the better person and do what you know is right. In these ancient times it was against the custom to not follow through with these rituals of burial. Achilleus still felt the need to have manners towards the King. Relating to hospitality even something as simple as food shows that Priam, his most hated enemy’s father, still deserves the level of respect you would show anyone. This really illustrates Achilleus character and moral conscious. Achilleus may have thought since he had just lost his son, Priam could have been nurtured back to normal with food and wine. If anything making him eat the food and drink the wine gets his mind off of the tragic event for a short amount of time. When Priam visited Achilleus’ tent to get his son’s body back it stretched limits between the two of them because they were enemies that seemed to be doing nice things for each other (p.384 line 205).
If Achilleus had not had hospitality towards the king he could have killed Priam right there and the war would be over. But instead he gave him back his son in a good condition and put his feelings aside. This is yet another example of hospitality bridging the two worlds of public and private. ... | http://www.allbestessays.com/English/Illiad-Reflection/434.html | fineweb | 2,475 | 3.09375 |
CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new study aimed at understanding habitat needs for Pacific lamprey in western Oregon found this once-abundant fish that is both ecologically and culturally significant prefers side channels and other lower water velocity habitats in streams.
However, because of the legacy of historic land uses in the Northwest - including human settlement and activities - these habitats are much less common than they were in the past. And that may explain why populations of lamprey have declined over the past several decades - not only in western Oregon, but throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Results of the study were just published in the Ecology of Freshwater Fish.
"The lamprey decline has probably been going on for the past half century, but it wasn't until the last 15-20 years that it has been recognized by many in the scientific community," said Luke Schultz, a research assistant in Oregon State University's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and lead author on the study. "Today lamprey populations are at about 5 to 10 percent of the 1960s totals at Bonneville Dam, and the story is much the same elsewhere.
"The Willamette River basin is one of the few places that still appears to have decent numbers of lamprey because of its system of sloughs and side channels," he added. "But they are facing new threats, such as introduced fish species that prey on them - especially bass - so we'll likely be hearing more about this emerging threat in the next few years."
Schultz is project leader Oregon Cooperative Fish Research Unit's Pacific lamprey project - a joint effort between OSU and the U.S. Geological Survey that is seeking to learn more about the fish and restore its habitat. Although this latest article focuses on the Willamette Basin, Schultz and his colleagues at OSU, the USGS, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have looked at lamprey populations and habitat from the Columbia River in northeastern Oregon to southern Oregon's Umpqua River.
The causes of Pacific lamprey decline are myriad, the researchers say. Restoring their numbers will require mitigation in the form of restoring habitat to include complex channels and deep pools, and the removal of barriers that block access to spawning grounds for adult lampreys, the authors note.
"Removal or mitigation will allow lampreys to recolonize those areas," Schultz said.
Some factors affecting the lamprey decline may be out of the researchers' control, Schultz said, specifically ocean conditions. They require an abundance of food; ocean conditions that are favorable to salmon are usually beneficial for lampreys, as well. Rather than swimming freely, they may attach themselves to large fishes, or even whales, sea lions or other marine animals - and the abundant ocean prey lets them grow large.
"Pacific lamprey may spend one or two years in the ocean," Schultz noted. "They will weigh less than an ounce when they go out there as juveniles, and they may grow to 30 inches in length and up to two pounds before they return."
Although Pacific lampreys are anadromous, another species, the brook lamprey, only grows to a length of 6-7 inches and stays in fresh water for its entire lifespan of 4-8 years.
It is the Pacific lamprey that researchers are focusing on because of their one-time abundance, larger size, and more prominent ecological role.
"These are really interesting animals that have historic importance in the Pacific Northwest," Schultz noted. "They can live up to about 10 years or so - about three times longer than the coho salmon life cycle - and they are roughly six times as energy-dense as salmon, making them important prey.
"Because of that, I like to call them swimming sticks of butter."
When lampreys are abundant, they reduce predation by a variety of species - especially sea lions, but also sturgeon, birds, bass and walleye - on juvenile salmon and steelhead. It may not be an accident that salmonid numbers have declined at the same time lamprey populations have diminished.
The research in the study has led to some habitat restoration work supported by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Helping lamprey populations recover has important social significance as well as ecological importance, Schultz said.
"Lampreys were an incredibly important resource for many Northwest tribes because they provided a source of protein in the summer months when salmon weren't as readily available," he noted. "Now the only place where there is even a limited tribal harvest is at Willamette Falls."
More information on lampreys is available in this feature article in OSU's Terra Magazine: http://bit.ly/1fhu8k4
Luke Schultz, 541-737-1961; [email protected]
Click photos to see a full-size version. Right click and save image to download. | https://today.oregonstate.edu/archives/2015/feb/study-finds-lamprey-decline-continues-loss-habitat-oregon | fineweb | 4,815 | 3.5625 |
The Silent Parade of 1917
New York City had never seen anything quite like it. On July 28, 1917, between the buildings and businesses of Fifth Avenue, roughly 10,000 black citizens made their way down the street. Handwritten signs protesting racial discrimination and violence emerged from the sea of marchers; police mingled with 20,000 onlookers, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble. Whose defence they might come to was in question.
Known as the Silent Parade, the event was the first of its kind on American soil—a heavily publicised, massive, and organised condemnation of civil rights violations that had been plaguing the country. In 1916, black farmer Jesse Washington had been lynched in Waco, Texas; a mob scene in East St. Louis just weeks prior to the march saw upwards of 200 people killed.
To draw attention to these crimes, National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) field secretary James Weldon Johnson rallied his Harlem branch to make a public spectacle of their anger. His word spread throughout the black community, and by 1 p.m. that day, Johnson was part of an ocean of citizens walking in silence to condemn the deplorable racism and white supremacist activities gripping American culture. The only sound heard was the beat of drums. Some onlookers wept.
The visual impact was augmented by their choice of apparel. The women and children wore white; the men wore black. Messages like "Thou shalt not kill" and "Your hands are full of blood" were written on signs. Some of them addressed President Woodrow Wilson, who they felt was failing to live up to campaign promises to make America a unified and tolerant nation.
The peaceful demonstration began at 57th Street and ended at Madison Square Park, which saw the assembly cheer out of a sense of victory. Displaying a mixture of benevolence and mourning, they had demonstrated that the black community would not stand passively while being victimised. | https://www.dannydutch.com/post/the-silent-parade-of-1917 | fineweb | 1,962 | 3.6875 |
Researchers at the University of East Anglia have developed a new drug that works against all of the main types of primary bone cancer.
The study shows how a breakthrough drug called CADD522 blocks a gene associated with driving the cancer’s spread in mice implanted with human bone cancer.
The drug increases survival rates by 50% without the need for surgery or chemotherapy.
The team collected bone and tumour samples from 19 patients at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, UK. They used next generation sequencing to identify small RNAs that were different during the course of bone cancer progression.
They also showed that gene RUNX2 is activated in primary bone cancer and that this gene is associated with driving the cancer’s spread. CADD522 is a small molecule which blocks the RUNX2 protein from having an effect.
First new treatment in 45 years
Lead researcher Dr Darrell Green, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, was inspired to study childhood bone cancer after his best friend died from the disease as a teenager.
Dr Green said: “In preclinical trials, metastasis-free survival was increased by 50% using the new CADD522 drug on its own, without chemotherapy or surgery. I’m optimistic that combined with other treatments such as surgery, this survival figure would be increased further.
“This breakthrough is really important because bone cancer treatment hasn’t changed for more than 45 years. The new drug that we have developed is effective in all of the main bone cancer subtypes, and so far, our experiments show that it is not toxic to the rest of the body.”
The drug is now undergoing formal toxicology assessment before the team approach the MHRA for approval to start a human clinical trial.
The paper ‘YBX1-interacting small RNAs and RUNX2 can be blocked in primary bone cancer using CADD522’ is published in the Journal of Bone Oncology. | https://www.ddw-online.com/new-bone-cancer-drug-increases-survival-rates-by-50-22553-202303/ | fineweb | 1,874 | 2.71875 |
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Take the case of a male monarch reared, released and tagged by Steven Johnson in a Washington State University citizen-science project operated by WSU entomologist David James. Johnson tagged and released the monarch on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 in Ashland, Ore. Seven days later, on Sept. 5, it fluttered into our family's backyard pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif., where we photographed it.
"So, assuming it didn't travel much on the day you saw it, it flew 285 miles in 7 days or about 40.7 miles per day," James said. "Pretty amazing." (See Bug Squad blog)
But how do monarchs know when to migrate? You can find out when you attend the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday, Jan. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane.
Doctoral student Yao Cai, a fourth-year doctoral student in the Joanna Chiu lab who studies circadian clocks in insects, will relate how monarchs know when to migrate. “Using Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and Danaus plexippus (monarch butterfly), as models, we seek to understand how these insects receive environmental time cues and tell time, how they organize their daily rhythms in physiology and behavior, such as feeding, sleep and migration (in monarch butterfly)," he says.
Cai is one of six doctoral students who will be showcasing their research. The event is free and family friendly.
Visitors not only will have the opportunity to talk to graduate students about their research and glean information about insects, but will be able see their work through a microscope. In fact, eight microscopes will be set up, Yang said.
In addition to Cai, doctoral students participating and their topics:
Ants: Zachary Griebenow of the Phil Ward lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
Assassin flies: Charlotte Herbert Alberts, who studies with major professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
Bats (what insects they eat): Ecologist Ann Holmes of the Graduate Group in Ecology, Department of Animal Science, and the Genomic Variation Laboratory, who studies with major professors Andrea Schreier and Mandi Finger.
Bark Beetles: Crystal Homicz. who studies with Joanna Chiu, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and research forest entomologist Chris Fettig, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Davis.
Forensic entomology: Alexander Dedmon, who studies with Robert Kimsey, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
Some doctoral students also will deliver PowerPoint presentations or show slides. The projects:
“Did you know that between 1987 and 2017 bark beetles were responsible for more tree death than wildfire?” asks Crystal Homicz, a first-year doctoral student. “Bark beetles are an incredibly important feature of forests, especially as disturbance agents. My research focuses on how bark beetles and fire interact, given that these are the two most important disturbance agents of the Sierra Nevada. At my table, I will discuss how the interaction between bark beetles and fire, why bark beetles and fire are important feature of our forest ecosystem, and I will discuss more generally the importance of bark beetles in many forest systems throughout North America.
“I will have several wood samples, insect specimens and photographs to display what bark beetle damage looks like, and the landscape level effects bark beetles have. I will also have samples of wood damage caused by other wood boring beetles and insects. My table will focus widely on the subject of forest entomology and extend beyond beetle-fire interactions.”
Visitors, she said, can expect to leave with a clear understanding of what bark beetles are and what they do, as well as a deeper understanding of the importance of disturbance ecology in our temperate forests.
Charlotte Alberts, a fifth-year doctoral candidate, will display assassin flies and their relatives, as well as examples of prey they eat and/or mimic. Visitors can expect to learn about basic assassin fly ecology and evolution. Alberts studies the evolution of assassin flies (Diptera: Asilidae) and their relatives.
“Assassin flies are voracious predators on other insects and are able to overcome prey much larger than themselves,” she said. “Both adult and larval assassin flies are venomous. Their venom consists of neurotoxins that paralyze their prey, and digestive enzymes that allow assassin flies to consume their prey in a liquid form. These flies are incredibly diverse, ranging in size from 5-60mm, and can be found all over the world! With over 7,500 species, Asilidae is the third most specious family of flies. Despite assassin flies being very common, most people do not even know of their existence. This may be due to their impressive ability to mimic other insects, mainly wasps, and bees.”
For her thesis, she is trying to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of Asiloidea (Asilidae and their relatives) using Ultra Conserved Elements (UCEs), and morphology. "I am also interested in evolutionary trends of prey specificity within Asilidae, which may be one of the major driving forces leading to this family's diversity."
Ecologist Ann Holmes, a fourth-year doctoral student, is studying what insects that bats eat. "I will be talking about my research project that looks at insects eaten by bats in the Yolo Bypass. The insects eat crops such as rice, so bats provide a valuable service to farmers. Hungry bats can eat as much as their own body weight in insects each night."
"Visitors can expect to learn how DNA is used to detect insects in bat guano (poop)." "Insects in bat poop are hard to identify because they have been digested, but I can use DNA to determine which insects are there," she said. "We care about which insects bats eat because bats are natural pest controllers. With plenty of bats we can use less pesticide on farms and less mosquito repellent on ourselves."
Zachary Griebenow, a third-year doctoral student, will be showcasing or discussing specimens of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae, most of them male. “I will be showing specimens of the Leptanillinae under the microscope, emphasizing the great morphological diversity observed in males and talking about my systematic revision of the subfamily," he said. "In particular, I want to explain how the study of an extremely obscure group of ants can help us understand the process of evolution that has given rise to all organisms."
Forensic entomologist Alex Dedmon, a sixth-year doctoral student, will display tools and text and explain what forensic entomology is all about. "My research focuses on insect succession. In forensic entomology, succession uses the patterns of insects that come and go from a body. These patterns help us estimate how long a person has been dead. Visitors can expect to learn about the many different ways insects can be used as evidence, and what that evidence tells us."
Other Open House Activities
The family craft activity will be painting rocks, which can be taken home or hidden around campus. "Hopefully some kind words on rocks found by random strangers can also make for a kinder better future,” said Yang.
In addition to meeting and chatting with the researchers, visitors can see insect specimens (including butterflies and moths), meet the critters in the live “petting zoo” (including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks and tarantulas) and browse the gift shop, containing books, insect-themed t-shirts and sweatshirts, jewelry, insect-collecting equipment and insect-themed candy.
The Bohart Museum, directed by Professor Lynn Kimsey and founded by noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart (1913-2007), houses a global collection of nearly eight million specimens. It is also the home of the seventh largest insect collection in North America, and the California Insect Survey, a storehouse of insect biodiversity.
The insect museum is open to the public Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., except on holidays. More information on the Bohart Museum is available on the website at http://bohart.ucdavis.edu or by contacting (530) 752-0493 or [email protected]. | https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=39223 | fineweb | 8,231 | 2.71875 |
COMANCHE NATIONAL GRASSLAND • In this corner of Colorado, so far south and east you can see cows grazing in Oklahoma, the smooth swells of the prairie suddenly break on the rocks of unexpected canyon lands.
The landscape is a Georgia O'Keeffe painting: arid sandstone pastels backed up against distant blue mesas, immense, empty sky, no people anywhere.
It is here, in a narrow sandstone crevice called Crack Cave that one of the region's oldest, most mysterious messages is pecked. On the cave wall, 15 feet from the mouth, a small lump of stone juts into the passage. Dozens of hand-pecked lines cover the lump at odd angles.
No one knows who made the marks, or when, or why. Theories abound.
A few amateur rock-art devotees think the lines are an ancient astrological calendar with letters spelling out in ancient script, "On the day of the equinox, the sun shines here."
Sure enough, twice a year, on the equinox, the first rays of dawn fall directly into the cave, lighting up the lump and the ancient markings.
But that hasn't shed light on the question of who wrote on the lump, and what was said.Most experts don't believe the glyphs spell anything. They think the scratchings may be nothing more than another layer of graffiti left by waves of peoples who have used the area as a campsite for more than 1,000 years.
"There's a lot of questions," said Michelle Stevens, a U.S. Forest Service archaeologist in the region. "We don't know what these glyphs are really about."
Now is one of the best chances to see for yourself, because most of the year the cave is locked to protect the glyphs. For two days next week, including the equinox Monday, the cave will be open to visitors.
Picture Canyon gets its name from the marks successive cultures have left on the smooth rock walls. There are bighorn sheep and bison pecked by pre-Columbian people. There are graceful horses pecked by plains tribes. There are also brands scratched by old cowboys, signatures from homesteaders 100 years ago and the destructive scrawl of recent vandals.
In interpreting the site, it's not just a matter of separating ancient from modern. It's a matter of separating ancient from really ancient.
"That's one of the things that is so challenging about this place - all the layers of graffiti. It's hard to know what is what," Stevens said recently as she paced through the prairie grass on her way to Crack Cave.
The cave is guarded by a sturdy metal door with a lock. Stevens inserted a key and pulled open the creaking door to reveal a dark passage as wide as a man and about twice as high.A few steps into the darkness, she crouched down next to the lump.
It was covered with short hash marks - some vertical, some diagonal - making it look a bit like the wall of a prison cell.
"It's not much to look at, but this is what all the attention is about," she said. "It certainly could be a type of calendar. We don't know."
Most archaeologists agree the hash marks were made between A.D. 1500 and 1800, she said.
But not everyone concurs.
In the 1970s a retired engineer named Bill McGlone made it his pursuit to determine the significance of the marks.
McGlone, who died in 1999, spent years cataloging and documenting the rock art near his La Junta home.
He was puzzled by Picture Canyon.
He and a few others started trying to catalogue and decipher them. Were they a type of calendar? A tally of the hunt? He thought the strings of lines looked a lot like an ancient, vowelless Celtic form of writing called ogham, used in Ireland between about A.D. 400 and 700.
It was a stretch. To say the rocks showed ogham was to imply that everything we accept about the history of contact with the New World is wrong.
McGlone was undeterred. He taught himself the ancient script, and made what he thought was a startling discovery in Crack Cave: that the glyphs on the lump spelled "B-M L H B-L," or, in his interpretation, "Beim La a Bel" - "Sun strikes here on Bel" (the first day of spring).
"There are many aspects of this that I am still, in my own mind, evaluating and coming to conclusions about," McGlone told a PBS documentary crew in 1985. "But I do believe that there's enough of it true that it should be working its way into the disciplines of archaeology and linguistics today."
It never did. No one in established archaeology circles would go near it.
If Celts had been here, many argued, there would be physical evidence - tools left behind, campsite remains, something. There wasn't.
In the end, McGlone self-published two books on it in the mid-1990s. Both are out of print.
There still has never been an extensive, professional study of the hash marks."For archaeologists, the question is settled," Stevens said. "There's not support for the idea of ogham writing."
The idea has found more resonance in the imagination of locals. The nearest town, Springfield, holds a festival each fall on the equinox, centered around Crack Cave's mysterious glyphs.
Laneha Everette, a tour guide specializing in historical sites, includes McGlone's theory when she leads hikes in the canyon.
On a recent morning, she led a reporter through the tall dry, grass on the canyon bottom. Next to Crack Cave, she pointed out another alcove. Across the canyon was another. Each was layered with graffiti: red ochre animal paintings, cowboy signatures, and long lines of the mysterious hash marks.
She paced along a panel where a fierce warrior and a graceful horse stood pecked in the walls.
"This is one of my favorite places," said Everette, 27, who lives on a nearby ranch. "And part of the reason is the mystery of it. What is all that ogham writing? Is it ogham writing at all?"
She said she knows that trained archaeologists don't put much stock in the idea that Europeans made it here centuries before the first documented contact by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1541, but Everette said she also knows how this corner of the world has the power to change widely held assumptions about the past.She likes to use the example of Folsom man.
For a long time, archaeologists were in almost total agreement that humans had not been in North America more than about 4,000 years.
"There's a town called Folsom not too far from here, in New Mexico, where they found a spear point in a mammoth that was 11,000 years old. And that changed everything. You never know where else something like that can happen."
Contact the writer: 636-0223 or [email protected]
PICTURE CANYON UP CLOSE
The U.S. Forest Service will unlock Crack Cave before dawn Sunday and Monday (the equinox) for viewing. For maps and information, visit www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/recreation/ camping/coma_picture_picnic.shtml.
DirectionsFrom Colorado Springs, drive south on I-25 to Pueblo, then east on U.S. Highway 50 to La Junta. Turn south (right) onto Colorado Highway 109. Drive 58 miles. Turn east (left) on U.S. Highway 160 for 25 miles. When the highway turns left, go straight on County Road W. In 3 miles, turn right on County Road 13. Drive 12 miles to County Road J. Turn left and drive 5 miles. Turn right (south) at County Road 18 and drive 4.8 miles. Turn right (south) at the Picture Canyon sign and continue for 2 miles to the parking lot.
ToursPicture Canyon is just one canyon in the area with rock art. Heritage Journey Tours offers tours of the area: www.heritagejourneytours.com
FestivalSpringfield, 25 miles from Picture Canyon, will hold its Fall Equinox festival Saturday. Festivities include a craft fair on the courthouse lawn, free entertainment, and a cowboy dinner. For details call 1-719-523-4061. | https://gazette.com/news/ancient-messages-from-picture-canyon/article_eb3b0169-46ea-5b6c-84cb-08dee7595a79.html | fineweb | 7,582 | 2.90625 |
A rechargeable motor that clips onto any bike and adds 150 watts extra power for short rides could be the next wave of simple, affordable electric bikes.
Developed by Swedish engineering company Sencom, the unnamed device utilizes a “smart bike engine” that adapts to the needs and habits of a cyclist to add assistance between 4-15 mph.
While it would not say how its computer adapted to the rider, it has said that it can sense gradient changes and interpret the pedaling cadence to provide smooth, subtle power support.
While still in the prototype phase, Semcon believes its simple, small design – the unit weighs about two pounds – could revolutionize the market for electric bikes.
Most electric conversion kits start at $200 and a decent electric bike fully built can cost thousands. Semcons device currently costs about $100 with the “potential to be reduced further” with production runs.
The unit – which consists of a rechargeable battery, a tiny computer, and a motor that contacts the rear wheel to provide push – still has design drawbacks. At present, it only holds enough juice to provide power for three miles, depending on rider and bike weight, and terrain.
However, the company is working to improve capacity with further development and its upside is certainly worth keeping an eye on. Semcon said its computer could be compatible with tracking, anti-theft, and training apps when it’s fully developed.
We reviewed a similar add-on bike motor last year – the larger and more powerful Add-E – but the Semcon promises to cost $900 less for similar, if scaled-down, features.
A removable electric motor (lock and key secure it to the bike) that fits any frame could make bike commuting much more approachable for the general population. Fewer bikes mean fewer cars, and that’s good for everyone, especially in the city. | https://gearjunkie.com/semcon-bike-engine | fineweb | 1,837 | 2.640625 |
ABRAHAM BAR ḤIYYA HA-NASI (called by non-Jews Abraham Judæus, and frequently Savasorda, which is a corruption of the Arabic saḥib al-shurṭah—"governor of a city").(Redirected from ALBARGELONI, ABRAHAMBEN ḤIYYA.)
A celebrated Jewish mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher of the twelfth century. He lived in Barcelona in 1136. According to S. D. Luzzatto, there exists a manuscript, dated April 10, 1136, in which the scribe adds to the name Abraham bar Ḥiyya the formula for the dead,
Abraham bar Ḥiyya, together with Abraham ibn Ezra, occupies an important place in the history of Jewish science. He was, indeed, one of the most important figures in the scientific movement which made the Jews of Provence, Spain, and Italy the intermediaries between Mohammedan science and the Christian world. He aided this movement not only by original works, but also by translations and by acting as interpreter for another great translator, the celebrated Plato of Tivoli. Steinschneider has also shown that his original works were written in Hebrew and not, as some have thought, in Arabic. These original works are:
V01p108003.jpg("The Foundations of Understanding and the Tower of Faith"), an encyclopedic work, which is said to treat of arithmetic, geometry, optics, astronomy, and music. Unfortunately only a few short fragments of this work have been preserved (MSS. De Rossi Library, No. 1170; Berlin Library, No. 244; Munich Library, No. 36; and, under a false title, MSS. Bodleian, 1268, No. 7).
V01p108004.jpg("Treatise on Geometry"), probably intended to be a part of the preceding work. This is the celebrated geometrytranslated in 1116 (?) by Plato of Tivoli, under the title "Liber Embadorum" (see Boncompagni in "Atti dell' Accademia dei Lincei," 1851, iv. 275; "Hebr. Bibl." vii. 84; "Serapeum," 1858, p. 34; it was edited by Steinschneider in the "Publications of the Meḳiẓe Nirdamim," 1895, vol. xi.).
V01p109001.jpg("Form of the Earth"), an astronomical work on the formation of the heavens and the earth, which was to have been followed by a second part on the course of the stars (see No. 4). A portion was translated into Latin by Sebastian Münster and by E. O. Schreckenfuchs. It appears also that complete translations into Latin and French were made (Steinschneider, "Abraham Judæus," 12). MS. 2033 in the Bodleian Library at Oxford contains a copy with a commentary, apparently by Ḥayyim Lisker.
V01p109002.jpg("Calculation of the Courses of the Stars"), the sequel to the preceding work, which is found sometimes in manuscripts with the notes of Abraham ibn Ezra (MS. 37 of Leyden, according to the catalogue of Steinschneider, p. 147; MS. 203 of Rome, "Bibl. Casanatense," according to the catalogue of Sacerdote).
V01p109003.jpgor V01p109004.jpg("Tables" or "Tables of the Prince"), astronomical tables, called also "Tables of Al-Battani," because the author followed the Arabic astronomer of that name (see Battani). Several manuscripts of this work contain notes by Abraham ibn Ezra; and this fact has occasioned some confusion between the "Tables" of these two authors.
V01p109005.jpg("Book of Intercalation"). This work was published in 1851, in London, by Filipowski. It is the oldest Hebrew work treating of the calculation of the calendar (see Calendar).
V01p109006.jpg("Meditation of the Soul"), an ethical work upon a rationalistic religious basis. It was published in 1860 by Freimann, with a biography of the author (by the éditor), a list of his works, and a learned introduction by Rapoport.
V01p109007.jpg("Scroll of the Revealer"), a controversial work, in defense of the theory that the Messiah would appear in the year 5118 (1358; MS. Munich, 103, V01p109008.jpg).
- (9) An apologetic epistle addressed to Judah ben Barzilai al-Barzeloni.
As has already been stated, Abraham bar Ḥiyya assisted a number of scholars in their translations of scientific works. But there is still a great deal of doubt as to the particulars. A number of Jewish translators named Abraham existed during the twelfth century; and it is not always possible to identify the one in question. It is only possible, therefore, to give the titles of the works thus translated, without touching upon the question of authorship, or inquiring into the language of the originals, as follows:
- (10) "De Horarum Electionibus," the well-known treatise of Ali ben Aḥmad al-Imrani.
- (11) "Capitula Centiloquium," astrological aphorisms.
- (12) A commentary of Aḥmad ibn Yusuf on the "Centiloquium," attributed to Ptolemy.
- (13) "De Astrolabio" of Rudolph de Bruges.
- (14)"Liber Augmenti et Diminutionis," a treatise on mathematics; a manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris (7377 A).
- Steinschneider, Abraham Judœus, in Zeitschrift für Mathematik und Physik, 1867, xii. 1 et seq.;
- idem, Abraham ibn Ezra, ibid. 1880, xxv. 119, 125;
- idem, Hebr. Bibl. vii. 84;
- idem, Hebr. Uebers. pp. 502, 525, 529, 532, 550, 572, 585, 594, 972;
- idem, Cat. of Hebr. Manuscripts in the Library of Leyden, p. 148;
- Wolf, Bibliotheca Hebrœa, i. 51. iv. 761;
- Rapoport, preface to Hegyon ha-Nefesh;
- Boncompagni, in Atti dell' Accademia dei Lincei, 1863, p. 935;
- Woepke, Mémoire sur la Propagande des Chiffres, p. 80;
- Kerem Ḥemed, vii. 77;
- Geiger, Mosheh ben Maimon, p. 70;
- Gross, Gallia Judaica, p. 369;
- Bacher, Die Bibelexegese der Jüdischen Religionsphilosophen vor Maimuni, ch. iv.
Abraham b. Ḥiyya or (as Rapoport in his introduction to the "Hegyon ha-Nefesh," p. 63, suggests) Ḥayya, so as to rime with Zakkaya, was a pioneer in his field of work. In the preface to his book, "Ẓurat ha-Areẓ" he modestly states that, because none of the scientific works such as exist in Arabic was accessible to his brethren in France, he felt called upon to compose books which, though containing no research of his own, would help to popularize knowledge among Hebrew readers. His Hebrew terminology, therefore, occasionally lacks the clearness and precision of later writers and translators.As Moral Philosopher.
Not only as mathematician and astronomer, but also as moral philosopher, the author of the profoundly religious work, "Hegyon ha-Nefesh" (Meditation of the Soul) deserves special notice. In this field of philosophy he had also pioneer work to do; for, as is shown by Guttmann ("Monatsschrift," 1900, p. 195), in refutation of Kaufmann's assumption that the "Hegyon ha-Nefesh" was originally written in Arabic ("Z. D. M. G." xxx. 364; "Die Spuren Al-Baṭlajûsis," p. 28, and Bacher, "Die Bibelexegese der Jüdischen Religionsphilosophen des Mittelalters," p. 82), Abraham b. Ḥiyya had to wrestle with the difficulties of a language not yet adapted to philosophic terminology. Whether composed especially for the Days of Repentance, as Rapoport (ibid.) and Rosin ("Ethik des Maimonides," p. 15) think, or not, the object of the work was a practical, rather than a theoretical, one. It was to be a homily in four chapters on repentance based on the Hafṭarot of the Day of Atonement and Sabbath Shubah. In it, with the fervor of a holy preacher, he exhorts the reader to lead a life of purity and devotion. At the same time he does not hesitate to borrow ideas from non-Jewish philosophers; and he pays homage to the ancient sages of the heathen world who, without knowledge of the Torah, arrived at certain fundamental truths regarding the beginning of things, though in an imperfect way, because both the end and the divine source of wisdom remained hidden to them ("Hegyon," pp. 1, 2). In his opinion the non-Jew may attain to as high a degree of godliness as the Jew ("Hegyon," p. 8a).Matter and Form.
Abraham b. Ḥiyya's philosophical system is like that of Gabirol and of the author of "Torot ha-Nefesh" (Reflections on the Soul), ed. Broydé, 1896—Neoplatonic as Plotinus has stated it: Matter, being void of all reality, requires form to give it existence. Now the union of these two by the will of God, which brings them from a state of potentiality into one of actuality, is creation, time itself being simultaneously produced with the created things. Both matter and form consist of two different elements. There is pure and there is impure matter. So also there is form too sublime to mingle with matter, such as that of the angelic or the upper world; and form which, being receptive and hollow, is susceptible to mixture with matter. The upper world, while gazing upon the lower and radiating its higher light, causes the mixture of matter with receptive form, the tohu wa-bohu; and out of pure matter the celestial bodies, and out of impure matter the four elements, were evolved. But while the first formed into an inseparable combination and the mixtureof the latter is one which constantly changes, a third form exists which mixes with matter for a certain time, to live again in a disembodied state after its separation; and this is the human soul. According to its wisdom—which makes it seek the upper world, the pure lasting form—or its folly—which makes it follow the impure matter of the perishable world below—the soul of man partakes of the nature of either the one or the other but, his destination being to live forever like the angels, man has been appointed by God to be the ruler of all beings on earth; and in the same measure in which he fulfils or deviates from his destination, does he rise or fall in dignity above or below his fellow creatures. Says Abraham b. Ḥiyya, in common with Aristotle ("Ethics," vii. 11), and others. "Greater is he who has succeeded in training himself to abandon every thought of worldly passion and longs only for the service and adoration of the Most High, than he who has still to wrestle with the appetites of the flesh, though he overcome them in the end." For after all, says he with Plato ("Phædo," p. 64), the soul in this world of flesh is, as it were, imprisoned, while the animal soul craves for worldly pleasures, and experiences pain in foregoing them. Still, only the sensual man requires corrections of the flesh to liberate the soul from its bondage; the truly pious need not, or rather should not, undergo fasting or other forms of asceticism except such as the law has prescribed ("Hegyon," p. 16a). But, precisely as man has been set apart among his fellow creatures as God's servant, so Israel is separate from the nations ("Hegyon," p. 7), the same three terms (bara, yaẓar, 'asah) being used by the prophet for Israel's creation (Isa. xliii. 7) as for that of man in Genesis.Three Classes of Pious Men.
Like Baḥya ("Ḥobot ha-Lebabot," ix. 3) Abraham b. Ḥiyya distinguishes three classes of pious men: (1) such as lead a life altogether apart from worldly pursuits and devoted only to God ("these are but few in number and may in their sovereignty over the world be regarded as one individuality"; Alfarabi, "Model State"; see Guttmann, ib. p. 212, note); (2) such as take part in the world's affairs, but are, as regards their conduct, ruled only by the divine laws and statutes without concerning themselves with the rest of men (these form the "holy congregation" or the "faithful city"); and (3) such as lead righteous lives, but take care also that the wrong done outside of their sphere is punished and the good of all the people promoted (these form the "kingdom of justice" or the "righteous nation"). In accordance with these three classes of servants of God, he finds the laws of the Torah to be divided into three groups: (1) The Decalogue, containing the fundamental laws with especial reference to the God-devoted man who, like Moses, lives solely in the service of God (the singular being used because only Moses or the one who emulates him is addressed). The first of the Ten Commandments, which he considers merely as an introductory word, accentuates the divine origin and the eternal goal of the Law; the other nine present the various laws in relation to God, to domestic life, and to society at large. Each of these three classes again refers either to the heart or sentiment, to the speech or to the action of man. (2) The group of laws contained in the second, third, and fourth books of Moses, intended for the people of Israel during their wandering in the desert or during the Exile, to render them a holy congregation relying solely upon the special protection of God without resorting to warfare. (3) The Deuteronomic legislation intended for the people living in an agricultural state and forming a "kingdom of justice." However, in the time of the Messianic redemption, when the evil spirit shall have vanished altogether, when the sensual man shall have become a spiritual one, and the passions that created hatred and strife shall have given way to love of man and to faithful obedience to the will of God, no other laws than those given to the God-devoted one in the Decalogue—the law written upon the heart of man—will be necessary. Men, imbued solely with love for their fellows, free from sin, will rise to the standard of the God-devoted man, and, like him, share in the eternal bliss of God. Against Rapoport, Guttmann has shown ("Monatsschrift," p. 201, note 2) that Naḥmanides read and used the "Hegyon ha-Nefesh," though occasionally differing from it; but while Saadia is elsewhere quoted by Abraham b. Ḥiyya, he never refers to him in "Hegyon" (Guttmann, in "Monatsschrift," pp. 199, 200). Characteristic of the age is the fact that while Abraham b. Ḥiyya contended against every superstition, against the teḳufah ("Sefer ha-'Ibbur," p. 8), against prayers for the dead ("Hegyon," p. 32a), and similar practises (ib. p. 40a), he was, nevertheless, like Ibn Ezra, a firm believer in astrology. In his "Megillat ha-Megalleh" he calculated from Scripture the exact time for the advent of the Messiah to be the year of the world 5118 (see "Ben Chananja," 1869, iv. 7, 8). He wrote also a work on redemption, from which Isaac Abravanel appropriated many ideas. It is in defense of Judaism against Christian arguments, and also discusses Mohammed, "the Insane"; announcing the downfall of Islam, according to astrological calculation, for the year 4946
- Steinschneider, Z. D. M. G. 1876, p. 633;
- idem, Hebr. Bibl. 1861, iv. 108-109 (where Rapoport's reading of the name "Ḥayyah," instead of "Ḥiyyah," is adopted); 1876, xvi. 90 (where the name "Albargeloni" is declared to be a pure invention).
