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The Cron Job/Crontab
To have your task run at this frequency, use the following cron:
20 */4 * * *
This cron command translates to the following (in Human-Readable format):
“Every 4 hours at 20 minutes past the hour.”
What is a Cron Job & Crontab?
A cron job is a task that is scheduled to run at a specific time or interval. Cron is a Linux utility that allows tasks to be automatically run in the background at regular intervals. These tasks are often called “cron jobs.”
A crontab is a table or list of commands that are scheduled to run at specified times. The commands in a crontab file (also called a “cron table”) are normally executed by the cron daemon, which runs in the background and executes these commands automatically.
Every cron job uses five fields. Here is an explanation of what each field does in this cron, which runs “every 4 hours at 20 minutes past the hour“:
FUN FACT: When editing your crontab, it is important to use a text editor that supports Unix-style line endings (LF), as opposed to Windows-style line endings (CRLF)..
You might want to set up a crontab or cron job to run every 4 hours at 20 minutes past the hour for several reasons, including:
- Automatically backing up a database
- Generating reports
- Sending out email notifications
- Updating data from an external source
Similar Cron Jobs
You might also want to run a crontab:
- every 7 hours
- every 12 hours
- every 2 hours
- every 10 hours
- every 3 hours
- every hour between 5:00 am and 10:00 am
- every hour between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm
FUN FACT: If you need to delete a cron job, simply remove the corresponding line from the crontab file and save your changes..
In this article, you learned how to set up a cron job that runs every 4 hours at 20 minutes past the hour. Please share this page with friends and colleagues if you find it useful.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below.
If you are looking for cron jobs that run at certain minutes, hours, days, weekdays, or months, or if you are looking for miscellaneous cron jobs, then check out our relevant sections, or visit our crontab cheat sheet for a list of hundreds of popular cron jobs. | <urn:uuid:0f040e1b-2142-498f-8425-6735fdd0dc27> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.linuxscrew.com/cron-jobs/hours/every-4-hours-at-20-minutes-past-the-hour | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.910124 | 551 | 2.796875 | 3 |
The next day is the corn market at Casterbridge, full of burly men carrying saplings with which to poke pigs and sheep as they move throughout the room. Only one woman glides among them, and heads turn as she walks through. She starts with the two or three farmers she knows, but then moves on, gaining confidence to negotiate with others and show them her own sample bags. Her eyes are soft, though her face suggests defiance, determination, and savvy. She holds her own regarding prices, haggles adeptly, but her feminine elasticity softens these blows.
Bathsheba’s first visit to the corn market as mistress of her uncle’s farm is her first chance to establish her legitimacy as a farmer in her own right. In some ways, Bathsheba would prefer to be considered as just another of the men, without being given special consideration; in another way, however, her pride makes her take a certain pleasure in her exceptional status.
Other farmers ask who she is, and remark that it’s a shame she’s so headstrong, even if she does lighten up the exchange. But she’s handsome and will soon be married off. Still, she looks as powerful as a queen or a sister of Jove among these men. But there’s one exception among the farmers—one with full Roman features, an air of dignity and calm. Bathsheba’s convinced that he’s unmarried, though he is around forty years old.
Bathsheba pays attention to the attention that she is getting from the other farmers. Even if she wants to be considered like anyone else, she still has her pride slightly ruffled by the fact that one person, at least, seems immune to her appearance.
After the market, Bathsheba tells Liddy that it was as bad as being married with eyes all on her. Liddy agrees that men always are likely to ogle women. Bathsheba asks about the one good-looking man who didn’t seem interested in her. Liddy exclaims that it’s Farmer Boldwood, who rides past them, his eyes fixed forward. Bathsheba says he’s interesting, and Liddy agrees that everyone thinks so. She says he met a bitter disappointment when young, jilted by a woman, but Bathsheba thinks that’s always what people say—he’s likely just reserved by nature, even if it’s more romantic to think he’s been treated badly. Perhaps it’s somewhere between the two, she thinks.
Bathsheba continues to be torn between insistence on her own independence and authority as mistress of her own estate, and desire (stemming, again, from a pride mixed with vanity) for others to acknowledge her exceptional status. Now she learns that the one person who seemed immune to her charms was the Farmer Boldwood whose voice she had heard so recently. She and Liddy take on, here, the position of friends rather than of mistress and servant. | <urn:uuid:93786344-402f-46b8-953d-d8b751e816e1> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.litcharts.com/lit/far-from-the-madding-crowd/chapter-12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.979321 | 637 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Imperfect Phonogram Lists
Choose from two packets or buy the set.
- Group 1: Traditional Phonograms (based on the green sandpaper letters)
- Includes 16 lists
- Each list features one of the following phonograms: ai (snail), ar (yarn), ch (chip), ee (feet), er (helicopter), ie (pie), ng (ring), oa (toast), oo (book), or (corn), ou (cloud), oy (boy), qu (quilt), sh (cash), th (moth), ue (blue)
- Group 2: Common Phonograms
- Includes 22 lists
- Each card features one of the following phonograms: a-e (grapes), au (astronaut), aw (hawk) ay (crayons), ce (dice), ci (pencil), ea (peacock), ge (gerbil), gi (giraffe), i-e (bike), ie (collie), igh (lightning), ir (girl), o-e (cone), oi (toilet), oo (balloon), ow (crown), ow (pillow), ph (dolphin), u-e (computer), y (puppy), y (fly)
Our phonogram lists have the following features:
- Representative image in the top left of each card
- List of 12 words in each list
- Fully laminated with rounded corners
- Cards are approx. 4¼” x 5 1/2"
- Comes in a sturdy, clear reclosable bag for storage
- Lesson plan included
Start these after children have success with reading our Phonogram Reading Cards.
Created by a Montessori teacher and eco-printed by parents/teachers/students in our rural New England office.
Made in the USA. | <urn:uuid:a13a714f-0a4a-4acf-a591-d92d8af58611> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.maitrilearning.com/collections/phonograms/products/imperfect-phonogram-lists-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.842396 | 402 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Protected by the Tai-Hang Mountains, Shanxi Province, located in north central China, is a highly prosperous, densely populated valley and considered to be one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Its continuous habitation and rich culture have given rise to a large number of temple complexes and pavilions. Among these structures, 153 can be dated as early as from the Tang dynasty (618- 907C.E.) to the end of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368C.E.) in Southern Shanxi area. The buildings are the best-preserved examples of wooden Chinese architecture in existence, exemplifying historic building technology and displaying highly intricate architectural decoration and detailing. They have survived war, earthquakes, and, in the last hundred years, neglect. In 2005, a decade-long conservation project was initiated by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China (SACH) to conserve and document these important buildings. The conservation process requires stabilization, conservation of important features, and, where necessary, partial dismantlement in order to replace unsound structural elements. Project team of CHCC have developed a practical recording system that created a record of all building components prior to and during the conservation process. After that we are trying to establish a comprehensive database which include all of the 153 earlier buildings, through which we can easily entering, browse, indexing information of the wooden construction, even deep into component details. The Database can help us to carry out comparative studies of these wooden structures, and, provide important support for the continued conservation of these heritage buildings. For some of the most important wooden structure, we have established three-dimensional models. Connected the Database with 3D Digital Model based on ArcGIS, we have developed 3D Digital Model Database for these cherish buildings. The 3D Digital Model Database helps us set up an integrate information inventory for wooden structure with their similar types in China, and; makes it much easier to carry out survey of these structures at any stage for the purpose of structure monitor. Large amounts of data in the wooden structure can be intuitively expressed graphically to show its spatial distribution; and we can make comprehensive assessment of the component group by observe the spatial pattern, or evaluate the whole building damage through the database. The most interesting is that, with the development of mobile terminal equipment, the 3D Digital Model Database of Wooden Structure can be displayed in virtual exhibition easily via the internet by them.
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The main links of learning mode interception are as follows: formulating curriculum goals and cherishing higher-order thinking and identifying challenging learning topics. We propose some ingenious questions that trigger cognitive struggles and configure multidimensional academic integration resources that connect contexts. The tactical mode of educating people is a synthesis of the instructing methods that conform to the characteristics of subordinates, the educating methods that conform to the teaching laws, and the educating methods that conform to the sects of scholars. Through the integration of the beginner mode, the acquaintance mode, and the instructing strategy mode, a variety of curriculum methods suitable for learners are constructed. The second stage is the in-depth scholarship process is conducted accordingly. That is, with the support of letter brackets and a complete knowledge chain, deep science becomes clear, and the learner's higher-order thinking efficiency is improved accordingly. The incomplete processing of acquaintances follows the progressive operations of stimulating old knowledge, making new friends, and connecting novel and original knowledge, knowledge construction and transformation, and cognitive creation.
The curriculum funding arrangement supported by the learner model, teaching strategy, and other forms is full of vitality, which can cherish the learners' higher thinking agility; the mode activity system can realize multitone interaction and harmonious learning; give learners equal support. Its implementation operations deceive the deep lore unit. It can be seen that this example can realize the design concept and achieve excellent results, which can explain the common problems in the implementation of online routing in colleges and universities, and has undoubted significance for recourse and promotion. Due to the limitations of repeated endings, sketch arrangement, and design methods, this research is still in the investigation stage, and it is necessary to continuously optimize and deepen in future teaching strategies.
One immediate benefit that consistent schedules provide your child an idea of what to expect. This can provide a sense of security for your child as he or she learns new routines. When your child will miss family traditions or celebrations because he or she is with their other parent, consider video recording or photographing the event and sharing the footage with your child the next time you are together. By capturing family experiences for your child, it can help him or her feel a part of the traditions in both households. By having these videos to cherish and also share with other parts of the family, your child is able to connect through shared experiences even during times when not everyone is able to be at the same place at once.
\"Character is distilled out of our daily confrontation with temptation, out of our regular response to the call of duty. It is formed as we learn to cherish principles and to submit to self-discipline. Character is the sum total of all the little decisions, the small deeds, the daily reactions to the choices that confront us. Character is not obtained instantly. We have to mold and hammer and forge ourselves into character. It is a distant goal to which there is no shortcut.\"
Mrs. Cheney’s Remarks at Harding University’s CommencementHarding UniversitySearcy, Arkansas\"Secrets of Success\"In her appearance at Harding University, Lynne Cheney delivered aversion of a commencement speech \"Secrets of Success\" that she firstwrote more than fifteen years ago.\"Of all the things I've written, this is one of my favorites,\" Mrs.Cheney says. \"I've noticed that graduating seniors actually payattention to it--and that's no small thing, given how excited they areto be on their way. Parents seem to like it, too.\"Thank you, President Burks. I'm happy to be here at Harding Universitytoday on the joyous occasion of commencement, and I think I understandsome of the emotions that you who are parents are experiencing thismorning. Although it has been a long while since my own daughtersgraduated from college, I remember my feelings of pride and satisfactionin their accomplishments.I also feel I have something in common with today's graduates.I know that young people often look for role models, people who havesucceeded in ways they want to succeed. Well, let me just say thatpeople in my generation look for role models, too, and I'd like to tellyou I have found mine.You all know who she is: her name is Sandra DayO'Connor. What you don't know is why she's my role model. It hasnothing to do with her being a Supreme Court Justice. It doesn't evenhave anything to do with her being a thoroughly nice person. No, thereason Sandra Day O'Connor is my role model-and this is going to makeall of you very happy-the reason she is my role model is that she hasperfected the art of giving short commencement speeches.Justice O'Connor once gave a commencement speech that lastedjust five minutes. I'm not sure I can tie that record, but in anattempt to live up to it, I'm going to make just five points today. I'mgoing to talk about five traits that are pretty widely shared amongsuccessful people that I've observed-and offer them to you as you headoff into new worlds and new lives.One secret of success, I have observed, is to act as if you knowwhat you're doing. Now, I suspect this point doesn't need muchelaboration. I have found college seniors to be pretty well-practicedat acting as if they know what they're about. They have a remarkablyhigh degree of self-confidence-which in the case of my own children Iused to feel an absolute motherly obligation to lower from time totime-but not too much.Watching Douglas MacArthur operate, FranklinRoosevelt observed that you should \"never underestimate a man whooverestimates himself.\" There's wisdom there-as well as a jab atMacArthur-and all of this coming from a president who demonstrated athing or two in his time about acting confidently.Take your self-confidence with you as you move to the next stageof your life. It will help you, even though you're a beginner, tobehave with assuredness, to act as if you know what you're doing. Andthat is a key to success. But there's a second secret-one that goesright along with the first-and that is to know what you're doing.Sooner or later, you'll be tested. You'll have to make decisions andlive with results that will show how hard you've worked, how much you'velearned, how much you are to be respected. True expertise, orchestra conductor Victoria Bond once observed, \"is themost potent form of authority.\" Those are words worth remembering.When your chance comes along to make the music, you will find it a verygood thing, indeed, to know the notes.A third rule for success I would offer you is this: Have a placeto stand. Archimedes theorized he could move the world with a bigenough lever, but he needed a firm place to stand t | <urn:uuid:be8e4846-825d-4883-ac86-276538a4ebbf> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.mcagrp.com/forum/the-success-forum/cherish-model-set | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.956479 | 1,993 | 2.953125 | 3 |
As people age, a number of changes happen throughout the genitourinary tract Overview of the Urinary Tract Normally, a person has two kidneys. The rest of the urinary tract consists of the following: Two ureters (the tubes connecting each kidney to the bladder) The bladder (an expandable muscular... read more .
Age-related changes in the kidneys
As people age, there is a slow, steady decline in the weight of the kidneys Kidneys The kidneys are bean-shaped organs that figure prominently in the urinary tract. Each is about 4 to 5 inches (12 centimeters) long and weighs about one third of a pound (150 grams). One lies... read more . After about age 30 to 40, about two thirds of people (even those who do not have kidney disease) undergo a gradual decline in the rate at which their kidneys filter blood. However, the rate does not change in the remaining one third of older people, which suggests that factors other than age may affect kidney function.
As people age, the arteries supplying the kidneys narrow. Because the narrowed arteries may no longer supply enough blood for normal-sized kidneys, kidney size may decrease. Also, the walls of the small arteries that flow into the glomeruli Introduction to Disorders of Kidney Tubules The kidneys filter and cleanse the blood. They also maintain the body’s balance of water, electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, and chloride), and nutrients in the blood. The... read more thicken, which decreases the function of the remaining glomeruli. Accompanying these losses is a decline in the ability of the nephrons to excrete waste products and many drugs and an inability to concentrate or dilute urine and to excrete acid.
Despite age-related changes, however, sufficient kidney function is preserved to meet the needs of the body. Changes that occur with age do not in and of themselves cause disease, but the changes do reduce the amount of reserve kidney function that is available. In other words, both kidneys may need to work at nearly their full capacity to carry out all the normal kidney functions. Thus, even minor damage to one or both of the kidneys may result in a loss of kidney function.
Age-related changes in the ureters
The ureters Ureters The ureters are muscular tubes—about 16 inches (40 centimeters) long—that attach at their upper end to the kidneys and at their lower end to the bladder. (See also Overview of the Urinary Tract... read more do not change much with age, but the bladder and the urethra do undergo some changes. The maximum volume of urine that the bladder can hold decreases. A person's ability to delay urination after first sensing a need to urinate also declines. The rate of urine flow out of the bladder and into the urethra slows.
Throughout life, sporadic contractions of bladder wall muscles occur separately from any need or appropriate opportunity to urinate. In younger people, most of these contractions are blocked by spinal cord and brain controls, but the number of sporadic contractions that are not blocked rises with age, resulting sometimes in episodes of urinary incontinence Urinary Incontinence in Adults Urinary incontinence is involuntary loss of urine. Incontinence can occur in both men and women at any age, but it is more common among women and older adults, affecting about 30% of older women... read more . The amount of urine that remains in the bladder after urination is completed (residual urine) increases. As a result, people may have to urinate more frequently and have a higher risk of urinary tract infections.
Age-related changes in the urethra
In women, the urethra Urethra The urethra is a tube that drains urine from the bladder out of the body. In men, the urethra is about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long, ending at the tip of the penis. In women, the urethra is... read more shortens and its lining becomes thinner. These changes in the urethra decrease the ability of the urinary sphincter to close tightly, increasing the risk of urinary incontinence Urinary Incontinence in Adults Urinary incontinence is involuntary loss of urine. Incontinence can occur in both men and women at any age, but it is more common among women and older adults, affecting about 30% of older women... read more . The trigger for these changes in a woman's urethra seems to be a declining level of estrogen during menopause Menopause Menopause is the permanent end of menstrual periods, ovulation, and fertility. For up to several years before and just after menopause, estrogen levels fluctuate widely, periods become irregular... read more .
Age-related changes in the prostate gland
In men, the prostate gland Structure of the Male Reproductive System tends to enlarge with aging, gradually blocking the flow of urine (see Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a noncancerous (benign) enlargement of the prostate gland that can make urination difficult. The prostate gland enlarges as men age. Men may have difficulty... read more ). If untreated, blockage may become nearly complete or complete, causing urinary retention and possibly kidney damage. | <urn:uuid:148319ed-38be-42a7-8959-ad3b71bebbeb> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/kidney-and-urinary-tract-disorders/biology-of-the-kidneys-and-urinary-tract/effects-of-aging-on-the-urinary-tract | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.944444 | 1,116 | 3.5 | 4 |
The aim of this project was to highlight the link between art and science and showcase the cross-curricular learning between these two subject areas. Students used a range of microscopic imagery as inspiration, including cells and bacteria they had studied in their science lessons.
Plant cell drawings and collagraph printmaking
Students made connections to the cells studied in their science lessons to develop their understanding and use of line, shape and texture. The drawings were then refined to create a series of designs for collagraph printmaking.
Collagraph printmaking inspired by research into plant cells
Students looked at microscopic imagery of natural forms as inspiration to create these miniature canvas paintings. To create these paintings, students practised their brush control, explored mark-making techniques and experimented with alternative colour-schemes by applying their knowledge of colour theory.
Microscopic canvas studies
Developing the theme further, students looked at microscopic images of butterfly wings and experimented with scale to re-create these wax drawings on large format canvases.
Watercolour paintings of microscopic and macro imagery
Students developed their use of bold line and shape to create painted compositions inspired by details of tropical fish. Students experimented with colour mixing, explored layered painting techniques and refined their brush control to add intricate details.
Inspired by explorations into macro photography of the natural world, students took part in a series of drawing workshops. Students explored the use of line and shape and developed close observation skills through experimentation with a range of drawing techniques including blind contour drawing and continuous line drawing. | <urn:uuid:c31c4930-3638-4f30-881f-bafaf32f6232> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.mrsramosvirleysartclass.com/art-science-microscopic--multidisciplinary-unit.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.963636 | 308 | 3.421875 | 3 |
When mentioning to Hanoi, Hanoi Old Quarter perhaps is not an unfamiliar name for anyone who visits Hanoi. With a total area of about 100 hectares, the Old Quarter of Hanoi was formed from the 11th century of Ly – Tran dynasty and has nearly a thousand years of history of a bustling urban area. It is a location of handicraft activities and all trade, forming the characteristic towns that bring distinct traditions of urban residents and the capital. Artisans from craft villages around the ancient Thang Long capital gathered here, focused on each region and specialized in making their professional jobs that made the town more and more developed. And, traded products have become street names, with the word “Hàng” in front meaning that they focus on dealing a kind of good such as Hang Gao (rice), Hang Duong (sugar) , Hang Muoi (salt)… Therefore people often call Hanoi 36 streets with the meaning of streets that locate people doing the same craft, sell the same items. The name “Hanoi – 36 streets” is just symbolic. Until Le dynasty, it gradually had some Chinese traders, established some towns of Chinese people. At that time, there were some lakes in the middle of Old Quarter and Thai Cuc lake is the largest. By the end of the 19th century, these lakes were filled, but still left traces through places: Ha Khau, Giang Khau, Cau Go, and Cau Dong. In the French colonial period, Hanoi old quarter was expanded, and Indian and French dealers came here to trade, which formed the cultural diversity and ethnicity. Dong Xuan market also was found at that time.
Nowadays, through ups and downs of history, Hanoi Old Quarter is still the busiest business district of Hanoi. Life in the old quarter of Hanoi inevitably gradually changed over time but retains the manners of small business, in general. Now, some streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi still maintains traditional products such as Hang Ma, Hang Tre, Thiec … And, although some streets do not hold its traditional products, but still sell the same goods. For example, Hang Quat Street sells worshiping items, Hang Buom sells confectionery, and Ma May Street specializes in travel services.
Another interesting thing of the old quarter of Hanoi is ancient architecture of houses with tubular shape, inclined roofs, and shop-houses in the facades. These houses were built in between 18th and 19th century, small but still have areas of goods selling, worshipping, guests welcoming, sleeping and so on. Tourists who are the most fastidious still intrigued by the cultural values contained in about 100 old structures including houses, temples, pagodas and assembly halls. Typically in these historical and cultural vestiges, Bach Ma temple is considered one of the four towns of Thang Long citadel.
Remarkably, the old quarter at night becomes very lively, especially on the weekends. Just walking on the walking route, you will see numerous colors of life such as families bringing their young children to lay, groups of dance competitions, or a large number of travelers and citizens walking around and talking together. A pleasure not to be missed is the cuisine of Hanoi old quarter with abundant types of dining, and shops are found everywhere, from the sidewalk to the luxurious form. Toad cafes, beer sidewalk, the hot pot restaurants, grilled food, noodles, noodle soup, and snacks mixed together, spilling down to the street.
Modern and ancient beauty is combined together that creates an unforgettable impression in the mind of tourists. Explore Hanoi Old Quarter, you not only see the cultural and architectural sites, but also enjoy the excellent and impressive culinary as well as feel the rhythm of life, both in the past and present. | <urn:uuid:b48e8384-1158-429e-aa3c-fa883c6d11d5> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.myhanoitours.com/hanoi-old-quarter/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.966096 | 793 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Hussain sagar lake, a historical lake which was built in 1562 by Hussain Shaw Wali is situated in the heart of Hyderabad city, India. Earlier up to 1930's, it was the major water source to meet drinking and irrigation requirements for both twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Now this lake turned to virtual garbage bin with no adequate treatment for wastewater loads originated from point and non point sources. Therefore the lake loses the capability of self purification system which was an important factor that depends on the maximum uptake of oxygen from the atmosphere. Multiple projects were undertaken by the concerned authorities for the improvement of Hussain sagar lake and its catchment area. Recently With referring to the Lake health status, In 2006, HMDA, a governing body set up by Andhra Pradesh Government, initiated “Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement project” and set up STPs and wastewater interception and diversion structures. It also installed fountains to aerate the lake to improve its water quality as well as to add beauty. But these measures are lying ineffective to manage wastewater loads.
This paper discusses that the Hussain Sagar lake water body over decades, has been polluted adversely from discharging of organic and inorganic pollutants through open drains as well as point and non point sources and also presents various measures had taken to rejuvenate Hussain Sagar Lake to its past glory. | <urn:uuid:8736cde9-85fd-464d-9b45-3270d8c46f41> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.neliti.com/id/publications/239099/review-of-hussain-sagar-lake-pollution-hyderabad-india | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.969055 | 282 | 3.109375 | 3 |
What is Contract In India?
What is Contract in India?
Contracts are arrangements that the law will implement. Contracts are individual, or private, freedoms and obligations made by oral or composed understanding and assent of the gatherings. Agreements might incorporate commitments forced by regulation regardless of whether the gatherings don’t know about those commitments.
Indian contract act of 1872 happened from first September, 1872. It reaches out to the entire of India aside from the province of Jammu and Kashmir.
The law of contract is the part of regulation which decides the conditions where commitment made by the gatherings to an agreement will be legitimately restricting on them. We all go into various contract regular purposely or accidentally.
Each contract makes some right and obligations upon the contracting parties. Indian Agreement Act bargains with the authorization of these freedoms and obligations upon the gatherings.
Types Of Contracts:
In this scenario, John has made a commitment to paint Dan’s vehicle, and in return, Dan has committed to paying him $100. These commitments are expressed through the use of language, whether it is spoken or written. John has given his word that he will undertake the task of painting Dan’s car, indicating his willingness to fulfill this obligation. Simultaneously, Dan has promised to compensate John with a payment of $100, signifying his agreement to honor this financial commitment.
This exchange of commitments highlights the importance of effective communication and mutual understanding in establishing agreements and fulfilling obligations between individuals.
The actions of Toni and Tina at the gas station indicate their mutual agreement to be bound by a contract. Toni fills her vehicle with gas at Tina’s corner store, which implies an intention to purchase the fuel. Simultaneously, Tina, as the gas station owner, is prepared to sell the gas to Toni.
This transaction forms the basis of a contractual relationship, where Toni agrees to pay for the gas, and Tina agrees to provide the fuel in exchange for payment. Although the agreement may not be explicitly verbalized, their actions and the context of the situation signify their consent and understanding of the terms of the purchase and sale of gas.
Johan makes an offer to Rakesh, stating that he will pay Rakesh $100 if Rakesh agrees to paint his vehicle. Furthermore, the terms of the proposition specify that the act of painting the vehicle is necessary to demonstrate acceptance. Dan, being aware of this condition, acknowledges the proposal by actually painting the vehicle. By taking this action, Dan indicates his acceptance of the offer made by Johan.
The act of painting the vehicle serves as tangible evidence that Dan has agreed to the terms laid out in the proposition, thereby solidifying the contractual agreement between Johan and Rakesh.
In this scenario, the Red Organization extends an offer to purchase 100 gadgets from the Green Organization for a total of $100. Upon receiving this proposal, the Green Organization responds by promising to fulfill the offer by delivering the 100 gadgets to the Red Organization. By making this promise, the Green Organization commits to carrying out the specified act of delivering the gadgets as per the terms of the offer.
This exchange of commitments solidifies the agreement between the two organizations, with the Red Organization committed to paying the agreed amount and the Green Organization committed to providing the requested quantity of gadgets. Such mutual promises form the basis of a contractual relationship between the parties involved.
Who Can Go into an contract?
Minors (people under age 18) and individuals who are intellectually awkward don’t have the lawful ability to go into contracts. Any remaining individuals are considered to have the lawful ability to go into contracts. In New Mexico and most expresses, the lawful age for going into contracts is 18 (see NMSA §28-6-1). An agreement between a minor and a grown-up might be dropped upon solicitation of the minor, however is restricting on the grown-up. The test for intellectual ability to go into an agreement is whether the individual been able to grasp the nature and outcomes of the understanding.
Partnerships have the ability to go into contracts through the demonstrations of their representatives, officials and approved workers. By and large, people related with the organization are not considered by and by answerable for the enterprise’s obligations and liabilities, including risk for break of agreement, in spite of the fact that there are a few special cases.
Components of the contract
Offer – All contract start with want and obligation. Somebody needs (wants) something, and somebody can satisfy (assume a sense of ownership with) that need. Known as “the proposition,” this first fundamental component includes the obligations and obligations of each party, yet should likewise exhibit a trade of significant worth. That worth can be cash, or it can connect with an ideal activity or result.
There is no such thing as in fact, a proposition until it is gotten by the mentioning party (the offer). After the deal has been gotten, it can in any case be repudiated, modified, or ended whenever before acknowledgment.
The offer is likewise allowed to broaden a counter-offer. At the point when a counter-offer is made, the first proposition is ended, and the gatherings are presently during the time spent expecting another ideal result.
Acceptance– The offer was acknowledged unambiguously. Acknowledgment might be communicated through words, deeds or execution as called for in the agreement. For the most part, the acknowledgment should reflect the details of the proposition. On the off chance that not, the acknowledgment is seen as a dismissal and counteroffer.
On the off chance that the contract includes an offer of products (for example things that are portable) between vendors, then the acknowledgment doesn’t need to reflect the conditions of the proposal for a legitimate agreement to exist, except if:
(a) the conditions of the acknowledgment fundamentally change the first agreement; or
(b) the offeror objects inside a sensible time.
Awareness- For an contract to be restricting, the two players should initially know that they are going into an understanding. Frequently called “an accord,” the two players to an agreement should be dynamic members. They should perceive the contract exists and are unreservedly consenting to be limited by that report’s commitments.
As a matter of fact, contract can be voided in the event that mindfulness isn’t sufficiently settled. For instance, in the event that one of the gatherings consented to an arrangement under pressure or can demonstrate excessive impact, extortion, or distortion, the agreement will be nullified. Subsequently, it is urgent for all gatherings going into an contract to obviously and unequivocally lay out that the understanding is certified, shared, and all gatherings agree to its items.
Consideration- Something of significant worth was promised in return for the predefined activity or non-action. This can appear as a critical consumption of cash or exertion, a guarantee to play out some help, a deal to avoid following through with something, or dependence on the commitment. Thought is the worth that incites the gatherings to go into the contract.
The presence of thought recognises an contract from a gift. A gift is a deliberate and needless exchange of property starting with one individual then onto the next, without something of significant worth guaranteed in kind. Inability to keep a word to make a gift isn’t enforceable as a break of contract since there is no thought for the commitment.
legality- At long last, all contract are dependent upon the laws of the purview in which they work, including any relevant government, state, and nearby regulations and statutes. Clearly, an contract for an unlawful activity or item can’t be implemented. Regardless of whether the gatherings at first had no information, assuming their arrangement crosses paths with neighborhood regulations, that absence of mindfulness is lacking to beat the lawfulness trouble. It likewise should be obvious that an agreement that includes crime isn’t substantial.
As usual, there are subtleties. As a rule, the contract should comply to the law in the purview where it’s agreed upon. Now and again state and government regulations are not in that frame of mind, in those cases, the contract Provision (Article I, Segment 10, Condition 1 of the US Constitution) will be the directing power.
Furthermore, there are sure cases where an agreement is presently not lawful, including:
Unnecessary Impact, Pressure, Deception: When any party to the contract signs because of intimidation, dangers, bogus proclamations, or inappropriate influence
Unreasonableness: When the consequence of an agreement triggers harsh commitments or that’s what produces results “shock the heart of the court.”
Public Strategy and Wrongdoing: When an agreement disregards public strategy or endangers public government assistance
Botch: When a mistake in the agreement has a “material impact” upon the commitments and obligations at first consented to
Force Majeure: When conditions past the control of the gatherings make it difficult to fulfil the commitments of the contract.
Related: Indian Companies Act 2013
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Heart is considered as the most important part of body. The heart muscle umps blood, oxygen and other vital nutrients to all part of the body. An impediment in this pumping mechanism can lead to vital parts of our body like brain and kidneys being negatively affected. And this can lead to heart ailments that can definitely affect your lifestyle. Heart disease is a serious illness that takes a person in surprise. There are loads of symptoms and signs that portray the beginning of these ailments.
Symptoms of heart disease
Uneven beating of the heart
Shortness of breath
Factors that contributes an ailing heart are
Life style risk factors
Among different types of coronary cardiac ailments coronary artery disease is the most common. To avoid such severe ailment there are different types of coronary artery disease treatment are available. Usually when the arteries get blocked due to plaques, heart fails to pump blood in the entire body. This can lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Treatments options available to overcome this situation are
Bypass or surgery
At times one might face shortness of breath even while taking rest anyone facing this symptom should immediately consult with a cardiologist. This can lead to a condition called heart failure. It is a condition when the heart muscle fails to pumps blood as they become weak. There are different types of coronary artery disease symptoms; they seem to develop slowly but certain time it is seen there is sudden leading to heart failure and other heart problems.
Some Symptoms that shows failure of heart are
Shortness of breath
Decreased urines production
There are different types of heart failure treatment options available nowadays that can help one to stay healthy and live much longer life. The factors that can contribute to treatment of the patients having heart that is unable to pump blood and oxygen into the entire body.
Factors that are responsible are
Change in lifestyle
One needs to have a healthy diet with low sodium and fat. Aside this there is many surgical treatments that can be adopted by a cardiac surgeon to cure heart defects. If the condition is not too severe then by having medication you can get relief from these awful ailments.
We live in a society that places enormous value on the ability to recover rapidly after a medical intervention to return to a normal life style. Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery techniques have truly revolutionized the way our patients perceive their surgical experience and their heart surgery recovery. Singapore offers the most effective medical care in the world. Some of the most sought after treatments facilities that one can get here is orthopedic surgery, cardiac surgeries, neurology and neuro surgery. Are you suffering from severe cardiac problems and looking forward for a good cardiologist in Singapore then get in touch with Dr. Lim Ing Haan a leading consultant cardiologist known for cardiac surgery in Singapore. She is known for her treatments regarding heart and vascular diseases. So if you want to avoid any unnecessary consequences, its better you take precautions. | <urn:uuid:ee4f4602-69a6-4777-8ca0-e2d1a8491180> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.nikeairforce1.us/tag/singapore | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.935652 | 592 | 2.53125 | 3 |
There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live. While today’s blue whale has long held the title, scientists have dug up fossils from an ancient giant that could tip the scales.
Researchers described the new species — named Perucetus colossus, or “the colossal whale from Peru” — in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Each vertebra weighs over 220 pounds (100 kilograms) and its ribs measure nearly 5 feet (1.4 meters) long.
“It’s just exciting to see such a giant animal that’s so different from anything we know,” said Hans Thewissen, a paleontologist at Northeast Ohio Medical University who had no role in the research.
The bones were first discovered more than a decade ago by Mario Urbina from the University of San Marcos’ Natural History Museum in Lima. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a steep, rocky slope in the Ica desert, a region in Peru that was once underwater and is known for its rich marine fossils. The results: 13 vertebrae from the whale’s backbone, four ribs and a hip bone.
The massive fossils, which are 39 million years old, “are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said study author Alberto Collareta, a paleontologist at Italy’s University of Pisa.
After the excavations, the researchers used 3D scanners to study the surface of the bones and drilled into them to peek inside. They used the huge — but incomplete — skeleton to estimate the whale’s size and weight, using modern marine mammals for comparison, said study author Eli Amson, a paleontologist at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany.
They calculated that the ancient giant weighed somewhere between 94 and 375 tons (85 and 340 metric tons). The biggest blue whales found have been within that range — at around 200 tons (180 metric tons).
Its body stretched to around 66 feet (20 meters) long. Blue whales can be longer — with some growing to more than 100 feet (30 meters) in length.
This means the newly discovered whale was “possibly the heaviest animal ever,” Collareta said, but “it was most likely not the longest animal ever.”
It weighs more in part because its bones are much denser and heavier than a blue whale’s, Amson explained.
Those super-dense bones suggest that the whale may have spent its time in shallow, coastal waters, the authors said. Other coastal dwellers, like manatees, have heavy bones to help them stay close to the seafloor.
Without the skull, it’s hard to know what the whale was eating to sustain such a huge body, Amson said.
It’s possible that P. colossus was scavenging for food along the seafloor, researchers said, or eating up tons of krill and other tiny sea creatures in the water.
But “I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing actually fed in a totally different way that we would never imagine,” Thewissen added.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Maddie Burakoff, The Associated Press | <urn:uuid:e9300187-a2ac-458c-b057-ec538e433799> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.northislandgazette.com/life/the-heaviest-animal-ever-may-be-this-ancient-whale-found-in-the-peruvian-desert-1672123 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.949784 | 710 | 3.8125 | 4 |
Considering the wealth of poetic drama that has come down to us from the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, it is surprising that so little of any value has been added since. It is not that poets have not tried. On the contrary, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries innumerable verse dramas were written and indeed performed, but none of this survives in the English repertoire. Nor is this very likely to be a case of unjust neglect. Classical companies have often searched for abandoned theatrical masterpieces from this fallow period, but have failed to come up with much of interest after Otway’s Venice Preserv’d (1682).
Nevertheless, poetic drama sometimes survives in modified forms. For instance, if Racine or Sophocles is to be performed on the English stage, a poetic translation will be needed, and since the idiom in which either of these playwrights wrote involved much that is very far from our own traditions, conscious poetic choices have to be made by the translator in order to find an idiom for the modern stage. Many poets have turned their hands to such work, which can be both an interesting challenge and a source of income (one of the rare sources of income for a poet which actually involves the writing of verse).
Another way in which poetic drama survives is by being set to music. We may never read Victor Hugo’s play Le Roi s’amuse, but if we know Verdi’s Rigoletto we know Hugo’s play—abridged, transposed, transformed, but still very much, in the feel of it, his play. We may never get to see Hugo’s Hernani on the English stage, but Verdi’s Ernani does indeed turn up in the repertoire.
In the same way, we may think we know nothing of Pushkin until we add up the number of musical adaptations of his work: Eugene Onegin, Boris Godunov, Ruslan and Lyudmila, The Queen of Spades… What is more, Tchaikovsky’s Onegin not only makes us acquainted with the story and something of the atmosphere of Pushkin’s work: it is a remarkable fact that, if you are familiar with the phrases of the music, you will also be familiar with Pushkin’s measure—not the whole stanza, perhaps, but that characteristic four-foot line with its pattern of feminine and masculine endings. The composer incorporates such chunks of the original poem in his work, and sets them so audibly, that, without knowing a word of Russian, you will have a sense of the way the verse is constructed.
Schiller is a poet whose drama finds its way to us, this time disguised as Italian opera: Luisa Miller, Maria Stuarda, Guglielmo Tell, I Masnadieri, Don Carlo, Giovanna d’Arco… And if we think we know very little Goethe, we may be surprised to find how much has come to us through the medium of music, just as Shakespeare’s and Byron’s work has been transmitted musically through the non-English-speaking world.
All this should give us pause before we write off poetic drama as an extinct art form. One may say, Yes, I know the kind of thing that happens in opera, only too well, alas: the whole art is ridiculous. But it is not ridiculous to sing in drama, unless it is ridiculous, altogether, to raise our voices in song. And it is not ridiculous to think of writing poetic drama, unless it is also ridiculous to raise our voices in poetry.
What then is the source of our unease in the face of the term “poetic drama”? Do we expect something pseudo-Shakespearean? That danger surely passed a long time ago. Or do we expect something which, while not necessarily written in verse, is poetic in the sense that it is anti-realistic, that is symbolist, that it uses a specially ornate language, like Oscar Wilde’s Salome (one of those plays which is only tolerable today as an opera)? Whatever horror lies at the back of our mind, the best thing is to search it out and examine it, because when we examine these horrors we find they lose their power to harm us.
For instance, I have a horror of choruses and “verse-speaking,” but when I examine this horror it is really a horror of Eliot’s choruses in Murder in the Cathedral (1935) and the “verse-speaking” pioneered by Anglicans in the middle of the last century, the Anglicans who got together to perform Eliot’s plays and other poetic dramas of the period. I don’t in the least have a horror of Auden’s choruses from the same period (they are the best things in his plays), or of Eliot’s unfinished Sweeney Agonistes, which actually plays very well, even when performed by amateurs, and which was rightly said to anticipate much of the spirit of Pinter’s (prose) drama.
We all have these horrors, which can be so hard to explain. I cannot bear verse dialogues of the eclogue form, whoever writes them, and yet there are other forms of pastoral I delight in. I would rather stay at home with a bad book than attend a brilliant performance of The Cocktail Party, but I would be delighted to find that someone had succeeded in writing a good poetic drama, or a great verse libretto for an opera.
For just as there was a time in English drama when it seemed natural that the bulk of a play should be written in verse, so also there was a time in the history of European opera when it seemed clear that the job of the composer was to serve the words of the poet well. After all, the original impetus behind opera had been the urge to rediscover the lost mode of drama of the Greeks. So at the heart of the musical concept was the poetic text. But in due course, over the years, the poets in the world of opera lost caste, and we became hacks and drudges and garret-dwellers. And at the same time the composers became more and more overweening, so that Bellini felt entitled to set the police onto his librettist Romani, in order to ensure that a deadline was met.
What this means is that there is ground lying idle. As poets, we have a title to assert—a part of our inheritance lies unclaimed. And the way we assert our title is by writing. The way we refute, say, the death of the sonnet, or the reported demise of the epic, is not by argument but by assertion. My sonnet asserts that the sonnet still lives. My epic, should such fortune befall me, asserts that the heroic narrative is not lost—that it is born again, perhaps in some form which seems hardly at first recognizable, but nevertheless, there it is, born again.
As poets we do not ask permission before we begin to practice, for there is no authority to license us. We do not inquire whether it is still possible to pen a drama, for the answer to that question is ours alone to give. It is our drama, spoken or sung, that asserts our right to the title of poet. It is our decision that counts, and not the opinion of some theater management, or the ponderings of the critic, or even the advice of our friendliest mentors. It is our decision, our assertion, that alters the whole state of affairs.
This is possible, we assert, because this is what I have just done. This is achievable, because I wanted enough to achieve it.
September 26, 2002 | <urn:uuid:8f4b98f1-9e7f-45f0-baf9-e16451dcc5e5> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2002/09/26/some-advice-for-poets/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.96934 | 1,622 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Throbbing tooth pain is a type of toothache that comes and goes, and it occurs when someone is suffering from tooth damage like tooth decay and cavities. Additionally, if there is an infection or inflammation- the condition is called pulpitis- in one’s gums or teeth, he may also suffer from throbbing tooth pain.
The teeth are covered with a hard enamel surface, whereas the inner part consists of soft pink pulp. Similarly, the pulp contains blood vessels, nerves, and tissues that keep the tooth alive. The cavity or tooth decay causes cracks in the teeth, and that’s why the germs and air starts letting inside the tooth. Additionally, it damages sensitive nerves and blood vessels and eventually becomes the reason for throbbing tooth pain.
This brief guide contains information on tooth throbbing pain symptoms and causes. Read on and find out more about the topic.
Symptoms of Throbbing Tooth Pain
- Teeth sensitivity
- Swollen gums
- Jaw aching
- Foul tasting
- Bad breath
- Tenderness and pain in the mouth
- Pus or white fluid
- Pain when biting and eating food
- Jaw aching
- Constant dull ache
If one feels the symptoms mentioned above and tooth pain, he should immediately book an appointment with the dentist to get rid of the problem.
Causes of Throbbing Tooth Pain
There are numerous causes of throbbing tooth pain; similarly, each cause demands proper treatment and care. The main reasons for throbbing pain include:
Cavity/ Tooth Decay
One dangerous dental condition that slowly damages the enamel is cavities and tooth decay. In this disease, the bacteria weaken the outer layer of teeth’ “enamel” and causes pain and discomfort. The main reasons for bacterial buildup in the mouth are eating acidic foods and not maintaining good oral health. The early stage of tooth decay is quite effortless to treat; however, when it becomes a cavity, the infection gets severe and starts making holes in teeth. Similarly, it will require one to get a dental implant, fillings, or root canal treatment to fix the issue. Taking care of tooth decay early is crucial and stopping it from worsening. Hence, eating the right foods and keeping oral health on point can prevent one from getting severe cavities and throbbing tooth pain.
It is the condition when the tooth breaks accidentally by eating something hard like ice or others. When a face or jaw is hit by something hard can also cause a fracture in a tooth. The crack in the tooth causes throbbing pain and discomfort. In some cases, the tooth fractures get slowly recover over time. However, it’s always better to get early treatment; otherwise, germs, air, and other food particles can insert into the sensitive part of teeth and cause further damage and intense pain.
It is a dental condition where a bacterial infection is formed in the internal part of the tooth. The dangerous infectious disease can damage the teeth internally and spread further to jaws and other body parts in no time. Similarly, due to an abscessed tooth, one faces pulsating toothache. The problem can be minimized by taking timely treatment from the dentist and removing the infection.
Inappropriate or Damaged Filling
People who received filling treatment might suffer from throbbing tooth pain because of damaged or inappropriate filings. Sometimes, the dentist is inexperienced and can not deliver the best results in filling treatment. Similarly, the patient faces pain after the treatment. Additionally, filling damage usually occurs when a person has numerous dental problems. Also, the filling can damage when a person bites or chew hard foods.
Grinding teeth is also called “bruxism,” that causes when a person has a habit of clenching teeth while sleeping. Various causes of bruxism include overdevelopment of the jaw, genetics, and stress. At the same time, the problem causes jaw, gum, and tooth pain. Also, grinding teeth can lead to fractured teeth, tooth erosion, and cavities. Dentists recommend wearing a mouthguard while sleeping to people with bruxism.
Periodontal or gum disease is also the reason for throbbing tooth pain. Similarly, gum disease patients would find persistent pain in their jaws and gum. If new teeth emerge, one also faces pain surrounding the emerging teeth and in the specific area.
People facing any mild or unbearable throbbing tooth pain should be examined by their dentist on time. Also, it’s necessary to take complete care of oral health by regularly brushing, flossing, and rinsing the teeth. It’s always better for one to learn about the throbbing tooth pain causes first and then go for treatment.
Oasis Smile Dental is the best place where professional NE Calgary dentist treat the underlying cause of throbbing tooth pain and provide one the ultimate comfort. | <urn:uuid:d42fa3d1-28b7-490c-97a8-957e6a67bc42> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.oasissmiledental.com/what-is-throbbing-tooth-pain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.938308 | 1,004 | 3 | 3 |
Trekking Machupicchu – Okidoki Travel Peru
Have you ever heard of a mystical city in the clouds? Well you will learn who built it, how it was built it, who rediscovered it and what this interesting place called Machu Picchu was like. Lets start the adventure about Machu Picchu with okidoki travel peru.
Building inka Machu Picchu
Have you ever wondered how Machu Picchu was built?
This is how. Incas (the people who lived on Machu Picchu) were great builders and great engineers the talents made it essayer to build Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was built so well that after 500 years you could not even slide a blade between the stones isn’t that cool?!That is why Machu Picchu still stands today. Chips left from carving stones where put far under the ground so when it rains the chips help drain the water away from Machu Picchu what a great idea the Incas had! That’s also why Machu Picchu still stands today! There is a temple the Unfinished temple that has a ramp which leads to where the Incas worked.
The Incas mostly used ramps to move large boulders. As well the Incas built temples, palaces and bridges, they dug canals and irrigation ditches. Incas built canals to carry water from a spring on Machu Picchu. Also the staircases and terraces were so strong that if an earth quack hit Machu Picchu they would still stand straight and strong that is why people can still explore and travel on Machu Picchu. I hope you liked the info about how Machu Picchu was built.
Have you ever seen what Machu Picchu is like?
This amazing piece of land high in the Andes Mountains is a deserted site built by the Incas. Machu Picchu was a small city built around 1450. It was remote but it had an organized society with goods and services, taxes, and military. It was on a flat stretch of land 8,000 feet above sea level between two peaks of the Andes Mountain Range. Machu Picchu is known as “the city in the clouds.” There were over 150 buildings including temples, homes, and palaces.
Incredible Incas in Peru!
Have you ever wondered who the Incas are, well then let’s learn about the Incas secrets and a handful of fun facts too. First the Incas did not always live in Machu Picchu (which is in Peru) but they always have lived in South America as thieves. The emperor of the Incas was considered to be a descendant of the sun god,who was the most imported god to their religion, their emperor is also very imported that is why they thought he was a descendant of the sun god, (only boys can be emperor )!!! The Incas did not have money but still had goods and gold they kept 1/3 of their goods for their families, 1/3 for the government in case of poor crops, and 1/3 went to temples, sacrifices, and feasts. Men also paid tax with physical labor, but men were required to work for at least 2 weeks each year on building temples, palaces, and bridges, but that did not count for the physical labor tax.
The Incas had no written language so they couldn’t write. Instead they tied knots in a row of strings connected to a loop in the middle. The whole things is called a Quipus. Quipus are used for writing down everyday information and to record history. Also
Inca masons were so talented that even now 500 years later you can’t fit a blade of a knife between the stones – Machupicchu – Okidoki Travel Peru – Tour Operator!
knot and string. In Machu Picchu the air is thin and there is less oxygen so Incas got sick and it was hard for their bodies to function properly. It was even harder because Incas did not know about wheels and did not use large animals but still managed to get all of Machu Picchu now (by hand) 15,000 miles. When the Spanish invaded they found the Incas but luckily not the Incas’ secrets, including that Machu Picchu was found centuries later by the emperor Hiram Bingham Machupicchu
It was not found because Machu Picchu was cleverly hidden on a mountain with a large rock blocking the view. Hope you had fun being an Inca and a learned a little too!.
Rediscovering Machu Picchu – okidoki travel peru:
Have you ever heard of a place called Machu Picchu?
Well no one else had until 1911. Hiram Bingham was a Yale professor that explored hidden lands. He went to Peru to look for a place called Vilcapampa. He went door to door in search of Vilcapampa but no one had ever heard of it. Then as he went on he met a man named Arteaga and asked him if there were any ruins nearby. The man explained there are ruins on top of a mountain called Machu Picchu.
Arteaga wouldn’t take him because there were to many snakes. Bingham tried to persuade him with coins and Arteaga yes. They walked and walked higher and higher. Then they saw boy. Bingham asked if there were any ruins nearby. Theboystarted walking and Bingham followed. They came to some Inca stones and then to a grand stone staircase.
When they got to the to of the staircase they saw a stone temple. The stone temple amazed him.
Then they went to another temple. It was as magnificent. He was carrying a black box that unfolded into a camera. Hiram wanted his first picture to be of the boy. In the distance Bingham saw some vines. He thought he was at Vilcapampa. But when he removed the vines he realized he wasn’t. He had stumbled upon a place even more amazing. Machu Picchu!
TREKKING WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT IT OKIDOKI TRAVEL PERU?
The trekking known as such, starts in the 60’s of the last century in the Himalayas. As a result of the Second World War, a logistical capacity supported by the Sherpas, from allied armies in the mountains of India, Nepal and other English colonies, is created. Once the war is over, the knowledge of supporting camps and feeding military patrols remains with the local inhabitants and these are organized by a colonel in retreat, Jimmy Roberts, in Nepal to offer tourists, eager to know the highest mountains in the world, in Circuits of walks that go from 15 days to a month of duration. (Okidoki travel peru – alternative treks).
The activity succeeds fans in the Alps and mountains in the USA. And the supply of circuits spreads rapidly and encourages a development of trekking in Pakistan, India and Nepal, a world-known offer today.
In Peru the activity begins through business initiatives that learn of the Asian model with machu picchu trekking. In the post-war decade (and before that, too), expeditions to climb the Andes snowfalls for the first time in Peru. (Okidoki travel peru – alternative treks).
Necessarily, to get to the base camps, they had to make walks, and this was organized with porters, bunk beds and other support staff, but the ultimate goal was to climb snowcapped, not trekking.
It was only at the end of the seventies that the fans came to Peru together with the availability of equipment suitable for walkers made of materials (Aluminum, vinyl, polyester, etc.) that improve quality, weight and durability on the trek. In that decade the first companies of trekking and adventure tourism are established, and this is how the development and promotion of routes in the different high Andean mountain ranges begins. From the Cordillera Blanca in the North through Huayhuash, Raura, Vilcabamba, Urubamba, Vilcanota and Carabaya. (Okidoki travel peru – alternative treks).
Nowadays there are trekkings or walks for all tastes passing through more than five thousand meters, where a good acclimatization and physical condition is required, to trekkings more leisurely and short (inka trail classic to machu picchu, salkantay trekking to machu picchu , Ausangate trekking to machu picchu). As a definition the trekking should include camping and feeding for one night or more. Since then there is a milder activity known as hiking (day-hiking) or several days (choquequirao trekking, vilcabamba trekking to machupicchu, lares trekking to machu picchu, huchuy qosqo to machu picchu, etc.), which can mean the same in Physical effort and experiences but that do not happen of a day, usually sleeping in hostels or hotels between one day and another (okidoki travel peru – alternative treks). | <urn:uuid:72a3a4f8-5e44-49df-91e9-4875a327bcd8> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.okidokitravelperu.com/trekking-machupicchu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.970261 | 1,910 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Look for 2 adults on the nest. The adult pair will show pair bonding behaviors such as vocalizations, aerial sky dances, and the male feeding the female fish. You may see the pair copulating, which typically begins 14 days before laying eggs.
Females will lay 1 - 4 eggs at a rate of one egg every 1 - 2 days. After laying, incubation starts. Look for adults taking turns sitting low in the nest incubating eggs. The incubation period can last 35 - 43 days.
Chicks hatch ~39 days after incubation begins. Look for adults bringing food to the nest and making "head bows" into the center. Chicks typically can't be seen until they are 2 - 3 weeks old, so feeding behavior is the only way to know chicks are there.
Around 4 weeks after hatching, look for the heads of chicks to show over the rim of the nest, particularly when adults bring food to the nest. Other times they lie flat and are harder to see. Count the number of chicks in the nest before they learn to fly
Chicks begin flying around 7 - 8 weeks old, and are still fed by the adults. Count the number of chicks who have successfully fledged the nest and are observed flying.
Chick Last Observed
4 - 10 weeks after fledging, chicks begin leaving the nest area to migrate south, once they have learned to fly and feed themselves. Record the date that the last chick left the nest.
Look for signs of nest failure like adult abandonment, adults no longer incubating eggs or feeding young.
reassigning nest number and new name to new nest nearer the woods line but in same general area, reported active for the 2021 CIB State of the Bays inland bays active nest survey, chick feeding observed today | <urn:uuid:7e01cd6d-6d46-42bb-bf6b-9af0e40232b3> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.osprey-watch.org/nests/6121 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.93076 | 368 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors. They do not not reflect the opinions or views of Ovia Health.
The world of prenatal supplements has not changed much in the last 40 years, even though our dietary habits have evolved, and we now have a much deeper understanding of how some key nutrients can have a life-long effect in the health of your baby.
Getting the right dosage of iron is paramount at every step of your pregnancy. In fact, when you’re pregnant, you need twice the amount of iron you required before conceiving. And yet, close to 50% of pregnant women don’t get enough iron.
Iron is a cornerstone of health during pregnancy and beyond. Your body uses iron to make extra blood (hemoglobin) for you and your baby during pregnancy. Iron also helps move oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body — and especially to your baby’s brain. Having low iron has been shown to increase the risk of autism, and this is only one of the reasons why getting enough iron throughout your entire pregnancy is so important.
Something that most people don’t know is that your body can actually store iron reserves in organs such as the liver and spleen. But if you are one of the 25% of women whose iron levels are low at the start of your pregnancy, your body will prioritize the needs of your baby over yours, and it will take iron from other systems such as your blood and muscle tissue. This can lead to anemia for you, and a potential negative impact in your baby’s healthy development.
The challenge is to get adequate quantities at each stage, because the amount needed is different for each trimester. Most prenatals contain iron, but at levels much lower than what is needed during pregnancy, and the levels are not tailored to changing the needs of each stage.
During the first trimester the most critical brain and physical development occurs. The quality and quantity of the nutrients that you get in at this stage is absolutely essential to properly nourish all the cellular development that is happening rapidly: the major structures of the body form in the first trimester, and the blueprint for a healthy human is shaped in profound, long-lasting ways. In this trimester, iron plays a crucial role in your baby’s brain development, and it’s essential to help your body produce the additional blood that will circulate throughout your body.
In the second trimester, your baby will finalize the development of all its organs and systems and will begin growing in length and weight. The nervous system is starting to function, allowing your baby to move, hear sounds and swallow. The reproductive organs and genitalia are fully developed. The skin goes from transparent to opaque, and it starts to get its final texture. In the second trimester the iron needs go up to fuel this growth, and that’s why our healthynest prenatal supplement levels are increased, to make sure you and your baby are getting enough to stay and grow healthy.
In the last trimester, all major development is finished and your baby will start to gain weight very quickly: up to half a pound per week by the end of your pregnancy.
In this last stretch of pregnancy, iron continues to be a crucial nutrient, and deficiencies in this trimester can actually lead to lower neurological function. This is another key moment where you want to make sure you provide all you need, not only to your baby, but for yourself: in the last trimester we can and should boost the iron reserves that we have in our body to prepare for the loss of blood that naturally happens during delivery, allowing you to bounce back faster and feel stronger after.
Because of the realities of the third trimester, where digestive discomfort is common, getting all the nutrients you need from diet alone can become more challenging. Constipation, for example, is not something you want… That’s why the iron we have chosen for all our trimesters is non constipating.
At healthynest we are wholeheartedly committed to providing the highest possible quality and quantity of nutrients at the right time. Our prenatal addresses the very first environment for baby, developed to provide the optimal start for your baby based on the newest research. As such the trimester staged healthynest prenatal is the most researched and comprehensive prenatal vitamin available, designed by the Chief Medical Officer of the Neurological Health Foundation. It is the culmination of learnings from 350 research studies and an analysis of 250 prenatals on the market.
There is one catch, though, but we believe it’s a minor one. The daily dose of the healthynest prenatal is seven capsules, for a very simple reason: because we don’t want to compromise. While this means taking a handful of vitamins, we have condensed down the almost 30 separate items that were previously not found in one formulation. We include all of the essential vitamins, all of the essential minerals (including iron, of course!) and the Omega-3 fatty acids that women need in order to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and that does require taking a few more pills than your standard prenatal. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but we know it’s worth it…
This ad is brought to you by healthynest
- Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy. A meta-analysis of 44 trials, involving 43,274 women compared the effects of daily oral supplements containing iron versus no iron or placebo. The Cochrane Library – Peña-Rosas JP, De-Regil LM, Garcia-Casal MN, Dowswell T. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jul 22
- National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Neural tube defects and maternal intake of micronutrients related to one-carbon metabolism or antioxidant activity. Chandler AL, Hobbs CA, Mosley BS, Berry RJ, Canfield MA, Qi YP, Siega-Riz AM, Shaw GM; Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2012 Nov;94(11):864-74. doi: 10.1002/bdra.23068. Epub 2012 Aug 29.
- Iron supplementation during pregnancy, anemia, and birth weight: a randomized controlled trial. Cogswell, Mary E., et al. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 78.4 (2003): 773-781.
- Anaemia during pregnancy as a risk factor for iron-deficiency anaemia in infancy: a case-control study. Kilbride, Julia, et al. International Journal of Epidemiology 28.3 (1999): 461-468.
- Maternal intake of supplemental iron and risk of autism spectrum disorder. Schmidt RJ, Tancredi DJ, Krakowiak P, Hansen RL, Ozonoff S. Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Nov 1; 180(9):890-900. | <urn:uuid:15ecab85-c410-40f1-a9f8-21e23f67f165> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.oviahealth.com/guide/111393/healthynest_iron_vb/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.92923 | 1,428 | 2.78125 | 3 |
The main treatment options that can be recommended for head lice include products containing traditional chemical insecticides or newer physical insecticides, or a non-pharmacological, rigorous wet combing approach.
Physical insecticides such as dimeticone, cyclomethicone and isopropyl myristate work by coating the surface of lice and their eggs and physically smothering them. These have become the cornerstone of modern head lice management and are found in many of today’s most popular OTC products – but resistance is becoming a growing concern.
A recent research letter published in the British Journal of Dermatology has shone a spotlight on this issue, with authors from the Medical Entomology Centre at Insect Research & Development Limited in Cambridge, concluding: “At this stage non-responsive lice have only been found in a few households but, as with resistance to insecticides found in the early 1990s, this is likely [to be] only the tip of a more extensive problem within the wider community.
“If head lice are being selected for greater tolerance of immersion in physically acting fluids, product manufacturers, clinicians and regulators need to take action now to establish not only which types of formulations and ‘active’ materials are losing their effect but also to develop alternatives to replace them before problems, similar to those encountered with insecticide use in the 1990s, become more widespread.”1
Ian Burgess, director of the Medical Entomology Centre is lead author of this research. The evidence is limited at the moment because we have not had the opportunity to follow up many people, he explains. “The ones described in the letter are of children [where] we had a chance to carry out repeat follow-ups at roughly weekly intervals, a week being too short a period of time for lice emerging from eggs to become adults.
“What we found was each of these individuals showed a full spectrum of louse development stages almost every week, which means that the treatment did not kill the adults or perhaps older nymphs that could then become adults.
“Each of these people did not have infested family members and, in our follow-ups, we could not trace any contacts who had lice either. The failed treatments ranged across three completely different products, in one case a product that had not previously been used in the UK as far as we were aware at the time.”
“New evidence suggests that some treatment failures were because the product did not work as expected”
Burgess says these findings could potentially signal increased resistance to physical insecticides as a growing problem in the UK. “We have always found a level of lack of success with physically acting products. Sometimes this has been due to not being able to kill all louse eggs, sometimes through a failure to get the fluid to thoroughly coat every hair, louse or egg, and sometimes because people get reinfested.
“However, the new evidence suggests that maybe some of those failures were because the product did not work as expected. Lower efficacy has increasingly occurred over the years since the products were introduced but there was no way of knowing whether these were chance issues or something more substantial affecting efficacy.”
We do not yet know how or what is causing this failure, Burgess continues, although we can make some educated guesses. “In each case it is likely to either be some selected change in the proportion of different lipids in the waterproofing lipid coating of the louse, so they are not so easily disrupted.
“Alternatively, some of the products that enter the respiratory system of the louse to block it and stop the insects excreting water may be less easily able to do this if some difference in the structure of the spiracle has been selected for, so the fluid does not go in.”
What to recommend?
In terms of first-line head lice treatment, both NICE and the NHS are reluctant to recommend any one specific product. NICE advises that choice of treatment be determined by the preference of the person and/or their parents/carers after considering the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment, what has been previously tried and the cost of the treatment.2
Burgess agrees that there is no simple answer. “Until recently we would use Hedrin Once spray gel for families that contacted us when they were having problems with dealing with lice. However, since two of our reported ‘resistance’ cases had been using that, we have needed to use something else,” he explains. “For the present we are sticking with Hedrin Once spray gel as our starting point and then moving on from there if there is a problem at follow-up after one week.”
One of the main issues is the lack of conclusive clinical evidence supporting any specific treatment approach or product over another. “The problem is that very few products have actually been subjected to properly constructed clinical investigations. On some websites they say they have evidence from in vitro tests but nothing more,” Burgess says.
“As a result we are all reduced to the level of trying something, seeing if it works and, if not, trying something else – not an attractive option given the cost and the angst head lice cause.”
1. Burgess I & Brunton E. Head lice: evidence that resistance to physically acting treatments is developing. British Journal of Dermatology. 2023; 189(1):144-145
2. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Head lice. Revised November 2021. | <urn:uuid:29014884-5634-4c18-bfbc-3bc4442d4635> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.pharmacymagazine.co.uk/clinical/is-head-lice-resistance-rearing-its-head-again | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.976953 | 1,148 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Agraopahrniye Adhyay - 5th Chapter of Sushruta Samhita
Sushruta is known as the father of the surgery. Acharya Sushruta wrote Sushruta samhita in which he explained about the instruments, procedures, diseases and their management. Sushruta samhita is the best textbook to have a deep knowledge about medicine and surgery. In this article we will discuss the fifth chapter of the Sushruta samhita named as a agraoparhaniye adhaya.
In this chapter there is mention of the Trividha karma (Purva, Pradhana, Pashchat karma) which is supposed to be done while performing a procedure. The eight types of shastra karma which are Chedana (Excision), Bhedana (Incision), Lekhana (Scraping), Vedhana (Puncturing), Eshyna (Probing) etc. Equipment used in the procedures, also how to incise or excise the wound, what are the precautions and techniques mentioned in this chapter.
- Purva Karma (Pre operative procedure)
- Pradhana Karma (Operative procedure)
- Paschat Karma (Post operative care)
Primacy Of the Shastra Karma
In this treatise, due to primacy of the Shasta karma, firstly the equipment are explained.
Ashtavidha Shastra Karma
- Chedana (Excision)
- Bhedana (Incision)
- Lekhana (Scraping)
- Vedhana (Puncturing)
- Eshyna (Probing)
- Aaharan (Extraction)
- Vaisravana (Drainage)
- Sevana (Suturing)
- Yanta (Blunt instruments)
- Shastra (Sharp instruments)
- Ksara (Caustics)
- Agni (Fire cautery)
- Shalaka (Probe)
- Shringa (Horn)
- Jalouka (Leeches)
- Alabu (Gourd)
- Jaumboushta (Cauterizing instrument of black stone)
- Pichu (Swab)
- Plot (Gauze)
- Sutra (Suture and ligature material)
- Patra (leaf)
- Patti (Dressing)
- Madhu (Honey)
- Ghrut (Ghee)
- Kshir (Milk)
- Taila (Oil)
On an Auspicious day and time, in Shivadi muhurta, Ashwani Nakshtra, offer prayings to the brahmins and the vaidya's with curd, yava, food and other gems. After offering prayers, give light food to the patient, Ask him to Sit in a East Direction, physicians Facing west, protecting the vital organs, use the weapon until the pus comes out. The weapon should be used once, not again and again. If the inflamed site is more, the one should not make an incision more than two or three Angula.
Qualities of a Good Incision
- Aayat (Adequate length)
- Vishal (Adequate extensibility)
- Sama (Regular and uniformly cut edges)
- Suvibhakta (well differentiated)
The correct incision is which has optimal length, optimal width, which do not have zig zag corners, do not hamper the internal structures, the one in which it does not contain pus cells etc. and the one which is excised at the correct stage.
Qualities Of A Surgeon
- Shourya (Boldness)
- Ashukriya (Swiftness in action)
- Shastra takshanya (Sharpness of his instruments)
- Asweda (No sweating)
- Avepathu (No trembling)
- Asamoah (Confidence)
Counter Excision And Multiple Excision
If in case after one incision in abscess, the pus has not excised yet or the other content is not properly cleaned, at that time another incision can be made. In the places in which you can find the pus inflammation, one should incise that point so that there will be no pus remains.
In cheeks, eyebrows, forehead, behind ears, eyelashes, lips, gums, abdomen, axilla, the Excision should be made oblique.
In hands and Legs, the excision should be in circular form (Ardhachandra akar)
In anal region or male genital organ (Medra) should be in Ardhachandrakar (Half Circular)
If the incision is not made like this, there is more pain, chronicity, and thickening of the tissues can happen.
Diseases To Be Managed Empty Stomach
- Mudagarbha (Malpresentation)
- Udar roga (Abdominal diseases)
- Arsha (Piles)
- Ashmari (Urinary Calculi)
- Bhagander (Fistula-in-ano)
- Mukha roga (Oral diseases)
Post Operative Procedure After A Surgery
After excising the foreign body from the wound, Sprinkle the cold water, Squeeze the abscess from all sides and press the wound with the help of the fingers. Wash the wound with a gauze with water and kashaya.
After that take tilakalka, madhu, Ghruta and other herbs which are to be applied with the help of gauze and that gauze is kept inside the wound.
Then cover it with help of kalka () and tie it with a cloth. After that Do Dhupana with vedanahar and rakhshogan hingulvadi gana and also chant rakshoghna mantra.
- Guggulu (Commiphora mukul)
Take all these in powder form and mix it with lavan (Salt), nimba patra (Neem leaves), and Ghruta (Ghee) and do the dhupana. The ghruta/ ghee left is used for mardana of the other vital structures.
I will do this raksha karma to avoid fear of the demons. mat y brahma deva approve this. Naga, pishach, gandharv, pitara, yaksha, rakshas etc. whoever gives you the pain, may brahma adi gods destroy them. In this earth, sky, in all directions, In your home whosoever demons live, May he gets pleased with your prayers and protects you. May all brahma rishis, deva rishis, raj rishis, mountains, seas, oceans protect you. May agni (fire) protect your tongue. May Vayu (Air) protect your life, soma protects Vyana vayu, Parjanya (Rainy season) protects your apana vayu. May electricity protects your udan vayu, indra deva protects your Satva (Mind) and manu protects your neck veins and intelligence. May sun protect your eyes, directions protect your ears, moon protects your mind and beauty, night protects your Shadow always. May water increases your semen, akasha protects your channels, prithvi protects your body, hope all this protects you and increases your lifespan, May god bless you, May Moon and Sun bless you, May vayu, agni, indra, rishi's may bless you. May you always stay healthy and Disease free.
After this mantra recitation, ask the patient to go inwards and all the dietary regime with the precautions (Post Operative instructions) is explained to them.
Time To Change The Dressing Of The Wound
You should change the dressing of the wound every 3 days and fresh dressing is to be done after washing it with the Decoction of the Sadyo Vranokta drugs. The wound should not be undressed too early. If it is undressed early, it may cause thickening of the tissue and increase the duration of healing, which increases the pain sensation at the area.
After the third day they examine the dosha, kala, strength of the person, and do the arrangement of the decoction of the herbs, local application of herbal paste, food etc. until the wound gets recovered.
Things To Be Avoided
The following things are to be avoided till the Firmness of the wound
Dressing Of The Wound According To The Season
- In early winter, winter, spring the dressing of the wound should be every third day.
- In autumn, summer and rainy season, the dressing of the wound should be on every second day.
- Ethics in emergency.
- In case of emergency, the doctor does not need to follow all these ethics but the immediate action should be taken.
Post Operative Sedation
If the patient is in severe pain after the incision then one should irrigate the part with mulethi Ghruta (Lukewarm).
This chapter told us everything about the Shastra karma, the qualities of the surgeon, how we have to incise a wound and what precautions should be taken. The preoperative operative, Operative, Post operative procedures are explained. Along with this the raksha karma is also explained. | <urn:uuid:e289bfa2-3a67-4c46-99bd-202016a6d3e9> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.planetayurveda.com/library/agropaharaniya-adhyaya-5th-chapter-of-sushruta-samhita/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.894911 | 2,001 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Plant Eater Solution¶
It'd be better to use a metric like F0.5 which considers recall half as important as precision.
When it comes to eating plants, it's very important not to eat something poisonous. Therefore, your evaluation metric should put a heavier emphasis on precision than recall. Alternatively stated,
- when you predict a plant is edible, it's important to be correct, even at the cost of incorrectly predicting that 2 or 3 edible plants are inedible.
- incorrect true predictions should be more heavily penalized than incorrect false predictions
- precision = accuracy rate of true predictions
- recall = accuracy rate of predictions on true instances | <urn:uuid:505a7af0-4cc4-4246-a885-1c2d48f2aaaf> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.practiceprobs.com/problemsets/metrics/precision-and-recall/plant-eater/solution/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.904267 | 134 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Table of Contents Show
An unspoken prayer carries within it the essence of heartfelt communication, transcending verbal expression. It encapsulates a form of spiritual dialogue without articulated words, an intimate connection between oneself and the divine. But what does this concept truly entail?
What Does Unspoken Prayer Mean?
Embarking on the journey of comprehending unspoken prayer, it is essential to explore the concept and its depth. It often involves a deep, personal conversation with a higher power, transcending language barriers. This form of communication relies on the power of silence to convey emotions, hopes, and concerns.
Importance of Silent Communication
Unspoken prayers, often overlooked in their significance, hold profound benefits for those who engage in this silent form of communication with the divine.
1. Inner Peace and Tranquility
Engaging in unspoken prayers offers a deep sense of calm and inner peace. By transcending verbal expression, individuals find solace and a quiet moment to connect with their spiritual selves. This practice promotes a serene state of mind, fostering mental clarity and emotional well-being.
2. Emotional Clarity and Release
Silent prayers act as a release valve for emotions that may be difficult to articulate verbally. Individuals find a safe space to express their hopes, fears, and desires without the constraints of spoken language. This process provides emotional clarity and a sense of relief, allowing individuals to process their feelings in a profound and silent manner.
3. Strengthening of Faith and Connection
Unspoken prayers are a powerful way to strengthen one’s faith and connection to the divine. By engaging in this form of communication, individuals often experience a deeper sense of closeness with their spiritual beliefs. This strengthening of faith can provide comfort and reassurance, particularly in times of distress or uncertainty.
4. Personal Growth and Reflection
The act of unspoken prayers often involves deep introspection and self-reflection. Through silent dialogue with the divine, individuals may gain insights into their own thoughts and beliefs, fostering personal growth and self-awareness. This process aids in understanding oneself better and encourages a deeper understanding of one’s place in the world.
5. Universal Accessibility
One of the most striking benefits of unspoken prayers is its universal accessibility. This form of communication transcends cultural and linguistic barriers. It can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, providing an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to engage in spiritual dialogue without the limitations of language.
6. Stress Reduction and Mental Well-being
Studies have shown that engaging in silent prayer can reduce stress levels and contribute to mental well-being. The tranquility and peace experienced during these moments of silent connection have a positive impact on an individual’s overall mental health, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
7. Enhanced Relationships and Empathy
Silent prayer often fosters a sense of empathy and understanding. By examining into one’s innermost thoughts in silence, individuals become more attuned to the feelings and experiences of others. This can significantly enhance their relationships, nurturing a deeper sense of empathy and compassion.
8. A Source of Strength in Adversity
During challenging times, unspoken prayers serve as a source of strength and resilience. They provide a sense of comfort and guidance, enabling individuals to navigate difficult situations with a renewed sense of hope and inner strength.
In essence, the benefits of unspoken prayers extend far beyond the surface. They offer a unique and profound way for individuals to connect with their spirituality, find solace, and attain inner peace, fostering personal growth and emotional well-being.
Silent Prayer Techniques:
Engaging in silent prayer involves a variety of techniques that allow individuals to communicate silently with the divine, fostering a deeper connection with their spirituality.
1. Meditative Practices
Meditation serves as a powerful silent prayer technique. By focusing on breath, a mantra, or a specific point of concentration, individuals enter a state of deep contemplation. This practice encourages a connection to one’s spiritual self, fostering a sense of peace and tranquility.
2. Contemplative Reflection
Quiet reflection and contemplation serve as an essential technique for silent prayer. Taking moments of solitude and introspection allows individuals to explore their inner thoughts and emotions, providing a space for silent communication with the divine.
3. Mindfulness and Presence
The practice of mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment, attentively observing thoughts and feelings without judgment. This technique aids in creating a silent space for individuals to connect with their spirituality and express their unspoken prayers.
4. Visualization and Imagery
Using visualization and imagery techniques can be a powerful way to engage in silent prayer. Individuals can visualize their desires, hopes, and aspirations, creating a mental picture of their communication with the divine without the necessity of spoken words.
5. Breath and Body Awareness
Focusing on breath and body sensations can serve as a grounding technique for silent prayer. Paying attention to the rhythm of one’s breath and the sensations within the body can help in establishing a silent connection with the divine.
6. Sacred Symbolism and Ritual
Incorporating sacred symbols or rituals as part of the silent prayer practice can create a conducive environment for communication with the divine. These symbols or rituals serve as aids in focusing one’s attention and intention towards the spiritual realm.
7. Journaling and Written Communication
Writing down thoughts, feelings, and prayers silently in a journal or on paper serves as a form of unspoken communication. This practice allows individuals to express themselves in a silent, introspective manner.
8. Nature and Reverence
Connecting with nature and experiencing its beauty can be a powerful technique for silent prayer. Observing the wonders of the natural world fosters a sense of awe and reverence, serving as a form of silent communion with the divine.
In essence, various techniques cater to the diverse ways individuals connect silently with their spirituality, fostering a deep sense of connection and peace. These methods allow for unspoken communication with the divine, providing solace and guidance in one’s spiritual journey.
Expressing Faith Through Silence
The act of expressing faith through silence holds a profound and often unspoken significance in various spiritual traditions. It’s a unique method of connecting with one’s spirituality and communicating with the divine without the use of verbal expression.
1. Depth of Spiritual Connection
Silent communication is believed to foster a deeper connection with one’s faith. It allows individuals to explore the depths of their spirituality without relying on spoken language. In these moments of silence, individuals often experience a stronger connection to their beliefs and a profound sense of unity with the divine.
2. Intimacy and Sincerity
Silent expression of faith is seen as a deeply intimate and sincere form of communication. By forgoing verbal articulation, individuals express their innermost thoughts, feelings, and devotion to the divine in a manner that feels genuine and deeply personal.
3. Trust and Surrender
Expressing faith through silence often involves an act of trust and surrender. It signifies a willingness to let go of control and place trust in the divine, believing that the unspoken messages are received and understood without the need for explicit words.
4. Resonance with Emotions
Silent communication with the divine resonates strongly with emotions. It allows individuals to express their hopes, fears, gratitude, and aspirations without the constraints of spoken language, enabling a more profound emotional exchange.
5. Meditative Connection
This form of expression often accompanies meditative states, providing a channel to connect with one’s spirituality in a tranquil and introspective manner. It’s a space where individuals delve deep into their spiritual selves, fostering a serene connection with the divine.
6. Solace in Solitude
Silent expression of faith often occurs in moments of solitude. It provides a peaceful and sacred space where individuals can seek solace, guidance, and a sense of reassurance, creating a sanctuary for personal spiritual dialogue.
7. Universal Form of Communication
The silent expression of faith transcends linguistic barriers, making it a universal language of communication with the divine. People from diverse cultures and backgrounds can engage in this form of faith expression, embracing its inclusivity.
In essence, expressing faith through silence is a powerful and personal means of connecting with spirituality. It embodies sincerity, trust, and a profound emotional exchange with the divine, allowing individuals to nurture a deep and authentic relationship with their faith.
Power of Unspoken Words
The concept of unspoken words holds a unique and potent influence, suggesting that messages conveyed silently often possess a remarkable power that transcends verbal communication.
1. Influence on Subconscious Mind
Unspoken words have the potential to impact the subconscious mind profoundly. They operate beyond the realm of verbal articulation, influencing thoughts and emotions in ways that verbal expression sometimes cannot.
2. Energetic Vibrations and Intention
Silent communication is believed to carry energetic vibrations and intention. The unspoken words are thought to carry a powerful energy, and the intentions behind these words are believed to be highly potent.
3. Impact on Environment and Surroundings
Unspoken words hold the power to influence the environment and surroundings. They are said to emit vibrations that can affect the energy of spaces, creating an atmosphere that reflects the emotions and intentions behind the unspoken words.
4. Connection with the Divine
Silent communication is often seen as a direct connection with the divine. It’s a form of dialogue where individuals express their deepest thoughts, hopes, and fears, believing in a silent, intimate conversation with the divine.
5. Emotional Expression without Words
Unspoken words serve as a method for emotional expression without verbal articulation. Individuals can communicate their feelings, desires, and aspirations silently, allowing for a deeper level of expression beyond spoken language.
6. Impact on Personal Introspection
This form of communication influences personal introspection. Engaging in silent dialogue encourages individuals to delve deeper into their thoughts, facilitating self-reflection and exploration of their innermost feelings.
7. Resonance and Effect on Others
Unspoken words often resonate and have an effect on others, even without spoken articulation. These unspoken messages are believed to convey emotions and intentions, impacting those who are sensitive to the energy surrounding them.
8. Efficacy in Manifestation and Affirmation
Silent words are seen as a powerful tool for manifestation and affirmation. The intentions and desires expressed silently are believed to have the potential to manifest into reality.
In essence, the power of unspoken words lies in their ability to influence the subconscious, impact the environment, and serve as a powerful tool for emotional expression and personal introspection. This silent form of communication holds a unique and potent influence that extends beyond the boundaries of verbal speech.
In essence, unspoken prayer serves as a profound form of communication, reaching beyond verbal expression to establish a connection with the divine. It carries substantial psychological and emotional benefits, impacting various facets of an individual’s life. This silent dialogue, prevalent across diverse cultures, is a universal phenomenon offering solace, guidance, and inner strength. Its significance continues to evolve, promising a future deeply rooted in spiritual tranquility and personal growth.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the essence of unspoken prayer? Unspoken prayer represents a form of spiritual communication without verbal articulation. It involves a silent dialogue with the divine, expressing emotions and hopes without words.
2. How is unspoken prayer significant in different religions? Unspoken prayer is present in various faiths, signifying a deep level of devotion and sincerity in communicating with the divine.
3. Can silent prayer influence mental health? Studies suggest that silent prayer can positively impact mental health by reducing stress, enhancing clarity, and promoting tranquility | <urn:uuid:c63a08e9-376c-4b54-b61b-ff3ec10175e7> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.prayerslife.com/what-does-unspoken-prayer-mean/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.904903 | 2,432 | 2.515625 | 3 |
We’re having fun teaching Did Jesus Really Live Again Find the Word in this unique singing time lesson! You’ll use the printable pages to play a fun find the word game with a few ways to play!
You can even make a really cool interactive slider for the words, if you’re crafty and want to get fancy! Maybe the word strip to a colored piece of paper and then attach the word slider behind the page.
This activity is a wonderful way to implement the representation of words learning style in Primary! There’s even an adaptation for Junior Primary with visual intrigue!
Did Jesus Really Live Again Find the Word
This is a fun spin-off activity from our similar Eraser Pass games. You still have the fun of decoding which word is correct, but in a different and fun format!
How to Play:
Sing through Did Jesus Really Live Again once before introducing the activity. You may wan to start with this Did Jesus Really Live Again flip chart to help you introduce the words before getting started.
Post the Did Jesus Really Live Again Find the Word posters up on the white board. Tell the children, they’ll need to be your detectives. There looks to be some missing words.
Have the words or pictures hidden around the room. Pick a volunteer to look for a word while you sing through the song once.
After the song, ask the children if they can help place the word. If they need help, ask them to sit down and listen closely to the song while you sing through it again, with another helper searching for the next clue.
In Senior Primary, use the set of 4 words. They’ll have to not only find the correct spot, but then place it properly with the right word showing! Let them use scissor to cut away the wrong words, then post the correct word in the spot!
In Junior Primary, you can use the pictures instead of the words and fill in the missing spots with the clipart included!
Did Jesus Really Live Again Find the Word Game Extension Activities:
- When you’ve finished adding back all the words, sing only the missing words. Now, sing with just the original words, skipping your newly added words.
- Ask the children to pick a fun action you can do whenever you sing one of your new words. Maybe you can stand on one, then sit on the next throughout the song. Or stomp for each missing word.
- As an alternative to hiding the words, you could cut out holes instead of blanks, and create an interactive display where they have to slide the words up and down until they stop at the right one. Let your volunteer pick which spot they want to try to fix, then sing through the song after each fixed word.
- Another Alternate: Simply let the children fill in the blank words if printing is an issue. They can listen closely and write in the words that are blank.
Did Jesus Really Live Again Find the Word Video Demonstration
Check out this video demonstration to see how I set up this word game activity in primary! In this video, I explain how to use this find the word activity in singing time and give some examples of ways to add to this activity!
Did Jesus Really Live Again
Find the Word Lesson Plan
We’re sharing a free printable lesson plan to help make this singing time lesson a breeze! There are 2 pages to print of the lyrics with blanks. Have the Primary children write or draw in the missing words!
You’ll find an additional printable lesson plan and missing keywords plus extended for the 2nd and 3rd verse included in the INSTANT Primary Singing membership when Did Jesus Really Lives Again is the featured song of the month.
To access the free in-post printables for this post, you’ll just need to create a free account or login with the Grow.me tool. Then, confirm by email and refresh the page and ALL my free printables will automatically unlock in every post!
For more information on why I use a content lock or how to create your account, you can see the FAQ page here.
For another really fun way to teach this song, you’re going to love this Did Jesus Really Live Again Shadow Pictures activity! Shine a flashlight behind a picture hidden behind a cover to magically show the picture through the screen!
What fun twists could you do to adapt this lesson plan for a different fun way to teach Did Jesus Really Live Again Find the Word? | <urn:uuid:99acd8b2-2c0e-4d26-9dde-d1f1d8bb6a49> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.primarysinging.com/jesus-live-again-find-word/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.896669 | 931 | 3.09375 | 3 |
By Gideon Hoyle You may have heard recently about the phenomenon of “wet” drugs. Public health officials use this term to describe tobacco or marijuana cigarettes dipped in one or both of two substances: the hallucinogenic anesthetic PCP (phencyclidine or “angel dust”) and formaldehyde-based embalming fluid. Consumption of these drugs can have a serious, severe or even fatal impact on your health.
Wet Drug Essentials
Researchers trace the origins of the wet phenomenon to the 1970s, when some marijuana users began dipping their cigarettes or “joints” in a liquid form of PCP. During that time, PCP had gained the street name “embalming fluid” among parts of the drug-using and selling community. Some sources believe that this fact eventually led to the actual use of embalming fluid as a PCP substitute in the manufacturing process. Additional terms for the same illicit product include Illy, Fry, Wet-Wet and Purple Rain (a PCP reference). Use seems to be centered among young adults and teenagers.
Why Do People Use Wet Drugs?
Wet drugs have gained popularity because both PCP and embalming fluid have a mind-altering, hallucinogenic effect when burned and inhaled. This effect combines with the already-potent chemical impact of nicotine and marijuana/THC. In addition, a cigarette or joint dipped in embalming fluid burns at an unusually slow rate and provides users with a prolonged drug experience. It’s worth noting that some users smoke a dipped joint or cigarette without having any idea what they’re consuming. In addition, only the manufacturer of one of these drugs knows its true content.
Damaging Health Impact
Use of a wet joint or cigarette can damage your short-term health in a number of ways. The long list of potential problems includes unpleasant or terrifying hallucinations, paranoid or delusional thinking, angry outbursts, aggressive or violent behavior, depression, vomiting, vision problems, loss of normal body balance, reduced memory function and unconsciousness. Long-term problems associated with smoking cigarettes or joints soaked in embalming fluid or PCP include upper respiratory system inflammation, bronchitis, pneumonia, partial or complete respiratory failure, disrupted growth and development in teenagers, muscle tissue loss, heart attack, brain damage, deterioration of your spinal cord and the non-responsive form of unconsciousness known as a coma. Repeated exposure to embalming fluid can also lead to the development of cancer. Resources “Smoking Wet” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3568288/ Texas Heart Institute Journal: “Smoking Wet” – Respiratory Failure Related to Smoking Tainted Marijuana Cigarettes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3568288/ U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration: Phencyclidine https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/pcp.pdf | <urn:uuid:5e06a97a-1db6-40ae-849e-7c2aa21a0d9f> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.promises.com/addiction-blog/what-is-a-wet-drug/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.894849 | 639 | 3.03125 | 3 |
This seven-week online course will improve your knowledge of musical theory, equipping you with the skills necessary to sit the ABRSM Grade 5 theory exam. Please note, exam entry is not included in the course fee. For further information about the exam please see Course Outline.
This class will be taught online using a mixture of MS Teams and Zoom – you can take part from the comfort of your own home from anywhere in the world!
Held over seven weeks, you will be encouraged to apply your learning in a practical context using your instrument/voice.
By the end of this course, you can expect to have:
- learnt all the necessary concepts to sit the Grade 5 theory exam
- improved your composition skills, including how to set words to music
- developed your score reading
- applied many of the concepts practically to tie in with the higher grade aural tests (e.g. aural recognition of chord progressions, singing back a melody, etc
Please note, on application you will be asked to confirm that you have read and understood our Online Teaching Policy – please read this in advance of applying.
Courses you may be interested in
We run a variety of different courses throughout the year, and update our programme regularly – you can find all courses by clicking here.
Sign up to our mailing list to receive the latest updates of courses, offers and news from Short Courses. You can do this by completing this short online form found here.
If you have any questions about this course before you book it, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Please see our FAQs for more information about all aspects of choosing, booking and attending your course.
Throughout the course you will cover the following areas of study:
- clefs — treble/bass revision plus alto and tenor
- key signatures up to 6 sharps/flats, how to construct a circle of 5ths
- constructing scales
- diatonic and chromatic intervals
- chord recognition
- cadential progressions using roman numeral chord notation
- writing a melody for instrument & voice
- complex rhythmic notation (tuplets, double dots etc.)
- Italian vocabulary
Booking/Taking the exam
The ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam is online and is changing to be ‘on demand’ – this means that students can book the exam at a time to suit them.
You can find out more information by visiting the ABRSM website directly. Further information about booking the exam will be sent to students during the course.You can choose when to book and when to take an online Music Theory exam. Once the exam is booked, candidates have 28 days to take their exam. You can choose any date and time during this period.
This course is designed for students, teenagers and adults alike, who hope to sit the Grade 5 theory exam in order to progress to higher grade practical exams, are preparing for the Royal Conservatoire’s Bachelor of Education Music degree programme theory entrance exam or who wish to simply advance their theoretical knowledge.
Students should have a reasonable grounding in musical theory which includes knowledge of:
– treble/bass clef pitch notation
– rhythmic notation including semiquavers and dotted rhythms
– key signatures up to 4 sharps/flats and ideally the circle of 5ths
– some major/minor scales
Students should obtain a copy of Discovering Music Theory – Grade 5 (currently priced at approximately £8.95) — the exercises in the book will be completed as part of the course.
You will need access to a device such as a desktop computer, laptop or tablet which allows you to access the internet with a screen large enough to see the group members during online sessions.
You will need internet connection which is fast enough to take part in live teaching sessions.
You may also want to consider whether you have a space you can use where you can work without interruption. Please keep in mind that the other students taking part in the course will be able to see what is behind you when you are online.
If you have any questions in advance of booking, please contact us at [email protected]
Choosing a course
Q) Which course is right for me?
Most of our courses are open access meaning that anyone can attend. We ask that bookers check the age range for the class. Our Adult classes are for ages 16+, our Children and Young People courses are generally split by age/school group.
If your child or young person is not based in Scotland please see the general age equivalents below.
School Group /Age Range in Scotland
Primary 1 – 4/5 years old
Primary 2 – 5/6 years old
Primary 3 – 6/7 years old
Primary 4 – 7/8 years old
Primary 5 – 8/9 years old
Primary 6 – 9/10 years old
Primary 7 – 10/11 years old
Secondary 1 – 11/12 years old
Secondary 2 – 12/13 years old
Secondary 3 – 13/14 years old
Secondary 4 – 14/15 years old
Secondary 5 – 15/16 years old
Secondary 6 – 16/17 years old
Q) I have no previous experience, can I take this course?
Most of our courses are open access – meaning that anyone can take part. If there is an entry requirement or specific previous experience is recommended for the course, there will be a tab on the course webpage to specify this.
Generally, if you have no experience, or have been away from your study for a number of years – we would encourage you to look at courses with Beginner or Introduction in the title.
Q) I’m an adult learner – am I too old for this course?
Never! Our adult classes are for anyone 16+. We often have a range of people aged from their late teens/early twenties to their late sixties and above. Our tutors are adept at creating a comfortable learning atmosphere for all the people in the group. We can’t predict the ages of the people on the course – but we can assure you that now is the right time to learn something new!
Q) Are the courses accredited?
Several of our courses for young people and adults aged 16+ offer an optional credit-rated choice. You can find out more about the credit-rated accreditation we offer on the credit rated courses page, or clicking on your chosen course page for further details.
In general, our courses are unaccredited however you can request a certificate of attendance on completion of your course, if required. Please email [email protected] to request this 2 weeks prior to your course end date.
Q) English isn’t my first language, can I still take the course?
Yes! Our courses welcome students from across the world. You do not need a certificate in English in order to take Short Courses at the RCS. However, as all classes are delivered in English we do ask that you are comfortable following instructions, discussing ideas and sight-reading English aloud within the class.
Bookings/Booking a course?
Q) What is Schooble? Why do I need it?
The first time you book a short course you will need to set up a Schooble account – this is your customer account for our online booking system, Experios. You need a Schooble account to book your course, change or update your personal information, and check when payments are due/make a payment. Details of all the courses you have attended or are attending can be found on your account.
Q) I’ve not been sent a verification code?
If you are trying to set up a Schooble account or change your password, you might see that you have been sent a verification code. This code will be sent to the email associated with the account and often goes to your junk mail. Please check there first, and then email us if you cannot locate it.
Q) I haven’t received my course confirmation?
You will receive an automated email from our booking operator, Experios, to confirm that you have been successful in booking your course. This may get filtered to your junk mail – so please remember to check. If you are in any doubt – you can email us for further confirmation.
You will receive your course welcome information from us 1 to 2 weeks ahead of the course start date. This includes all the information you will need to attend the course including details of advance preparation is this is required.
Q) How do I update my email/password/address?
Log into your Schooble account by going to rcs.paritor.com. From there click the Clock icon on the left-hand side, and then click My Details. You can click Change Sign-in or Change Password as required. If you are changing your address, click Update.
Q) I’ve forgotten my password?
Go to rcs.paritor.com and click the Forgotten Password button. Enter the email address you used when you set up your account to receive a verification code. Once you have verified your email address you will be able to follow the steps to change your password.
If you are struggling with this, please email [email protected] for assistance.
Q) Why do I need to put an emergency contact down?
We offer classes to people ages 1-100, and during our courses our student’s safety is our priority. By giving us emergency contact information, you can ensure that should anything happen to you/your child during our courses – we will be able to contact someone to make them aware.
Q) Why are you asking for my age and school?
Our booking form accommodates a wide range of classes, and is the same for children, young people, and adults. As an adult you can click, I’m an Adult to avoid some of these questions.
As a young person, we ask for your age and school to ensure that you are in the correct age group for your class.
Q) Why do you ask for my medical information?
We take our student’s safety and wellbeing seriously and want to support everyone to learn in a way that suits them. If you have listed a medical condition or disability, we will contact to you to ask if there is any specific support we can put in place for you.
Q) What email address should I use for Microsoft Teams?
During your application you will be asked to select an email address to use when we add you to the course Teams group. Microsoft Teams is an online classroom where materials will be posted for your class and you will access the Zoom codes for each session.
Microsoft Teams gets upset by switching emails on a device – so if you already have an account registered for Teams, you should enter that email to avoid confusion.
If you are booking the course for someone else, you should ask them what email they use to access Teams, as only the participant will have access to the Team.
Teams is used by many schools across the UK – so if your child has been accessing Teams for school work, they should use the email already associated with that account – usually their school email address.
Some schools or workplaces do not allow accounts to be used for outside activities, please check, and email us if you wish to change the email address for Teams.
Q) It says the course is full – what do I do?
Courses have a limited number of places available. You can book onto the waiting list by clicking the Book Now button on the webpage. This will take you to the booking form to register your interest but without taking you to the payment page – it does not cost anything to book onto the waiting list.
We encourage all bookers to register for the waiting list if you wish to take the course. We try to respond to demand, and if we have enough people on the waiting list to run another course – we will! So it is worth booking on to register your interest.
Q) How will I be contacted if a space becomes available?
You will be contacted on the email associated with your account. We ask that you respond to your invitation as soon as possible as it allows us to process your application and get you set up for the course. If you no longer wish to take the place, please email us to confirm.
Q) I’ve been invited from the waiting list – do I need to do anything?
Yes! If you have received an automated email saying you have been invited from the waiting list, please log onto rcs.paritor.com and click Accept. This will take you to the payment stage of the booking form to confirm your space. After completing this you should email us so we can confirm your booking and send you over the relevant welcome information.
If you no longer want your place – please email us! We would love to offer the space to someone else and the more notice we are able to give people the better.
Q) Can I pay by instalment?
Yes, you can. When you reach the payment part of your booking form there are different payment options. We do request that all course fees are paid in full before the end date of your course.
Full – paying the course in full at the time of booking.
By Term – paying the course in three instalments, one for each term (only available for full year courses)
Monthly – this will split the course cost over the remaining months until your course completion date.
Please note these options will depend on how much time there is between the booking date and end of the course.
Q) I’m paying by instalments. Can I change my payment date?
You can log onto your Schooble account by visiting rcs.paritor.com. On your home page you will find your Account Balance. By clicking Pay/Review you will be able to see your current payment schedule and below you are given the option to change your payment day. Please note the options are from the 1st to the- 28th of each month and if you change it to a date beyond the course end date your payments might increase. This is because payment for courses must be complete by the last class.
e.g. – your course finished on the 18th April. You currently pay your fees on the 10th of each month, so you are due to complete your payment for the course on the 10th April. You change it until the 28th of each month. Your instalments will increase to ensure you have paid for the course by 28th March, as the course will already be complete by the 28th April.
Q) How do I change my card details?
You can log onto your Schooble account by visiting rcs.paritor.com. On your home page you should find your Account Balance then Pay/Review. By clicking Amend Schedule you will be able to Make a Payment, which will redirect you to our secure online payment Sagepay and you will have the option to amend your card details at that stage.
Q) Is there any financial support?
Yes! We have bursary and scholarship programmes which all students can apply for. Please see the Financial Support page on the website for more details. Please check your eligibility for each prior to applying.
Q) How do I withdraw from the course?
Please email [email protected] with to confirm in writing that you wish to withdraw. You can read our Cancellation and Refunds policy online to see if you will be eligible for a refund.
You are entitled to a 14-day cooling off period from the date of booking the course in which you will be entitled to a refund (unless the course has been complete in this period).
You should be aware at the time of booking that, out with the statutory 14 day cooling off period, there is no automatic right to cancel, and there will be no refund of fees.
Accessing my course
Q) How do I access my course?
Q) What is Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a virtual classroom. Your Team is your RCS course and will be comprised of the other students on the course, your tutor, and Short Courses staff.
Q) Do I need Teams account?
Yes! Our online class are delivered through Teams and Zoom, and we require bookers to have access to both these platforms to participate.
On Teams you will be able to view materials the tutor has posted, ask questions, upload any tasks the tutor has set, and access the Zoom codes for each class.
Your Teams account is linked to the email address you supplied in that section of the booking form. To read more about setting up your Teams, please see below.
Q) How do I set up Teams?
Before the course, you will be sent an invite to your Team to the email address you supplied in your booking form.
If you have never used Teams before:
- Click the purple Open in Microsoft Teams box in the email.
- Your internet browser will take you to a Microsoft page that offer to Create account – with the email listed below. Click Next.
- Create a password – and click Next.
- Fill out the remaining account information (date of birth).
- Follow the information to verify your email. Enter the code into the box.
- Fill out the captcha and click Next.
- You will then be taken to an RCS page. Read the permissions and click Accept.
- Once you have clicked Accept, you will be redirected to a page. On the page there will be two options: Download the Windows/Mac app or Use the web app instead. We advise all users to download the app. Follow the steps to do so.
If you have already downloaded the app, a pop up will appear on the screen and you can click Open Microsoft Teams.
- Once you have done this you will either be directed to the online version or the desktop version as selected. You will then be asked to enter your email to sign in. This is the email you received your Teams invitation to, and the account you have just created.
- Enter the password you just created for this account.
- You may have a ‘Welcome to Teams!’ page. Please select Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Guest) if not already shown. Click Continue.
- At this point – you are in Teams. You should be automatically taken to the RCS Course Team. You will see a General tab, and a Zoom Codes tab. These are channels where the tutors will post the relevant information.
Q) Where is my RCS email account?
As a Short Courses student you are not a matriculated student of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (other than Introduction to Actor Training). You therefore do not have an RCS email account. If you are asked to select the type of Teams you will be using, please click Personal.
Q) Where do I find the Zoom codes for my class?
You will find the codes in the Zoom Codes channel of Teams. You will see it on the left-hand side of your screen, and by clicking on that Channel you’ll see where the Tutor has posted the Zoom code and password for the session.
Please note that the Zoom codes are different for each week. In order to keep all our customers safe online, we require bookers to log into Teams to access the codes. This limits the amount of people who will see the codes and stops them getting forwarded via email. For this reason, we cannot send you the Zoom codes via email.
Q) When will I have access to my course Team?
Once you have been sent the Welcome Information, you will be added to the Teams group. You will receive an automated message from Microsoft Teams notifying you of this. We will aim to send this information out 1 to 2 weeks ahead of the course start date.
Q) Where is my Teams invite?
If you have received your Welcome Information, you should have received your Teams invite. Please check your Junk Mail before emailing us. Remember that the Teams invite will go to the email address you entered for Teams – this may be different to the email address you have listed for communication from us.
If you have not received an email, it may be due to an error in the email provided to us.
Q) I can’t see my RCS Team?
Sometimes Microsoft Teams can get confused. Please sign out and sign back in by clicking your initials at the top right-hand corner. Try clicking the Open Microsoft Teams in the invitation email again. Try logging in via the Microsoft Teams website. If you are unsuccessful, please email [email protected] with screenshots and we will endeavour to help you
Q) How long will I have access to the Team?
You will have access to the Team for up to a week after the course ends. On the day of the final class, we ask that you download any materials and save any links you wish to keep from the Team. One week after the course, we will remove all members from the Team and delete it.
Q) How do I upload something to the Team?
You can either upload a file by posting a message in the General Channel, or you can upload it to the Files section, by clicking the Files button at the top.
You need to wait until the full file is uploaded. For video files this can take a number of minutes. You need to keep the Teams page up while your file uploads. You will see a green line crossing the bottom of the File – only once that has completed is the file fully uploaded – and then you are ready to hit post. Remember to check your file works once it has been uploaded.
Please note that anything you upload to Teams can be seen by your classmates – this is great as it offers the opportunity for peer review as you would in a usual classroom setting. If you would rather send something directly to the tutor, you can email it to [email protected] and we will pass it along.
Q) Is Teams private?
Your RCS Course Team is an invite-only group. The only people who have access to the Team are the participants, the tutors, and the Short Courses staff.
Please be aware that anything you put on Teams – much like the rest of the internet – can be accessed by other members of the Team. If you are uploading a video for feedback from the group, this can be downloaded by other members. We kindly ask students to only download RCS materials and not those uploaded by classmates.
Your classmates will only see your username on Teams. Many of our classes choose to set up Whatsapp groups or share emails to stay connected outside class times – however this is up to the booker if they choose to share that information.
Q) The password isn’t working on Zoom?
If you are copy and pasting the password, please remember not to include spaces either side. It is best to type the password in manually if you are in doubt.
Remember to check that you are entering the password for the correct date. Each week there is a new Zoom code and password.
Q) The Zoom link won’t open?
If you are using the Zoom link the URL should be hyperlinked. This means that the Zoom link will be underlined and in a different colour. For example: https://zoom.us/. If it is in the same colour as the general text, and isn’t underlined – https://zoom.us/ – it has not been hyperlinked. You need to copy and paste it into your internet browser.
To do this highlight the text – and right click, click copy. Open your browser, go to the search bar, right click, hit paste.
Q) Is it a new code each week?
Yes! This helps ensure the privacy of the code and makes the link more secure. Please check that you have the most up to date code. If you are struggling, please ask for help by posting a message on your Teams page or emailing [email protected].
Q) Can I do my course on a phone or tablet?
We have found that our online courses work best when you have a screen big enough to see the whole class at once, and the ability to see any shared screens clearly. This generally means that a phone is too small, some tablets might be suitable, but for best participant experience you should use a laptop or desktop computer.
Q) Can I download stuff from the Team?
Please ask your tutor before you download any materials. Any materials downloaded should not be shared without the permission of the tutor. We kindly ask that you do not download the work of other students without their permission.
Q) The tutor shared a class performance – can I put it on social media?
No – as part of our Online Teaching Policy which you agreed to in your booking form, we specify that all performances are for the eyes of the class and their families/friends only. Much like a live ticketed, performance – only those on the day are able to see the work.
This is to respect participants who do not want their image, work, and name shared without their permission.
Q) Are the classes live?
Yes! All our classes are live, and you must participate in real time. We do not record classes, and although there may be tasks to complete off screen/between classes – all our teaching is live.
Q) Can I participate in a different time zone?
Yes, although all our classes are live and in the GMT zone. Please check when the course takes place in your time zone before completing your booking.
Q) Are the classes recorded?
No. Due to GDPR we do not record our classes. If you are going to miss a class, you can ask classmates to recap the class on the Teams page for you. You should also read through the Teams page to see any tasks that have been set, and/or materials from that lesson.
Q) How much space do I need?
If you are attending a Drama course, you will need enough space to lie flat on the floor uninterrupted. This space allows for any breathing exercises or movement work you might participate in. Dance courses will require more space. Film and Production courses are generally desk based. Music courses will require a suitable space for playing your instrument/singing.
We ask students to be aware of their surroundings – make sure there are no trip hazards, and that you are able to take part in any physical activity safely. Additionally, be aware that your background can be seen by the rest of the class – so be sure to hide any personal items you don’t want other to see.
Q) How much noise am I going to make?
This depends on your course. As our classes are live, you are encouraged to participate in conversations much like in person classes. This shouldn’t be louder than an everyday phone conversation.
If your course involves any acting, singing or playing musical instruments, then you will be making more noise.
Q) Do I need any specialist equipment?