- See also Brüll's Jahrb. ii. 189. | http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1072-albargeloni-abrahamben-hiyya | fineweb | 14,365 | 2.578125 |
November 17, 2005
Parshat Vayerah (Genesis 18:1-22:24)
"While all other sciences have advanced, government is at a standstill -- little better practiced now than three or four thousand years ago." -- John Adams
If the art of government had improved, then war, disease and poverty inflicted by the tyranny and selfishness of man, as well as the corruption of leaders, would not claim so many lives each minute, each second, around the globe. Man's quest for a perfect form of government started at the dawn of civilization and is still far from conclusion.
The Bible describes the failure of monarchy, and history has proven that theocracy usually leads to fanaticism or hypocrisy. Even democracy boils down eventually to decisions made by individuals, and as long as it depends on the wisdom and discretion of one or several humans at the helm it can take disastrous turns.
A system of checks and balances can put democracy back on track, but we must admit that stumbling, falling, hitting the ground and getting up again to repeat the process is not the ideal form of walking.
In the words of historian Barbara Tuchman: "Mankind, it seems, makes a poorer performance of government than of almost any other human activity.... Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests? Why does intelligent mental process seem so often not to function?"
In the early chapters of Genesis, the Torah denounces different forms of government. The anarchy of the generation of Noah started with a corrupt oligarchy, the elite group of Bene Ha'Elohim, or the Sons of the Judges. The attempt of the builders of the Tower of Babel to create a totalitarian society, with communism as its flag and "one language, one ideology" as its motto, resulted in the dispersion and diversification of mankind.
In this week's portion, we read about the destruction of Sodom, which came about not because of sodomy but rather because of its total abandonment of the weaker layers of society, as the prophet Ezekiel declares: "Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: arrogance! She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquility; yet she did not support the poor and the needy" (16:49).
The model of Sodom was that of capitalism to the max. If you cannot make a living, don't turn to me for help; it's a free country, try harder.
In the midst of that political mayhem there appears our first patriarch, Abraham. He is plucked by God out of nowhere. He is not a king or a chieftain when he is addressed by God. Why was he chosen to be the forefather of Israel? What was special about him?
The answer is disclosed by God: I have chosen Abraham -- or better yet: I have made Myself known to him -- because I know that he will instruct his household members and his descendants in future generations to observe the path of God and to do justice and charity (18:19).
Abraham is chosen because he can prepare the ground for a utopian society, one in which every individual is raised with the understanding that the boundaries of law must be respected and justice must be pursued. At the same time, that charity, lovingkindness and understanding of other human beings are crucial to maintaining these very boundaries.
The path of God is remembering that all humans were created in God's image and therefore all have equal rights. The perfect government, therefore, starts with the individual governing himself.
A short while ago, two friends with the help of many bloggers, created katrinalist.net a powerful Web tool for locating missing Katrina victims. As Discover magazine reports, it was "the kind of data management effort that could have taken a year to execute if a corporation or a government agency had been in charge of it." The PeopleFinder group managed to pull it off in four days for zero dollars.
The activism of Bono and the philanthropy of Bill Gates are but two examples of what inspired and dedicated individuals can achieve despite the shortsightedness of governments. Theirs is a world where the responsibility of justice and lovingkindness lies first and foremost on the shoulders of the individual.
The goal still seems tantalizingly distant, but inspired by the eternal message of the Torah, we are allowed and obligated to dream of a perfect world. Translate the dream to action. Assume leadership of yourself first and then exercise it, combining justice and lovingkindness in order to help your family, your community, your neighborhood and eventually, the whole world. Imagine....
Haim Ovadia is rabbi of Kahal Joseph Congregation, a Sephardic congregation in West Los Angeles. He can be reached at [email protected]. | http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/you_rule_20051118 | fineweb | 4,708 | 2.65625 |
Posted by Maria on Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 4:10pm.
A bank teller has some five-dollar bills and some twenty-dollar bills. The teller has 10 more of the
twenties. The total value of the money is $850. Find the number of five-dollar bills that the teller
- Math 117 - bobpursley, Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 4:12pm
N*20 + (N-10)10=850
- Math 117 - Lisa, Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 4:26pm
Thanks that was all that I needed now let me work on my problem and tell if I got the correct answer.
- Math 117 - Ms. Sue, Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 4:34pm
That works out correctly.
26 * $5 = #130
36 * $20 = $720
130 + 720 = 850
- Number and algebra 25 - Anonymous, Friday, October 17, 2014 at 9:48pm
- Math 117 - Ms. Sue, Friday, October 17, 2014 at 9:49pm
Answer this Question
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William R. Gorham (1888-1949) and Japanese Industry
Gorham was a US-born engineer. He renounced his US citizenship to become a naturalized Japanese citizen. During a period of time from after World War I until immediately after World War II, he played a big role in introducing and transferring an American concept of technological rationalism to the machinery industry in Japan, especially in the fields of design, development and production of machines.
Key Words: technological rationalism, modern production engineering, turret lathes
Gorham took an active part in Japan during his lifetime from age 30 to death. He devoted his life to the introduction and transfer of technologies from the United States to Japan. In this article, we will look back on the outstanding achievements of Gorham.
2. LIFE OF GORHAM
Gorham was born in San Francisco, U.S.A. on January 4, 1888. In his infancy, he made visits to Japan, accompanying his father, William J. Gorham. His farther was a business person who worked as Asia area manager at a tire manufacturer, Goodrich, and traveled on business between the United States and Japan or China.
The engineer, Gorham, was nicknamed "whiz kid." "self-made man" and "barn engineer". In his infancy, he retained wide technical interests, which were encouraged and supported by his family members. He worked his way through school, for example, to establish a manufacturing plant. After graduation from the electric engineering course at the Heald Institute of Technology in San Francisco, he started a new career in engine design.
In 1911, Gorham and his father established a new company called "Gorham Engineering" where they started the business of manufacturing. The product lines included various types of engines (including semi-diesel engines), motorboats and large-size fire fighting pumps.
In 1916, Gorham succeeded in the development of a water-cooled, 6-cylinder, 150-horsepower aircraft engine.
In 1918, during World War I, Gorham, accompanied by his wife and children, came to Japan with a view to create an aviation industry in Japan. He operated mail flights between Tokyo and Osaka, but it was too early for the build-up of an aviation industry in Japan.
In 1919, Gorham worked as an engineering manager with a newly established automobile manufacturing company, Jitsuyo-Jidosha-Seizou (now Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.) in Osaka, Japan. He developed a three-wheeled vehicle called "Gorham Type Sanrinsha."
In 1921, Gorham was head-hunted by Ayukawa Yoshisuke. At a castings manufacturing company, Tobata Castings Co., Ltd., he worked as an engineering manager in charge of machine design and production engineering. He was engaged in the manufacture of engines for use in fishery and agriculture.
In 1926, Gorham was transferred as a chief engineer to a subsidiary company, Toa-Seiki, of Tobata Castings. He was engaged in the automatization of telephone switching machines and the improvement of such products as motors, drills, grinders, and air hammers.
In 1931, Gorham was transferred back to the parent company, Tobata Castings, where he was engaged in the improvement and mass production of casting components for motor vehicles. These components were supplied to Ford Japan and General Motors Japan.
In 1933, Gorham was assigned to the Automobile Division of Tobata Castings. A business plan for mass production of compact cars called "DATSUN" required the purchasing of US-made equipment and machinery, and the employing of American engineers. For that purpose, he temporarily returned to the United States, where he received technical training at a Ford factory.
During his temporary stay in the United States, he purchased a production line system and machinery, which had been used at a then-closed automobile factory of Graham Page. After then, under the supervision and direction of Gorham, the production line system was reassembled and reinstalled at Nissan Motor's automobile factory in Yokohama, Japan. This led to a production start of DATSUN compact cars.
In 1934, after completion of a new factory, Gorham was transferred to another company, Nihon Sangyo, where he was assigned to the head office's Engineering Division.
In 1935, Gorham took charge of the construction of a new factory and the design of production process for another company, Kokusan-Kogyo-Toa-Denki-Seisakusho. He started to fabricate precision machine tools.
In 1936, Gorham established a precision-machine manufacturing company, Kokusan-Seiki, and assumed the office of managing director. He gave technical guidance to employees at all stages from design to manufacture, thus producing ram-type turret lathes (Model 4T). Since then, a ram-type turret lathe grew into a long-term best seller among other product lines.
Afterwards, Gorham's company was merged with and into a subsidiary company of Hitachi, Ltd. The surviving corporation was later merged with and into several other companies, and its business name was finally renamed Hitachi Seiki Co., Ltd.
In 1941, at the outbreak of War in Pacific, Gorham renounced his US citizenship to become a naturalized Japanese citizen by reason of a deportation order for foreign residents in Japan. His full name was changed to a new Japanese name: "Gorham Katsundo". During the Pacific War, he was engaged in the development of multicut lathes and jet engines for Hitachi, Ltd.
In 1945, after the end of World War II, Gorham was reappointed director of Nissan Motor. He devoted his energy to resume automobile production. He was then promoted to managing director.
In 1947, Gorham acted as a consultant to Nissan Motor.
In 1948, Gorham assumed the office of vice president of Fuji Motors Corporation, a company that had entered into contract with the 8th U.S. Army at that time.
In the meantime, Gorham established a new company, Gorham Engineering Co., Ltd. and assumed the office of president. He gave technical guidance to Japanese engineers and promoted the use of mass production methods.
Gorham died on October 24, 1949. He and his wife were buried at the Tama Graveyard in Tokyo.
3. GORHAM'S ROLE IN JAPAN'S MACHINERY INDUSTRY
Gorham was an engineer who devoted himself to the pre-war and post-war developments of both the machine tools and automobile industries in Japan. He also made outstanding achievements in the entire machinery industry in Japan.
Gorham was a multi-skilled engineer who could handle all aspects of technical matters. His talent ranged from the introduction and implementation of a wide range of production techniques and production control systems to the design and development of products.
After World War II, a total of 26 factories requested of Gorham Engineering Co., Ltd. for technical assistance.
|Tokyo Neji Seisakusho||Nihon Barubu Seizou Co.||Riken Kashiwazaki Factory
|Jidousha Buhin Seizou Co.||Toyota Jidousha Kougyou Co.||Nihon Pisuton-ringu Co.
|Daido Metaru Kougyou Co.||Yuasa Chikudenchi Co.||to Kinzoku Co.
|Naigai Seikou-sho Co.||Nihon kikaki seisaku-sho||Ishikawajima Sangyou Co.
|Riken pisuton-ringu Co.||Izumi Jidousha Co.||Kayaba Kougyou Co.
|Nihon Hatsujo Co.||Sankou Kenzai Kougou Co.||Kanto Denki Jidousha Co.
|Furukawa Denki Kougyou Co.||Canon Camera Co.||Akebono Sangyou Co.
|Yazaki Densen Kougyou Co.||Toukyu Yokohama Seisaku-sho||Nihon Oiru-ponpu Seizou Co.
|Yamamoto Koujou Co.||Toukyo Kougaku Co.|| -
other few factories.
The companies that received technical guidance numbered six.
|Nihon Taiya Co.||Takashimaya Iida Co.||Aoi Jidousha Co.
|Meiji Sangyou Co.||Kyouwa Koueki Co.||Sankou Bussan Co.
In this respect, the Japanese people placed expectations on the post-war
restoration of a machinery industry, while Gorham devoted all his energies
to meeting these expectations.
Throughout his life, Gorham coached Japanese engineers in the area of modern production techniques.
- Hitachi seiki Co., WILLIAM R GORHAMU (Biography byJapanese-1951). 2nd-print 1962.
- KATSURAGI youji, NIHONJIN NI NATTA AMERIKAJINNGISHI, A Biography of WILLIAM B GORHAMU. Co.,GURANPURISHIUPPAN,1993.
- SHIMOKAZE kenji, DATSUN WO TSUKUTTA-HITOBITO, Pictorial History of Pre-w Datsun, CAR GRAPHIC,1995.
- YAMASHITA mitsuru, KOUSAKUKIKAI NO SHOKUBA-SHI 1889-1945,Wasedadaigak Press,2002.
- NAGAO katsuko, KOUSAKUKIKAI-GIJYUTSU NO HENSEN,Nikkan Kougyou Shinbunsha,2002
- HANAOKA hiroshi, WILLIAM R GORHAM, SME LIBRARY-10,SME-JAPAN,1989.
- KIMURA shinji, GORH AM-SHI TO NODEAI, SME LIBURARY-13, SME-JAPAN,1990. | http://www.jsme.or.jp/tsd/ICBTT/conference02/KenjiroKAWAKAMI.html | fineweb | 8,424 | 2.65625 |
This article explores the journey of reconciliation, both personal and professional, required for the social work profession to shed its history of colonialism in the context of its relationship with Canada’s Indigenous People, particularly in the realm of child welfare. This process involves becoming accountable for past harms such as the residential school system, the mass removal of children during the ‘60’s scoop’, as well as the contemporary over-representation of Indigenous children in Canada’s child welfare system. Further, this process demands that non-Indigenous social workers locate their privilege in order to become effective allies and partners along this path of reconciliation.
The social work profession’s history with Canada’s First Nations People is plagued with harmful contacts embedded within colonial and assimilationist ideologies and agendas. Child welfare policies and practices such as the residential school system, as well as the systemic apprehension of First Nations children in the second half of the last century, known as the 60’s scoop, continue to impact upon the lives of families and communities. The current child welfare system continues to apprehend First Nations children at a disproportionate and alarming rate. The profession must hold itself accountable to this legacy of injustice as a first step in the process of reconciliation. Further, social work discourse must move beyond conceptions of cultural competence that frame cultural diversity as problematic, towards perspectives that not only legitimate, but also actively engages with and supports Indigenous knowledge and ways of being. Social workers must also embark upon this journey as individuals in order to locate their own personal histories, privilege and power within the system that continues to impact heavily upon the lives of First Nations People. This process of critical systemic and self-reflection is necessary in order for non-Indigenous social workers to become allies with First Nations families and communities, and essential in order to build relationships upon trust, reciprocity and social justice.
The history of social work with First Nations People is steeped in the legacy of colonialism and assimilation (Sinclair, 2004). The reservation system was created to physically isolate First Nations people, and the residential school system was a tool that furthered this isolation by attempting to eradicate the language, traditions and indigenous knowledge that is critical for the survival of culture. The mass removal and relocation of First Nations children, along with the abuse and maltreatment that occurred systemically at the schools, amounts to cultural genocide, the effects of which have impacted the physical, emotional, spiritual and economic well-being of people for generations that followed (Blackstock, 2009). The mass apprehension of First Nations children that followed the closure of residential schools furthered the colonial agenda, and the social work profession was intimately involved in this mass scooping of children starting in the 1960’s (Sinclair, 2004). Currently, First Nations children continue to be over-represented in the child welfare system (Trocme, Knoke & Shangreaux, 2005), and so, the social work profession also continues to act as agents of colonialism and oppression. Blackstock (2009), argues that the social work profession insulates itself by rationalizing its past and contemporary history of injustice by “the propensity to believe that if we are all well intended in our actions, regardless of consequences, social workers are substantially absolved from moral responsibility” (Blackstock, 2009, pg. 34). Social workers must be aware of the context of this history, as their First Nations clients are likely to have experienced the impacts of these interactions either directly or inter-generationally (Sinclair, 2004).
The impacts of the residential school system, as well as the mass removal of children from their families and communities continue to affect the daily lives of First Nations people in Canada. Social work’s role in perpetuating these injustices can no longer be ignored if the profession is to move forward and become partners in the healing and reconciliation that needs to occur. Due to their professional history associated with the ‘60’s scoop’, social workers are faced with negative stereotypes and according to Sinclair (2004), social work “is often synonymous with the theft of children, the destruction of families, and the deliberate oppression of Aboriginal communities” (Sinclair, 2004, pg.50). The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada has developed a process for reconciliation in the child welfare system that presents an opportunity for the social work profession to engage with First Nations communities in a meaningful and effective way (Blackstock, 2009). The goal of this process is to acknowledge the mistakes of the past in order to create a system of child welfare based on principles of social justice and human rights that supports the intrinsic right of First Nations People to care for their children and to be the authors of their destiny and cultural identities (Blackstock, Cross, George, Brown & Formsma, 2006). The first phase in the reconciliation process involves truth telling, or open exchanges about the history of child welfare. This process involves the participation of both those affected by the child welfare system, as well as those involved in administering its policies. “The definition of harm must be acknowledged to be the first property of those who experienced it, just as acknowledging the harm and learning from it is the first obligation of those who perpetrated it” (Blacstock et al., 2006, pg. 9). The profession of social work must make itself accountable to the history of harm that it has perpetuated as a first step in moving forward to create a system based on social justice and inclusive of Indigenous values, culture and knowledge. The process of reconciliation must not only occur at the organizational level, but social workers themselves must also take this journey.
If social workers are to practice anti-oppressively, they must first understand their roles as oppressors in order to create a space for deeper empathy and understanding. Anne Bishop (2002) argues that ignorance to oppression simply compounds the issue, and that our experiences as oppressors are often difficult to locate because our privilege is often invisible. According to her, “all members of this society grow up surrounded by oppressive attitudes; we are marinated in it. It runs in our veins; it is as invisible to us as the air we breathe” (Bishop, 2002, pg. 114). In the context of non-indigenous social workers in Canada, it is white colonial privilege that must be located within the political, economic and social systems in which they operate. Whiteness, the set of social meanings produced by political, cultural and historical forces is inextricably linked to notions of normalization and dominance, and is the site where marginalization of the ‘Other’ occurs (Jeffery, 2005; Jeffery, 2009; Park, 2005). Whiteness continues to be the marker by which other groups are defined in terms of their distance from the norm. Privilege, then is related in part to possessing the norms and values of the dominant group, as well as the seemingly invisible ways by which membership provides anonymity and unearned power and opportunities (McIntosh, 1990). Further, it is crucial that individuals also examine the ways in which they benefit politically and economically from the oppression of others. It is necessary for non-indigenous social workers to understand the ways that they continue to profit from the colonization of Canada and assimilation practices such as the residential school system, as well as the continued failure to fully implement and recognize First Nations rights as enshrined in the treaties.
The process of unearthing one’s privilege as well as contributions to and continued benefits from the oppression of others requires critical reflexivity. This process extends beyond introspection about how one’s personal values and beliefs affect they ways in which we relate to others, but directly challenges the legitimacy of the knowledge systems upon which these values and beliefs are based (White, 2007). In the context of social workers in the child welfare system, this means not only understanding how one’s own experience of white-Anglo parenting or family values may impact upon understandings of First Nations families, but challenging the assumption that the latter can be measured in any way against the former. According to White (2007), when social workers socially locate themselves in this way “we directly challenge the myth of the neutral observer. The process also invites us to give up our expert positions in exchange for more open, relational, collaborative, and accountable practices” (White, 2007, pg. 216).
This process of exposing and challenging one’s role in and profit derived from the oppression of others is necessarily a difficult and painful task. In order to truly understand and develop the capacity to empathize with the oppression and marginalization of First Nations People, non-indigenous social workers must deconstruct the expert piety that has allowed for the rationalization of past injustices and the professional inertia that currently exists in the context of over representation of First Nations children in the child welfare system (Blackstock, 2009). While critical reflexivity is certainly a personal journey, Bishop (2002) warns that it is important that allies not over-personalize the issue and internalize feelings of guilt. Instead, understanding one’s role in oppression should be examined within a structural framework where individuals are part of a collective where systemic oppression and marginalization are produced and maintained.
While the process of critical reflexivity and taking accountability for past injustices perpetuated by social work is a long and difficult journey, it is not impossible. Anti-oppressive social work discourse has been criticized as being too theoretical in nature while elusive in practice (Jeffery, 2009), however the following suggestions for non-indigenous social workers represent tangible practice tools essential in anti-oppressive social work with First Nations People. Social workers need to maintain a learner’s stance and a constant position of curiosity in terms of expanding their knowledge of First Nations culture, traditions and ways of being. Asking questions within and outside of the therapeutic relationship creates a space for meaningful dialogue and discovery (White, 2007). By asking First Nations clients, Elders and community members first hand about their culture and values, social workers can come to understand others through an unfiltered lens. In this way being curious and asking questions are an express mechanism for generating knowledge and experience. This process allows the social worker to understand the lived reality of clients, families and communities. Further, engaging in meaningful and reciprocal dialogue allows for collaborative meaning-making and joint-knowledge construction where the social worker is no longer the expert but rather a partner and an equal contributor (White, 2007).
Becoming an ally requires a shift in power within the social work relationship from a ‘power-over’ stance to a ‘power-with’ position (Bishop, 2002). Relationships that are built on trust and reciprocity are fundamental stepping stones in this shift. Caution must be taken however, that social workers do not take sole ownership of the solutions to the problem, but rather should invest in relationships with First Nations People in order to affirm and support their rights to make the best decisions affecting them (Blackstock, 2009). According to Bishop (2002), this may mean that the social worker “leave their process – working through their anger – to the oppressed group. Give your attention to your own process – becoming an ally” (Bishop, 2002, pg. 116).
Finally, the personal journey of exposing and challenging privilege and the oppression of others must not start and end at the professional level, but must extend into the realm of the social worker’s daily life. It is not enough to simply uncover injustice, but social workers must think critically about their way of living and being, and become anti-oppressive warriors carrying a commitment to peace and transformation (Kundouqk & Qwul’sih’yah’maht, 2009). Social workers must take a stance. This challenges the notion that the profession is value-free and neutral, but rather requires a personal and professional investment in the problems, and in their solutions:
As many Elders have said ‘we did not get here alone and we are not leaving alone’. It does mean shifting the philosophy of our current social work practice from one of solution holder and service deliverer to one where Aboriginal peoples make the best decisions for themselves. Non Aboriginal peoples must play a critical and active role in making space for those decisions and ensuring adequate resources are available to implement them (Blackstock, 2009, pg. 31).
Social work’s relationship with First Nations People is firmly entrenched within the history of colonization and assimilation of Canada’s First Peoples. This is evidenced by its involvement in the mass apprehension of children that continues today with devastating effects upon First Nations children, families and culture. Social work must hold itself accountable to this history in order for the journey of reconciliation with First Nations People to begin. The profession can no longer absolve itself from the harm that it continues to perpetuate within the child welfare system. This journey must also be taken up at the individual level, where social workers, particularly non-indigenous practitioners, are compelled to unearth and challenge their power, knowledge and privilege located within the social and political systems that intrude daily in the lives of their First Nations clients. Social workers must build relationships premised upon trust, reciprocity and equality in order for effective and meaningful change to take place. Becoming a social worker means taking on and shedding over a century of colonial baggage. This process is inevitably a difficult and highly personal journey that requires social workers to not only acknowledge the harm that has been done, but more fundamentally requires that social workers engage with and support First Nations People in an anti-oppressive way not only in their professional practice, but in their daily lives as well.
Bishop, A. (2002). Becoming an ally: Breaking the cycle of oppression in people (6thed.). Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.
Blackstock, C., Cross, T., George, J., Brown, I, & Formsma, J. (2006). Reconciliation in child welfare: Touchstones of hope for Indigenous children, youth, and families. Ottawa, ON, Canada: First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada / Portland, OR: National Indian Child Welfare Association
Blackstock, C. (2009). The occasional evil of angels: Learning from the experiences of Aboriginal Peoples and social work. [Electronic version] First People’s Child & Family Review, 4(1), 28-37.
Jeffery, D. (2005). ‘What good is anti-racist social work if you can’t master it’?: Exploring a paradox in anti-racist social work education [Electronic version]. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(4), 409-425.
Jeffery, D. (2009). Meeting here and now: Reflections on cultural difference in social work encounters. In Strega, S. & Esquao, S. (Eds.) Walking this path together: Anti-racist and anti-oppressive child welfare practice (pp. 45-60). Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.
Kundouqk [Jacquie Green] & Qwul’sih’yah’maht [Robina Thomas], (2009). Children in the centre: Indigenous perspectives on anti-oppressive child welfare practice. In Strega, S. & Esquao, S. (Eds.) Walking this path together: Anti-racist and anti-oppressive child welfare practice (pp. 29-43). Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.
McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack [Electronic version]. Independent School, 49(2), 31-35.
Park, Y. (2005). Culture as deficit: Discourse analysis of the concept of culture in contemporary social work discourse [Electronic version]. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 32(3), 11-33.
Sinclair, R. (2004). Aboriginal social work education in Canada: Decolonizing pedagogy for the seventh generation [Electronic version]. First People’s Child & Family Review, 1(1), 49-61.
Trocme, N., Knoke, D. & Shangreaux, C. (2005). The experience of First Nations children coming into contact with the child welfare system in Canada: The Canadian incidence study on reported abuse and neglect. In Wen:de We are coming to the light of day. First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, 60-86.
White, J. (2007). Working in the midst of ideological and cultural differences: Critically reflecting on youth suicide prevention in indigenous communities (Electronic version]. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 41(4), 213-227. | http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/anti-oppressive-social-work-practice-in-child-welfare-journeys-of-reconciliation-0 | fineweb | 17,246 | 2.9375 |
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. Recycling can benefit your community and the environment.
Benefits of Recycling
- Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators;
- Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals;
- Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials;
- Saves energy;
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change;
- Helps sustain the environment for future generations;
- Helps create new well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States.
Steps to Recycling Materials
Recycling includes the three steps below, which create a continuous loop, represented by the familiar recycling symbol.
- Step 1: Collection and Processing
There are several methods for collecting recyclables, including curbside collection, drop-off centers, and deposit or refund programs. Visit How do I recycle... Common Recyclables.
After collection, recyclables are sent to a recovery facility to be sorted, cleaned, and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing. Recyclables are bought and sold just like raw materials would be, and prices go up and down depending on supply and demand in the United States and the world.
- Step 2: Manufacturing
More and more of today's products are being manufactured with recycled content. Common household items that contain recycled materials include:
- newspapers and paper towels;
- aluminum, plastic, and glass soft drink containers;
- steel cans; and
- plastic laundry detergent bottles.
Recycled materials are also used in new ways such as recovered glass in asphalt to pave roads or recovered plastic in carpeting and park benches.
- Step 3: Purchasing New Products Made from Recycled Materials
By buying new products made from recycled materials you help close the recycling loop. There are thousands of products that contain recycled content. When you go shopping, look for:
- Products that can be easily recycled, and
- Products that contain recycled content.
Here are some of the terms used:
- Recycled-content product. This means the product was manufactured with recycled materials, either collected from a recycling program or from waste recovered during the normal manufacturing process. Sometimes the label will tell you how much of the content was from recycled materials.
- Postconsumer content. This is very similar to recycled content, but the material comes only from recyclables collected from consumers or businesses through a recycling program.
- Recyclable product. These are products that can be collected, processed and manufactured into new products after they have been used. These products do not necessarily contain recycled materials. Remember not all kinds of recyclables may be collected in your community so be sure to check with your local recycling program before you buy.
Some of the common products you can find that can be made with recycled content include:
- Aluminum cans
- Car bumpers
- Cereal boxes
- Comic books
- Egg cartons
- Glass containers
- Laundry detergent bottles
- Motor oil
- Paper towels
- Steel products
- Trash bags | http://www2.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics | fineweb | 3,247 | 3.9375 |
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 02, 2011, 12:06
Low carbohydrates, least fats, high protein.
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 02, 2011, 12:14
During winter, as the night time is longer, stomach should be kept full in night with such solids which are easily digestible and of high caloric value.
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 02, 2011, 12:01
More carbohydrates, adequate protein, less fats.
Last Updated: Thursday, April 14, 2011, 15:25
It sounds like a recipe for a heart attack, but junk food may actually be good for the heart if followed by a plateful of doughnuts, a study suggests.
Last Updated: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 17:26
Eat wholegrain foods: Make sure you have whole-grain bread, rice or pasta at least four times a week and you will reduce the chance of having cancer by 40 per cent.
Last Updated: Monday, May 23, 2011, 17:17
Three servings a day of cereal fibre and whole grains reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
Last Updated: Friday, July 01, 2011, 15:20
Exercise can increase people`s desire to eat sugary foods such as doughnuts, making it difficult to lose weight, a study has revealed.
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 15:19
Fatty foods may help reduce effects of sadness in healthy non-obese individuals.
Last Updated: Saturday, August 06, 2011, 15:41
Want to know an easy and effective way to shed that extra pounds? Well, keep healthy foods at eye level in your fridge.
Last Updated: Friday, August 19, 2011, 11:42
Milk and dairy are the most nutritious and healthy foods available and loaded with naturally occurring nutrients.
Last Updated: Friday, November 11, 2011, 15:56
Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods: You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. | http://zeenews.india.com/ayurveda/tag.aspx?tag=Foods | fineweb | 1,866 | 2.65625 |
The Green Island School vision,
‘Respecting the Past, Building the Future’, sits behind everything we do.
Cultural awareness and understandings are key to being a competent 21st Century citizen of our global world. Our students express who they are and their learning in a huge variety of ways as being literate in the 21st Century is about more than reading and writing. We help students to find their voice in everything they do.
Our whole school based inquiry or integrated units explore the ‘Big Ideas’ of life. Using the children’s ideas and input as well as the curriculum we explore learning in real and meaningful ways. Students have so many opportunities to connect to their community, to contribute, participate and be creative. | https://greenisland.school.nz/building-our-future/ | fineweb | 738 | 2.8125 |
In the last ten years, the repertoire of sounds and visual ideas available to field cymbals has greatly expanded, resulting in both musical and visual contributions to marching band and drum corps performances. Today's cymbal lines are involved in different textures and melodic accents while contributing to the overall visual effect of the show. I categorize the different crashes and sounds into four groups: musical crashes, visual crashes, special effects and rolls. Although many of the musical and visual crashes produce a similar sound, referred to as an "orchestra" crash, some of these are used specifically for their visual contribution, hence the visual classification. This lesson will focus on only some of the more common Special Effects.
With a greater repertoire of sounds and visuals, there will also be a need for a more involved approach to the arranging for cymbals on the field. Look for additional voicings that allow for more dynamic control as well as linear and melodic involvement. Also, consider the cymbal sound chosen in relation to the texture of the full ensemble. A few suggestions for arranging applications are included in the description, as well as the notation abbreviations used in a cymbal score. The sounds and effects explained here by no means represent the endless possibilities available to creative arrangers and cymbal lines. This guide is designed to give an overview of cymbal effects and serve as a reference, but the possibilities are endless. Be creative and explore different sounds and visuals on your own, and contribute to the development of cymbals on the field.
HORIZONTAL HINGE (H.H.)
The cymbals are placed against the stomach with the edges touching, and to top cymbal is pressed into the bottom cymbal for a crisp "chick" sound (to be used as a HiHat substitute).
VERTICAL HINGE (V.H.)
Same as the horizontal hinge, but in a vertical position with the cymbals meeting in the center of the chest (same as horizontal hinge).
In the standard position, one cymbal lightly taps on the opposite cymbal approximately 1-2 inches from the edge (effective in light passages, WW and/or pit features).
Tongs are executed by forming a "T" directly in front of the player, generally R over L, at eye level and the bottom of the dome of the upper cymbal strikes the edge of the lower cymbal (same as tings but for lower pitches).
Taps are executed just like Tings, except that the cymbals are muffled by holding them against the arms and chest while playing (same as tings).
The cymbals are "slammed" together, horizontally or vertically, and are pressed tightly together to avoid any sustained sizzle sound (to be used in staccato, aggressive, and most loud passages).
In standard position, the edge of one cymbal is places at the edge of the dome, inside the opposite cymbal, and is pushed upward to obtain a scraping sound off of the grooves of the static cymbal (effective in light passages, WW and/or pit features.
Buzzes are executed just like Tings, except that they are allowed to sustain a buzzing sound (effective in Light passages, WW and/or pit features).
The cymbals are loosely pressed together so that a full sounding sizzle sustains (effective at all dynamic levels).
SLIDES (Slide - o over the sustain, + over the release)
In the horizontal position, the top cymbal is pushed away from the body, while the cymbals are buzzing, and is sharply pulled back to the body for the release (to be used as a HiHat sound at all dynamic levels).
In the vertical parallel position, the cymbals are loosely pressed together to obtain a sustained sizzle, and then are gradually brought to a horizontal position, while slowly pulling the hands apart in a slide like motion across the body. | http://zildjian.com/Education/Lessons/Marching/Sounds-and-Techniques-for-Field-Cymbals | fineweb | 3,738 | 2.859375 |
This is a handbook for the starter cook. Ingredients and techniques are listed alphabetically for quick and easy reference, and it provides the basic methods and techniques for dealing with vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, poultry, grains, legumes, pulses, breads and pasta, with advice on how to clean, store, prepare and cook each entry. Line drawings illustrate techniques such as dicing, slicing, coring fruit and rubbing in fat, and where appropriate a very simple recipe – such as a basic broth or pie – is included, which allows the reader to develop the skills demonstrated. Entries also cover simple but easily-forgotten information such as how to poach an egg, the quantities for a Yorkshire pudding batter, and what temperature to roast a chicken at.
The Basic Basics How to Cook From A-Z
Janet W. Macdonald
Out of stock | https://grubstreet.co.uk/product/the-basic-basics-how-to-cook-from-a-z/ | fineweb | 830 | 3.328125 |
Both Mexican and European olives are xeric plants and both can tolerate heat and drought.
Mexican and European olive are xeric plants and both are included in the fall WaterSaver Landscape Coupon. Although they share a name, along with small greenish fruits and bicolored green-and-white leaves, they aren’t closely related. But either olive can be easily paired with agaves, yucca, or sago palm to add a strong evergreen foundation to new landscaping.
In recent years olive has been extensively planted as an ornamental in south-central Texas, due to its fine bluish foliage and its drought-hardy evergreen habit. Many varieties are available, from the big ‘Mission’ olive (up to 20 feet) to ‘Little Ollie (a dwarf variety that can be easily mistaken for boxwood.) For SAWS customers implementing the WaterSaver Landscape Coupon, ‘Arbequina’ has been a popular choice, as it’s widely available — and can be spaced close enough to fit two trees into a single landscape bed.
European olive attracts a lot of interest when customers realize it can be grown in Texas. Although the olive industry is a relatively recent phenomenon (few locations in Texas provide the cold weather needed for reliable fruit production) local olive orchards have become popular destinations for customers interested in learning about olives and growing their own.
Though it can be grown in tough conditions, European olive is probably best suited to deeper soils, as long as they’re well drained; in heavy clay soils and on rocky outcrops it may require soil amendment.
Gardeners with a little more room may forgo the opportunity for fruit production and use Mexican olive instead. Early Spanish explorers found the big leaves and abundant white flowers of Cordia ubiquitous in Tamaulipas and northeastern Mexico, and named it after olive due to the superficial similarity of the fruit. Like comfrey and other forget-me-nots, its leaves are covered with tiny hairs, making them appear fuzzy – a classic adaptive strategy for many desert plants, protecting the leaf surface from drying winds. (In extreme drought, the leaves tend to curl up.)
An unwatered Mexican olive shades the front corner of the Alamo in San Antonio, providing a measure of the capabilities of this subtropical tree, and an informal yardstick of recent winter weather. Even at this protected location, receiving the reflected heat of a south-facing stone wall in winter, it froze to the ground twice in the 1980’s – a useful reminder especially for anyone thinking of using it north of San Antonio. Fortunately, even after extreme freeze damage, Mexican olive will regrow from the ground.