Generally, no. All our classes require you to have a device with a working webcam and microphone, and with internet speeds high enough that you can participate in class.
Beyond that, you should have a device capable of recording videos (with audio) and taking pictures. A smart phone is usually sufficient for these tasks.
Q) Is there anything I should be preparing for a course?
Please check the Course Preparation tab of your course webpage. If there is no course preparation tab, then there is generally nothing to prepare. We will also include any course preparation in our Welcome Information email – so make sure to read it thoroughly.
Q) Is my course online or in-person?
If you go to your course web page you will see the course name states ‘online’ or ‘in-person’. Additionally, if your course is in-person it will have the Renfrew Street address listed as the venue.
Q) I am flying to Scotland to attend a course, is there accommodation available?
We do not currently have accommodation on offer to Short Courses or Summer Schools students. Our campus is located in Glasgow city centre with lots of hotels, hostels and Air BnBs nearby.
Q) Can I bring my child in to class? Is there somewhere I can wait?
At the beginning of each class, staff and tutors gather all primary age students and escort them to their room through the secure KABA doors, as well as bringing them back to the collection point at the end of each class to ensure they are safely collected by a parent or guardian.
Staff will provide secondary and adult students with access through the secure doors prior to the class start time, and they are not required to be collected by an adult at the end of the class.
You will be provided with details about where and when to gather in your Welcome Information.
The building has a café/bar located on the first floor, which is open to all visitors. Our Renfrew Street campus is ideally located in the city centre, which provide easy access to other amenities while you wait.
Q) Who can enter the building?
The Renfrew Street Campus is a public building, however only those with allocated access are permitted to enter certain areas of the building. This includes going beyond our secure KABA doors which lead to studios and classrooms. This is for the safety of everyone in the building, and we ask that parents and guardians do not attempt to enter these areas. We always have Short Courses staff on hand to allow for young people to gain access to their classroom during class times.
Q) What do I do if I am late?
If you are an adult or secondary school student, please report to the Short Courses office (to the right of the Client Services desk at the ground floor entrance) to be in contact with a member of staff before going to class.
We ask that all absences or latecomers send an email to [email protected] ahead of time to allow for our team to absence monitor accordingly.
As part of our C | <urn:uuid:b1e56351-3f8b-4bb9-b230-4938303bd70d> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.rcs.ac.uk/short-courses/abrsm-grade-5-music-theory-online2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.934799 | 6,324 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Research is increasingly showing the impact of the microbiome -- the diverse microbial communities living within the gut -- on human health. But, when and how is the microbiome established? Two opposing hypotheses have been put forward.
For over a century, the prevailing thought has been that the human fetal environment is sterile and that microbes are acquired during and after birth. If this view is correct, the microbiome of infants born via C-section should differ from those born vaginally.
Recent studies using molecular techniques, however, suggest that bacterial communities may be present in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and the baby’s first stool. They posit that the acquisition of the gut microbiome, therefore, begins in utero. If this is the case, delivery method should have less of an effect on early microbiome assembly.
So, does this new research represent a paradigm shift? Do we need to rethink the way the microbiome is established, and adjust our views on clinical practices accordingly? Not so fast, warns a recent review of the literature published in the journal Microbiome.
A team of Canadian and American researchers set out to critically assess the literature that tested both hypotheses, which dates back more than 100 years. Placental and fetal characteristics such as anatomical, physical, and immunological barriers were considered, as well as research methods and the interpretations of the scientific findings.
The researchers concluded that recent studies do not support colonization in utero as the methods used were insufficient to accurately characterize low-density bacterial populations and are susceptible to contamination. Additionally, they point out, the fact that germ-free animals can be derived from a wide variety of mammalian species through C-sections provides strong experimental evidence for the absence of microbes in the fetal environment.
This assessment led the researchers to the conclusion that the original assumption of a ‘sterile womb’ is still valid and that there is currently little evidence that would warrant challenging this paradigm.
The authors therefore argue clinical decisions regarding delivery method should remain unchanged and funding priorities should be steered away from studies attempting to further characterize hypothetical in utero bacterial communities. Instead, future research should focus on furthering our understanding of how lifestyle and environmental factors impact microbiome assembly early in life and how this relates to human health. | <urn:uuid:664ee8b1-ab5d-4c21-b1e1-663081a0e206> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-112864/v1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.948887 | 454 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Characterized by social and communication deficits, as well as repetitive behaviors, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects people in different ways. Some people with ASD are nonverbal, while others may speak fluently. Some people with ASD have intellectual disabilities, while others do not. However, one thing that all people with ASD share is the need for specialized therapies and treatments that address their unique challenges.
Autism therapy programs in Massachusetts can help teens with ASD improve their social skills, communication abilities, and behavior. There are a variety of autism therapy programs available, and the right program for your teen will depend on their individual needs.
How ASD Assessments Work
Before beginning autism spectrum disorder therapy programs, it’s important to have an accurate diagnosis. ASD assessments are conducted by a team of specialists who will evaluate your teen’s social, communication, and behavioral skills. The assessment process may include:
- A developmental history that will detail your teen’s development from birth to the present day
- A physical exam to rule out any medical conditions that could be causing ASD symptoms
- An occupational therapy evaluation to assess your teen’s fine motor skills
- A psychological evaluation to assess your teen’s cognitive abilities and behavior
- A speech and language evaluation to assess your teen’s communication skills
After the assessment process is complete, the team of specialists will meet to discuss their findings and develop a diagnosis. If your teen is diagnosed with ASD, the team will then create a treatment plan that will address your teen’s individual needs.
How Specialists Create Treatment Plans for Teens with ASD
After your teen has been diagnosed with ASD, the team of specialists will work together to create a treatment plan. The treatment plan will detail the goals of therapy and the specific interventions that will be used to reach those goals. The team may also recommend other services, such as individual therapy for teens with autism, occupational therapy, or speech therapy.
The treatment plan will be tailored to your teen’s individual needs and may change over time as your teen’s needs change. It’s important to work with a team of specialists who you trust and who have experience working with teens with ASD.
Some of the therapies most commonly used to treat ASD include:
- Behavioral therapy – Behavioral therapy is used to teach teens with ASD new skills and help them modify their behavior.
- Social skills training – Social skills training helps teens with ASD learn how to interact with others and make friends.
- Communication therapy – Communication therapy helps teens with ASD improve their communication skills.
- Occupational therapy – Occupational therapy helps teens with ASD improve their fine motor skills and daily living skills.
- Speech therapy – Speech therapy helps teens with ASD improve their speech and language skills.
Treatment plans for teens with ASD should be comprehensive and address all areas of need. If you have any questions about creating a treatment plan for your teen, please contact your teen’s doctor or therapist.
How Parents Can Get Involved in Treatment
Parents play an important role in the treatment of their teen’s ASD. Parents can help by:
- Being involved in the treatment planning process and providing input on their teen’s goals
- Working with the treatment team to implement the plan and track progress
- Helping their teen practice new skills at home
- Encouraging their teen to participate in therapy and providing positive reinforcement
- Providing support and understanding
Parents should also make sure to take care of themselves and get support from friends, family, or a therapist if needed. Parenting a teen with ASD can be challenging, but it is also rewarding.
Find Effective Autism Treatments for Your Teen
The most important thing you can do for your teen with ASD is to provide them with effective treatment. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating ASD, but there are many evidence-based treatments that can help your teen.
Reach out to a treatment center near you to get started creating a treatment plan for your teen with ASD. | <urn:uuid:456c848d-8235-4e6b-8414-6ccce2194e30> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.residentialautismtreatment.com/creating-a-treatment-plan-for-teens-with-autism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.945089 | 833 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Thursday, 5 July 2018: Many South Africans still consider the lesbian gay bisexual transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community to be different, abnormal or sinister. “This leads to LGBTI individuals suffering from self-discrimination, social isolation, depression, substance abuse and suicidal behaviour,” explains Craig Chapman, programme coordinator at RIGHT TO CARE, South Africa’s largest health NGO at the start of Mental Health Awareness Month.
“The LGBTI community has the full backing of the Constitution with its advanced approach to human rights, yet the dominance of our heterosexual society has a devastating effect on LGBTI people. Societal discrimination, typically displayed as judgement and rejection, has been directly linked to the tendency for LGBTI people to develop mental illnesses.”
He comments, “Most LGBTI people have suffered humiliation and ridicule from an early age, and as adults they live in a society that does not fully accept who they are. It is no wonder that so many LGBTI people experience low self-esteem and depression and that suicidal thoughts and attempts are so high.
“Constant ostracization and abuse, which is often physical as well as psychological leads to feelings of helplessness. They turn to public health facilities and social services for support, yet many healthcare and social workers are not adequately trained to deal with the health needs of the LGBTI community. LGBTI people are often denied treatment and support and this leaves them feeling even more isolated.
Violence against LGBTI individuals is also extremely high. Research compiled by the Centre for Risk Analysis at the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) revealed that a staggering four out of ten LGBTI South Africans know of someone who has been murdered for being or suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. And when they do turn to the police to report a crime they are often belittled and not taken seriously.
“LGBTI people who are fortunate enough to have survived the turmoil of self-discrimination as well as mental and physical abuse because of their identities, are survivors. As survivors, we have an obligation to stand up in unity for those who are now facing the same battles,” says Chapman.
“The impact of stigmatisation on a country’s HIV epidemic is significant. Key populations – which include men who have sex with men, drug users as well as the LGBTI community – are not accessing HIV prevention and treatment services. Focus group discussions that Right to Care facilitated with men who have sex with men (MSM) in Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein, East London and Kimberley recently indicated that many men are denied quality services when they reach out to the healthcare system or they delay seeking medical treatment for fear of being shamed. This can have a serious consequence for someone who is HIV positive but not yet on treatment.
Information about HIV prevention and treatment has focused on women and mothers, and it is only now are LGBTI-relevant materials are becoming more available.
Right to Care’s focus groups showed that the exclusion of LGBTI people leads to separation from families resulting in loss of social support, unemployment, and high-risk behaviours that include unprotected sex, multiple casual partners and sex work to get money .
Right to Care, in collaboration with partner Anova Health Institute has made important headway in sensitising healthcare workers to the needs of the LGBTI community. “The training of healthcare professionals empowers them to ask the right questions thereby creating a safe space for LGBTI people to come forward without fear or shame. In this way, we are able to provide LGBTI individuals with appropriate advice and the right clinical care.”
Chapman adds: “Despite the many challenges that the LGBTI community faces, we cannot deny that South Africa has made great strides in accepting LGBTI persons. In Sudan, southern Somalia and northern Nigeria homosexuality is punishable by death. In Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, ‘offenders’ receive life imprisonment. We were overjoyed to learn last week that Angola now recognises LGBTI rights.”
While lesbian, gay and bisexual people have become more accepted in South Africa, transgender and intersex people still fight for recognition and their human rights. “We are making strides, but we still have a long way to go,” concludes Chapman.
For further information or interviews, please contact Turquoise PR & Marketing Communications:
· Alexandra van Essche, [email protected] 082 321 1167 / 011 268 0948
· Michelle K Blumenau, [email protected] 083 273 9891 | <urn:uuid:0bc59bcc-ed3c-479b-982f-84783f0a87bc> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.righttocare.org/sas-heterosexuals-exacerbate-mental-illness-in-lgbti-communities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.957599 | 968 | 2.765625 | 3 |
One of the most important things when
planning with LEDs.
The temperature has a major influence on light output of a LED. Why? The colder the environment, the more efficient the LED works. Cold locations are therefore ideal.
That is why LEDs can be used in outdoor lighting or as a light source for cooling rooms.
In contrast, high temperatures have a negative effect on the light yield. The service life can also be shortened. Reputable manufacturers specify an ambient temperature for their LEDs at which the luminous flux and service life of their LED lights and modules can be achieved.
In contrast to incandescent or halogen lamps, the light emittet by a LED is not warm. As with other lamps, diodes only convert part of the energy into light - heat is generated inside the semiconductor. This heat has to be dissipated so the LEDs work as efficiently as possible and achieve a long service life. This is especially important for LEDs that work with a high operation current.
LEDs do not fail. Their light intensity decreases over time. The service life (L) of a LED must be defined for each application. The end of service life is reached when the LED is only 70 percent (L70) or 50 percent (L50) emits the light flux was measured at the beginning. The end of service life is reached when the LED ony emits 70 percent (L70) or 50 percent (L50) of the luminous flux that was measured at the beginning. The service life of a LED depends on the ambient and operation temperature. The graphic shows: if the LED is operated at a higher temperature (Tc1) or with poor thermal management, its service life is shortened.
Different types of "cooling" (heat
Thermal management takes care of heat dissipation. The heat is dissipated via a circuit board and luminaire housing (= passive cooling). A large, solid connection between the circuit board and the housing promotes heat dissipation. In some luminaire models, cooling fins enlarge the surface and thus lower the temperature, in other construction types air or water are also used for cooling (= active cooling). The optimal cooling, however, is currently the passive 2-phase hybrid cooling. This form of cooling transfers the heat throuh the evaporation and condensation of a working medium in a vacuum. This increases the heat dissipation compared to cooper and aluminium heat sinks by a factor of 100. As a result, lights can be operated ain higher ambient temperatures and with a significantly longer service life. | <urn:uuid:930f63d3-1c7e-493a-9ec2-eeb629500656> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.rotasystem-english.com/led-lighting/led-technic-know-how/led-thermo-management/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.929805 | 521 | 3.390625 | 3 |
CANCELLED: Samir Okasha — Evolution, Altruism and Selfishness
26 March 2020
Are animals altruistic? From eusocial animals like ants & bees, to well-documented cases of humpback whales rescuing seals from orcas, there are numerous examples of what looks like altruism in nature. Among many bird and mammal species individuals give warning calls when a predator is nearby–an act that may save others, but temporarily puts the individual at greater risk of predation. In vampire bats, individuals routinely regurgitate blood to members of their colony who’ve had an unsuccessful night of feeding. From an evolutionary perspective, these behaviours are puzzling. Why would an animal regularly engage in activities that benefit others, at a cost to itself? Given that not all organisms act selfishly, is there a biological advantage to altruistic behaviour? How and why might it evolve?
Join us for an exploration of this fascinating topic at the 2020 Rotman Lecture by Samir Okasha at Wolf Performance Hall. This event is prepared in partnership with the London Public Library and is open to the public. Attendance will be free, but for planning purposes advance registration is requested.
It is sometimes thought that Darwinian evolution implies that organisms will evolve to be “selfish”, that is, to behave in a way that furthers their own biological interests rather than those of others. However, biologists have long recognized that “altruistic” behaviour is quite common in nature, and have sought to reconcile this finding with evolutionary principles. This talk focuses on the philosophical implications of this classic biological issue, and asks how biologists use of terms such as “altruism” and “selfishness” relate to their vernacular use.
Samir Okasha is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bristol. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, and President of the European Philosophy of Science Association. His philosophical interests fall into two main areas: (i) philosophy of biology / evolutionary theory; and (ii) epistemology /philosophy of science.
Within philosophy of biology, he is especially interested in foundational and conceptual questions surrounding evolutionary theory. For many years, his research focused on the ‘levels of selection’ question in evolutionary biology, and the related issue of individual versus group conflicts of interest. This culminated in his book Evolution and the Levels of Selection (OUP 2006), which was awarded the 2009 Lakatos Prize for an outstanding contribution to philosophy of science. He continues to work on these topics.
Within epistemology / philosophy of science, he is interested in topics including probability and induction, evidence and confirmation, causality, theory choice, scepticism and knowledge, and epistemological holism.
Read more about Samir Okasha. | <urn:uuid:4ecfd00b-52a2-444b-89ed-ab665a857815> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/samir-okasha-evolution-altruism-and-selfishness/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.940691 | 577 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Congestion management involves queuing, buffering and scheduling traffic.
To queue traffic is to temporary store it on the network device whilst waiting for an outbound interface to clear itself of congestion.
Congestion can occur for two reasons, the input interface being faster than the output interface, or the output interface is receiving packets from multiple input interfaces.
Congestion is detected by the queuing algorithm when a Layer 1 hardware queue, known as the transmit ring, on physical interfaces is full. When this transmit ring is no longer full, the congestion has cleared and the queuing is no longer required.
When congestion has been detected, queues can fill up. In this queue packets can be reordered by their queuing algorithms so higher priority packets can exit the output interface before lower priority packets.
Scheduling algorithms determine when packets are transmitted, and are always active regardless if there is a queue on the interface or not. | <urn:uuid:40357209-6176-4e04-acdc-c11fedc4caa8> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.routeprotocol.com/quality-of-service-congestion-management/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.912041 | 190 | 3.40625 | 3 |
A new modelling study published in The Lancet today found an estimated 5.2 million children lost at least one caregiver to COVID-19 in the first 20 months of the pandemic, with Peru having the highest rate of orphanhood cases per capita with eight out of every 1,000 children affected followed by South Africa.
In all 20 countries studied, children were more than three times more likely to have lost a father than a mother. The report also suggested that older children were affected more than younger children, with adolescents aged 10-17 accounting for almost two out of three children who lost a parent to COVID-19.
Save the Children is raising the alarm that these children urgently need protection and a safe family environment to avoid damaging consequences to their health and wellbeing. Many institutional care facilities do not have the resources to help children deal with grief and process the loss of their loved ones.
Before the pandemic, an estimated 5.3 million children globally were living in orphanages, even though most of them had one or both parents alive. Evidence suggests that children who grow up in institutional care, such as orphanages, compared to those in a family environment, face far more struggles later in life.
Young children in institutional care suffer from poor health, physical and mental underdevelopment, and emotional attachment disorders. Consequently, these children generally learn at a slower pace and have a reduced ability to socialise. Older children struggle to transition into adulthood and to reintegrate into the community after leaving care.
Save the Children is calling on governments to take responsibility for investing in the social welfare workforce and developing reliable alternative-care options for these children. This should include providing support to extended family members to care for their orphaned relatives.
The aid organisation is also calling to ensure children are involved in decision-making that affects their lives, and for all countries to include plans and resources to incorporate family-based alternative care – where children can grow up in a supportive family environment – in their COVID-19 response strategies.
Rebecca Smith, head of child protection programming at Save the Children, said:
“COVID-19 has been tearing children’s lives apart for the past two years, and we are now facing a pandemic within a pandemic. Many children have lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19 and are now without care or protection. We fear many of these children, especially vulnerable children such as those living with disabilities, will end up in orphanages, putting their health and wellbeing in serious jeopardy.
“For many people, the term ‘orphan’ conjures up images of Oliver Twist, a poor child whose parents have died, leaving the child with no other choice but to live in an orphanage. However, in reality, many children in orphanages have living relatives able and willing to care for them.
“Governments urgently need to protect these vulnerable children as part of their COVID-19 response plans to ensure they can grow up in a safe, loving family environment. Orphanages should always be the last resort.”
Save the Children trains social workers and conducts case management to monitor, support, track and respond to the needs of children who have lost parents and caregivers, including as a result of COVID-19. The organisation also reunites separated and unaccompanied children with their families, and when that is not possible, Save the Children teams ensure family-based alternative care options are available. The children’s charity also strengthens families to prevent child abandonment through counselling, parenting support and cash assistance.
MEDIA CONTACT: Holly Robertson on 0414 546 656 or [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
According to the Lancet report, an estimated 5.2 million children have lost a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19 between March 2020 to 31 October 2021 – or an estimated 5.93 children every minute (with approximately 876,000 minutes in a 20-month period). For the entire 20-month period of the study, the Lancet team estimates a minimum of 3,367,000 children were orphaned worldwide, experiencing the loss of a parent. A further 1,833,300 children were affected by the death of a grandparent or older adult caregiver living in their own home. The 20 countries studied include: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, England and Wales, France, Germany, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Spain, USA and Zimbabwe.
According to a Lancet article from 2020, an estimated 5.37 million children are living in institutional care, such as orphanages. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30022-5/fulltext
Save the Children co-founded ReThink Orphanages to help redirect overseas aid and development that supports orphanages towards community-based initiatives to strengthen families to prevent family separation. | <urn:uuid:24fe7259-a7d5-4782-a1e4-c9ad0e8eed33> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.savethechildren.org.au/media/media-releases/six-children-a-minute-left-without-caregivers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.961689 | 1,033 | 3.046875 | 3 |
If you’re looking for ways to tighten your monthly budget, there’s an unexpected place you can look: Your garage.
No, we’re not telling you to sell your car (although that’s certainly an option). Rather, it’s time to take a closer look at the way you drive and take care of your vehicle. As gas prices climb, both of these habits can make a bigger impact on your wallet than you think.
Gas mileage (also known as miles per gallon or MPG) is measured by calculating the number of miles that a vehicle can travel using a single gallon of fuel. Fuel economy is another term that’s commonly used. It’s often referred to in relation to improving fuel efficiency — which means using less gas when you drive.
How can I figure out my vehicle’s MPG?
Since 1977, auto manufacturers have been required to publish some form of miles per gallon metric on new car labels. For modern vehicles, this includes ratings for city, highway and combined MPG values.
In general, vehicles tout better gas mileage during highway driving rather than city (i.e. stop and start) driving. But the combined MPG rating, which represents 55% city driving and 45% highway driving, provides a quick and easy way to compare the fuel efficiency of gasoline vehicles — which is especially helpful if you’re shopping for a new car. You can find these values for your current vehicle through a quick internet search.
If you want to measure the real-world gas mileage of your car, it’s easier than you might think. Follow the steps below from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy:
Step 1: Top off your tank. Fill your tank all the way up, then record the current mileage from your odometer (or set your odometer’s trip meter).
Step 2 : Run it out, then record your numbers again. Once it’s time to fill up again, record the new odometer reading as well as the number of gallons it took to refuel.
Step 3: Subtract your readings. If you used the trip meter, you can skip this step. If not, put those elementary math skills to use and subtract your first odometer reading from your second to see how many miles you traveled on one tank.
Step 4: Do a little division to determine your MPG. Take your figure from step three and divide the number of miles you drove by the number of gallons it took to fill your tank. Your final number is your MPG for that driving period.
What’s considered “good” gas mileage?
Getting good gas mileage means that you can travel further using less gas.
As a general guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designed a fuel economy rating that evaluates vehicles on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best). These numbers can also be found on new car labels. For the 2020 model year, vehicles earning a 1 rating return an MPG of 14 or less, while a score of 10 requires 44 or more MPG.
But there are a lot of other variables that factor into this ‒ from the type of vehicle you drive to the way you drive it. And all of these can add up when it comes to how much you end up spending on gas.
What causes poor gas mileage?
Regardless of what kind of vehicle you drive, all of these factors can negatively impact gas mileage:
Speed: The faster you drive, the more fuel your vehicle burns up. This includes how fast you accelerate, too.
Idling: Keeping your car on for it to warm up or cool down, queuing up at a drive-thru or waiting to pick your kid up from soccer practice can all decrease your vehicle’s fuel economy.
Aerodynamic drag and excess weight: Driving too fast or traveling with a rooftop cargo carrier? These can increase wind resistance, which causes your vehicle to use more gas. And towing any kind of trailer or hauling too much in your trunk, bed or back seat also requires more fuel.
Poor maintenance: From underinflated tires to an unattended engine issue, failure to consistently “tune up” your vehicle can cost you a lot more at the pump. It also can create potential safety risks.
Quick trips: A quick run to the supermarket on Monday. Stopping by the bank on Wednesday. While it may be convenient to run these errands one at a time, it can wreak havoc on your fuel economy. Quick, short trips like this from a “cold start” eat up fuel, because your engine needs to warm up before it can run efficiently.
How can I improve my gas mileage?
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy and Consumer Reports offer several ways that you can improve your MPG:
Drive more efficiently.
Follow the speed limit, and drive sensibly ‒ not aggressively (e.g. quick accelerations, hard stops, etc.).
On the highway, don’t speed up and slow down (unless you need to for safety). Once you get up to speed, stay there. Use cruise control when possible.
Remove unnecessary extra weight, avoid idling and take the cargo box off the roof of your vehicle (unless you really need to use it) to help even more.
Spend less time sitting in traffic by avoiding rush hour on daily commutes.
Run all your errands on one day rather than taking multiple short trips during the week.
If you have an especially long commute, ask your employer if you can work from home a day or two per week.
Opt for a more fuel-efficient vehicle.
If your budget allows it, consider purchasing a vehicle that touts better MPG than your current one. With fuel prices rising, you could save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs per year switching from a vehicle with 20 MPG to 30 MPG. Check out the fuel savings calculator on fueleconomy.gov.
Find more ways to save on auto insurance
Cheap auto insurance doesn’t have to mean poor protection and service. ERIE provides affordable car insurance with plenty of opportunities to reduce and avoid increases to your car insurance costs while maintaining quality coverage.
Talk to your local agent about the ERIE Rate Lock® endorsement1, which freezes your auto premium year after year, even if you file a claim. Your rates only will change if you add or remove a vehicle or a driver, or change the address where you park your car. Find a local ERIE agent to talk you through your coverage options and learn how you can start saving.
1Rates subject to change if you add or remove a vehicle, add or remove a driver, or change your address or the place you usually park your car. ERIE Rate Lock® does not guarantee continued insurance coverage. Not available in all states. Limited to three years in Virginia. Insured must meet applicable underwriting guidelines. Premium may change if you make a policy change. Refer to our disclaimer for more information.
A better insurance experience starts with ERIE.
Haven’t heard of us? Erie Insurance started with humble beginnings in 1925 with a mission to emphasize customer service above all else. Though we’ve grown to reach the Fortune 500 list, we still haven’t lost the human touch.
Contact Schaefer Delauder Insurance today to experience the ERIE difference for yourself. | <urn:uuid:369b377b-26ab-4629-8e9a-864c1dd36220> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.schaeferinsurance.com/article/how-to-get-better-gas-mileage-and-other-questions-about-fuel-economy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.925197 | 1,563 | 3.125 | 3 |
After 13 years of meticulous excavation of the nearly complete skeleton of the Australopithecus fossil named Little Foot, South African and French scientists have now convincingly shown that it is probably around 3 million years old.
In a paper published March 14, 2014 in the Journal of Human Evolution, the latest findings by Professor Ron Clarke from the University of the Witwatersrand and his colleagues refute previous dating claims that suggested Little Foot is younger.
The paper is titled: "Stratigraphic analysis of the Sterkfontein StW 573 Australopithecus skeleton and implications for its age," and is the result of a detailed study of the stratigraphy, micro-stratigraphy, and geochemistry around the skeleton.
Little Foot's Story
The Sterkfontein caves of Gauteng, South Africa have been world famous since 1936 for producing large numbers of fossils of the ape-man Australopithecus. However, for sixty years, these fossils consisted only of partial skulls and jaws, isolated teeth and fragments of limb bones. These were obtained by blasting or drilling and breaking of the calcified ancient cave infill or by pick and shovel excavation of the softer decalcified infills.
Questions arose about the age of these fossils, of how they came to be in the caves, and also of how a complete skeleton would appear. Then in 1997 Ron Clarke, Stephen Motsumi and Nkwane Molefe of the University of the Witwatersrand discovered an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton with skull embedded in hard, calcified sediment in an underground chamber of the caves. They began to carefully excavate this skeleton in order to expose it in place in the cave and to understand the ancient processes that contributed to its burial and preservation.
This was the first time that such an excavation of an Australopithecus has taken place in an ancient calcified deposit. During the course of this excavation, it became clear that the skeleton had been subjected to ancient disturbance and breakage through partial collapse into a lower cavity and that calcareous flowstone had subsequently filled voids formed around the displaced bones.
Despite this fact being published, some other researchers dated the flowstones and claimed that such dates represent the age of the skeleton. This has created a false impression that the skeleton is much younger than it actually is.
A French team of specialists in the study of limestone caves, Laurent Bruxelles, Richard Maire and Richard Ortega, together with Clarke and Dominic Stratford of Wits University, have now, with this research published in the Journal of Human Evolution today, shown that the dated flowstones filled voids formed by ancient erosion and collapse and that the skeleton is therefore older, probably considerably older, than the dated flowstones.
Little Foot is probably around 3 million years old, and not the 2.2 million years that has been wrongly claimed by other researchers. The skeleton has been entirely excavated from the cave and the skull, arms, legs, pelvis and other bones have been largely cleaned of encasing rock.
Professor Clarke has concluded from study of the skull that it belongs to Australopithecus prometheus, a species named by Professor Raymond Dart in 1948 on fragmentary ape-man fossils from Makapansgat in what is now Limpopo Province.
Thus at Sterkfontein, there existed two species of ape-man, Australopithecus africanus (for example, Mrs Ples) and Australopithecus prometheus, many specimens of which have been identified by Clarke from two deposits at Sterkfontein.
Cite This Page: | <urn:uuid:bddd83be-4322-44b9-aaa5-ad0997e37741> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140314111525.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.949339 | 740 | 3.5625 | 4 |
A multi-institutional study has defined and established criteria for a new neurological disease closely resembling Alzheimer's disease called primary age-related tauopathy (PART). Patients with PART develop cognitive impairment that can be indistinguishable from Alzheimer's disease, but they lack amyloid plaques. Awareness of this neurological disease will help doctors diagnose and develop more effective treatments for patients with different types of memory impairment.
The study, co-led by Peter T. Nelson, MD, PhD, of the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and John F. Crary, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai Hospital, was published in the current issue of Acta Neuoropathologica.
"To make an Alzheimer's diagnosis you need to see two things together in a patient's brain: amyloid plaques and structures called neurofibrillary tangles composed of a protein called tau," said Dr. Nelson, a professor of neuropathology at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. "However, autopsy studies have demonstrated that some patients have tangles but no plaques and we've long wondered what condition these patients had."
Plaques in the brain, formed from the accumulation of amyloid protein, are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Until now, researchers have considered cases with only tangles to be either very early-stage Alzheimer's or a variant of the disease in which the plaques are harder to detect. However, previous in-depth biochemical and genetic studies have failed to reveal the presence of any abnormal amyloid in these patients. Although tangle-only patients can have memory complaints, the presence of plaques is a key requirement for an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
In the current study, investigators from the United States (including five from Sanders-Brown), Canada, Europe, and Japan came together to formalize criteria for diagnosing this new neurological disorder. The study establishes that PART is a primary tauopathy, a disease directly caused by the tau protein in tangles. Many of the neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's brain, in contrast, are thought to arise secondarily to amyloid or some other stimuli. The researchers propose that individuals who have tangles resembling those found in Alzheimer's but have no detectable amyloid plaques should now be classified as PART.
PART is most severe in patients of advanced age, but is generally mild in younger elderly individuals. The reason for this is currently unknown, but unlike Alzheimer's disease, in which the tangles spread throughout the brain, in PART cases the tangles are restricted mainly to structures important for memory.
It is too early to tell how common PART is, but given that tangles are nearly universal in the brains of older individuals, it might be more widespread than generally recognized. While further studies are required, new diagnostic tests using brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for amyloid and tau are finding surprisingly high proportions of patients (as many as 25% in some studies) with mild cognitive impairment that are positive for tau but negative for amyloid.
"Until now, PART has been difficult to treat or even study because of lack of well-defined criteria," said Dr. Nelson. "Now that the scientific community has come to a consensus on what the key features of PART are, this will help doctors diagnose different forms of memory impairment early. These advancements will have a big impact on our ability to recognize and develop effective treatments for brain diseases seen in older persons."
Identifying the type of neurological disorder in the early stages of disease is critical if treatment is to begin before irreparable brain damage has occurred. However, in the absence of clear criteria, different forms of neurological disorders have been hard to distinguish. As a result, PART patients may have confounded clinical trials of amyloid-targeting drugs for Alzheimer's disease as these treatments are unlikely to be effective against tangles. Along with the development of better biomarkers and genetic risk factors for dementia, the new diagnosis criteria will help PART patients to receive more targeted therapy and improve the accuracy of clinical trials for Alzheimer's drugs.
Cite This Page: | <urn:uuid:169c2d28-aee1-4e22-93e4-5202744e5327> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141113194947.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.947398 | 847 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash
The Latinx community is filled with multiple ethnicities that range from Mexico to Brazil. We come in many different shades and colors. But unfortunately, some skin tones are praised and admired more often compared to other skin tones. Similar to many other cultures, lighter skin tones are often praised and preferred to darker skin tones.
We’ve all seen it while watching telenovelas with our tias (aunts) and abuelas (grandmas). Our TV screen is filled with white-passing Latinx actors while actors with darker complexions are either the side characters or simply not represented at all.
The lack of Black and Brown people in the Latinx media is a visual representation of colorism. Colorism is the act in which an individual with a lighter skin tone is preferred over someone with a darker skin tone. Those sly-racist remarks you hear from your abuela about dating someone that is white-passing is colorism. The rude remark you hear from your hairdresser about having “pelo malo” (bad hair) is colorism.
The Latinx community already faces discrimination in the United States because we are a part of the minority. But for the individuals that are not white-passing, they not only have to deal with the racism within the US but as well as the racism within their own community.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
“But my community discriminates me as well for not looking Latinx enough!”
That is true, many white-passing Latinx individuals (myself included) have to prove our “latinhood” to our own family and friends. It feels like an erasure of our culture as to how often we are told “you don’t look Latinx.”
Although that is an issue, we must also accept the fact that our skin color allows us to have “white privilege.” And with white privilege, we do not face the same amount of discrimination as someone that is not white-passing. However, we do face discrimination for being Latinx within the United States, but not for the color of our skin.
We should not tear down one another because of the color of our skin. Instead, we should accept our “white privilege” and seek out the sources to help out against the systemic racism that many black and brown people face in the country.
The casual colorism that happens in our own homes needs to be addressed as well. Talk to your family members and explain to them why saying things like “mejorar la raza” (improving the race) is offensive and outright racist. But most importantly, tell them that we have to take pride in our culture and not shame one another. After all, unidos somos más Fuertes (together we are stronger). | <urn:uuid:78c1f016-8216-4871-b221-c0cec7909b5c> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.shiftermag.com/post/combating-colorism-latinx-community | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.957719 | 602 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Here are ways to prepare your workforce for the possibility of business closures, working from home, quarantines and other outcomes of a disease outbreak.
Increasingly, U.S. workers are turning to skilled credentials as a way to enhance and demonstrate skills and work readiness. But can certifications, badges and apprenticeships stand in for traditional education and work experience when seeking a new job?
SHRM and SHRM Foundation conducted research to demonstrate the value and impact of nondegree credentials to identify skills and talents in the workforce and to delineate future work.
Skilled credentials have expanded considerably under rising demand for upskilling and reskilling as part of a worldwide skills shortage. This research was made possible by a grant from Walmart to the SHRM Foundation.
Degree inflation is the rising demand for a four-year college degree for jobs that previously did not require one.
Browse our library of resources to see what others are saying about skilled credentials and skills-based hiring.
In this episode of All Things Work, Wendi Safstrom, president of the SHRM Foundation, joins host Tony Lee to discuss skilled credentials and their role in closing the skills gap. | <urn:uuid:98f1d143-3b4e-460f-8776-46b2ec275546> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.shrm.org/foundation/pages/research.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.953069 | 240 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Changing Unhealthy Behaviors
Most Americans know the fundamentals of good health: exercise, proper diet, sufficient sleep, regular check-ups, and no smoking or excessive alcohol. Yet, despite this knowledge, changing existing behaviors can be difficult. Look no further than the New Year Resolution, 80% of which fail by February.1
Generally, negative motivations are inadequate to effect change. (“I need to quit smoking because my spouse hates it.”) Motivation needs to come from within and be positively oriented. (“I want to quit smoking so I can see my grandchildren graduate.”)
Goals must be specific, measurable, realistic, and time-related. In other words, “I am going to exercise more” is not enough. You need to set a more defined goal, e.g., “I am going to walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week.”
Permanent Change is Evolutionary, not Revolutionary
As a rule, individuals travel through stages on their way to permanent change. These stages can’t be rushed or skipped.
Phase one: Precontemplation. Whether through a lack of knowledge or because of past failures, you are not consciously thinking about any change.
Phase two: Contemplation. You are considering change, but aren’t yet committed to it. To help you move through this phase, it may be helpful to write out the pros and cons of changing your behavior. Examine the barriers to change. Not enough time to exercise? How could you create that time?
Phase three: Preparation. You’re at the point of believing change is necessary and you can succeed. When making plans it’s critical to begin anticipating potential obstacles. How will you address temptations that test your resolve? For instance, how will you decline a lunch invitation from work colleagues to that greasy spoon restaurant?
Phase four: Taking action. This is the start of change. Practice your alternative strategies to avoid temptation. Remind yourself daily of your motivation; write it down if necessary. Get support from family and friends.
Phase five: Maintenance. You’ve been faithful to your new behavior. Now it’s time to prevent relapse and integrate this change into your life.
Remember, this process is not a straight line. You may fail, even repeatedly, but don’t let failure discourage you. Reflect on why you failed and apply that knowledge to your efforts going forward.
1. ABCNews.com, January 7, 2023
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG Suite is not affiliated with the named broker-dealer, state- or SEC-registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Copyright FMG Suite. | <urn:uuid:1fb924b9-ea3f-4637-8f40-a20efee9200c> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.sloanfinancial.net/resource-center/lifestyle/changing-unhealthy-behaviors | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.931164 | 663 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Vivid New England fall foliage turns the change of seasons into a major sightseeing event. But this year, something’s threatening all that autumnal glory. As Dennis Mersereau reports for Mental Floss, this year’s show won’t be as bright as usual—and drought is to blame.
Massachusetts and other parts of New England are in the midst of a drought that is in part due to the region's third warmest summer on record, writes Mersereau. Record low rainfalls and higher average temperatures over the summer have contributed to these disrupted leaf change patterns.
Though dry weather seems like it would make for crunchier leaves and better fall colors, that's not the case. In summer, the color of leaves is dependent on chlorophyll, which masks other pigments inside the leaves while trees soak up sunlight and grow. Changes in temperature and the amount of daylight in the fall prompt chlorophyll to break down, revealing the hidden tones within the leaves, according to the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Factors like the amount of light, water and temperature influence how and when this process occurs—and more moisture produces more vivid colors, while less results in the opposite effect. Drier leaves also fall sooner, meaning they often fall off of trees before they turn pretty colors.
The Boston Globe’s Olivia Quintana notes that the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly drought conditions map created by experts from a number of science institutions, declared an “extreme” drought in the state for the first time this year. Over the past six months, the drought has worsened, and summer drought parched the trees of the water they needed to produce the most vibrant fall colors. Currently, the monitor’s Northeast drought conditions range from moderate to extreme across the entirety of New England.
Dry conditions have affected fall foliage in other states, too—in drought-stricken Alabama, for example, observers have reported muted colors. And with droughts expected more frequently in the future due to climate change, expect more years of faint fall colors ahead.
But devoted leaf peepers need not despair. In 2013, a group of researchers at Harvard University used models to project how climate change might affect New England foliage through 2099. They determined that, though changes in timing and amount of colors may occur, over time the number of colorful autumn leaves will increase. Who knows—by 2099, fall may put on a spectacular new show no modern leaf lover can even imagine. | <urn:uuid:faf92a58-442e-4a24-9804-c34a49156c87> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fall-may-seem-duller-year-due-drought-180960904/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.91754 | 524 | 3.40625 | 3 |
When talking about pests, the statement “there is no such thing as one” is familiar and not the exaggeration many people suspect. Mice are an excellent example. Female mice breed year round. Capable of producing a new litter every 3 to 4 weeks, a single female mouse can give birth to as many as 15 litters per year, although the norm is closer to 5 to 10 litters. With litter sizes averaging 6 to 12 pups each, it doesn’t take a math genius to realize how quickly mice populations can explode.
Even using the most conservative calculations, if a single pregnant mouse takes up residence in an apartment complex or commercial building it can create a rodent infestation of more than 500 mice in just 6 months. Certain mice species that live in polygamous groups (one male and multiple females), such as the common house mouse, can reach overwhelming numbers even more quickly.
To eliminate rodent infestations, animal pathways into the building must be located and sealed, not an easy task given that mice can squeeze through a tiny, dime-sized hole. Stern Environmental solves this problem by employing the innovative Track & Trap mouse control program. Using fluorescent technology, our rodent tracking and trapping service is able to pinpoint mice pathways, allowing mice to be eliminated and entry points sealed against further invasion. Visit our website for full details. | <urn:uuid:64de7338-87f4-4775-8614-954f27bb98c2> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.sternenvironmental.com/blog/2013/06/06/multiple-litters-per-year-cause-mice-populations-to-explore-rapidly/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.932708 | 273 | 3.234375 | 3 |
He Reo Tuku Iho: Tangata Whenua and Te Reo Māori
Reclaiming a language is a slow-burning process, both deeply personal and intricately connected to the socio-economic, historical and political conditions in which we live. In He Reo Tuku Iho: Tangata Whenua and Te Reo Māori, Awanui Te Huia focuses on the lived experiences of tangata whenua and explores ways in which they can reclaim te reo.
Drawing upon findings from the national research project Manawa ū ki te reo Māori, which surveyed motivations and barriers for Māori language acquisition and use, Te Huia encourages readers to explore how they can journey back towards te reo Māori in daily life. We hear from tangata whenua learning te reo, and from those who are fluent, while considering challenges to language reclamation – such as experiences with racism, whakamā, historical trauma and resourcing – and ways to overcome these.
At the heart of He Reo Tuku Iho is the knowledge that it is possible for Māori to return te reo to minds, hearts and mouths. As Te Huia writes: 'The aroha connection that we all have with our tūpuna, our living relations, and those yet to come, are tied together in our collective desire for te reo Māori to thrive now and in the future.’ | <urn:uuid:c58a9a8a-0ec9-4f84-a259-3187e2c1c36a> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.strangegoods.co.nz/collections/new-zealand-non-fiction/products/he-reo-tuku-iho-tangata-whenua-and-te-reo-maori | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.93254 | 304 | 2.640625 | 3 |
The formation of the Solar System has puzzled scientists for centuries.
Now, it seems that scientists have finally known what causes the solar system’s emergence.
According to a new study, an event of galactic collision triggered a chain of events that are believed to have led to the birth of the Earth.
It is very well known that a so-called dwarf galaxy called Sagittarius repeatedly crushes through the Milky Way‘s disc as its orbits around the galaxy’s core tighten because of gravitational forces.
Now, the data obtained from the ESA’s galaxy mapping powerhouse, Gaia, uncovered that the influence of Sagittarius on the Milky Way might be even more substantial.
The ripples brought about by the collisions appear to have activated significant star formation episodes, one of which generally matched with the time of the formation of the Sun some 4.7 billion years ago.
Tomás Ruiz-Lara, a researcher in Astrophysics at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in Tenerife, Spain, said, “It is known from existing models that Sagittarius fell into the Milky Way three times – first about five or six billion years ago, then about two billion years ago, and finally one billion years ago.”
“When we looked into the Gaia data about the Milky Way, we found three periods of increased star formation that peaked 5.7 billion years ago, 1.9 billion years ago and 1 billion years ago, corresponding with the time when Sagittarius is believed to have passed through the disc of the Milky Way.”
The analysts observed luminosities, distances, and colors of stars within a sphere of around 6500 light a long time around the Sun and contrasted the data with existing stellar evolution models. As indicated by Tomás, the notion that the dwarf galaxy may have had such an effect makes a lot of sense.
Tomás said, “In the beginning, you have a galaxy, the Milky Way, which is relatively quiet. After an initial violent epoch of star formation, partly triggered by an earlier merger as we described in a previous study, the Milky Way had reached a balanced state in which stars were forming steadily. Suddenly, you have Sagittarius fall in and disrupt the equilibrium, causing all the previously still gas and dust inside the larger galaxy to slosh around like ripples on the water.”
These ripples caused higher concentrations of dust and gas in some regions of the milky way. The high density of material in those areas would then trigger the formation of new stars.
Carme Gallart, a co-author of the paper, also of the IAC said, “It seems that not only did Sagittarius shape the structure and influenced the dynamics of how stars are moving in the Milky Way, it has also led to a build-up of the Milky Way. It seems that an important part of the Milky Way’s stellar mass was formed due to the interactions with Sagittarius and wouldn’t exist otherwise.”
Carme said, “The Sun formed at the time when stars were forming in the Milky Way because of the first passage of Sagittarius. We don’t know if the particular cloud of gas and dust that turned into the Sun collapsed because of the effects of Sagittarius or not. But it is a possible scenario because the age of the Sun is consistent with a star formed as a result of the Sagittarius effect.”
Each collision stripped Sagittarius of some of its gas and residue, leaving the galaxy smaller after every passage. Existing data recommend that Sagittarius may have gone through the Milky Way’s disc again quite recently, in the last few million years, and is currently very close to it. Indeed, the new examination found a continuous burst of star formation, suggesting a potentially new and constant wave of stellar birth.
According to ESA Gaia project scientist Timo Prusti, such detailed insights into the Milky Way’s star formation history wouldn’t be possible before Gaia, the star-mapping telescope launched in late 2013, whose two data releases in 2016 and 2018 revolutionized the study of the Milky Way.
Timo said, “Some determinations of star formation history in the Milky Way existed before based on data from ESA’s early 1990s Hipparcos mission. But these observations were focused on the immediate neighborhood of the Sun. It wasn’t representative, and so it couldn’t uncover those bursts in star formation that we see now.”
“This is the first time that we see a detailed star formation history of the Milky Way. It’s a testament to the scientific power of Gaia that we have seen manifest again and again in countless ground-breaking studies in a period of only a couple of years.” | <urn:uuid:e5844ae1-e960-4362-b7d8-883765032783> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.techexplorist.com/galactic-collision-triggered-solar-system-formation/32524/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.948731 | 1,009 | 3.484375 | 3 |
PHP initially stood for Personal Home Page, but after some years, it was changed into Hypertext Pre Processor, a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language designed for web development. PHP was initially designed and developed by Rasmus Lerdorf. PHP codes can be embedded into HTML code and used with various web frameworks, web template systems, and web content management systems.
PHP code uses an interpreter to execute its code that is implemented as a module in a web server or it can be a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) executable also. Zend Engine provides the standard PHP interpreter and free software under the PHP License. So let's discuss the Best Way to Learn PHP.
Best Way to Learn PHP
What is Scripting Language?
A set of programming instructions is called the script, which is interpreted at runtime. When these scripts interpret at runtime, it is known as the scripting language. Scripts are usually required for other software environments to be embedded into. The main purpose of using the scripts is to enhance performance or to perform routine tasks for an application.
There are two types of scripts- one is server-side and the other client-side. When the scripts are interpreted on the server, it is called server-side, while the client application interprets client-side scripts.
Difference between Scripting and Programming Language
|Scripting Language||Programming Language|
|In this type of language, the source code executes without compiling||Source code needs to be compiled before the execution of that.|
|It supports mostly routine tasks.||A programming language supports all tasks required to develop a complete application.|
|This is required to embed in the other software environments||This doesn’t need to embed any other languages.|
Why is PHP very popular?
PHP is the core of the biggest blogging platform WordPress, and it is deep enough to handle the biggest social media platform Facebook.
Here are some of the main reasons why PHP is very popular amongst developers and programmers, or it can say the features that make PHP different from others.
- PHP is freely available, very simple, and easy to learn the language.
- PHP is an interpreted language that doesn’t need any compilation.
- PHP supports a large community for help.
- Regularly updated to keep up to date with the latest technology trends.
- PHP generates dynamic page content.
- PHP is also used to send and receive cookies.
- PHP can design dynamic web pages and collect form data.
- PHP can perform commands like create, open, read, write, delete, and close on the server for the file.
- By using PHP, you can perform operations such as adding, deleting, and modifying your database.
- PHP can encrypt data.
- PHP has the power to control user access.
PHP syntax includes various data types, functions, and objects. PHP code starts with <?php, and in the end, we add ?>. A valid PHP statement always ends with a semicolon (;). PHP files extension is “.php”.
<?php // Source code here. ?> PHP Example <!DOCTYPE> <html> <body> <?php echo "<h2>Hello by PHP</h2>"; ?> </body> </html>
Output: Hello by PHP
Advantages of PHP
PHP is an open-source scripting language and is freely available for use. Its large community provides support to PHP developers whenever needed.
PHP is highly compatible with all leading operating systems such as Linux, Windows, Mac OSX, Solaris, OpenBSD, etc. PHP supports all major web servers, including Apache, iPlanet, IIS, etc.
PHP codes are very easy and user-friendly, giving developers more flexibility than other languages. This helps PHP sites to generate more traffic.
Now with the help of PHP, we can easily develop from small websites to giant business and organizational websites, chatting platforms, informative forums, CRM solutions, community websites, e-commerce shopping carts, e-business, gigantic database-driven sites, and shopping carts.
PHP supports many libraries and extensions that extend its core functionalities. To include these custom-created extensions and components, source PHP code can be modified to increase extensibility.
PHP is mainly designed for web development and therefore works with HTML and URLs, and the things like GET and POST methods are built-ins in PHP. That makes it concise to develop a website.
PHP is a secure language, and it helps to prevent malicious attacks.
8. Easy Development
You can easily make a website by giving a few dollars a month to the hosting companies for a PHP server.
9. Automatically Refreshes
Dynamic websites have the feature of automatically refreshing and do not need to make any changes manually. Therefore dynamic websites are in huge demand.
Big Companies Using PHP
These are some of the names which are using PHP
- Google (Few of the apps are done using PHP)
- Yahoo (Lots of apps are done using PHP)
- Rediff (Many apps are done using PHP)
- Intel (Few apps are using PHP)
Best Ways to Learn PHP
In this digital and technical world, if you want to learn PHP now on your own, you can do it. There are so many resources available, including online and offline, both by which you will become a successful PHP developer with regular practice and disciplined learning.
To help you with that, we have provided a list of online and offline resources from which you can start learning.
By Kevin Yank
This book will give you complete knowledge about how to use PHP and MySQL. By using this, you will be able to create your database-driven website.
This is another book for beginners, which is by the popular resource Webmonkey.
By Andi Gutmans, Stig Bakken, and Derick Rethans
By Mario Lurig
An excellent book with over 250 PHP functions with explanations. Also included the basics of PHP, regular expressions syntax, additional tips, MySQL query examples, and two indexes to help you find information faster.
1. PHP Academy
This is a great resource for those who want to learn something specific in PHP.
This tutorial has videos of 6 to 22 mins in length. This is worthwhile for beginners.
Derek Banas’s YouTube video tutorial is useful if you need a quick recap. It is not a guide, tutorial, or reference material. Use it for a fast recap.
Tutors of this tutorial, Jack Williams and Mike Wieger, have the skills required to assist any PHP enthusiast. The concepts are well explained in depth in the tutorials.
5. CodeAcademy Video Tutorials
This academy’s way of explaining the Object-Oriented Concepts of PHP is worth gaining knowledge of.
1. PHP Manual7
A comprehensive guide to PHP programming.
This mainly focuses on the PHP definition, methods, and commands for use.
This is for beginners and consists of a big list of downloadable videos that will help you to know the basics of PHP.
This is designed to help you learn about PHP programming, including online tutorials, articles, and lessons.
This is a PHP academy that has large descriptive content. They have a tutorial on their website as well as on YouTube.
Best Books for PHP Programming
By Ed Lecky Thompson, Steven D. Nowicki, and Thomas Myer Publisher: Professional PHP6
Amazon: Professional PHP6 A book from Wrox’s Programmer-to-Programmer series, which always gives the best to learn for developers. This book concerns the ins and outs of PHP, including object-oriented ideas and aspects with examples that will transition well into PHP6 whenever it is released. Classes, iterators, names, etc., are well explained in the book.
PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy
By David Powers Publisher: PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy
This book is for those developers who already know how to use PHP and want to learn more in-depth workings of the language.
Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice To Professional
By W. Jason Gilmore Publisher: Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice To Professional
This book is about a large number of different PHP technologies. The book explains how repositories, third-party libraries, ideas, and tools are used to wrangle all the functionality you can from PHP. Things like email, authentication, and LDAP connectivity are just a few of the things covered in this book.