The plant is also called Texas olive, but in reality, in Texas, it grows in the wild only in a fairly narrow strip along the Mexican border. However, transplants can be expected to comfortably grow to tree size as far north as San Antonio and even Austin. With big evergreen leaves and big white flowers, it’s been touted as a clever substitute for Southern magnolia at this drought-prone end of the Texas landscape. | https://www.dev-gardenstylesanantonio.com/garden-tips-blog/a-tale-of-two-olives/ | fineweb | 3,053 | 2.8125 |
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Tapped Out: Squeezing Every Last Ounce from the Once-Mighty Colorado River
Photograph courtesy flickr/Trodel
It can change almost overnight from a muddy trickle into the sort of torrent that carved the Grand Canyon. Settlers complained that the waters of the Colorado River, rich with rust-colored sediment, were “too thick to drink and too thin to plow,” even as its currents nourished the rapid growth of an entire quadrant of the country. With 30 million people in seven states and Mexico relying on it, the Colorado is the most contested river system in North America. In 1893, Major John Wesley Powell, the first explorer of the Colorado, warned against hopes that the unpredictable desert river could satisfy all of the demands that would be made of it: “You are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights, for there is not sufficient water to supply these lands.” He was onto something. Harnessed for hydroelectric power and pumped through hundreds of miles of aqueduct to L.A., Phoenix, and Denver, the river is usually (except in major flood years) used up before reaching its outlet at the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.
In that way the Colorado is also perhaps the most micromanaged waterway we have. And to a certain extent, the most mismanaged. The entire system that determines how much water can be taken from the Colorado rests on a colossal error: In 1922, when its waters were divvied up among the states, the Colorado was enjoying its wettest ten-year period on record. Estimating its annual flow, the states used a number—16 million acre-feet—that they thought was conservative, but it turned out to be wildly high. The average flow in the decades that followed has been closer to 12 million acre-feet. Since 2002, we’ve been using a million acre-feet more than the river contains—by sucking down the desert reservoirs of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which are now less than half full and falling. Adding to overuse are a lack of rain and snow (2012 and 2013 are the fifth and fourth driest years on record) as well as evaporation (a quantity of water greater than urban Southern California’s yearly allotment simply disappears from the reservoirs each year). At the current pace forecasters say Lake Mead may fall to 1,075 feet above sea level (154 feet below its high-water mark), triggering water cutbacks to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson. One study gives a 50-50 chance that Lake Mead will be empty by 2021—better than your chances of winning in any Vegas casino. | http://www.lamag.com/features-hidden/tapped-out-squeezing-every-last-ounce-from-the-once-mighty-colorado-river/ | fineweb | 2,549 | 3 |
Preface to the Constitution of the UECNA
The United Episcopal Church of North America, which is a branch of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, united by Faith to Him who is the divine head over all things to the Church, which is His body, and recognizing the essential unity of all who accept this faith, and standing in succession to the Church of England, and its descendants, the Protestant Episcopal Church, USA, and the Anglican Church of Canada, declares:
I. That the United Episcopal Church of North America, holding the faith once delivered to the saints, accepts and unfeignedly believes all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (1), to be the inspired Word of God, and to be the ultimate rule of Faith and Practice in the Church.
This Church accepts the Apostles’ Creed as the baptismal symbol, and the Nicene Creed (2) as sufficient statement of the Christian Faith. Furthermore, it accepts the witness of the ancient Fathers, and undisputed Councils of the Early Church to this Faith, and shall endeavour, by the Grace of God, to pass the same to succeeding generations.
This Church maintains that he sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are of Divine institution, and will continue to administer the same with unfailing use of Christ’s Words of Institution, and with the elements instituted by Christ Himself.
This Church will maintain inviolate the three orders of Bishop, Priest (presbyter), and Deacon, which are, by Scripture, confined to qualified males.
This Church hereby maintains its constant witness against all those innovations in doctrine and worship, whereby the primitive faith has been overlaid, and which at the Reformation the Church of England did disown and reject.
II. The United Episcopal Church of North America receives and approves “The Book of Common Prayer, and the Administration of the Sacraments, etc.” approved by the Convocation held in the year 1662, as subsequently amended for use in the United States and the Dominion of Canada (3). This Church will continue to use the same, subject to such amendment as shall be made by lawful authority of this Church. Furthermore, it receives and approves the Articles of Religion approved by the Convocation held in London in 1562, as amended by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America held in 1801, as a witness to the historic teaching of the Anglican Communion.
III. The United Episcopal Church of North America will maintain Communion with all Churches agreeing to the principles of this Declaration, and will set forth, as far as in it lies, quietness, peace, and love among all Christian people.
IV. The United Episcopal Church of North America, deriving its authority from Christ, Who is the head of all things to the Church, declares that a General Convention or Synod, consisting of the bishops, and representatives of the clergy and laity, shall act as the chief legislative power therein, and shall exercise such administrative power as may be necessary for the Church, and consistent with its Episcopal Constitution. Such General Convention or Synod shall have no competency to alter doctrine.
Approved by the Twelfth General Convention of the United Episcopal Church of North America held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Approved by the Thirteenth General Convention held in Waynesboro, Virginia, and thereby finally adopted.
(1) See Article VI of the Articles of Religion for the status of the Deutero-Canonical Books.
(2) See Article VIII of the Articles of Religion.
(3) In effect, the 1928 revision of the Book of Common Prayer in the United States, and the 1959/62 revision for Canada, and revisions agreeable thereto. | https://unitedepiscopal.org/about/principles/ | fineweb | 3,730 | 2.828125 |
An Exhibit in Honor of its Centennial
Sterling Memorial Library
December 2009-February 2010
Free and Open to the Public
Artist Mikhail Magaril has taken Leo Tolstoy's text and adapted it to images from the Jewish shtetls that once existed in Eastern Europe.
A Study in Jewish Diversity
Decorated Jewish Marriage Contracts 17th-21st Centuries
Sterling Memorial Library
April 6th-June 30th, 2009
Images from a collection of Yiddish sheet music at Yale, all of which were published in New York in the early 20th century. The collection consists of several hundred pieces and serves as a testament to the volume and vibrancy of the music of the Eastern European Jewish immigrant community that settled in the Lower East Side.
Issachar Ryback's Portrayal of Shtetl Life
In this book, the artist depicts scenes of Jewish life in his shtetl in Ukraine before it was destroyed in the pogroms that followed the end of World War I. Ryback drew and painted many of the same subjects favored by Chagall in his early years and a comparison may be made between the two. This is certainly true of Ryback's series of drawings of shtetl life.
An exhibit in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the death of Moses Maimonides (1138-1204).
Whitney Humanities Center, Fall 2004
An exhibit in celebration of Yale University's tercentennial.
Sterling Memorial Library, Summer 2001
This exhibit attempts to display the wide range of Judaica collections at the Yale Library. In addition to the items from the Judaica Collection, material from the Map Collection, Arts of the Book, and the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library are also included.
Sholem Asch was one of the best known Yiddish authors of the first half of the twentieth century. His collection of rare books and manuscripts was donated to Yale in 1945. The collection is now housed in the Beinecke library. This exhibit includes a selection of illuminated manuscripts from the Asch Collection.
Sterling Memorial Library, Spring 2000
Archaeology and Exploration in the Yale Collections
Yale University has been involved in the archaeology and exploration of the Near East since the nineteenth century and has built a formidable collection of artifacts from that region. These include seals, oil lamps, figurines, clay tablets, journals, drawings, photographs and much more. A selection from Yale's vast holdings was put on display in the nave of Sterling Memorial Library in honor of the State of Israel's fiftieth anniversary.
Sterling Memorial Library, Spring 1998
The Passover Haggadah in the Yale University Library Collections.
The exhibit includes Haggadot
from both the Sterling Memorial Library and Beinecke Library collections.
Among them are facsimiles of some of the most famous illustrated
Haggadot from the middle ages and a selection of modern Haggadot
reflecting current Jewish events and perspectives.
Beinecke Library, Fall 1996
An Exhibit of Judaica in honor of the opening of the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale.
Yale has a proud tradition
of collecting Hebraica and Judaica that goes back to its earliest
days and continues into the present. It is our hope that this exhibit
will present in miniature the depth and richness of Yale's vast
Hebraica and Judaica holdings. This exhibit is a joint effort of
the many divisions of the Yale University Library that contain Judaica.
Sterling Memorial Library, Fall 1995
, Curator of
the Yale University Library Judaica Collection;
, website developer.
All contents copyright © 2012, Yale University Library.
All rights reserved.
October 15, 2012. | http://www.library.yale.edu/judaica/site/exhibits/exhibits.php | fineweb | 3,560 | 2.796875 |
|Credit: Hartphotography | Dreamstime|
The gap between the healthiest people and the least healthy in the United States has grown among those born in recent decades, and will likely continue to grow in the coming generations, a new study suggests.
The researchers found the disparity in healthiness generally declined for each generation from the start of the 20th Century through the baby boomers, who were born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s, but the gap subsequently has grown again in later generations and is now approaching what it was in the early 1900s.
"The dramatic rising health disparities for cohorts born after 1980," said Hui Zheng, lead author of the study and assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University, surprised the researchers.
Moreover, the gap is expected to continue growing.
"We will expect health disparities in the whole population will increase as the current young cohorts grow older and replace the current older cohorts," Zheng said.
The study did not directly examine the reasons for the widening gap, Zheng said. But other research has shown it may be driven by income inequality, which has increased over the past three decades, along with increased immigration and the growing 'digital divide' between people who readily and easily access health information on the Internet and those with less access.
The study is published in the December issue of the journal American Sociological Review.
Decades of data
The researchers analyzed data gathered from 702,000 participants in the National Health Interview Survey, a large government health study conducted between 1984 and 2007, which included interviews with older adults, enabling the researchers to analyze the health disparity among people born as long ago as 1899.
People were asked to rate their own health on a five-point scale; though there are drawbacks to relying on self-reported measures of health, overall, studies have shown that self-reports generally produce reliable results, the researchers said.
When the researchers compared the gap between the healthiest and least-healthy people born in the early 1960s with the gap between those born in the 1980s, they found it had widened by 26 percent, Zheng said.
Overall, health increased from 1984 until 1990. It then decreased until the mid-1990s. It rose again until the late 1990s, but has been decreasing since then, according to the study.
In general, those who were white, married, more educated, had a job and had more income rated themselves as being in better health.
But of those factors, the one with the largest impact on health was employment. Those who were employed rated themselves 0.39 points healthier, on average, than those who weren't, whereas being married brought a 0.02-point increase, on average, and each additional year of education brought a 0.06-point increase.
Our health, as we age
The researchers also quantified the disparity within any cohort, or group of people of the same age, over time. They found that during young adulthood, there is relatively little disparity — most are generally healthy.
The disparity within any group increases and peaks when people are around age 55, after which it declines again. The lower disparity seen in older adults could be because sicker people die, leaving only healthier people, or because there is a prevalence of medical conditions among older people, according to the study.
In every generation, women in the study rated themselves as less healthy than men.
There is a relatively large gap between the sexes in early adulthood, with men rating themselves as healthier than women, according to the study. It narrows until about age 61, because men are more likely to experience more-severe forms of chronic conditions such as heart disease, but then widens again, as only the healthier men survive and there is a relatively larger share of women with poorer health at older ages.
Pass it on: The difference between the healthiest and the least-healthy adults in the United States is growing. | http://www.livescience.com/36007-gap-healthiest-healthy-growing.html | fineweb | 4,033 | 2.921875 |
This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, (MUP), 2007
Donald (Don) King (1926-1989), geologist, was born on 3 June 1926 at Rose Park, Adelaide, third child of English-born parents Charles William King, cabinet-maker, and his wife Daisy Maud Evelyn, née Canhan. Don was educated at Adelaide High School and the University of Adelaide (B.Sc., 1948; M.Sc., 1950), where Professor Sir Douglas Mawson steered him towards a career in geology. On 2 September 1950 at St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide, he married with Anglican rites Joyce Hamp Walker, daughter of Hurtle Walker. Joining the Geological Survey of South Australia, King developed his geological mapping and mineral exploration skills under the tutelage of some of the country’s most able geologists. Seconded to the Commonwealth Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics in 1951, he took part in a geological survey of northern Pakistan conducted under the auspices of the Colombo Plan. After returning he made a wide-ranging contribution to the survey’s activities, especially the search for uranium in the Olary province. He also discovered a phosphate mineral known as `Kingite’. When the government geologist (Sir) Samuel Benson Dickinson resigned in 1956 to become director of exploration with Rio Tinto Mining Co. of Australia Ltd, he took King with him and appointed him manager of Rio’s Tasmanian exploration activities.
In 1961 King joined Utah Development Co. and moved to Queensland with a brief to explore the Bowen Basin for deposits of coking coal amenable to low-cost open-cut mining. The coal potential of the Bowen Basin had hitherto attracted little attention. He noted the orderly progression in rank of the coal northwards along the Dawson Valley to a geologically complex structural belt, and set about examining the wider possibilities of this relationship. Assembling evidence that suggested seams present in the largely concealed Permian sediments along the central-western edge of the Bowen Basin were likely to contain medium-and low-volatile coking coals, he convinced Utah that it should explore the area, despite their reluctance to consider mining so far from the coast.
Drilling in the Blackwater district south of the Mackenzie River in 1962 resulted in the discovery of huge deposits of medium- and low-volatile coking coal. A year later much more extensive deposits of similar high quality coking coal were discovered north of the river. They later supported several very large open-cut mines, as well as towns, railways, ports and other export-related infrastructure. By 2000 they were producing fifty million tonnes of coking coal annually. The discovery of this rich coking coal province is regarded as one of the great achievements of modern mineral exploration.
Promoted in 1964 to the position of UDC’s chief geologist in Australia, King was transferred to its head office in Melbourne. The move south did not suit him and led to his resignation in 1965 to become an associate-director of Brisbane-based Mines Administration Pty Ltd, which managed a group of Australian oil companies keen to extend their exploration activities to minerals and coal. At a time when others believed there were no new fields to be found in the Bowen Basin, Minad made several noteworthy discoveries that led to its takeover by CSR Ltd in 1977. King chose this time to establish his own geological consultancy, Energy Minerals Pty Ltd, which he operated successfully in Brisbane until his death.
King was the author of forty-seven papers on a wide range of geological subjects. He was a foundation member (1952) of the Geological Society of Australia and chairman of its Queensland division in 1964, and a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, for which he co-edited a highly acclaimed monograph on coal (1975), the second in its Economic Geology of Australia and Papua New Guinea series. In 1987 he was appointed AO. An outstanding exploration geologist and recognised authority on coal in Queensland, King had a robust constitution, and boundless energy and enthusiasm for field investigations. His magnetic personality enabled him to exert an influence for good on young geologists and colleagues. He died on 3 August 1989 at his home at The Gap and was cremated. His wife and their three sons survived him.
Peter W. Goscombe, 'King, Donald (Don) (1926–1989)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/king-donald-don-12739/text22979, published in hardcopy 2007, accessed online 30 July 2014.
This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, (MUP), 2007 | http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/king-donald-don-12739 | fineweb | 4,735 | 2.59375 |
Public lecture examines untold story of Rome's most famous statue
Loyola press release - January 30, 2012
The Loyola University New Orleans Department of Languages and Cultures presents “The Lost Eagle: The Untold Story of the Legionary Eagle on Rome’s Most Famous Statue,” on Monday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. in Nunemaker Auditorium in Monroe Hall. This lecture explores the Prima Porta Augustus, the most widely-recognized marble statue from the Roman Empire, and is free and open to the public.
The Prima Porta Augustus statue depicts Roman emperor Augustus Caesar and features a central scene on his armor in which a bearded barbarian returns the lost eagle standard of a Roman legion to an armored figure. From the time of the statue’s discovery in the 19th century, the scholarly consensus was that the eagle depicted on the armor represented one of the standards lost to the Parthian Empire by Roman generals Marcus Licinius Crassus and Mark Antony, and recovered by Augustus in 20 B.C.E.
According to Bridget Buxton, Ph.D., a leading expert on ancient history and Mediterranean archaeology, close analysis of the statue proves that it does not reference the so-called Parthian standards at all. In her illustrated lecture, Buxton will explore the archaeological and historical evidence that proves the Prima Porta statue was commissioned to commemorate another entirely separate event that occurred on the northern frontier many years after the Parthian standards were returned.
Buxton is an assistant professor in the Department of History at the University of Rhode Island. She specializes in underwater archaeology and has worked at underwater sites off the coasts of Turkey and Greece, as well as in the Libyan and Black Seas.
The lecture is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Classical Studies program and the New Orleans Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.
For more information, contact Loyola professor Connie Rodriguez, Ph.D., at [email protected]. | http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2012/1/30/2729 | fineweb | 1,984 | 2.953125 |
Purpose of the Program
In order to ensure the delivery of safe, clean drinking water to the residents and businesses within the municipality, the City Of Peterborough has passed a by-law requiring all Industrial, Commercial, Institutional and some Multi-residential properties to comply with the CSA Standard for the installation and maintenance of backflow prevention devices.
- "Backflow" is the undesired reversal of water flow against the normal direction;
- "Backflow Prevention Device" is a mechanical device that prevents backflow and is sometimes called a backflow preventer;
- "Cross connection" is a connection between the municipal water system and any source of contamination.
How Backflow Can Happen
- Backflow can occur when the water pressure in the municipal delivery system drops, as in the case of a water main break or when the Fire Department is drawing water from a fire hydrant.
- Backflow may also occur when pumps on a private plumbing system raise the water pressure within a building to a level higher than the water pressure in the municipal water main.
- Backflow can also occur within a building and can be very dangerous, such as when a boiler with chemical additives is connected to the same water lines as a drinking fountain. | https://vandermeulenplumbing.ca/cccp.php | fineweb | 1,258 | 3.4375 |
The aim of this study is to investigate the pathways of acupuncture meridians in the human body through the injection of radioactive tracers at acupuncture points. Technetium 99m (99mTc) as sodium pertechnetate, the most common radioactive tracer in nuclear medicine, has been used. The migration patterns were recorded with a scintillation camera associated with computer imaging capabilities. Our findings show that the preferential pathways taken by the radiotracer coincide with acupuncture meridians as described in Chinese traditional medicine. More, it has been established that these pathways are distinguishable from either lymphatic or vascular routes.
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If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways. | http://aim.bmj.com/content/11/1/22 | fineweb | 948 | 2.59375 |
The Saṃskṛt name for partridge is “Tittiri”. As the Tittiri (partridge) birds ate this Veda, it is thenceforth called the Taittirīya Yajurveda. It is also known as Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda or Black-Yajurveda on account of it being a vomited substance. The Taittirīya Saṃhitā thus belongs to this Yajurveda.
Yājñavalkya was the son of Devarāta and was the pupil of sage Vaisampayana . Once, Vaisampayana got angry with Yājñavalkya as the latter argued too much to separate some latter additions to Yajurveda in being abler than other students. The angry teacher asked his pupil Yājñavalkya to give back all the knowledge of Yajurveda that he had taught him.
As per the demands of his Guru, Yājñavalkya vomited all the knowledge that he acquired from his teacher in form of digested food. Other disciples of Vaisampayana took the form of partridge birds and consumed the digested knowledge (a metaphor for knowledge in its simplified form without the complexities of the whole but the simplicity of parts) because it was knowledge and they were very eager to receive the same.
Then Yājñavalkya determined not to have any human guru thereafter. Thus he began to propitiate the Sun God, Surya. Yājñavalkya worshipped and extolled the Sun, the master of the Vedas, for the purpose of acquiring the fresh Vedic portions not known to his preceptor, Vaiśampāyana.
The Sun God, pleased with Yājñavalkya penance, assumed the form of a horse and graced the sage with such fresh portions of the Yajurveda as were not known to any other. This portion of the Yajurveda goes by the name of Śukla Yajurveda or White-Yajurveda on account of it being revealed by Sun. It is also known as Vajasaneya Yajurveda, because it was evolved in great rapidity by Sun who was in the form of a horse through his manes.The rhythm of recital of these vedas is therefore to the rhythm of the horse canter and distinguishes itself from the other forms of veda recitals. In Sanskrit, term “Vaji” means horse. Yājñavalkya divided this Vajasaneya Yajurveda again into fifteen branches, each branch comprising hundreds of Yajus Mantras. Sages like Kanva, Madhyandina and others learnt those and Śukla Yajurveda branched into popular recensions named after them.
It is important to note that within the hierarchy of Brāhmaṇas, certain sects believe in the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda while others practice from the Śukla Yajurveda.
Yājñavalkya married two wives. One was Maitreyi and the other Katyaayanee. Of the two, Maitreyi was a Brahmavadini (one who is interested in the knowledge of Brahman).The descendant sects of Brahmans are the progeny of the first wife Katyaayanee. When Yājñavalkya wished to divide his property between the two wives, Maitreyi asked whether she could become immortal through wealth. Yājñavalkya replied that there was no hope of immortality through wealth and that she would only become one among the many who were well-to-do on.When she heard this, Maitreyi asked Yājñavalkya to teach her what he considered as the best. Then Yājñavalkya described to her the greatness of the Absolute Self, the nature of its existence, the way of attaining infinite knowledge and immortality, etc. This immortal conversation between Yājñavalkya and Maitreyi is recorded in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
Wisdom of Yājñavalkya is shown in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad where he gives his teachings to his wife Maitreyi and King Janaka. He also participates in a competition arranged by King Janaka about the selecting great Brhama Jnani (knower of Brahman). His intellectual dialogues with Gargi (a learned scholar of the times) form a beautiful chapter filled with lot of philosophical and mystical question-answers in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. He was then praised as the greatest Brahmajnyani by all the sages at the function organised by king Janaka. In the end, Yājñavalkya took Vidvat Sanyasa (renunciation after the attainment of the knowledge of Brahman) and retired to the forest.
Maitreyi was a Vedic philosopher from ancient India. She was the second wife of famous sage and philosopher, Yajnavalkya, the first being Katyaayanee.
Maitreyi was well-versed in Vedas and associated scriptures and was called brahmavadini or “an expounder of the Veda” by people of her time. About ten hymns in Rig Veda are accredited to Maitreyi.
According to legend, Maitreyi really did not want to marry Yajnavalkya, but she wanted to live with him as his disciple and a spiritual companion to do sadhana or spiritual development. She went to Yajnavalkya’s wife, Katyaayanee and expressed her desire to live with her husband, and with Katyaayanee’s consent, she became his companion. | https://vibhanshu.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/partridge-birds-ate-veda-black-yajurveda-by-yajnavalkya/ | fineweb | 4,623 | 2.890625 |
Here’s a surprise. The growth of trees in Britain appears to correlate to cosmic ray intensity. University of Edinburgh researchers have found that trees are growing faster when high levels of cosmic radiation arrive from space. This may also correlate to the Interplanetary Magnetic Field which tends to modulate Galactic Cosmic Rays. The discover lends credence to Svensmark’s work on GCR to cloud cover correlation by demonstrating yet another tangible effect.
The researchers made the discovery studying how growth rings of spruce trees changed over the past half a century.
Here’s the kicker: the variation in cosmic rays affected the tree growth more than changes in temperature or precipitation.
- Here, we investigated the interannual variation in the growth rings formed by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) trees in northern Britain (55°N, 3°W) over the period 1961–2005 in an attempt to disentangle the influence of atmospheric variables acting at different times of year.
- Annual growth rings, measured along the north radius of freshly cut (frozen) tree discs and climatological data recorded at an adjacent site were used in the study. Correlations were based on Pearson product–moment correlation coefficients between the annual growth anomaly and these climatic and atmospheric factors.
- Rather weak correlations between these variables and growth were found. However, there was a consistent and statistically significant relationship between growth of the trees and the flux density of galactic cosmic radiation. Moreover, there was an underlying periodicity in growth, with four minima since 1961, resembling the period cycle of galactic cosmic radiation.
- We discuss the hypotheses that might explain this correlation: the tendency of galactic cosmic radiation to produce cloud condensation nuclei, which in turn increases the diffuse component of solar radiation, and thus increases the photosynthesis of the forest canopy.
The BBC also covers this in an article, here is an excerpt:
By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News
The growth of British trees appears to follow a cosmic pattern, with trees growing faster when high levels of cosmic radiation arrive from space.
Researchers made the discovery studying how growth rings of spruce trees have varied over the past half a century.
As yet, they cannot explain the pattern, but variation in cosmic rays impacted tree growth more than changes in temperature or precipitation.
The study is published in the scientific journal New Phytologist.
“We were originally interested in a different topic, the climatological factors influencing forest growth,” says Ms Sigrid Dengel a postgraduate researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science at the University of Edinburgh.
“The relation of the rings to the solar cycle was much stronger than to any climatological factors “
Sigrid Dengel University of Edinburgh
To do this, Ms Dengel and University of Edinburgh colleagues Mr Dominik Aeby and Professor John Grace obtained slices of spruce tree trunks.
These had been freshly-felled from the Forest of Ae in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, by Forest Research, the research branch of the UK’s Forestry Commission.
The trees had been planted in 1953 and felled in 2006.
The researchers froze the trunk slices, to prevent the wood shrinking, then scanned them on to a computer and used software to count the number and width of the growth rings.
As the trees aged, they showed a usual decline in growth.
However, during a number of years, the trees’ growth also particularly slowed. These years correlated with periods when a relatively low level of cosmic rays reached the Earth’s surface.
When the intensity of cosmic rays reaching the Earth’s surface was higher, the rate of tree growth was faster.
Read the entire BBC report here | https://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/10/19/cosmic-rays-and-tree-growth-patterns-linked/ | fineweb | 3,804 | 3.34375 |
are quite a few web sites on the internet that deal with Waldorf or
Usually they are sites for a specific Waldorf school or an association
of Waldorf schools.
site is different. It is a private site, intending to provide answers
Waldorf education, in depth, that parents and prospective parents may
and to clear up some of the misconceptions that may exist about Waldorf
education. Our intention is to provide a straightforward presentation
the facts about Waldorf education.
or Rudolf Steiner education is a unique form of education from
through high school, which is based on the view that the human being is
a being of body, soul and spirit. The specific methods used in Waldorf
schools come from the view that the child develops through a number of
basic stages from childhood to adulthood. The Waldorf curriculum is
designed to work with the child through these stages of development.
education was developed by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) at the beginning
of the 20th century. It is based on Steiner's broader philosophy and
called anthroposophy (literally, wisdom or knowledge of man).
holds that the human being is fundamentally a spiritual being and that
all human beings deserve respect as the embodiment of their spiritual
This view is carried into Waldorf education as striving to develop in
child their innate talents and abilities. Waldorf schools operate in a
non-discriminatory way, without regard to race, gender, ethnicity,
or national origin.
of the ideas in Waldorf education and anthroposophy are complex and
a degree of good will on the part of the reader to grasp. However, they
form a coherent whole and Waldorf education, as documented by numerous
studies and personal experiences, works well when done properly.
site describes Waldorf education as practiced at schools consciously
out of an anthroposophical understanding and view of man.
are also private and public schools which to varying degrees use
methods". While Waldorf methods constitute selected aspects of the
curriculum and pedagogy, the teachers and administrators at such
methods or Waldorf inspired schools do not necessarily work out of a
or specifically anthroposophical view and understanding of the soul and
spiritual nature of man. This distinction is discussed further in a
section at this site.
the Waldorf movement is one of the fastest growing independent school
in the world. Currently there are around 1,000 Waldorf schools world
you are a parent or prospective parent of a Waldorf school, we hope
site will provide you the background and answers to your questions,
the ideas of Waldorf and anthroposophy so that you are fully informed
the education you may choose for your children.
also hope this site will provide basic information for anyone who may
interested in Waldorf education and its relation to anthroposophy as
you think something is unclear and difficult to understand on the site,
or have suggestions for improving it, please feel free to write
to us about it. | https://waldorfanswers.org/ | fineweb | 2,975 | 2.609375 |
- Historic Sites
The Tragic Motive
August 1958 | Volume 9, Issue 5
The tragic pattern seldom finds a place in the American story. Our history is keyed to the mood of success: the victorious struggle, the rise from depths to heights, the triumph that grows out of daring and endurance. Fidelity, bravery, and nobility of soul always pay off, and the reward is always immediate and tangible. Our most enduring legends seem to be built around the winner.
But human life does not always work that way—not even in America; and it may be that our deep, unfailing interest in the Civil War simply reflects the fact that here the tragic pattern holds across four dreadful years. For the Civil War was (to use the burnished cliché) the war between brothers, the war which Americans waged against themselves and which, as a result, brought tragedy as well as triumph. It was the great struggle against the dark star, the contest with fate itself, one of whose lessons was that victory and defeat are opposite sides of the same coin.
Our approach to the Battle of Gettysburg is symptomatic. Here was one of the most momentous battles in all American history; a decisive and significant victory, a landmark in our national development, a turning point in history—call it by any star-spangled title you wish. Yet when we re-examine it (as we have been doing, systematically and with deep feeling, for nearly a century), we seem to spend most of our time trying to see, not how the battle was won, but how it was lost. In a very real sense it compels our attention as a defeat rather than as a victory. We keep looking at the losers; in their behalf we ask “Why?” even though we would not for a moment wish the battle or the war to have had a different outcome.
It is this haunting sense of tragedy that infuses Clifford Dowdey’s new book, Death of a Nation , which is one of the best and most moving of all of the accounts of the battle. With vast professional knowledge and painstaking attention to facts, and also with a great capacity for communicating his own emotions to the reader, Mr. Dowdey undertakes to answer that enduring “Why?”
In a way, he suggests, Gettysburg was lost before it was fought, a foredoomed battle against odds that were just too long. From the moment of its inception, the campaign refused to go as Lee had planned it. What Lee planned was a swift, massive counterthrust into the very heart of the North, a blow so hard that the Federals would be compelled not only to lift the siege of Vicksburg but even to contemplate the making of peace. But President Jefferson Davis saw it as something smaller; seeing it so, he made it smaller by withholding troops that Lee counted on and by deciding not to assemble the supporting elements that might have been provided. Lee went north with less than he had thought he would have.
Much less; for when Stonewall Jackson died at Chancellqrsville, Lee’s way of command was weakened. Lee used to give his lieutenants very broad orders and then keep his hands off the controls, trusting the lieutenants to do what was wanted. With Jackson, it always worked; at Gettysburg—a reorganization of the whole army had followed Jackson’s death—none of it worked, and Lee was never quite the same afterward. Stuart took the cavalry off on a senseless foray that made Lee fight blind. Dick Ewell, commanding the remainder of Jackson’s old corps, looked his permissive orders in the eye and found himself unable to do anything at all; A. P. Hill, reflecting perhaps on his shortcomings, took sick; and James Longstreet—
Well, Longstreet has been the villain of the Gettysburg drama for years, but Mr. Dowdey puts a new light on him. Longstreet’s trouble was not that he was slow—his delay, on the second day, probably made little difference—but that he wanted to be another Jackson and could not make it. Lee gave him a battle plan which Longstreet did not like, Longstreet tried to substitute another plan for it and failed, and then he could not make himself go through with a conscientious execution of Lee’s plan. He did precisely what he had been told to do, no more and no less, and because the situation had changed between the time Lee gave the orders and the time Longstreet had to execute them, this was not nearly enough. The attack on the peach orchard, the wheat field, and the Round Tops on the afternoon of the second day was bungled by an officer who was surrendering to a case of the sulks.
Death of a Nation: The Story of Lee and His Men at Gettysburg, by Clifford Dowdey. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 383 pp. $5.00
It was even worse with Pickett’s charge. As Mr. Dowdey points out, this was “Pickett’s charge” only by courtesy. Pickett commanded slightly more than 7,000 men, but 15,000 were sent forward in the great assault—and nobody really commanded them. Pickett was responsible for his own 7,000; the rest were answerable to no one, and they got murdered. Confederate command arrangements simply fell apart at Gettysburg, and all of the might-have-beens died on the field. So, as it happened, did approximately 6,000 young men, evenly divided between those in blue and those in gray. | http://www.americanheritage.com/content/tragic-motive | fineweb | 5,143 | 2.921875 |
The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of three types:
Calculating the Offset of a Wheel
Calculating the offset of a wheel is a fairly easy mathematical equation. First, measure the overall width of the wheel (remember, just because a wheel is 18x7.5, does not mean that the OVERALL width is 7.5”. It means that the measurement from outboard flange to the inboard flange is 7.5”). Next, divide that width of the wheel by two; this will give you the centerline of the wheel.
Overall width/2 = Centerline
After determining the centerline, measure from the mounting pad to the edge of the inboard flange (if the wheel were laying flat on the ground – face up – your measurement would be from the ground to the mounting pad). This is your back spacing.
Centerline – Back Spacing = Offset in Inches
Inches x 25.4 = Offset in mm
All of the wheels in the American Racing catalog indicate the wheel’s offset.
Determining the Right Offset for Your Car
Short of adding fender flares or a body kit to your car or rolling and pulling your fenderwells, there is no way to significantly change your car’s offset. If your car has a high offset, you will have to buy a high offset aftermarket wheel. If you car has a low offset, you will need a low offset aftermarket wheel. Typically, front wheel drive vehicles have a high offset (+35 mm or greater), and rear-wheel drive applications will have lower offsets (this is not true in all cases, as the Honda S2000 is rear wheel drive, and has a very high offset). Your installer or tire and wheel dealer should be able to tell you what the offset of your vehicle is.
The common definitions are:
Low – 0-15 mm
Mid – 16-34 mm
High – 35-40 mm
High + - 41+ mm
Other factors in determining what offset is right for your vehicle is whether not you are making any other changes to your car (lowering or raising, aftermarket brakes, etc.).
If the offset of the wheel is not correct for the car, the handling can be adversely affected. When the width of the wheel changes, the offset also changes numerically. If the offset were to stay the same while you added width, the additional width would be split evenly between the inside and outside. For most cars, this won't work correctly.
Other American Racing Brands and Links
Other Custom Wheels | http://www.americanracingwheelsinfo.com/wheel_offset.htm | fineweb | 2,350 | 2.8125 |
President Obama declared a state of federal emergency for Flint, Michigan over lead-contaminated water, on January 16, 2016. Lead contamination is a potentially dangerous health hazard, as it can cause brain damage and other problems when ingested.
The city has been connected to water supplies from the Flint River since 2014, and numerous residents soon started complaining about rashes and strange smells. However, local authorities said the water was safe to consume. In 2015, medical reports showed elevated levels of lead in children's blood. In October, the city transferred back to Detroit's water system.
Despite that, officials remain concerned the old pipes might still contain lead, and exposure to this is regarded as harmful to both children and adults as it is capable of causing behavior problems and learning disabilities as well as kidney ailments. Local authorities are currently investigating if the water contamination is connected to a recent outbreak of Legionnaire's disease, responsible for 10 deaths in the area.
Video credit: Newsy
President Obama ordered federal aid for state and local response efforts in Genesee County.
"We have been treated like we don't matter because we are from Flint. It's our job to stand up and say no, we're done. We're not going to put up with this anymore," said Melissa Mays, a member of the Coalition for Clean Water during the local church rally on January 17.
During the rally, Rev. Jesse Jackson said that Flint is a "disaster zone" and could be the next epicenter in the fight for economic and social equality as the city struggles through a crisis with lead-contaminated drinking water, Reuters reported.
The National Guard sent additional 70 men into Flint on January 18 to aid in handing out bottled water, filters, and testing kits. The teams visited almost 5 000 homes so far in the most heavily affected neighborhoods.