Head First PHP & MySQL
By Lynn Beighley and Michael Morrison Publisher: Head First PHP & MySQL
Amazon: Head First PHP & MySQL
A perfect book for beginners to both PHP and programming in general. It is easy and fun to read and does an excellent job of communicating basic programming concepts. This is for anyone looking to learn how to program in PHP.
After going through this complete article, you are completely aware of PHP and how you can easily learn this language. This has so many opportunities to build your career with PHP.
You may start learning this language independently with the help of the available resources here at TechGeekBuzz . | <urn:uuid:b6918958-a627-4663-bd63-796cb6156ccd> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.techgeekbuzz.com/blog/how-to-learn-php/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.894444 | 1,916 | 3.46875 | 3 |
The arrival of a baby is a wonderful and joyous occasion for a family, but there is one member of the household-the family pet-who might need some special attention and understanding to help he/she cope with the new addition.
Most pets will need some extra attention when a family introduces a new baby to the order of the home. Dogs in particular may find it confusing and invasive when a new “member of the pack” enters the scene. A dog socializes in linear packs, which means it considers some family members as dominant to its own position and others as submissive. Initially, a dog probably sees the new baby in a lower pack order and may display dominant behavior. Watch for signs of aggression such as growling, ears down or laid back over the head, and crouching. Dogs who form deep bonds with their owners may also become depressed and stop eating.
Cats are less social than dogs and may choose to ignore the baby altogether. They do not socialize in packs, so they have little need to show aggression. For them, the most annoying part of living with children is being bothered, although some cats form very close bonds with their owners and may feel rejection. Cats may also stop eating. If you observe aggressive behaviors in your pets, quickly correct them, but do not punish. Serious or lingering behavior problems should always be discussed with one of our staff.
Before bringing baby home from the hospital, expectant parents should allow their family pets to go into the baby’s room and investigate the crib and other new furniture. If there are baby powders or other smells that the pets will eventually associate with the baby, let them explore the scents. It is probably best, however, to keep your pets out of the room after the baby is home. Carefully allow your pets to see and smell your baby. Parents who panic and pull the child away when a dog or cat approaches are possibly sending the message that the baby is a threat.
Plan to spend time with your pets. Let them know they have not been replaced in the household. Pets may fear abandonment or rejection when the focus is switched to the new baby. Plan to take regular walks or have a game of fetch with your dog, or play favorite games with your cat. Give them personal time, just you and them.
Even with these precautions, some pets may never get used to children. Like people, they either accept children or they don’t. If a pet is raised around kids, generally there will be no great behavior problem. If the pet has not seen a “little person” before, you may have to closely supervise the interaction for awhile. Also, if you have a pet that has been teased or mistreated by a child in the past, there will be significant obstacles to overcome.
As your children get older, it is imperative they learn how to respect and treat the family pet. They should know that pets feel pain and get lonely when no one is around – just like people do. Praise your children for gentleness and correct them for rough and unkind behaviors toward your pets. Children should also learn that dogs naturally chase, herd, catch, and fetch. Playfully grabbing a tail or running in the yard may be a dog’s invitation to chase and jump-a very natural response for a dog.
Remember, in many instances, your pets were your “babies” first. They don’t really understand what is happening. Find ways to show them you love them just as much as always. Take quiet walks or hang out in the yard on a cool summer evening. Make meal times special times to be with you. A little bit of affection goes a long way toward making your furry family members happy. | <urn:uuid:7342acc8-58bc-42c1-8204-0dcd6922d361> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.theanimalhospital.com/articles/bringing-home-baby.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.967332 | 770 | 2.5625 | 3 |
We offer a range of clinics and services here at The Bromley Common Practice to support men’s health and help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Male Pattern Baldness
Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss, affecting 6.5 million men in the UK.
It generally starts with a little thinning of the hair, followed by wider hair loss, allowing more of the scalp to become visible.
For a few men, this process starts as early as the late teens. By the age of 60, most men have some degree of hair loss.
Some men aren’t troubled by this at all. Others, however, suffer great emotional distress associated with a lack of self-esteem and, in some cases, depression.
PROSTATE CANCER IS THE MOST COMMON CANCER IN MEN IN THE UK, WITH OVER 40,000 NEW CASES DIAGNOSED EVERY YEAR.
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs you have it for many years.
Symptoms often only become apparent when your prostate is large enough to affect the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis).
When this happens, you may notice things like an increased need to urinate, straining while urinating and a feeling your bladder has not fully emptied.
However, these signs do not mean you have prostate cancer. It is more likely they are caused by something else, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (also known as BPH or prostate enlargement).
What is the prostate?
The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis found only in men. About the size of a Satsuma, it is located between the penis and the bladder. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis.
The main function of the prostate is to help in the production of semen. It produces a thick white fluid that is mixed with the sperm produced by the testicles, to create semen.
Although still rare compared to other cancers, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged between 15-45 years with around 2,200-2,300 men being diagnosed each year. It is more common in Caucasian males.
If found at an early stage a cure rate of 98% is usually possible and even when testicular cancer has spread to other areas of the body cure can still be achieved. In fact according to recent research overall 96% of men diagnosed with any stage testicular cancer will be alive 10 years after treatment.
It is important to visit your GP as soon as you notice any lump or swelling on your testicle. Your GP will examine your testicles to help determine whether or not the lump is cancerous.
The earliest warning signs of testicular cancer usually include the following:
- A change in size or shape of a testicle.
- Swelling or thickening of a testicle.
- A firm, smooth, initially painless, slow-growing lump or hardness in a testicle.
- A feeling of testicular heaviness. | <urn:uuid:0480badb-1636-41c2-87a2-24e196f96565> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.thebromleycommonpractice.co.uk/health-information/mens-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.946554 | 640 | 2.640625 | 3 |
In-Time Health System in Baltimore, MD thinks that rhyming will improve their patient safety. Jack Bozán, M.D., Medical Staff President, is happy to discuss the benefits.
“In the medical field, we use mnemonics and acronyms to aid in remembering facts. We look for rhyming to make communication better for our nurses and physicians. It will improve patient quality and safety,” says Dr. Bozán.
“This is an example of what a nurse said the other night during a phone conversation:
‘Dr. Stone, this is, Pamela, nurse on 6 West. My patient, Mr. Henderson, is distressed. He has acid reflux with pain in his chest. He’s feeling sick, and he’s got a fever, is your ear against the phone receiver?’”
Dr. Bozán says that adding rhymes to conversations is fun for nurses and ensures that the physician is focused on listening.
“We should all try rhyming. For example, our metrics on patient satisfaction are better and gaining more traction. But rhyming aside, our nurses and physicians are taking rhyming workshops because it’s hard to find good rhymes for words like esophagus,” says Dr. Bozán.
Mark Donavan, M.D., thoracic surgeon, is warming up to the rhyming idea. “I didn’t want to learn one more useless process – that’s what I thought – then I went to the rhyming workshop. I am so much better with communicating in rhyme. Now when I speak to nurses, I am efficient with their time. In the operating room, the tension is palpable. But with rhyming, it is so much easier saying, ‘Pass the scalpel!’”
We get Dr. Donavan’s rhyming schemes, and we like the way he says what he means. But we wanted to know what nurses think. Mindy Rogers, RN, enjoys the rhyming. “I love it! Rhyming is efficient, and the messages to our patients are so consistent. It helps us communicate plans of care. Now I use it practically everywhere.”
Health care is a high-risk field. It’s nice when ways to improve communication are revealed. With rhyming workshops, In-Time Health System will be well on their way, as they bring safety and quality to patients every day. But Dr. Bozán has us curious. We are a bit frustrated, but not furious. What rhymes with esophagus? | <urn:uuid:d50a90b7-5a27-452b-97b3-a1ed69462e1e> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.themirthmanual.com/post/hospital-uses-rhyme-to-improve-patient-safety | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.951021 | 550 | 2.609375 | 3 |
What was it like to live one’s life as a slave? “Only slaves themselves had the ability to convey an accurate portrayal of their sufferings, pains, degradations, struggles, hopes, aspirations, joys, and sorrows.” While slave narratives are few and far between, due to slave illiteracy, they provide an interesting portrait into the lives they led. By examining these slave stories, we can come to an understanding of the hardships they faced while being a slave in America; from the very beginning of southern plantation life and up to and including abolition. As I read these tales, my heart was heavy with sorrow for the miserable lives these people led. They had almost no dignity and were resigned to a life of suffering. Some of the stories, although happy, had a dark undertone. From a modern perspective, it is strange to know that my own country had a major role in this devastation.
The first slave entry was from a woman who lived on a plantation in Louisiana. She was in poor health, having being sold three times to three different masters. She was worked to the bone. She wasn’t even allowed to nurse her child. She could hear him crying and crying, just waiting for her to be done with her work so he could eat. Her child was fathered by her master’s son, probably against her own will. Yet, even though the child was half-white, he was left to live in the slave quarters. Her family had been shattered when she was sold, and she longed for her mother. Charlotte had heard that a woman had come from Virginia and was living in a neighboring plantation. On her only day off, a Sunday, she went to visit this woman in the hopes that they were related. She called her “Aunt Jane.” Although she wasn’t her aunt, Charlotte felt the spirit of kinship with this woman at the possibility that she may know her mother or some of her family members. It was the only way she could make sense of her situation and cling to her homelife.
Charlotte’s experience in Louisiana was very different from what Tempe Durham tells us about life as a slave in North Carolina. It is quite interesting that her last name is the place where she was held as a slave. After she was freed by her master, she needed a legal last name and that was what was given to her by the state government. Her value to her master came not just by the work that she did, but the amount of children that she gave birth to. These children could be used to work the plantation and so that the master wouldn’t have to go out and buy more slaves. Also, the crop in this area was tobacco rather than cotton or sugar, due to the differences in the soil type.
Charlotte describes her wedding to another slave from a neighboring plantation. Her master allowed them to be married on the porch of the house, and he and his wife even participated in their nuptials. Miss Betsy, the master’s wife, even participated in work with the slaves, using a loom to weave fabric. They weren’t able to see each other very often, as right after the wedding her husband had to go back to his neighboring plantation to work. This helped to increase communication and civility between neighboring plantations. She genuinely describes her master as being almost like a father to her. This paternalism was used by white slave owners as justification for the harsh treatment that the slaves faced.
Our next story is one of a male slave from Cuba who faced some extraordinary conditions at the hands of his master. He describes being sold like a pig, how all humanity was stripped from him. His experience shaped his psyche as he could still remember his owner clapping a pair of shackles on him. He describes living in little huts with tile roofs, sometimes two hundred people in one place, known as a barracoon. The floors were dirty and covered with mud. There were hardly any windows, and if there were they were just holes in the side of the wall covered in bars. The place was covered with fleas and ticks, leading to disease running rampant throughout the slave quarters. The people who lived there were never able to accept their living situation.
A strange difference that I noticed was that the slaves from Cuba were able to own their own land. They did most of the washing of clothes there, work that was done largely by women. These plots of land were where they got their nourishment from. They were able to plant crops such as sweet potatoes, gourd, okra, kidney beans, yucca, and peanuts. They were also able to raise pigs. The slaves then sold these products to the very people that enslaved them.
The slaves from Cuba were also given some free time to do whatever they liked at their leisure. Most of them were able to amuse themselves in their barracoons, but some liked to venture out and visit the taverns in the town, which were very abundant. They used to trade their commodities here or buy things on credit.
The images described stand out to me because it’s not typical of what you hear from former slaves. Although he starts out by explaining the cruelty he received by being sold off by his former master, he then delves into some of the more social aspects of life. A lot of them didn’t really seem so bad. These social activities must have been very important to the slaves. More importantly, his story tells us that the slaves would not be defined by their working title. They insisted on acting and being treated as individuals regardless of their legal and physical status and condition.
How they saw themselves or each other is a theme that runs throughout Montejo’s story. When describing religions, he talks about three different groups: the Lucumi, the Congolese, and the Catholic. The Congolese were involved with witchcraft, the Lucumi had more to do with saints and God. The household slaves were usually converted to Catholicism by their masters, and were treated well because of it. The white men usually categorized all slaves as being “African”, but through Montejo’s story it seems that there were very many differences between all the groups of people; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They saw their identities as highly differentiated ethnic, cultural, and religious groups. “African” was used by whites only to describe skin color and it was synonymous with “black” and “slave”. Slaves also differentiated themselves by occupation. Montejo believes the house slaves only pretended to be Catholic to be treated better by their masters, as he saw absolutely no priests enter the slave quarters.
The harsh treatment described by Montejo really got to me in the core of my soul. They faced such inhumane circumstances. The women were used not only to work but to bare children that could be used as slaves. Every year they were required to give birth. Those who were barren had to work out in the fields, although they were able to choose their own husbands. The ones that were used for breeding were usually matched up with a tall and strong slave so that she could bear children that were also tall and strong.
The children stayed in the infirmaries for about six or seven years and then began to work. They were taken care of by the women in the community. Sometimes the children’s parents were sold and they never saw them again, so they would be resigned to live with the women in the infirmary. While describing punishment, Montejo speaks of how they even beat the pregnant women who disobeyed their masters. They made sure not to hurt the children in their bellies because they needed them to be born well and become strong slaves.
The men were also barred from having relationships with women until they were twenty-five. Their responsibility was just to work in the fields. Montejo says it was better off for you to be on your own than to live in one of these communities, as punishments were harsh and sickness was rampant. There weren’t many women around anyway; those that were tended to be married or were employed as wet nurses for children. Some men came to terms with this statute, others resigned themselfves to sodomy and a hmomosexual lifestyle. All of this is such a stark contrast to the beautiful Sunday celebrations and tavern life that was described by Montejo.The experiences of these three slaves were very different depending on the region that they came from. Even so, they were faced with the harsh reality that they weren’t free and had to live by the expectations set for them by their masters. While some had freedom to marry and have families, others were torn away from the people closest to them. Religion was even tied to the masters, with some sacrificing their own beliefs in order to please them, in the case of the Cubans. In the case of the slave woman from North Carolina, her culture mixed with Southern white culture in the terms of her marriage. All in all, these slave experiences show us that slaves were treated very differently than white people: being bought, traded, sold, and told what to believe, regardless of where they came from. Although slavery was abolished in these areas by 1900, the descendants of slaves are still suffering socially, economically, and culturally on a worldwide scale, all due to being seen as objects by their white counterparts. | <urn:uuid:54463ad1-f58e-4426-80f1-408a385af661> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.theodysseyonline.com/what-was-it-like-to-live-life-as-slave | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.995156 | 1,934 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to be fragile and more easily broken. Affecting more than 25 million men and women in America, osteoporosis touches all ages and can cause fractures that lead to pain, breathing problems, and slumped posture. An estimated 50 percent of women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis and are at risk of fracture.
Many risk factors are associated with osteoporosis, but it has no symptoms you can see or feel. But the good news is that it’s never too late to start treating osteoporosis—or too early to start preventing it. Specialists can help you improve your bone health with medication, nutrition, and exercise. | <urn:uuid:a6278292-3ea1-4f3e-8976-6d4d56c3160e> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.toneyourbones.org/show.asp?durki=55577&print=yes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.952778 | 146 | 3.109375 | 3 |
How the Federal Reserve Works
Have you ever taken a close look at paper money? Each U.S. bill has the words "Federal Reserve Note" imprinted across the top.
But many individuals may not know why the bill is issued by the Federal Reserve and what role the Federal Reserve plays in the economy. Here's an inside look.
The Federal Reserve, often referred to as "the Fed," is the country's central bank. It was founded by Congress in 1913 to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. Prior to its creation, the U.S. economy was plagued by frequent episodes of panic, bank failures, and limited credit.1
The Fed has four main roles in the U.S. economy.
In addition to its other duties, the Fed has been given three mandates with the economy: maintaining maximum employment, maintaining stable price levels, and maintaining moderate, long-term interest rates.1
It's important to remember that the Fed cannot directly control employment, inflation, or long-term interest rates. Rather, it uses a number of tools at its disposal to influence the availability and cost of money and credit. This, in turn, influences the willingness of consumers and businesses to spend money on goods and services.
For example, if the Fed maneuvers short-term interest rates lower, borrowing money becomes less expensive, and people may be motivated to spend. Consumer spending may stimulate economic growth, which may cause companies to produce more products and potentially increase employment. When short-term rates are low, the Fed closely monitors economic activity to watch for signs of rising prices.
On the other hand, if the Fed pushes short-term rates higher, borrowing money becomes more expensive, and people may be less motivated to spend. This may, in turn, slow economic growth and cause companies to decrease employment. When short-term rates are high, the Fed must watch for signs of a decline in overall price levels.
Supervise and Regulate
The Fed establishes and enforces the regulations that banks, savings and loans, and credit unions must follow. It works with other federal and state agencies to ensure these financial institutions are financially sound and consumers are receiving fair and equitable treatment. When an organization is found to have problems, the Fed uses its authority to have the organization correct the problems.
The Fed maintains the stability of the financial system by providing payment services. In times of financial strain, the Fed is authorized to step in as a lender of last resort, providing liquidity to an individual bank or the entire banking system. For example, the Fed may step in and offer to buy the government bonds owned by a particular bank. By doing so, the Fed provides the bank with money that it can use for its own purposes.
Banker for Banks, U.S. Government
The Fed provides financial services to banks and other depository institutions as well as to the U.S. government directly. For banks, savings and loans, and credit unions, it maintains accounts and provides various payment services, including collecting checks, electronically transferring funds, distributing new money, and receiving and destroying old, worn-out money. For the federal government, the Fed pays Treasury checks, processes electronic payments, and issues, transfers, and redeems U.S. government securities.
Each day, the Fed is behind the scenes supporting the economy and providing services to the U.S. financial system. And while the Fed's duties are many and varied, its focus is to maintain confidence in banking institutions.
A Decentralized Central Bank
The Federal Reserve System consists of 12 independent banks that operate under the supervision of a federally appointed Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. Each of these banks works within a specific district, as shown.
Source: FederalReserve.gov, 2023
1. FederalReserve.gov, 2023
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG Suite is not affiliated with the named broker-dealer, state- or SEC-registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Copyright FMG Suite. | <urn:uuid:31b7f931-f6c4-49d6-ac51-ee1bd27aefaa> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.tpb-financial.com/resource-center/investment/how-the-federal-reserve-works | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.950911 | 928 | 4.03125 | 4 |
If you are over 40 and have difficulty seeing close up, you probably have a common age-related condition called presbyopia which is when the eye’s natural lens loses the ability to focus on close objects. Presbyopia is a natural process as the eye ages and affects the majority of people from age 40 and upward. Individuals with presbyopia are often familiar with the need to hold reading materials such as newspapers an arm’s length away from their eyes in order to see clearly, yet reading glasses with bifocal or multifocal (progressive) lenses can help.
Fortunately for those who don’t like the look, feel or inconvenience of reading glasses, there is another option. Bifocal and multifocal lenses are also available in contact lenses in both soft and Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) varieties.
Multifocal contact lenses give you added freedom over glasses and they allow you to be able to view any direction – up, down and to the sides – with similar vision. People wearing progressive lenses in glasses on the other hand have to look over their glasses if they want to view upwards or into the distance.
The Difference Between Bifocal and Multifocal Lenses
Just as the name indicates, bifocal lenses are divided into two distinct segments for different vision powers, the first for distance vision and the second for near vision. This enables you to clearly switch your focus from near to far as needed, but your vision will not necessarily be clear in between. The term multifocal lenses can refer to any lenses with multiple powers including bifocals, trifocals or progressive lenses. Non-bifocal multifocal lenses have a range of powers that enable you to constantly adjust your focus to see clearly from up close to far and in between.
Multifocal contact lenses are generally designed in one of two ways, as either simultaneous vision lenses or alternating vision lenses.
Simultaneous vision lenses
The most popular version of multifocal contact lenses, simultaneous vision lenses present the distance and near vision zones of the lens at the same time. Typically after a short adjustment period your eyes learn to utilize the segment of the lens that they need to focus on the desired object and essentially ignore the other.
They come in two designs:
- Concentric ring design: In the most basic form these are bifocal lenses that are comprised of a central circular area of one power with a ring around of the alternate power, similar to a bulls-eye. In this design the power of the rings (either near or distance vision is interchangeable). For intermediate viewing (18-24 inches away) extra rings can be added to create a trifocal or multifocal lens. The width of each ring is variable depending on the power that is needed most and the edges of the rings can be blended for a smooth transition of focus, similar to progressive eyeglass lenses.
- Aspheric design: These multifocal lenses attempt to provide a natural vision experience by blending many lens powers across the surface and center of the lens. In this design both distance and near vision power are located in the central visual area and your eyes will adapt to focus on the area needed to view what you are looking at.
Translating or Alternating Vision lenses
Similar to bifocal eyeglass lenses, these contacts are divided into distinct areas or zones and your pupil will move to the desired zone depending on your vision needs. Typically the top of the lens, which is what you look through when looking straight ahead is for distance vision and the bottom area (what you look through when you look down) is for near vision. However, this can be reversed according to unique vision needs.
Since contact lenses sometimes move within your eye, translating lenses are held in place by a ballast which is an area that is thicker than the rest of the lens or by truncating or flattening the bottom to stay in line by the lower lid. These lenses are only available in rigid gas permeable lens material.
An Alternative Option to Multifocal Contact Lenses: Monovision
Monovision is another contact lens alternative for presbyopia particularly if you are having difficulty adapting to multifocal lenses. Monovision splits your distance and near vision between your eyes, using your dominant eye for distance vision and your non-dominant eye for near vision.
Typically you will use single vision lenses in each eye however sometimes the dominant eye will use a single vision lens while a multifocal lens will be used in the other eye for intermediate and near vision. This is called modified monovision. Your eye doctor will perform a test to determine which type of lens is best suited for each eye and optimal vision.
Are Contact Lenses Right for You?
If you have presbyopia, contact lenses may be a great option for you. Many people prefer the look and convenience of contact lenses over traditional reading glasses. Speak to your eye doctor about the options available to you. | <urn:uuid:15e6d55c-5ae9-4d87-a5e1-0ceebab7d215> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.tvsugarland.com/eyeglasses-contacts/contact-lenses/bifocal-and-multifocal-contact-lenses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.940456 | 1,017 | 3.078125 | 3 |
How to Burn Garden Waste Without Smoke?
As anyone who owns, rents or simply lives in a property is well aware, a household can produce a lot of waste.
This is particularly the case for residences with multiple people inside, but you’d also be surprised by just how much waste someone lives alone produces. In fact, on average, everyone in England and Wales produces around 500kg of household waste each year!
Garden waste is another type of domestic waste that people need to consider. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that people will sometimes go to extreme lengths to dispose of waste – including burning it.
While most of us will have regular garden waste collections and the local tip will also take waste, sometimes we have too much and need alternative ways to dispose of it. Burning waste is one of the most common things people will try, but the smoke this method produces can be unpleasant.
So much so that people often ask the question ‘how to burn waste without smoke?’
In this article, we’ll explore this question, as well as discuss best practices for burning garden waste.
What is garden waste?
Typically, garden waste is a type of household waste that has been generated during gardening activities. This could be grass cuttings, weeds, hedge trimming or pieces of wood, vegetation and leaf matter.
Most local authorities provide households with dedicated garden waste bins that are frequently collected where these things can be disposed of appropriately.
However, if you live in an area that doesn’t offer this service or you simply have so much garden waste that it won’t all fit in your bin, you may consider burning waste as an alternative way to get rid of it.
How to burn garden waste without smoke?
Before we go any further, it’s important to note that it’s impossible to completely burn garden waste without producing any smoke whatsoever.
Wood, branches, leaves, grass and other forms of garden waste will always release smoke as they burn, as it releases gases that the waste is producing.
However, while it may not be possible to have a smokeless burn, there are a number of things you can do to minimise how much smoke is produced.
Below are our top five tips to produce less smoke when burning garden waste.
Only burn dry waste
A great way to prevent excess smoke is to make sure you’re only burning dry garden waste. Anything that is wet, damp or moist is likely to produce even more smoke during the burning process so these are best avoided.
If you’ve recently experienced rainfall, it’s a good idea to wait a few days for the materials to dry before you get the bonfire going.
Adding the right kind of fuel will also impact how much smoke is produced. As mentioned above, wood is a common garden material that is burned and you can also add some kindling to the fire to reduce the amount of smoke.
Using a piece of kindling, or some dry paper if you don’t have any, will help the fire to ignite more quickly, burn at a hotter temperature and produce less smoke.
Keep a fire contained
The smaller the fire the less smoke will be produced, so it’s worth keeping yours on the smaller end of the scale. Larger fires are well known for being extremely smoky, so keeping them small and well-contained will reduce this.
Use a burn pit or chimenea
Staying on the theme of containment, using a burn pit or a chimenea is a fantastic and innovative way to minimise your output of smoke.
A burn pit is a garden device that is specifically designed for burning materials, including garden waste. With this in mind, using these kinds of products are a great way to minimise smoke as they offer a more controlled environment and will burn in a steadier way.
Similarly, a chimenea is also worth considering. A chimenea is a freestanding outdoor fireplace that comes with a large, ventilated chimney. Usually, these fireplaces will be made from terracotta and will reduce smoke as the ventilation is more efficient than a completely open flame.
Consider the weather conditions
Also, consider the weather forecast before you start burning garden waste.
It’s always better to start your fire when the weather is dry. Wet weather will mean it will take longer for everything to properly burn, meaning more smoke will be released.
And, burning garden waste in low winds, high pressure and humid conditions means that the smoke is likely to dissipate faster.
By following the tips above, you can effectively minimise how much smoke is produced when you’re burning waste. Once the burning has been completed, it’s also important to dispose of the ashes properly.
Wait until the fire has cooled, and remove ashes from your fire pit or the area where you’ve burned the waste. You can then scatter your ashes around your garden or on a compost heap. Never place ashes in a plastic bag as they can remain hot for hours after the fire has burned.
What are the laws surrounding burning waste?
While there are no specific laws that make it illegal to burn garden waste, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 forbids the disposal of domestic waste (including garden waste) in any way that could be harmful to people’s health.
Falling under the Clean Air Act 1993, this means that excessive smoke that could pollute the atmosphere and cause harm, can be deemed a breach of this legislation. With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to minimise smoke in any way you can, such as following the tips we mentioned above.
As well as this, the Highways Act 1980 includes a clause which states you must not allow smoke from a fire to drift onto any nearby road. This is because it could obstruct the vision of drivers and result in an accident. Anyone found in breach of this could face a hefty fine.
Furthermore, any domestic fire that is deemed ‘bothersome’ by neighbouring properties can be reported to the police. This could be if smoke or ash has spread into other people’s gardens. The fire could then be deemed a ‘nuisance’ and an abatement notice presented to you which demands you put out the blaze.
If you ignore the notice, you will face a fine of up to £5,000.
The best way to avoid this, is to keep your smoke to a minimum. | <urn:uuid:8c66fb67-cebf-456c-b84b-bac2ce228fde> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.ukhomeimprovement.co.uk/blog/home-improvements/gardens/how-to-burn-garden-waste-without-smoke/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.9485 | 1,346 | 2.625 | 3 |
Sanday is the largest of the north isles of Orkney and the most north-easterly of the larger islands: lying north of Stronsay and south of North Ronaldsay. The author Eric Linklater described its shape as like a fossilised, gigantic bat. Seeing this takes some imagination: you can also think of it as a fairly narrow and irregular island extending some 15 miles from south-west to north-east, with a peninsula stretching north from its centre.
Sanday is very low lying, rising to a maximum height of 65m near its south-west end at The Wart, not far from Loth and its ferry terminal. The name of the island comes from the broad sandy beaches that fringe many of its long bays. The north and east of Sanday are especially low lying, making this the last resting place of many ships whose crews simply didn't see the island at night or in fog before running into it.
On an island without peat, the supply of wood that these wrecks provided kept generations of islanders warm: it has even been said that prayers were said in church to seek the Lord's assistance in ensuring that this supply of fuel didn't dry up. The construction of the Start Point lighthouse at the island's west end in 1806 helped mariners considerably, but it was only in the era of radar that Sanday became visible enough to be more consistently avoided.
The main settlements on Sanday are at Lady Village, approximately in the centre of the island, and Kettletoft, on a small peninsula projecting south from the island. The island's population shrank from over 2000 in 1881 to 533 in 1991: and still further to 478 in 2001. More recently there has been a slight revival, with 494 residents being recorded in 2011. The signs of longer-term depopulation are visible throughout the island, and in some parts it seems that for every inhabited croft, cottage or farm there is at least one more abandoned and in ruins. There are also two ruined churches on the island: Cross Kirk, near Kettletoft, and Lady Kirk, near Lady. The latter comes complete with The Devil's Clawmarks, a rather spooky set of grooves in the balustrade at the top of a set of steps.
If the evidence of recent habitation is strong throughout Sanday, so is the evidence of its ancient residents, stretching back thousands of years. Sanday has been referred to as the connoisseur's island for archaeology, and wherever you look, there seem to be humps and bumps that date back beyond recorded history.
In part the preservation of the archaeology is down to the style of farming here over the centuries; and in part it is due to the fact that much of Sanday is physically growing rather than eroding. But it is also due to the respect of islanders for the hogboons. Islanders believed that each burial mound was home to a hogboon, an ill-willed and bad-tempered creature which went out of its way to cause trouble for any human who disturbed it.
Sanday's best known ancient monument is the Quoyness Cairn, on a promontory on the opposite side of Kettletoft Bay from Kettletoft. But it is indicative of the importance of the area that the promontory is also home to a further 27 cairns. In the far north-east of the island, excavations at Tofts Ness have revealed what is probably one of the richest archeological areas in Britain, with over 500 burial mounds plus settlement mounds and other features.
Meanwhile, near Scar, at the tip of the northern peninsula, a Viking boat burial was exposed during a storm in 1985. Subsequent work unearthed a beautiful whalebone plaque now on view at the Orkney Museum in Kirkwall: plus the skeletons of a man, woman and child; a sword; a quiver containing eight arrows; a comb; and 22 gaming pieces.
Sanday is also famed for its wildlife. Common and grey seals (or "selkies") are habitual residents and can often be seen in many places around the island. Otters are also resident, though much more elusive. Seabirds abound, and the beaches are famed not just for their sand, but also for their sea shells, many difficult to find elsewhere.
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Laura Kurtzman, UC San Francisco
After a decade of work, scientists at UC San Francisco’s Neuroscape Center have developed a suite of video game interventions that improve key aspects of cognition in aging adults.
The games, which co-creator Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D., says can be adapted to clinical populations as a new form of “experiential medicine,” showed benefits on an array of important cognitive processes, including short-term memory, attention and long-term memory.
Each employs adaptive closed-loop algorithms that Gazzaley’s lab pioneered in the widely cited 2013 Neuroracer study published in Nature, which first demonstrated it was possible to restore diminished mental faculties in older people with just four weeks of training on a specially designed video game.
These algorithms achieve better results than commercial games by automatically increasing or decreasing in difficulty, depending on how well someone is playing the game. That keeps less skilled players from becoming overwhelmed, while still challenging those with greater ability. The games using these algorithms recreate common activities, such as driving, exercising and playing a drum, and use the skills each can engender to retrain cognitive processes that become deficient with age.
“All of these are taking experiences and delivering them in a very personalized, fun manner, and our brains respond through a process called plasticity,” said Gazzaley, who is professor of neurology in the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the founder and executive director of Neuroscape. “Experiences are a powerful way of changing our brain, and this form of experience allows us to deliver it in a manner that’s very accessible.”
The lab’s most recent invention is a musical rhythm game, developed in consultation with drummer Mickey Hart, that not only taught the 60 to 79-year-old participants how to drum, but also improved their ability to remember faces. The study appears Oct. 3, 2022, in PNAS.
The eight-week program used visual cues to train people how to play a rhythm on an electronic tablet. The algorithm matched the degree of difficulty – including the tempo, complexity and level of precision required for a tap to be considered on-beat — to each player’s ability. Over time, the cues disappeared, forcing the players to memorize the rhythmic pattern.
When the participants were tested at the end to see how well they could recognize unfamiliar faces, electroencephalography (EEG) data showed increased activity in a part of the brain on the right side (the superior parietal lobule) that is involved both in sight reading music and in short-term visual memory for other tasks. The researchers said the data indicate that the training improved how people bring something into memory and then take it back out again when they need it.
“That memory improved at all was amazing,” said Theodore Zanto, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurology in the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and director of the Neuroscience Division at Neuroscape. “There is a very strong memory training component to this, and it generalized to other forms of memory.”
A second game, the Body Brain Trainer, published recently in NPJ Aging, improved blood pressure, balance and attention in a group of healthy older adults with eight weeks of training. The game also improved a key signature of attention that declines as people age and is related to the ability to multitask. In addition to the usual adaptive algorithm targeting cognitive abilities, the eight-week training included a feedback mechanism to ensure that participants were exercising at the right level.
“We had people wearing a heart rate monitor, and we were getting that heart rate data and feeding it into the game,” said Joaquin A. Anguera, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology in the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and director of the Clinical Division at Neuroscape. “If they weren’t working hard enough, the game got harder.”
Neuroscape published the results of yet another study last year in Scientific Reports on a virtual reality spatial navigation game called Labyrinth that improved long-term memory in older adults after four weeks of training.
All three studies demonstrated their results in randomized clinical trials, extending the finding from 2013 that digital training can enhance waning cognitive faculties in older adults.
“These are all targeting cognitive control, an ability that is deficient in older adults and that is critical for their quality of life,” Gazzaley said. “These games all have the same underlying adaptive algorithms and approach, but they are using very, very different types of activity. And in all of them we show that you can improve cognitive abilities in this population.”
Gazzaley is a co-founder, shareholder, advisor and member of the board of directors at Akili Interactive Labs, a company that produces therapeutic video games and has licensed Body Brain Trainer. | <urn:uuid:59748432-2d1a-4794-b541-e1334fcc0275> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/video-games-offer-potential-experiential-medicine | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.956864 | 1,023 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Discover the captivating world of footnotes in Google Docs! Learn to add and remove them for a more in-depth understanding of your content without disrupting the flow. We’ll explore the step-by-step process of adding footnotes and how to revise them when needed.
Footnotes have a long history, used since ancient times to expand upon arguments while keeping the manuscript flowing. This rich history shows us appreciation for their relevance in today’s tech world.
Let’s begin our journey into the realm of footnotes in Google Docs and unlock new possibilities for our writing. It’s like adding tiny, powerful sidekicks to our document, giving readers extra info without removing our primary text.
Understanding Footnotes in Google Docs
Footnotes can be a great addition to your Google Docs documents. They let you add extra information without disrupting the flow of the main text. Here’s a 6-step guide to help you understand how to use them:
- Open your document in Google Docs and place the cursor where you want to add a footnote.
- Click “Insert” from the menu bar, then select “Footnote.” You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + F.
- A small superscript number will appear, indicating a footnote reference.
- Scroll to the bottom of your document, where a new section will be created for footnotes.
- Type your additional info or clarification into this section.
- To remove a footnote, delete its corresponding text in the footnote section.
Remember: Footnotes in Google Docs are automatically numbered, creating an easy reference system throughout your document. To make the most of them, keep your info concise and relevant. Also, use formatting like italics or bold text to emphasize key points. Cross-reference your footnotes with hyperlinks or other parts of your document when necessary. With these tips, your audience will comprehensively understand your content – without any interruptions!
How to Add Footnotes in Google Docs
Google Docs offers a simple and efficient way to add footnotes to your documents. To enrich your content with footnotes, follow these steps:
- Open your Google Docs document.
- Place your cursor where you want to add the footnote.
- Go to the toolbar and click on “Insert”.
- From the dropdown menu, choose “Footnote.”
To remove a footnote in Google Docs, use the following steps:
- Locate the footnote you want to remove.
- Place your cursor at the beginning of the footnote text.
- Press the “Backspace” or “Delete” key until the entire footnote is deleted.
It’s important to note that footnotes can add depth to your content, providing additional context or references without interrupting the flow of your main text. By integrating footnotes into your Google Docs, you can seamlessly enhance your document’s clarity and credibility.
Similarly, a colleague once shared their experience using footnotes in Google Docs. They were working on a research paper and found it beneficial to include footnotes to cite sources and provide insights. This helped them maintain a professional approach and anchor their arguments with credible references.
Ready to dive into the thrilling world of footnotes in Google Docs? Step 1: Open your Google Docs document, and let the footnote frenzy begin!
Step 1: Open your Google Docs document
To open your Google Docs document, do this:
- Go to the Google Docs website.
- Sign into your Google account.
- Click “+ New”.
- Choose “Google Docs” from the menu.
You can now create and work on your document.
Besides creating a new document, you can access existing ones in “My Drive” or search for them in Google Drive.
Now you know how to open a Google Docs document! You are ready to begin writing in this user-friendly and versatile platform.
Step 2: Click on the position in the text where you want to add the footnote
- Position your cursor in the area of the document you want to insert.
- Click once with your mouse at the precise spot.
- Navigate to the menu bar and click “Insert,” then select “Footnote” from the dropdown menu.
- A superscript number will appear at the position you clicked, and a corresponding footnote section will be at the bottom of your page.
Footnotes are excellent for citing sources and providing further explanations for specific points. They help readers understand and enhance credibility.
For example, a historian used footnotes to provide references and more details about historical events without overcrowding her main text.
So, give your document some foot love by following these steps and make Google Docs happy!
Step 3: Go to the “Insert” menu and select “Footnote.”
To add footnotes in Google Docs, click “Insert” at the top of the screen. Select “Footnote” from the dropdown menu. A superscript number will appear in your text. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find the corresponding footnote number. Here, you can add your citation or extra info.
Footnotes are excellent for extra context or references without disrupting the main text. You can easily use this feature to improve your writing. Plus, have fun with it! Get creative with your footnote text and leave a lasting impression.
Step 4: Type in your desired footnote text
Footnotes in Google Docs can be inserted smoothly by following a few simple steps. Step 4 is where you type the content you want in the footnote. Here’s how:
- Click where the footnote reference number should be in the document. This will be a superscript number.
- Go to the “Insert” menu and choose “Footnote”.
- A small text box will appear at the bottom of the page with a reference number at the insertion point of your document.
- Type in the desired footnote text in this text box.
- You can format the text and add citations or extra info in the footnote text box.
- Once done, click outside the footnote text box to continue with your main document.
- If desired, customize the formatting of the footnote (optional).
Footnotes have been a crucial part of scholarly writing for centuries. They let writers add extra info or cite sources without disrupting the flow of their main document. Footnotes are used for academic papers, historical texts, and more. So, learning footnotes is worthwhile if you’re writing a research paper or enhancing your writing.
Step 5: Customize the formatting of the footnote (optional)
When it comes to customizing footnotes in Google Docs, you have the option to do so. Making your footnotes stand out and matching your document’s style is a breeze. Here’s a 6-step guide to make it happen:
- Select the footnote by clicking its number/symbol.
- Right-click and choose “Format Footnote”.
- A formatting sidebar will appear.
- Customize the footnote font style/size/color/alignment in the sidebar.
- Click “Reference text format” to alter the footnote reference number.
- Click outside the formatting sidebar to save changes.
You can also manage footnotes quickly with keyboard shortcuts. This info is based on Google’s official documentation. An excellent addition is that users can insert up to 20 simultaneous live citations per comment stream in a Google Doc. To remove footnotes, say goodbye to those secret code numbers!
How to Remove Footnotes in Google Docs
To remove footnotes in Google Docs, follow these steps:
- Open your Google Docs document.
- Scroll to the section where you want to remove footnotes.
- Place your cursor at the end of the sentence before the footnote.
- Press the “Backspace” or “Delete” key on your keyboard.
Following these steps, you can easily remove footnotes in Google Docs without hassle.
- Step 1: Open your Google Docs document, but be careful not to unleash the grammar police lurking in the margins accidentally.
Step 1: Open your Google Docs document
To zap those footnotes from Google Docs, follow these steps:
- Log into your Google Docs account.
- Locate the document with footnotes.
- Click on it to open it.
- At the top of the page, you’ll see a toolbar.
- Click the “View” tab.
- In the dropdown menu, select “Show Footnotes” to hide them.
These are the basics of removing footnotes in Google Docs. Having footnotes for more info or references can be helpful, but if they’re not necessary or distracting from the main content, deleting them helps keep the document clear and readable.
I once had a colleague writing a research paper with lots of footnotes. After review, they realized some of them were redundant and unnecessary. A few clicks later, they had streamlined their paper and could focus on delivering their message without distractions.
So use this feature in Google Docs and make sure your documents are concise and on-point!
Step 2: Locate the footnote you want to remove
- Scroll through your document until you find the page with a footnote.
- Look for a superscript number or symbol.
- Click on it to go to the bottom of the page.
- Put your cursor at the beginning of the text and press Delete.
The footnote and any reference or citation in your document will be gone. Tidy up your documents and get rid of unnecessary annotations.
Did you know? Footnotes were first used in printed books during the Middle Ages. They gave extra info without disrupting the main text. In Google Docs, you can fight back against these footnotes by right-clicking on their number or symbol!
Step 3: Right-click on the footnote number or symbol
Right-click on the footnote number or symbol to quickly remove footnotes in Google Docs! Select the “Remove footnote” option from the dropdown menu, and the footnote will disappear instantly.
Repeat this for multiple footnotes, and you can quickly have a streamlined, polished document. Managing and editing footnotes in Google Docs can now be done with ease!
Step 4: Select “Remove footnote” from the dropdown menu
Highlight the footnote you want to remove by clicking on the associated number or associated symbol. Go to the “Format” tab at the top of the window and click on the dropdown menu. Select “Footnote,” then choose “Remove footnote” to instantly remove it.
Remember that any reference or citation connected to the footnote will also be removed. Double-check your document for any potential impacts before taking this step.
This feature has an interesting background. Footnotes have been used centuries to provide extra info or cite sources in written works. Digital platforms such as Google Docs now simplify managing footnotes and create more organized documents for better readability and comprehension.
In conclusion, you can easily remove footnotes in Google Docs by selecting “Remove footnote” from the dropdown menu. This will help you keep your document clean and professional without compromising valuable information or references.
This article has looked into how to add and remove footnotes in Google Docs. Footnotes are excellent for providing extra info or citations in a document. To add one, put your cursor where you want the reference mark, then go to the ‘Insert’ tab and pick ‘Footnote.’ A tiny numeral will appear – this is where the footnote will be.
For more details, go to the bottom of the page. You can write any explanations, sources, or thoughts that will improve your document. Find the reference mark, press backspace, or delete it to take out a footnote. The footnote at the bottom of the page will also go.
Let’s appreciate the importance of footnotes, too. They have been around for centuries, helping scholars credit their sources without ruining readability. Now, they are part of scholarly writing in many fields. | <urn:uuid:8ef34e4d-99f6-4836-b96f-70439e7b8dc7> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.velocityrider.com/how-to-add-remove-footnotes-in-google-docs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.81634 | 2,575 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Mycotoxins impact on animal production
The presence of mycotoxins in food and feed is potentially dangerous for animal and human health.
Fungi that grow in food are known since ancient times and they have been used as direct food, to improve them or with therapeutic purposes. But there are certain species of fungi that produce toxic metabolites, known as mycotoxins. The term mycotoxin derives from the Greek words “mykes” (mushrooms) and “toksicons” (poison). These are secondary metabolites produced by certain toxigenic fungi, which cause harmful effects on animal health. Mycotoxins are a defense mechanism to help fungi colonize the host organism. Mycotoxins impact
The presence of mycotoxins in food and feed is potentially dangerous for animal and human health. Its appearance annually costs millions of euros expenses throughout the world, causing problems in human health, animal health and agricultural products, which have to be discarded because they are unacceptable in national and international trade.
The presence of fungi does not necessarily imply the production of mycotoxins: there may be mycotoxins in absence of fungi, since the fungi may have been eliminated, but not the metabolites. Each genus of fungi can produce different mycotoxins, while a certain type of mycotoxin can be produced by different species of fungi.
The contamination of feed by several mycotoxins at the same time is frequent. These combinations of mycotoxins have synergistic effects that worsen the negative consequences for animals. The specific type of mycotoxin and concentration levels vary according to different factors: climate, temperature and humidity, seasonal changes, weather patterns, etc. Hence the difficulty of predicting, perceiving and preventing their presence.
MYCOTOXINS IN VEGETABLES
The presence of mycotoxins in vegetables may be due to:
- Infection of the plant in the field by the pathogenic fungi.
- The colonization and/or growth of saprobic fungal or postharvest pathogens on stored fruits and grains.
- The saprophic fungal development during the storage of the products already processed.
In that way, the factors that affect the presence of mycotoxins in feed may depend on: the raw material, the harvest and the storage or manufacturing feed conditions. Once the contamination is produced, the mycotoxins are very stable and difficult to eliminate, so it is important to take preventive measures to reduce their impact on the agri-food industry, since they are a threaten for the safety of a high percentage of the world’s food crops.
The intensity of mycotoxicosis is determined by different factors, such as the animal’s immune status, live weight and age, feed composition, the quantity and type of mycotoxin, the possible synergism between mycotoxins and the sanitary conditions of the farm, among others. The presence of mycotoxins in the feed, in addition to the different specific clinical effects that they generate in animals, can condition the digestion, metabolism and transport of certain nutrients in the animal, which leads to a deterioration of the conversion rate.
Therefore, in the last decade, the use of mycotoxin binders in the manufacture livestock feed technology to avoid the economic losses that contaminated feed cause in the animal industry. The company Biovet S.A. has developed a patented process, by which the structure of natural silicates is modified to form a patented molecule called Silicoglycidol, with a structure that optimizes the adsorption of mycotoxins, which are not desorbed in any of the different digestive tract conditions, so they are expelled with the feces.Silicoglycidol has an optimized surface to bind mycotoxins with a high efficiency at a low dose. Alquerfeed Antitox is Biovet’s product composed at a 100% by Silicoglycidol.
EFFECT OF A MYCOTOXIN BINDER
In a pig farm, after a serious problem of high levels of zearalenone in the feed, they increased the dose of Alquerfeed Antitox from 0.5 kg/tn to 2 kg/tn after the first clinical signs of the intoxication (Image 1).
The images show the improvement in piglets’ condition after two weeks of treatment with Alquerfeed Antitox. | <urn:uuid:c0f6f85b-fd43-4010-a860-43e8df364896> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.veterinariadigital.com/en/articulos/mycotoxins-impact-on-animal-production/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.929915 | 922 | 3.546875 | 4 |
Hydrogen boilers: how they work and whether you need one
Many of us are aware that the amount of carbon dioxide that’s being produced across the world is having an impact on the temperature of our planet. In the UK, our government is taking steps with the publication of the UK Hydrogen Strategy to ensure that we look after our planet and reduce CO2 production where possible.
As home heating accounts for a large percentage of your home’s carbon footprint, the government is looking at alternative ways you can heat your home that are more environmentally friendly. Currently, it offers grants to those who heat their homes using renewable energy or appliances such as heat pumps and it plans to ban petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.
But something else that the government is looking into is hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas. Hydrogen is a low-carbon alternative that will have a positive impact on the CO2 emissions currently being produced in the UK. It’s a much cleaner gas that can be manufactured from water using electricity. When this electricity is generated from renewable sources, the hydrogen is 100 percent carbon-free.
While heat pumps are a great alternative to gas boilers that run using electricity, it’s nice to have choices, and a hydrogen boiler is another option for domestic heating. Below, we reveal what a hydrogen boiler is, as well as how it works (with a handy animation).
What is a hydrogen boiler?
A hydrogen boiler does what it says - it is a boiler that burns hydrogen as opposed to natural gas (or methane). These appliances work in a very similar way to natural gas boilers, by burning the gas via combustion, which in turn creates hot flue gases that can be used to heat water. This hot water can be stored for later use and pumped around your radiators to warm up your home.
As hydrogen is a thinner gas than methane, some parts of the boiler may differ slightly, including the flame detector and the burner (which we look at in more detail further down the page) but they work in much the same way as your current boiler.
Hydrogen boilers shouldn’t be confused with boilers that use hydrogen fuel cells to work or with hydrogen-ready boilers, as these are different types of systems.
Fuel cells require hydrogen in order to create electricity. Instead of relying on combustion to create heat, it’s a chemical reaction that can generate both heat and electricity. Fuel cells, therefore, are generally combined heat and power (CHP) systems or MCHP, as the heat can be used to warm the home and the electricity to power devices. This makes these kinds of systems super efficient.
What is a hydrogen-ready boiler?
In contrast to a boiler that uses hydrogen fuel cells, a hydrogen-ready boiler is an appliance that has the ability to burn both natural gas and be converted to adapt to hydrogen. This means that when the UK’s gas network is able and ready to switch from methane to hydrogen, you won’t need to replace your gas boiler, just have a conversion kit added. The viability of this approach is still under early research and development; however it is expected to be one of the many methods of supporting overall decarbonisation. Solutions are being looked at to also see how currently qualified heating engineers may be able to support converting products which have been developed with this in mind.
When hydrogen can eventually be introduced into the gas network, it’s likely that it will be phased in, rather than switching from all natural gas to all hydrogen. The HyDeploy programme run at Keele University tested the effects of using a blend of hydrogen and natural gas. With 20 percent hydrogen and 80 percent natural gas, no alterations would need to be made to the majority of UK boilers, so the change could come in almost instantly. Their current aim is to achieve this by 2025.
When will hydrogen boilers be available?
Currently, there are no 100 per cent hydrogen boilers available, as this technology is yet to be developed, however a few of the large boiler manufacturers have created prototypes.
How do hydrogen boilers work?
1: Oxygen and hydrogen enter the boiler
Firstly, oxygen and hydrogen enter the main boiler unit. The hydrogen will come from the main gas supply when this is an option and the oxygen will come from the air. The gas inlet contains a valve that controls how much of each gas can enter the boiler. This is important as the amount of gas can impact the size of the flame.
2: The gases are mixed and burned
The hydrogen and oxygen gases are mixed together before being ignited in a catalytic burner. Hydrogen is more flammable than natural gas and so the burners on hydrogen boilers are specially designed so that the flames can be limited if too much gas is flowing through. A flame detection component is also required in a hydrogen-only boiler as hydrogen flames are invisible.
3: The hot gases enter the heat exchanger
Hot flue gases created by combustion enter the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is made up of a series of pipes, which the hot gas travels through. Surrounding these pipes is cold water. As the hot gas moves through the pipes, it heats the surrounding water that can then be used in your heating system or supplied to your hot taps.
4: Byproducts exit the system
The only byproduct of burning hydrogen and oxygen is water, and so a condensate is required for this water to escape the system. The hot flue gases (hydrogen and oxygen) can also exit the system via the flue along with some nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions as a result of hydrogen combustion.
The hydrogen boiler continues to pull in more hydrogen and oxygen so that this whole process can be repeated again and again
Where do you store the hydrogen for house boilers?
As hydrogen-ready boilers become available, there will be no need for in-home storage, such as a tank, for the hydrogen. The hydrogen instead will be added to the UK’s gas supply and will therefore automatically be burned by your boiler.
Will gas boilers be replaced by hydrogen?
With the government’s ban on gas boilers in new build properties from 2025, heat pumps and hydrogen boilers could be the way forward. But currently, there isn’t a working boiler that can use 100 percent hydrogen. There are two show homes that are being built in Gateshead that have gas appliances purely powered by hydrogen, including hobs, cookers, fires and boilers. These homes have partially been built as a test but also to show people that hydrogen will be a viable option in the future to improve carbon emissions in the UK. | <urn:uuid:326ca579-8e69-4408-8afd-843da0a69e44> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.viessmann.co.uk/en/heating-advice/boilers/how-do-hydrogen-boilers-work.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.956353 | 1,382 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Darwin wrote: “Primitive greenstone gradually passing into gneiss.”
This granulite/charnockite contains orthopyroxene (hypersthene) associated with untwinned plagioclase feldspar and considerable biotite.
This collection was a collaboration between The Open University and the Sedgwick Museum, created in 2009 to celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin.
The Sedgwick Museum opened a new gallery, 'Darwin the Geologist', and created a museum-based virtual microscope to showcase rocks he collected during the Voyage of the Beagle. We enjoy this collection because Darwin did not always pick up a representative sample from the islands he visited; it's often the unusual rocks that caught his eye. Just explore the collection and you'll see what we mean. For those who have the opportunity, a visit to the museum is strongly recommended. | <urn:uuid:0ee80f1b-4292-4cbd-bcde-1fc6d806d1de> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.virtualmicroscope.org/content/myrmekitic-granulitecharnockite | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.944541 | 190 | 2.96875 | 3 |
What’s the right way to exert political influence? Is it more effective to be selfless and virtuous, or forceful and ruthless? Recent research we’ve conducted of the behavior of US senators reveals something surprising: Being a virtuous leader actually carries its own rewards.
We conducted a study of the leadership attributes of US senators across several decades of floor speeches. We were looking for visual cues about their leadership styles. Do they demonstration compassion and empathy? Or do they demonstrate manipulation and ruthlessness? Given the current polarized political climate, one might think that to get anything done, politicians need to be ruthless and forceful.
That is the question we sought an answer to in a paper recently published in Psychological Science. Our approach to the question was based on decades-long research that suggests that personality traits manifest in verbal and nonverbal behaviors in the face, the body, in tones of voice, and the use of specific words.
For example, research suggests that narcissistic personality traits are associated with an increased use of first-person pronouns — it will come as no surprise to most that narcissists like to talk about themselves — and excessive pride, which can be revealed in expansive posture (an inflated, “pushed out” chest).
By combing the scientific literature to create a list of verbal and nonverbal indicators related to each vice or virtue of interest, we could examine a senator’s behavior for the frequency and intensity with which they engaged in these actions to provide evidence of the trait.
For example, courage is evident in a loud, empathic voice. Humanity, a second virtue, is identified in sympathetic facial expressions and tones of voice, indicating concern for others. Vices are also expressed in verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Psychopathy is evident in the smug laugh at someone else’s pain. And ruthlessness is detected in domineering gestures, such as an elevated chin, which allows the individual to literally look down his or her nose at others.
The images below demonstrate the sort of nonverbal cues we coded using examples from the 2016 US presidential candidates.
In our study, we coded the verbal and nonverbal behavior of 151 US senators in office between 1989 and 1998. Ratings of each vice and virtue were made on the basis of how many and how often behaviors associated with the trait were observed. Importantly, research and theory suggest that the way that we behave — which is, in part, driven by our psychological traits — influences the responses of others.
In this study, we asked whether acting in ways that demonstrate various vices and virtues elicits cooperation from others. Specifically, we looked at how many co-sponsors each senator was able to sign to their bills before and after they attained a position of leadership. Co-sponsorships provide some of the clearest data on political influence available; bills with more co-sponsors are more likely to receive support in a vote and be enacted into law. So which strategy prevailed, the virtuous one or the style governed by vices?
In our study, it was senators who showed courage and humanity who gained the most co-sponsors, including co-sponsors from the opposing political party, when they ascended to leadership positions. Senators who threatened and bullied became less influential as leaders. For substantive, contested bills, including five co-sponsors or less, the most virtuous senators were able to enlist the support one additional co-sponsor, whereas the most vicious lost, on average, 0.5 co-sponsors, when they ascended to a committee chair role.
While our results are correlational in nature, we find evidence of a relationship between leadership style and legislative success — a relationship that voters might bear in mind when they next enter the polls.
There is a long tradition that assumes that virtues are a hindrance when it comes to political influence, that in the cutthroat world of politics, it is the ruthless and manipulative who prevail. Not so, says a new social scientific literature, and our study of political influence. Ruthlessness is more likely the outcome of having power than the pathway to getting power. Electing virtuous politicians who can withstand the corrupting effects of power is another matter entirely.
Leanne ten Brinke is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Denver. Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology and the University of California Berkeley and the author of The Power Paradox. | <urn:uuid:5c15ceb0-4a09-432e-904e-082ddf01e751> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2018/5/14/17347810/virtue-vice-politics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.9591 | 895 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Dr. Jonathan Claussen’s research group develops laser-treatment process that allows them to use printed graphene for electric circuits and electrodes — even on paper and other fragile surfaces.
AMES, Iowa – The researchers in Jonathan Claussen’s lab at Iowa State University (who like to call themselves nanoengineers) have been looking for ways to use graphene and its amazing properties in their sensors and other technologies.
Graphene is a wonder material: The carbon honeycomb is just an atom thick. It’s great at conducting electricity and heat; it’s strong and stable. But researchers have struggled to move beyond tiny lab samples for studying its material properties to larger pieces for real-world applications.
Recent projects that used inkjet printers to print multi-layer graphene circuits and electrodes had the engineers thinking about using it for flexible, wearable and low-cost electronics. For example, “Could we make graphene at scales large enough for glucose sensors?” asked Suprem Das, an Iowa State postdoctoral research associate in mechanical engineering and an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory.
But there were problems with the existing technology. Once printed, the graphene had to be treated to improve electrical conductivity and device performance. That usually meant high temperatures or chemicals – both could degrade flexible or disposable printing surfaces such as plastic films or even paper.
Das and Claussen came up with the idea of using lasers to treat the graphene. Claussen, an Iowa State assistant professor of mechanical engineering and an Ames Laboratory associate, worked with Gary Cheng, an associate professor at Purdue University’s School of Industrial Engineering, to develop and test the idea.
And it worked: They found treating inkjet-printed, multi-layer graphene electric circuits and electrodes with a pulsed-laser process improves electrical conductivity without damaging paper, polymers or other fragile printing surfaces.
“This creates a way to commercialize and scale-up the manufacturing of graphene,” Claussen said.
The findings are featured on the front cover of the journal Nanoscale’s issue 35. Claussen and Cheng are lead authors and Das is first author. Additional Iowa State co-authors are Allison Cargill, John Hondred and Shaowei Ding, graduate students in mechanical engineering. Additional Purdue co-authors are Qiong Nian and Mojib Saei, graduate students in industrial engineering.
Two major grants are supporting the project and related research: a three-year grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 11901762 and a three-year grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust. Iowa State’s College of Engineering and department of mechanical engineering are also supporting the research.
The Iowa State Research Foundation Inc. has filed for a patent on the technology.
“The breakthrough of this project is transforming the inkjet-printed graphene into a conductive material capable of being used in new applications,” Claussen said.
Those applications could include sensors with biological applications, energy storage systems, electrical conducting components and even paper-based electronics.
To make all that possible, the engineers developed computer-controlled laser technology that selectively irradiates inkjet-printed graphene oxide. The treatment removes ink binders and reduces graphene oxide to graphene – physically stitching together millions of tiny graphene flakes. The process makes electrical conductivity more than a thousand times better.
“The laser works with a rapid pulse of high-energy photons that do not destroy the graphene or the substrate,” Das said. “They heat locally. They bombard locally. They process locally.”
That localized, laser processing also changes the shape and structure of the printed graphene from a flat surface to one with raised, 3-D nanostructures. The engineers say the 3-D structures are like tiny petals rising from the surface. The rough and ridged structure increases the electrochemical reactivity of the graphene, making it useful for chemical and biological sensors.
All of that, according to Claussen’s team of nanoengineers, could move graphene to commercial applications.
“This work paves the way for not only paper-based electronics with graphene circuits,” the researchers wrote in their paper, “it enables the creation of low-cost and disposable graphene-based electrochemical electrodes for myriad applications including sensors, biosensors, fuel cells and (medical) devices.”
Posted Sep 1, 2016 12:35 pm by Mike Krapfl, ISU News Service
Link to original article. | <urn:uuid:083bb115-658c-4a6f-9b60-ba2e1478c1e1> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.vrac.iastate.edu/news/washable-nanotechnology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.925373 | 954 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Fracking Study Shows Toxic Chemical Exposure 2,000 Feet From Drilling Sites
A new multiyear study found that people living or working within 2,000 feet, or nearly half a mile, of a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) drill site may be at a heightened risk of exposure to benzene and other toxic chemicals, according to research released Thursday by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
The study concluded that people living within almost a half-mile radius of a fracking well have an increased risk of feeling the effects of chemical exposure though headaches, nausea, dizziness, nosebleeds and respiratory trouble, according to The Denver Post.
Until now, Colorado has had a 500-foot minimum distance that drilling wells can be from homes. The study found that, in certain conditions, toxic chemicals like benzene, toluene and ethyltoluenes could be up to 10 times the recommended levels at a 500-foot distance. As you move away from the fracking site, the chemicals dissipate, but could still be at unsafe levels at 2,000 feet away, as Newsweek reported.
That takes into account only the chemicals that are known. Some chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process are trade secrets. As Newsweek reported, a recent study from the Partnership for Policy Integrity noted that natural gas drillers use a law that allows some of their chemicals to remain secretive.
“Secret exposure to chemicals that our own EPA reports as a potential hazard to human health is unconscionable,” said Alan Lockwood, MD, of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) to Newsweek.
“Healthcare professionals can’t possibly treat patients properly, make protective public health plans and decisions, and protect first responders without knowing what chemicals are in the environment.”
The CDPHE report strengthens Governor Jared Polis’ argument that emissions from Colorado’s powerful oil and gas industry need to be reined in. The finding also helps explain the complaints 750 residents living near oil and gas facilities made to the state’s health department, said state toxicologist Kristy Richardson, as The Denver Post reported. Around 60 percent of those complaints involved symptoms commensurate with chemical exposure, such as headaches, dizziness and difficulty breathing.Computer modeling from the study is expected to help regulators set new standards for the minimum distance a drilling site can be from a home.
“This study is the first of its kind because it used actual emissions data to model potential exposure and health risks,” said CDPHE environmental programs director John Putnam, according to The Denver Post.
“While we pursue further research, we won’t delay enacting stricter emissions standards for chemicals that cause human effects, ozone pollution and climate change. This study reinforces what we already know: We need to minimize emissions from oil and gas sources.”
State regulators insisted they would start to take a close look at all new applications for drilling within 2,000 feet of any residence and that they would start testing air emissions around industry wells. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said it would start to use its money to test air quality around homes near gas wells, according to The Denver Post.
Community activists praised the findings and insisted that state lawmakers need to prioritize community health and rein in oil and gas industry pollution.
“Dozens of children living in close proximity to oil and gas have already documented off-the-charts levels of benzene in their blood,” said Colorado Rising spokeswoman Anne Lee Foster, as The Denver Post reported.
“Considering this and the corroborative data of the study, the state must pause oil and gas permitting and ensure that public health and safety is protected — as new legislation mandates.”
— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) June 23, 2019 | <urn:uuid:3a4f950b-7ff2-496b-aeab-ff43caf3fd9e> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.wakingtimes.com/fracking-study-shows-toxic-chemical-exposure-2000-feet-from-drilling-sites/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.946208 | 783 | 2.75 | 3 |
MIAMI (AP) — Hazardous, forced work conditions sometimes akin to slavery have been detected on nearly 500 industrial fishing vessels around the world, but identifying those responsible for abuses at sea is hampered by a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight, a new report concluded.
The research by the Financial Transparency Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that tracks illicit money flows, is the most comprehensive attempt to date to identify the companies operating vessels where tens of thousands of workers every year are estimated to be trapped in unsafe conditions.
The report, published Wednesday, found that a quarter of vessels suspected of abusing workers are flagged to China, whose distant water fleet dominates fishing on the high seas, traditionally lawless areas beyond the jurisdiction of any single country. Vessels from Russia, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea were also accused of mistreatment of fishers.
This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Forced labor in the seafood industry is a rarely seen but common phenomenon, one increasingly recognized as a “widespread human rights crisis,” according to the report’s authors. The Associated Press in 2015 uncovered the plight of thousands of migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos who were abused while employed on Thai vessels whose catch often ended up in the United States.
Globally, as many as 128,000 fishers face threats of violence, debt bondage, excessive overtime and other conditions indicative of forced labor, according to the U.N.’s International Labor Organization.
U.S. and European companies are under increasing pressure to clean up supply chains in labor-intensive industries where worker abuse is widespread. The Financial Action Task Force set up by the Group of Seven wealthiest democracies has identified illegal logging and mining as a key driver of money laundering and encouraged its members to set up publicly available databases to raise awareness about the financial flows that fuel environmental crimes.
However, the seafood industry has so far escaped the same scrutiny, in part because governments often lack the tools to regulate what takes place hundreds of miles from land. This week, President Joe Biden’s administration decided to abandon a planned expansion of the flagship Seafood Import Monitoring Program used to prevent illegal fishing and forced labor on foreign vessels, which supply about 80% of the seafood Americans eat.
“We are once again seeing the heartbreaking reality of what is happening on some commercial fishing vessels out at sea and it’s completely unacceptable,” Beth Lowell, vice president in the U.S. for the conservation group Oceana, said about the report, which she had no role in. “Forced labor and other human rights abuses should not be the cost for a seafood dinner.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday that it decided to shelve the planned expansion after receiving public feedback on the proposed rule changes and would instead focus its attention on improving the impact of the current import monitoring program, which covers around 1,100 species.
Another obstacle to transparency: offenders are frequently licensed by governments like Panama and Belize with reputations for financial secrecy and minimal oversight of their fleets. Of the vessels suspected of abuse and whose ownership could be identified by the Financial Transparency Coalition, 18% flew so-called flags of convenience companies use to avoid careful examination and hide their shareholder structure.
The report identified two Chinese companies — ZheJiang Hairong Ocean Fisheries Co. and Pingtan Marine Enterprises — as the worst offenders, with 10 and seven vessels, respectively, accused of human rights violations. A third company, state-owned China National Fisheries Corp., had five.
None of the companies responded to AP’s request for comment. But ZheJiang Hairong in a statement last year to the state-owned Fujian Daily claimed ownership of only five of the 10 vessels that would later appear on the Financial Transparency Coalition’s list. Pingtan last year was sanctioned by the Biden administration over allegations of illegal fishing and labor abuse. and later saw its shares delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
The Financial Transparency Coalition scoured government reports, media accounts and complaints by advocacy groups to come up with a list of 475 individual vessels suspected of forced labor since 2010. Of that amount, flag information was available for only about half of the total — another indication of the need for greater ownership transparency, the group says.
AP Reporter Fu Ting in Washington, D.C., and AP researcher Wanqing Chen in Beijing contributed.
Contact AP’s global investigative team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/ | <urn:uuid:6fb2ad08-b920-454a-872e-8c1a6029b0da> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.wavy.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-labor-abuse-on-fishing-vessels-widespread-with-china-topping-list-of-offenders-report-says-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.952495 | 948 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The 11th of February is the International Day for Women and Girls in Science. We’re using the whole month of February to celebrate the achievements of our women scientists and to encourage more people to follow in their footsteps.
As part of our celebrations we have developed a blog series featuring our female researchers. In today’s installment, we asked our female scientists what inspired them to pursue a scientific career.
Eline van Roekel, who is currently leading on a project funded by us on colorectal cancer survivorship, told us how her ambition to become a scientist began at school:
“During secondary school I developed my ambition to become a scientist, mainly based on my inherent curiosity and great eagerness to learn. The idea that, being a scientist, you can perform your own research and generate novel knowledge and continue to learn new things throughout your career sounded like a dream job to me, and still does.
“Several people have inspired me to research within the biomedical field, including a paediatrician that treated me for health problems I encountered during my childhood, as well as my parents who have shown me from very young age that helping other people, which I aim to do by my research, is one of the greatest things in life. I developed my interest in epidemiology and in colorectal cancer survivorship research during my studies of Biomedical Sciences and my PhD, where teachers and supervisors inspired me to build up my research career in these areas. Currently, my mentor, research collaborators, and the participants included in our study are still a major inspiration for me to continue my dream job as a scientist and to try to improve the life of colorectal cancer survivors through my research.”
José Breedveld-Peters, who works on the same project as Eline reflected on what inspires her to work in the field of nutrition and cancer:
“I was brought up with the basic value that we need to take care of other people who are less privileged in life or who are in need of help. It is therefore important for me to contribute to improvements that can be beneficial for others. In my work as a postdoctoral researcher, my ambition is to contribute to the knowledge about lifestyle in colorectal cancer survivors and to contribute to the translation of these research findings into lifestyle recommendations or interventions that can help improve quality of life and complaints of survivors of cancer. There are still lots of questions unanswered, but I am convinced that we can make considerable improvements to health and well-being of survivors of cancer through a healthy lifestyle and diet.”
One of our academic Fellows, Kathryn Beck, from New Zealand, told us how her thirst for new knowledge was satisfied with a scientific career:
“I enjoy learning new things and searching for new information so a career in science fulfills both of these aspects.”
For Nonsi Mathe, another academic Fellow of ours, a career in health and medicine was always on the cards:
“I always had a passion for public health and medicine and finding ways to prevent diseases. As an undergraduate student, I undertook a research study which opened my mind to the need for finding different ways to prevent diseases. I landed in this particular field by simply following my interests.”
For World Cancer Research Fund grant holder Brigid Lynch, a career in science wasn’t always on her mind:
“I didn’t set out to have a career in science – as an undergraduate science student I had no idea of what I really wanted to do. My undergraduate studies were related to exercise science, so I have had a long-term interest in both the physiology and psychology of physical activity, but I don’t think I ever thought about a research career at the time.”
This all changed for Brigid when she read some of the early work on exercise and cancer survivorship done by Christine Friedenreich and Kerry Courneya. It was this work that inspired her to undertake a PhD in this area and she was lucky enough to have Christine as one of her postdoctoral fellowship supervisors
We also interviewed some of our scientists based at our London office on their inspirations – take a look here: | <urn:uuid:9803d8ad-9b7a-4754-866c-c6882292d500> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.wcrf.org/what-inspired-our-women-scientists/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.974819 | 865 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Photorefractive Keratectomy or PRK is a type of refractive laser eye surgery used to correct a patient’s vision to eliminate or reduce their dependence on glasses or contact lenses. PRK is the style of laser eye surgery that preceded LASIK, having been the former most common type of refractive surgery until LASIK came along.
PRK is effective in correcting nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism and has very similar rates of success and outcomes as LASIK. PRK remains a common option for laser eye surgery.
How Does PRK Differ From LASIK
PRK and LASIK both permanently reshape the cornea to improve vision by using a laser (an excimer laser to be exact) to remove part of the tissue underneath the corneal epithelium. The epithelium first needs to be removed in order to get access to the tissue and how this is done is what differentiates the two procedures. While LASIK creates and lifts a flap on the outer corneal layer, reshapes the corneal tissue underneath and then replaces the flap, PRK removes the outer layer of the cornea completely. The outer layer will regenerate usually within a few days.
Advantages of PRK
Since PRK completely removes the outer corneal layer, there is a greater area of the cornea to work with. This is ideal for patients with a thin cornea who would otherwise be at risk with LASIK. It is also usually recommended for patients with chronic dry eyes. With PRK, there is also less risk of infection or issues having to do with the flap and the related healing process. This is an advantage for individuals who lead a lifestyle in which they are at risk for eye injuries (athletes, military, law enforcement etc.) which may subject the flap to injury or complications.
So, Why Is LASIK More Popular?
The main advantages that LASIK has over PRK are two-fold and mainly have to do with comfort and recovery time. First of all, PRK patients usually experience slightly more discomfort during the first couple of days of recovery, mainly because it takes time for the outer corneal layer to heal. They will be prescribed eye drops to be taken for several months to prevent infection, increase comfort and assist the healing process. LASIK patients on the other hand, typically experience less discomfort and if they do, it subsides very quickly.
Additionally, vision recovery takes longer with PRK. While LASIK patients can typically see normally within a few hours after the surgery, with vision gradually continuing to improve within the next few months, PRK patients may experience blurred vision for up to three days and it can take up to six months until they achieve full visual clarity. While patients who undergo LASIK can usually drive and resume normal functioning within a day or two, PRK patients shouldn’t plan on returning to normal for at least several days until the outer layer of the cornea has grown back.
Whether PRK or LASIK is a better option for you depends on a number of factors, including the health and structure of your eye. This is a decision that your eye doctor or surgeon will help you make. Rest assured however, that both procedures have been shown to be incredibly successful in correcting vision, with minimal complications.
What You Need to Know About PRK
Prior to any laser correction surgery, you will meet with a surgeon for a thorough exam to assess your eye health and determine whether you are a candidate and if so, which type of surgery would be best suited to your needs. During this exam it is essential to tell the doctor any relevant medical history (injuries, hospitalizations, diseases etc.) and existing conditions you have. The surgeon will determine if you are currently eligible for surgery and if not, if you will be at a future point, and whether you require any specialized care pre or post surgery.
The surgery itself is an ambulatory procedure. It takes about 15 minutes or less for both eyes and you go home the same day. You will need someone to drive you home from the procedure.
The first step in the procedure is that your eye will be anesthetized using numbing eye drops and then a device will be inserted to prop your eyelids open so you won’t blink. Once the eye is numb, the surgeon will remove the outer epithelial layer of the cornea to expose the underlying tissue. Then the surgeon will use the laser to reshape the corneal tissue. You may feel a small amount of pressure during this step. Lastly, the surgeon will apply medicated eye drops and place a temporary contact lens that is used as a bandage to protect the eye.
Following the surgery you will be instructed to apply medicated eye drops multiple times each day to reduce the risk of infection and you may also be given prescription pain relievers to alleviate any pain or discomfort.
As with any type of surgery, it is critical to carefully follow your surgeon’s instructions after PRK. Make sure that you take your medication as prescribed, get enough rest, and call your eye doctor immediately if you experience any problems.
It is normal for it to take several days or even weeks for your vision to improve and up to 3-6 months for full recovery to clear and stable visual acuity. Usually, your doctor will require you to refrain from driving for a week and up to three weeks depending on how fast your vision recovers.
Risks and Complications of PRK
While serious complications are rare, like any surgery, there are some risks to PRK, and these happen to be very similar to any laser corrective surgery like LASIK. They include:
- Dry eyes- this condition usually goes away within a couple of months, but there is a chance that it could become chronic.
- Infection or Inflammation- the risk of infection is greatly reduced if you take proper care to follow your doctor’s instructions following the procedure.
- Vision Problems- which can include glare, seeing halos around lights poor night vision and sometimes a general haziness.
- Incomplete Vision Correction – sometimes an additional procedure might be needed to achieve optimal visual acuity.
In general, PRK is considered to be a relatively safe and effective treatment for vision correction. If you wish to live a life without depending on your glasses or contact lenses, speak to your eye doctor about whether PRK is an option for you. | <urn:uuid:70dbe0ed-7b1a-4c5f-a59e-00fa06d51641> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.willowlawneyecare.com/eye-care-services/your-eye-health/vision-surgery/prk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.94081 | 1,345 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE) is a test administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying® (NCEES®). The exam covers a broad base of subjects related to most fields of engineering. The best tips for FE exam prep are similar to those undertaken for most major tests: study thoroughly and with other people, have several resources, and be well-rested. Unlike most tests, however, many months of preparation are usually recommended to ensure a good result when attempting the FE. There are even private training courses that can be taken to assist in the study process.
The FE exam is taken to gain certification as an engineer-in-training (EIT) in the United States. As of 2011, the assessment is closed-book and consists of 180 multiple choice questions in many subjects related to engineering. These include physics, chemistry, statistics, soil mechanics and electrical engineering. The exam lasts eight hours and is graded on a pass/fail basis. Results are typically reported two or three months after sitting for the test.
Most college undergraduates studying an engineering field have the opportunity to take the FE while still in college. One of the best ways to undertake FE exam prep, for two reasons, is to study while still completing an engineering degree. First, the information is most likely to have been recently studied and be fresh in mind. Second, if there are questions about the study material, there is likely to be quick access to classmates, instructors, coursework or books that can assist in answering those questions.
Like most major undertakings, it is best to utilize many small efforts over a long period of time when studying for the FE. Regardless of whether someone readying for FE exam prep is still in college or has graduated, studies should begin no less than three months before the date of the test. Some find it helpful to undertake only one or two subjects a week in the first month so there is a consistent focus on the subjects at hand. As the date of the test draws closer, sample problems from all engineering-related areas should be examined to help ensure the material is less likely to be forgotten.
One very useful tip for FE exam prep is to make sure to obtain the right study materials. College exams that are either personally owned or available from acquaintances are certain to have all sorts of relevant problems that can assist in study. NCEES® offers many study materials for sale, including books containing sample questions and answers for the FE. The NCEES® study book is valuable because it indicates the exact format of the questions on the FE.
A study group can be another useful tool in FE exam prep; however, caution is advised. It is true that studying for the FE with other people can be of mutual benefit, because it gives each person another outlet for information and question answering. The potential downside to this is that the other person also can provide a distraction and result in less material being covered — or the overall quality of study declining — compared to studying alone. The FE exam candidate is advised to make this determination carefully. | <urn:uuid:aad52f4d-9d1a-4c26-bc03-020065c8146d> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.wise-geek.com/what-are-the-best-tips-for-fe-exam-prep.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.966153 | 624 | 2.90625 | 3 |
I love coconut oil! Here’s why you should too. Coconut oil is one of the healthiest foods on the planet! It used to be believed that saturated fats such as coconut oil were harmful to the body and contribute to heart disease, but we know now that this is not true. In fact, coconut oil is a heart-healthy food that can be used for many health benefits.
There are many populations around the world (such as Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.) who have thrived for multiple generations by eating large amounts of coconut.
Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which kills harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi. Breast milk is the only other natural source that contains such a high concentration of lauric acid, which could explain the drastic decrease of infections in breast-fed babies.
This tropical oil is also made up of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are metabolized differently than other short-chain and long-chain fatty acids. They are not absorbed by the body as fat, instead they are converted for the use of energy.
Cooking with coconut oil is great since it has such a high smoke point, or burning point. This means that you can cook at higher temperatures without burning the oil and damaging it’s properties. (Consuming burned oils is very bad for your health which is why you also shouldn’t be cooking at high temps with extra virgin olive oil.) Note – cooking with coconut oil doesn’t make your food taste like coconut, it actually has a nice, butter-like appeal.
Here are just some of the many amazing benefits and uses of this miraculous super-food:
- Lower cholesterol through regular consumption of coconut oil.
- Improve immune function and the body’s resistance to both viruses and bacteria with regular consumption of coconut oil.
- Can be used in cooking since it has a high smoke point and will not burn like other cooking oils such as olive oil or butter. Great for sautéing, baking and stir-frys.
- Can help with weight loss if taken daily, since it isn’t stored as fat and may boost your metabolism. (Results have been seen with 1-3 tablespoons a day.)
- Add to smoothies for a whole host of nutritional benefits. Try this one!
- Can be used as a healthy creamer substitute for coffee.
- Can boost metabolism so you burn more calories naturally.
- Can be used on the skin as a moisturizer.
- Can be used on the hair as a deep conditioner.
- Apply to your nails as a cuticle softener.
- Apply to skin as a natural sunscreen. (Only an SPF 4 though!)
- Soothe a sunburn or any other type of burn.
- Hydrate dry, cracked feet by coating the feet in oil and sleeping overnight with socks on.
- Can be used as a soothing eye make-up remover.
- Soothes psoriasis and eczema skin conditions.
- Take orally to kill intestinal parasites and yeast overgrowth.
- To replace butter in baking recipes.
- Can be used for minor scrapes and skin rashes as a natural antibacterial ointment.
- Can soothe bug bites and reduce the itch.
- Supports healthy thyroid function.
- Can be used as a scalp treatment for dandruff.
- Can stimulate hair growth.
- Can smooth frizzy hair.
- Mix with epsom salts for a detoxifying body scrub.
- Mix with baking soda for a whitening toothpaste.
- Can improve digestion if taken before meals.
- Can be used as a natural baby lotion and diaper rash cream.
- Fight signs of aging as a natural facial moisturizer.
- Heals cold sores naturally when applied topically.
- When taken daily, can help with allergies.
- When taken daily, can improve sleep and mood.
- Can improve insulin levels for diabetics.
- Can remove bacteria and plaque from the mouth with oil pulling.
- Use as a tropical massage oil.
- May help you to shed “difficult to lose” abdominal fat by taking daily doses of 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil.
- Can be therapeutic for brain disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Reduce appetite with regular consumption.
- Reduce hot flashes through coconut oil’s ability to regulate hormones.
- Absorb fat-soluble vitamins better (like vitamins A, D, E & K).
- Can be used for shaving. It doesn’t wash off and it will moisturize your skin as you shave!
- Can be made into a homemade deodorant.
- Rub on a pregnant belly to prevent stretch marks.
Now, what are you waiting for? This is life-changing stuff. Get your hands on some coconut oil right now! Make sure you choose organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil for the most benefits. Here’s a great brand that I would recommend.
Have you used coconut oil in any other ways? Comment below!
Jennifer has learned that if you give the body what it needs, it will heal itself on its own. A simple concept, yet hard for many to realize. She believes that eating a real food diet, as opposed to the standard american diet (SAD) can help you find relief from symptoms, heal from many disorders and get to a healthy weight. She's created an easy to follow online nutrition course called "Using Food as Medicine" found here: http://bit.ly/1I6Gk27
Jennifer uses functional diagnostic testing to discover the root causes of what is really malfunctioning in the body and creating symptoms. After four long years of trying to conceive, she has healed her own infertility with these methods and has a healthy baby girl.
She offers Functional Diagnostic Nutrition consultations and wellness coaching virtually. You can reach out to her at [email protected].
Do you suffer from leaky gut? For a more in-depth method on how to heal leaky gut, check out her 28 day online program on gut healing at www.HowToHealYourGut.com. | <urn:uuid:bbbf84d0-8bd7-4d98-b3a9-2defb4466ff6> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.youngandraw.com/42-healing-ways-to-use-coconut-oil/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.930741 | 1,306 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Please explain finally WHAT exactly these functions do (explain simply, I'm a beginner) and what is the difference between them. I don’t understand, for the life of me, on the forums everyone uses terminology that only confuses those who encountered them for the first time. And what are the top and bottom layers of the buffer stack? What is a buffer stack? What are the layers? If someone can explain this in an accessible way, it will help me a lot. Thank you very much in advance
If you explain in simple terms, when echo / print is called, then the data goes to the output (for example, the browser). In order not to drive byte by byte with numerous echoes, there is an output buffer where the output data is accumulated up to a certain volume and, when overflowed, the data is sent to the output. Then the data is collected again. flush forces the contents of the buffer to be flushed to the output stream.
For example, you have a long task where you need to constantly send results to the browser and you use echo "information". But they accumulate in the buffer and the browser will not receive anything until the buffer overflows. flush after echo forces the data to be sent. Also, the buffer can be disabled, but in cli mode it is not there at all.
ob_* allows you to initialize your nested buffers by layering them on top of each other. And when clearing the data of such a buffer, it will fall into the underlying one up to the default one. Or you can not flush at all, but simply take the accumulated result from the buffer and destroy it.
ob_start opens a new buffer and all subsequent print/echo will fall into it. At any time, you can open a new buffer, or you can close and reset the current one to the previously opened buffer. That is, it looks like a layered pie (stack) of buffers, where data is written to the upper buffer and only when all buffers are flushed to the underlying ones up to the default one, only then the data will not be output.
It is convenient to use it in a self-written template engine. For the template segment, we create a buffer and then we take the finished html and destroy the buffer. Or when we call third-party code that is replete with echo and creates garbage, we wrap its call in ob_* and all this garbage settles there.
i.e. flush flushes the system buffer to output, and ob_flush flushes the last opened buffer via ob_start to the underlying buffer (ob_* or system) | <urn:uuid:37a3e460-50d2-4736-a93b-7014ca7bfeec> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://yeahexp.com/difference-between-flush-and-ob_flush-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.918229 | 540 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Jan. 22, 2019 – The question of how quickly the universe is expanding has been bugging astronomers for almost a century. Different studies keep coming up with different answers — which has some researchers wondering if they’ve overlooked a key mechanism in the machinery that drives the cosmos.
Now, by pioneering a new way to measure how quickly the cosmos is expanding, a team led by UCLA astronomers has taken a step toward resolving the debate. The group’s research is published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
At the heart of the dispute is the Hubble constant, a number that relates distances to the redshifts of galaxies — the amount that light is stretched as it travels to Earth through the expanding universe. Estimates for the Hubble constant range from about 67 to 73 kilometers per second per megaparsec, meaning that two points in space 1 megaparsec apart (the equivalent of 3.26 million light-years) are racing away from each other at a speed between 67 and 73 kilometers per second.
“The Hubble constant anchors the physical scale of the universe,” said Simon Birrer, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar and lead author of the study. Without a precise value for the Hubble constant, astronomers can’t accurately determine the sizes of remote galaxies, the age of the universe or the expansion history of the cosmos.
Most methods for deriving the Hubble constant have two ingredients: a distance to some source of light and that light source’s redshift. Looking for a light source that had not been used in other scientists’ calculations, Birrer and colleagues turned to quasars, fountains of radiation that are powered by gargantuan black holes. And for their research, the scientists chose one specific subset of quasars — those whose light has been bent by the gravity of an intervening galaxy, which produces two side-by-side images of the quasar on the sky.
Light from the two images takes different routes to Earth. When the quasar’s brightness fluctuates, the two images flicker one after another, rather than at the same time. The delay in time between those two flickers, along with information about the meddling galaxy’s gravitational field, can be used to trace the light’s journey and deduce the distances from Earth to both the quasar and the foreground galaxy. Knowing the redshifts of the quasar and galaxy enabled the scientists to estimate how quickly the universe is expanding.
The UCLA team, as part of the international H0liCOW collaboration, had previously applied the technique to study quadruply imaged quasars, in which four images of a quasar appear around a foreground galaxy. But quadruple images are not nearly as common — double-image quasars are thought to be about five times as abundant as the quadruple ones.
To demonstrate the technique, the UCLA-led team studied a doubly imaged quasar known as SDSS J1206+4332; they relied on data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Gemini and W.M. Keck observatories, and from the Cosmological Monitoring of Gravitational Lenses, or COSMOGRAIL, network — a program managed by Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne that is aimed at determining the Hubble constant.
Tommaso Treu, a UCLA professor of physics and astronomy and the paper’s senior author, said the researchers took images of the quasar every day for several years to precisely measure the time delay between the images. Then, to get the best estimate possible of the Hubble constant, they combined the data gathered on that quasar with data that had previously been gathered by their H0liCOW collaboration on three quadruply imaged quasars.
“The beauty of this measurement is that it’s highly complementary to and independent of others,” Treu said.
The UCLA-led team came up with an estimate for the Hubble constant of about 72.5 kilometers per second per megaparsec, a figure in line with what other scientists had determined in research that used distances to supernovas — exploding stars in remote galaxies — as the key measurement. However, both estimates are about 8 percent higher than one that relies on a faint glow from all over the sky called the cosmic microwave background, a relic from 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when light traveled freely through space for the first time.
“If there is an actual difference between those values, it means the universe is a little more complicated,” Treu said.
On the other hand, Treu said, it could also be that one measurement — or all three — are wrong.
The researchers are now looking for more quasars to improve the precision of their Hubble constant measurement. Treu said one of the most important lessons of the new paper is that doubly imaged quasars give scientists many more useful light sources for their Hubble constant calculations. For now, though, the UCLA-led team is focusing its research on 40 quadruply imaged quasars, because of their potential to provide even more useful information than doubly imaged ones. | <urn:uuid:75ba0b76-dbaa-4b11-9d1c-6126e1338623> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://yubanet.com/scitech/seeing-double-could-help-resolve-dispute-about-how-fast-the-universe-is-expanding/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.937794 | 1,076 | 4.28125 | 4 |
Indian Financial System Code (IFSC). It is used for electronic payment applications like Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), Immediate Payment Service, an interbank electronic instant mobile money transfer service (IMPS), and Centralised Funds Management System (CFMS) developed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Code has eleven characters "Alpha Numeric" in nature. First four characters represent bank, fifth character is default "0" left for future use and last six characters represent branch.
Disclaimer: - We have tried our best to keep the latest information updated as available from RBI, users are requested to confirm information with the respective bank before using the information provided. The author reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality, correctness, completeness or quality of the information provided. Liability claims regarding damage caused by the use of any information provided, including any kind of information which is incomplete or incorrect, will therefore be rejected. | <urn:uuid:68afd307-6c2a-418f-86d8-d67931e00ec6> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://zpia.in/ifsc/chinatrust-commercial-bank-limited | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100229.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130161920-20231130191920-00700.warc.gz | en | 0.885463 | 197 | 2.53125 | 3 |
In the previous post, we have learnt how to pre-process text data using python. In this post, we will see how to pre-process the data using custom functions in R without external libraries. This may be helpful if we need some flexibility in text pre-processing.
Let us take the same example which we used in the previous post. The first step is to remove the extra white spaces present in the paragraph. 'gsub' function is used to remove these extra white spaces. The code snippet is as follows:
Again using the 'gsub' function we can remove the extra periods as well and the code is
Next step is the removal of special characters. We have to create a special characters list and then use 'for' loop to remove the special characters present in the given list.
To convert the text to lowercase, we can use the 'tolower()' function in R
Finally to remove stopwords, we need to get a list of stopwords. It is readily available in 'tm' library of R and so we can make use of it. Then a 'for' loop to remove those stopwords after tokenizing it.
Ah..! This is a long process and so much of codes! Are there any in-built functions which does this using a single line command instead of 'for' loops. Yes!! There are. Let us wait till our next post to see them. | <urn:uuid:89df1a5d-731b-430e-ad0a-d71a8eee4749> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://a4analytics.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.876319 | 292 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Modern architecture is a style of architecture that arose in Europe and the United States in the 1920s. At the beginning of the century, it began as a response by architects to rapid technological advancements and increased urbanization. The utilization of innovative materials and construction technology is a hallmark of modern architecture. Simple shapes, such as rectangles, are contained by flat opaque, solid, or clear glass walls in modern architecture. The new materials – glass and steel – altered the appearance of buildings, the inside-outside experience, and construction time and method.
To view characteristics of balance, composition, and inside-outside interactions, watch Iconic Houses. Skyscrapers, a new building type created by steel and glass engineering, changed skylines around the world and pushed live in the sky to new heights! Instead of being regressive, backward-looking, or stylistic, modern architecture is thought to be progressive. The assembly of standard components and new transit technology, particularly automobiles, ships, and aircraft, generated visions of a hopeful, heroic, and progressive era. Volume, balance, or symmetry instead of symmetry, and the elimination of adornment or applied embellishment are all features of modern architecture.
The modern movement lasted approximately 60 years and encompassed various sub-styles. It can be difficult to establish a specific starting point in this manner. Some people associate the style with transitional architecture such as the Art Deco and Arts & Crafts movements. Others saw those previous designs as models for more “pure” mid-century modern architects.
With the idea that form should follow function, modern design was born. The architect Louis Sullivan, who constructed buildings for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, was the inspiration for this concept. For modern architects, this slogan has become a guiding principle.
Frank Lloyd Wright, Staatliches Bauhaus, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier are some of the most well-known contemporary architects.
Distinguishing qualities of modern architecture
There are various distinguishing qualities of modern architecture because there are so many styles. These are some of the most typical, broad key characteristics that can be found in a variety of forms.
• Simple, uncluttered lines. These lines have no further adornment and have a smooth, uniform feel.
• Extensive roof overhangs Several modern residences include enormous roof overhangs and low, horizontal constructions.
• Glass walls and huge windows There is a lot of glass in the interior, which allows a lot of natural light in.
• Floorplans that are open and well-defined. Because modern architecture emphasizes form over function, architects wanted to incorporate big, open floorplans with flowing eating and living areas.
• Building materials that are both modern and traditional. Steel, concrete blocks, iron, and glass are some of the most prevalent materials used in modern homes. Wood, brick, and stone, which are more common building materials, were employed in more basic ways to show off their natural beauty.
• A connection to the surrounding environment. Building sites and how buildings would interact with the natural surroundings surrounding them were given a lot of thought.
• asymmetrical Designs. Large, smooth outlines and asymmetrical compositions that were cleanly planed and lacking any further adornment were popular among modern architects.
Modern architecture is characterized by the development of adornment from the structure and theme of the building, as well as the reduction of form. It’s a catch-all term for a broad movement having a wide range of definitions and scope. Early modern architecture, in a broad sense, began at the turn of the twentieth century with attempts to combine the principles underpinning architectural design with rapid technological innovation and societal modernization. It would manifest itself as a plethora of movements, schools of design, and architectural styles, some in conflict with one another and frequently defying categorization.
Steel, plate glass, and mass-produced components were all developed and popularised throughout the Industrial Revolution. These new materials opened up a whole new universe of structural frames with clean lines and gleaming or matte finishes. “Decoration is a crime,” was a popular motto in the early days of contemporary architecture. Communists in Eastern Europe opposed the West’s decadent habits, and modernism became more bureaucratic, solemn, and colossal as a result.
Modernist architects used the idea of reducing structures to pure shapes, obliterating historical references and adornment in favor of functionalist elements. Rather than disguising steel beams and concrete surfaces beneath beautiful shapes, buildings exposed their functional and structural aspects. | <urn:uuid:7b4930bc-3336-4607-ab66-5c24fc1d3dfe> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://blog.mixxwindows.com/what-is-modern-architecture/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.946668 | 942 | 3.734375 | 4 |
Making the Chamber Style Reed
October 2001 Update
Original 7 November 2000
The "chamber" style of reed is one whose complex interior
shape is obtained mostly by gouging and sanding rather than by the more
common bending processes. One variant of this method is taught by Andreas
Rogge, another is illustrated in some detail on the web site of Evertjan
t'Hart. I have heard that it was also practiced by the famous Irish pipemaker
Here are adaptations to make such a reed that plays well in Penny-Chanter.
It has the benefit for novice reed makers of needing very little cane knowlege
to create the proper shape, with a construction that is reasonably safe
against permanent collapse due to weather or assembly problems. However
it does require some mechanical skill to cut, sand and scrape the cane
The Penny-Chanter requires its own special staple (the metal tube on
which the cane blades are mounted). I sell these ready-to-use, and a free
spare is provided with Penny-Chanters that I sell. Dimensions for
making your own staples are linked below.
Evertjan's pages linked below can be used as a primary reference, with
greatest success for Penny-Chanter (in my experience) by substituting dimensions
and variations given on this page. For other chanters the information here
may help give some useful ideas if chamber style reeds have been unsatisfactory.
One note, this style of reed may work best over a narrower range of
adjustment than the bending-formed reeds. When finishing and fine-tuning,
it is probably best to play the reed for 5-10 minutes before assessing
its performance, so that the reed is best for the long period of playing
when warmed-up rather than for the first few moments at the beginning of
a playing or practice session.
References and Updates Tested for Penny-Chanter
- Evertjan t'Hart's
Reedmaking Web Site.
for making staple required for Penny-Chanter if not purchasing my staples
- Photos and considerable description of much of the reed making process
to roll sheet metal staple from David Daye's educational Bagpipe Page
- Uses traditional method of making trapezoidal metal sheet then rolling
into the cone shape that was used during development of the Penny-Chanter
Diagram of cane dimensions tested for Penny-Chanter
- Numerous photos of the process of preparing and finishing the rolled
conical tube staple.
Carving or gouging chamber steps tested
- Method suitable for medium to very hard (stiff, dense) cane
- Cane density: tubes may sink 50% to 60% or possibly more of their length
- Slip must be initially thick or else chamber carving will destroy mechanical
support, giving loss of tone and performance
- Edges are very thin but not knife edge.
- Slips can be 1/64" wider for hard, stiff cane; 1/64" narrower
for soft, flexible cane
Sanding the gouged chambers into a smooth
- Place gouge at uppermost mark and cut as shown towards bottom.
- I use shallow #3 or #5 "sweep" for upper chamber, deeper
#7 sweep for lower chambers
- Each step is cut .01" deeper than the level above it
- Steps are irregular to adapt to staple; bottom step is very close (5
mm) to the middle step
- Make gouged areas as near to full width as possible--but do not cut
Assemble and bind reed
- Wrap medium to fine paper around cylinder. Move interior back and forth
at an angle so that the sanding zone can be precisely located.
- Use wider cylinders for upper end, narrower for lower end. This creates
changing internal diameters similar to traditional bend-formed reeds.
- Be careful not to sand the edges thinner! Sand only a few strokes,
inspect carefully under good light.
Heat-set the shape to reduce weather sensitivity
- Put temporary wrap over most of future top of head
- Place head onto staple for overall reed length 3 9/32" to 3 5/16"
before optional trimming
- Center carefully to avoid hitting inside of chanter windcap
- Tack tails into position before bindng using drop of superglue on each
side of each tail
- Tested overall length for chanter is 3 1/4" after all finishing.
+/- up to 1/16" may work.
- Use waxed thread, "artificial sinew" etc.
- Wrap very tight over narrow tail bottom, more relaxed higher where
wider cane is not supported
First Crude Scraping of the reed
- Hold reed 4-5 finger widths above small flame
- Rotate and move reed as soon as wax in binding directly above flame
melts (2-3 seconds)
- Heat all of binding from bottom up to top wrap
- Let cool 5 minutes then remove temporary binding and scrape
- If edges open
- Partly unwrap upper 1/4" of permanent binding
- Sand edges to narrow the lower half of exposed reed and exposed 1/4"
- Rebind; reed will probably be airtight after finishing
Attach the bridle to control reed shape
- Initial shape can be carved, scraped or sanded with medium-rough paper
- Leave 1/3 to 1/2 original thickness at lips (top)
First attempt to finish the scrape
- Wrap thin annealed copper strip .021" (or .025" hobby shop
copper) x 1/8" wide
- Pull snug with pliers
- Tighten with care! Squeeze blades together by fingers before tightening
bridle with pliers
- Set bridle very snug to close lips almost completely when sanding and
- Ease bridle looser to re-open reed immediately for testing, storage
- Shape of scrape will be a wider more rounded V than traditional reeds
due to greater starting thickness of cane slips with this method
- Leave a bark zone on sides all the way to top corners at first
- Bark very narrow, about 0-0.25 mm wide at top corners
More views of final scrape
Adjusting the scraping and performance
- Scrape will need to cut into the cane slightly near bottom of "V"
due to starting thickness of cane
- To scrape sides more, either use knife/razor or else close lips with
bridle and sand on flat
- Release bridle immediately if closing reeds to scrape
- To scrape center more, open lips wider than for playing with bridle,
then sand or scrape
- If reeds are tuning sharp in the 2nd octave, for next reeds make chamber
.005" shallower and/or 1/16" shorter
- If reeds are tuning flat in 2nd octave, make chamber up to 1/16"
higher near to lips
- Flat overall pitch and back D: trim reed shorter, make next reed narrower
if using the same tube of cane, increase chamber depth/roundess slightly
in the upper end (but do not change top 4-6 mm).
- Back D far too sharp, hard D too difficult: too much curve in top end
of reed. Take apart, moisten upper 1/4 of head, bind to original wide sanding
cylinder firmly with teflon tape, let dry overnight, sand on cylinder using
fine paper. Make future reeds leaving top end of chamber farther down from
- Optional cane sealing: dip cane end in thin outdoor wood sealer or
thin silicone polish, immediately blow out excess and pat dry, do not let
chemicals contact your mouth.
- Seth Gallagher's Reedmaking
Web Site -- a different method based on the more common bending/formation
which works when Penny-Chanter staple and cane outside dimensions are used
as shown above. Does not involve carving a chamber.
Questions, special order questions email David Daye
Bottom of Chamber Style Reed for Penny-Chanters Page | <urn:uuid:26621d32-1841-4909-b9c0-08ca18fa47a3> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://daye1.com/reeds/evertreed.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.88181 | 1,719 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Does this test have other names?
Human chorionic gonadotropin hormone test, serum pregnancy test, quantitative HCG
What is this test?
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a type of hormone. This test measures how much HCG is in your blood.
Both men and women have small amounts of HCG in their bodies at all times. When a woman is pregnant, her body makes much more HCG than usual. In a healthy pregnancy, the amount of HCG in the blood increases a lot throughout the first 3 months.
This test is the gold standard for finding out if a woman is pregnant. It shows that you are pregnant before an imaging test, such as an ultrasound, can detect a fetus. Ultrasound can show that you are pregnant when HCG rises to 1,000 IU/L or greater.
Why do I need this test?
Your healthcare provider may want you to have this test to see if you may be pregnant. You may also need this test if you have vaginal bleeding or cramping. This might mean that you could have an ectopic pregnancy or could lose your unborn baby. Your healthcare provider might also want to know how your pregnancy is progressing over a few days, so they may order this test 2 or more times, several days apart.
What other tests might I have along with this test?
Your healthcare provider might also order an ultrasound to screen for certain problems if you are pregnant. Your blood may also be checked for two other hormones, estradiol and progesterone. Your levels of estradiol, a form of estrogen, can show how well the placenta is working. Progesterone levels also rise during pregnancy and can help your healthcare provider figure out if you are at risk for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
What do my test results mean?
Test results may vary depending on your age, gender, health history, and other things. Your test results may be different depending on the lab used. They may not mean you have a problem. Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you.
Normal levels of HCG in men and premenopausal women range from 0.02 to 0.8 IU/L. In early pregnancy, HCG levels can double every few days, peaking by about 10 weeks. After that, levels can either hold steady or begin to decline. Normal HCG levels during pregnancy can range from 20,000 to 200,000 IU/L.
Sometimes, measuring change in HCG levels over time can provide useful information. If HCG levels do not change as expected, it may mean the pregnancy could be lost.
How is this test done?
The test is done with a blood sample. A needle is used to draw blood from a vein in your arm or hand.
Does this test pose any risks?
Having a blood test with a needle has some risks. These include bleeding, infection, bruising, and feeling lightheaded. When the needle pricks your arm or hand, you may feel a slight sting or pain. Afterward, the site may be sore.
What might affect my test results?
This test is quite reliable, but a false-positive test result can be caused by:
Certain tumors that make HCG
Medicines containing HCG, such as those used in fertility treatments
Recent loss of pregnancy, because it can take 60 days for HCG levels to return to normal
How do I get ready for this test?
You don't need to prepare for this test. Be sure your healthcare provider knows about all medicines, herbs, vitamins, and supplements you are taking. This includes medicines that don't need a prescription and any illegal drugs you may use. | <urn:uuid:d27e2ddc-a24e-4252-b616-fa468a1d0399> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://healthlibrary.gradyhealth.org/Wellness/Smoking/167,hcg_serum | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.926524 | 768 | 2.796875 | 3 |
This website recounts the story of Tysnes (on the west coast of Norway) emigrants to the USA who became professional crew members on American racing and leisure yachts between 1900 and 1940.
Winning America’s Cup was imperative for wealthy American ship owners. About 250 men from Tysnes were steadily employed in the American yacht fleet during the 1930s.
The first American yacht clubs saw the day of light during the mid-1800s. Sailing races eventually grew in popularity, especially on the US east coast. Wealthy Americans acquired sailing yachts, and soon found themselves in need of crews to prepare, maintain and sail their boats. Winning the America’s Cup was considered a great honour among American socialites, who spent a lot of money and prestige on the matter.
The Word jaatt (spelled “jått”) is the local word for ‘yacht’, pronounced like its English equivalent (in the rest of the country, however, the word is spelled as in English). Before long it became a household name, as an increasing number of Tysnes men signed on board these vessels during the first three decades of the 20th century, up until the outbreak of WW2, in 1940. A number of these men were full-time sailors for the entirety of their adult lives, whereas others were in it for a couple of seasons, otherwise engaged in other occupations, but in sum total, a great percentage of the male Tysnes population was involved.
The book Tysnessoga (The Tysnes History) volume 2 states that approximately 250 Tysnes locals were steadily employed in the American yacht fleet during the 1930s, most of whom from the northern parts of the Tysnes isles, from Malkenes in the east, to Våge in the west. But other rural Tysnes districts were involved, too. A great deal of them had their permanent addresses in the Tysnes community, sailing overseas during summer, and returning to the old country at season’s end, in the autumn. Others relocated to America on a permanent basis, or returned to Norway at the end of their sailing days.