Featured image credit: Newsy | https://watchers.news/2016/01/18/lead-contaminated-water-prompts-a-state-of-emergency-in-flint-michigan/ | fineweb | 1,917 | 2.828125 |
Abstract: The Origins of Money: Coinage, Art, and the Construction of Value in the Ancient Mediterranean
One of the most critical developments in the course of Mediterranean history was the invention of coinage. The quest for metals – the very commodities that define our periodization of Greece (Copper Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age) – is not simply an issue of technological innovations or the vicissitudes of supply or the mechanics of regional networks, but a real search for structuring commodities of value that ultimately leads to an economic system of exchange not limited to elites. The culmination is the invention of coinage, which first occurs in western Anatolia and east Greece in the cultural milieu of the later seventh and sixth centuries BC, an innovation with global consequences. By focusing on the early coinage of several Greek centers, more particularly on the emblems that certain city-states chose for their coinage, images that hark back to prehistoric measures of value – cattle, bronze tripods, grain – this paper challenges long-held assumptions as to the economic underpinnings of coinage. Struck by the state – the polis – these emblems sought to represent a collective identity. By boldly minting their identity on silver coinage, the Greek city-states chose money, the very vehicle of value, in order to create relations of dominance and to produce social orders that had not existed before.
Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic (for lay reader):
Williams, J. (ed.), Money: A History. London, British Museum Press: 1997 | http://www.archaeological.org/lectures/abstracts/2713 | fineweb | 1,562 | 2.765625 |
Normal Star, Smallest New Planet
|Artist concept of extrasolar planets and star system. Gravitational microlensing uses foreground stars as a sort of magnifying glass to help detect distant stars and their planets. When a star that is closer to us passes in front of a more distant star, its gravity bends and amplifies the light from the distant star. This results in an apparent increase of light from the distant star.
Credit:John Rowe animation
Using an armada of telescopes, an international team of astronomers has found the smallest planet ever detected around a normal star outside our solar system.
The extrasolar planet is five times as massive as Earth and orbits a red dwarf, a relatively cool star, every 10 years. The distance between the planet, designated OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, and its host is about three times greater than that between the Earth and the Sun. The planet’s large orbit and its dim parent star make its likely surface temperature a frigid minus 364 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 220 degrees Celsius). This temperature is similar to that of Pluto, but the newly found planet is about one-tenth closer to its star than Pluto is to the Sun.
Its detection, however, opens a new window in the search for Earth-like worlds.
"This finding means that Earth-mass planets are not that uncommon," said Kailash Sahu of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., and a founding member of the Probing Lensing Anomalies Network team (PLANET) that helped detect the new planet. "If we found one, there must be more."
The results appear in a Letter to the journal Nature.
The finding also supports theories for how our solar system formed. "The favored theory proposes that planets were created from material accreting around a star," explained Bohdan Paczynski of Princeton University and a member of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), a group that also helped to discover the planet. Paczynski and Shude Mao proposed the idea of using gravitational microlensing to discover planets in 1991. "Around red dwarfs, the theory predicts Earth- and Neptune-sized planets to be more common than Jupiter-sized planets. The planets would be located between 0.1 and 10 times the Earth-Sun distance from their stars."
Astronomers discovered the planet indirectly with a technique called gravitational microlensing. The technique takes advantage of the random motions of stars, which are generally too small to be noticed. If one star, however, passes precisely in front of another star, the gravity of the foreground ("lens") star bends the light from the background ("source") star. The foreground star, therefore, acts like a giant lens, amplifying the light from the background star, a phenomenon called gravitational microlensing. A planetary companion around the foreground star can produce additional brightening of the background star. This additional brightening can thus reveal the planet, which is otherwise too faint to be seen by telescopes.
The higher the mass of the "lensing" star, the longer is the duration of the microlensing event. So, while a microlensing event due to a star lasts many days, the extra brightening due to a planet lasts a few hours to a couple of days. In the case of the newly found planet, the extra brightening lasted only about 12 hours.
|Our Milky Way galaxy is packed with 400 billion stars and perhaps even more planets.
Using the microlensing technique, astronomers determined the planet’s mass. This method, however, does not reveal any clues about an object’s composition. Astronomers think the planet is composed of ice and rock. Its estimated mass suggests that it is a giant version of terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars. The planet orbits the most common star in our Milky Way Galaxy, a red dwarf five times less massive than the Sun. The pair is located about 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius, not far from the central bulge of our galaxy.
None of the roughly 160 planets found outside our solar system has been imaged directly. They are too dim and too close to their stars to be seen. Astronomers have discovered most of them by detecting the gravitational tugs the unseen planets exert on their parent stars. This popular technique, however, favors finding large planets orbiting very close to their hosts.
"Microlensing is a promising technique to find Earth-mass planets because other current planet-hunting techniques are not sensitive to discovering low-mass planets like Earth," Sahu explained.
Because microlensing events are unpredictable and rare, astronomers improve their chances of observing one by looking at many stars at once. To catch a microlensing event, monitoring teams such as OGLE watch 100 million stars every night in the crowded bulge of our galaxy.
In the past decade, the OGLE team has found more than 1,000 microlensing events. OGLE’s monitoring team, however, may not notice the short-duration brightening caused by a planet.
PLANET has a dedicated army of 1-meter class telescopes, including the European Space Observatory’s Danish 1.54-meter telescope at La Silla in Chile, to specifically look for planetary signatures through continuous monitoring of ongoing microlensing events. The group has monitored about 200 microlensing events during its 10-year campaign. So far, three planets have been discovered with gravitational microlensing, including OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb. The newly found planet is the smallest of the three and marks the first planet found by the PLANET team. To increase its chances of finding planets, the PLANET team joined forces in 2005 with RoboNet, a network of 2-meter robotic telescopes operated by the United Kingdom.
PLANET, RoboNet, OGLE, and other monitoring teams discovered the planet in 2005. The microlensing event was first spotted on June 11, 2005, by the OGLE search team. The OGLE-2005-BLG-390 event triggered the PLANET telescopes to start collecting data. On Aug. 10, round-the-clock monitoring by the PLANET team revealed an additional brightening that led to the discovery of the planet. An OGLE telescope from the same night also detected the planetary signature. The Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) team later identified the background source star on its images and also confirmed the planetary signature. | http://www.astrobio.net/topic/solar-system/meteoritescomets-and-asteroids/normal-star-smallest-new-planet/ | fineweb | 6,311 | 3.796875 |
Human Rights Day commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted on December 10, 1948. This year, the UN has placed a spotlight on the rights of all people “to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making,” a theme particularly relevant to the Internet and the civic power derived from peoples’ abilities to communicate and interact using new media.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
It is remarkable that the authors of the UDHR had the foresight to protect this freedom regardless of medium – we know today just how relevant Article 19 is for the digital age. In the web 2.0 era, a right to “impart” information and ideas takes on new meaning, as social networking sites and blogging platforms support user-generated content and allow anyone with Internet access to disseminate ideas and opinions. Similarly, the rights to “seek” and “receive” information seem to anticipate search engines, Twitter feeds, and other Internet services.
Digital rights advocates around the world routinely use the UDHR and other key documents when urging that governments must uphold Internet users’ human rights – particularly rights to privacy, freedom of expression and access to information online – if they want to preserve and protect the open web.
If we want to reap all the civic, educational, political, and economic benefits of an open Internet, human rights must be baked into the technology and the policies that govern its use from the very beginning. A careful implementation of these rights in open, transparent forums where all relevant stakeholders – technology and law experts, companies, governments, and human rights advocates – are empowered to participate is imperative to maintaining an open, innovative Internet.
From SOPA to ACTA to WCIT, we’ve seen people around the world demanding open and transparent policymaking processes where their voices, opinions, and expertise can have an impact in ongoing debates about the future of the web. Today's theme of making people's voices heard should reinforce these calls for openness and remind all Internet stakeholders of the power of civic engagement in the digital era. | http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2012/12/11/human-rights-day-defending-free-expression-online-and-off/ | fineweb | 2,444 | 3.765625 |
The City of Windhoek received the thumbs-up for protecting water supplies and halting environmental degradation, in a new report on transformative action at local level in creating a sustainable 21st century.
The report is issued by Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) - founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The report was released during the just ended Global Sustainable Development Conference in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.
It cited the City of Windhoek, which introduced an environmental management plan to protect the water supply at the Goreangab Dam from contamination by the mushrooming nearby informal settlements.
"To speed up the realisation of sustainable development and the internationally agreed goals, local governments must be supported by global and national leadership on the environment," the report said.
It noted that local governments have played a central role in sustainable development and shaping the transition to a green economy, and makes recommendations that can support their work and help transfer their successful policies to other cities and countries.
The study is a companion report to the Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO-5) for Local Government, a recently released comprehensive assessment of the state of the environment as coordinated by UNEP.
The report cautioned that if humanity does not urgently change its unsustainable patterns of production and consumption of natural resources, then governments will preside over unprecedented levels of damage and degradation.
Cities and local governments, which already experience many environmental strains, will face further challenges as a result, particularly in the face of growing populations and urbanisation.
The report further stated that energy security, access to water and sanitation and biodiversity can also all be adversely affected by growing cities, unless local governments factor them into their planning for cities that continue to sprawl outwards.
Despite the challenges, cities and local governments have been at the centre of efforts to respond to environmental change, even as the global and national responses remain weak.
ICLEI built its report on case studies of worldwide local authorities and highlighted the best policies that call for cities and local governments to continue to take action. | http://allafrica.com/stories/201206251078.html | fineweb | 2,412 | 3.109375 |
STEM bus brings science to life at Mountain Home AFB
By Senior Airman Malissa Armstrong, 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
/ Published August 10, 2018
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --
The base Youth Center partnered with the Micron STEM Bus to bring the world of science, technology, engineering and math to base children.
STEM is an area of focus that looks to prepare children for educational opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The STEM Bus provided the Youth Center a new way to bring the knowledge and excitement of those four fields to students.
Beth Mosier, 366th Fighter Wing Youth Center recreation technician, explains that the center incorporates different projects for the students such as making slime to highlight applied science, and using math and engineering to create catapults.
The Youth Center and the bus provided different stations for exploration. Participants were able to experience hands-on activities such as a thermal finger scanner, a plasma ball, an electrical workstation, 3D doodle pens, virtual reality games and keva blocks.
According to the Air Force STEM website, the service recognizes there is a critical need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics talent for future technology and innovation efforts within our nation’s STEM workforce.
While children have a few years before they can apply their skills, it all starts with sparking their interests to set them on a path.
“Planting a seed early and giving the youth an opportunity to be curious about what STEM is and how they need to incorporate it in their own daily lives will better prepare them both academically and for their future careers,” Mosier said.
Danica Preble, Micron STEM Bus coordinator said the STEM bus is an important tool because it allows them to bring STEM to the children, eliminating the need for the children to have to travel to a far location to experience it.
“The reason I love this is because [the bus] brings it to them and they don’t necessarily have to afford it or be able to get to Boise or a larger city to go to a discovery center,” Preble said. “I feel like this gets to all communities and it gives kids an opportunity to see if there’s something on this bus or something they learned about in the assembly or in our classroom that sparks an interest in them and they’ll know.” | https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1600546/stem-bus-brings-science-to-life-at-mountain-home-afb/ | fineweb | 2,373 | 3.015625 |
Are there ways to make electric grids, bridges and highways, distribution networks, ports and rail lines more resistant to storms like Sandy and Irene?
That's what engineers and policy makers are pondering as recovery continues from the recent superstorm.
They're looking at "hardening" critical infrastructure to enable it to better withstand wind and water, and to design it in such a way that damage can be repaired more quickly.
At the same time, some worry that momentum could be lost as communities recover and economic concerns replace a willingness to undertake new spending.
"We tend to forget a lot very quickly," said Jay Simson, president of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York in Albany. "The challenge is, where do you find the money?" he said.
Hardening infrastructure — bridges, electric grids, rail and subway lines — can cost billions of dollars. Sea barriers that would block storm surges from New York City would cost more than $10 billion, by some estimates.
Other fixes could be more straightforward.
Moving furnaces and electric circuitry out of basements and to higher floors would better protect them from flood waters.
In railroad tunnels, putting wiring in the ceiling instead of near the floor could also give protection from flood waters, said Bruce Becker, who heads the Empire State Passengers Association, a rail advocacy group.
Some steps might be harder to take.
"A sensitive point is how we use land that is vulnerable" to flooding, said Susan Scrimshaw, president of Sage Colleges. Scrimshaw served on a committee established by the National Academy of Sciences to study ways to increase national resilience to hazards and disasters. The panel issued its report last summer.
"We may not be able to replicate things exactly as they were," Scrimshaw said. "We've already had FEMA remap flood zones for Troy. At Sage we're paying higher insurance premiums. That reflects global warming and climate change."
Getting people to forgo rebuild in flood plains or along the coast is a challenge. Oceanfront property, after all, is desirable, at least when the weather is fine.
But escalating insurance premiums that account for increased risk of loss could dissuade homeowners, developers and their financiers.
Tougher building codes are another way to ensure that houses and other buildings are better able to survive a natural disaster, said John O'Donnell, CEO of the Albany County Airport Authority and an engineer by training.
O'Donnell said the airport terminal, which is in an active fault zone, was designed to withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
"It'll absorb those shocks," he said. "We'll have damage, but not structural damage or collapse."
Much of the infrastructure that was rebuilt last year after tropical storms Irene and Lee likely will be more resilient than the bridges and roads they replaced.
"The new infrastructure is built to better withstand these types of events," said Mike Elmendorf, president and CEO of Latham-based Associated General Contractors of New York State. He said that 4,000 bridges in New York state are more than 60 years old, and they were designed with a 50-year lifespan.
Other preventive steps include trimming trees and other vegetation, O'Donnell and Becker both said.
Keeping trees away from power lines could avert at least some outages, and trees far enough from highways and railroad tracks wouldn't block them when they fell.
When storms are forecast, planning and preparation are key.
Scrimshaw pointed out that National Grid assembled utility crews and trucks that were ready to move quickly into affected areas once the storm passed.
Residents in a community could get together before a disaster to ensure that everyone has enough supplies — batteries, water, food — to be self-sufficient for as long as five days, Scrimshaw said. After the storm, they could put green flags in front of their homes to signal they are OK. Neighbors could check homes that lacked those flags.
Preparation does pay off. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority shut down its subway system the night before Sandy struck, moving trains to higher points, away from expected floodwaters, and positioned pumps to clear tunnels of water after the storm.
Crews worked around the clock to check and repair equipment as the water was removed.
As a result, Simson said the MTA had much of its system running "rather quickly" after the storm.
"I think they did an outstanding job," he said.
[email protected] • 518-454-5323 | http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/A-hard-look-at-readiness-4026368.php | fineweb | 4,502 | 2.59375 |
When it comes to which foods are healthy and which foods are not, everyone has an opinion and whether you re right or wrong there s probably science to back you up. This makes it difficult for you, the consumer, to make the right choices.
One thing that causes a lot of confusion are fats and there are a lot of public misconceptions about them. However, when you consider your body NEEDS fats for things like cell membranes and hormones, the characterization of fats as a definitively negative food idea becomes fuzzy. This is why it s important, instead of vilifying fats as a group, to discuss them as different entities.
This is what the FDA is doing this week to trans fats by calling for their elimination from foods by 2018, although some food producers can apply for exemption. The agency claims that the decision will annually prevent 20,000 heart attacks and prevent 7,000 deaths from heart disease. They also project it will save the nation 130 billion in health care costs over the next 20 years, compared to the 6 billion industry anticipates compliance will cost.
Trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, are not commonly produced in nature, in general they are synthesized in a lab, so almost any food that contains some has had the trans fat added. As we have pointed out before, just because something is synthetic and/or added to your food doesn t make it inherently bad.
But when you investigate trans fats, the data point towards several negative health consequences. Trans fats have been shown to raise LDLs (the bad cholesterol) and having elevated LDLs is associated with many negative physiologic effects. Also, their structure, compared to other fats, allows trans fats to bundle tightly together which makes them harder for your body to metabolize into energy, or to be removed from your body. Furthermore, they appear to interfere with liver enzymes, and lipases (enzymes that break down fats) are better suited for breaking down other, non-trans fats.
While the FDA eliminating trans fats might sound like a huge win for public health, there s reason for skepticism. In a response to public and scientific outcry about trans fats, their use is already down in America by 86 percent and American food manufacturers and retailers such as General Mills, Yum Foods, and Walmart announced measures to reduce and eliminate trans fats years ago. Food science is also constantly evolving as it has done recently with saturated fats.
ACSH s Nicholas Staropoli adds: Trans fats seem to contribute to to arterial atherosclerosis, among other things, and their elimination will lead to a healthier America. These two reasons alone make this the right decision. However, no one should heap too much praise on the FDA for this decision as manufacturers had begun self-regulating on trans fats over a decade ago. In reality its more FDA window-dressing than a major public health boon." | https://www.acsh.org/news/2015/06/17/is-transitioning-away-from-trans-fats-in-the-best-interest-of-public-health | fineweb | 2,902 | 2.875 |
A mother and a daughter were living in the Bhandara District of Maharashtra were attacked and seriously wounded by a tiger. Despite being wounded they fought back and drove the tiger back into the forest. Another woman who needed a Disability Certificate from the Chief Medical Officers’ office had to take her handicapped child to the office in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. She was unable to get any means of transporting him, so she carried him on her back all the way from her home to the office. The pictures of this incident are circulating on the social media. In both these incidents women are central characters. And they make us aware of the immense strength women possess. The courage of these women is spellbinding and inspirational for all women. India has seen many brave queens in the past, and the same heritage has continued to our times is what these incidents highlight.
Even the roar of a caged tiger is blood-chilling, but these brave women though wounded fought back an attacking tiger and forced him to flee into the forest. This required remarkable bravery in fact they showed the fighting ability of a tigeress! Else these feats were impossible. It shows that occasionally when the time demands a woman can take the form of ‘Durga’ and similarly to help her family she toils and even goes beyond her bodily abilities. The thought that comes to mind is, will even strong wrestlers have the ability to do what these three women did? They show society what should be the ideal action when faced with such difficult and impossible challenges in life!
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.) | https://www.afternoonvoice.com/the-incredible-courage-of-valiant-female-power.html | fineweb | 1,633 | 2.625 |
Australia’s children are generally faring well in terms of their health and wellbeing, but there is room for improvement in several areas, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, Headline indicators for children’s health, development and wellbeing, 2011, provides information on how children aged 0–12 years are tracking across 12 of 19 nationally agreed priority areas covering health, early learning and care, and family and community. Data are at varying levels of development for the remaining indicators.
‘Internationally, Australia’s performance was better than the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) average based on data for infant mortality, low birthweight, dental health, injury deaths and teenage births,’ said AIHW spokesperson Dr Fadwa Al-Yaman.
‘However, there is still room for Australia to improve in comparison to the top OECD countries.’
Within Australia, there is considerable variation among the states and territories for some indicators, and some population groups are not doing so well, particularly Indigenous children, children living in remote areas and children living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.
Children living in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory ranked similar to, or better than, the national average across most or all indicators.
Indigenous children were 2–3 times as likely to be of low birthweight, to die as infants, to die from injury, and to be developmentally vulnerable at school entry.
Children living in remote areas experienced poorer outcomes across many indicators compared to children in major cities. They were 40–50% less likely to meet minimum literacy and numeracy standards, and 30% more likely to be born with low birthweight or to be overweight or obese in childhood. They were also twice as likely to die as infants.
‘Children living in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas also experienced significantly poorer outcomes. They were 1.7 times as likely to be overweight or obese than children living in the highest socioeconomic status areas, and 1.3 times as likely to be born with low birthweight,’ Dr Al-Yaman said.
The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Australian Government to provide reliable, regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare.
Canberra, 27 July 2011
Further information: Dr Fadwa Al-Yaman, tel. (02) 6244 1146, mob. 0407 068 033
For media copies of the report: Publications Officer (02) 6244 1032
We'd love to know any feedback that you have about the AIHW website, its contents or reports. | https://www.aihw.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/2011/july/most-australian-children-doing-well-but-not-all | fineweb | 2,695 | 2.90625 |
BHT is the popular abbreviation for a common dog food additive known as butylated hydroxytoluene.
The chemical is used in certain dog foods to prevent fats and oils from prematurely spoiling.
In other words, BHT can extend the shelf life of a fat in a food product.
But that’s not all it can do.
BHT can also be found in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, rubber, jet fuels, petroleum products, the oil in electrical transformers — and even embalming fluid.1
That’s why, like so many other artificial preservatives, BHT has become the subject of considerable controversy.
It seems the same chemical qualities which make BHT an effective preservative can also make it a suspect for causing cancerous tumors.2
Some evidence has suggested certain individuals may have difficulty breaking down the chemical in the liver — which is capable of causing notable behavioral changes.3
BHT has been banned as a preservative in food in the countries of Japan, Romania, Sweden and Australia.
The Bottom Line
So, what else can be used to extend the shelf life of fats and oils in dog food?
Vitamins C or E can provide a completely natural way to extend the shelf life of a dog food. As a matter of fact, most quality conscious dog food companies already use these safer compounds to preservative the fats in their own products.
With safer alternatives to BHT already available, why then would so many dog food companies still insist on using such controversial preservatives?
So, why take the risk? Simply steer clear of any dog food that uses BHT in its products. | https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/red-flag-ingredients/bht-in-dog-food/ | fineweb | 1,543 | 2.765625 |
Although childhood asthma has been increasing in recent years, children with higher blood levels of important antioxidant nutrients are less likely to develop asthma, according to a large study in the February 1, 2004 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The study looked at over 6,000 children aged 4 to 16 years.
Separate analyses showed that those in the top 16 percent of vitamin C, beta carotene, and selenium in the blood tests were all 10 to 20 percent less likely to develop asthma than their peers. Even more dramatically, high selenium levels cut the risk of asthma in half among children exposed to tobacco smoke. Selenium is found in many foods, including meat, seafood, eggs, bran, whole wheat, oats, walnuts, garlic, and brown rice – it is often destroyed in food processing. Beta carotene gives yellow and orange fruits and vegetables their vibrant colors. It’s also in green leafy vegetables. Getting it in the diet is far more effective than any vitamin or supplement. Vitamin C is abundant in many foods, including citrus fruits, greens, broccoli, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and strawberries. This study is another good reason to help our children to enjoy eating delicious whole foods – fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and lean sources of protein. | https://www.drgreene.com/carrots-oranges-garlic-oats-walnuts-asthma | fineweb | 1,316 | 3.375 |
Design & Technology
This week in DT we have been continuing our focus on moving mechanisms. The children reminded me what they have found out so far about moving mechanisms and the mechanisms we have already made. Today the children made a wheel mechanism in a moving picture - we think these are brilliant and had great fun making them!
In Maths today we have been listening to time language such as, before, after, next, first and last to
answer questions about our morning and afternoon routines. We will be continuing with this next week.
This week we are continuing to work with 2D shapes and have learned two important words:
tessellation and tangram! We probably won't remember these words for long but we discovered how hard it is to make shapes fit together and how difficult it is to create pictures out of shapes... | https://www.elhamprimary.co.uk/291121-3/ | fineweb | 826 | 3.15625 |
What causes earthquakes? What do they feel like? What are tsunamis and why do they happen? An informative introduction to earthquakes and their effects for young readers. Features information on real-life earthquakes, accompanied by striking colour photographs and vivid illustrations. Developed with a reading expert from Roehampton University to help young readers grow in confidence. Includes carefully selected internet links to exciting websites to find out more. | https://www.emaginarium.ro/books-in-english/earthquakes-tsunamis.html | fineweb | 468 | 3.46875 |
Vitamins are organic compounds that the body needs to function properly. They do not provide energy directly, but they help to convert food into energy. There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are not stored in the body, while fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s fatty tissues.
Vitamins are required in trace amounts, and their deficiency can lead to serious health problems. For instance, a lack of vitamin C can cause scurvy, and a lack of vitamin D can lead to rickets. Therefore, it is important to consume a balanced diet that includes all the necessary vitamins.
One critical role of vitamins is to support the body’s immune system. Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin D are known for their immune-boosting properties. Vitamin A helps to maintain the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes, which provides a barrier against infection. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that helps to neutralize harmful free radicals and supports the production of white blood cells. Vitamin E helps to protect the body’s cells from damage caused by free radicals, and vitamin D helps to regulate the immune system.
Vitamins also play an important role in supporting the body’s metabolic processes. B vitamins, for instance, help convert food into energy. Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, helps the body convert carbohydrates into energy, while vitamin B2, or riboflavin, supports the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the body’s energy currency. Vitamin B12 helps to maintain healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body.
Another critical role of vitamins is to support the growth and development of the body. Vitamin D, for instance, plays a crucial role in bone development and helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamin A is also essential for healthy vision and skin, and vitamin E helps to support healthy skin and hair.
In conclusion, vitamins play a critical role in supporting the natural processes of the human body. They are essential micronutrients that are required for the proper functioning of various bodily processes, including metabolism, immunity, and growth. Therefore, it is crucial to consume a balanced diet that includes all the necessary vitamins to maintain optimal health. | https://www.emediconline.com/the-critical-role-of-vitamins-in-supporting-your-bodys-natural-processes/ | fineweb | 2,316 | 4 |
Common Name: Himalayan pine
The Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana) is an elegant tree. The specimen growing in the Heritage Rose Garden has branches arching gracefully over the path and, underneath it, an open space so you can look up and see the interior of the tree, with its crisscross of slender branches. Found at high altitudes in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, India and southwest China, the Himalayan pine can grow to over 160 feet high: its silky needles, in bundles of five, grow up to seven inches and its slim cones can be over 12 inches long.
Pinus wallichiana is named after Dr. Nathanial Wallich who was born in Denmark, in 1786. In 1807, he became Surgeon to the Danish settlement in Serampore, India. Soon after his arrival, the settlement was seized by the British and Dr. Wallich was imprisoned. Two years later, he was released by the British because they wanted to make use of his botanical knowledge. By 1817, he was Superintendent of the East India Company’s Botanical Garden in Calcutta and during his long career there, he catalogued over 20,000 specimens, published 2 major books and went on plant-hunting expeditions. When plant hunters passed through Calcutta on their way back from the Himalayas, Dr. Wallich prepared their specimens for shipment to other countries. He developed a successful method of preserving seeds by packing them in brown sugar.
The Himalayan pine is both ornamental and useful. Sugar maples (Acer saccharum) are tapped for their sap to make maple syrup and, in the same way, Himalayan pines are tapped for their resin, which is distilled to produce high-quality turpentine. When turpentine is removed from distilled resin, what remains is rosin, an ingredient in such products as varnishes, adhesives, laser printing paper, medicines, foods and chewing gum.
Rosin is used by musicians who play stringed instruments; they rub a block of solid rosin on their bows to add friction, which improves the tone. Flamenco and ballet dancers, weight lifters and boxers rub powdered rosin on their shoes to increase their grip on the floor. To improve their grip on the bars, gymnasts may rub powdered rosin on their hands to make them sticky – though some prefer to use honey, molasses, Lyle's Golden Syrup or even melted gummy candies.
It is 188 years since Dr. Wallich sent the first seeds of the Himalayan pine from India to England. The Wallich collection is housed in a separate herbarium at Kew and five of the thirty-six plants named after him are growing in our garden.
The Himalayan pine is also featured as the tree of the month for December, 2017.
Note: In January, 2022 the Himalayan Pine near the Stone Garden fell over during a series of winter storms, and the remains of a bird were found underneath. See Garden Story.
Text and photos by Susan Mawhood.
Fallen tree photos by Hughie Jones
Useful Link: Info from World Agroforestry Centre | https://www.ericanotebook.com/store/p139/Pinus_wallichiana.html | fineweb | 2,920 | 3.140625 |
Definition of economic growth: The rate of increase in the value of goods and services produced by an economy.
What is economic growth?
In the simplest sense, economic growth is achieved when a country can produce more goods and services than it could last year.
Economic output is commonly measured as Gross Domestic Product. Therefore economic growth is measured as a percentage increase in GDP, typically year on year or quarter against the same quarter last year.
The best economics books will explain how economic growth is practically calculated.
What is a good rate of economic growth?
Developed economies tend to see lower rates of economic growth than less developed economies such as the emerging markets. A good rate of growth for a large, mature economy such as the United States would be 2% – 3% per year.
Emerging markets have been known to grow at rates of 5% – 10% per year during economic booms.
This is assisted in part by the flow of inward investment from other economies. Investors are happy to diversify internationally and invest in higher-risk economies in the hope of achieving higher returns. This movement of capital, motivated entirely out of self-interest, results in more construction, more capital expenditure and higher economic growth in the recipient’s economy.
This feeds a self-fulfilling prophecy which sees the growth of the highest performing economies turbocharged.
Why do economies grow?
Although its patently obvious that economic growth brings benefits such as improved standards of living, lower food poverty and increases in the tax base, it’s less obvious why economies grow at all.
Economic growth seems like it’s almost an inevitable consequence of capitalism. But why?
The answer to the question “Why do economies grow” is the same as the question “Why do companies grow?”. What happens at the national level is merely a sum of all the economic activity of the smaller enterprises which comprise it.
There are many reasons why economies grow, which generally fit into these two headings:
- There are more workers
- We can make more products with fewer workers
The birth rate and inward migration mean that the number of working adults in the UK has steadily increased over the last hundred years. This means that as time rolls on, more hands are available to produce.
We also become more efficient at producing goods with fewer resources. This means that given the same constraints (i.e. money, workforce) we are still able to produce a higher quantity of goods year-on-year. Here are some reasons why:
- Better ways of working. The way we do things improves all the time. Great ideas and effective ways to run businesses are shared through books, higher education, and employees moving between businesses.
2. Capital expenditure – We don’t just consume everything we produce – we also invest some of the proceeds back into buildings, equipment and software which can help build more products at a lower cost next year.
3. Consumers crave more – Consumers help to drive economic growth by demanding more and more each year. Whether it’s a newer, shinier phone or a larger house, our human desire to ever-improve our circumstances means that businesses find more and more new products and services have a viable market each year.
4. Technology improves at an exponential rate. The computing power of computers doubles once every two years. Software becomes more and more user friendly. One technology platform – e.g. satellite navigation enables another technology platform e.g. ride hailing apps, in a continuous loop of improvement in capability and ease of use.
How is the phrase economic growth used in a sentence?
“The UK has swung back into economic growth, reporting a rise in GDP by 2.1% annually.”
“The fiscal conservatism in the 2021 Budget has resulted in a slow down in economic growth.”
How does the definition of economic growth relate to investing?
Our foundation investing course article on how to build an investment portfolio explains that you should diversify your investments in any asset classes. One way to do this is to spread your equity investments across many different countries.
This will allow you to invest in the stock markets of economies which have higher economic growth than your own. The stock market returns of such economies are not guaranteed to provide a higher return, but they have historically been the source of much growth in worldwide stock market indices over the last two decades. | https://www.financial-expert.co.uk/economic-growth-definition/ | fineweb | 4,476 | 3.421875 |
Underground in the Virginia-Pocahontas Coal Company Mine (1974) (photograph by Jack Corn, via US National Archives)
You may recognize the name Iron Mountain — it’s a major records management and data storage company, and their shredder trucks can be seen collecting documents at offices in many big American cities. These days, much of their business takes place in “the cloud,” but Iron Mountain got its start in 1951 by storing bank records inside the “Iron Mountain mine” in Livingston, New York.
There, the cavities and tunnels left behind by an old limestone mine were turned into an ultra-secure storage facility 220 feet underground. The company originally did business under the name “Iron Mountain Atomic Storage,” highlighting their ability to keep your valuables safe in the event of nuclear attack. Today in Pennsylvania, the company is using part of another limestone mine to test the potential of geothermal cooling systems for computer server farms.
The original vault at Iron Mountain Atomic Storage (via Iron Mountain)
Around the world, people have taken over abandoned or disused mines and given them new life. Sometimes mines are used for practical purposes, as with the Iron Mountain facilities, but others are more whimsical. In Colombia there is an entire underground cathedral crafted from salt, while Romania has an amusement park and art gallery underground. Others have been turned into medical clinics, shopping malls, government offices, and even a massive mushroom farm outside of Pittsburgh.
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an elaborate religious venue and tourist attraction, built 200 meters (656 feet) underground in Cundinamarca, Colombia. Although not officially a Catholic church, up to 3,000 visitors attend services in the Cathedral each week. It is not just a sanctuary; there are several chambers open to visitors depicting religious statuary carved from salt, as well as educational displays on the history of the mine and the salt mining process.
Pews in Zipaquira Cathedral (photograph by McKay Savage)
Cross-shaped entryway in Zipaquira Cathedral (photograph by Remi Jouan)
The Khewra Salt Mines in Pakistan are said to be the second-largest in the world. Mining was first recorded here in the 1200s. Today, the mines still produce 325,000 tons of salt every year, and they don’t expect to run out any time soon.
The empty space left behind by all this mining has been transformed into a popular tourist attraction. There is a mosque, as well as a post office, constructed entirely from salt. Among the more unique uses of the space is a 12-bed clinic for asthma patients to take in the salt mine air. Although it sounds downright Victorian, they are not the only place offering such therapy in the belief that the salt mine environment is beneficial for respiratory diseases.
Visitor praying in the Salt Mosque at Khewra Mines (photograph by Smsarmad)
Inside the Khewra Mines (photograph by Manal Khan)
Outside of Boyers, Pennsylvania, an old limestone mine has been put to more prosaic use as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Retirement Operations Center. The center employs 600 people working underground to process millions of paper documents by hand. Some of those documents end up in one of the 28,000 file cabinets lining the mine’s tunnels.
The office is not located underground for security purposes or anything like that. The government just needed a lot of space to store files, and this turned out to be a very economical option.
The Salina Turda Salt Mine in Romania went in a different direction, becoming an otherworldly underground amusement park. After mining stopped in the 1930s, the space was briefly used as an air-raid shelter and then as a cheese warehouse. In 1992, it was opened to the public as a park. In addition to a Ferris wheel and lake for boating, the mine contains a spa, museum and art gallery.
Turda Salt Mine, Romania (photograph by Codrin Bucur)
Boating in the mine (photograph by Cristian Bortes)
A retired limestone mine in Worthington, Pennsylvania, is an important part of the world’s largest mushroom farm. In addition to a 2,000 acre aboveground property, Creekside Mushrooms Ltd. grows mushrooms underground in a 150-mile network of limestone tunnels. The facility can produce 60 million pound of mushrooms every year, and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
An example of mushrooms growing in a limestone mine in France (photograph by Édouard Bergé)
Poland’s Wieliczka Mine produced salt from the 13th Century through 2007, leaving behind a thousand-foot deep, 178-mile long hole in the ground. Today mining has stopped, but millions of visitors still come to see the statuary, friezes, chapels, chandeliers and even an entire cathedral carved from the salt at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you can’t wait until your next trip to Poland, you can tour the mine from your computer on Google Street View.
Wieliczka Salt Mine (photograph by jhadow)
Wieliczka Salt Mine (photograph by Pablo Nicolás Taibi Cicare) | https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-uses-for-old-mines | fineweb | 5,026 | 2.953125 |
The world’s largest direct air capture plant just flipped the “on” switch — and began operations to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it deep underground.
Why it matters: Scientists say we’re at a tipping point, where reducing carbon emissions is no longer enough to keep global temperatures from rising above pre-industrial levels. There is a growing consensus that carbon drawdown technologies are vital to curbing global warming before it gets out of hand.
Powering up this plant marks an important step toward reducing dangerous levels of the greenhouse gas.