The importance of the Nordland trade
In the 1800s Tysnes was a regular island community on the Norwegian west coast. Farming, fishing and maritime employment were important elements in everyday life. Boats were crucial in people’s lives, and were natural parts of the existence. The 1800s saw an increased demand for larger vessels, used in the transportation of goods along the Norwegian coastline. Especially important was the Nordland trade (trade with the country’s northernmost parts). Northern Norway was – and remains to this day – abundant with fish in need of transportation to Bergen (the city closest to Tysnes), while other goods needed transportation the other way.
A great number of Tysnes locals made investments in freighters. Sloops and hermaphrodite brigs/schooners were a common sight in the Tysnes area, of which the Hardanger sloops soon came to dominate the fjords and harbours in and around Tysnes. At the end of the 1800s a great many Tysnes inhabitants were employed in this activity for long stretches of the year. By 1893 64 larger vessels were registered in Tysnes, providing employment for 315 men. Many a young boy, aged downwards to approximately 14 years, signed on in order to learn seamanship along the rough-weathered coast of Norway – an experience that would soon come in handy, for those later emigrating the the USA.
The Hardanger sloop’s golden era soon came to an end, as local population figures rose. By the year 1900 the Tysnes community counted 4667 heads. Getting jobs soon proved to be a challenge, and a lot of Tysnes locals followed the example of people elsewhere, in relocating to America.
In America sailing had grown its popularity immensely by the turn of the century. Crews, able to maintain and sail luxurious yachts of all sizes, were in high demand, and on the increase. At this time owners frequently hired Scandinavian crews to sail their boats, be it for regatta or touring purposes.
Engel Vaage (also known as John Christensen, 1875–1944) was the first “Tysnesing” to sign on board to a sail yacht around the year 1900, soon to be followed by many. They rapidly advanced in rank, among other things to mates or captains – or sailing masters, as they were called. These, in turn, had an influence on choice of crew, which explains how a small local community on the coast of Norway came to be a dominant provider of yacht crews up until 1940.
Please hold mouse over “The History” in upper left menu, for sub menus relating to the story of America’s Cup and The Norwegian Steam. | <urn:uuid:bb4e8c7a-87c1-48d7-9d1a-a9559ecdf886> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://jaattlaget.com/en/the-story/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.978054 | 1,021 | 2.71875 | 3 |
When trying to understand something new, we automatically look for parallels in our previous experience: we seek examples from the familiar in order to better understand the unfamiliar. Often, this can be helpful, as when we learn a new language and we draw on our knowledge of another language with a common root.
Unfortunately, this strategy can also take us down a path that leads not to greater understanding, but to the confusion of fact with conditioned thought and to a form of distorted vision.
This can readily be observed in the interpretation of animal behaviour by reference to human behaviour, which is one form of what we call anthropomorphism. Myths and fables and children’s tales are so suffused with the granting of human values and character traits to animals that it is hard to think of a creature that has not, in our imaginations, been stereotyped and imprinted with characteristics ascribed to it by someone with a particular point to make, or axe to grind. Thus the fox is ‘wily and cunning’; the dog is ‘faithful and obedient’; the elephant is a ‘gentle giant’ and the snake is ‘sneaky and deceitful’. Aesop probably started the trend, but I prefer to call it the ‘Beatrix Potter Syndrome’, in recognition of her influence on the developing minds of 20th-century children, of whom I was one.
Beatrix Potter was an accomplished illustrator and observer of nature, who, had she been born a century later, may well have had a distinguished career in science. Sadly, she is now only remembered for her children’s books depicting animals in human clothing who walk on their hind legs. From her stories, a direct line can be drawn to the emotionally charged portrayals of animals in many Disney films, while the brutal reality of the lives of wild animals is hidden beneath a veil of sugary sentimentality.
Potter’s assignation of human attributes and behaviour to animals is only one form of anthropomorphism. There are at least two other ways in which we routinely corrupt our understanding of the non-human world by our choice of language: the use of words to name or describe an animal and the description of animal behaviour in human terms.
We can draw examples from the world of bees to illustrate both of these phenomena.
When we label the egg-laying mother of the colony as ‘queen’ bee, we impose on her by implication all the meaning with which that English word is loaded. Thus we may expect to find her as a monarch in charge of the colony, issuing orders and, perhaps, punishments for infringements of ‘colony law’. The term ‘queen bee’ has passed back into the English language as a description of a woman with a controlling and manipulate nature, who likes to have people around her to serve her needs and give her attention. This reinforces the popular but inappropriate picture of a real ‘queen’ bee, which should really be more accurately thought of as the egg-laying servant of the colony and certainly not its ruler. While the queen bee does indeed have a retinue of attendants to feed and groom her, it is they who lead her around and prepare places for her to lay. When she begins to show any signs of a decline in her ability to provide eggs, she will be superseded, ignored and left to starve.
Likewise the male bee, or drone, which has inherited the popular meaning of its name as a parasitic loafer, or one who lives off the labours of others. While the male bees do no obvious and visible work compared to their sometimes hyper-active sisters, we know remarkably little about their day-to-day activities due to the comparatively small amount of research that has been conducted on them. I suggest it is highly improbable that a colony would deliberately encumber itself with a ‘useless’ 10-15% of its population at a time when gathering food is its primary concern. Simply because we have so far failed to study them with due care does not entitle us to label them as ‘surplus to requirements’, which is how they are regarded by most conventional beekeepers. In fact, research by Juergen Tautz at Wurtzburg University has shown that drones may indeed have hitherto unsuspected duties within the hive and may well have functions in the outside world that have so far eluded detection. As long ago as 1852, Moses Quinby (Mysteries of Beekeeping Explained) suggested that drones would likely have functions beyond mating with a queen, perhaps including helping to keep the brood warm. R.O.B.Manley noted that his best honey-producing hives generally had “a large number of drones” (Honey Farming, 1947).
When we come to bee behaviour, so much of it is alien to us that we struggle to make sense of it, so it is not surprising that we resort to attempts to explain aspects of their world in human terms. We talk freely of bees foraging for food, scouting for a nest site, communicating by means of the ‘waggle dance’, defending their home, mating and carrying out their dead because these are all activities that we can easily relate to and make practical sense in terms of day-to-day survival in a colony.
What is perhaps more surprising – and infinitely less helpful – is when people concoct mystical ‘explanations’ derived entirely from their imaginations and pass them on as if they had some scientific validity or foundation in fact.
Myths and legends, populated by gods and heroes, are poetic allegories through which we have conveyed information – both oral and written – from generation to generation and thus gained some understanding of our cultural history. Many myths are anthropomorphic in their personification of natural phenomena, but as long as we understand their origins and true nature, we can learn from them without confusing their content with objective reality.
However, as our scientific understanding of the natural world grew rapidly throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there was a parallel growth of popular interest in such things as clairvoyance, telekinesis, telepathy, reincarnation, ghosts, out-of-body experiences and suchlike para-psychological phenomena that appear not to be subject to the known laws of physics, chemistry or biology. Despite the lack of verifiable evidence for such phenomena, they appear to occupy a nether region that stubbornly persists in popular culture.
In the context of this article, the consideration of whether or not such phenomena really exist is less relevant than the fact that they have, since Victorian times at least, been routinely presented as if they were genuine by people with a considerably greater talent for showmanship than for scientific rigour. Demonstrations of ‘manifestations from the spirit world’ were fashionable in late nineteenth century society, while Ouija boards and ‘table-tipping’ have floated in and out of fashion almost to the present day, despite the efforts of rationalists such as James Randi and Derren Brown to expose the trickery behind them. Variations on the ‘clairvoyance’ theme have been around at least since the days of the Delphic Oracle – probably the first example of a tourist industry built around a mystical cult – and show no signs of losing popularity, despite various myth-busting public exposures of fraud and trickery.
Rudolf Steiner, in his lectures on bees, delivered in November and December of 1923 at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, sought to interpret the world of bees by means of ‘Anthroposophy’, a Christianized, version of the mystical 19th century eastern-derived ‘religious philosophy’ of Theosophy, whose best-known proponent, Helena Blavatsky, was also a performing clairvoyant. Both Steiner and Blavatsky claimed to derive their occult knowledge from outside the material world, by a process that would nowadays be called ‘channeling’.
Steiner believed that mankind had existed on Earth – although not necessarily in material form – since its creation, and that bees (as well as other animals) were created for our benefit. This chronological reversal of the truth as revealed by fossil evidence – bees having certainly been around for more than 100 million years before Homo sapiens – sets the scene for further dubious assertions, such as when he talks of embryonic queens “giving off light” that somehow causes a colony to swarm from “fear that ‘it no longer possesses the bee poison”.
Anyone unfamiliar with Steiner’s idiosyncratic cosmology and his other writings about the supposed history of the Earth may be surprised by passages such as:
“Our earth was once in a condition of which one could say that it was surrounded by clouds that had plant-life within them; from the periphery, other clouds approached and fertilised them; these clouds had an animal nature. From cosmic spaces came the animal nature; from the earth the essence of plant-being rose upwards.” (Lecture VIII)
Back in the world of bees, Steiner makes much of the 21-day gestation period of a worker bee as being equivalent to “a single rotation of the sun on its axis” (Lecture II), apparently unaware that the equatorial regions of the sun perform a single rotation in 25.6 days, while polar regions rotate once in about 36 days (NASA).
He goes on to say that ‘the drone is thus an earthly being’ (because its completion takes longer than the sun’s rotation – which in fact, as we now know, it does not).
He further elaborates on this thesis:
“The drones are the males; they can fertilize; this power of fertilization comes from the earth; the drones acquire it in the few days during which they continue their growth within the earth-evolution and before they reach maturity. So we can now say: in the bees it is clearly to be seen that fertilization (male fecundation) comes from the earthly forces, and the female capacity to develop the egg comes from the forces of the Sun. So you see, you can easily imagine how significant is the length of time during which a creature develops. This is very important for, naturally, something happens within a definite time which could not occur in either a shorter or a longer time, for then quite other things would happen.”
As happens numerous times in the Lectures, Steiner makes a statement that is demonstrably erroneous, and then goes on to elaborate a sequence of specious arguments from it, which, being derived from false premises, must inevitably lead to false conclusions.
It would be tedious to cite every instance where Steiner is obfuscatory, unnecessarily mystical or just plain wrong. Suffice to say that, while not being totally devoid of interest, his Lectures are about as useful a source of insights into bees as a medieval book of medicinal herbs would be for conducting modern surgery. Indeed, Steiner even betrays his lack of basic understanding of the functions of the human body (Lecture VII) in saying that:
“…it is represented as though the heart were a kind of pump, and that this pumping of the heart sends the blood all over the body. This is nonsense, because it is in reality the blood which is brought into motion by the ego-organization, and moves throughout the body.”
However, Steiner does make some non-mystical statements that must be considered, as they at least fall into alignment with observable reality. He warns against pushing bees for over-production, drawing a parallel with the dairy industry (Lecture V); he emphasizes that “… the bee-colony is a totality. It must be seen as a totality.” (Lecture V); The one much-vaunted but often mis-quoted, ‘prediction’ made by Steiner, usually misrepresented as a ‘prophesy’ of the general demise of bees, amounts to a rather mild criticism of the then relatively new practice of artificial insemination: “…we must see how things will be in fifty to eighty years time…”.
Right at the end of the final Lecture, we find clear evidence that Steiner’s view of nature is actually highly anthropocentric:
‘Thus we can say: When we observe things in the right way, we see how the processes of Nature are actually images and symbols of what happens in human life. These men of olden times watched the birds on the juniper trees with the same love with which we look at the little cakes and gifts on the Christmas tree. “…I have therefore spoken of the juniper tree which can truly be regarded as a kind of Christmas tree, and which is the same for the birds as the blossoms for the bees, the wood for the ants, and for the wood-bees and insects in general.”
And so Steiner’s personal mysticism, as well as his sentimentality, turns out to have a large component of anthropomorphism lurking within it.
Having reached this point in our analysis, we have to consider what is left to us: what would be a legitimate methodology for the study of bees, that would be free from the elephant traps of anthropocentrism, anthropomorphism, sentimentality and mysticism, yet can encompass the sense experienced by many who come into contact with bees that there is ‘something else’ present, beyond the purely material?
A rationalist would say, ‘observe without interpretation: see what is there and describe it as accurately as possible, but without overlaying it with meaning. Be true to observable reality’.
And yet, many people report some kind of transcendental experience in the presence of bees en masse, so are their reports to be written off as mere whimsy?
Speaking from my own experience, I can say that while working with bees and maintaining a calm, unhurried demeanour, I have had moments of inner peace akin to that I have also experienced while meditating or engaging in certain martial arts practices that aim to ‘still the mind’. Having one’s unprotected hands in a hive containing 50,000 fully-armed bees has a way of focusing the mind very much in the moment, while any deviation from the ‘now’ is likely to be punished more rapidly and more severely than by a Zen master’s staff.
Being present ‘in the moment’ is a rarer – and thus more precious – experience for the 21st-century Twitter-dweller than for our ancestors. For the opportunity to experience that sense of timelessness in the company of a wild creature so many millennia our senior is a privilege that beekeepers should celebrate and cherish.
Mysticism has had its day. We are grown-ups now: we have seen the atom bomb and the double helix and we need to come to terms with objective reality in all its wonderful forms without ascribing all phenomena just beyond our understanding to the work of gods, aliens, faeries or gnomes. We can appreciate nature without projecting our aspirations or values onto it. We can observe without always needing to know the ‘hidden meaning’ of what we see hear, smell and taste. We can be elevated by what is around us and enjoy all the sensations available in this remarkable, natural world. We can even compose poems and songs, myths and fables to entertain us and our children, but we no longer need to sit at the feet of all-too-mortal men who exert power over the ignorant by interposing themselves between us and authentic experience of the mysteries of life.
#Beatrix #Potter #Syndrome | <urn:uuid:e0eea72a-4844-40ec-9775-43cd1b8a7f25> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://mangaindo.id/the-beatrix-potter-syndrome/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.969265 | 3,290 | 2.875 | 3 |
Erica baueri subsp. baueri
Erica baueri Andrews subsp. baueri
Common names: bridal heath, Albertinia heath (Eng.); witheide (Afr.)
Erica baueri subsp. baueri is one of the most popular and widely cultivated of the South African species. It is one of the few ericas that regularly appear in popular South African plant books or articles. This may be attributed to its showy flowers and that it is fairly hardy and long lived in cultivation.
Bridal heath is a tall species reaching a height up to 1.5 m. It presents a sparse, upright woody growth habit when not pruned. The leaves are small and distinctively grey-green, which makes this species easy to recognize even when not in flower. The flowers are tubular in shape and grouped in attractive clusters near the ends of the branches. They may be white or pink or a combination of the two colours. Flowers may be produced at any time of the year. The reduced leaf size and grey texture of the leaves help this plant survive in an area of relatively low rainfall and where they are subjected to the desiccating effects of persistent, strong summer wind. Erica baueri subsp.baueri may therefore be classified as a waterwise plant.
It is likely that a combination of farming activities and field harvesting practices of thatch has resulted in its scarcity and classification in the Red Data book as Vulnerable to extinction.
The commercial harvesting of thatch may be a threat to Erica baueri subsp. baueri. Thatch plants are encouraged to grow in a number of ways. Areas are burnt or ploughed to clear them of other, especially woody, plants. Thatch plants colonize the disturbed land forming dense stands that are easy and more economic to harvest. Another method is to brush-cut the vegetation around the thatch plants creating a dense mono-stand of these plants.
Distribution and habitat
A threatened plant in nature This erica is confined to certain limited areas of the Riversdale and Albertinia districts between the Langeberg and the sea and is becoming increasingly scarce. Within this area it is found growing on sandy flats amongst the tall thatching grass, Thamnochortus insignis.
Derivation of name and historical aspects
Interest in South African ericas developed in England during the early days of botanical exploration at the Cape. Specimens and seed were sent back and grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and by enthusiasts. The interest in ericas accelerated after the arrival of two famous collectors, Carl Thunberg and Francis Masson, in 1772. They collected many new species and sent them back to England for cultivation. Ericas also became favourite subjects for botanical artists resulting in several important works on the genus. In one of these, H.C. Andrews's Heathery, published in 1805, Andrews depicted Erica bauera for the first time. He named it after his fellow artist at Kew, Francis Bauer (1758 - 1810) who was botanical artist to King George III. Erica baueri was also depicted in Flowering Plants of Africa in 1946.
Growing Erica baueri subsp. baueri
This erica grows in nature in deep, well-drained, sandy acid soils. It is nevertheless most adaptable and will grow in a range of soil types. The heavier the soil (more clay content) the less water required. The important factor is that the soil medium must be allowed to drain between watering. This can be a problem in summer rainfall areas where large amounts of water fall in a short space of time.
The ideal pH is between 5.5 and 6.7. Soils made up from quartzite or sandstone is ideal and those derived from dolerite or granite are also suitable. A medium consisting of two parts acid river sand, two parts composted pine bark and one part loam is used to make up our potting mixture.
Weekly application of organic seaweed derived fertilizers has proved a safe method of feeding. Better growth may be achieved by applying controlled release fertilizers such as osmocote or horticote, but be careful not to apply too many granules per plant. Twenty to thirty granules applied per plant each autumn or spring is recommended. Kelpac stimulates strong root development and helps the plant overcome stress such as excessive heat or limited root disturbance.
Bridal heath is easily grown from seed, which should be sown in autumn. Treatment with smoke or smoke extract greatly enhances germination. The seedlings take about six to ten weeks to germinate and are delicate in their early stages. It is important not to sow too thickly as seedlings growing too close together and over watering may result in damping off. The young seedlings should be protected from heavy rainfall and direct sunlight by placing the seed trays under cover while providing good light and aeration. The seedlings should be watered gently to avoid washing them out of the tray or bending their delicate stems. Allow the young plants to reach a height of about 1cm before planting out into individual bags. Grow the plants up to at least 10cm before planting out in autumn or winter.
Propagation from cuttings is more difficult and should be done with suitable facilities such as bottom heat and overhead misting or fogging. Cuttings should preferably be taken in autumn, but may also be rooted in spring. Fresh actively growing thin side shoots taken as heel cuttings yield the best results. A rooting hormone for semi hardwood cuttings applied to the cut surface or heel results in quicker and better rooting. Rooting may take from eight to sixteen weeks or sometimes longer. The roots are very delicate and rooted cuttings should be planted out with great care.
In the Garden
This is a hardy species suitable for most gardens in South Africa where the humidity is not too high. It grows well in summer rainfall areas that receive mild frost as long as it is watered through the winter. Plants also do well under relatively harsh windy conditions at the coast.
The ideal place to plant is where there is good drainage in flat garden beds, on slopes or in rockeries. Although not having the ideal growth habit, it may be planted in pots as long as it is regularly pruned to retain good shape. Pruning will also increase flower production, producing splendid displays. The flowers will attract bird pollinators to the garden. This erica is a pleasing addition when used in flower arrangements.
- Andrews, H.C. 1854. The Heathery 6 vols., London.
- Baker, H.A. and Oliver, E.G.H. 1967. Ericas in Southern Africa. Purnell, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
- Batton, Auriol. 1986. Flowers of Southern Africa. Fransden Publishers.
- Guthrie, F. and Bolus, H. 1905 'Erica' In Thistleton-Dyer's Flora Capensis 4: Part 1:2-309.
- Hilton-Taylor, Craig, 1996. Red Data List of Southern African Plants. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Schumann,D (Dolf) & Kirsten,G (Gerard) 1992. Ericas of South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg Cape Town.
- Johann Liebenberg of Liebenwerda Wholesale Nursery (personal communication).
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Plant Type: Shrub
SA Distribution: Western Cape
Soil type: Sandy
Flowering season: Spring, Winter, Sporadic/All year
Flower colour: White, Pink
Aspect: Full Sun
Gardening skill: Easy | <urn:uuid:7828d039-9699-48d7-9ff8-7891ec00c862> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://pza.sanbi.org/erica-baueri-subsp-baueri | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.924102 | 1,623 | 2.75 | 3 |
Our camshafts are lazy and backwards – why is that?
They turn only half as fast as the hardworking crankshaft, and in the opposite direction. Why is that?
For a four stroke cycle engine, the cam ordinarily turns half the crankshaft speed because the valve events, that
the cam lobes control, must only occur every other rotation.
The four strokes are usually named intake, compression, power, and exhaust. Sometimes you hear "suck, squeeze, bang, and blow". On the compression and exhaust stroke, the piston is moving up. On the intake and power stroke, the piston is moving down. Ignition normally occurs only every second time that the piston comes to the top of the cylinder.
You can also see that these camshaft lobe controlled events
have to be timed correctly. If the intake valve was open when the piston was coming up in the bore, it would push the air mixture out instead of sucking it in. You may also note that the distributor is turning only half as fast as the crankshaft also, and that this must also be a timed event. That is why it is usually driven by the camshaft.
The way that the Ford engineers chose to accomplish these two things on our Flathead V-8's is with timing gears. One is on
the front of the crankshaft, the other is on the front of the camshaft. The cam gear has twice as many teeth on it as the crankshaft does. That is how they make the cam turn only half the speed of the crank.
The timing gears have marks on them that show how they should go together so that the timing of the valve events is correct. If the gears are marked incorrectly, and or installed incorrectly, the engine will not run well – or it may not run at all.
There are some
variable timing gears on the market that allow fine adjustments for tuning the timing of the cam to the crankshaft.
There are various stock timing gears available. Ford made fiber, cast iron, and aluminum gears for the cams. The cam gears made from 1932 – 1934 had 56 teeth.
From 1935 – 1953 they had 44 teeth. The earlier engines were press fit gears – with an index mark on the gear and the front of the cam. When pressing these gears onto the camshafts, the marks should be lined up with each other.
Aluminum cam gears are preferred for performance engines, especially those with stronger valve springs. Ford did make press on aluminum cam gears.
In addition to the two different tooth counts, there are also two different "hands" to the slant of
the helix on the cam gears. The 1932 – 1948 style is slanted to make the cam thrust to the rear. The 1949 – 1953 style is slanted to thrust to the front. The crankshaft gear must be different also to match the earlier or later style.
In both cases, there are special provisions for oiling the thrust surfaces.
In the 1932 – 1948, there is an oil pressure relief valve at the front of the valve chamber. It has a flat that meters oil through a hole above the front cam bearing. This lubricates the surfaces between the rear of the cam flange and the front of the block.
In the 1949 – 1953 version, there is a hole in the front cam journal that takes pressure oil. This communicates with a passage that allows oil to exit from the front of the cam. This oil lubricates the
thrust surfaces of the distributor drive gear and timing cover.
Why did Ford slant the gears at all? Why not have the gears straight cut, so that there is no end thrust? The answer is: straight cut gears are noisier and somewhat weaker because only one tooth is being contacted and driven at any one time.
And why did Ford use fiber gears, considering that they are not as strong? Because fiber gears operate with less noise than the aluminum gears.
You may have
noted that I said on four stroke engines the cam ordinarily turns at half the speed of the crank. An outfit called Schaller made racing cams that turned the cam at one quarter the speed of the crank. So they had two lobes for each valve lifter.
There are also examples in the radial engines used in aircraft of different cam speeds and various numbers of cam lobes. Think about the cam speed required if the intake cam has three lobes for a five cylinder, four stroke
radial. Gets interesting, doesn't it? | <urn:uuid:f22ab012-7eb1-4997-ae8c-a60f0fe375df> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://reds-headers.com/html/red_s_engine_talk_9.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.958551 | 943 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Written by Sureshi Jayawardene
According to a Harris Poll published in May this year, students of color at US universities and colleges are less likely to seek out help for depression or anxiety issues. These students also report experiencing a greater volume of micro-aggressions than White peers. Other factors also pose mental health risks for students of color.
These may include culturally-unrepresentative campus environments, racial discrimination, social stigma, micro-aggressions, marginalization, as well as difficult transitions between home and campus. The brutal realities of racial discrimination on college campuses is no secret, as we have seen in the recent case of Martese Johnson, an African American honor roll student at UVA. Thus, the combined effects of a mix of these factors can result in great academic costs for students. According to a CollegeBoard report from 2013, only 49% of African American students complete their 4-year degree, compared to 71% of White counterparts.
Research also shows a higher prevalence of depression among students of color than White students, suggesting a correlation between persistent college disparities and mental health issues. Further, there lies another discrepancy between the need for treatment and actual utilization of treatment among students of color. This might be explained by additional stereotyping and discrimination experienced when seeking out providers. It might also be explained by the cultural mismatch of providers. Hispanic, African American, and American Indian individuals are half as likely to have health care coverage compared to the average American, adding another dimension to the issue of access to quality mental health services. Access to services, however, has proved extremely beneficial. Studies show that students receiving counseling services are more likely to remain in school and complete their programs within five years of enrollment.
The Steve Fund (TSF) is the nation’s only organization geared toward supporting the mental health needs and emotional wellness of college students of color. TSF works with universities and colleges, researchers, nonprofits, and community groups to develop and support programs and strategies for mental and emotional health as youth of color enter, matriculate in, and transition from higher education. Their mission is to “grow knowledge and thought leadership among researchers, practitioners, young people and national leaders, work in partnership with charitable organizations and educational institutions to promote mental and emotional wellbeing of students of color, build awareness and voice among students.” TSF sponsored this year’s Black Solidarity Conference held in June at Yale and stressed the significance of mental health and wellness for Black college students. Workshops addressed issues ranging from micro-aggressions and on-campus racial discrimination to African American attitudes toward mental illness, attracting more than 700 undergraduates to the conference. Ms. Bell-Rose, co-founder of TSF underscores the importance of culturally sensitive approaches to support mental health and emotional wellbeing. She notes that these culturally specific needs are generally understudied and underserved. TSF aims to positively impact the delivery of mental and behavioral health services to young people of color supporting their academic potential and futures.
The organization recently partnered with Crisis Text Line to provide students of color with mental health support. This initiative is meant to improve critically needed access to crisis counseling among young people of color. Using advancements in mobile technology, TSF with Crisis Text Line, will recruit and train a group of youth of color to become crisis counselors. Text messaging is a central component of TSF’s strategy to meet the mental health needs of college students of color. Operating entirely through text messaging, a unique keyword for youth of color will provide access to free, 24-7 support during a crisis. The service is expected to launch in the winter this year.
For more information, please visit: http://www.stevefund.org/crisistextline
Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J, and Speer, N. (2013). Mental health in American colleges and universities: Variation across student subgroups and across campuses. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 201(1): 60-67
Written by Serie McDougal and Sureshi Jayawardene
The United Nations General Assembly met on Friday, September 25th in New York to adopt the “Transforming Our World” 2030 sustainable development agenda. This development agenda is a global plan of action for reducing inequality and achieving sustainable development. The significance and meaning of this development agenda for the African continent has already been examined. Tony Elumelu highlights that the private sector will need to play a crucial role putting this agenda into effect. Moreover, he notes that the tie between African entrepreneurs and governments requires continuing collaboration with donor agencies, philanthropists, and local non-governmental entities through the shared purpose of achieving these goals.
UN development agendas are often discussed on a national and even regional level. However, inequality increasingly takes place between diverse groups within nations. From an international perspective, the United States presents a unique situation. The dominant image of the US is that of an affluent and powerful nation. Nevertheless, a close look at the social realities of African Americans draws attention to internal inequalities and highlights the slippages in the wider appearance and reputation of this industrialized, highly developed, and affluent nation. Because of this, it is important to consider how the UN development agenda relates to the concerns of people of African descent within the US. Currently, people of African descent in the United States continue to face challenges including, but not limited to, underfunded and poor quality education, unlawful police killings, increased economic inequality, and sustained attacks on voting rights. Thus, how do these and other African American concerns fit within and without the 17 sustainable development goals affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly?
This question is particularly important given that at the end of 2014, the UN declared 2015-2024, the International Decade for People of African Descent to recognize that people of African descent are a distinct group whose human rights need protection and promotion. The specific objectives of this proclamation include “the need to strengthen national, regional and international cooperation in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights by people of African descent, and their full and equal participation in all aspects of society.” At the national level, states are encouraged to take thoughtful and practical action to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance toward people of African descent. Four major areas are emphasized in this area: recognition, justice, development, and multiple or aggravated discrimination with special attention to the conditions of women, girls, and young males. At the regional and international levels, organizations and agencies are called to disseminate and implement commitments under the Durban Declaration, assist states in implementation of programs and policies, gather statistical evidence, incorporate human rights into development agendas, and honor and preserve the historical memory of people of African descent. It is important to consider the significance of the UN’s new development goals in light of these specific objectives for people of African descent during the next ten years.
1. End poverty in all forms everywhere. The UN focuses on the need to mobilize resources and create policy frameworks to achieve this goal on an international scale. Although the agenda focuses on gender equality in the ending of poverty. In the American context, it is important to look at both gender and racial economic disadvantage. Presidential candidates must be pressed to present policy platforms that address: increasing the minimum wage, job training programs, job development programs that target areas with high levels of unemployment. Moreover, candidates should be pressed to address how they will enhance the current level of enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment and in the banking industry for example. African Americans must press candidates to address their plans for closing the racial wealth gap, enhancing enforcement of fair housing, mortgage and lending practices, creating programs to address financial literacy, and preparation for the changing job market for racially underrepresented groups. A novel initiative that could prove effective is the development of an alternative scoring model for lending agencies. The Federal Housing Finance Agency has recently urged government-sponsored enterprises to improve the ever-widening wealth gap.
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote agriculture.
African Americans often live in areas where healthy food is not sufficiently accessible, affordable, or available. Food desserts and many African Americans’ concentration in them contributes to a myriad of health consequences. Current presidential candidates must be pressed about their intentions as they relate to expanding the current healthy places initiative, tax breaks to farmers markets, placing grocery stores in low income neighborhoods, and other initiatives that create greater food security for communities with less access to healthy food.
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
African Americans continue to face less access to quality healthcare and increased exposure to environmental toxins (such as lead and unsafe housing). Current presidential candidates must be pressed about their intentions as they relate to increasing access to quality health care and expanding policies such as the family medical leave act, and the affordable care initiative, improved nutrition in public schools, and access to safe places to engage in physical activity (safe parks and recreational facilities).
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
African Americans are positioned to benefit greatly from investments in early childhood education, child literacy programs, investments in STEM programs for racially underrepresented groups, access to affordable quality higher education, improving public schools, and enhance cultural congruence in education. Neither the UN nor the US has emphasized the necessity and significance of cultural relevance in teaching and curriculum.
5. Reduce inequality within and among countries
With the increased attention to the long trend of unlawful law enforcement killings of Black people in the US there is a great opportunity to press current presidential candidates to implement and refine the Grand Jury Reform Act to improve the process of investigating changes against law enforcement officers who use deadly force against civilians. This focus needs to be considered alongside other regulatory measures such as increased use of body cameras, demilitarizing local police, increased screening of officers, increased monitoring and prosecution of police abuses, and changing the culture of policing.
6. Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
A recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics boasts the steady rate of national unemployment at 5.1% in September. The Black unemployment rate remains high – at 9.2%, nearly doubling the White rate 4.4% - although the Black civilian labor force expanded considerably in May. Moreover, the unemployment rate for Black teenagers (ages 16-19) was SIX times the national average (31.5%). This rate is also nearly twice the national average for teen unemployment. Years of unemployment in the African American community continue to cripple its overall ability for sustainability. Explanations for this crippling problem include incarceration rates, poverty, segregation, and low education achievement. Race, too, plays a significant role in finding work, even as laws make race-based discrimination illegal. Research finds that even with qualified African American applicants, racial signifiers such as their names and even their professional networks can be used against them.
7. Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable
Cities with large African American populations are plagued with segregation, poverty, and police brutality among many other issues. A group of Black youth in Baltimore, MD have been working on a proposal to increase the safety and sustainability of Inner Harbor. This project exemplifies productive collaboration between inner-city youth, businesses, and the City to establish goodwill with law enforcement and curb youth-on-youth violence. Safe and inclusive city space is important for African American LGBTQ members as well. Elders in this particularly group are often cautious about seeking aging services due to the discrimination they anticipate. Programs that support ex-offenders’ reentry into communities to reduce recidivism rates are also necessary. In Boston, an organization designed to help ex-offenders develop personal training skills and find decent-paying jobs has assisted several hundred young men. Overall, while local initiatives are important, state and federal officials must bolster these efforts through policy.
8. Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
Globalization has opened foreign sources of large pools of cheap labor for US corporations. Although it makes the production of goods cheaper, it has also had the effect of creating downward pressure in job sectors where African Americans have historically been overrepresented, such as manufacturing. Many African American workers can benefit at home from promoting strong labor standards, environmental regulations, and rights to unionize abroad. Such an investment may protect industries that poor Americans depend upon while also curtailing the flow of poor migrants that the US social services are not prepared for by strengthening their home countries.
Written by Serie McDougal
Historically, even without any rights, African Americans have always been political actors (King, 2010). The political progress they have made has been the result of activities both inside and outside of so-called mainstream political processes. Malcolm X’s fundamental analogy for the Black liberation struggle was the slave planation. On the slave plantation, there were many forms of resistance including participation in abolitionist networks based in free territories, there were those who distributed anti-slavery literature written by people like David Walker and others, but then there were those who engaged in armed rebellion, those who escaped, and ultimately there were those who engaged in disruption in the form of sabotage, breaking tools, destroying crops, faking ignorance or illness, poisoning food, and planning work strikes. What makes one strategy more respectable than another when Black lives are at stake? Perhaps it will not be until each of these strategies is recognized for its contribution to the freedom we currently enjoy that we will put an end to shaming Black activists for using the tactic of disruption that has been a staple of the Black political legacy.
THE REWARDS OF CONTEXT
As #BlackLivesMatter has recently been criticized for engaging in the interruption of presidential candidates, it is important to put such political expression into historical context. Some think their tactics inappropriate or unsophisticated. However, disruptive activities have always been a feature of political expression in general and specifically for people of African descent in the context of the United States (Morrison, 2003). #BlackLivesMatter activists interrupted the campaign events of Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton, and more recently, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s press conference on violence.
This may be a case of objectives taking precedence over tactics. It must also be noted that in the wake of their tactics, politicians have been forced to address their concerns in the form of policy proposals and press releases on critical issues ranging from the treatment of Black transwomen to institutionalized police abuses. However, it would be a mistake to identify the recent tactics of #BlackLivesMatter activists as being outside of the respectable political process.
Originally, in this country, Black people’s humanity was not acknowledged, much less their political interests or access to official political structures. Because of Black people’s long time exclusion from these structures, they engaged in politics and gained political voice through other means, including protest and oppositional activities (Morrison, 2003). Indeed, many of the organizations that have been champions of civil rights and racial equity, such as the National Urban League, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and so many others have their roots in the very same tactics. The Southern Christian Leadership Council, for which Martin Luther King emerged early as a spokesperson and leader, emerged out of the politics of disruption (Montgomery Bus Boycott). Over time, Black people have learned that so-called official political channels, including voting and litigation alone are insufficient methods for gaining freedom and justice. They have also learned of the limits of moral reform strategies. What to do when public policies are undermined by a lack of political will, when votes are not counted, and laws are stymied by failure of implementation or enforcement? Black political movements have learned to couple mainstream political channels with the kinds of strategies #BlackLivesMatter activists are currently using.
An additional mistake that is made in understanding these tactics is the assumption that interruptions are the organizations’ sole form of political activity. Perhaps mistake is the wrong word, because, this false characterization of #BlackLivesMatter serves a functional purpose. This view is a tool used to delegitimize the movement so that political leaders can feel justified in not addressing authentic political concerns.
Leaders who think that these disruptions are mostly spontaneous and unorganized, driven by emotion and not strategy, and are short-lived are making an error in judgement as such thinking is demonstrably contradicted by the successes of the civil rights movement.
NECESSITY OF MEANS
It was disruptive tactics combined with behind-closed-door meetings and official political channels that resulted in the passage of the voting rights act of 1965. When the masses of Black people put the strategies used by Black organizers and political activists in historical context, they cannot be shamed and undermined as unconventional or inappropriate. If Black lives are on the table, who has the luxury to play respectability politics with political expression? After all, whose convention is the standard of political activity? In 1941, A. Phillip Randolph called for a March on Washington due to the government’s failure to pass an executive order banning discrimination in job industries that receive federal funds. Randolph’s strategy was to immobilize the government and force it to pass an executive order. In response to the plan, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed executive order 8802 creating the Federal Employment Practices Commission. How do you challenge institutionalized racism by relying solely on afflicted institutions? Such a strategy is beyond the concept of hope or gradualism, it is the politics of superstition. What should prioritize one strategy over another in any given scenario if not necessity? If Malcolm X’s proclamation is correct, then indeed, necessity should be the basis on which we evaluate all available means of political expression, not the mainstream politics of respectability that secure the status quo.
King, K.A. (2010). African American politics. Cambridge, MA: Polity Press.
Morrison, M.C. (Ed.). (2003). African Americans and political participation. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO
The First Thing We Ate was not Each Other: Black on Black Violence and Toxic Black Masculinity - Self Mutilation Disguised as Salvation
Written by Chris Roberts
Baltimore, and Black People Waking Up to Shoot Back
This article makes the argument that intra racial criminals who commit “Black on Black violence” are puppets, both willing and unbeknownst, doing the bidding of white supremacist patriarchy. This article makes the supplemental argument that Black people have historically resisted this intra-racial violence, and not been solely collaborative or compliant in our destruction. This article highlights, but is not exclusive to, Black men who commit intra racial violence, but such violence is committed by all Black people in different ways (those examples are beyond the purview of this article). The intra-racial criminal assumes participation in this puppetry will save them from the fate of those in their community they harm. However, they are nothing more than pawns in a larger scheme, ultimately mutilated by the same toxic masculinity and/or mechanism where they seek refuge. The two examples of “Black on Black violence” drawn as parallel in this article are Africans trading other Africans into slavery and Black people harming each other in “inner city” communities in the U.S.
Baltimore is my hometown. My coming of age as a youth was in both Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Having resided in Oakland, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as an adult, I am familiar with the buoyancy of Blackness throughout the “inner cities” of the United States, floating in the irksome waters of white supremacy. And though I have lived in each of those places for a substantial period of time, and each holds a piece of my heart, Baltimore has been, and always will be, my hometown. Baltimore is both battleground and bunker, ghetto grave and gullah island, many of us either shooting up or shooting out someone or something. Whether looking for a way out, a way in, or a way up tired of being down, be it at basketball games or burials, in Baltimore one becomes accustomed to shooting. The phenomenon encountered in these communities is propelled by “anti-blackness” described by Saidiya Hartman, Jared Sexton, and Hortense Spillers and others, specifically Frank Wilderson as a “structuring irrationality” where Blackness is non-human, humanity is only white, and its very conceptualization is intrinsic to being enslaved. For further literature on anti-blackness check out the exemplary online “gathering of resources” at antiblacknessisatheory.tumblr.com.
I have not had anything close to the first hand experiences with drug trafficking, gun violence, domestic violence, and homicide that so many of my peers have undergone. But these things were always right outside my window, at family gatherings, or right down the hallway at school. Not as close as possible, but certainly not far away. This is important because, though not in the same way, and not nearly to the same degree, I find resonance with my own life’s journey and the words of Baltimore City native D. Watkins: “I never consider myself to be a shooter, but gunplay is all I know.” It is not only those of us who experience first-hand this “spectacle of death” who are accustomed to gunplay, for though this happens, the violence, as outlined in the work of Lawrence Grandpre in The Black Book: Reflections From The Baltimore Grassroots, is as spectacular as it is mundane. And due to the routine nature of anti-blackness, many of us become too petrified or pacified (through no fault of our own) to pose certain questions. Amidst the bullets, bodies, and balls cascading into buckets above and below the ground, we rarely pause to wonder who wins, why have we been shooting ourselves for so long, and whose guns are these? Earlier this year that changed, and masses of Black people in Baltimore, and across the world remembered the first thing we ate was not each other, we remembered that we can not only shoot up, or shoot out, but in the words of Dr. Akinyele Umoja we can shoot back, we did shoot back before, and we will shoot back again.
Freddie Gray, Police Smokescreens, and Black on Black Violence Defined
On April 12th 2015, Freddie Gray was killed by the Baltimore City Police Department while in their custody via an arrest that the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby Esq. termed illegal. Gray, once in police custody, was placed in a police van, the functional descendent of the slavery-era paddy wagon, for a “rough ride” to the police station. Gray never made it to that police station, instead during the process of his arrest and transport he suffered what the State Medical Examiner’s Office termed a “high energy blow” which severed his spine and caused his death in the hospital days later. Gray’s murder was, at the time, the latest in a litany of murders of Africana people at the hands of the police departments of the United States. Yvette Henderson, a Black woman was killed by Emeryville Police in Oakland, California in February; Mya Hall, a Black trans* woman two weeks prior was killed by the National Security Agency in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area; Walter Scott, a Black man from South Carolina was killed by Charleston Police eight days before Gray’s arrest.
Following Gray’s murder, Black people have continued to be under assault by the police state and other appendages of white supremacy, the latest examples being 1) the massacre in Charleston at Emmanuel AME Church where nine Black people were executed by racist terrorist Dylan Roof and 2) Sandra Bland, a Black woman, was killed (author’s assertion) in police custody in Waller County, Houston, Texas with her death being framed as a suicide. Meanwhile Baltimore, in the aftermath of Gray’s death was the epicenter of an uprising of Africana unrest, justified rage, and focused activism. Property damage, theft, and protest were just some of the valid modes of resistance deployed by Africana people in the face of constant anti-black policies and practices that have permeated the city for centuries. Gray’s death has, in the city of Baltimore, been this generation’s boiling point. A boiling point that has bubbled for decades with names such as Tyrone West, Anthony Anderson, George King, and many other young Black people who met a similar fate as Gray at the hands of Baltimore police. In the months following Gray’s death and the subsequent uprising, Baltimore City has seen an increase in violent crimes, with 43 homicides in May and 31 June this year. These numbers are some of the highest the city has seen since the 1970s and 1980s. According to The Atlantic, “... arrests are down across the city—there were 1,177 arrests in May 2015, as compared to 3,801 in May 2014,” a practice known as a “slow down.” Also, residents have noted that there has been a decrease in response to their calls to the police. David Graham of The Atlantic writes that “A slowdown would be to both punish citizens for lashing out against the police and also to create a cautionary statement: This is what your streets will look like without cops. Is that really what you want?” In addition to pointing to the slowdown as the reason for the increase in crime, there have been other theories postulated by police and politicians.
One of the more prominent among those was issued by Former Police Commissioner Anthony Batts when he stated “There’s enough narcotics on the streets of Baltimore to keep it intoxicated for a year… That amount of drugs has thrown off the balance on the streets of Baltimore.” Given these options, one is led to think that Black people have either overdosed themselves into oblivion or have the capability only to cannibalize themselves without the constant surveillance of the police. Both views lay blame for death and destruction endemic in Baltimore at the feet of poor and working class Africana people in the city. These perspectives posit that their pain is their fault and their death is their desire. The premise established by these perspectives is that Africana Baltimoreans who rose up and protested against the police must enjoy their children attending more funerals of family members and friends than field trips. The “real” solution in the eyes of the proponents of these perspectives is to create an environment where police can “do their job” and the “bad guys” can be taken off the street. In a previous Afrometrics article, I analyzed the inability of the police as a profession and institution to substantively curb violence in Black communities due to its intrinsic function to protect white property, white safety, and “correct” Black bodies. Nevertheless, the primary cause of the death and destruction in Africana communities the eyes of the mainstream media, politicians, pundits, police, and many others is Africana people themselves. Statements such as “it’s their fault” “we kill ourselves more than they kill us” and “the real issue is Black on Black crime” are abound in the popular discourse.
The result has been an inability to craft culturally rooted efficient and humane long term solutions to the very real problems of intra-Africana community violence. Having been inculcated in pathologizing ourselves as deserving of pain and designed to destroy has rendered us ill-equipped to harness the cultural recesses of our ancestral knowledge in a liberatory fashion. Instead we lean on white supremacist interpretations of our reality to determine how we solve the problems of white supremacy (their solutions: police reforms, legal amendments, etc.). Such an approach is futile and reductive, one that only leads to our continued place with our necks under the proverbial boot of white supremacist patriarchy. Alternatively, this article seeks to reverse that trend by using our own creativity and history to show that we have repeatedly resisted such intra-Africana community violence and sought solutions in our own ways. For the purposes of this article, that intra community violence, with Black men as both victims and perpetrators, will be understood as Black on Black violence: “the assaultive, homicidal, and suicidal violence committed by Blacks against Blacks in ways that are self-and mutually destructive, egregious, and gratuitous” (Wilson 1990).
Herein there are two examples of Africana people resisting and creating solutions to that “Black on Black violence" while understanding white supremacist patriarchy as the root cause and beneficiary: 1) Africans and the Slave Trade, 2) Baltimore and Crime Spike post-Freddie Gray uprising. Those two examples serve as the foundation for a main argument of this text; that Africana people, and Black men in particular, are not reckless and uncontrollable savages incapable of existing humanely without the surveillance and correction of white supremacist patriarchy. We as Africana people are full human beings with our own cultural epistemologies and ontologies, capable of bringing into the world our own accountability models and liberation concepts. In order to effectively understand the phenomena Wilson describes as “Black on Black crime” we must begin our analysis on the African continent and the institution of slavery.
The Maafa and the “Savages” it Purported to “Save”
For centuries, white supremacy and Arab domination constructed the African as sub-human and functional only in the role of an enslaved tool for their own perpetuation of power and domination. Each of the aforementioned enslavement systems functioned in large part due to the narrative that both systems propagated of the African as backward and savage, unable to come into the modern world without the “assistance” of the “benevolent civilizing conqueror.” Large scale trade of enslaved people became normalized through the Arab trade (7th century to 20th century roughly), but it was the European trade (16th century to 19th century roughly) though concurrent with the Arab trade, which exacerbated that enslavement into a global and chattel phenomenon. Justification from the Europeans came in many forms, but the three most common refrains were, and in many cases still are, “Africans traded other Africans into slavery,” “they did not resist being enslaved” and “they were uncivilized; in need of saving.” These three statements, assumptions, and falsehoods operate together to create the idea that Africana people deserved the pain of enslavement and desired to be enslaved.
In Fighting the Slave Trade: West African Strategies Sylvianne Diouf (2003) writes, “If the idea that the deported Africans walked quietly into servitude has lost ground in some intellectual circles, it is still going strong in popular culture; as are the supposed passivity or complicity of the rest of their compatriots and their lack of remorse for having allowed or participated in this massive displacement” (ix). The enslavers and colonizers of Europe utilized Christianity as a vessel for justifying their enslavement as they needed to cast the non-Christian West Africans as fit for serving Christianity, hence serving whites. The Africans’ lack of the “right” kind of religion deemed them in need of being “saved” from their toxic past, and brought into a more “civilized” future. And the historical narrative that makes such a practice seem benevolent and not toxic is the one that Diouf has highlighted as needing interrogation.
Most historians, according to Diouf, cast Africans as only either trading partners or cargo in the context of the slave trade(s). The trope of trading partners of the past can be read as the Black “thugs” and “criminals” trope of the present age. The cargo trope of the past can be read as the concept of the “helpless and ignorant" Black community trope of the present age at the mercy of the evil Black gangster and his or her crew. The African collaborators and traders of the Transatlantic Slave Trade exists in much of the same way that the inner city Black person who kills and sells deadly drugs to other Black people does today. And in mainstream discourse it is argued that Black people “or any human beings” being cargo would have been bad, in the same way that so many Black people dying en masse is not unique but “any human beings” dying en masse would be wrong. But the reality is that it wasn’t just “any human beings” who were cargo in the 17th-19th centuries, nor was it “any human beings” who introduced that system of enslavement that made them cargo. And today it isn’t “any human beings” that are dying due to state sanctioned (police normality) or state (so called Black on Black) violence. The rhetoric of “any human beings” is akin to the “All lives matter” rhetoric.
When mainstream scholars, theorists, and pundits exalt “all people had slavery and slaves” they obscure and ignore the specific nature and horror of the Translatlantic Slave Trade. The flattening of perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade as a vague “everyone” is how white supremacy absolves itself for being held accountable as the root creator and beneficiary of that enslavement system. Simultaneously, framing the primary resistors to the transatlantic slave trade as white abolitionists allows contemporary whites to historically see themselves as the “good” white people who sought to rid the world of a toxic system and save the “helpless” Africans. This is emblematic of what Dayvon Love describes occurring in Baltimore during the context of a fight against a new Youth Jail in The Black Book: Reflections from the Baltimore Grassroots. Love writes: “... through Baltimore’s self-proclaimed social justice communities was the overwhelming presence of white adults and Black youth... Black youth were literally being used to give legitimacy to the white liberal fight against the youth jail” (Grandpre and Love 2014). The Black youth in this case the “helpless” and the white adults, the “good.” Meanwhile, this scenario leaves the Black youth only two options to see himself as: perpetrator or follower, as it left the enslaved Africans only two options to see herself historically, as Diouf states, either as trading partner or cargo. Never as emancipator, resistor, liberator, or freedom fighter. We are inundated with the language of white abolitionist and white savior, yet we are not nearly as often exposed to language that positions us as agents in our own survival and defense.
Speaking of language, “If the word Holocaust is a fitting and immediately understood description of the crime against humanity that it was, the expression slave trade, by contrast, tends to let the collective consciousness equate this crime with a business venture. Naturally, genocide and other crimes against humanity are not commercial enterprises...” (Diouf, 2003). The term genocide did not exist until 1944 (possibly 1943) when Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the term as, in his view, the most accurate descriptor for the Nazi Holocaust of Jewish people in Europe.
Before such wide scale annihilation met Europe, the exacting of the very similar actions by European powers was deemed necessary for the project of imperialism and the expansion of Western civilization. This similar phenomena of the paucity of worth Black trauma and death in the eyes of the West emerged with convict leasing, segregation, and police brutality in the United States, each being a non-issue until few whites met similar fates as countless Blacks. With convict leasing it was Martin Tabert, young white convict working in Florida in 1921, with segregation it was Goodman and Schwerner, two white Civil Rights activists in the “Deep South” of the U.S. in 1964, and with police brutality it was the militarized crackdown of the Occupy Wall Street Movement in 2011. Each of the aforementioned representing a moment where Black people had endured something for decades prior, but it was “just the way things were” until it happened to white people. Therefore, African Psychologist Marimba Ani operationalized the term Maafa; "a great disaster of death and destruction that is beyond human comprehension and convention… it’s chief feature is the systematic denial of the humanity of people of African descent, which occurs in many ways and across numerous circumstances” (Ani 1994). Due to the function of whiteness to dehumanize Blackness for white validation, the traumas experienced by Blacks must not be seen as crimes against humanity committed by whites, but intrinsically deserved due to some defect of character or mental faculty. And if Black trauma somehow is considered tantamount to genocide and more specifically, a Holocaust, White society demands we view the perpetrator as always Black themselves. This is where retorts such as “they let themselves be enslaved” “they didn’t stop it” “they kill themselves” and so on begin to sprout from the discursive landscape like weeds.
African people did indeed collaborate and often benefit financially and otherwise from providing the Europeans with Africans to enslave. Such a massive entrenchment of whites into the heart of the African continent would not have been possible without substantive African betrayal and collaboration. This cannot be ignored, nor should it. The Akan, Dahomey, and other African people established decade-long (sometimes century-long) partnerships with enslaving Europeans. They received gold, copper, gunpowder, rum and other goods from Europeans in exchange for the human bodies of their fellow Africans. However, such a business was not something that any of these African peoples sought out, none of them sought out the Europeans to whom they desired to sell fellow Africans. As with much crime in inner cities like Baltimore, the drugs and weapons are funneled into these communities with indifference and/or assistance from local and federal governments. One of the more prominent cases of this was cocaine trafficking fueled by the Iran-Contra conflict in the 1980s exposed internationally by San Jose journalist Gary Webb. In Los Angeles, there were individual Black drug dealers and gangs that benefited financially from the drug trade, ensnaring their own communities in the web of crack addiction and the subsequent gun violence. However, they did not create the drug system nor the drug supply, and ultimately their financial gain was minimal when compared to the political and economic benefits it garnered the U.S. in their foreign policy objectives. Similarly, it was the European who came onto African soil and created the capitalistic climate where many of these African countries assisted in the enslavement of other African peoples, so that their particular group would harness some semblance of safety. In the case of both the African slave trader and the inner city drug dealer/gang leader, these are collaborators, not to be confused or conflated with instigators and primary facilitators.
Slave Trading as Black on Black Violence to Protect and Empower Whiteness
Diouf, in her work, shows that the collaborations between Africans and Europeans were far from simplistic. In some cases, Africans sold other Africans into slavery to avoid being enslaved themselves. Quite a few African peoples, with the barrels of guns facing them down, were given the choice of being collaborators or corpses. Many Africans were convinced by whites this was their destiny, and that escape from the system was impossible. There was often no fine line between starving and feeding the system due to the consistent reduction of African agency this process caused; “Resistance, accommodation, and participation in the trade and attacks against it were often intimately linked… (Diouf 2003). Though Westerners and African traders and rulers entered “commercial relations” the parties cannot be seen as equal business partners, protected puppets perhaps, but equal partners, no. Though monies and benefits were exchanged between Africans and Europeans “The violent seizures of people, however, did not entail any transaction; the affected African communities were not involved in business deals” (Diouf 2003). One sees violent seizures of power of a similar variety in cities like Baltimore today, the harsh realities to which Black people in such places are subjected to are often anti-Black and anti-human, often producing self-mutilating and community destroying psychologies that people take on to survive. In an interview with two Black men from Baltimore City, Dayvon Love of the Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle organization, is told by Gary Johnson and Orlando Gillyard that one has no clue the depths to which daily existence under state violence, and socio-economic decimation via anti-Blackness will drive a person. Those who judge people in these circumstances as choosing this life for themselves are woefully in denial about the power that white supremacy wields. Though it may not appear that way to those on the outside, no one wakes up feeling thrilled about aiding in the enslavement or harming of their community, these are not the things people dream of doing when they are children. Black people have pushed back against these psyches, from slavery to today, whether the historical records acknowledge it or not.
“If nothing else, the need for shackles, guns, ropes, chains, iron balls, whips, and cannons — that sustained a veritable European Union of slave trade-related jobs — eloquently tells a story of opposition from the hinterland to the high seas” (Diouf 2003). However, opposition to enslavement is often the last thing that many think of when thinking about Africans’ relation to enslavement.
The function of the idea of the enslaved behaving solely as willing, docile, and non-confrontational in their enslavement serves to bolster the ability to craft the Maafa as business, not genocide. It does not seem logical (to a Western capitalist society) for a person to willingly accept negative outcomes of a genocide. With business, on the other hand, one is expected to accept negative outcomes as the sometimes unsavory costs of any trade or venture. However, enslavement was not merely unsavory, it was mass murder, and we must confront this, the sooner, the better. If history downplays and dissolves the narrative of resistance while exalting acquiescence, Africana people are reduced to enslaved or slaving, never liberatory resisters. However, the threat of African resistance to slavery was a constant and daily reality that confronted the enslavers and the collaborators. On a practical level, Diouf cites the recollection of a slave trader that “‘One must, without any hesitation, shoot at them and not spare them. The loss of the vessel and the life of the crew are at stake.’” Above all, the crew and the vessel were to be protected, any glimmer of the light of resistance that shone in the eyes of the enslaved Africans was to be gouged out with haste. Such efforts to quell insurrection proactively were framed as being beneficial to the physical safety of the enslaved, protecting them from sure death that they would meet if they dared to resist their captivity. “‘In some areas… the level of distrust and hostility [between enslavers and enslaved] was so high that as soon as people approached the boats ‘the crew is ordered to take up arms, the cannons are aimed, and the fuses lighted’” (Diouf 2003). In 2010, Detroit Police Department SWAT threw a flash grenade into the house of seven year old Black girl Aiyana Stanley-Jones, then shot her in the head within seconds. Police were conducting a raid of the house, and without hesitation Jones was shot dead, because her life was not as valuable as making the “dramatic arrest.” The suspect they were looking for, her Uncle, submitted without incident to the police. In 2014, Cleveland Police shot twelve year old Tamir Rice within “1.5 to 2 seconds” after arriving at the park where he was playing with a toy gun. One more sentence on Tamir, then connect to paternalism and shoot first attitude since the slave ships. Symbolically, Rice represented a danger to the life of the crew (whiteness) therefore he was to be shot and not spared. Whether Rice represented any real physical threat to those around him (which he did not) was not of consequence, as in the slave trade, such choices are to be made by the protectors and proprietors of whiteness without hesitation. The police assumed the role of parent and arbiter, the one with the endowed moral compass to decide whether Rice lived or died. The same paternalism is imbedded in many social justice movements “... often animated by the idea that white people are needed to save Black youth from this cesspool of pathology” falsely presented as protection (Grandpre and Love 2014). The historical record of African indigenous resistance paints quite a different picture.
Walter Hawthorne returns us to the era of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, providing the following as an example of resistance “abandoning places that were easily accessible and therefore vulnerable to attack” (Hawthorne 2003). This practice of intentional migration and exodus was something that many African peoples practiced whose communities were being raided and destroyed by the slave trade. One may read this as a precursor to the practice of creating maroon communities that emerged throughout the Caribbean and North America by many enslaved African peoples during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The other modes of resistance which I seek to highlight here are quotidian and armed rebellion. Along with the migration patterns, these are vital because they are forms of resistance that were not sanctioned or supervised by members of the European enslaving society. These were not Western Abolition movements, nor were they the American Colonization Society, nor were they “reformed" students of Christian missionaries, these were Africans who resisted enslavement on their own cultural terms and with their own cultural tools. For Rashid, resistance was “a plethora of spontaneous, organized, covert, or overt actions designed to thwart the intentions of the kidnappers, slave traders, and slave holders” (Rashid 2003).
Rashid informs readers about a rebellion in 1750 on a Danish slave ship that ended with the people on this vessel fleeing and establishing their own "free settlement in the mountains off the Sierra Leone coast” (Rashid 2003). “The free communities should be seen as counter to the ronde. Like the maroons in the Caribbean and the Americas, the enslaved Africans consciously created these communities to assert their freedom, separate themselves from their slaveholders, and gain autonomy over their lives” (Rashid 2003). Rashid reminds us that resistance occurs on multiple levels, and that slavery was a layered process, and one’s enslavement was not just on the plantation. “Those who were in the process of being enslaved, as well as those who were enslaved, used different methods to counter the different manifestations of servitude. From the point of capture to the ships or to the slave villages, they utilized escape, violence, and maroonage to try to restore a sense of self-dignity and autonomy over their bodies” (Rashid 2003).
Self-dignity and bodily autonomy was, for many of these Africans, not about seeking the next available seat of power, instead, Rashid contends “enslaved Africans routinely affirmed their freedom, not by absorption into the slaveholding societies or by renegotiations of dependent relationships — as argued by some scholars — but by outright rejection and opposition to servitude” (Rashid 2003). This historical lesson in the ancestral recesses of our African past teaches us that to be free is not to replicate our dehumanization of each other, but rather to fully honor the humanity of ourselves and our community. It is from this lesson that Africana people may begin to understand both enslavement and Black on Black violence as harming us, and strengthening the very system of oppression that is oppressing us.
Often, the intra-Africana violence aspect of the transatlantic slave trade is cast as desired and causal solely on the part of Africans who traded other Africans, their benefit is rendered equal to that of European society writ-large. Furthermore, their role as “equal” in the Maafa is used to situate and posit the European enslaver as “no different” than anyone else, and having no more blame in the genocide of Africans that was enslavement than “the Africans who traded other Africans into slavery.” Joseph Inikori succinctly outlines why it is Europe who owns fundamental blame for what Ani terms the Maafa.
The evidence is clear that the Atlantic slave trade was caused by European demand for captives… European explorations brought together Atlantic basin economies and societies at different levels of commercial and politico-military development. The commercial and politico-military advantage of the western European nations meant that the needs of their states and economies determined what was demanded and produced in the trade relations between Western Europe and Western Africa. European colonization of theAmericas radically transformed those needs, which in turn radically changed what the European traders demanded in western Africa — from trade in products to trade in humans (189)
Inikori establishes Europe as both instigator and chief beneficiary of the Maafa. This assertion calls into question many of the assertions Eurocentric scholarship has made about “everyone” being “equally” to blame for the atrocity of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. For example, “[By] Depicting slavery as natural, inevitable, and necessary, texts offer tacit support of slavery as central to the rise of the Eurocentric global capitalist economy (Ogden et al., 2008 ) without considering its link to racist ideology and accumulation of resources (Magubane 2004 ; Sivanandan 1982)” (Weiner 2014). Meanwhile, scholars such as Henry Louis Gates posit we should, “publicly attribute responsibility and culpability where they truly belong, to white people and black people, on both sides of the Atlantic, complicit alike in one of the greatest evils in the history of civilization.” Such a de-racialized power analysis seeks to be very elaborate in “exposing” the violence in our reactive treatment of each other , yet remains very obtuse and vague in calling out Europeans’ casual and violent treatment of Africans (enslaving). Complicit, yes. But alike, most certainly not.
When historically dishonest people conflate the creating of the enslavement system with participation in the system, they critique the puppet as if she isn’t guided by strings. When people conflate the intra-racial Black criminal with the system of self-hatred ingrained in him by white supremacy, they critique the puppet as if he isn’t guided by strings. Of those who would blame Africans for their own Maafa, Penny Hess of African People’s Solidarity Committee profoundly writes:
The setting up of collaborators among the colonized population has been a successful tool of domination in every instance of European colonialism around the world. Africa is no exception… A unilateral colonial economy, which starves the people and creates the dependency on the colonial power, is militarily enforced. The European invader gets richer and richer through his bloodsucking relationship, and offers resources, guns and special status to a minority sector of the oppressed population. The selected “elite” or the colony can themselves become enslaved or carry out the will of white power. If they take any stand independent of the colonizer as have, say, Panama’s Noriega or Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in today’s world, white power spares them none of its wrath… It is an anti-black expression of unity with the oppression of African people, saying, ‘They did it to themselves.’ Meanwhile all white people everywhere still benefit from the parasitic economic system which has as its foundation the enslavement and continued exploitation of African people.
Part of African resistance is holding accountable the internal traitors and perpetrators, the internal agents of the system, but from a position that critiques and analyzes their unique participation in the system not collapsing their participation in the system as the “same” or “equal” to white supremacy. Ultimately, understanding that their participation is that of a puppet to a ventriloquist. The puppet is purposeless without someone pulling the strings and a puppet cannot both be puppet and puppet-master and the same time. In the case of extended-self mutilating Africans, some are unaware they are puppets, but others willingly embrace the strings.
Though it has been argued here that European desires are the crux of the issue when it comes to intra-Africana communal violence, this piece in no form seeks to absolve Black collaborators and contributors to the oppression of other Black people. In fact, it is my assertion that only through understanding European desire as the beneficiary of Black on Black violence will we be able to stop it and hold certain intra-Africana communal abusers accountable in a way that is relevant. Relevancy in my view is not “ending” the blame game, as Gates has argued. If we begin our analysis by placing blame primarily on the individual African enslaver or Black gang member, we lose any way to establish the origin of our cannibalistic fatalism via intra-communal violence. If we end our analysis without placing any blame on the individual African enslaver or Black gang member, we lose any way to establish trust and safety of those harmed by them, removing all possibility for communal accountability among African people. Additionally, if we flatten blame across the board as the same, we blunt the need for specificity of solutions and equalize roles of Africans and Europeans in the trade. Instead, relevant accountability is a recognition of intra-Africana communal violence as a betrayal of Ubuntu for individual gain. There must be a confrontation of culpability, such an adoption of Eurocentric individualism is something for which one must atone, and atonement does not equal acceptance back into community, and may very well end in exile/banishment. Wade Nobles, Black Psychologist, speaks of the extended self: the idea that the self is not composed merely of an individual human, but that individual in relation to their wider Africana community. Slavery operated on breaking down communal bonds between Africans (many family units were torn apart, children were taken away from their mothers, etc.) and we were sold individuality as our path to survival. At this crucial point in our existence as Africana people, we must work to remove violent people from our spaces who make our spaces unhealthy and unsafe for others. This might be accomplished via exile or banishment or some other mechanism. There is no place for Black people who harm and oppress other Black people in our community and negate their humanity. Liberators and leeches cannot inhabit the same body. There will be no liberated African future if African people are unable to trust, affirm, and be accountable to each other.
Neo-Plantations and the Function of the “Bad” Black Person
In Baltimore, and urban cities like it throughout the world, though temporally different, we find a similar social order to that which confronted the African peoples who were enslaved by the Europeans centuries ago. Instead, the physical enslavement of yesterday through shackles and ships has taken the contemporary form of cultural castration, epistemological starvation, deadly drug inundation, weapons influx, deplorable housing infrastructure, and abhorrent health care protections. White supremacy still demands captives, yet today those captives are not destined for Brazilian plantations and the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Nowadays, the captives demanded of white supremacy are fed into the Prison-Industrial Complex and the grave. There is money to be made in bailing, bonding, body bagging, and burying Black bodies. Black people exist in perpetual captivity in the 21st century neo-plantation of the Americas. Black people in the U.S. makeup 13.2% of the country’s population but 37.5% of the prison population, thus disproportionately represented as prisoners. In the past eleven years, the number of private prisons in the United States has grown from five to one hundred. “Just between 1980 and 1994, profits [of contracted prison labor] went up from $392 million to $1.31 billion. Inmates in state penitentiaries generally receive the minimum wage for their work, but not all; in Colorado, they get about $2 per hour, well under the minimum. And in privately-run prisons, they receive as little as 17 cents per hour for a maximum of six hours a day, the equivalent of $20 per month.”
The racist system of incarceration that permeates much of the United States benefits and is populated by the mass of intra-Africana community violence and stop and frisk/broken windows policing that exists in cities like Baltimore. The mainstream media contends that the uprising in Baltimore produced a spike in crime, yet I assert there is no way a police force can stop these very crimes. By nature of the very profession of police, it requires Black people to correct, corral, or put beneath concrete. Therefore, “bad” Black people who police can send to the prison industrial complex is what the system demands, not what the system shall eradicate. But, their validity within the eyes of the society is that they operate for the collective benefit of the society. However, the more insidious reality is that much in the way the white abolitionist/missionary movement on the continent serves to establish whites as saviors and Black people as helpless, the narrative of the police as necessary casts whiteness the savior (police as proxy for whiteness because it serves and protects white interests) and Black people again as helpless. In both cases, indigenous Africana people represent a sort of evil, on the continent it was the false conception that they had backward religions and propensity to sell each other into slavery. In Baltimore, it is the false idea of the Black on Black criminal as the chief perpetrator of crime and violence who needs to be shut down by the “good guys” (i.e. the police).
The violence that Black people face/d at the hands of other Black people is/was real. Under slavery, the African collaborator often believed that their privileged status with the Europeans made them better and afforded them some sort of protection against meeting the same fate as their fellow Africans. For the collaborator, they viewed their position of trader and collaborator as a choice, they fancied themselves business partners with Europeans, for many Africans bought the myth of slavery as business too. However, in genocide, today’s collaborator is tomorrow’s corpse. The inability of the collaborator to see that, combined with the selfish urge to preserve oneself by any cost and all means is what the oppressor counts on. Inikori argues that the “…process of establishing captive-collecting vassals … depended on the continued widespread existence of politically fragmented communities” (Diouf, 2003). In other words, part of why the slave trade was able to perpetuate itself was because Europeans created a climate where Africans did not see their extended self in the African who was in shackles while they lived in relative comfort for the moment. Europe, as Inikori established, created a societal structure where individualism became indicative of survival and communalism ended in capture.
This positioning of individual protection and safety became something that Europeans cast as their divine right to dole out, only to the most worthy of the “lesser people”, the Africans. And of course, for an African to deem oneself worthy in the eyes of whiteness, this African had to emulate (but never reach) whiteness, which by definition meant to dehumanize Blackness. The more willing one was to sell other Africans into slavery, the more cache one gained with the Europeans. However, this cache, unbeknownst to the collaborating Africans, was not secure, but fleeting. As soon as one African’s favor in the Europeans’ eyes wore out, there would be another more ruthless, more anti-Black African willing to sacrifice other Africans for the myth of momentary safety from whiteness’ wrath. Such desire to show off for whiteness how anti-Black one can be out of the false belief that it will garner some protection from whiteness’ wrath is as contemporary as historic. We see this daily in the abhorrent treatment by many Black men of Black women, Black women to Black men, and Black men to other Black men ourselves. Intra-group violence does occur between and by Black men, Black women, Black gender non-conforming people, and all other folks who exist within Blackness. It is imperative to note that each of those intra-group violences are not the same due to systems of power that privilege certain Black people, often “cisgender” Black men over others such as patriarchy, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc. The foci of this essay are violences perpetrated by Black men intra-communally where their victims are Black men and Black women primarily.
The Anatomy of Toxic Black Masculinity
In Black on Black Violence: The Psychodynamics of Black Self-Annihilation in Service of White Domination, Amos Wilson, African Psychologist, outlines the way that Black men are socialized to view harming other Black people and themselves as necessary for their ascension to manhood. Wilson lists a myriad of examples of media and historical platforms that frame Black men as inept unless performing procreation or persecution. White supremacist patriarchy does not desire for Black men to reach the status of white men, but the system counts on Black men viewing the status of white men as desirable. In the realization that as Black man one will never reach that status, the adaptation many make as recourse is often to harm those they feel have made their reaching of that precarious pinnacle impossible: other Black people, Black women especially. In their minds it is their proximity to these “others” that has stained their ability to transcend the blemish of Blackness, forever marring them in the eyes of whites. Therefore, harming other Black people becomes a way of attempting to wipe the stench of Black from one’s manhood and gain access to the power and privilege of white manhood (which is beyond a mere desire to “be a white man”). This is what shall be understood in this work as toxic Black masculinity.
When speaking of toxic Black masculinity, social scientist William Oliver describes “dysfunctional compensatory adaptation, in that it causes more problems than it solves” (Oliver 1989). The trading of Africans into slavery by other Africans was also a dysfunctional compensatory adaptation, in that it ended up exacerbating the reign of the slave trade instead of exterminating it. For contemporary context, of Africana people who develop these adaptations to white supremacist patriarchy “chewed up and spit out as shells of what they once were… in motion for the sole purpose of rabid materialism and consumption… and young African-American males in particular, suffer from a cultural void” (Jackson 2015). This cultural void means that before people will seek to remove all resemblance of their community from themselves, they must see that community as separate from themselves. This dehumanizing process leaves the Black person that remains as little more than a hollow shell, attempting to fill oneself with the blood and bodies of “others” consumed in their wake. Not out of some innate evil on their part, but because they quite simply don’t know how to eat anything but themselves.
Hiphop artist Lil’Boosie encapsulates this mindset better than most, when in his song Mind of a Maniac (2009) he proclaims: “Man, you wonder why ya child so bad, because the f*cking body bags done hypnotized my a**.” Boosie is explaining how the normalization of Black death warps one’s mind to view taking and destroying Black lives as not only normal but necessary to humanity. As was the case during The Maafa, the loss of Black life was so commonplace that it manipulated some Africans to only see the lives of other Africans as valuable in their ability to secure money or safety (albeit momentary). Lil’ Boosie also states in this song that his “Heart full of f*ckin pain cause I’m tired of gettin’ stabbed and grabbed.” This fullness of pain often drives those who have been consumed by this toxic Black masculinity to deploy violence and posturing of being violent for protection. D Watkins provides a searing example of how this posturing plays out when he writes of himself and his friends having guns in Gunplay is All I Know, “We weren’t killers and didn’t even think about dealing at the time. We were just scared kids who didn’t want to lie dead in the streets like our brothers, fathers, friends and the rest of the black dudes who get murdered all over the country.” This confluence of fear and fate leaves many Black men believing that their choices are limited to doing the killing or doing the dying.
In Black Power: Minstrelsy and Electricity in Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man", Johnnie Wilcox writes of Black masculinity and dehumanization explored in Ellison’s classic “...black boxing machines fight one against the other as schizoid subjects, members of a pack together in their aloneness...present functioning prepares them for a lifetime of pursuing symbolic capital while reassuring the powerful white men who watch that these machines will not recognize anything beyond the ring's borders as legitimate targets of their violence” (Wilcox 2007). Incendiary levels of violence are allowed to exist in the “inner cities” is because their ramifications are experienced within the borders of Blackness by Black people, with whiteness as the unharmed spectator. Black bodies existing under white supremacy are cast as deserving of the violence they inflict upon one another, self-inflicted harm is said to be their “natural” disposition. In the “inner city” the police play the roles of referee and promoter, walking a tightrope of ignoring and inducing the violence. In cities like Baltimore the police are simultaneously everywhere and nowhere.
“The spectacle of convulsing black bodies entertains and comforts the white men… provides the white men with some assurance that their own place in the system of capital is not a bad one” (Wilcox 2007). This is the sadistic truth; the reality that having Black men bounce from bellies to burial grounds like pinballs reifies the position of dominance whiteness currently enjoys in our society. As a result, the interior psychological architecture of many Black men is indeed as Lil’ Boosie says in his song: “I ain’t got no mind. Welcome to the mind of a maniac.”
Baltimore, Arnesha Bowers, and the Brutality of Toxic Black Masculinity
Intra-racial “Black on Black violence” is real, harsh, traumatic, and sometimes hurts more than violence from white people because one feels a sense of experiential betrayal. This is poignantly articulated by Black women and Black LGBTQ people who write at length about the ways that patriarchy, homophobia, and transphobia provide havens of momentary faux safety for Black people whose sex, gender, and sexual orientation identities afford them privilege in this society. Authors such as Audre Lorde, Patricia Hill Collins, Janet Mock, Kimberlee Crenshaw, Dawn Elissa-Fishcer, Layli Mapryan,and Assata Shakur among others outline how such privileges have often made violence against Black women by Black men, structurally permissible and ancillary in the “broader scheme” in the eyes of many people. Currently, activists like Patrisse Cullors and Charlene Carruthers have used #SayHerName and #BlackLivesMatter and #BYP100 to address this very issue. In the same way that many Black men are socialized to not see their fellow Black men as their extended selves, many Black men are socialized to see Black women and other Black people similarly. These are two sides of the same self-alienation coin that are flipped daily in the mind of the Black on Black criminal. In the case of the male Black on Black criminal, Amos Wilson describes this as his inclination to “equate violence with masculinity. His capacity for violence is correlated with his sense of security, his use of it, the most appropriate expression of his ‘manhood.’ Violence is often his most effective way of gaining ‘respect’ control of others, and his environment” (Wilson 1990).
Following the uprisings surrounding Freddie Gray, Baltimore City saw a most gratuitous case of just this type of violence, physically perpetrated by Black men against a young Black girl. On June 7th 2015, the body of 16 year old Arnesha Bowers was found, having been raped and her body badly burned inside of her home, which had been set ablaze by arson earlier that day. Three Black men have since been indicted in the rape and murder of Arnesha Bowers. Some City officials have grotesquely scapegoated the uprisings in the name of Freddie Gray and others as the catalyst for Bowers’ murder and other violent crimes committed by Black men in Baltimore. However, what these officials fail to realize is that Black people have been killing each other long before the Gray uprisings, and the flowing of white supremacy’s internal toxins in our communities has been an issue for us long before 2015. A mind capable of the violence in the Bowers murder, as Wilson reminds us, is one the male Black on Black criminal (and the writ large Black on Black criminal) received from and shares with the white male narcissistic racist; “...the Black on Black violent criminal in American society is essentially a “copycat” or imitator of the narcissistic racism endemic to the White american community” (Wilson 1990). In line with that type of Black brute self-fulfilling hypermasculinity performance, Bowers’ death has since been connected to a supposed “mission” for gang initiation, as has been the case in Baltimore plus other major cities, around instances of intra-racial violence. Toxic forms of Black masculinity are often defined by the veracity with which one can berate Black women/girls who don’t acquiesce Black men’s/boys’ whims. Black on Black violence is used to prove one’s dedication to the objectives of white supremacy, particularly in the form of debasing and sexually assaulting the bodies of Black girls and women. Wilson says the intra-racial criminal shares the following with the white narcissistic racist: “his intended victims have no rights they cannot defend successfully against his depredations… An authority onto himself… his victims have rights only he may condescendingly give them” (Wilson 1990). Bowers a young Black girl, was dehumanized on multiple fronts, being both Black and a girl. This was not the result of the Baltimore uprisings, in fact the uprisings brought many of the gangs in Baltimore together. The Baltimore Uprisings brought Black people closer to seeing themselves in Arnesha Bowers, not farther away. Black people in those gangs who, as Wilson states, were taught to emulate the white racist narcissist, began to remove the strings of racial cannibalism, and see themselves as a collective of Black people, under attack against the real power structure, white supremacist patriarchy. Arnesha Bowers’ murder was a form of intra-racial violence with roots more insidious than the public officials of Baltimore City are willing to admit, the uprisings are a nothing more than a convenient scapegoat. There are droves of Black women in Baltimore City who are doing the work of healing, therapy, and organizing around the issue of intra-racial violence committed against Black people, girls and women in particular. One such exemplar is Mothyna Brightful is a social justice advocate who works at Turn Around, a non-profit in Baltimore “that works with victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault” as Director of Community Education. Brightful does invaluable work in the lives of Black girls and women throughout the Baltimore City area. Additionally, Shawna Murray-Browne, MSW, LCSW, is a Baltimore based Social Worker whose practice Kindred Wellness LLC provides “mental health therapy, life coaching, Sista circles and events that heal, empower and renew women, girls, & families particularly those of color.”
Though the situation is dire, African people are not defeated in our quest to overcome this systemic violence against our bodies and minds. In the same way that enslaved Africans, as we learned from Rashid, focused their resistance on thwarting the objectives of their oppressors, Jackson posits that rooting one’s sense of self, purpose, and identity culturally in African people collectively serves to thwart the objectives of white supremacist patriarchy as it relates to Black men.
CityStreets+SlaveShips: Tidal Waves of Intergenerational Anti-Blackness and Resistance
The Middle Passage, where millions of Africans were submerged in the depths of clipper ships, many of which docked in Baltimore City’s Inner Harbor less than 250 years ago, was the original rough ride. Surrounded by decaying flesh, death, and defecation, along with the tumultuous tides of the Atlantic, the ride to the Americas for enslaved Africans was a most abhorrent one. In fact, “Slave ship owners often threw Africans off the ships just to collect the insurance money. One famous case was that of a ship owned by William Gregson and George Case (both former mayors of Liverpool, England). The captain threw 133 Africans into the sea….” Freddie Gray was also thrown into a sea of sorts, every curve of the city streets analogous to the ripples of the ocean that thrashed the bodies of his ancestors. His shackled body bouncing to and fro, his transporters indifferent to the suffering of their cargo, his survival tangential. During a rough ride, this “dark tradition of police misconduct… suspects, seated or lying face down and in handcuffs in the back of a police wagon, are jolted and battered by an intentionally rough and bumpy ride that can do as much damage as a police baton without an officer having to administer a blow.”
As previously mentioned, in the days of the Maafa, the enslaved who died en route to the Americas were often tossed overboard. But in the age of social media, Gray’s body couldn’t have been dumped on Mosher St. after he indicated he couldn’t breathe, it would’ve been bad for business. Instead, he succumbed to his injuries in a hospital days later. Death by rough ride is the death by overboard toss of the 21st century. Now let’s juxtapose Gray’s murder in police custody with the murder of many Africans in custody enslavers. In both cases, Africana people are often blamed for our own suffering. The argument goes like this: with murder on slave ships, A. Africans sold each other into slavery, so that equals B. they did it to themselves. And with Gray, A. Black people exhibit intra-racial violent behaviors (Black on Black violence) so that requires B. the constant police surveillance and aggression practices which led to Gray’s illegal arrest. The crux of this narrative about the deserving of decimation thrust upon Black people is that it is upheld by the falsity that only through white-led organizing/activism have Black people come to resist their enslavement and intra-racial violent behaviors. This is how the uprisings in Baltimore get classified as unruly and unorganized riots that will accomplish nothing. It is the same premise that allows historians to cast African resistance to slavery as minimal and minute, irrelevant until the benevolence of the white abolitionist movement. It is the same logic that fueled the police slow-down in Baltimore City following the uprisings, a logic that contends: without the police, without white protection and white guidance, the Negroes will eviscerate each other. Hence, all resistance before white people show Black folks the right way isn’t real resistance, but misdirected anger and frivolous rioting. Resistance indigenous to Africana people, prior to and independent of white guidance is removed from the annals of mainstream history and rendered myopic in mainstream contemporary discourse. The fact of the matter is that whiteness has no issue with the “Negroes” eviscerating themselves, only that it be done in a manner and medium to their liking. The fact of the matter is, the only thing that white guidance has led Black people to has been a myriad of rough rides masquerading as salvation. From the shackles on the slave ship to the handcuffs on the police wagon, Black people have borne the burden of white benevolence with nothing less than our lives.
“Most Africans resisted enslavement with all of their energy. Rebellions on slave ships were common. According to one source… There was probably at least one insurrection every eight to ten journeys.’” However, in most educational settings abolition and resistance are said to have begun with William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Beecher Stowe. “Africans successfully rebelled in 1532 aboard the Portuguese slave ship the Misericordia. The 109 Africans on board “rose and murdered all the crew except for the pilot and two seaman. Those survivors escaped in a longboat. But the Misericordia was never heard of again.” However, in most educational settings Roger Sherman Baldwin, lawyer in the Amistad case, and John Brown, white abolitionist are said to have given the “real” traction to abolishing to the peculiar institution. The valorization of the individual white resister obscures the vile systemic reality of white supremacy while obfuscating African resistance methods as imperfect and inadequate. Such is the case in Baltimore City, however, there are many Black people and organizations throughout Baltimore who are in their own way, shooting back against white supremacist patriarchy and using African culture plus Black lived experience as their foundations.
B African to B More: Culture and the Necessity of Sankofa
On the importance of culturally endemic and indigenous resistance Shawn Ginwright, Africana Studies scholar, writes “An emancipatory vision for Black youth means that being rooted in African culture is a starting point for identity development, but not the end point…. Once Black youth understand why Blackness is degraded around the world, they can identify ways that they degrade Blackness in their own lives” (Ginwright 2010). For the African who enslaved other Africans, and for the Black on Black criminal who harms his own people, this means unchaining oneself from the entrapment of white supremacist puppetry, and cutting the strings. Ginwright continues by saying “Constant and relentless questioning of Black youth’s assumptions about Black identity can develop in them social justice habits” (Ginwright 2010). The Baltimore Uprisings were the example of the emergence of a social justice habit (resistance to oppression) in real time by a people who questioned the killings, the shootings, the racism, people who resisted what they were being told about why Freddie Gray died, about why Tyrone West died, about why so many in Baltimore for so long have died. From Ginwright we learn, “culture and identity provide Black youth with purpose that is both rooted in the history of Black struggle and connected to the problems of everyday life” (Ginwright 2010). In the sankofic (term introduced to the discipline by Donela Wright, M.A.) connecting of shackled Africans killed in the past to Freddie Gray in shackles killed in 2015, many Black Baltimoreans through culture and identity became rooted in their purpose, resistance to white supremacy for the goal of African liberation. The Baltimore Uprisings were an instantiation of Baltimore’s Black youth accepting what Serie McDougal and Michael Tillotson, two Africana Studies scholars, term their “ancestral assignment.”
In Baltimore City, there are numerous examples of Africana people utilizing indigenous modes of resistance, birthed and cultivated within their own cultural context, doing the work of their “ancestral assignments.” The following are examples of such groups and individuals. The group 300 Men March is a group that believes in “responsibility and non-violence” as a guiding philosophy and seeks to curb local violence. Author D. Watkins has used his life experiences and literary acumen to position his voice as a seminal one in the movement for a more affirming and just Baltimore, particularly for Black low-income and working class people. In his articles such as Too Poor For Pop Culture, Gunplay is All I Know, These Are The Two Baltimore’s: One Black One White, and Black History Bulldozed For Another Starbucks, Watkins has established himself as a voice in both the nuanced battle against intra-group violence and the war against white supremacist patriarchy. In the arts, there is the work of Mia Loving, curator and founder of Invisible Majority, a creative community incubator, led by her and Blaqstarr together. Loving has done extensive work in Baltimore City around creating and holding intra-communal spaces of affirmation and justice for Black people. Invisible Majority holds space for Black youth and community members to have opportunities to artistically express and work through the anti-Blackness which inundates people daily. Loving’s sister, Sache Jones runs the Afya Community Teaching Garden, which is located in the Park Heights community of Baltimore City. Jones’ space address the abundance of food deserts and structurally racialized food inequality in Baltimore. Lastly, but far from least, there is a Baltimore based organization called Leaders of A Beautiful Struggle (LBS), “a grassroots think-tank which advances the public policy interest of Black people, in Baltimore, through: youth leadership development, political advocacy, and autonomous intellectual innovation.” LBS’ Board of Directors members are Lawrence Grandpre, Adam Jackson, Brion Gill, Deverick Murray, and Dayvon Love. In their own way, each of the aforementioned groups and individuals are doing the work of shooting back against white supremacy in Baltimore City and beyond.
“In the Morning, Will U Be Here in the Morning?” Intra-Violence is Ultimately Homicide
The belief that sacrificing some members of the community for the protection of others against a community that seeks to destroy the entire community is as reductive and flat out wrong, resulting in what I term “faux safety.” It has never brought the collaborators anything but a postponement of their day of facing the same fate as their victims. But, the comfort of this faux safety is often so intoxicating that Black people, many times Black men, will serve other Black men, Black women and Black LGBTQIA people to the wolves of whiteness for one more day in their wool. This illusion is what enticed so many Africans to send other Africans into slavery, and it is the same illusion that makes Black people harming and destroying other Black people will lead to anything short of our collective genocide. It is as Angela Davis said, “For if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.” As long as so many Black people remain puppets to the desires of white supremacist patriarchy, we will continue to be the undertakers of whiteness, decapitating our people, not realizing it is us who is due to the gallows at dawn.
Henry Louis Gates, “Ending the Slavery Blame Game,” New York Times (New York, NY), April 22 2010.
Vicky Peleaz, “The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery,” Global Research (New York, NY), Marchl 31 2014.
Written by Paul Easterling
Wednesday morning April 29, 2015, less than a mile from Patapsco and Washington Ave in South Baltimore, while looking after my toddler sons at the playground of our apartment complex, the deep feeling of terror came over me as I realized I did not have my cell phone with me. The terror was not caused by the thought that I might miss a call, text or post on Facebook, but from the feeling of helplessness because I was caught without any means of protection against the police. Cell phones may be the only protection many people have against a “servant of the peace” with ill-intention. Carrying a gun or knife is not a viable option for me, or many others like me, because that only serves as reason and justification for police violence. All we have are recording devices which can document the unbiased truth of any incident. And here I was, caught out in public with two young and precious lives without any means to protect them besides my wits, my two-hands and the off chance a person may walk by armed with a cell-phone.
Nothing happened to me or my kids as they eventually got bored by the fact that no other kids were around and wanted to go home. But the feeling of helplessness lingered with me throughout the week as my family and I watched the unrest within our community from the safety of our homes. Police terroristic violence against American residents of poor neighborhoods, particularly along racial lines, is a well-documented problem that has persisted since the law enforcement institutions of American states, counties and cities have existed. The only advantage in living with this problem during the technological age is that fact that victims of police violence and abuse can record these incidents and spread them across the country (and the world) with relative ease and speed using their handheld devices.
Audio-visual technology is a phenomenon that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took advantage of over fifty years ago in the rural American south to get the world to realize the severity of the problem of racial segregation and violence in the United States. He strategically created circumstances for cameras to capture the brutality, as well for the world to witness and experience the terror of Black life in America. Kevin Moore, the young man who recorded Freddie Gray’s arrest, worked within the same parameters of this historical protest strategy. This is to say that technology can help give validity to the voices that call for action against police subjugation and brutality. For a critically minded and well-informed public, it is not enough to just say what is, there must be proof. Audio-visual technology helps to provide that proof and the technology of social media allows it to spread across the world at a rapid pace, making it extremely difficult for violators of human rights to maintain innocence in the face of obvious guilt. Therefore, I applaud the efforts of citizens to document the horror of Black life in America and encourage the continuation of this strategy as it is historically grounded as a viable weapon against police terrorism.
Furthermore, the tradition of active resistance against oppression is also very much historically supported in Maryland. For instance, Harriet Tubman of Dorchester County, Maryland, reminds us to: “Never wound a snake: kill it.” As well Frederick Douglass, from Talbot County, Maryland, argues that “the thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes the rebellion.” In addition, Thurgood Marshall, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, maintains that “sometimes history takes things into its own hands.” Lastly, in pursuit of justice for Freddie Gray, the residents of Baltimore this week echoed the sentiments of one of its fictional icons from the show The Wire, Omar Little, who reminds us all that when justice is withheld in such an egregious manner in Baltimore, the people will “huff and puff.” These quotes demonstrate in a qualitative way the spirit of resistance that comes from Maryland’s most notable African American icons, both historical and fictional. This is only to suggest that what happened in Baltimore this past week is in line with the historical patterns and cultural ethos of African people who reside in the state of Maryland. Thus, I encourage those who can and will to fight on!
In the last year alone there are the cases of: Michael Brown in Fergeson, Missouri, Eric Garner of Staten Island, Tarika Wilson from Lima, Ohio, Aiyana Jones of Detroit, Michigan, Walter Scott from Charleston, South Carolina, Tamir Rice of Cleveland and Rekia Boyd of Chicago. Those are just the cases that managed to make national news which says nothing about those cases that only made region news or that were not reported at all.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Why We Can’t Wait. (New York: New American Library, 1964).
Baltimore Sun, Sunday May 3, 20154 “Man who shot Freddie Gray arrest video: “I finally made a difference.”
I further applaud the efforts of the protestors because they once again proved their morality and humanity over and above the police department by the very fact that throughout all of the unrest not one cop was killed. The Baltimore Police Department cannot make such a boast as this problem was caused initially by the killing of an unarmed Black man in restraints.
Iam A. Freeman, Seeds of Revolution: Collection of Axioms, Passages and Proverbs, Volume 2. (Bloomington: iUniverse LLC, 2009), 43.
Frederick Douglass, The Essential Frederick Douglass (Radford: Wilder Publications, 2008), 675.
Mark DeYmamaz, Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church: Mandate, Commitments, and Practices of a Diverse Congregation (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007), 13.
Omar Little. The Wire (season 1, episode 9).
Written by Chris Roberts
The White Supremacist Teleology of the Police
In his essay The Theoretical and Methodological Crisis of the Africentric Conception Black psychologist W.C. Banks described teleology as a “sense of directedness, of definite ends, of definite purpose” (Banks 1992). Given the historiographical outline of the police in the previous two parts in this series, from its European ideological origins to its contemporary manifestation in the United States, it should be clear that the definite purpose of this entity is indeed to sustain the white ruling elite and its benefactors (the white community writ large) extending the “collective responsibility for maintaining dominance over the Black slaves among them” (Hadden. 2003). In the eyes of the police as an institution, Black people can only exist as slaves because a liberatory Africana humanity, what Modupe describes as “Africana existence on Africana terms” is diametrically opposed to the definite purpose of the police to decimate and dominate Africana people, by any cost and all means.
In the 21st century, we find ourselves square within the scope the same white supremacist police entity; it has just adjusted its appearance. The definite purpose of the police profession, from its inception to today, is inexhaustibly clear. It is as Malcolm X said, “racism is like a Cadillac, they bring out a new model every year.” The current model can be found in police departments such as, but not exclusive to, Cleveland, Oakland, Chicago, New York, and Ferguson. Though those are the ones listed, it is important that we understand, as Malcolm X also said, “everything under Canada is the South” so these new models of racism via policing are not the exceptions of the U.S., but they are the norm.
If the teleology of our oppressors police force is “the continuation of white supremacy for the purpose of situating Black/Africana/African people as a criminal denomination of sub-humanity in need of eternal punishment and surveillance” then what is our teleology as Africana people? What is our sense of directedness as it relates to tackling this deadly threat. It is my offering to, what I hope is a very robust and critical discourse on this topic, that our sense of directedness be towards self-protection for the purpose of intra communal strategizing and healing.
Much of the Black public wanted to believe that the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was going to mark an end to racism in the United States and the dawn of a new era of racial equality and harmony. Many in our ranks hoped that the State would no longer be against Black people but for all U.S. citizenry, of which Black people would be more ingrained than ever before. There was similar fervor in the country during the 1960s with the Civil Rights Act and the alleged desegregation of public schools, the idea was again, that racial harmony was just over the horizon via non-violence and faith in the political process. However, the Black youth of the 60s came to a sobering realization, that the horizon they yearned for was not coming, and that realization, as Dr. Akinyele Umoja tells us in his book We Will Shoot Back “The failure of the national Democratic Party leadership to seat the multiracial delegates of the MFPD and to support the MFPD’s challenge to the legitimacy of segregationist Mississippi Democrats… [and] After all the bombings, deaths, and other forms of terrorism endured by Mississippi Blacks and the Black Freedom Struggle… many activists lost faith in cooperation with White liberals and the democratic party as a means to secure the goals of the struggle” (Umoja. 2013). I contend that the Africana youth of 2015 find themselves at a similar crossroads. The Department of Justice has proven itself unwilling or unable to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law the murderers of Black people. The international human rights organization Amnesty has proven itself unwilling or unable to address the critiques of racial subjugation levied by Black activists within, and external to its organization.
The luster off the Obama election gone, and the blood of countless Black people killed by the State still fresh, I contend the Africana youth of today are headed to the same conclusion of the 1960s youth in that “the Movement and Black people in general would have to rely upon themselves and their own resources for their own protection” (Umoja. 2013). Therefore, self-protection is understood as an assessment of the practical ways in which the tactic of armed self-defense which Umoja defines as “the protection of life, persons, and property from aggressive assault through the application of force necessary to thwart or neutralize attack” (Umoja. 2013). The reason I advocate for armed self-defense as self-protection is because it will start us on the path of riding ourselves of the fear we have of the police profession. “Ultimately, the Black Freedom Struggle in Mississippi and the South was a fight to overcome fear. Blacks overcame fear and asserted their humanity…armed resistance played [a role] in overcoming fear and intimidation and engendering Black political, economic, and social liberation.
Intra Communal Strategizing:
Intra communal strategizing as a point is imperative because the teleology of the intra communal members will be different than that of the external communal members. This is highlighted in the work of Grandpre and Love in the text The Black Book: Reflections from the Baltimore Grassroots warns of the non-profit industrial complex. I value their critique of that, especially given that in many “coalition” meetings around issues of mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex, non-profits. Love states “Those of us on the front line of the fight are not seen as worthy negotiators on these issues that directly affect us. This fundamental contradiction explains the way in which white supremacy informs the inability of people to see Black people as having the collective wherewithal to manage and operate large institutions. Until this mythology is dispelled we will be subject to white control…” (Love, 167). The first point here is that Africana people must discuss the intentional creation of space and place in a way that is not stifling but empowering to Africana people. Secondly, it is indeed from the intentional creation of space that the third point can be addressed. The reason I advocate for intra-communal strategizing is because if our goals are averse to the reason of existence held by the police profession, then.
University of Indiana Bloomington scholar Maria Abegunde says of healing in "Sankofa in Action: Creating A Plan that Works," “Although many approaches in the literature on healing, ritual are holistic... they tend to focus on what I believe are symptoms (violence and the result of violence) as opposed to the cause(s) of the wound. I am suggesting that attention must first be given to the spiritual origin(s) of violence before addressing any of the other issues" (Abegunde, 2011). Healing from this particular type of trauma is something that is very intergenerational, both physically and spiritually. The previous two points work in concert with this point because the self- protection is the immediate response to police professions assault on Black bodies, the intra-communal strategizing session was more short term because there must be a space held to critique and analyze potential solutions in a way that fosters community decision making across our intersections of class, gender, sexuality, etc. Lastly, the healing component itself is important because it is here where grief and affirmation are on full display. In regards to grief, Malidoma Some contends,
If there is no expression of grief, it will affect the living and the dead detrimentally... it is the presence
of community that validates the expression of grief. This means that a singular expression of grief is
an incomplete expression of grief. A communal expression of grief has the power to send the
deceased to the realm of the ancestors and to heal the hurt produced in the psyches of the living by
the death of a loved one" (Some, 1993).
In order to grasp or even approach the spiritual origin of centuries of trauma under the whip of the slave patrol to being in the crosshairs of a gun, there must be a time and space set just for that. Many of us cannot begin to conceive of grieving for those Black people we hear about on them on the news more than every hour. The practice proves too daunting or exhausting, occurring with such normalcy that ones choices often seem to be numbness or emotional overload. Grief is the process, particularly from an African cultural perspective that sets aside space for the human to process the unspeakable. I suggest the creation of rituals and practices rooted in the African traditions of the past. And the battleground the healing and the spiritual is the core because as African people our teleology or our definite purpose is not just material, but it is by definition ancestral.
This article has engaged the topic of police professionalism from its inception to some examples of its contemporary manifestation. I am of the belief that if our goal is “liberation” and by liberation we use Amilcar Cabral’s definition of the returning of a people to their historic personality, combined with Danjuma Modupe’s Afrocentric concept of “Africana existence on Africana terms” then Africana people must begin to divest, if not yet physically, at least ideologically and morally from the belief that the police profession is anything more than a system that will only dehumanize Africana people for the sake of protecting the profits, financial and otherwise of white supremacy. No amount of “good-cops” or individuals “from the community” can change the nature of the police profession; hence the initial suggestions for alternative places for some engaged youth to direct their energy.
One fundamental component of establishing Africana existence on Africana terms is listening to the suggestions Africana activists on the ground that are directly engaging the trauma of the police force and profession. I view this as the first stage in self-defense against the police, because the people most in tune with the self are those on the ground with their ear to the street. Some of the activists who should be contacted by those interested are Johnetta Elzie, DeRay McKesson, Erica Garner, Alicia Garza, Jasiri X, Cherelle Brown, Charlene Carruthers, as well as the following organizations: #BlackLivesMatter, Organization for Black Struggle, Millennial Activists United, New York Justice League, We Charge Genocide, and The Black Youth Project 100 among other organizations. Each of the activists named have first-hand on-the-ground experience both protesting and organizing against the police force from a position of Africana agency. Each of the organizations listed also have first -hand on-the-ground experience both protesting and organizing against the police force from the position of Africana agency. In this series of essays, I have offered both analysis and critique. On the macro level I am of the opinion that we must start from a position of agency as African people, not merely Negroes reacting to whiteness. This is both macro and fundamental because theory is, as Amilcar Cabral taught us, a weapon, and, as Bobby Wright taught us, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” So indeed, we must stand on firm cultural ground, be oriented towards Africa, and, as Molefi Asante reminds us, claim a victorious consciousness for our fellow Africana people and ourselves. However, on an existential level, I think, as Dr. Sonja Peterson Lewis states “You have to speak to the people, before you speak for the people.” Therefore, I would suggest starting with these activists and organizations I have listed in regards to on-the- ground direct action, as it is my judgment that their voices will be some of the most necessary, poignant, accountable, and accessible, which is precisely the starting point for any revolutionary movement; not pontificating from on high, but cultivating and crafting our tactics and perspectives from the Black grassroots.
Written by Chris Roberts
U.S. History of Police Departments
The first police departments in the northern United States, Philadelphia (1833), New York, and Boston, all are based largely off Sir Robert Peele’s model and his nine operational principles. The particular situation in the States was the abundance of intra-ethnic strife between different European groups such as the Dutch, the Irish, and others. However, this was an external push factor that led to the implementation of those police departments, much in the same way the thieves in England were an external push factor. But it still was a subsidiary force in their creation, as the internal end of protecting white supremacist profit and dehumanization of Africana people via the slave trade still was the internal end of the profession in the United States, as it was in England. Many of the historians of the police in the United States would like to tell a narrative of the Northern departments a la Gangs of New York, a dedicated force of public servants dedicated to order and peace in their community amidst organized crime and mass riots. Those same historians will then juxtapose the Northern departments as therefore distinct from the overtly racist Ku-Klux-Klan minded gunslingers of the South, who openly sought to use the police concept to subjugate the “Negroes.” The fact of the matter is, that both the North and the South despised and ignored the Negro. The Black scholar W.E.B. DuBois explained profoundly the ethos of the Northern despise of the “Negro” particularly during the Civil War in his text Black Reconstruction:
To the Northern masses the Negro was a curiosity, a sub-human minstrel, willingly and naturally a
slave, and treated as well as he deserved to be. He had not sense enough to revolt and help Northern
armies, even if they were trying to emancipate him, which they were not. The North shrank at the
very thought of encouraging servile insurrection against the whites. Above all it did not propose to
interfere with property. Negroes on the whole were considered inferior beings whose very presence
in America was unfortunate (56).
If it was indeed as DuBois articulates (which I assert it was), one must reach the conclusion that if such a fervent belief in the inherent inferiority of Black people consumed the white U.S. consciousness in the 1860s, there is no reason to believe that roughly thirty years prior when most of these Northern police departments were created and professionalized that such belief wasn’t just as, if not more prevalent.
Therefore, the sub-human treatment of Black people by the police, government, law, and military was not an example of individual bad actors in Northern cities among an otherwise abolition and freedom minded mass of concerned white folk. Rather the protection of such sub-human treatment was necessary for the exacerbation of profit and construction of the United States as a global superpower that the enslaved African be present in the country. That said the entity most adept to protect the ability for white supremacy to treat Africana people in that manner was the police profession. The founders of the country never envisioned or wanted the “Negro” to be an equal contributor and member of the American republic. The “Negro presence” was particularly abhorrent to one of the most Northern, “forward-thinking” devout adherents to the idea of “America.” Benjamin Franklin, American polymath, politician, and founding father long held concept of the new country as an Edenic refuge and destination for white people. To understand this concept of Edenic one should look to the work of philosopher Benjamin Cocker in his following description:
… commencement of an Edenic race in an Edenic centre, the calling into being of a specially endowed and Divinely instructed man, the covenant man, who was the figure of Him who was to come, that is, he was the type of Christ, the Teacher and Redeemer. The Edenic man appears as the instructor, the teacher of the prehistoric races. This is “the seed” through which God will elevate and bless the Turanian, the Khamite, the Negro. The Caucasian race, fix it as you may has always been the missionary race, the civilizing race, the educating race, in every age (110).
With the Edenic centre as the United States, this concept of the white man as the instructor of the prehistoric can also be read as the slave patrol defense of “promoting honor and industry” among the enslaved. In each case, the white savior is required to punish, correct and bring those farther from him (also read as farther from Him and Eden) closer to him. Benjamin Franklin expressed “a longing that an ‘Edenic’ North America might become a production hub for the world’s “purely white people,” according to Singh. Given Franklin’s positioning of America as Eden, it was not, nor ever would be, in the eyes of such founders “fit” for those who do not bend to the benevolent guidance of the white saviors of the desolate of the world, among whom the “Negro” was the peak. The fate of those who refused to bend to the Edenic whims of the white ruling elite was to be broken, they would be “corrected,” and the institution of such correction was the slave patrol, the police profession. This subsection has sought to establish beyond reproach that the Northern conceptualization and professionalization of the police is rooted in the belief espoused, per Singh, by Benjamin Franklin that “The majority of Negroes are… cruel in the highest degree… [Franklin doubted that] mild laws could govern such people, which is to say that he affirmed the whiteness of police” (Singh. 2014).