“This is the first time we are extracting CO2 from the air commercially and combining it with underground storage,” Jan Wurzbache, co-CEO of Climeworks, the Switzerland start-up behind the project, told the Financial Times. Carbon from direct air capture can be put into use in a number of ways — shipped to a plant for the production of fuels or for fizzy drinks and in greenhouses. But these uses mean the gas could make its way into the atmosphere again — storing it underground prevents that.
“This is the first time we are extracting CO2 from the air commercially and combining it with underground storage.”Jan Wurzbache
This new facility is called Orca, and it’s designed to capture 4,000 tons of CO2 from the air yearly, with big plans to scale up by 2030. While 4,000 tons is a lot of CO2 to capture, it pales in comparison to the 33 billion tons predicted to be emitted globally this year.
This plant will act as a blueprint to build more — and larger — facilities around the world in the next several years, according to the company.
How it works: The process begins when carbon dioxide is sucked from the air and captured in sponge-like filters. The filters are scorched with heat, which releases the gas. It is then combined with water and pushed into basalt caves far into the earth, reports the Washington Post.
But then it needs to be stored in the rocks. And that’s why they partnered with Carbfix — a start-up that specializes in storing CO2 underground.
Once deep in the earth, CarbFix’s technology goes to work. It accelerates the natural reactions that occur between the gas and underground rocks, which typically take millennia to complete — cooling and transforming the carbon dioxide into a solid form for long-term storage.
The challenges: But this doesn’t come cheap. Currently, it costs about $600 to $800 per metric ton of carbon dioxide. According to the Washington Post, in order to compete in the carbon market, the cost would need to be near $100 to $150, even with the help of government subsidies.
CarbFix’s technology accelerates the natural reactions that occur between the gas and underground rocks — transforming the carbon dioxide into a solid form for long-term storage.
Ryan Hanna, a scientist at the University of California, San Diego’s Center for Energy Research, told E&E News he wonders if direct air capture technology “is going to be the most cost-effective way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere in the long run.”
One solution of many: While direct air capture is one cog in the drawdown machine, it isn’t the only one. Genetically modified trees, offshore kelp farms, a unique green sand beach, and even floating direct air capture technology in balloons, are all emerging technologies on the carbon market to reduce greenhouse gasses.
Direct air capture does have several advantages over these other methods, however: it has a small land and water footprint, and the facility can be located near something that will use or store the CO2, doing away with the need to deliver CO2 long distance.
The growing carbon market demonstrates that there are many possible solutions, and no single one is coming out on top. We will have to make the best use of many solutions to get to the point in the future where levels of greenhouse gases stop climbing, and we might finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
We’d love to hear from you! If you have a comment about this article or if you have a tip for a future Freethink story, please email us at [email protected]. | https://www.freethink.com/energy/direct-air-capture-2 | fineweb | 4,091 | 3.71875 |
Geometry for Grades 9-12 (10:00)
Course: Geometry for Grades 9-12
Instructor: Jennie Weekley
Course Description: Using materials from Math-U-See, your student will progress through 30 lessons covering topics such as points, lines, planes, angles, circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, the Pythagorean Theorem, conic sections, proofs, and more. Generally the prerequisite for Geometry is Algebra 1. To ensure your child is ready for the course, please talk to the tutor before signing up. Each week we will go over the lesson in class before your student returns home to you to practice the rest of the week and take the test.
Curriculum: Math U See Geometry
Homework Requirements: Before returning to class, they will watch a short video and/or read the book for the next lesson. Samples can be found at Mathusee.com.30 weeks.
Duration: 28 weeks
Books and Supplies required for purchase by families: Math U See Geometry instruction pack and student pack, plus a compass, ruler protractor and TI-84 calculator (if possible).
Grading: Semester and final grades given.
Teacher Bio: This class is taught by Jennie Weekley, a professional tutor and teacher, who runs her own tutoring business and has a degree in Early Childhood Education from UNC. Jennie homeschooled all three of her children who are now finding success in the college and working world. | https://www.friendlyeducators.org/product-page/geometry-for-grades-9-11-time-tbd | fineweb | 1,349 | 3.390625 |
Balchaturbhadra Churna is an ayurvedic formulation of four herbs. It is used for treating fever, diarrhea, cough, and vomiting that occur in babies. It is also indicated in indigestion, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain. It also gives relief from common cold and mild breathing trouble. It is an effective solution for the most common children’s problems. Therefore, it is considered as an important medicine in ayurvedic science for infants.
Balchaturbhadra Churna contains four ingredients:
|Nagarmotha or Mustak (Nut Grass) – Cyperus Rotundus||25%|
|Pippali (Long Pepper) – Piper Longum||25%|
|Ativisha – Aconitum Heterophyllum||25%|
|Karkatakashringi (Crab’s Claw) – Pistacia Integerrima||25%|
Balchaturbhadra Syrup also contains these ingredients. The additional ingredient in syrup is sugar and syrup base.
|VIRYA (Potency)||USHNA (Hot)|
|DOSHA KARMA (Effect on Humors)||Reduces Kapha Dosha & Pacifies Vata Dosha|
|Dhatu (Tissue) Effect||RASA, RAKTA|
Balchaturbhadra Churna has following healing properties.
- GRAHI (astringent)
Balachaturbhadra Churna is helpful in following health conditions.
- Abdominal distension or bloating
- Infantile colic and abdominal pain
- Common cold
- Problems occurring during teething
Balchaturbhadra Churna Benefits & Uses
Balchaturbhadra Churna is useful in childhood diseases, especially related with digestive system and respiratory system. In addition to its therapeutic benefits, it also improves appetite, digestion, and hepatic functions.
Fever, Common Cold & Respiratory Infections
The most common cause of fever in babies is upper respiratory tract infections. In the most instances, baby has common cold and then he develops fever and sometimes secondary bacterial infection.
Balchaturbhadra Churna is an effective antiviral, antibacterial and anti-cold medicine. Therefore, it helps to treat common cold, fever, and upper respiratory tract infections. For treating these health condition, mother’s milk is an excellent adjuvant.
Balchaturbhadra Churna has antitussive and mucolytic properties. In the most cases, cough starts with dry cough and then it can also develop into wet cough. Dry cough is generally associated with cold and allergy. Wet cough indicates bacterial infections. Balchaturbhadra Churna is effective in both cases. Initially, it treats cold and helps to pacify cough. In wet cough, it acts as mucolytic and reduces wheezing, congestion and then pacifies cough. Its antibacterial action helps to treat underlying bacterial infection.
Poor Digestion & Loss of Appetite
Balchaturbhadra Churna also improves appetite and digestion due to its appetizer and digestive stimulant actions. It increases gastric secretion and stimulates bile secretion from the liver, which helps to increase appetite and stimulates digestion.
Balchaturbhadra Churna has antispasmodic action. It gives relief from abdominal cramps by relaxing the abdominal muscles and thus, it provides relief in infantile colic. For the best results, it should be used with fennel water.
The antibacterial and antidiarrheal actions of Balchaturbhadra Churna benefit to reduce infection and frequency of loose stools in babies. Its ingredients, especially Ativisha reduces liquid content of the stools and helps to restore the natural consistency of the stool. In addition, it also kills microbes responsible for diarrhea.
|1st Page||Balchaturbhadra Churna Ingredients, Indications, Benefits & Uses|
|2nd Page||Dosage of Balchaturbhadra Churna|
|3rd Page||Side Effects of Balchaturbhadra Churna| | https://www.ayurtimes.com/balchaturbhadra-churna/ | fineweb | 3,532 | 3.109375 |
Women’s Rights in Australia
Updated on Mar 07, 2019 • 5 min read • 452 views • Copy Link
Women’s Rights in Australia
Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day that has been used to celebrate the achievements of women since 1910. International Women’s Day was first marked in Australia in Sydney in 1928 and had spread to all capital citied by 1931. Today, IWD is a day to reflect on the progress that has been made in reforming the law to protect women’s rights in Australia, to call for further change and work towards eliminating all forms of gender inequality.
This article will summarise the progress made towards enshrining women’s rights in Australian law and the further changes that advocates of women’s rights in Australia are calling for to bring about true gender equality.
Votes for women
Australia led the world in extending the vote and the right to stand for public office to women. Women’s suffrage was an early objective of the women’s rights movement in Australia and began to be legislated in the late nineteenth century. South Australia was the first state to extend voting rights to women in 1894. Western Australia followed in 1899. In 1902, the federal government passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act, which allowed women to vote in federal elections and to stand for federal parliament. This made Australia the first country in the world to extend full political participation rights to women (New Zealand had granted the vote to women in 1893, but did not extend the right to stand for public office to women until 1919). By 1911 all the Australian states had also granted women the right to vote in state elections.
In most other democratic countries, women did not win the right to vote until after the First World War.
However, the right to vote was not extended to Aboriginal women (or Aboriginal men) until after the referendum of 1967, when citizenship was conferred on Aboriginal people.
First woman senator elected
Labor Party member Susan Ryan became the first woman senator to be elected to the federal parliament in 1975. She served as the Senator for the ACT from 1975 until 1987.
Family Law Act passed
The Family Law Act was passed in 1975. The Family Law Act established the Family Court of Australia and introduced ‘no-fault divorce’, which meant that parties seeking a divorce no longer had to prove that someone had done something wrong or why the marriage had ended. This was an important win in the fight to protect women’s rights in Australia and led to a steady increase in the divorce rarte over the following decade.
Women’s convention ratified
In 1980, Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This paved the way for the federal parliament to pass sex discrimination laws, a crucial step in securing women’s rights in Australia.
Until 1983, married women applying for a passport were required to provide their husband’s authorisation. This law was repealed in 1983.
Sex discrimination laws
In 1984, the federal parliament passed the Sex Discrimination Act, which sought to ensure that women would have the same access to employment, services and accommodation as men. It also prohibited sexual harassment for the first time and established the office of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
The act has been lauded as having forever changed the role of women in Australian society. It prohibited direct or indirect discrimination in employment on the basis of gender. This was later extended to marital status, pregnancy and breastfeeding. It also prohibited discrimination at education institutions, when seeking to buy or rent property, or access services.
In recent years, abortion has been decriminalised in many Australian jurisdictions, with Queensland the latest state to remove abortion offences from its criminal code in 2018. Victoria did so in 2008.
Several states have introduced ‘safe access zones’ around abortion clinics. These are designated areas where anti-abortion protesters must not demonstrate or in any way obstruct or denigrate a person trying to access an abortion clinic.
Advocates of women’s rights in Australia continue to lobby for further social and legal reform to address ongoing gender inequality in Australian society. The following issues, in particular, are often highlighted as areas where full gender equality has yet to be achieved:
- Violence against women, remains very prevalent particularly among Indigenous women. This includes domestic and family violence and sexual assault. On average, one woman is fatally assaulted by an intimate partner every week in Australia.
- Homelessness, which affects many women and often results from family violence or sexual assault. Roughly 45,000 women in Australia are homeless.
- Equal participation, – women experience barriers to equal participation in public life as a result of the lack of a legislated paid maternity scheme, the lack of free childcare, discrimination and sexual harassment.
- Gender pay gap, which sees many women earning less than men over their lifetimes and retiring with significantly less superannuation. Women retire with an average of 40% less superannuation than men.
The need to protect women’s rights in Australia is also often cited in the ongoing debate around whether Australia ought to have a Bill of Rights. The widespread infringements on the rights of Indigenous Australians, refugees and other minorities are also often cited in support of such a Bill.
If you require legal advice or representation in a human rights matter or in any other legal matter, please contact Go To Court Lawyers.
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When you call the Go To Court Legal Hotline, you will be connected directly to a lawyer, every time.
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We determine the best way forward in your legal matter, free of charge. If you want to go ahead and book a face-to-face appointment, we will connect you with a specialist in your local area.
3. We arrange everything as needed
If you want to go ahead and book a fact-to-face appointment, we will connect you with a specialist in your local area no matter where you are and even at very short notice. | https://www.gotocourt.com.au/legal-news/womens-rights-in-australia/ | fineweb | 6,479 | 3.984375 |
You may have heard that money does not buy happiness. By looking at the large number of wealthy people you can understand why it is so. Most of the people who have lots of money are found to be more depressed and with more diseases than the ones who don’t have enough money. It is not hard to imagine why money does not help you in staying happy as when you get a bonus, you cannot anything that can keep you anything all the time.
But a specific kind of scientific research has shown that money can be a source of pleasure for you. Money can make you happy if you spend it in the following simple ways:
For valuing extra time:
Studies have shown that people who value money are happier than the ones who don’t. If you want to be the ones who are happy then spend your money on getting help with a virtual assistant or by hiring a housekeeper. Let others do the things they are good at and spend most of your time focusing on what you are required to do. In this way, your precious time won’t get wasted and you will stay happy by being able to get all your work done.
Spend money on experiences:
Many people consider spending money on things can make them happy. They think that those objects will keep them happy all the time. But as the time passes, everything seems boring. This is the reason no matter how much you spend on physical things; they don’t keep you happier for long. Instead, if you spend money on experiences, it will stay in your memory for a very long time. It will bring enjoyment every time you will remember it.
Spending on other people:
A research was conducted among college students. One group of the students was asked to spend money on themselves while the other group of students was instructed to spend money on other people. The second group much higher levels of happiness at the end. When you spend money on other people, you feel more connected to them and focus less on yourself. This helps to forget about your own worries and focus on making other people happy which in return fills you with happiness.
Sharing with family and friends:
A community can help humans to live longer by developing relationships and caring for others. The experiences that you share with others give you inner satisfaction and you feel happier. So, spend more time with your family and friends and spend your money on those whom you love. Buy them gifts and the smile you will see on their faces will become a great memory in your mind forever.
Before you start spending for gaining happiness, it is very important that you make sure to cover your own needs first such as paying bills, unexpected expenses, etc. Make sure whatever way you spend; it makes you happy not miserable. | https://www.beingguru.com/2018/09/money-can-make-you-happy-if-you-spend-it-in-these-4-simple-ways/ | fineweb | 2,694 | 2.78125 |
Anyone who spends significant time outdoors should be concerned about spreading Poison Ivy to those around them if they develop a rash from contact with the plant. What follows are a few important facts to know about the risk of transmitting Poison Ivy to other people.
Is Poison Ivy Contagious?
No. The rash that results from contact with the Poison Ivy plant is not contagious at all. Individuals are generally only affected if they come into direct contact with the plant. However, there are several instances where Poison Ivy can spread from person to person without having direct contact. For instance, a child who unknowingly brings the bark or leaves of a Poison Ivy plant around other children can become contagious after handling the plant.
The leaves, stems and roots of the Poison Ivy (as well as poison oak and poison sumac) plant produce a sticky substance, or resin called “urushiol”, which in many individuals stimulates an allergic reaction known as plant dermatitis. The oils from the plant provoke a response from the immune system of an allergic individual that causes severe inflammation in the affected area of skin.
Urushiol clings to any surface it comes into contact with such as pet fur, human hair and skin, clothing, equipment and tools. If someone touches the plant and then has skin-to-skin contact with another individual, that person may develop symptoms of contact dermatitis, and eventually, a red itchy rash. Likewise, if someone comes into contact with an object, such as an article of clothing or gloves that contain oils from the plant, they are at risk for developing a reaction.
Can scratching Cause the Spread of Poison Ivy?
Scratching blistered skin does not cause Poison Ivy to spread. The only thing that can trigger a reaction in allergic individuals is the oil from the plant. A rash may seem to spread due to the progression of blisters appearing on affected skin. However, this happens because of subsequent contact with hands, clothing and other objects contaminated with urushiol.
As long as every contaminated surface is washed thoroughly with soap and water, there is no further risk of the rash spreading, even in the presence of skin with broken blisters.
How Long does it take Poison Ivy to take Effect?
Rashes resulting from Poison Ivy typically develop within 2 to 3 days after initial contact. However, in some individuals it make takes as many as 10 days to 3 weeks for blisters to appear. The difference lies in an individual’s allergic predisposition to the toxins in the plant and their history of exposure. The skin of individuals with previous allergies to Poison Ivy reacts much faster than those facing exposure for the first time.
What Causes a Poison Ivy reaction to Develop?
There are three specific ways in which a reaction to Poison Ivy develops:
- Direct contact – Touching parts of the plant such as the berries, stems, roots or leaves dramatically increases the chances of developing an allergic reaction and rash. However, if the resin only makes brief contact with skin, the resulting reaction is typically mild.
- Making contact with contaminated objects – Handling an object that is contaminated by Poison Ivy puts someone at risk for developing a reaction if the oily substance it contains transfers to their skin. This holds true even if several years have passed since the object was initially exposed to urushiol.
- Smoke inhalation from burning plants – Delicate nasal passages and lungs are quickly irritated and damaged by inhaling smoke that contains the urushiol produced by Poison Ivy plants.
Safeguard against developing a reaction to Poison Ivy by learning how to identify the plant and avoiding contact with it whenever possible. Prevent an allergic response to urushiol by washing exposed skin and clothing thoroughly and immediately after suspected contact, and wear protective clothing when spending time outside the home.
The bumps, rashes and blisters caused by exposure to poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac can be very itchy and uncomfortable, especially for children. Although it may take few weeks, the rash gradually dissipates and then goes away completely. In order to calm the inflamed skin and reduce symptoms quickly prescription pill/creams like oral or topical steroids can be used as per doctor’s advice. | https://www.beyonddisease.com/is-poison-ivy-contagious | fineweb | 4,316 | 3.359375 |
We seek to eliminate housing poverty in Paraguay by providing resources to make housing solutions possible for families who cannot afford traditional loans.
Since 1998, we have supported more than 4,500 families. We are committed to supporting families who cannot afford traditional housing loans by granting credits for the construction of houses at a low cost. Habitat for Humanity also provides technical assistance to help build and repair homes and offers construction materials at an affordable cost. Families repay loans to Habitat over time through affordable mortgages.
In the country, thousands of farmers and indigenous families have been expelled from the land through corruption. More than 85% of the land parcels greater than 500 hectares (1,235 acres) are owned by just 2.6% of landowners. This polarisation of land tenure is accentuated year after year and directly relates to the housing situation.
An estimated 1.1 million houses are needed, according to the SENAVITAT 2011- PLANHAVI Report, and this number grows every year. In addition, 43 out of 100 families— 39% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas — live in an inadequate house, according to a report by the Inter-American Development Bank. | https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2022/01/paraguay-blogs/ | fineweb | 1,215 | 2.609375 |
On a busy commercial street in Tokyo, Mr A, while about to climb the steps to a train station, staggered as he was struck from behind. He turns and sees a youth, who appears to be a student, who had been so wrapped up in his smartphone that he’d banged right into him from behind.
At least no bones were broken.
“He just muttered, ‘Aw, I couldn’t help it,’ and I stood there and glared at him,” Mr A relates.
By the end of 2016, according to a study by the MM Research Institute, 67.3% of the mobile phones in use will be smartphones. Which means, says Shukan Post (May 3-10), there will be that many more people perambulating while blissfully unaware of their surroundings, as they squint at and tap the screens of their personal communications devices.
Research confirms that walking while using one of these gadgets is dangerous, Takahiro Higuchi, associate professor of cognitive science at Tokyo Metropolitan University, tells the magazine.
“While their attention is focused on the screen, they disregard other pedestrians,” he says. “More than in crosswalks where caution is needed, they pay even less attention on regular streets.”
Particularly at risk are seniors or the handicapped, with whom phone users frequently collide, says a Mr B, a volunteer who works with the handicapped.
“While using the phones, people’s walking speed slows and they tend to only look right in front of them,” says Toshikazu Shimazaki of the Nihon University Faculty of Engineering. “The more they focus on the display, they less attention they pay to people walking around them.”
The smartphone user thus becomes a “moving barrier,” and his victims the elderly, the handicapped and small children.
Professor Katsumi Tokuda of Tsukuba University cites a survey in which 42% of mothers with small children said they had the experience of colliding with a smartphone user.
According to Kazuhiro Kozuka, professor of media informatics at Aichi University of Technology (AUT), if a person walks with empty hands his or her view lingers on objects for less than half a second, permitting the eyes to wander about to take in the surroundings. If walking while conversing by telephone, this field of vision narrows, and the time for views to linger becomes longer.
But if walking while sending a twitter message, even if the person still looks forward, there’s hardly any peripheral vision at all.
“When you send a Twitter message via a smartphone while walking, your field of vision shrinks to one-third,” says Kozuka. “This adversely affects judgment and sense of caution, making it easier to bump into people and vehicles.”
Be as it may, Shukan Post continues, more people are at last starting to raise objections to this hazardous behavior. According to one survey via the Internet, 83% of respondents said they were in favor of a regulation banning or restricting use of smartphones while in motion.
The desk for fielding complaints from citizens in Tokyo’s Minato Ward says it has received requests from people asking for anti-phone statutes after they “collided with a phone user and got knocked down.” Reports of accidents on station platforms and steps are gradually being collated, and while the numbers are still small, indications are that broken bones and fatalities as a result of smartphone mishaps, occasionally result.
“From surveys taken around 2007, people felt it was a problem that could be dealt with simply by encouraging phone users to ‘mind their manners’ and ‘show consideration for others,’” says the aforementioned Tokuda. “But since then, the number of smartphones has increased exponentially and the problem has only grown worse.
“Just as regulations were put into place to deal with smokers on the street, if people can’t control themselves with phones, then isn’t it going to be necessary to make laws? Even just by raising it to the level of debate, this will hopefully send a wake-up message to phone users,” Tokuda says.
One possible solution might be to convince telephone manufacturers to build in functions to prevent phone use while in motion.
“The time is fast approaching when the manufacturers will have to seriously take up measures to deal with this ‘aruki-sumaho,’” AUT’s Kozuka remarks. “And some moves in this direction have already begun, of their own volition.” | https://headlineslibrary.wordpress.com/2013/04/ | fineweb | 4,290 | 2.8125 |
Install MongoDB On Linux
Before we start with the Install Mongodb process. Let's first understand the features and benefits of MongoDB.
MongoDb is an open-source application. It will be designed for ease of development.
MonogDb is a NoSql database which means you can not store data in tables like Mysql/Postgres.
MongoDb stores data in JSON format in the document structure.
MongoDb available in only 64-bit for Debian/mint/ubuntu.
MongoDb runs on default port "27017".
MongoDb main configuration file is "mongod.conf" which is resides under "/etc" directory.
- High Performance
- Index support faster queries
- use keys from Arrays
- Reduce Input/Output activity on database
- Rich Query Language
- Support faster read & write operations
- High Availability
- Replication feature provides automatic failover & data redundancy
- Horizontal Scalability
- Supports sharding of data over cluster system's
- Support for Multiple Storage Engines
- WiredTiger Storage Engine
- MMAPv1 Storage Engine.
As you see the features and benefits of MongoDb. Now let's start with the installation procedure. In this tutorial, I have tested this installation process on Debian System. You can follow same steps on Mint/Ubuntu as well.
1. Add Package Key
To install MongoDB first you need to add package for the mongodb package. Use below command to add key on the system. To run this command you should have root privileges or sudo access on the system.
$ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv EA312927
2. Add MongoDb Repository.
Once the package key added on system. Now you need to create mongodb-3.2.list file under the "/etc/apt/sources.list.d" directory. This file helps to add mongodb repository on apt-get. Use below command to add and create mongodb-3.2.list file,
$ echo "deb http://repo.mongodb.org/apt/debian wheezy/mongodb-org/3.2 main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-3.2.list
Above command will add Package repository with Mongo version 3.2. If you want to install MongoDb of lower version then just replace the "3.2" with required and available lower version. You will find the list of Mongo version from below link,
3. Reload Local Package Repository
Now run "apt-get update" command which helps to refresh or reload the local package repository and add mongo repository in the list.
$ apt-get update
4. Install MongoDb Package
Now install MongoDB package with help of apt-get install command.
$ sudo apt-get install mongodb-org
If you want to install specific release, You need to specify each package component individually along with the version no.
$ sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org=3.2.10 mongodb-org-server=3.2.10 mongodb-org-shell=3.2.10 mongodb-org-mongos=3.2.10 mongodb-org-tools=3.2.10
If you install MongoDB version 3.2.10 without including component package then latest version of the component package will be installed with mongoDb.
5. Start|Stop|Restart MongoDb
After the complete installation process, use below command's to handle the MongoDb service with Start|Stop|Restart.
$ sudo service mongod start
$ sudo service mongod stop
$ sudo service mongod restart
6. Test MongoDb
Now run the below command to test MongoDB is working perfectly.
These are the simple steps you need to follow to install mongoDb. If you feel any difficulties to install MongoDB then please comment down below in comment box. I will definitely try to solve your all doubts regarding mongoDb installation. Stay connected and subscribe to techthings.org to get the information about new articles on techthings.
Thank You :)
The post Install MongoDB Community Edition on Debian/Mint/Ubuntu appeared first on TechThings. | https://www.blogarama.com/open-source-blogs/801267-techthings-blog/14053177-install-mongodb-community-edition-debianmintubuntu | fineweb | 3,652 | 2.734375 |
What Is Neurofeedback?
Brain Training Made Easy
Neurofeedback is the direct training of the brain in real time, which helps the brain learn to function more efficiently. Neurofeedback addresses brain dysregulation, which can cause many conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, sleep disorders, migraines, and more.
Think of your brain as a musical quartet: When all musicians are in sync, the sound is harmonious. But if one musician is out of tune, the overall sound is affected. Brainwaves operate in much the same way, working together to keep your mind and body in sync and running smoothly. But if any of your brainwaves are off, it can impact your entire system negatively.
The Neurofeedback Process
During a session, patients are connected to a computer using sensors. These sensors are non-invasive, no electrical current is put into the brain. The sensors only monitor brainwaves.
For the next 30 minutes, you either watch a movie, listen to music or listen to an audio book. When the computer detects irregular brainwaves, it will fade the video and sound. This will cause the patient to refocus their attention back on the movie or music until it returns to normal. This can happen hundreds of times during a single session. Eventually after multiple sessions, the brain starts to learn to stay in the healthy ranges on its own. As that happens, the patient will see a reduction in their symptoms.
Neurofeedback does not directly target conditions and symptoms: it corrects irregular brainwaves and modifies timing patterns in the brain. The best part, results are often permanent.
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The Benefits Of Neurofeedback
- Improves autism symptoms by speeding up Beta brainwaves
- Increases attention and focus for kids with Learning Disorders
- Improves depression symptoms by speeding up Alpha brainwaves
- Reduces anxiety and stress by slowing down Beta brainwaves
- Improves sleep disorders by slowing Delta brainwaves
- Improves memory
- Regulates the brainwaves responsible for addiction, which can reduce cravings
Why Does It Work So Well?
Research shows that people who suffer from neurological issues have irregular brainwaves. A person with ADD will have slower Beta brainwaves, which are responsible for attention and focus.
Training the brain can change these brainwaves over time, speeding them up or slowing them down where needed. Neurofeedback can improve alertness, attention, emotional regulation, behavior, cognitive function, and mental flexibility. When brainwaves are running at the right speed, users will often see a reduction in symptoms.
Results are often permanent, which may allow someone to eliminate medications completely. Where medications only manage the symptoms, the goal of neurofeedback is to address the underlying cause and restore normal brainwave function.
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- slide 1 of 4
Could there be a proper way to celebrate this holiday? Read the story of a young Chinese-American girl whose parents own a food market. Their specialty is Chinese food. Why would they be open on the Fourth of July, the girl wonders? No one will want Chinese food on this holiday. Is she right?
- slide 2 of 4
- Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong
- Map or globe (optional)
- Art supplies
- slide 3 of 4
Before reading the story, use a map or globe to show the location of the United States of America and China. Because they live so far from each other, the people in each country have different languages and customs. But is it possible to blend some of the customs together to make new and unique celebrations?
The little girl in the story thinks that no one will want her parents’ food for this holiday. It is supposed to be time for hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and potato salad. In the evening, when folks crowd the store ordering food, she finds out that there is no right or wrong way to celebrate. Apple pie tastes great with chicken chow mein!
Discuss with children how you celebrated Independence Day when you were a child. Did it include a picnic, barbeque, fireworks, decorations or parades? Talk about the kind of celebration your child would enjoy. Is there something special the family likes that could become a tradition at the celebration? Perhaps your neighbors and friends can be included.
Here are some ideas you can discuss:
- Neighborhood parade: Decorate bikes, wagons and willing pets. Dress in red, white and blue. Play music. Make percussion instruments for folks to play along.
- Shakers: Use empty plastic water bottles. Partially fill with uncooked beans. Decorate the bottle by gluing red, white and blue strips of paper on it. Add stars. Attach crepe paper streamers.
- Have a cookout: Plan a unique menu. Create patriotic invitations. Decorate with balloons, flags and patriotic paper lanterns (see photo).
- slide 4 of 4
- See local fireworks and follow-up with an art project. Use poster paper. Provide crayons to fill the paper completely with all bright colors. Cover the paper with a thin coat of black paint. When dry, use toothpicks or wooden skewers to scratch the paper revealing the colors beneath the black. It will look like fireworks in the night sky.
- Color or paint a picture of the United States Flag
The best activity is planning the celebration with your child. Take pictures, make a scrapbook or write about it in a summer journal. Remember the favorite ideas and plan to include them in celebrations for years to come. | https://www.brighthubeducation.com/lesson-plans-grades-1-2/129305-food-and-fireworks-summer-celebrations-for-kindergarten-and-first-grade/ | fineweb | 2,587 | 3.234375 |
Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Nouns and noun phrases – Diagnose Test, Grammar Explanation & Practice Exercises
A DIAGNOSTIC TEST: Nouns and noun phrases
In each sentence, either one or both of the forms in bold is correct. Tick (✓) the sentences where both forms are correct. Underline the correct form in the others.
Mumps is/ are not too problematic if contracted in childhood, but can be dangerous in later life.
- The chair/ chairwoman has just phoned to say she’s been delayed in traffic.
- For really good electric pianos/ pianoes, have a look in Marston’s.
- Corn circles are one of the strangest phenomenons/ phenomena of recent times.
- Parliament consists of 653 MP’s/ MPs, about two-thirds of whom belong to the Government.
- For this dish, you need to weigh the ingredients carefully on the kitchen scale/ kitchen scales.
- The Asthma Helpline will be able to give you advice/ an advice.
- This checkout is for customers with fewer/ less than five items only.
- He was hit on the head by stone/a stone and had to go to hospital.
- The supermarket is doing a lot of different fruit/ fruits from the Far East at the moment.
- The most exciting event for most British viewers in the Sydney Olympics was/ were the rowing finals.
- The Society’s President, against the wishes of the other founder members, has/ have agreed to the sale.
- Bread and butter is/ are eaten with meals by most people in the North of England.
- ‘The Three Kings’ was/ were a great success for George Clooney.
- Have you thought about doing gymnastics? I think it’s/ they’re very good for you.
- Recent events prove the saying that twenty-four hours is/ are a long time in politics.
- The Council’s team of social workers is/ are to be commended for their actions.
- The United Nations is/ are sending a special envoy to the conflict zone.
- I’ll take you to the station if you give me shout/ a shout when you’re ready.
- The attack on the Minister was/ The people attacked the Minister and it was unprovoked and extremely vicious.
- The first outbreak/ breakout of the epidemic was in Zaire in the 1980s
B GRAMMAR EXPLANATION: Nouns and noun phrases
English nouns generally present few problems for the advanced learner but some aspects of countability and noun-verb agreement can be problematic. This unit looks at these aspects, as well as at plural nouns and at the nominalisation of verbs into nouns.
- BASIC POINTS
1A. Form and meaning
English nouns only change their form when they are plural and to show possession.
Nouns can be countable or uncountable, and concrete (table, child, station, food, storm) or abstract (hope, responsibility, anger, efficiency, consternation).
Nouns do not have grammatical gender in English. Some have a ‘natural’ gender, e.g. woman = female, father = male. Most nouns for jobs do not imply a gender. To specify gender, we have to say, e.g. a woman doctor. However, some nouns for jobs and roles do refer to males or females, often by their suffix, e.g. businessman (male), manageress (female). It used to be common to use the -man suffix to refer to people of both sexes:
That’s the view of Sheila Davison, chairman of the Institute of Public Relations.
A lot of people avoid this now, especially if referring to a woman, and prefer a form with no implicit gender, e.g. chair, or to match the suffix to the person, e.g. chairwoman:
That’s the view of Sheila Davison, chair(woman) of the Institute of Public Relations.
- SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS
2A. Regular plurals
In writing, most English nouns form the plural with -s. This is true of nouns which end in most consonants (e.g. road -» roads, bag -» bags, town -» towns) and the vowels a and e (e.g. area -» areas, rope -» ropes). But note these variations:
|ending in consonant + y:
BUT vowel + y:
ending in –ch, -s, -sh, -x, -z:
ending in consonant + o:
BUT vowel + o:
|family => families, party => parties
tray => trays, monkey => monkeys
watch => watches, boss => bosses,
fox => foxes, waltz => waltzes 2
potato => potatoes, hero => heroes 3
radio => radios, video => videos
1 If the pronunciation of ch is /k/, add – s only: patriarch => patriarchs.
2 Note these exceptions of vowel + z: quiz => quizzes, fez => fezzes.
3 Some words ending in -o, especially words from other languages, take -s only: piano => pianos, photo => photos, kilo => kilos, adagio => adagios.
2B. Irregular plurals
English does not have very many irregular plurals. Here are some examples:
|Ending in –f or –fe
|usually + ves 1
to origin of word:
|leaf => leaves, loaf => loaves
Latin origin: terminus => termini,
datum => data, vertebra => vertebrae
Greek origin: crisis => crises,
phenomenon => phenomena
|other irregulars||+ (r)en:
change of vowel:
no change in plural:
|child => children, ox => oxen
women => women, foot => feet
sheep => sheep, craft => craft (e.g. boat)
1 Several words ending in -f and all those ending –ff just take -s: chief => chiefs, belief => beliefs, cliff => cliffs. Some words ending in -f take either plural ending: scarf => scarfs/ scarves. You can check irregular plurals in a dictionary.
You may sometimes see plurals formed with an apostrophe, especially with dates and abbreviations: 1960’s, some CP’s. This is quite common and may be considered correct in informal writing, but it is considered incorrect in formal written English.
2C. Nouns with no singular form
Some English nouns are more common in the plural form. These occur in a number of categories:
- Clothing: clothes, jeans, trousers, pyjamas, trunks, dungarees
- Tools/equipment: scissors, glasses (= spectacles), scales, handcuffs, pliers
- Games: dominoes, darts, cards, bowls
- Subjects/activities: physics, maths, politics, economics, aerobics, athletics
- Other: goods, whereabouts, remains, thanks, news, stairs, proceeds
These nouns may have a singular form with a different meaning or as part of a compound noun: a glass (e g. wine glass), a pyjama party, a dartboard
- COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Countable nouns are usually concrete nouns and they can be ‘counted’: a computer, three computers. Uncountable nouns cannot be ‘counted’: oil, beauty, fruit. We do not use a/ an with uncountable nouns, and we do not make them plural:
X The Asthma Helpline will be able to give you an advice/some advices
✓ The Asthma Helpline will be able to give you (some) advice
Note: There are some differences between British English and US English: accommodation (uncountable in British English / accommodations (countable in US English).
Some determiners change according to whether the noun is countable or not:
For good health we should eat a few vegetables every day, as well as a little fruit.
It is also advisable to drink less alcohol and eat fewer sweet things.
Noe: In informal English it is possible to use less rather than fewer with countable nouns, although many people consider this to be incorrect:
[You should eat less sweet things.] [There are less people here than yesterday.]
Less is always correct if it refers to a ‘whole’, e.g. a period of time:
The flight takes less than three hours (three hours = a period of time)
3B. Countable and uncountable meanings
Some nouns can be countable or uncountable, but have different meanings:
|noun||countable meaning||uncountable meaning|
|Coffee 1||I’d love a coffee, please.
(= a cup of coffee)
|Do you drink coffee? (= the liquid)|
|Chicken 2||I’ll buy a chicken for dinner
tonight. (= the whole bird)
|Would you like some chicken for dinner?(= a part/the dish)|
|Drawing 2||This is an amazing drawing by Leonardo. (= a picture)||My son is very good at drawing
(= the activity)
|Stone 2||Someone threw a stone at
our window. (= one item)
|In this flat landscape of scrub and
stone … (= the material)
1 This applies to all drinks: tea/a tea, beer/ a beer, lemonade/ a lemonade
2 There are other examples of the same type as these, but not all nouns of the type can be both countable and uncountable: a duck/duck, a fish/fish, but not a-beef, a-pork, a painting/ painting, a sculpture/ sculpture, but not an-aft, a-poetry: a paper/ paper., a rock/rock, but not a wool, a –cotton.
3C. Quantifying uncountable noun
We can refer to a specific example of an uncountable noun with determiner + countable noun + of + uncountable noun. Common countable nouns in this pattern are piece and bit:
The Council will remove two pieces of unwanted furniture if desired.
Did you hear that interesting bit of gossip about Susan?
Other common nouns used in this way are: a slice of bread/meat/cheese/cake, an item of news/furniture/clothing, a lump of sugar/coal, a cup of coffee/tea.
We can sometimes make an uncountable noun countable when we want to express ‘different types’ of the noun:
The wines of Australia are now of similar quality to many from France.
We can make some uncountable abstract nouns countable if we refer to a specific type of the noun, for example, distrust => a deep distrust, a distrust of accountants. This is common with nouns connected with emotions. We do not make these nouns plural:
Jealousy is an enormously destructive emotion.
She felt an incomprehensible jealousy when she saw him with her daughter.
4A. Subject + verb + object/ complement
In English the verb usually agrees with the subject even if the verb is separated from its subject by prepositional phrases, relative clauses, brackets or commas:
The petrol station across the road from the new shops has just cut its prices.
However, if the verb is a long way from the subject but is closer to a complement, it is possible to agree the verb with the complement. Compare:
The most exciting event was the rowing finals.
The most exciting event in the Sydney Olympics for most British viewers was/ were the rowing finals.
The same can apply after what used to introduce a relative:
What the Board needs to address now is/ are the terms of the redundancies.
4B. Two subjects/ Plural subjects + verb
We usually use a plural verb with two subjects linked by and or both … and:
Mum and Dad were hoping that you’d join them this evening.
Both the doctor and the surgeon have advised me to have my gall bladder out.
Note: However, we use a singular verb if we consider the two items as one concept:
X Fish and chips are one of the most common English dishes.
✓ Fish and chips is one of the most common English dishes.
Titles of books, films, etc. take a singular verb, even if they are plural nouns:
Hitchcock’s film ‘The Birds’ is based on a story by Daphne du Maurier.
When we link two items by or, the verb usually agrees with the second of the items:
Either my brother or my parents are going to bring the sleeping bags.
4C. Noun ending in -s + verb
Some uncountable nouns end in -s but take a singular verb. These often concern illness (measles, mumps), sport (aerobics, gymnastics) or study (mathematics, politics):
German measles is a particularly dangerous illness for pregnant women.
Politics is a topic best avoided with people you don’t know well.
Some nouns refer to one object divided into two parts and take a plural verb, e.g. scissors, trousers, scales:
Scissors are used to cut the jeans.
Note: A plural subject describing a single entity, e.g. measurement, can take a singular verb:
X Two metres aren’t particularly tall these days.
✓ Two metres isn’t particularly tall these days.
Twenty-four hours is a long time in politics.
4D. Collective noun + verb
We can use either a singular or a plural verb with most collective nouns, i.e. nouns referring to a group of people, animals or things, e.g. family, government, group, staff, team, band, class, jury. A singular verb presents the collective noun as a ‘whole’ entity:
The family has agreed that the funeral should be held in Ireland.
A plural verb presents the noun as a group of individuals, e.g. family members:
The family are all gathering here for Christmas.
A large number of proper nouns fall into this category, e.g. the United Nations:
The United Nations has agreed to deploy a peacekeeping force.
The United Nations are in disagreement on this issue.
Note: Unlike British English, US English prefers a singular verb in these cases. In English we prefer to use a singular verb after a collective noun if we use a/an rather than the:
A team of inspectors is visiting the prison tomorrow afternoon.
A few collective nouns always take a plural verb, e.g. cattle, police, people:
The police are investigating his accusation of fraud.
An adjective used as a collective noun always takes a plural:
The middle-aged have a lot to offer employers, if only they would see it.
It is common to use a plural verb after nouns such as the majority, a number, a couple, when these are followed by of + a plural noun:
The majority of the people were pleased to see the government fall.
5A. Verb => noun
It is possible to make verbs into nouns in English by adding a suffix, e.g. -ion, -ment, -er: educate => education, establish => establishment, teach => teacher.
It is also possible to use many verbs as nouns, especially in informal English:
Can’t you open that? Shall I give it a try?
I’ll take you to the station if you give me a shout when you’re ready.
Note: This does not apply to every verb. It is best to check in a good dictionary. It is also possible to make nouns from multi-word verbs. The particle often (but not always) precedes the verb in the noun form:
The epidemic first broke out in Zaire.=> The first outbreak of the epidemic …
The plane took off very smoothly. => The takeoff was smooth.
The car broke down five kilometres from home. => The breakdown happened …
5B. Verb phrase => noun phrase
It is sometimes more concise and elegant, especially in written English, to use noun phrases rather than verb phrases to express an idea:
- Verb phrase: The committee decided to open the playground to all children. This was
welcomed by the local schools.
- Noun phrase: The committee’s decision/ The decision of the committee to open the
playground to all children was welcomed by the local schools.
The noun phrase is often made up of two nouns linked by a preposition:
|verb phrase||noun phrase|
|They released the video in 1998.
The low was amended last week.
The war drained the country’s resources.
|The release of the video in 1998 …
The amendment to the law last week.
The war was a drain on the country’s resources.
An adverb in a verb phrase changes to an adjective if the verb is nominalised:
The girl shouted loudly and attracted the attention she wanted.
The girl’s loud shouts attracted the attention she wanted.
C PRACTICE EXERCISE
Complete the crossword from the clues below.
1 plural of quay
5 neutral form of chairman
6 singular of media
7 singular of wharves
10 plural of formula
12 singular of heroes
15 plural of monarch
16 plural of mosquito
2 plural of sheriff
3 neutral form of manageress
4 plural of quiz
8 plural of address
9 plural of flamingo
11 plural of goose
13 plural of crisis
14 singular of oases
Underline the correct words or phrases in bold to complete this article.
In today’s Cookery Corner I’d like to address a request from Mrs Parkinson of Suffolk for (1) an information/information about which type of (2) chocolate/chocolates to use in cooking. Well. Mrs P, my (3) advice is/ advices are always to use the best possible chocolate you can find. It’s the same principle as with (4) wines/wine: in cooking always use (5) an equivalent quality/ equivalent quality to what you eat or drink. With chocolate, the reason for this is that higher quality chocolate will always give your cakes and sweets (6) better/ a better taste. To judge the quality of chocolate, look at the amount of cocoa in the chocolate. Good quality chocolate has more cocoa solids and (7) less sugar/ fewer sugars. For the best taste choose chocolate with a high cocoa (8) contents/ content – never (9) fewer than/less than TO per cent cocoa solids and as much as 80 per cent if possible. It goes without saying that you should also use other (10) ingredient/ ingredients of the highest quality, too. If, for example, you’re using coffee in your chocolate recipe, always use (11) a strong, fresh coffee /strong, fresh coffee. If you’re making (12) a cake/cake. Use the right kind of (13) flours/ flour, and always weigh the ingredients on your kitchen (14) scale/ scales. Believe me. if you follow these simple rules, the next time you bake a chocolate cake, there won’t be (15) a lump/ a slice left over!
Read this draft of a newspaper article, then complete the rewritten sections of the article below with a noun or noun phrase. The first one is given as an example (0).
St Andrew’s Hospital Trust has recently confirmed that a fresh wave of flood positioning has broken out in the Scottish resort, and this is alarmed everyone who lives in the town. A spokesperson stated that the illness was not serious and could be easily treated. This appeased community leaders but they requested further reassurances that the authorities were doing everything within their control to contain the spread. The hospital authority has announced that it will investigate fully the causes of this epidemic. As a recent investigation into a similar outbreak concluded that the cause was poor meat hygiene in a local butcher’s shop, local shopkeepers are concerned about what will come out of the pending investigation. The leader of the Shopkeepers’ Association, Len Murphy, suggested that the source of epidemic might be hospital kitchens, which has angered hospital staff. The kitchen staff at the hospital have now called for a strike of hospital auxiliaries across the region, which is likely to have severe financial consequences for the health authority.
|(0)…… by St Andrew’s Hospital Trust of (1)……… of food poisoning in the Scottish resort has alarmed (2) ………. A (3) ……….. that the illness was not serious and could be easily treated appeased community leaders, but they requested further reassurances that the authorities were doing everything within their control to contain the spread. The hospital authority has announced (4) ……….. into the causes of this epidemic. As (5) ……….. of a recent investigation into a similar outbreak cited poor meat hygiene in a local butcher’s shop as the cause, local shopkeepers are concerned about (6) ……….. of the pending inquiry. (7) ……….. by the leader of the Shopkeepers’ Association, Len Murphy, that the source of the epidemic might be hospital kitchens has angered hospital staff. (8) ………. by kitchen staff at the hospital for a strike of hospital auxiliaries across the region is likely to have severe financial consequences for the health authority.|
Find fifteen more mistakes, or places where the style could be improved, in this text. Underline the mistakes and correct them. The exercise begins with two examples.
Snow Falling on Cedars
by David Guterson
1 Snow Falling on Cedars open in the courthouse of San Piedro, a small sleepy => opens
2 island off the Pacific coast of the north-west United States. Underneath the
3 courtroom windows, four tall narrow archs of a leaded glass, a drama which will
4 divide the island’s communitys are unfolding. The defendant stands erect in the
5 dock: the local press and the jurors – farmers, grocers, builders, fisher wifes
6 – await the start of this trial. Kabuo Miyamoto is accused of the murder of Carl
7 Heine, a young fisherman. The alleged crime by a young man of Japanese
8 descent stirs up the emotions of the islanders and questions their believes and
9 their politic. It takes place in the 1950’s, and not many years has passed since the
10 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour and the horrors of World War II. Although
11 the Japanese on San Piedro was eager to defend their adopted country against the
12 country of their ancestors, some people in the community were unable to forgive
13 Japan its role in the War. and the trial causes their deeply-held prejudicies to
15 Snow Falling on Cedars is not only one of the best mysterys of recent years,
16 but it raises issues which affects us all. However, it ends with a great optimism.
17 David Guterson has succeeded in combining the best from both classic and
18 populist American literatures into a spellbinding art. Buy and read this beautiful
Fill the gaps in these sentences with a, an, nothing (-) or the correct form of a suitable verb. If there are two possible answers, put both possibilities.
- Have you put………..pepper in this dish? I like plenty of seasoning.
- What he’d really like us to buy him for his birthday ………..some new Nike trainers.
- Rickets a ………..disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin D.
- I first felt the desire to visit Venice when looking at ………..painting by Canaletto.
- You can’t hold a classical concert in the village hall; the acoustics ………..terrible!
- A large number of police officers ……….. present at the demonstration last week in case of trouble.
- At present 10,000 kilometres ………..t he longest walking competition held in the Olympics.
- ‘What have we got for supper?’ ‘Salmon. I got ……….. huge fish at the fishmonger’s for only five pounds.’
- Either the twins or John, the eldest brother, ……….. going to make a speech at the Golden Wedding party.
- My brother thinks that economics ……….. really interesting. I disagree.
- Saudi Arabia, along with most of the oil-producing nations, ……….. voted to raise the price of crude oil again.
- That band ……….. always had a reputation for performing better in the studio than live.
- Both my brother and sister ……….. lived in this town all their lives.
- We developed ……….. passion for Baroque music at university.
- Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding ……….. definitely still the favourite of many British people!
Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the sentence printed before it. The exercise begins with an example (0).
0 The drama school is always looking out for new talent.
The drama school is always on …….the lookout for new talent……….
1 I heard some fascinating news on the radio this morning.
I heard a fascinating ………………………………………..
2 The police used handcuffs to restrain the aggressive young man.
3 A few roads in the Brighton area have been affected by the recent floods.
A small number ………………………………………..
4 OK. I’ll call the bank tomorrow and check our balance.
- I’ll give ………………………………………..
5 The medical profession considers that children eat too many sweet and fatty things today.
The medical profession considers that children should ………………………………………..
6 It didn’t take us ten minutes to get here from the station.
It took us ………………………………………..
7 A lot of people have taken up our new offer, which has delighted us.
We have been delighted by the ………………………………………..
8 We’ve got quite a lot of unwanted furniture since we moved to the smaller house.
We’ve got several ………………………………………..
9 The management expects all staff to attend the meeting tomorrow afternoon.
All staff ………………………………………..
10 They should now address the questions of VAT and fuel tax.
11 A lot of the older men sit in cafes and play dominoes.
12 We launched the new women’s magazine in April and it was a great success.
13 In a democracy the government is elected by the people.
In a democracy the people ………………………………………..
14 The teachers were boosted by the fact that the parents agreed to help fund the new playground.
The teachers were boosted by the parents’ ………………………………………..
D ANSWER KEY FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST
5 kitchen scales
7 fewer (less is possible only in informal English)
8 a stone
9 ✓ 25.3C
18 a shout
19 The attack on the Minister was
E ANSWER KEY FOR PRACTICE EXERCISE
Across: 1 quays 5 chair 6 medium 7 wharf 10 formulae 12 hero 15 monarchs 16 mosquitoes
Down: 2 sheriffs 3 manager 4 quizzes 8 addresses 9 flamingos 11 geese 13 crises 14 oasis
3 advice is
5 an equivalent quality
6 a better
7 less sugar
9 less than
11 strong, fresh coffee
12 a cake
15 a slice
1 an outbreak
2 the town’s population/the townspeople/ the town’s residents
3 A spokesperson’s statement
4 a full investigation
5 the conclusion
6 the outcome
7 The suggestion/ A suggestion
8 The call
Line 3 a leaded glass ==> leaded glass
Line 4 communitys ==> communities
Line 4 are unfolding ==> is unfolding
Line 5 fisher-wiles ==> fisher wives
Line 8 believes ==> beliefs
Line 9 politic ==> politics
Line 9 1950’s ==> 1950s
Line 9 has passed ==> have passed
Line 11 was eager ==> were eager
Line 13 prejudicies ==> prejudices
Line 15 mysterys ==> mysteries
Line 16 which affects ==> which affect
Line 16 a great optimism ==> great optimism
Line 18 literatures ==> literature
Line 18 a spellbinding art ==> a spellbinding work of art
- item/piece of news on the radio this morning.
- were used to restrain the aggressive young man.
- of roads in the Brighton area were affected by the recent floods.
- the bank a call tomorrow and check our balance.
- eat fewer sweet and fatty things.
- less than ten minutes to get here from the station.
- uptake of our new offer.
- items/pieces of unwanted furniture since we moved to the smaller house.
- are expected to attend the meeting tomorrow afternoon.
- they should now address are/is the questions of VAT and fuel tax.
- is played by a lot of the older men in cafés.
- launch of the new women’s magazine in April was a great success.
- elect the government.
- agreement to help fund the new playground.
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- Using Collocation to Boost Your IELTS Score – Key Word: promise - November 20, 2017 | https://ieltsmaterial.com/advanced-grammar-for-ielts-nouns-and-noun-phrases/ | fineweb | 25,956 | 2.65625 |
1. Refer to the exhibit.
Router R3 is receiving multiple routes through the EIGRP routing protocol. Which statement is true about the implementation of summarization in this network?
Automatic summarization has been enabled only for the 172.21.100.0/24 network.
Automatic summarization is disabled on R3.*
Automatic summarization is enabled on neighboring routers.
Automatic summarization is disabled on a per-interface basis.
2. Refer to the exhibit.
Which two routes will be advertised to the router ISP if autosummarization is disabled? (Choose two.)
3. What is the purpose of a Null0 route in the routing table?
to redistribute external routes into EIGRP
to prevent routing loops*
to act as a gateway of last resort
to prevent the router from sending EIGRP packets
4. Refer to the exhibit.
All networks are active in the same EIGRP routing domain. When the auto-summary command is issued on R3, which two summary networks will be calculated on R3? (Choose two.)
5. Which three statements are advantages of using automatic summarization? (Choose three.)
It maximizes the number of routes in the routing table.
It increases the size of routing updates.
It reduces the frequency of routing updates.*
It ensures that traffic for multiple subnets uses one path through the internetwork.*
It improves reachability in discontiguous networks.
It decreases the number of entries in the routing table.*
6. Assuming that EIGRP is enabled on both routers and automatic summarization is enabled, what must be configured to ensure that R1 will be able to reach the 126.96.36.199/24 network?
Use the command no auto-summary to disable automatic summarization.*
Use the command ip address-summary to ensure that R1 recognizes the 188.8.131.52 network.
EIGRP supports VLSM and will automatically recognize the 184.108.40.206 network.
EIGRP does not support VLSM and therefore cannot be used with discontiguous networks.
7. Refer to the exhibit.
Which statement is supported by the output?
A static default route has been manually configured on this router.
Summarization of routes has been manually configured.
A default route is being learned through an external process.*
The route to 192.168.1.1 represents the configuration of a loopback interface.
8. Which two steps must be taken in order to send a default route to other EIGRP routers? (Choose two.)
Ensure automatic summarization is disabled.
Configure a loopback address.
Configure a default route.*
Redistribute the default route.*
Configure a router ID.
9. What is the administrative distance of externally learned EIGRP routes?
10. Two routers, R1 and R2, share a 64 kb/s link. An administrator wants to limit the bandwidth used by EIGRP between these two routers to 48 kb/s. Which command is used on both routers to configure the new bandwidth setting?
ip bandwidth-percent eigrp 100 48
ip bandwidth-percent eigrp 64 48
ip bandwidth-percent eigrp 100 64
ip bandwidth-percent eigrp 100 75*
ip bandwidth-percent eigrp 75 100
11. Refer to the exhibit.
Which two conclusions can be drawn from the exhibited configuration? (Choose two.)
The configuration supports equal-cost load balancing.
The configuration supports unequal-cost load balancing.*
Any EIGRP-learned route with a metric less than 3 times the successor metric will be installed in the local routing table.*
Any EIGRP-learned route with a metric equal to 3 times the successor metric will be installed in the local routing table.
The network statements require subnet masks to prevent autosummarization.
12. Which routing protocol supports unequal-cost load balancing on Cisco routers?
13. By default, how many equal-cost routes to the same destination network will EIGRP install in the routing table?
14. What is the default maximum amount of bandwidth that can be used for exchanging EIGRP messages on an EIGRP-configured interface?
15. Refer to the exhibit.
An administrator wants EIGRP on Router1 to load balance traffic to network 2001:db8:11:10::/64 across two interfaces. Currently traffic is using only interface GigabitEthernet0/1. A second route, not in the routing table, is available with a metric of 264000. What value is needed in the variance command to make EIGRP put the second route into the routing table?
16. When a Cisco router is configured with fast-switching, how are packets distributed over equal-cost paths?
on a per-packet basis
on a per-interface basis
on a per-path-load basis
on a per-destination basis*
17. Which command can be issued on a router to verify that automatic summarization is enabled?
show ip eigrp interfaces
show ip protocols*
show ip interface brief
show ip eigrp neighbors
18. Refer to the exhibit.
After the configuration shown is applied on router R1, the exhibited status message is displayed. Router R1 is unable to form a neighbor relationship with R2 on the serial 0/1/0 interface. What is the most likely cause of this problem?
The passive-interface command should have been issued on serial 0/1/0.
The hello interval has been altered on serial 0/1/0 and is preventing a neighbor relationship from forming.
The network statement used for EIGRP 55 does not enable EIGRP on interface serial 0/1/0.
The IPv4 address configured on the neighbor that is connected to R1 serial 0/1/0 is incorrect.*
The networks that are configured on serial 0/0/0 and serial 0/1/0 of router R1 are overlapping.
19. Refer to the exhibit.
Routers R1 and R2 are directly connected via their serial interfaces and are both running the EIGRP routing protocol. R1 and R2 can ping the directly connected serial interface of their neighbor, but they cannot form an EIGRP neighbor adjacency.
What action should be taken to solve this problem?
Enable the serial interfaces of both routers.
Configure EIGRP to send periodic updates.
Configure the same hello interval between the routers.
Configure both routers with the same EIGRP autonomous system number.*
20. Refer to the exhibit.
Considering that R2, R3, and R4 are correctly configured, why did R1 not establish an adjacency with R2, R3, and R4?
because the automatic summarization is enabled on R1
because the Fa0/0 interface of R1 is declared as passive for EIGRP*
because the IPv4 address on Fa0/0 interface of R1 is incorrect
because there is no network command for the network 192.168.1.0/24 on R1
21. In which scenario will the use of EIGRP automatic summarization cause inconsistent routing in a network?
when there is no adjacency that is established between neighboring routers
when there is no common subnet that exists between neighboring routers
when the routers in an IPv4 network have mismatching EIGRP AS numbers
when the routers in an IPv4 network are connected to discontiguous networks with automatic summarization enabled*
22. Refer to the exhibit.
Remote users are experiencing connectivity problems when attempting to reach hosts in the 172.21.100.0 /24 network. Using the output in the exhibit, what is the most likely cause of the connectivity problem?
The passive-interface command is preventing neighbor relationships on interface GigabitEthernet 0/0.
The hello timer has been modified on interface GigabitEthernet 0/1 of R3 and not on the neighbor, causing a neighbor adjacency not to form.
The GigabitEthernet 0/1 interface is not participating in the EIGRP process.*
The GigabitEthernet interfaces are not limiting the flow of EIGRP message information and are being flooded with EIGRP traffic.
23. Fill in the blank. Do not use abbreviations.
The “passive-interface” command causes an EIGRP router to stop sending hello packets through an interface.
24. Fill in the blank. Do not use abbreviations.
The command to propagate the default route from the router Border to the rest of the EIGRP domain is Border(config-router)# “redistribute static” .
25. Open the PT Activity. Perform the tasks in the activity instructions and then answer the question.
R1 and R2 could not establish an EIGRP adjacency. What is the problem?
EIGRP is down on R1.*
EIGRP is down on R2.
R1 Fa0/0 and R2 Fa0/0 are on different networks.
R1 Fa0/0 is not configured to send hello packets.
R1 Fa0/0 link local address is wrong. | https://www.ccna6.com/ccna3-v6-0-chapter-7-exam-answers/ | fineweb | 8,115 | 2.734375 |
At Cedars-Sinai, we know that surgery can be an overwhelming, often frightening experience for children and families. Talking with your child about what to expect ahead of time may help your child feel less afraid. Some things to do beforehand:
- Listen to your child.
- Be honest about what will happen.
- Use short, simple terms to explain things.
- Encourage questions and expression of fears.
- Let your child know that having to go to the hospital does not mean he has done something wrong.
- Explain that he will have special medicine to help his body not be awake during surgery and that he will wake up when the procedure is over.
- Reassure him that if something hurts, there are ways to help the pain, including medicine, relaxation and distraction.
- Emphasize that the hospital stay is temporary and focus on what your child will be able to do when they go home.
Children understand things based on their developmental level and age. The younger the child, the closer to the event you should prepare them. Here are some ideas that may be helpful to you.
- For any age child, pack some special items from home. Familiar objects will help your child feel more comfortable in a strange place. A favorite toy can serve as a security blanket and can accompany your child into surgery, the recovery room or the intensive care unit. For older children, a favorite pillow or blanket may also offer comfort.
- Infants and toddlers: Infants and toddlers find the most comfort in familiarity with caregivers. A calm caregiver helps promote a calm child. If you need to be away for periods of time during your child’s hospitalization, plan for a family member or friend to be with your child.
- Preschool and young school age (2-6 year olds): As a child gets older, he can be told about going to the hospital and what to expect once there. It is very important to give clear and simple explanations…and to tell the truth. Encourage conversation about the upcoming surgery. To know what your child’s fears are will be helpful for you, as well as the hospital staff. Rather than ask, “How do you feel?” try saying something like, “I bet you’re wondering what will happen when we get to the hospital, aren’t you?” This approach is more likely to get your child to talk.
Children can engage in medical play by giving a doll or stuffed animal “shots” and “medicine.” A play medical kit can be a wonderful tool for this type of play and might make your child more comfortable expressing feelings. Offer reassurance that you’ll do your best to be with him when you can and that other people will take care of him when you aren't there.
- School age children (6-12 year olds): Depending on your individual child’s abilities and needs, many of our suggestions for younger children can also be helpful at this age group. Please keep in mind that older children may want more detail so they may ask more questions. It is okay to tell your child if you don’t know the answer and that there are people at the hospital you can talk to for the answer and then follow through. This keeps the bond of trust secure.
It’s important for children to know that following surgery, the doctors, nurses and other members of our healthcare team may do additional tests and/or procedures to make sure that he is healing well from surgery. Empower your child to speak for himself, particularly around the issue of pain. There is a pain assessment tool that is useful to children to rate their pain. There are medications to help manage pain but encourage such things as distraction, relaxation and deep breathing to augment pain medications. These techniques also offer children a bit more control over their situation.
- Teenagers: Speak to your teenager honestly and respectfully about his upcoming surgery. Encourage your teenager to talk to the doctors and nurses and remember to include your teenager in discussions and decisions. This enables your teenager to feel a bit of control and foster independence. Your nonverbal cues are as important as your words: your facial expressions, tone and body language can be powerful. If you appear anxious or scared, your teen might feel frightened, regardless of the words you choose.
Privacy is a big issue for teenagers. Reassure your teen that the hospital staff will be respectful by knocking and pausing before entering the room. Encourage your teenager to maintain contact with friends and family through phone calls, Skype, letters and cards. When appropriate, allow for visits from friends for peer support. | https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Pediatric-Surgery/Patient-Guide/Preparing-your-child-for-surgery.aspx | fineweb | 4,534 | 3.140625 |
Ancient Amazon farming methods offer lessons for rainforest conservation, scientists say
- Published on
Ancient peoples sustainably farmed the Amazon more than four millennia ago, according to a new study by researchers from Britain’s University of Exeter. The paper, recently published in Nature Plants, provides a glimpse into past practices that could offer solutions to deforestation for today.
A multidisciplinary, international team carried out their study in the Brazilian Amazon, near the confluence of the Amazonas and Tapajos rivers. The region supported sizeable populations throughout the pre-Colombian era and is now the location of many archeological sites. The main research focus was a shallow lake, archeological soil profiles, and botanical surveys in the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós, a swathe of rainforest of just over 500,000 hectares, protected since 1974.
A closer look at gender relations in forest landscape restoration15.10.18
On this occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, Giulia Micheletti and Marlène Elias…Read more
AfricaRice Annual Report 2017 focuses on effective targeting of research to respond to stakeholder needs11.10.18
- Big data
- Food Security
AfricaRice is pleased to announce the release of its Annual Report 2017, themed ‘More effective…Read more
Erosion is eating away at African farms. Here’s why measuring the damage is so important09.10.18
With severe weather on the rise, farmers and downstream water users are being besieged by…Read more | https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/ancient-amazon-farming-methods-offer-lessons-rainforest-conservation-scientists-say/ | fineweb | 1,500 | 3.609375 |
The Swedish National Infrastructure for Radio Astronomy
Onsala Space Observatory (OSO), the Swedish National Infrastructure for Radio Astronomy, provides scientists with equipment to study the Earth and the rest of the Universe. We operate several radio telescopes in Onsala, 45 km south of Göteborg, and take part in international projects. The observatory is a geodetic fundamental station. Examples of facilities and activities:
- The 20 and 25 m telescopes in Onsala: Studies of the birth and death of stars, and of molecules in the Milky Way and other galaxies.
- The LOFAR station in Onsala: One part of an international network of antennas for studies of, e.g., pulsars and the early history of the Universe.
- Onsala Twin Telescopes: Two large radio telescopes for geodesy.
- VLBI: Telescopes in different countries are linked together for better resolution ("sharper images") and for measurements of the Earth.
- SKA: Developing technology for the world's largest radio telescope.
- APEX: Radio telescope in Chile for sub-millimetre waves. Research about everything from planets to the structure of the Universe.
- ALMA: Using and developing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile.
- Earth sciences: Radio telescopes (VLBI), satellites (e.g., GPS), gravimeters, tide gauges and radiometers are used to measure, e.g., Earth's rotation, movements in Earth's crust, sea level, and water vapour and other gases in the atmosphere.
- Time keeping: Two hydrogen maser clocks and one cesium clock contribute to establishing the official Swedish time and international time.
- SALSA: Small radio telescopes in Onsala for educational purposes.
- Receiver development: Laboratories for development of sensitive radio receivers.
Onsala Space Observatory is hosted by Department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers University of Technology, and is operated on behalf of the Swedish Research Council. The observatory was founded in 1949 by professor Olof Rydbeck.
Professor John Conway, email: [email protected], phone: +46 31 772 5503
Kjell Möller, chairman
Gunilla Borgefors, Uppsala University
Christian Forssén, Chalmers University of Technology
Claes Fransson, Stockholm University
Carole Mundell, University of Bath
Björn Ragnvald Pettersen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Merja Tornikoski, Aalto University Metsähovi Radio Observatory
In addition, John Conway, director of Onsala Space Observatory, participates in the Steering Committee meetings. Secretary is Magnus Thomasson, Onsala Space Observatory. | https://www.chalmers.se/en/researchinfrastructure/oso/about-us/Pages/default.aspx | fineweb | 2,540 | 2.90625 |
CHESS IN SCHOOL
CHESS AROUND THE WORLD
The Chess in the Olympics Campaign says that there are at least 605 to 700 million people worldwide who play chess, out of 7 billion people. 8.6% of the world plays chess. There are 8 million registered chess players representing over 160 countries.
‘’The chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules the laws of nature.” All of life is there in the complexity of chess. The strategy, the counter- strategy, the bluffs and counter-bluffs, the feints, the all-out attacks, the reading of the opponent, the personal style.
CHESS IN SCHOOLS
In the UK it chess is becoming part of the national school curriculum. Chess encourages planning, calculation and strategic thinking, and it aids concentration. The Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) charity, which has introduced chess into classrooms in over 800 state schools across the UK. In Armenia, a country with a strong chess tradition, it is mandatory for children to learn chess from the age of six.
BASIC CHESS RULES
Chess is played on a square board of eight rows (called ranks and denoted with numbers 1 to 8) and eight columns (called files and denoted with letters A to H) of squares. The colours of the 64 squares alternate and are referred to as "light" and "dark" squares. The chessboard is placed with a light square at the right-hand end of the rank nearest to each player, and the pieces are set out as shown in the diagram and photo, with each queen on a square of its own colour.
By convention, the game pieces are divided into white and black sets, and the players are referred to as "White" and "Black" respectively. Each player begins the game with 16 pieces of the specified colour, which consist of one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. | https://www.checkmatetvshow.com/about/chess-school/ | fineweb | 1,820 | 3.296875 |
As chancellor of the University of Paris, John Charlier of Gerson was one of the most influential French churchmen at the end of the fourteenth and beginning of the fifteenth centuries. Like two other contemporaries named John--John Wycliffe and John Hus, he called for reform of the church. Unlike them, he was unwilling to overthrow venerable establishments. Still, he wrote many things which sixteenth century reformers quoted.
John was born on this day, December 14, 1363 in the French farming town of Gerson. His parents were pious people and their faith took hold in each of the children. As the oldest son, John acted as a spiritual advisor to the others. His sisters eventually devoted themselves to virginity and made a virtual nunnery out of the home, practicing good works from it.
At the time of John's birth, France's 100 Years' War with England was drawing to a close. (John would write in defense of Joan of Arc against charges of sorcery and wearing a man's clothes.) France was in a mess because of the war and occupation. The church were in a mess because there were rival popes, each backed by different nations. Throughout the world, the church was corrupt. In too many instances, the common people had better morals than the clergy. Groups who opposed Roman Catholicism were on the rise. In these trying times, John's motto was "Do penance and believe the gospel."
John challenged the top guns of the nation and church, too, pointing out that their corruption was the cause of the woes of France. Although he had been sponsored by the Duke of Burgundy, he nonetheless called for the duke's punishment after he arranged the assassination of the Duke of Orleans. John sought official condemnation of a brand of theology which permitted murder of tyrants. Ironically, Burgundy, who defended the theology, was himself later assassinated.
From the start, John realized the importance of training the young if there was to be real reform of the church. His ideal was to train them to have faith in their hearts rather than just knowledge in the head. He favored a mystical approach, pointing out that even young children and idiots with an inner knowledge of God can lead Christian lives whereas many intellectuals fail. And faith should be Christ-centered. In their studies, the universities should emphasize those books which dealt with Christ more than those that dealt with the nature and being of God. As for the people, they should gaze upon the life of Christ, "whose every act is for our instruction."
Seeking to end the split in the church, John pleaded with both popes to step down. When they wouldn't, he decided it was better to break church law temporarily, by taking some steps without the pope's approval, than to allow the church to stay broken. He preached a stirring sermon which helped hold the Council of Constance together when it was about to collapse. Eventually, the council ended the split by declaring it had authority over popes, locking up Pope John XXIII and electing a new one. However, that same council burned John Hus at the stake. John Gerson was a leader in condemning Hus.
Considering how much he had in common with Hus, how could this be? Although John Gerson gave Scripture an important place, he insisted that only the church could interpret what the Bible really means. Generally this was done through the universities--especially his own University of Paris. Gerson said that for Hus to teach independently as he did undermined religious and political authority. Hus must die.
Because he had spoken out against the Duke of Burgundy, John had to live in exile for two years. After the Duke's death, he returned to France, but kept out of the way of the Duke's followers by living in Lyons. There he taught children and wrote devotional books.
- Connolly, James L. John Gerson, Reformer and Mystic. London: B. Herder Book Co., 1928.
- Foutz, Scott David. "On the Life and Mystical Theology of Jean Gerson (1336-1429)." http://www.quodlibet.net/gerson.shtml
- Various encyclopedia and internet articles.
Last updated July, 2007. | https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/catholic-reformer-john-charlier-of-gerson-11629861.html | fineweb | 4,081 | 2.859375 |
We’re talking plankton. Yep, plankton.
Bet most of you don’t know much about plankton, but you probably should, since they contribute substantially to the oxygen you breathe, among other essential planet-supporting activities. Now there’s a fun, mind-expanding way to learn about these exceptionally hard-working organisms—and help scientists collect data about the effects of climate change on the world’s oceans.
In mid-September, Zooniverse launched a project to crowd-source identification of plankton from photographic images captured at various locations around the globe. By identifying the numbers, sizes, and types of plankton found in these areas, scientists can analyze where and when plankton occur at different depths in the ocean; this information is a key to understanding the health of the oceans’ ecosystems.
Plankton are any organisms that live in a “water column” between the surface and bottom of a body of water and are incapable of swimming against a current. (Fun fact: jellyfish are plankton).Consider phytoplankton, photosynthesizing microorganisms that inhabit the upper layer of almost all oceans and bodies of fresh water. According to NASA, they “fuel nearly all ocean ecosystems, serving as the most basic food source for marine animals from zooplankton to fish to shellfish.” Considering how tiny phytoplankton are, it’s mind-blowing how important they are in the great scheme of things. They not only provide critical nutrition for other organisms, but, as a result of photosynthesis at the ocean’s surface, they’re also responsible for much of the oxygen present in the Earth’s atmosphere.
And then there are zooplankton. When zooplankton (animals) consume phytoplankton (plants), some of the carbon from the phytoplankton gets released by the zooplankton as organic material that supports the aquatic food web. And zooplankton themselves are food for almost all fish larvae—in fact, fish populations rely on the density and distribution of zooplankton to match that of new larvae, which might otherwise starve.
The Zooniverse web app starts with a short interactive tutorial, which trains users to measure and identify plankton in photographs taken by the In Situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS). ISIIS is a self-illuminating macro-camera system integrated into an underwater vehicle equipped with a variety of additional sensors to measure the depth, salinity, and temperature of the water, as well as the amount of dissolved oxygen, the light level, and how much chlorophyll is present. In addition to all of that data, ISIIS produces digital images that record the exact location of the various plankton organisms in relation to each other and the environment in which they live. And those are the images Zooniverse needs your help with.
Aside from the citizen science aspect of the project, the ghostly plankton images themselves are eerily beautiful and, considering they not only sit at the very beginning of the food chain, but also help provide oxygen for your lungs, well worth a few minutes of your time. | http://animals.oreilly.com/planktonportal/ | fineweb | 3,055 | 3.75 |
On Kickstarter: Beautiful Photographs of Habitat Restoration
In the early 1900s, thousands of acres of Kenyan forest were cleared for the production of monoculture crops of tea and the eucalyptus used to dry it. Now some of that habitat is being restored by the Ecological Restoration Alliance, a group of botanic gardens from the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, China, Australia, and Jordan. Their goal is to restore 100 damaged and degraded habitats across 6 continents in 20 years. The places they’re targeting include tropical forests, prairies, wild places within cities, wetlands, and coastal sites — ecosystems that are threatened and no longer able to sustain people’s livelihoods or to support biodiversity.
The Alliance’s approach includes restoring wild areas, protecting restored habitats, and creating socioeconomic benefits for local communities. And it’s an approach that works. In just 12 years, restoration of the upland forest in Kenya has transformed a eucalyptus plantation into a thriving forest with over 150 bird species, a wide range of mammals, and hundreds of rare and endangered tree species. The project has trained and employed local people, provided livelihoods in an area of high unemployment, and is becoming a model for a new East African biodiversity, restoration, and hardwood forestry initiative.
Conservation photographer Barney Wilczak has documented the Alliance’s restoration work at the Brackenhurst Botanic Garden in Kenya. He recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to document the Alliance’s reforestation projects in Mexico and China.
“The funds raised from this Kickstarter project will support shooting my next two restoration stories, documenting forest restoration work undertaken in Mexico and China. These images will then be used to raise awareness of restoration work and generate more support for these activities.”
In addition to exhibiting his photos at the participating botanical garden organizations, Wilczak’s work will be part of a media library for over 600 gardens in 118 countries, all members of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), which coordinates the Ecological Restoration Alliance. The photos will be available for use by botanic gardens for educational purposes, highlighting how restoration projects can play a role in improving the environment and to gain support for further restoration work. | http://animals.oreilly.com/wild-again/ | fineweb | 2,395 | 2.8125 |
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Administration accounting and financial accounting each offer critical functions in a company. The distinctions develop these substantial diversely, however equivalent in benefits.
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Besides that, those report are utilized to carry out income taxes, so that they should be 100 % correct. Administration accounting came initial and it was launched at the conclusion of 1800. | https://jyler.com/index.php/management-accounting-and-financial-accounting-defined/ | fineweb | 2,202 | 2.765625 |
WHO Urges Nations To Make Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission ‘Top Priority’
The World Health Organization in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday urged nations to make the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission a "top priority," Xinhuanet reports. HIV-positive women can use antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy to improve their health and reduce the risk of vertical transmission, according to the report, which also says that efforts should be made to improve the provision of antiretroviral drugs to all HIV-positive women who require treatment. The report -- which is the outcome of a meeting on antiretroviral drugs and vertical transmission prevention in resource-limited countries -- said that interventions should focus on primary HIV prevention among women and their partners and the prevention of vertical HIV transmission. Although the safety and effectiveness of triple-combination antiretroviral regimens have not been thoroughly assessed in resource-poor areas, "[i]nformation on safety of various ARV regimens shows that short-course regimens are, in general, well-tolerated, with few mild and transient side effects for the woman and her infant," the report says, according to Xinhuanet (Xinhuanet, 10/20).This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription. | https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr00026368/ | fineweb | 1,400 | 2.890625 |
General Reeve began his discussion of the Illinois Military
Museum with a short history of the facility. The museum is a
repository of items collected for over two centuries from the
Illinois National Guard and its predecessors. The first home of the
museum was the Memorial Hall in the Secretary of State building on
the campus of the State Capital in downtown Springfield.
In 2003, the collection was moved to its current home at Camp
Lincoln. The historic building was constructed in 1905 and used as a
hospital for the army guard base. It is now dedicated solely to the
The current two story museum has some of the rarest items available.
The history of the Illinois National Guard actually began before
Illinois became a state in 1818. Previous to that time, Illinois was
part of Virginia under French control prior to the Revolutionary
The inhabitants of this area at that time were a self-sufficient lot
who had to fend for themselves. Part of their required personal
items at that time was a rifle and powder for protection, but also
to hunt for food for their families.
The Illinois Military Museum follows the course of these area
citizens through to statehood when the Illinois National Guard was
formed. Reeve said, “The museum details the story of Illinois
citizens who volunteered to serve their state and country.”
Guard members are citizen volunteers who are called upon from time
to time to help defend our state and country. The Illinois National
Guard members have been engaged in every conflict that the United
States has fought, from the Black Hawk Wars of the early 1830’s,
through the recently ended second Iraq conflict, and Afghanistan.
The members of the guard are highly trained and can fill many rolls.
In 1917 during WW I, an aviation unit of the Army National Guard
formed. It is included in museum displays and now part of the
extensive archives at Camp Lincoln. In 1918 during combat over
France, Guard aviators produced the first four air aces recognized
for heroism, one of those pilots being Reed Landis from Illinois.
Illinois even has a Navy presence in the Guard.
Reeve related some history related to one of the famous members of
the Illinois National Guard. He was an unknown trading post
entrepreneur at New Salem, and later a circuit riding lawyer named
Mr. Lincoln joined the Guard in the early 1830’s just in time to
participate in the Black Hawk War in Illinois during 1832. He
originally signed up for a 30-day enlistment as a 23 year old, then
signed again for another 30 days, and subsequently made a third
enlistment. Lincoln was so well liked by his comrades that he was
elected to positions of leadership in his guard unit. While Lincoln
saw no combat against the Black Hawk Indian tribe, he remarked later
in his life that his time in the Illinois Army Guard was some of the
most satisfying of his life.
General Reeve said, “The Illinois Military Museum is more than one
famous person and one war.” Other illustrious Illinois residents
that served in the guard include Robert McCormick, founder of the
Chicago Tribune; Carl Sandburg, world renowned Illinois poet and
Lincoln biographer; John A. Logan (does that name sound familiar?)
and Ulysses S. Grant.
Reeve spoke further about the history of the Illinois Guard and
items in the museum, mentioning that Illinois Guard members served
in the Mexican War and were sent into Mexico. The museum has
uniforms from this era. The Guard fought in the battle of Cerro
Gordo in the Mexican War. That conflict remains a controversial
subject among military historians. During his lone term in Congress,
Abraham Lincoln challenged the United States government to justify
the war against Mexico in his “Spot Resolution.”
Reeve continued to unroll the fascinating history of the Illinois
National Guard that is represented in the museum by addressing its
role in the Civil War. While former Guard member Abraham Lincoln
occupied the White House as president, his home state sent over
250,000 of its citizens into that conflict. The museum has some
unique Civil War items that by their very existence attests to the
quality of this collection.
The first overseas deployment of the Illinois National Guard was
during the Spanish American War of 1897, when a contingent of troops
was sent to Cuba.
The 20th Century brought conflicts that again called upon the
citizen soldiers of Illinois. Reeve mentioned the 12,000 guardsmen
who were sent to New Mexico in 1916 after the attack on the small
town of Columbus, New Mexico by a rogue Mexican general name Pancho
During WW I, 18,000 guardsmen went into the United States’ Army in
its battle against Germany. The contingent sent to Europe was unique
because it contained black officers and soldiers, a step that was
way ahead of the rest of the country.
[to top of second column]
At this point General Reeve wanted to make a very important
point about the Illinois National Guard. While the Guard
continued to serve in times of conflict in World War II, Korea,
Viet Nam, both conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said “The
Illinois Guard is not just about participating in conflicts and
the museum is not just about war. The small things the Guard
performs are also vital to its mission and the story that the
Illinois Military Museum tells.”
The Guard’s mission is also to build and heal. Highly trained
Guard units provide medical care and security after natural
disasters both in state and outside Illinois. The Guard builds
schools and digs wells in countries around the world. “These
humanitarian missions are some of the most important tasks that
the men and women of the Guard do,” he said.
“The State Partnership for Peace has matched the Illinois
National Guard with Poland since the early 1990’s after the fall
of the Iron Curtain. The Guard participates in joint exercises
with Polish units.” The Guard was also called upon after the
terrorism attacks of 9-11.
The Illinois Military Museum has over 12,000 items in its
possession. Only a small number of these are displayed on a
rotating basis. One of its most famous items is Mexican General
Santa Anna’s cork leg which was captured during the war with
Mexico. The display of the leg is a beautiful recreation of the
incident when the leg was taken. It seems that the general had
removed the prosthesis and was reclining in his coach enjoying
lunch when US soldiers approached. He scrambled to escape
leaving his cork leg behind. The leg was taken by an Illinois
soldier and has ended up in Springfield, Illinois.
Stepping off the elevator onto the second floor of the museum
and into the main exhibit area, one encounters an evocative
display of Guard members who have perished while performing
Perhaps the most spectacular collection at the Illinois Military
Museum is the battle flags. The museum has more than 1,000
battle flags beginning with a few from the Mexican War in 1846.
The flags were used before the advent of radio communication to
signal the troops.
At one time the flags hung in the Centennial Hall in the
Secretary of State office. They were not well cared for and were
finally removed and entrusted to the care of the Illinois
Some of these priceless flags are in fragile condition from age
and neglect. The irreplaceable treasures are now stored in a
climate controlled vault at Camp Lincoln. A different flag is
removed from the vault every 90 days and displayed in the
museum. The flags tell their own story of the Illinois National
Guard in thread and fabric.
Stuart Reeve concluded his presentation on the Illinois Military
Museum to the gathered members of LCG&HS by saying, “The museum
is an Illinois asset, a national asset. It is a living history
museum that changes all of the time, as the role of the Illinois
National Guard changes. We have designed the museum to be a
welcoming and at times a very personal place. ” He believes that
the museum is a gem that is not to be missed.
The Illinois Military Museum is located on the grounds of Camp
Lincoln on the north side of Springfield, just two short blocks
north of the intersection of North Grand Avenue and MacArthur
Boulevard. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to
You can find the updated hours and more information on the
museum's Face Book page along with upcoming special events or
contact Stuart Reeve at (217) 761-3384. Admission to the museum
The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society meets each
month on the third Monday at 6:30 p.m. at their research center
at 114 North Chicago Street in Lincoln. Each meeting features a
guest speaker discussing genealogy and research and central
Illinois history. The research center may be contacted at (217)
732-3200 or by email at [email protected].
[By CURT FOX]
Air National Guard, Origins | http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Jun/30/Features/comm070714_LCGHS.shtml | fineweb | 8,747 | 2.953125 |
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Learn to think like a painter and render images that look like they were created with oils or acrylics, using the latest digital artist's tools. Author and artist John Derry introduces the process of interpreting a photograph into a painted work of art. He begins by explaining his system of visual vocabularies, which describe how to replace the visual characteristics of a photograph with that of expressive painting, and also shares the custom brush sets and actions he uses to achieve these results in Adobe Photoshop. The course also covers working with filters, layers, effects, and more to add further detail and texture.
So, up till now, we've been basically building our story elements. We've been putting pieces together and creating this overall scene that tells a story. Now its time to start kind of locking down things and begin to prepare it for the painting aspect of all this. And so what I want to do now is, while I still have all of these elements in various layers, is start to play around with the tonality of them, somewhat. And again, this will be in the service of basically adding or strengthening the mood that I want to impart within this scene.
We're going to use a couple tricks here in the next couple segments to be able to work on a couple different parts of this image just to start to get what my vision of it is. And, keep in mind, my vision of this and your vision of this could be different, and especially if you take some of the lessons that you get out of this course and apply it to an idea that you have, your vision of it is going to be completely different than mine, so what you're getting throughout this course is, you know, a thin slice into my way of doing things, and it's very unique to the way that I do it.
You may find that these techniques work great for you, but you'll apply them and use them in totally different ways. So, don't feel like what I'm showing you here is, this is the one way to do things. This is just a way to do things, and hopefully, some of these techniques can parlay themselves into the way that you want to affect an image or tell a story. Now, what we're going to start with is the castle itself. And I'm going to take advantage of the shadow and highlight feature that allows me to play with kind of adjusting each component of that, the shadows and the highlights.
And I'm going to start off by kind of going to the castle layer here, and we'll go up to our Image menu to Adjustments to Shadows/Highlights. And I want to show you a couple things right here. Did you see how that changed when that opened up? I don't like the way this changes every time it opens up, and that's because by default, Photoshop has the shadows turned up. You know, if no adjustment's been made yet, its going to look like this. That's how it looked before we came to it. If you don't want to see that change every time you open up Shadows/Highlights, go down here to the bottom and you may have to open up your dialog.
It shows up like this by default, so you might want to open this up with the Show More Options option, just make sure you have everything turned down and then you can say Save As Defaults, and so we can say Cancel now. And now when I go to Shadows/Highlights it doesn't change. That's the way I like it. So that's, that's a little thing that I wanted to show you. Now, I want to start to darken up this scene a bit give, it a little more mystery. And so with the highlights, see how I can start to turn this down? But there's one thing that's wrong, and this is where we're going to have to start considering the layers and how they interact.
You can see in the shadows that we've applied with the tree limb, see how they're turning kind of brown, that's because that's on a different layer. So it's going to act differently than if it were all of a single layer. So the first thing I want to do is, rather than just adjust the castle, I'm going to cancel out of this, and I'm going to collapse these two together. Now, as we go throughout this title, keep in mind that at various spots in the process, it's going to become necessary to collapse things.
Sometimes, in fact in a little while here, we're going to collapse this whole thing down to a single layer. I really advise you to keep track as you go forward of anything that you think you may want to adjust later on and go change. You always want to make sure that you're keeping a layered version around so that, rather than have some major surgery, it's very difficult to correct something, you could think of it as, oh, if I just had that on an individual layer it would have been so much easier. Always keep that in mind as you go forward, so that you keep a version that's layered. And I can tell you that having gone through this process to do this image already, you wouldn't believe how many versions of this image I have.
I probably have 20 or 30 versions of the image from beginning to end. And that's all so I can always get back if I want to just go back a couple of steps. The more you save layered versions of images as you move forward, you want to be able to have those so that you can make changes. And one way to think of it is, any time you think you may want to get back to something or any time you're going to collapse things, always save the image first, and then collapse, and that way you can always get back. So, that's just a little lesson, but it's hard learned, because you'll eventually do it and not save it and you'll realize how much more convenient it would have been to have saved the layered version.
What I want to do is here is I'm going to collapse my shadow layer down onto the castle, so I select that layer and I'm just going to use Command or Control+E to drop that onto the layer beneath it, which is the castle layer. So now, I now have the shadow and the castle as all part of one layer. And now I can go back to my Shadows/Highlights and not get that funny coloration that we saw before. So we'll go back to Shadows/Highlights and I'm going to adjust my highlights.
Now, see, now that's not, you know, I'll over do it, but you can eventually, with Shadows/Highlights, make colors look funny anyway, but it's not as much of a problem as it was before. So I'm going to do that. Let's also take a look at shadows, I was just going to check both. See how I can now kinda open up those shadows a little bit. So, there's no right or wrong answer to this. I always call this kind of work seasoning to taste. Everybody's going to have a different way they want this to look. So, season to taste is just where it's open to interpretation how you want to do it. And I'll always check with turning this on and on to see what I've done.
And remember, too, that what we're trying to do here is move this farther and farther away from how a camera looks at it and more how human vision looks at it. So, now that I look at that, earlier, I thought it looked fine, but when I start to see it kind of crunched down a bit there In the dynamic range, I like that more, so I'm going to go with that. And I can also go to the background layer, and I can also do the same thing with it, and just see if it's going to make any difference. So once again, we'll go to Shadows/Highlights and let's see.
Yeah, see how that, we're getting much more definition in the sky? I like that. I'll also just check what the shadows do, and actually, that kind of has a nice look. Because what we want to do here is, this background is farther away, and so there's going to be some atmosphere between us and those elements. And the more distant items become, the more they kind of lose color and get lighter. So by actually kind of turning this down, you can see how it's effecting the landscape back there.
I can actually use this to kind of lighten that up. So I'm going to go with something like that. There we go. So, what we've done here is we've used Shadows/Highlights in a way that lets us kind of interactively adjust the look of this. And in fact, if I go back a couple of steps here, temporarily, see, that's where we were, and there's where we are now. So now we've got this adjusted more to a way that, again, according to my vision, the way I want to see this appear, looks correct.
So, we're going to with this and then in the next video, we're going to take advantage of yet another tone correcting feature, and then we'll be pretty much ready to start the process of painting.
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Click on text in the transcript to jump to that spot in the video. As the video plays, the relevant spot in the transcript will be highlighted. | http://www.lynda.com/Photoshop-tutorials/Using-ShadowHighlight-adjustment-filter/108539/120146-4.html?w=0 | fineweb | 9,186 | 2.921875 |
“We should call that one The Great Pigdini!” “And that one can be named JEFF!” No matter what age of students you bring down to the farm, as soon as you allow them some free time to explore, they inevitably all end up surrounding the pigs. Meeting pigs isn’t the only highlight of the day. Students are able to learn and get dirty on a real working organic farm during the “Farming 101” and “Plants and Pollinators” classes.
In the morning students work on different projects around the farm that might include harvesting and processing vegetables or moving pigs. “I love teaching kids about the effort that goes into producing their food and helping them try new vegetables,” our field manager Tori stated. One way we entice them to eat new vegetables is to have everyone create their own pizza at lunch time covered exclusively in vegetables that they harvest themselves, plus maybe a little (or a lot) of cheese. It’s an amazing sight to see kids who just the day before wouldn’t even think about touching a vegetable, now chopping vegetables and somehow trying to fit all of them onto their small pizza crust.
After the pizza lunch, class shifts away from work projects and dives into the science behind making a farm function like soil chemistry, pollinator diversity and photosynthesis. All of which helps shift their perspective and give them a broader understanding of the US food system.
If you want to take the excitement of the farm back into your house or classroom the kids have a few ideas to share with you: | https://wolf-ridge.org/featured-class-farming-101-and-plants-and-pollinators/ | fineweb | 1,522 | 3.296875 |
Day 3 is here — and so are questions of trust, acrostics, and internal rhymes.
Your prompt: trust
Remember, comments are closed on Blogging U. assignments. If you have a question, or want to share or chat, head to The Commons.
Today’s word is trust: write a poem in which you address, reflect on, or tell a story about the feeling of trusting or being trusted by another (person, animal, object, potted plant…). Or about distrusting them (or not being trusted yourself).
Today’s form: acrostic
Acrostics at a glance:
- An acrostic is any poem in which the first (or last) letters of each line combine to spell out a word or a phrase, or follow the order of the alphabet.
Today’s (totally optional) form, the acrostic (ahc-RUS-tic), highlights the fact that poetry, at heart, is wordplay — it’s language playing tricks on your readers. Acrostics have been around for millennia: they’re a creative way to give order and convey multiple meanings at once while staying fairly subtle.
There have been two prevalent ways to create acrostics. In one, you follow the sequence of the alphabet, beginning each verse in your poem with a different one from A to Z (or to whatever letter you choose to reach — you’re not obliged to cover the entire ABC). This type of acrostic emphasizes the idea of seriality, of accumulation, or of a preset order.
The other type of acrostic is one in which the first (or last) letter of each verse together spell out a message: a short sentence, a word, a name (for example, medieval poets loved writing love poems with acrostics spelling out their beloved’s name). Here’s a famous, self-referential modern acrostic, by the ever-troubled Edgar Allan Poe:
Elizabeth it is in vain you say
“Love not” — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:
In vain those words from thee or L. E. L.
Zantippe’s talents had enforced so well:
Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,
Breathe it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.
Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried
To cure his love — was cured of all beside —
His folly — pride — and passion — for he died.
If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you can try creating acrostics using both the first and last letters of every verse — this is called (shocking!) a double acrostic.
Some interesting ways to use acrostics include writing a poem that asks a question to which the answer is the spelled-out word; one in which the “hidden” message contradicts or otherwise complicates the content of the poem. I’m sure you can find many more uses for this form.
Today’s device: internal rhyme
We don’t talk a lot about rhyme in this course — it’s a such a huge topic in its own right. It also tends to elicit strong reactions from poets who shun it in favor of free verse, as well as from those who are passionate about the minutiae of true, slant, feminine, masculine, or eye rhymes (among others).
Internal rhyme, though — the poetic device on offer for your exploration today — should appeal to all poets. It adds a level of sonic complexity and playfulness without calling too much attention to itself the way end rhymes (i.e. rhymes appearing at the end of verses) do.
Internal rhymes can occur within a single line of verse (and in definitely more than 50 ways):
You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don’t need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
They definitely won’t sabotage your underlying message:
I can’t stand it I know you planned it
I’m gonna set it straight, this Watergate
If you’re ever short on internal rhyme inspiration, just listen to any old-school hip hop artist: virtuosic internal rhyming was a cornerstone of the genre.
But they can also make more subtle appearances across different lines, creating echoes and connections that stay with your reader, even if subconsciously:
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
In your poem today, try creating some internal rhymes: you could start with a pair of words that have an interesting connection, and sneak them into your lines. Or you could decide, first, what kind of pattern you’re going for — same-line rhymes? Rhymes that cross from one line of verse to the next? — and go from there. | https://wordpress.com/dailypost/assignments/writing-201-trust/ | fineweb | 4,162 | 3.4375 |
A developed country is defined as a sovereign state that, compared to other nations, has a developed economy and technologically advanced infrastructure.
Every year, the United Nations Development Program releases a report that outlines indices and indicators of human development. The report gives an overview of the state of development worldwide and identifies improvements in nations, including those that are developing or developed. To determine if a country is developed, the United Nations Development Program uses the Human Development Index (HDI).
HDI is quantified by looking at a country's human development, such as healthcare, education, and life expectancy. HDI is set on a scale that ranges from 0 to 1, with four different classifications of low human development (0-.55), medium human development (.55-.70), high human development (.70-80), and very high human development (.80-1.0).
Most developed countries have a score of at least .80 and are considered "very high human development." One of Africa's 54 countries is considered to have "very high human development:" Seychelles. Seven African countries have "high human development":
- Seychelles (.801)
- Mauritius (.796)
- Algeria (.759)
- Tunisia (.739)
- Botswana (.728)
- Libya (.708)
- Gabon (.702)
Seychelles is Africa's most developed country with an HDI of .801, just making the "very high human development" threshold. Seychelles is ranked 62 in HDI rankings and has a life expectancy of 73.7 years. The country's economic growth is mainly driven by tourism, and the GDP has increased nearly sevenfold since 1976. Algeria has an HDI score of .759 and is the third most developed country in Africa. Algeria currently has the highest life expectancy of all African countries of 76.3 years.
Despite the progress that Africa has been making in terms of life expectancy and the economy, many countries still face issues such as poverty, inequality, and conflict.
Below is each African country's Human Development Index score. | https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-developed-countries-in-africa | fineweb | 2,001 | 3.453125 |
2 Character Analysis Essay Examples with Character - Kibin The character analysis essay examples below analyze characters from short stories. I’ve included a variety of comments to help you see what these writers do well and what they might do to improve their analyses. Sample Character Analysis Essay - "Hamlet" - AP English ... Sample Character Analysis Essay - "Hamlet". Although Hamlet appears to be the epitome of an anti-existentialist from the outset of the story, Hamlet's logic slowly begins to unravel scene by scene, like a blood-soaked bandage, with layer after layer revealing snippets of Hamlet's emotion and feeling.
How to Write a Character Analysis The material below is designed to be read in conjunction with "Writing about Literature" (Kennedy and Gioia 1851-1873) and "Writing about a Story" (Kennedy and Gioia 1874-1891).
A well-constructed character analysis outline wi will keep your thoughts and ideas organized.Feel free to use that character analysis essay example as a reference to your paper. Paper Towns Characters from LitCharts | The creators of… Need help on characters in John Green's Paper Towns? Check out our detailed character descriptions.Quentin begins the novel as a mild-mannered… (read full character analysis). How to Analyze Characters in Literature | Owlcation Character analysis is an important part of any college freshman or sophomore literature class.And I’m here to help you learn how to do a character analysis. First up - things to look at
After you have done all your homework on Script, Scene and Character Analysis, make another pass at the script to see what dialogue can be omitted by using visuals to get the point across. It is always better to SHOW the audience what a character is thinking, than have them talk about it.
Great Expectations Character Analysis Paper.Report "Great Expectations Character Analysis Paper". Please fill this form, we will try to respond as soon as possible. Free character analysis Essays and Papers
How to Write a Character Analysis - thoughtco.com
PDF www.risd.k12.nm.us Provide each student with a copy of the text and a character student sheet. Provide students with one character comparison sheet that they will complete together. The students read or review the text. Name the characters in the story. (Each student selects a different character.) Write the name of the selected character on the character student ... Paper Towns Characters - Shmoop Main characters in Paper Towns book, analysis of key characters
Antigone Character Analysis. Antigone is a loving sister who is willing to do anything for her brother. She is aware of all the misfortunes that happened to her family. That she decides to give rest to the soul of Polyneices by burying his dead body which is a duty of a loving sister even at the cost of losing her life.
Character Analysis Essay 101: How to Write an Analysis Essay Our great guide (and advanced tips) on how to write a character analysis essay will help you to make your own A+ character analysis paper. Character analysis essay « Essayfield.com It is needless to say, that the analysis of a character differs in relation to whether it is written on high school or college level because if you are a college student, your character analysis essay requires more background information… Papers on Huckleberry Finn Character Analysis term papers and…
The Body of the Essay and the Importance of Topic Sentences The term regularly used for the development of the central idea of a literary analysis essay is the body. In this section you present the paragraphs (at least 3 paragraphs for a 500-750 word essay) that support your thesis statement. Good literary analysis The Pearl Characters and Analysis - A Research Guide for Students | https://writezthdp.firebaseapp.com/kruiboesch74340nuk/character-analysis-paper-rutu.html | fineweb | 3,759 | 3.28125 |
North Macedonia has experienced numerous waves of radicalisation that can be traced back to the disintegration of Yugoslav Communism in the region. Against this background, MotherSchools North Macedonia, the first Parenting for Peace programme to be rolled out in the Western Balkans, has been running in Skopje since 2016. Building on the momentum and resounding successes of its implementation in the Municipality of Čair, the second generation of MotherSchools, currently underway, is seeing the Model travel to vulnerable communities in more rural parts of the country as well as to other countries in the region, including Kosovo and Montenegro.
In the Western Balkans, messages of religious militancy have resonated profoundly with vulnerable youth populations and gained considerable traction in isolated communities over the past decade. Countries with high concentrations of Albanian-speaking adolescents and young adults have been particularly susceptible to radicalisation. As evidenced by more recent waves of radicalisation, violent extremist groups have taken advantage of evolving voids in and pressures on identities that have been and continue to be shaped by struggles with the lingering legacies of violent conflict and a history of shifting geopolitical circumstance. North Macedonia has experienced numerous waves of radicalisation that can be traced back to the disintegration of Yugoslav Communism in the region. Despite being the only country to secede from former Yugoslavia peacefully, ethnic tensions in North Macedonia have been a cause of security concerns since the country gained independence in 1991. Institutionalised discrimination against ethnic Albanians and the subsequent retaliation by Albanians in the form of violent protest, as well as the effective segregation of educational institutions along ethno-linguistic lines, have led to the entrenchment of opposing ethnic, cultural, and religious identities and animosity between Macedonians and Albanians.
Macedonia boasts one of Europe’s highest per capita rate of individuals who left to fight in Iraq and Syria. Recruiters have immersed themselves in and paid particular attention to its complex social-political makeup to effectively target and radicalise vulnerable youth. In the words of a teacher who oversaw a Women without Borders (WwB) MotherSchools group in North Macedonia, ‘Mothers are very concerned and worried about their children, because every mother had a person or some people who also have experience with young or older people who went to Syria, and most of them are dead’. Yet the issue has continued to evolve. The recent influx of returnees threatens to introduce new toxic ideologies, exacerbate the issue in already affected areas, and bring violent extremism into other communities across the region.
Against this background, Women without Borders has been running MotherSchools North Macedonia since 2016, with a second generation now seeing the programme expand beyond Skopje. As the first Parenting for Peace programme to be launched in the region, it has paved the way for a number of new MotherSchools that are currently underway across the Western Balkans.
In 2016, Women without Borders launched MotherSchools North Macedonia in cooperation with Analytica as local implementing partner and with the support of the US Embassy in Skopje. With a focus on the Municipality of Čair in Skopje, WwB aimed to both heighten concerned mothers’ awareness of the threat posed by radicalisation and building their capacity to safeguard their families and communities against this threat. We trained a cohort of Teachers and Notetakers to lead the sessions and mobilised over thirty mothers to partake, including mothers of Albanian, Bosnian, North Macedonian, and Turkish origin. WwB’s rigorous monitoring and evaluation throughout highlighted the programme’s beneficial impact on the participants and teachers alike. The successful conclusion of this effort has built momentum to deepen this impact through further engagement within Čair, enabled the expansion of MotherSchools within Skopje and to nearby countries, and allowed for broader dissemination of the programme’s findings.
In 2018, Women without Borders initiated a new generation of MotherSchools North Macedonia in cooperation with local implementing partner ZIP Institute as part of WwB’s ongoing ‘MotherSchools 2020’ project, which is supported by the US Department of State and also includes WwB MotherSchools roll-outs in Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bangladesh. Due to the community demand and enthusiasm for the MotherSchools movement across North Macedonia, WwB and ZIP are now aiming convene groups beyond Skopje. While also rolling out the programme in the Čair’s city center neighborhoods of Serava, Dizhonska, Gazi Baba, WwB also seeks now to bring Parenting for Peace to Saraj, Studeničani, Tetovo, and Gostivar.
INSIGHTS, IMPACT, AND VOICES FROM THE FIRST GENERATION OF MOTHERSCHOOLS NORTH MACEDONIA GRADUATES
Throughout the first MotherSchools North Macedonia project, Women without Borders consistently collected qualitative data to develop a deeper understanding of the socio-political situation and context-specific factors impacting on degrees of radicalisation in Skopje, including: semi-structured exit and entry interviews with project participants (as part of the project’s monitoring plan); local stakeholder discussions; and weekly project management calls over the course of one year. The sample of findings and impact-related paragraphs presented below are based on our conversations with all project participants; mothers, teachers, and notetakers. This data was categorised through codes for qualitative data analysis, and the findings that emerged were analysed in order to generate a series of refined theories. The following two sections draw on the MotherSchools report to expand on the most prevalent responses from MotherSchools interviewees with respect to perceptions of radicalisation dynamics and the perceived impact of the programme. The final report, based on all data collected from the programme’s rigorous monitoring and evaluation process, has been used to: advance our knowledge of context-specific radicalisation dynamics over time; further hone our understanding of why and how mothers present the missing link in prevention strategies in vulnerable and affected communities; and ensure that MotherSchools continue to positively impact P/CVE policy and programming.
‘Mostly here, but maybe with all teenagers, parents don’t respect the adolescent. The mothers don’t evolve their parenting style. Parents don’t think that the adolescent has anything smart to say, so it makes the adolescent subjected even more to that kind of influence. Another problem is that mothers do not have a lot of self-worth and self-confidence because here is a traditional chauvinistic country. MotherSchools is the only programme about prevention; I haven’t seen others. We have some youth who has gone to ISIS. Some are there now; some come back’.
– MotherSchools Teacher, North Macedonia
INSIGHT I | The fear of potential marginalisation and the stigma associated with confronting the pervasive issue of extremism renders it a taboo topic that is shrouded in secrecy.
From the outset, an analysis of local radicalisation dynamics made clear that mothers view extremism as a prevalent issue that nevertheless remains a taboo topic in the community, and even within most families. A fear of retaliation, as it emerged, not only keeps locals from speaking out; it also discourages them from even considering joining other programmes that seek to address the issue of extremism. As one teacher put it, ‘In the first round [of two rounds of MotherSchools] mothers had a lot of concerns, and even I myself was scared—not only for myself, but also for the mothers. Would they tell anybody? What if anybody finds out? Would we be safe?’ The sensitive nature of the problem is accentuated by a deeply engrained culture of silence surrounding taboo topics in general, since in the ‘Albanian community there is a rule that you cannot speak about problems that the community has’. While a sense of shame and fear of potential repercussions keep many from speaking out, all of the mothers recognise the importance of breaking the silence and overcoming the stigma that affected mothers tend to face. The silence nevertheless has kept hidden a curiosity and desire to understand the issue: ‘It’s a taboo, and everyone wants to know those signs; but they are not able to … they don’t know where they can get information from and how to recognise the signs in their children’.
INSIGHT II | Few Participants put their trust in religious authorities, mistrust among friends and neighbours is widespread, and most mothers lack a degree of trust in themselves.
Mothers view religious institutions with a high degree of suspicion; some cited examples like that of a secondary school that convened Quran lessons (‘I was scared about my children participating since we do not know where the influences come from’), and others worry about the nature of religious leaders (‘people have no trust in the imams—the biggest fear comes from where the rituals come from, because we do not know which imams can recruit people’). The interviews also hint at a common atmosphere of distrust that transcends the public realm. Radicalisation and extremism are difficult to detect under a recruiter’s guise of ‘normalcy’: ‘The fear is in us—in our friends, in our neighbours—because you do not know who can influence you. Maybe they look like you, but they could have hidden motives [as to] why they speak to you. I have heard about cases—they [recruiters] are completely like us: they don’t wear the traditional robes but they have the ideologies’. Most surprisingly, some mothers expressed a lack of trust in themselves: ‘Sometimes we are too exhausted about everything in life. And someone can try to make us feel better, and, by doing that, influence us. In our society they are in a big number, and you do not know … their motives. You do not know why someone is talking to you, why … [they are] nice to you. There are a lot of question marks in life in Skopje’.
INSIGHT III | The general consensus is that: radicalisation is relatively common; mothers can identify specific extremist recruiters and their stomping grounds; and converts to Islam are especially vulnerable.
The majority of interviewees perceive the issue to be relatively advanced, with one purporting that ‘every family in [her community in] Skopje is facing one case of radicalisation’, and that few are spared ‘the fear that maybe something can happen’. Yet not all mothers are naïve to the covert tactics of recruiters and the places where they convene. In many cases, they even claim to be able to identify specific extremist recruiters: ‘People know the special mosques and preachers where radical ideologies are being communicated’. Parents make an effort to keep their children away from such places (‘when they hear that someone from the family gathers in that specific coffee space or mosque, they try to advise them’). They are inclined to view converts as the most likely candidates for recruitment. Those who themselves converted tend to have first-hand experiences with preying recruiters. ‘We as converts’, one mother explained, ‘get more attention from the different [radical] Islamic organisations. They all wanted us to be part of their activities, so we have to be more careful since we don’t have a Muslim family to explain the differences to us’. A number of interviewees also knew converts who had been approached by extremist individuals (‘I knew a convert …. When he converted, the radicals approached him immediately’).
INSIGHT IV | Interviewees by and large contend that feelings of alienation and purposelessness are chief in attracting individuals to radicalisation but can be addressed through appropriate family structures.
A child’s increasing self-isolation points to the absence of self-fulfilment, which in turn makes radical groups more alluring. As most mothers agree, a lack of purpose among adolescents and young adults typically is fuelled by specific socio-economic factors. Often a lack of jobs and an excess of free time creates a void that makes them feel empty inside: ‘they have to feel something, to find a purpose, so these people come to them and give them a purpose and will say to them, “if you go there and fight, we will take care of your family, and, even if you die, we will take care of your family here”, so they think, “I’m not useful for anything here in my country, so at least I’ll go there and be useful for something and die in a holy war”’. Yet mothers are also convinced that certain family structures can counteract feelings of isolation and hopelessness (‘I think that there are many factors of radicalisation, and I used to think that the main is the global issues, but now I see that the most important [issue] is what you take [away] from home, and that the home and family can really influence this. Every person that is going into radicalisation is missing something. Maybe he is missing the environment or the family or the friends’). That the actual process of radicalisation varies from family to family suggests that approaches geared towards re-building structures in concerned or affected families need to take into account a number of identifiable variables: ‘Every mother is concerned about this because you do not know who will be affected. There is no pattern. Because it has no pattern, a kid from intellectual or kid from more basic background could be more affected’. Complexities and variables notwithstanding, in the broadest possible terms this means that while some children seek the structure and rules that hitherto they had been lacking at home, others seek a sense of liberation in extremism due to the authoritarian parenting style and often violent experiences that they have had to endure.
‘The MotherSchools was a programme in which I found myself. When I was working with my children I was basing my decision on what is wrong, right, good. But in MotherSchools I found a place where I got acknowledgment for what I did. So, in this it has been a space where I found myself, my place. I regard this as a place where women can find their confidence, truly acknowledge their skills, and build upon their skills—not only working with their own children but also with children of neighbours or in their community. I recommend the programme to everyone I know. First you are building confidence in yourself as a mother and learning from other mothers. At the end of the day, every mother has her own method; it’s her instinct. It’s a way for the mother to go outside of the house, not to be stuck between four walls, and to be aware of what is going on in her community. And to be able to act if I notice something going on with my child.’
– MotherSchools Participant, North Macedonia
Challenges notwithstanding, the community’s initial, traditionally-conservative response to the MotherSchools programme gradually gave way to a growing identification with its Parenting for Peace philosophy. ‘With the MotherSchools’, as one Teacher illuminated, ‘it is easier for a mother to go, because she can explain to her husband and relatives [that the programme is] about parenting. It would be difficult to say: “I am learning about extremist behaviour”. She would be stopped’. In building the necessary foundation for community trust, Women without Borders was able not only to acquire otherwise closely guarded insights, but also to apply these in order to contextualise the MotherSchools Curriculum, establish a baseline to work from, and ultimately record impact over time.
The Curriculum employs developmental psychology, self-confidence training, and theoretical sessions to define radicalisation and prevention at the individual, family, and community levels. The Sessions allow mothers to re-visit, re-evaluate, and re-shape their notion of parenting by learning about the psychological dynamics and stages of childhood and adolescence. In refining their communication skills in the family, the programme equips mothers to react to early warning signs of grievances that can lead to radicalisation. Mothers also learn how to introduce and develop alternative narratives that foster a positive youth culture and strengthen resilience. In so doing, MotherSchools empower women to demonstrate leadership and promote family and community tolerance, forgiveness, and cohesion. The Curriculum guides Participants through a process of gradual awareness-building in three successive stages: starting with the self, moving on to the family and community, and finally arriving at the individual’s role in security. Sessions include exercises that facilitate dialogue, information exchanges, and critical reflection using context-based techniques that apply to the Participants’ daily lives. Sessions are monitored, evaluated, and analysed through a rigorous process to document changing dynamics and ensure the programme’s effectiveness. The following section offers glimpses into the impact of MotherSchools Macedonia from the perspectives of the Participants, Teachers, and Notetakers.
IMPACT I | Created a secure space where mothers developed trust, opened up, and joined together to build support networks and structures.
MotherSchools in Macedonia aimed to provide mothers with a space—safe from marginalisation by the community and prosecution by law enforcement—to overcome the stigma surrounding radicalisation, and to unlock their potential as our new security allies in the burgeoning MPVE realm. The opportunity to convene with other concerned or affected mothers was in and of itself a new concept to all who joined: ‘I know that in my society it is difficult to talk about your problems even with friends, because you know that one day your story may circulate in the community. But in the MotherSchools, you could talk about it; the atmosphere was so familiar and so safe’. This free forum and exchange of experiences allowed the mothers to build on each other’s strengths. Those who initially felt less confident to open up were inspired by the courage of some of their peers: ‘Some mothers were eager—couldn’t wait to share their stories. When the reserved ones saw them expressing themselves without holding back and [saw] Teachers listening carefully without judging, that gave them courage. They saw it’s not something terrible; when some mother shared an even scarier story, they would think, “If she can talk, why can’t I talk?”’ They worked together to develop strategies to address challenges that most would otherwise have to contend with alone, thus countering the isolation to which many had become accustomed. One of the Teachers equated the process of ‘expressing their struggles’ with ‘healing’. Over the course of the programme, the Participants increasingly ‘felt secure to talk in the MotherSchools about radicalisation’. All of the Teachers were ‘surprised that mothers who did not know each other were comfortable to express themselves in front of others they didn’t know’. They witnessed how the Participants ‘were really trying to share personal stories’ and now ‘are more prepared to talk about taboo topics’. The mothers spoke at length about how the MotherSchools helped them to build relationships based on trust and mutual understanding. ‘And now’, in the words of a Participant, ‘I know that if I cannot personally address the problem, I can call [name of Teacher] and I know that it will be treated in a confidential way’. In short, many felt that ‘the group became like a family’ and the MotherSchools doubled as a ‘support group’.
IMPACT II | Advanced mothers’ understanding of the early warning signs, deepened their sense of responsibility to safeguard their children, and empowered them to break their silence and discuss extremism at home.
All Participants were more confident that they now better understood how manifestations of radicalisation can be traced and detected before intervention and prevention strategies lose their effectiveness. Yet the programme went beyond lessons on and discussions of how recruiters identify and target an individual’s vulnerabilities by offering a false sense of belonging. Participants were guided through the process of developing a deeper sensitivity to behavioural changes. This helped to equip them with the skills required to act before recruiters have the chance to attune to and capitalise on common or context-specific grievances. They came to gain a deep appreciation for their potential to render manipulative methods ineffective in the most critical, early phases. Participants expressed a heightened sense of responsibility, noting that every ‘mother should be aware of what is going on in the life of her child—if her child is under pressure, the mother should be able to recognise this pressure and act on it’, and that no child should have to ‘hide from the mother if something is going on in their life’. When adequately supported, as the Participants found, mothers hold the potential to identify and respond to the early warning signs of radicalisation exhibited by their daughters and sons, or by others to whom they are connected in their communities. This new knowledge and confidence to speak about extremism convinced many to broach the subject at home for the first time: ‘I know how to raise issues around radicalisation. I don’t just say, “You don’t go there, you don’t do this”. I talk with them about certain cases’; ‘Now I can talk more about extremism, since I know how to speak about it. Before that I was stopped by fear and chose to say nothing’. ‘Now I am opening up topics [that] I have never opened up at home; now I know what my kids are thinking about, things we never talked about before’; ‘Through what I learned in the MotherSchools, I’ve liberated my children to talk with me about any issues, so they don’t need to look somewhere else’.
IMPACT III |. Developed Participants’ skills to form closer bonds with their children and built up their confidence to reassume their rightful role in the home.
The programme heightened the mothers’ awareness of their unique access and emotional proximity to their children. ‘It helped us’, as a mother explained, ‘to see that there is a time for the children when the main point in their life is their mother. And she can see the problems that the children have, and she sees what they are missing—whether it is emotional or in school—until they are teenagers. The mothers need to make a good structure at home; a refuge for the children’. They grew their confidence over time, and to thus increasingly realised that a unique connection to their children permits them to reassert their rightful role, most notably by investing time, listening, building trust, developing empathy, and providing an emotional anchor. Teachers found that the Sessions’ practical components made conceptual teachings more accessible: ‘I learned a lot from that exercise about empathetic listening. I was always searching for the best way of listening; I read several books and I never got it. But that exercise will always be with me—I have used it in the two groups, and it was very good, very practical, and very simple’. Listening appeared to resonate with Teachers on the one hand (‘Listening without judging and critiquing, that’s how they will get the most out of the child—without interrogating them, as most of them did before’), and mothers on the other hand (‘What I have learned is to listen to the kids without interruption, and I realised that the most important information comes out after the point where I would have interrupted them).
IMPACT IV | Provided the conceptual and practical training for mothers to adjust their parenting style and family structure to suit the needs of their respective sons and daughters.
An entirely new concept to most was that adolescents go through various stages and behavioural changes to which mothers need to adapt their parenting style. One of the Teachers remarked that the Participants ‘didn’t know this happens in stages like it does, and that the mother not performing her task in any [given] stage makes the child more sensitive to the process of radicalisation. So, the thing that was revealing for them is that they also play a part in that process’. The mothers recounted how they had reflected on their authoritarian—or in some cases overly lenient—style and amended it to ensure that they did not run the risk of alienating their children. ‘Before, because I was so authoritative, my child could never talk about taboos’, a former MotherSchools Participant explained. ‘Before I attended MotherSchools’, as another Participant noted, ‘I thought I had to be very authoritative with the kids … Now I have an ear for my children. For example, I don’t treat my fifteen-year-old as a little kid’. The understanding of the necessity to adapt to the specific needs of their children made the mothers reassess their previous approaches, which they soon put into practice in their homes: ‘I was always firm with my children but without explaining, so they would not listen. Now I explain in detail and try to convince them’; ‘When my child was aggressive, I responded with aggression. Now I learned that the solution is to stay calm’; ‘Now I am determined to spend time with my children … be engaged … join activities. I know I must be present’; ‘Now I do stuff the children like for fun so they will not see me as trying to control them too much’; ‘I don’t want them to be afraid of me; I understand they need affection as much as discipline’.
IMPACT V | Provided the Participants with the necessary self-confidence to move beyond the trusted MotherSchools space to bring the learnings into their communities.
As evidenced by the initiatives of mothers in their neighbourhoods and extended families, the programme succeeded in transcending the private realm and acquired a public character. A number of mothers shared the sentiment that parenting and activism go hand-in-hand: ‘The MotherSchools is not only about being active at home, but also about being active in the community’; ‘I realised we have things to do even outside the home—we should be more involved in the community’. The vast majority on their own accord brought the Parenting for Peace philosophy deeper into their homes and neighbourhoods: ‘we shared also our enthusiasm and learnings with our families and close relatives … and with other mothers who could not attend the MotherSchools’. While some had even recognised changes in their own approaches to parenting and levels of confidence ahead of their graduation (‘I realised that I became more self-confident even before the session on self-confidence started’), many of the mothers’ children alerted them to and positively reinforced this noticeable shift: ‘After finishing the MotherSchools, my kids, when they play with other kids, they say, “My mother attended MotherSchools—she knows a lot of things”’.
IMPACT VI | The MotherSchools Graduation Ceremony acted as a culmination and point of departure for Participants, enabling them to assume a public role and become authority figures on Parenting for Peace in their community.
This event presented the mothers as changemakers to community members from all sectors of society and provided many with the opportunity to speak for the first time publicly about the issue of extremism. Mothers expressed how they ‘feel more confident now after finishing the school’ and how ‘by talking and recommending it, I have influence in the community’. As graduates, the mothers felt they had the qualification to act and function as an authority figure on the subject: ‘I feel more confident, and when they don’t take me seriously, I say I have been to school for this’. The Ceremony also functioned as an outreach opportunity to engage and connect programme participants, their family members, and other community stakeholders. Despite an initial degree of scepticism regarding its value (‘I thought, “Do you really need it—will it not be enough to get classes and practice?”’), the Teachers took note of the improved self-confidence of the mothers: ‘For example, one of the mothers she has a problem at home—her husband is violent, he uses religion for his benefit. At first, she felt scared that there were so many people. But in the Ceremony, she felt more encouraged, and she took a photo and pasted it on Facebook. She was so scared. They feel they can be more assertive’. To some degree, the mothers experienced an awakening to their public role: ‘Something that is personal to me …. it was that women can play a role in security. That was big … it was something maybe I didn’t think of a lot before the training. Or, maybe if I did, I thought of women as politicians, as activists—but not regular mothers’. | https://wwb.org/activity/motherschools-macedonia/ | fineweb | 28,996 | 2.65625 |
Anyone who lives or vacations in the tropics knows that the weather is usually warm with gentle breezes and occasional thunderstorms. It seems surprising that these quaint conditions can turn into a ferocious storm that can potentially disrupt the lives of millions of people. How does this happen?
It all begins with what meteorologists call a “tropical disturbance”, or a group of thunderstorms over warm tropical waters. As low-level winds flow into the disturbance, they evaporate water from the ocean surface. This process transfers energy from the ocean into the atmosphere. When the winds arrive at the disturbance, they rise up and release that energy into the air as they form clouds and precipitation. This warms the air and makes it buoyant, almost like a hot air balloon, and encourages more warm/moist air to flow in from the outside.
As the air moves toward the center of the disturbance, it “curves” or “spirals”, rather than flowing in a straight line. This spiral effect comes from the rotation of the Earth – as air moves over large distances, the Earth moves underneath it, producing a spiral effect. Meteorologists call this the “Coriolis Effect”. The curved-band features that many of you see in the Cyclone Center images are curved because of this effect. For this reason, tropical cyclones cannot form near the Equator; the Coriolis Effect is too small there to provide the needed rotation.
If the atmospheric and ocean conditions remain favorable, the energy brought in by the incoming air accumulates in the center of the disturbance, leading to a drop in atmospheric pressure. This in turn increases the speed of the wind and the incoming energy, which then leads to even larger drops in pressure. Once the winds speeds reach a certain threshold, a tropical cyclone is born.
Interestingly, only about 7% of tropical disturbances form into tropical cyclones; the rest are destined to be absorbed into the warm tropical breezes, never to be named or remembered.
– Chris Hennon is part of the Cyclone Center Science Team and Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Help us learn more about tropical cyclone intensity by classifying storms at cyclonecenter.org | http://blog.cyclonecenter.org/tag/tropical-cyclone-formation/ | fineweb | 2,236 | 3.765625 |
HISTORICAL BOOKS: Judges
So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel; and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors, and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.”
If the book of Joshua makes the Israelites’ conquest of the Promised Land seem swift and easy, Judges depicts it as a slow, painful process. The foreign nations that had been easily defeated in Joshua wield a lot more power here— and that’s just as God wants it. He uses these nations to “put Israel to the test” to see if they will keep the covenant God made with their ancestors. They often fail, which leads to wars not only with foreign nations, but even among the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Judges recounts the 200-year (1250 to 1050 B.C.) development and expansion of the nation of Israel under the rule of twelve Judges. They continually deliver Israel from its folly— and its enemies— and generally keep the peace.
Perhaps the most famous of these judges is Samson, whose long, beautiful hair endows him with superhuman strength. He defeats the Philistines— under whose rule the Israelites have fallen— with a donkey’s jawbone, and he eludes their plot to kill him by performing various and sundry Herculean tasks. But things take a bad turn when Delilah, Samson’s devious wife, shaves his head while he sleeps. When he wakes up, he’s lost not only his luscious locks but all his strength. Talk about a bad hair day!
Strong-arm muscle men like Samson are not the only heroes in Judges. Women also play a significant role in delivering Israel from its enemies. Deborah, a prophetess, co-leads an important battle against the Canaanites. But women are also the victims. Judges contains two very disturbing stories. In the first, the judge Jephthah sacrifices his daughter after winning a battle against the Ammonites. In the second, a Levite priest throws his concubine to a pack of “scoundrels,” who repeatedly rape her, then leave her dead on her father’s doorstep. Judges clearly aims to communicate the brutality of the times, and how Israel could never have survived without God.
Judges is the second of the Historical Books, probably a compilation of legends and stories from different time periods. It was edited in the 7th century B.C. as part of the Deuteronomistic History. | http://bustedhalo.com/googling-god/bible-boot-camp/old-testament/historical-books-judges | fineweb | 2,383 | 3.390625 |
(Coccothraustes vespertinus) Finch family
Length8 inches. Two inches shorter than the robin.
MaleForehead, shoulders, and underneath clear yellow; dull yellow on lower back; sides of the head, throat, and breast olive-brown. Crown, tail, and wings black, the latter with white secondary feathers. Bill heavy and blunt, and yellow.
FemaleBrownish gray, more or less suffused with yellow. Wings and tail blackish, with some white feathers.
RangeInterior of North America. Resident from Manitoba northward. Common winter visitor in northwestern United States and Mississippi Valley; casual winter visitor in northern Atlantic States.
In the winter of 1889-90 Eastern people had the rare treat of becoming acquainted with this common bird of the Northwest, that, in one of its erratic travels, chose to visit New England and the Atlantic States, as far south as Delaware, in great numbers. Those who saw the evening grosbeaks then remember how beautiful their yellow plumagea rare winter tintlooked in the snow-covered trees, where small companies of the gentle and even tame visitors enjoyed the buds and seeds of the maples, elders, and evergreens. Possibly evening grosbeaks were in vogue for the next season’s millinery, or perhaps Eastern ornithologists had a sudden zeal to investigate their structural anatomy. At any rate, these birds, whose very tameness, that showed slight acquaintance with mankind, should have touched the coldest heart, received the warmest kind of a reception from hot shot. The few birds that escaped to the solitudes of Manitoba could not be expected to tempt other travellers eastward by an account of their visit. The bird is quite likely to remain rare in the East.
But in the Mississippi Valley and throughout the northwest, companies of from six to sixty may be regularly counted upon as winter neighbors on almost every farm. Here the females keep up a busy chatting, like a company of cedar birds, and the males punctuate their pauses with a single shrill note that gives little indication of their vocal powers. But in the solitude of the north-ern forests the love-song is .aid to resemble the robin’s at the start. Unhappily, after a most promising beginning, the bird suddenly stops, as if he were out of breath. | http://birds.yodelout.com/birds-evening-grosbeak/ | fineweb | 2,252 | 3.21875 |
Students at Pinson Elementary School got a lesson on tornado safety when Project Rebound visited the school's science lab.
Project Rebound's La-Quarey Files talked to the students about the differences between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. He encouraged them to talk to their parents about tornado safety plans and safety kits and told them about weather radios.
Kristi Martin, also with Project Rebound, talked the students about what to do with their pets during a tornado emergency and told them to prepare safety kits for their pets.
Paula Luna talked to the students about their feelings and concerns after the tornadoes of April 27 and Jan.
Classroom Clips--Pinson Elementary School
on April 25, 2012 at 1:22 PM, updated April 25, 2012 at 1:27 PM | http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2012/04/classroom_clips--pinson_elemen_7.html | fineweb | 761 | 2.765625 |
Exercise is known for its physical benefits, such as improving cardiovascular health, building strength and endurance, and maintaining a healthy weight. But did you know that exercise can also have a significant impact on your mood and mental health?
Research has shown that exercise can be an effective tool for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, which are natural mood boosters that can help to alleviate feelings of sadness and anxiety. Regular exercise has also been shown to improve self-esteem and confidence, which can have a positive impact on mental health.
Exercise can also help to reduce stress levels. When you exercise, your body releases hormones such as cortisol, which is known as the “stress hormone.” However, regular exercise can help to regulate cortisol levels and reduce overall stress levels. Exercise can also provide a healthy outlet for stress and tension, allowing you to release pent-up emotions in a positive way.
In addition to reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and reducing stress levels, exercise can also help to improve cognitive function and brain health. Exercise has been shown to increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which can improve cognitive function and memory. Regular exercise has also been associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults.
Exercise can also have a social aspect that can improve mental health. Joining a fitness class, sports team, or workout group can provide a sense of community and social support. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals who struggle with feelings of loneliness or isolation.
It’s important to note that while exercise can be an effective tool for improving mood and mental health, it is not a replacement for professional mental health treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, it’s essential to seek the help of a mental health professional.
Exercise can have a significant impact on your mood and mental health. Regular exercise can help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduce stress levels, improve cognitive function, and provide a sense of social support. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine can be an effective tool for maintaining good mental health and well-being. | https://www.healthlifelive.com/the-impact-of-exercise-on-your-mood-and-mental-health/ | fineweb | 2,329 | 3.46875 |
The CDC estimates of the US population indicate that only 40% of adults at risk for developing diabetes are obese1. If you are one of the 60% that is not obese, how do you know your risk?
We can now move beyond BMI and look deep into one's individual chemistry. The PreD Guide assists clinicians in identifying patients at risk for developing diabetes. By integrating traditional blood sugar test with state-of-the-art inflammatory and metabolic tests, the PreD Guide pinpoints a patient’s place within the progression to diabetes.
The interplay of these tests is illustrated across the stages of pre-diabetes, and results in stage-specific treatment plan. In addition, an array of inflammatory tests are measured and aggregated to give the Average Inflammation Score (AIS). Long term Inflammation has been called the "silent killer" because the damaging effects are rarely at all felt.
This test is not only beneficial for those with pre-diabetes or diabetes. Many other health conditions are attributed to abnormal blood sugar levels and inflammation including:
The PreD Guide gives clinicians the ability to evaluate stages of pre-diabetes, determine the impact of inflammation, and individualize treatment. This clinical tool ensures, as the CDC notes, that “progression to diabetes among those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable".
What's being tested:
1. NHANES 1999-2004 & CDC BRFSS 2009 | http://www.truehealthlabs.com/products/PreD-Guide-a-Pre-Diabetes-Progression-Test.html | fineweb | 1,394 | 3.109375 |
TALK OF THE TOWN LEADS STRAIGHT TO DISCOVERY
In a cafe in Cyprus, the University of Cincinnati scholar overheard conversations about an ancient tomb. Her interest piqued, she listened intently as the locals described an apparently undisturbed archaeological site. It might be only a tall tale or a local legend, Gisela Walberg thought, but what if...?
"I had heard an awful lot of local talk about a possible tomb in the area. A woman alone going to the local cafenia is not the thing to do, but it was a good place to talk to people.
"I heard so much about the tomb, I thought I had better investigate. I became afraid if I didn't, someone else might - namely a looter," says Walberg, UC's Marion Rawson Professor of Aegean Prehistory.
The tomb proved to be the only one of three that had not been plundered. "Looters often smash things up, so when we came upon this tomb, where the artifacts remained in place, we knew we found something big," she says.
"I was worried we would not be able to deal with so much in the time we had left," Walberg says.
One rare discovery proved to be a jar, or pithos, containing unburnt human bones. Human remains were usually burned if placed in a jar. The skeletal remains belonged to someone who suffered from a recurrent bone infection, a condition that caused the bones to become extremely porous - "almost like lace," Walberg says. The diagnosis is the work of Alexis Boutin, a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
They're young but not puppies. It's not clear why there are so many together in this spot. There is a much later, Hellenistic well from the Agora in Athens with numerous dog skeletons together with bones of human infants, but the significance of that find is unclear, too," Walberg says.
Built at the end of a river flowing from the Troodos Mountains, Bamboula flourished between the 13th and 11th centuries B.C. Walberg and the team will return in summer 2003 for further investigations. The work is funded by UC's Louise Taft Semple Fund.
For related stories please visit http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=130.
For more UC news, go to www.uc.edu/news/ | http://www.uc.edu/news/public_PrintableRelease.asp?information=129 | fineweb | 2,136 | 2.6875 |
Catecholamine Metabolism in Hypertensive Rats
The possible role of catecholamines in two forms of experimental hypertension in rats was investigated further. Inbred, spontaneously hypertensive (SH) Wistar rats had unchanged endogenous levels of norepinephrine (NE) in the three tissues studied, and a significantly (P<0.05) decreased rate of NE synthesis (14C-tyrosine technique) in heart and brainstem but not in gut, in comparison to normotensive Wistar rats. Also, the levels of free fatty acids (FFA) and major urinary catecholamine metabolites in plasma revealed no evidence of increased catecholamine turnover or release. Sprague-Dawley rats rendered hypertensive by treatment with desoxycorticosterone acetate and 1% salt had decreased cardiac NE concentration and increased cardiac NE turnover (3H-NE technique) and cardiomegaly, confirming the work of others. However, urinary normetanephrine and plasma FFA did not differ from those in normal rats. These and other results fail to support but do not completely exclude a primary role for catecholamines in either type of hypertension.
- homovanillic acid
- blood pressure
- free fatty acids
- desoxycorticosterone acetate
- Accepted July 30, 1970.
- © 1970 American Heart Association, Inc. | http://circres.ahajournals.org/content/27/4/589 | fineweb | 1,249 | 2.640625 |
As museums and historical institutions have increased their web presence, so too have we seen the rise of the digital exhibit. For public history graduate students, it’s almost impossible to escape a program without designing one of your own. Below, several past and current students of the Public History Program at Loyola University Chicago unpack the good and the bad of digital exhibits while adding some constructive suggestions along the way.
It is obvious that entering a digital exhibit is different from crossing the threshold of a physical exhibit space. What makes this difference important to us as public historians is how people react to what is being presented. In contrast to entering a designed physical space, the “threshold” one crosses when entering a digital exhibit on a computer screen has the same sensory experience as buying books or looking up pictures of cats. It is just another “click” in a long line of “clicks.”
How then are digital curators supposed to indicate to the patron that this exhibit is a different experience from shopping or looking up funny pictures or any of the hundreds of other things people do at their computers? Paraphrasing Neil Postman from Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), when we change the medium we change the message. The message of digital exhibits favors access over experience. I am not suggesting that digital exhibits are bad, but I would contend that no matter how well curated, researched, or executed, a digital exhibit will not have the same visceral impact as a physical exhibit. Not a bad experience, but a different one. Physical exhibits have their shortcomings too. One can’t walk up to the case and start flipping the pages of Yale’s Gutenberg Bible without security being called. Digital exhibits allow types of access that are not feasible in the physical world. Nonetheless, digital images do not have the same impact on a person’s understanding or imagination as the physical object itself. I think we must realize that digital exhibits have limitations — just like physical ones do –, and we must set our goals for digital exhibits accordingly. We cannot expect people to learn the same things from both, because they are just not the same experience.
–Rachel Lewis finished the Public History Masters Program at Loyola University Chicago in May 2013. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University. She is also the author of a digital exhibit about the Algona Nativity Scene.
Slanderous anonymous letters, election protests, and defaced fountains all made their way into “Practical Work: Chicago Woman’s Club Reformers, Criminal Women, and Delinquent Children, 1876-1920,” an online exhibit in which I investigated how the language of reform interacts with cultural narratives of violence and femininity. The project, sponsored by the Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) and the Carolyn Farrell, BVM, Professorship, included the creation of an online Omeka exhibit and a plan for publicity utilizing social media. Over the course of researching and constructing the online exhibit, I learned three critical lessons:
1) Project Management is critical. A well-timed Project Management Workshop was instrumental in establishing the trajectory of “Practical Work.” By the end of my first week on the project, I developed a timeline and exhaustive list of tasks that kept me on track and helped me use my time intentionally in subsequent weeks. By producing a project plan early in the process, I was able to manage the expectations of all involved. Especially when multiple stakeholders and unpredictable digital components are involved, a thorough project plan can minimize potential catastrophe.
2) The label-writing process is long and laborious. Crafting clear, accessible language for the public remains one of the most challenging tasks of any exhibit, online or otherwise. “Practical Work” reminded me that a “big idea” is absolutely critical in unifying an exhibit’s content. It also convinced me that label writing simply takes a long time, regardless of knowledge or funding.
3) Social media networks don’t appear out of thin air. As I developed the social media plan for “Practical Work,” I came to appreciate the importance of cultivating an online audience over time. The most valuable audiences I could identify included people and communities with whom I consistently engage in online conversation over academic and popular topics. Institutions in particular should remember to intentionally develop audiences and engage with communities before and beyond a static exhibit.
–Rachel Boyle is a 3rd year PhD student in the Joint Public History/US History Program at Loyola University Chicago. She also created the online exhibit Practical Work: Chicago Woman’s Club Reformers, Criminal Women, and Delinquent Children, 1876-1920.
I think we can safely agree that the digital exhibit’s main strength lies in its ability to provide information access to more people than a physical exhibit can, via the magic of the internet. I want to interrogate, however, which people we’re actually talking about here. Who are our intended audiences in making digital exhibits? I’m certain we can count on fellow public historians to be like, “Here I am with my Sunday coffee and 2 hours to browse the internet…and I’ve really been meaning to check out that new digital exhibit from [insert cultural institution here].” But we’re a captive audience. I don’t think it’s useful, when creating digital exhibits, to target casual browsers—the internet’s equivalent of channel surfers. Nor do I find it useful to expect that digital exhibits will reel in “accidental” audiences who happened to stumble upon our online content. If an institution wants to target casual users, give them a pretty slideshow to click through, with little or no text to distract them. This model serves to promote collections and perhaps entice people to come to an institution to see the “real thing,” but it’s not very good public history.
To remedy this, I propose that instead of conceptualizing these online creations as “digital exhibits,” we think of them as “online resources.” The difference lies in the intended use and in the intended audience. Exhibits are fun. They’re visceral. They’re there to inspire curiosity, to entertain, to display and to educate. Digital exhibits are linear attempts to re-create the museum experience. Online resources, however, embrace their 2-D nature. They capitalize on their (hyper) textuality and make available rich, quality (probably long-form) scholarship for free. They’re essays + media, available online to everyone. Online resources are primarily about education. They’re well-written secondary sources. They represent a higher quality public history product geared towards audiences that are interested in gaining deeper understanding of a topic.
In addition to providing textual content, online resources are uniquely poised to offer researchers a variety of digitized primary sources for examination and analysis. Scanned documents, historical photographs, photographs of objects, and audio-visual materials can all be juxtaposed conveniently with the text for user engagement. And perhaps when viewed in a more deeply contextualized setting, rather than standing up and reading a label with limited copy in a museum, users will find deeper understanding and meaning from the materials.
Are casual users likely to click through and read 1,000 words of historical writing about a given topic? Probably not. But I’m suggesting that we re-think our goals in creating online content. In a world plagued by Wikipedia citations and click-through galleries with little-to-no interpretive content, online resources can be valuable secondary sources for history students, scholars, and researchers alike.
–Kristin Emery graduated from the Public History Masters Program at Loyola University Chicago in May 2013.
In May, several historians from the Loyola History Department participated in a Large Project Planning and Management Workshop offered through the Digital Humanities Summer Institute. The three day seminar emphasized the importance of: 1) creating and executing a project plan; 2) time and task management; and, 3) communication and reporting. While employing project management theory and practices has helped me become a better public historian, perhaps the most important concept I encountered was that of “scope creep.”
If project scope is broadly defined as the work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, scope creep is the incremental growth and uncontrolled changes in said scope. If the project’s resources are increased along with the scope, the derogatory “scope creep” term is not applied. But what if you have a tight budget, no additional staff to draw on, and limited hours to devote?
Rachel Boyle discussed the importance of project management as a time and task management tool above, but when discussing public history projects, and particularly digital exhibitions, scope is key. When is the project complete? How much is too much?
I spent 12 to 14 hours a day for the better part of two weeks crafting an Omeka exhibition. I waded through metadata, settings, menus, and plugins. I refreshed my “public site” after every minuscule change in an effort to ensure proper text/image spacing. And, I uploaded content, ridiculous quantities of it. Without a budget or staff, I threw the only resource I had at the project – time. Valuable end of the semester hours were sacrificed to accommodate a burgeoning scope. The final site featured 3 interconnected Omeka exhibits, 12 sections, 35 pages, and an archive with 120 items.
You’ll be happy to know that the exhibition went live, scope issues and all, according to schedule. Nine months later, however, the exhibit taunts me. I need to find time to reorganize, edit, and update. Most importantly, I need to reassess the scope.
Learn from my mistakes, I beg of you. Before starting your next digital exhibition project, define your scope and avoid the dreaded creep. Consider the following:
- What platform am I using and how large of a collection can it support?
- What collection items are essential to the narrative and big idea?
- How much time is too much for:
- Conducting research?
- Entering of collections data?
- Designing your site?
- Crafting a cogent argument?
- What is my audience looking for?
–Laura Johns graduated from the Public History Masters Program at Loyola University Chicago in May 2013. She is the creator of the digital exhibit The Civil War and Chicago.
This past summer I partnered with the Women and Leadership Archives here in Chicago to bring their Mundelein College Collection to the digital history stage. Mundelein College, the last all-women’s college in Illinois that bit the dust in 1991 when it was subsumed by Loyola University Chicago, left behind a rich audiovisual record. From video to thousands of photographs, a large oral history collection to other rich visual sources such as student newspapers, the Mundelein College Collection pretty much has it all. So, you can imagine my excitement when I was tasked with showcasing these primary sources in what would seem like their perfect home: the internet.
See, in my opinion, digital exhibits should be the perfect medium for audiovisual materials. The social media world centers on sharing the audiovisual: Just look at Youtube, Instagram, Spotify, and a host of other online applications. Yet somehow, digital exhibit software has not caught up to its peers. The main problem? Digital exhibits, in their very design, privilege text over source material. Exhibit labels appear in large text centered on the page, while photos, oral history excerpts, or video clips must be viewed through multiple clicks on a separate page entirely.
Sure, if you can afford the fancy upgrades and web designers, a digital exhibit can do almost anything under the sun. But not all institutions have the funds in their back pockets to afford these additional costs while also paying a hired hand to curate the exhibit content itself. Software designers should look to their digital peers for ideas on how best to display audiovisual content. That way, history institutions can appeal to the online audiences that are already engaging with digital content while continuing to open access to their in-house collections.
–Anne E. Cullen graduated from the Public History Masters Program at Loyola University Chicago in May 2013. Her digital exhibit, Activist Mundelein: Civic Engagement at a 20th Century Women’s College, is forthcoming. | https://lakefronthistorian.com/2013/09/18/digital-exhibits-a-roundtable/ | fineweb | 12,636 | 2.796875 |
Subsets and Splits