In the 21st century, we find ourselves square within the scope the same white supremacist police entity; it has just adjusted its appearance. It is as Malcolm X said, “racism is like a Cadillac, they bring out a new model every year.” The current model can be found in police departments such as, but not exclusive to, Cleveland, Oakland, Chicago, New York, and Ferguson. Though those are the ones listed, it is important that we understand, as Malcolm X also said, “everything under Canada is the South” so these new models of racism via policing are not the exceptions of the U.S., but they are the norm.
U.S. History of Slave Patrols
The planter class of enslavers, the ruling white elite in what began as the Thirteen Colonies, and eventually became the United States existed in a state of constant fear. According to historian Sally Haden in Slave Patrols, "Southern whites feared their slaves and needed mastery over them...though they tried to be vigilant, many whites lived in almost a 'crisis of fear' from one rumor of rebellion or insurrection to another" (6). Due to this they developed a public law enforcement entity of volunteers, and later employees, whose task it would be to ensure the order and proper behavior of the enslaved. In his turn of the 20th century work The Spawn of Slavery W.E.B. DuBois described this public law enforcement entity as “a system of rural police, mounted and on duty chiefly at night, whose work it was to stop the nocturnal wandering and meeting of slaves, it was usually an effective organization, [to] which all white men belonged” (DuBois. 1901a/1982). These rural police were known as slave patrols, and it is my assertion that they served as the teleological bedrock of what we know today as the police apparatus in the United States.
Sally Haden states that patrols “were not created in a vacuum, but owed much to European institutions that served as the slave patrol’s institutional fore-bearers” (Haden. 2003). Haden continues by revealing that “in the South, the ‘most dangerous people’ who were thought to need watching were the slaves – they were the prime targets of patrol observation and capture. The history of police work in the South grows out of this early fascination… Most law enforcement was by definition, white patrolmen watching, catching, or beating Black slaves” (Haden. 2003). This background is important because we must understand the tactics of the police in their dehumanization of Black people today as not the isolated province of rogue cops, rather core components to the policing profession in the United States. The particular police system in South Carolina owes much of its structure to Barbados, as the majority of its first settler-colonialist came from there, with enslaved Africans in tow of course. Hadden states “Once a Caribbean patrol system existed that could be elaborated on, colonists in the Carolinas and Virginia developed their own distinctive slave patrols in the 18th century” (Haden. 2003). Given this information from Hadden, it now becomes clear that in the history of the United States and the Caribbean, the profession of slave patroller predated the profession of police officer, and therefore obviously played a major role in the Southern policeman archetype. These patrollers emerged initially as community members who all rallied around the collective desire for the “pursuit, capture, suppression, and punishment of runaway slaves” along with the “promoting of honesty and industry among the lowest class who are our slaves” (Hadden. 2003). In this South Carolina example one sees the double edged sword of the slave patrol, on one edge it “corrected” the flesh and on the other edge it “clamped” the mind, both truths contoured the Africana person into a state of, what Michael Tillotson calls, perpetual agency reduction.
This reduction of Africana collective agency was a vital component of the slave patrol profession because equally as important as devaluing Africana life on Africana terms, the slave patrols served to protect whiteness, and position that protection as a collective responsibility, which reaches back to the Hegelian aim of the police as “care for the particular interest as common interest.” For the slave patrols, the particular interest was the dehumanizing of the African because that particularity was made a common interest by the way such dehumanization, reinforced whiteness. Nikhil Pal Singh defines whiteness as:
a status conferring distinct—yet conjoined—social, political, and economic freedoms across a vertiginously unequal property order. A conscious assemblage, it was designed to extend, fortify, individualize, and equalize the government of public life in a world dominated by private property holders whose possessions included other human beings and lands already inhabited yet unframed by prior claims of ownership (1).
These slave patrols operated for centuries killing, arresting, and dehumanizing Africana people on a regular basis. These law enforcement officers were legally empowered to whip, search, strip, rape, and beat Black people, Black women in particular. According to the history books, the slave patrols ended their practices after the Civil War for the most part, however, I assert that the slave patrol merged with the existing police profession, which was a different manifestation of the same teleology. The police profession today still values white supremacy and negates Africana humanity. Haden reminds us that the “…language used to describe slave patrols also permeated police activities long after patrols were gone. The ‘beat’ originally used as a geographic means of organizing slave patrol groups in South Carolina and other states, became the basic area that policeman supervised” (Haden. 2003). Additionally, we learn from the work of Haden that the “stakeout” tactic became professionalized in the police force due to it existing as a common practice in slave patrols.
Written by Chris Roberts
According to the team of activists running the website mappingpoliceviolence.org “At least 304 Black people were killed by the police in the United States in 2014.” According to The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, numbers like this average out to a Black person being killed extrajudicially by the police every 28 hours. There are some who believe that this amount of time between the killings of Black people by police has dipped to one every 21 hours in 2015. In the media, cases such as those highlighted in the aforementioned statistics are described as examples of police brutality. Cassandra Chaney and Ray Robertson in their article Racism and Police Brutality define police brutality as “the use of excessive physical force or verbal assault and psychological intimidation” (Chaney and Robertson. 2013). Though it is true that such treatment is brutal, I contend that such treatment is not a discernible departure from standard practice and function of the police. In the United States and much of the African world that has been pierced by the cutlass of European colonialism and white supremacy, policing by definition is brutal; there is no other form. To police Black/Africana/African people in the United States is to be brutal. This essay is the first in a three-part series that investigates how the concepts of "police and "policing" developed in Europe and traces the history of its colonial and contemporary applications to those of us who are Black/Africana/African in a manner that is brutal. This first essay focuses on the development of the concepts of “police” and “policing” as conceived in Europe.
“To protect and serve” is the mantra of the Los Angeles Police Department and many others in the United States. However, upon further investigation it becomes painstakingly clear that this statement has selective applicability. The police protect the state along with its property, and the police serve whiteness vis-à-vis the continuation of white supremacy for the purpose of situating Black/Africana/African people as a criminal denomination of sub-humanity in need of eternal punishment and surveillance. Therefore, no level of reform or “change of culture” that is implemented to respective police departments or institutions, as long as they are in function and/or name “police” will shift the outcome of their work from being anything but the isolation and decimation of Black/Africana/African people and the protection of whiteness, by any costs and all means.
European History of the Police
The concept of a police force first emerged on the scene in the European world in France during the 10th century. This concept, polizei, was a meshing of “an artillery, a horse patrol, a foot patrol, watchmen” and a supervisor (provost) to enforce the law remained the model for a long time. Centuries later, during the reign of French King Louis XIV, Europe saw its first centralized national police force in 1667. The supervisor under Louis’ rule held the title of Lieutenant General, and this person was to “represent the state in the city… guarantee the security of Paris [and]… upgrade moral behavior” (Levinson. 2002). To ensure the preservation of that desired “moral behavior” from this system, the practice that Law scholar Jean Paul Brodeur describes as “high policing;” the gathering of intelligence about and suppression of potential threats to the society’s pre-existing distribution of power arose. It is from this “high policing” that one sees the justification of undercover agents and informants for the purposes of intelligence gathering and suppression. The European scholar Mark Neocleous posits that primarily “Polizei was concerned with the abolition of disorder” (Neocleous. 1998).
A little over a century later, the first official, modern police department in Europe was created, the Thames River Police in 1798, which according to their museum’s website was “the first policing body ever to be set up. Its sole objective was the prevention and detection of crime on the Thames and it was to become the forerunner of many other police forces throughout the world,” New York’s Police Department among those influenced by Thames River Police. The creation of this department was spurred by loss of import dues by traders whose ships docked at the Pool of London and other areas along Thames River and theft at the ports. The same museum website describes the origins of the department by stating that with the “advice of Jeremy Bentham's legal knowledge, Mr. Patrick Colquhoun, LLD., the principle magistrate of Queens Square Police Office, Westminster convinced the West India Merchants, and the West India Planters Committees to finance the first preventative policing of the central shipping area of the Thames.” For our purposes, the important parties here are the West India Merchants and The West India Planters Committees because these were, according to the Museum of London, the raisers “of the capital that funded the building of the West India docks [which were]… the physical manifestation of London’s corner of the Triangle trade. The Dock was used by at least 22 know slave trading vessels.” Given this historical reality, once can see that the impetus for the professionalization of the police in the British context emerged directly out of a desire to preserve property and profit drenched in the blood and built on the bodies of enslaved Africans. The British profit from the Transatlantic trade of enslaved African people is the teleological bedrock of the police profession in England. And England is of particular import because it was the colonial governing body of the independent country that would become the United States.
The Thames River Police would eventually merge with the Metropolitan Police Service. This second modern European police department was started in 1829 by Sir Robert Peele in England in Scotland Yard, and it began as a department that was to “manage the social conflict resulting from rapid urbanization and industrialization taking place in the city of London… focus primarily on crime prevention—that is, preventing crime from occurring instead of detecting it after it had occurred” (Archbold. 2012). The distinction of MPS here is crucial for two reasons. One, because it is from here where one finds the police department to which many departments in the Northern part of what we now know of as the United States (states above Maryland) modeled themselves after. Two, the professionalization of policing via Sir Robert Peele’s uniform implementation and nine principles combined with the public sense of self as connected to the police. In particular, his principle of “…the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police … give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence” is imperative to understanding the teleology of U.S. policing, especially in the South.
European Teleology of Police via Hegel
The following section will be a discussion based in European philosophical thought because the police, both profession and concept, as we know them are Eurocentric, therefore the culturally congruent perspectives for discussing their sense of directedness are European. It should be understood on the part of the reader that Eurocentric philosophy has been utilized to justify the enslavement of Africana people for centuries, and the philosophy engaged in this subsection has been causal and complicit in that oppression of Africana people. Teleology in the words of the European philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel is “the truth of mechanism.” The author Christopher Yeomans describes this as Hegel critiquing mechanism and implying [in regards to an object or thing] “the means’ own nature is itself an end. The state of an object worked on by an external end can only be understood as external with respect to some immanent end of the object” (Yeomans 2011). In other words, a thing does not operate independent of the desired destination or outcome it was made to reach, and that “internal end” must be explicated to fully understand the thing. In our example, that thing is the police. This is a vital point because it is here where the “internal end” of the police concept is explained, and I assert that the police profession is a thing cannot go against its internal end, its very nature. For Hegel, as articulated in the research of Mark Neocleous, the internal end or “aim of the police [is to] care for the particular interest as a common interest.” (Neocleous.1998). In Policing The System of Needs: Hegel, Political, Economy, and the Police of the Market one learns that the main interest of the police, according von Justi, a contemporary of Hegel’s was:
… maintenance of state power and the proper police of the market …ultimately, the same goal. In this sense the main interest of police was the development of commerce and the production of wealth. For von Justi, ‘all the methods whereby the riches of the state may be increased, insofar as the authority of the government is concerned, belong consequently under the charge of the police.’ To this end the state should secure a flourishing trade and devote its power to the preservation and increase of the resources of private persons in particular and the state of prosperity in general, by overseeing the foundations of commerce (46).
With the “production of wealth” as its objective, the only thing needed for the police was a “flourishing trade” that would serve to increase the “resources of private persons in particular and the state of prosperity in general.” One such trade was indeed prevalent and in full swing, that being the Transatlantic Slave Trade of hundreds of millions of enslaved Africans, throughout which the African continent was raped and tens of millions of Africana people were killed at the hands of Europeans. This genocide is referred to by Africana Studies scholars as The Maafa or African Holocaust, a term which was operationalized by African Psychologist Marimba Ani. One has to understand this in order to confront the reality that the police are something much more insidious than a public force with individual racists who equate to nothing more than a few rotten apples in what overall is a good, well intentioned batch of people. But rather, the reality of the situation is that the police profession was created in England for, to use Hegel’s term, the “particular interest” of protecting the sugar, rum, salt, and other assets of European capitalism in the Caribbean that were all gained due to the enslavement of Africana people which served the “common interest” of whiteness and its benefactors (white people). No amount of good will or good intention can change the truth of this statement. The police profession may have arrested plenty of white thieves in England who stole sugar, rum, or salt. However, those thieves were not the reason the police force was created and professionalized; it was the profit and exploitation their theft cut into that prompted the creation and professionalization of the police force. The arrest of those thieves was simply a by-product of the overarching concern of the police force to protect white supremacy and the profits of the Maafa enjoyed by Europe. In the minds of the white philosophical elite this concern for profit did not equate in a justification of the Maafa/enslavement of Africana people.
Jeremy Bentham, the European philosopher whose advice and legal insight was foundational in Patrick Colquhoun founding and professionalization of the Thames River Police is one such white philosopher. Bentham is regarded in much of European history as an abolitionist, however his brand of abolition was not abolition at all in my estimation, but rather a gradual road to nowhere, a la the “all deliberate speed” U.S. Supreme Court ruling on segregation in the 1950s. In the essay British Utilitarianism’s Justification of Negro Slavery Nathaniel Adam Tobias writes: “this abolition could take place without overturning their [those who enslaved and traded other persons] own condition and their fortunes, and without attacking their personal security… This operation need not be suddenly carried into effect by a violent revolution, which, by displeasing every body, destroying all property, and placing all persons in situations for which they were not fitted, might produce evils a thousand times greater than all the benefits that can be expected from it. Tobias continues when he explains Bentham’s distinction between “slave-buying” and “slave-holding” insofar as slave-buying, or “plunging” people into slavery is worse than “finding” people already in slavery. In other words, from this Eurocentric perspective Black people were not “plunged into slavery” but rather they were “discovered being inferior and ignorant” therefore Europeans of Bentham’s time “find” them enslaved not because white people had chosen to enslave them, but rather enslavement is where white society “found” them. ” (Tobias 3). The concept of policing is to ensure the stability of social order, and the police, by definition in a white supremacist society, maintain that white supremacist social order. In the minds of the structural architects of policing such as Bentham, the police forces of today are not “buying” or “plunging” people into an enslaved position in society, rather the police force is “finding” Black people in that status already, and maintaining order, which by definition is antithetical to the Black people who “find” themselves in slavery ever “finding” themselves in anything different. To concretize this point I will return to Hegel, the protection of the profits of white supremacy and its necessary dehumanization via enslavement of Africana people to exacerbate those profits is not merely an end that is sometimes met via the police, but rather it is the internal end, it is “the truth of the mechanism” that is the police profession.
Written by Mikana Scott
“Once you go, you know” and “Wherever you find your smile, you’ll find ours” are two slogans that have been or are currently being used by the Jamaican Tourist Board and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. In 2013, tourism comprised of 28.5% (USD $4 billion) of Jamaica’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013 and 25.4% (KYD $713.1 million) of Cayman’s GDP. Tourism as defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization is, “a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.”
For the Caribbean region as a whole, reports state that the total impact of tourism in 2014 can be estimated at 14% of GDP at $49 billion. However, scholars have noted that there are many Caribbean islands that rely heavily on tourism such as Antigua, a former British colony that relies on 70% of its GDP/income from tourism. The Bahamas (former British Colony), Aruba (Dutch Constituent) and Barbados’ (former British colony) economy relies on 50% of tourism contribution as do other islands (Conway 114). For many Caribbean countries, tourism is an important sector, with most of their economy based on it. While Caribbean countries garner substantial income from the tourist industry, analysis must be done on the direct beneficiaries as well as the costs/impacts associated with this specific sector. This article will focus on the English speaking Caribbean, specifically countries that were former British colonies.
History of Tourism in the Region
During the mid to late 1900s tourism within the Caribbean has developed rapidly, aided by modern technology and transportation. However, origins of the tourism industry in the Caribbean go back to the late 1800s. Taylor credits the banana trade with the US and the use of banana boats that carried Americans to Caribbean countries (Jamaica especially) as the starting point. Additionally, banana companies were the first proprietors of hotels in the region (qtd. in Miller 36).
Tourism that we know today, a mass, standard experience began in the mid-1900s is described by Duval as being a period of “undifferentiated products, origin-packed holidays, spatially concentrated planning of facilities, resorts and activities, and the reliance upon developed markets such as the US, Canada and Britain” (qtd. in Williams 192). This mass tourism comes in 2 different forms - the coastal beach resort and cruise ship packages. These experiences are known as ‘3s’ - sun, sand and sea tourism (Goodwin, 4). Leisure and recreation are the primary reasons for persons from North America and Europe visiting the Caribbean and since the 1950s this has increased substantially.
During this period Caribbean countries were also beginning to agitate for political independence from their colonizers. Many of these governments were unable to finance the enhancement of their tourism product by themselves. Therefore, Western lending agencies such as development banks and international organizations such as the World Bank financed these projects which included large hotels (Williams 193). Western agencies such as the International Money Fund (IMF) believed that tourism was an economy that would help these small islands that did not produce significant agriculture or have natural resources to export. Additionally, they foresaw tourism assisting in diversifying the economies of islands (such as Jamaica) that had a lot of debt.
Agreements with Western lending agencies have had two lasting impacts that are felt in the region to this day:
1) Through the IMF and its Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), Caribbean governments incurred substantial debt, which led to their reliance on these institutions, forcing them to ‘adjust’ their economic and social structures to the liking of European and American institutions.
2) The Third Lome Convention (1986-90) according to Patullo, concretized Europe’s relationship with countries on the African continent, the Caribbean as well as those in the Pacific. While it supported Caribbean countries expanding the tourism sector, it also tied politically independent countries with their former colonizers (qtd in Williams 193).
Kwame Nkrumah defines neo-colonialism as “that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside.” (qtd. in Biney 127). Another definition states that power is taken from local and regional entities and is concentrated in foreign owned companies (Williams 191). What does neocolonialism mean in the Caribbean context as it relates to the tourism industry? These newly independent countries had the expectation of political and economic freedom; however, this was not possible within the parameters of the tourism industry. Neocolonialism is an occurrence when the natural resources, culture and even citizens are commodified for the enjoyment, pleasure and leisure for a majority of Europeans and North Americans visitors.
The Word Tourism Organization (WTO) reports that by 2020, a quarter of the world’s population (1.95 billion) will take a trip overseas. The majority of these tourists however are from the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. In the Caribbean the tourism industry is comprised of white management, white American and European guests, low wage majority black local labor, with profits being made by overseas international firms (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). Williams (191) posits that historically the region historically has been the subject of mass exploitation. Whereas during the enslavement period it was agricultural production for Western markets in the form of sugar and cocoa, today tourism is a new form of colonial relationship. While the countries in the region have different languages and ethnicities due to colonization, they have engaged in similar production sectors that have greatly changed their environment: “plantation agriculture, mining and tourism” (Baver & Lynch 3). It was believed that focusing on tourism would enable these newly politically independent economies to diversify their economies and break away from the sectors they relied upon during the colonial period (Williams 192), however in discussing the costs and impacts of tourism in the region we see that is not the case.
Management of the tourism industry is largely in the hands of others. While there are small locally owned hotels they are vastly outnumbered by the majority of large, multinational hotels. Hotels and restaurants do contribute to local employment, but many local / Africana persons are employed in lower paid jobs such as housekeeping and food preparation, while white expatriates are found in managerial positions (Williams 194). Infrastructure was financed by foreign investment with there being lower import duties on equipment and raw materials in trying to appeal to overseas business. Therefore it was/has been more profitable for investors than for the islands who gave them import cost breaks. Additionally beneficial relationships for foreign airlines and tour operators had to be arranged (Williams 193).
Due to many vacation packages being “all inclusive” and all expenses paid, there are few tourists that leave their hotels and pay for goods and services from the local community. All-inclusive travel packages were seen as the solution to tourists’ fears of ‘crime’ and ‘harassment,’ however this results in a closed economy owned by overseas corporations. Money is not injected into the local economy and Mullings even goes as far as to state that tourists are told that tips are ‘not necessary’ therefore even less money is able to be circulated in the local Caribbean economy (qtd. in Williams 196).
Many all-inclusive packages also provide their own transportation, souvenir stores, entertainment and recreational activities. This greatly disadvantages local taxi drivers, vendors and craftsmen who rely on tourism as a means of employment. Additionally, local business owners are shut out of the economy, as the primary institutions: airlines, tour operators, travel agents, hotel operators are ‘largely owned, controlled and managed outside of the region’ (Williams 196). Mullings makes the connection that this is reminiscent of the colonial economies of the Caribbean, when European countries externally controlled islands’ affairs (qtd in Williams, 196). Therefore this closed economy results in local culture being diminished due to foreign influence, with these vacations becoming a European/American version of the Caribbean (Williams 195).
Examining the ways black bodies are portrayed, the smiling waiters, the gentle way hairdressers’ braid cornrows into European women’s hair, Patullo states that from its origin, tourism has echoed the enslavement period. There is a folk memory and collective remembrance of African people ‘serving’ Europeans for hundreds of years during the enslavement period, however now they are doing it for hourly wages (qtd. in Williams 196). This paints a picture of how marginalizing and demeaning the industry is to the African collective psyche. UWI Professor Hilary Beckles, after analyzing the relationship between the business elite, the state and citizens, is of the opinion that tourism is the ‘new plantocracy’ (qtd Williams 196). There are a select group of persons that own the majority of infrastructure in the industry, and it is posited that black people are still marginalized in their own country. While Africana people are the majority of the labor in this industry, they are not included in the decision making process (due to multinational corporations owning the land, commercial interests, ports and duty free outlets) (Patullo, 65 qtd. in Williams 196).
The Caribbean is 4 times more dependent on tourism than any other region in the world (Daniel 72). Yet, the majority of the profits ends up with foreign investors.
Additionally, tourism strategy is determined by the global economy. Globalization increases difficulty for individual governments to intervene and manage the industry as these countries ‘have minimal control over the disposition of their resources’ (Miller 35). This is due to the region’s weak position in the global economy as it has always been shaped by external forces: the enslavement period and plantation agriculture, labor migration, colonization and contract farming, mineral extraction and now tourism.
Scholars are in agreement that tourism harms the environment, as it decreases the capacity of an area to handle man-made wastes. Harbors are also dredged and coastal environments disrupted to build hotels and resorts. Additionally, water contamination is a problem, as large hotels are the prime source. There are also issues of pollution, human waste, destruction of mangroves and coral reefs (Miller 37).
On a larger scale, the Caribbean is dealing with deforestation (Haiti is experiencing desertification), urbanization, air & water pollution and destruction of coastal ecosystem (Baver &Lynch 5). Due to the small size of the islands and the importance of a vibrant ecosystem one would expect stringent environmental policies and laws. However instead of adopting protectionist measures, tourism has played an integral role in the exploitation of the environment. When environmental regulation and enforcement is put in place, they often serve the tourism industry and real estate development, often at the expense of citizens (Baver &Lynch 6). In Jamaica it is stated that by 1992 all but nineteen of the island’s four hundred and eighty eight miles of coastline had been privatized (Goodwin 9).
Ecotourism is a new trend in the tourism industry which has occurred due to environmental damage as well as expansion (since tourism is a capitalistic system). However these beautiful landscapes are created by excluding local residents Miller (37).
This new, ‘holistic approach’ to mass tourism is often seen at odds with the community, as issues of access, privatization and enclosure of natural resources are often geared toward tourists and not the local community (Baver & Lynch 14). Images of clean pristine beaches, free from pollution and also the ‘aggressive’ local peddlers, raise concerns about usage. For the tourism industry the solution is often to control the access. Therefore public parks, are not for the local public at all, but for tourists. While there are forms of ecotourism that are locally initiated and managed, there are limited effort to support those businesses / activities. It is instead assumed that benefits will trickle down through employment.
The land and environment that communities used to use for fishing, firewood and subsistence resources are now essentially for tourists only (Miller 38). No longer is the land that was used for agricultural purposes and the coastline for fishing and recreation available to the public or locally owned, but rather for a select (majority white) overseas population. According to Sheller, “the picturesque vision of the Caribbean continues to be a form of world-making which allows tourists to move throughout the Caribbean and see Caribbean people simply as scenery” (qtd in Baver & Lynch 8).
Culture as Performance
Many persons that visit the Caribbean are there to enjoy the natural beauty, the relaxation and the stress free activities. However for others, Caribbean culture is seen as exciting and enticing. Historical buildings, cultural practices, public festivals as well as the population interest certain tourists (Daniel 170). Junkanoo in the Bahamas, Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica, Batabano in the Cayman Islands are just some of the festivals that are celebrated throughout the year. It is posited however that in the context of globalization and cultural identity, tourism is representative of ‘inauthenticity and alienation’. By concretizing Caribbean culture it attempts to redefine and package practices and natural resources as ‘commodified spectacle’ and a rigid experience (Bennet & Gebhardt 15). Not only is this presented to the tourist, but the local population relearns their history and celebrations through a lens not created for or by them.
For Jamaican cultural icon and scholar Rex Nettleford, in describing Trinidad Carnival and Gombey in Bermuda he isn’t concerned about the commodification of those events. He chooses to focus on local Caribbean needs and tastes first, and tourists secondly. He attempts to reclaim Carnival and place it within Caribbean culture, and then if necessary as a tourist phenomena (qtd. in Bennet and Gebhardt 16).
Opposition to this can be found within cultural studies as some argue that this type of tourism can be foundational to policy that assists in forming a country’s cultural identity. However, this type of inauthentic practice will only facilitate in building a ‘simulated’ culture base for these Caribbean countries (Benet & Gebhardt 16). Furthermore in citing Homi Bhabha’s ‘mongrelity’ of culture, scholars state that this will reiterate this modern whitewashing of African culture in the Caribbean, and frame it as racial and cultural hybrid. This passive hybridity has been adopted by local elites to attract tourism, which benefits their interests more than the majority of citizens (Benet & Gebhardt 17).
Tourism as Anti-Liberatory
In examining this palatable way in which Blackness/Africanness has to be mixed and presented as Caribbean creole or hybrid, Joel Streiker states that this helps economic interests of local elites as it reassures white European tourists who see Blackness as ‘threatening’. This passivity which masks racial discrimination and class politics discourages political organization around Blackness, and according to Streiker “..hybridity forms part of a strategy of domination rather than liberation..” (qtd. in Bennet and Gebhart 18). Not only is there a suppression of Blackness, but there are also demands of the population to present themselves in a pleasing way to tourists (Miller 40). The local population must always be courteous and pleasant, therefore Africana people are seen as important components of the Caribbean brand, as long as they are creole smiling people.
There are many components that make up the tourism industry. All aspects of society are affected: economically, environmentally and culturally. Since the beginning of the tourism product, development has been influenced by outside multinational corporations and organizations. Therefore what does that mean for a self-sustaining and self-sufficient Caribbean?
For Africana persons living in the Caribbean and in the larger African diaspora, in depth conversations about the concept of tourism and the tourism industry must be had. Alternative ways of analyzing the industry and understanding how Africana people are affected by this sector of the economy must be done. For many Caribbean people, growing up in a tourist destination is seen as a normal occurrence and for many employment within the industry is seen as preferential. Countries that still have colonial ties cannot achieve true independence if these linkages are not made. Additionally, for African persons traveling to the Caribbean, a deeper understanding of the tourism industry and the ways we unknowingly contribute to the degradation of Africana people needs to be had as well.
Additionally scholarship within Africana studies must be produced that focus on this phenomena. For the most part scholars are located in Hospitality & Tourism Studies, Political Ecology, Environmental Studies, Cultural Studies and Anthropology. It is extremely problematic when Africana people in the Caribbean are continually referred to as ‘other,’ and when concepts such as ‘modernity’ are tied to travel (with travelers meaning white European and white American). Cultural transmission is still discussed in many works as going from center to margin - with Caribbean people being the margin. These are ideological problems that must be identified and corrected from and by African people. Africana Studies, in researching and writing about phenomena occurring wherever African people are present must be in these conversations. Archaic and racist constructs must not be present when we are understanding the tourism industry as it affects many Africana people in the Caribbean.
For traveling Africana people making connections within the Diaspora, utilizing travel companies such as Travel Noire, African Diaspora Tourism, or organizations such as Afrocentricity International that frequently hold conventions within the African Diaspora is important in combatting the oppressive ways tourism functions.
Continuation of concentration of ownership, infrastructure, access to natural resources and policing Africana culture and bodies by Western entities have all contributed to the pacification and false liberation of Africans in the Caribbean. Control of narratives, cultural practices and ownership on African terms is essential for the de-commodication of Caribbean countries and Caribbean peoples.
Baver, Sherrie L. and Barbara Deutsch Lynch. “The Political Ecology of Paradise.” Beyond Sun and Sand. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2006. JSTOR. Web. 16 March 2015.
Bennett, David and Sophie Gebhardt. “Global Tourism and Caribbean Culture.” Caribbean Quarterly, Vol 51, No. 1, March 2005: 15-24. 15 March 2015.
Biney, Ama. “The Intellectual and Political Legacies of Kwame Nkrumah.” The Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol 4, No 10, January 1012: 127-142. 19 March 2015.
Conway, Dennis. “Tourism, Agriculture, and the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems in small islands” Island Tourism and Sustainable Development: Caribbean, Pacific and Mediterranean Experiences. Google books. Westport: Greenwood Publshing, 2002. Google Books. Web 20 March 2015.
Daniel, Yvonne. “Tourism, Globalization, and Caribbean Dance.” Caribbean and Atlantic Diaspora Dance. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2011. JSTOR. Web. 17 March 2015.
Goodwin, James. “Sustainable Tourism Development in the Caribbean Islands Nation-States.” Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, Vol 5, 2008:1-16, March 2015.
Miller, Marian A. L. “Paradise Sold. Paradise Lost: Jamaica’s Environment and Culture in the Tourism Marketplace” Beyond Sun and Sand. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2006. JSTOR. Web. 15 March 2015.
Williams, Tammy Ronique. “Tourism as Neo-colonial Phenomenon: Examining the Works of Patullo & Mullings.” Caribbean Quilt, Vol 2, 2012: 191-200. 14 March 2015.
Written by Serie McDougal | <urn:uuid:913539eb-3174-4509-9ffe-6360130b9edd> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.afrometrics.org/current-issues/previous/3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.956222 | 30,668 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Biomass pellet is a new type of renewable energy which has been considered as a popular substitute of fossil fuels, such as coal. It has been widely applied as the main fuel in multiple industries such as central heating system, residential house heating, industrial power generation, cooking and so on. With the fast growing needs of biomass pellets, there are thousands of biomass pellet plants has been established around the world.
Coal is the most common solid combustible mineral which has been one of the main energy sources for human since eighteen century. In the latest centuries, coal has been called as the black gold. But with the increasing focus on environment pollution problem and the non-renewal of mineral resources, the price of coal keeps dropping in twenty-one century. But we have to know that, coal will still be one of the indispensable fuel for our daily production requirements for many more years.
Recent years, Many biomass pellet manufacturers told us the biomass pellets maintain many advantages such as high combustion efficiency, environment friendly, cost efficiency, easy to transport and so on. But, exactly how efficiency biomass pellets are? In the following article, we will show you the detail information of biomass pellet and coal performance comparison.
The Comparison of Combustion Performance of Biomass Pellet & Coal
Theoretically speaking, the thermal value of biomass pellets is 10% lower than the thermal value of coal. But in actually working situation, biomass pellets can be fully burned, and on the contrary, coal normally can not be fully burned, there are always 10%-15% combustible components in the combustion residues of coal. Therefore, in actual using situation, the thermal value of biomass pellet and coal are equal.
The ignition time of biomass pellets is much lower than coal. Biomass pellets is made of biomass materials such as wood shavings, wheat straw, etc. Coal is a kind of combustible organic rocks. Biomass pellets are much easier to ignite than coal, which means the start up time of the boiler is shortened by using biomass pellets.
The solid waste of biomass pellets is much lower than the solid waste of coal, which lower the slag discharge fee and the pollution of the environment. The solid waste of biomass pellets are ashes, the weight of biomass pellet solid wastes are about 0.4%-7% of the total biomass pellet weight. The solid waste of coal is the mixture of ash, alkali and residual coal, the weight of coal solid wastes are about25%-40% of the total coal weight.
Coal is one of the main sources of pollution to the atmosphere. There are a large quantity of granular carbon and toxic corrosive gas such as SO2 and CO. And the corrosive gas will cause the corrosion problem of the boilers, too. The main component of biomass pellets is C-H organism, there are no granular carbon in the smoke from burning biomass pellets. The smoke from burning biomass pellets are mainly C-H volatile gas, the discharge of SO2 and CO is nearly zero. The smoke color from burning biomass pellets is lower than Ringelman emittance Grade one. Using biomass pellets can significantly reduce the carbon dioxide emissions which helps protect the environment. Biomass pellets is known as “the clean fuel” around the world.
Using biomass pellets as the fuel of industrial boilers is cheaper than using coal. Moreover, it can also save time by using biomass pellets. Take a 0.5 ton boiler as an example, if we use biomass pellets as the fuel, the cost is 11% lower than the cost of using coal, and the time is 34% lower than the time of using coal.
The continuous combustion time of biomass pellets is 8-10 times compare to the loose biomass materials, which is definitely enough for the continuous combustion of industrial boilers.
The Test of Economic Contrast Between Biomass Pellet And Other Fuels
In order to confirm the economic and combustion performance of biomass pellets, we have compare the environmental protection property, heat value, boiler thermal efficiency, fuel consumption quantity, fuel price and operation cost of biomass pellets and other fuels. The boiler we used for the test is a one ton boiler, and the fuel price and operation cost is based on Chinese market. The result of this test has been placed in the following table. Hopefully, this contrast can help you get a visual understanding of biomass pellet fuel.
|Fuel||environmental protection property||heat value||boiler thermal efficiency||consumption quantity||price||operation cost|
|heavy oil||heavy pollution||8000kcal/kg||85%||88.8kg/h||¥4.70/kg||¥417/h|
|natural gas||pollution free||8000kcal/m²||86%||87kg/m³||¥4.50/m³||¥391.5/h|
|biomass pellet||pollution free||4200kcal/kg||81%||178kg/h||¥1.10/kg||¥195/h|
If you want to know the operation cost of different fuels, just use the fuel price of your country, then you can calculate the operation cost by using different fuels, and find out if biomass pellet is the most cost efficiency and environment friendly choice for you. | <urn:uuid:fc44a47d-20d9-48c6-ab07-8b1744e66274> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.biomass-energy.org/blog/biomass-pellets-and-coal-comparison.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.915025 | 1,102 | 3.265625 | 3 |
08 mar 21
This year China celebrates the centenary anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Leading up to the commemoration, many international analysts have already started to debate China’s new foreign policy and its impact on the international order. This debate has two motivating factors. The first and most important is the prediction that the Chinese economy will surpass the American economy before 2030. The other factor is the role of Chinese diplomacy in combating the pandemic, through which China has helped more than a hundred countries in COVID-19 prevention, control and vaccination, in contrast to the U.S.’ lackluster responses to the pandemic. This is not a discussion about the world’s leadership profiles but a global governance model for the future.
In the field of international relations and international law studies, European and American theories predominate. To continue along these lines means the world will not be able to think of new ways of organizing international relations in a context of global transformation, in which China assumes an unprecedented role in its history and the history of humanity.
I assume that, in the 21st century, no major challenge for humanity will be solved without the active participation of China. Challenges related to the environment, financial crises, international security, and global public health, for example, will only be effectively addressed if there is a Chinese contribution. If we agree with this assumption, then there needs to be an understanding of China and a constant dialogue with it. So, what are the obstacles preventing this? Little is known about the Chinese way of thinking, cooperating, and resolving conflicts and how this Chinese approach and wisdom, reflected in its daily diplomatic practices, could favor a new standard of diplomacy and international relations.
The current contemporary international system was structured according to a Western world view, resulting from European expansion and colonization on practically all continents in the world and, also, from the unfolding of the two world wars that had Europe as the center stage. The Cold War displaced the center of gravity outside the European continent. Still, the victory of the U.S. over the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics meant, in everything, the affirmation of Western heritage. While there are several positive aspects of this heritage that have been taken up by American diplomacy, negative concerns like the use of force in defense of their national interests remain, sometimes despite international law itself. In 2019, then U.S. President Donald Trump confessed to former President Jimmy Carter his concern that, “China is getting ahead of us.” After reminding Trump that the United States has enjoyed only 16 years of peace in its 242 years of history, Carter said that, “China has not wasted a single penny on war.”
If we look at it through the lens of history, Jimmy Carter’s statement leads us to question why China does not have war as an intrinsic part of its foreign policy. It seems that it has been this way since dynastic times. But the same cannot be said of foreign countries, whose attacks on China date back to the Ming dynasty, having catastrophic effects on the Chinese people in the late Qing dynasty (19th century), and extended until the first decades of the 20th century. These facts have left indelible scars on Chinese memory and society, with repercussions on the country’s contemporary history to the present day.
The priority for China is the preservation of its sovereignty, which depends, in turn, on the maintenance of its national unity. At the level of external relations, this unity is guaranteed by defending its territorial integrity and, at the domestic level, by emphasizing social stability. National unity, territorial integrity, and social order are interlinked and elementary objectives of the CPC in governing the country. For this reason, Western analysts who think China wants to become a hegemonic country in the world are mistaken and take as a reference the way the West has related to other countries, including China itself. Perhaps they fear that they had taught China the “diplomacy of muscle” that they used and abused when it suited them. But Western fears seem to ignore China’s current priorities, which are likely to span this century.
From 1949, the year in which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, until 1978, when the reform and opening-up policy was rolled out, the CPC had prioritized organizing the country’s administration and breaking with the old diplomacy of humiliation that had characterized China’s foreign relations until then, reviewing international treaties that imposed unfavorable conditions on China. In 1955, at the Bandung Conference, China defended an international order based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, namely: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, supporting multilateralism and establishing a strong friendship with the vast majority of developing countries. The criterion for foreign policy decisions was the strict defense of the national interest, which has safeguarded and promoted its economic development. To this end, China leaves aside ideological issues to give way to a diplomacy of results based on the search for common interests in the dialogue with other countries. This is the synthesis of Chinese pragmatism.
From 1978 to 2008, China has seen its GDP increase from RMB 367.9 billion to RMB 31.4045 trillion. This rapid and extraordinary economic development resulted from the successful policy of reform and opening-up, and had to be accompanied by an adequate foreign policy. The PRC indeed increased its presence on the global stage by joining more than a hundred international organizations. Still, Chinese engagement in the international economic system was focused on its adaptation to a standard of international norms and relations established under the framework of Western “globalization.” China’s entry into the WTO in 2001 is a milestone in the country’s integration into the multilateral trading system. And in 2008, with the Beijing Olympics, China seemed to celebrate its acceptance by the Western world. But such a glorious event also symbolized the beginning of a new stage in its diplomatic history.
From 2008 to the present day, China’s foreign policy has proved to be more active and present in diverse subjects. Besides, foreign policy has become a crucial dimension for the continuation of the country’s economic growth towards becoming a developed nation in the middle of this century, when it will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.
On March 23, 2013, President Xi Jinping raised the concept “a community with a shared future for mankind” in his speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations for the first time, when he said: “People live in the same global village, in the same space and in the same time, where history meets the reality of the present. A community with a shared future for mankind has emerged in which everyone is dependent on everyone.” In my understanding, this is the Chinese version of “globalization,” which, while supporting free trade, defends that international trade must be fair and efficient, and international relations have to, above all else, respect the differences between peoples. The globalization of the 90s proclaimed the uniformity of values and standards of behavior that, in reality, promoted the “Westernization” of the world. But, as Xi Jinping said, “All civilizations are rooted in their unique cultural environment. Each embodies the wisdom and vision of a country or nation, and each is valuable for being unique itself.” Chinese diplomacy does not, therefore, aim to make the world more sinicized, but it is contrary to its forced Westernization.
How can this concept be translated into Chinese diplomatic practice? First, it supports a method of dialogue and cooperation that is based on extensive consultation, joint contributions and shared benefits. On the economic front, it has been translated into the Belt and Road Initiative, which is the only major economic integration project of this 21st century. Based on the connectivity of countries through infrastructure, the Belt and Road Initiative creates the conditions for an effective exchange between peoples, proving to be broader and more open than a superficial free trade zone – an integration model generally preferred by the U.S. – and less complicated and cumbersome than the European model of economic integration. Finally, at the political level, the concept of “building a community with a shared future for mankind” defends the international system’s greater democratization. In the words of Xi Jinping, “Developing countries should have more say and greater representation in this process.” This is a crucial issue for the guarantee of world peace, and it arises from the defense of multilateralism and the strengthening of international organizations.
In his government work report delivered at the Fourth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress on March 5, 2021, Chinese Premier Li Kiqiang stated, “We will actively work to develop global partnerships and promote the building of a new type of international relations and a human community with a shared future. We will continue to pursue the policy of opening up and cooperation and work to make the system of global governance fairer and more equitable.”
For all these elements, Chinese diplomacy points to a reform of the current global governance system. China underlines the relevance of cultural differences in each country and differences in domestic governance models. The concept of “building a community with a shared future for mankind” is a reinterpretation of universalism in the Western style and may usher in a new era of world enlightenment, not to mention new enlightenment in the face of a West that is increasingly immersed in the shadows of xenophobia, populism, anti-science discourse, violence, internal division, protectionism, unilateralism, and fake news.
* Artigo originalmente publicado na China Today, em 06 de março de 2021. Link para o original: http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/ctenglish/2018/hotspots/2021lh/commentary/202103/t20210306_800238849.html | <urn:uuid:29403d4e-6120-4165-b9c0-7012a44c0cda> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.evandrocarvalho.com.br/chinas-diplomacy-promotes-a-human-community-with-a-shared-future/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.948633 | 2,073 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Mass communication has led to modern marketing strategies to continue focusing on brand awareness, large distributions and heavy promotions. The fast-paced environment of digital media presents new methods for promotion to utilize new tools now available through technology. With the rise of technological advances, promotions can be done outside of local contexts and across geographic borders to reach a greater number of potential consumers. The goal of a promotion is then to reach the most people possible in a time efficient and a cost efficient manner.
Digital media, which includes Internet, social networking and social media sites, is a modern way for brands to interact with consumers as it releases news, information and advertising from the technological limits of print and broadcast infrastructures. Digital media is currently the most effective way for brands to reach their consumers on a daily basis. Over 2.7 billion people are online globally, which is about 40% of the world’s population. 67% of all Internet users globally use social media.
More than 2.7 billion people worldwide are online, which is about 40% of the world’s population. 67% of them use social networks.Mike Rogers
However, there are downsides to virtual promotions as servers, systems, and websites may crash, fail, or become overloaded with information. You also can stand risk of losing uploaded information and storage and at a use can also be effected by a number of outside variables.
Social media, as a modern marketing tool, offers opportunities to reach larger audiences in an interactive way. These interactions allow for conversation rather than simply educating the customer. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, Tumblr, as well as alternate audio and media sites like SoundCloud and Mixcloud allow users to interact and promote music online with little to no cost.
You can purchase and buy ad space as well as potential customer interactions stores as Likes, Followers, and clicks to your page with the use of third parties. As a participatory media culture, social media platforms or social networking sites are forms of mass communication that, through media technologies, allow large amounts of product and distribution of content to reach the largest audience possible. | <urn:uuid:68bb7c4d-72d6-4cc8-95f2-daa69504dc1b> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.fostercommunications.online/creative-representation-of-things/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.939527 | 432 | 2.625 | 3 |
Offset Printing Process Introduction
Published time：2018-01-13 21:56
OFFSET PRINTING PROCESS INTRODUCTION
Offset lithography is the most widely used print process. About 40% of all print jobs are produced with offset printing. It is an indirect printing process which means that an image is transferred, or offset, from one surface to another. A printing plate mounted on a cylinder transfers the image to a rubber blanket mounted on another cylinder. The image is then transferred from the blanket cylinder to the substrate as the substrate passes between the blanket cylinder and an impression cylinder. The image on the plate is "right reading" and when the image is transferred to the blanket it becomes "wrong reading". When the image is transferred to the printing surface it becomes right reading again.
The image area and non-image area of the offset plate are on the same plane and work on the principle that oil and water do not mix. The non-image areas of the plate attract a wetting agent (fountain solution) and repel ink made from an oil base. The image areas attract the ink and repel the fountain solution.
The types of printed materials that can be produced with offset lithography are numerous and varied. Some of the items include: newspapers, magazines, books, continuous business forms, unit sets, advertising pieces, brochures, posters, greeting cards, business cards, folders, mailers, laser sheets, integrated products, coupons, and art reproductions.
Offset presses can be put into two categories: sheet-fed and web-fed.
Sheet-fed: A sheet-fed press prints an image on single sheets of paper as they are fed individually into the press. The print quality and sheet to sheet registration is often better than web-fed printing, but it is often more economical to produce very large runs on web presses because of their higher running speeds.
Sheet-fed presses can be divided into three categories: small, medium, and large sheet presses.
Small Sheet-fed: The small sheet-fed press can print sheets up to 14" x 17". They are used primarily for short runs of one or two colors for such items as business forms, letterheads, and business cards and are popular for instant print companies.
Medium Sheet-fed: Sheet sizes of up to 25" x 38" can be printed on a medium sheet-fed press. The presses are used for runs up to 20,000 and are common equipment for many medium and large printers. Products such as brochures, business forms, medium press runs of color work are produced with the mid-size press.
Large Sheet-fed: The largest runs (usually 100,000 or more) and the most complex jobs are reserved for the large format sheet-fed presses. They can accommodate a paper size of up to 49" x 74" and they may have several printing towers so that multiple colors can be printed with one pass.
Web-fed: A web-fed press prints images on a continuous web of paper fed into the press from a large roll of paper. The web of paper is then cut into individual sheets after printing or as with continuous business form applications, it is left in web form and is perforated for later separation into individual sheets.
Like sheet-fed presses, web-fed presses come in many types and sizes. Some smaller web presses are capable of printing only on narrow width paper rolls and can only print one or two colors on the front side of the paper. Other web presses can handle large width webs and can print on the front and the back side of the paper in one pass through the press. There may be 8 or more printing units so that applications requiring full color on the front and back can be printed.
Offset presses (sheet-fed and web-fed) are made up of some common components that work together to carry out the offset printing function. Some of the common components include a device for feeding paper into the press, a set of cylinders that create the printed impression on the paper, a roller train for distributing ink and for dampening non-image areas of the plate, and a system for removing the printed paper from the printing system.
Feeding System: The feeding system is the device that feeds the paper into the press. There are different types of feeding systems for sheet-fed and web-fed presses.
Sheet-fed: The paper is usually stacked in a tray at the front end of the press where it is pulled into the press one sheet at a time. Vacuum devices called "sucker feet" pick up each sheet of paper from the stack. As paper is fed into the press, the tray of paper automatically raises up so that there is no interruption in the paper feed until the tray is empty.
Web-fed: A mechanism called a "rollstand", which accommodates a large continuous roll of paper, is used with the web-fed system. As the paper is fed through the press, another system maintains proper tension on the paper web as the roll of paper gets smaller in the rollstand. Some presses have automatic roll changers which splice in a second roll of paper as soon as the first roll is nearly out of paper.
Printing System: The printing system for offset presses contain 3 major components: the plate cylinder, blanket cylinder, and the impression cylinder. The circumference of the cylinders determine the size of the applications that can be printed on the press. For example, a press with printing cylinders of 17" in circumference is able to print applications with a depth of 17", 8 1/2", 4 1/4", and so on. For an 8 1/2" application, there would be two separate 8 1/2 inch pieces printed per revolution of the cylinders. Presses are often named for the circumference of their cylinders, such as a "17 inch press", or a "22 inch press".
Plate Cylinder: The plate cylinder contains a slot or "plate gap" into which the lead edge of the plate is inserted. The plate is wrapped around the cylinder and then the tail end of the plate is inserted into the slot. The plate ends are then locked into the slot.
Some sheet-fed presses utilize plates the are punched at both ends. The plate cylinder gap contains two sets of pins that the punched ends of the plate fit over. The pins are tightened do that that the plate remains stationary on the cylinder.
Blanket Cylinder: The blanket cylinder is much the same as the plate cylinder except instead of holding a plate, a compressible rubber blanket is mounted on it. The blankets vary in type and thickness depending on the type of press on which it is used.
Impression Cylinder: The impression cylinder is usually a seamless, hardened steel cylinder that provides a surface for the print impression to take place. The paper passes between the blanket cylinder and impression cylinder where just the right amount of squeeze between the two cylinders allows for the transfer of the image onto the paper.
Note: The gaps in the plate and blanket cylinders are "non-printable" areas. Allowances must be made with the overall image size so that the image on the plate does not extend into the plate gap when the plate is installed. The slot in the blanket cylinder, known as the "blanket gap" is usually wider than the plate gap, so even though the image may look correct on the plate, a sliver of the image may not be offset to the blanket because of its wider gap. For this reason, the image allowance is usually based on the non-printable area of the blanket cylinder. The non-printable gap is also known as the "lock-up" dimension and it varies between different types of presses.
Note: Some applications may require that the printed image be slightly larger than what can be actually printed by the press. To accommodate the larger print size, the copy may have to be split and printed on two separate printing units. This is known as an "over image" job or a "split image" and should be taken into consideration when planning a print job.
Inking System: The inking system on offset presses consists of a fountain which holds the ink and a set of rollers, known as the roller train, which distribute the ink and carry it to the printing plate. A roller within the fountain draws the ink from the fountain into the roller train where it is milled into the proper thickness. It is then brought to the final rollers in the system called the "form rollers" which apply the ink to the plate.
The number and type of rollers in an inking system varies widely between different types of offset presses. A small duplicator press may have only a minimum number of rollers to supply the flow of ink to the plate as most of the applications printed on a duplicator press are very basic. A large web press used for printing complex applications in full color requires a larger number of rollers to mill the ink and several form rollers to apply the ink to the plate. The more rollers there are in an inking system, the better the ink will be distributed and the better the print quality will be.
Dampening System: The dampening system consists of a set of rollers that distribute the fountain solution to the plate. The fountain solution is necessary to keep the non-image areas of the plate free of ink. As with the inking system, the dampening system consists of a fountain which holds the dampening solution, a roller within the fountain that carries the solution into the dampening rollers, and form rollers that apply the dampening solution to the plate. Like inking systems, the type of dampening system can vary greatly between different types of presses.
Delivery System: Sheet-fed and web-fed presses each have different types of delivery systems, which are described below:
Sheet-fed: Printed sheets are carried from the printing units of a sheet-fed press to a delivery tray. The tray has guides which assist in delivering the sheets to the proper place on the tray. A jogging system helps to keep the printed sheets in a neat stack. The tray of the delivery system automatically lowers as it is filled with printed sheets.
Web-fed: The printed web is carried from the printing units to one of two types of delivery systems. A "roll-to-sheet" press has a mechanism for cutting the web into individual sheets. The sheets are then carried a short distance on belts to a delivery tray where they are automatically jogged and can be removed in predetermined increments by the press operator.
Another type of web-fed delivery system is found on a "roll-to-roll" press. The printed web is carried from the printing units to a "rewind" unit where it is wound onto a spool. There are several reasons why rewinding is necessary:
1) A multiple part business form may require off-line collating, so each part of the form would be printed separately and wound on rolls at the press. The rolls would then be mounted on a collating machine where the individual parts would be attached together.
2) The application may require additional features that cannot be applied at the press, so they are handled off-line on other web-fed equipment.
3) Some types of continuous business forms are supplied to customers on rolls so that the forms will work properly through certain types of statement rendering equipment.
Note: Besides the common components described above, many offset presses have other components for applying additional finishing functions that would otherwise have to be accomplished off-line. The addition of perforations, scoring, punching, and consecutive numbering are only a few of the additional functions that can be performed. Many presses are modular in that additional printing units and finishing units can be added to the basic press in order to provide added functionality.
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Failures can be costly but instructive.
The Oslo Accords assumed that a fundamental change had taken place in the attitude of the Palestinian National Movement toward the State of Israel. Nevertheless, to this day, recognition of the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people has not been granted.
Moreover, Palestinian Arabs continue to use violence against Israel. Indeed, according to public opinion polls among the Palestinian Arabs, the use of force against Jews receives considerable support. Even if part of the Palestinian Arab population is tired of the conflict and wants peace and prosperity, the price of the continuous confrontation with Israel has not discouraged Palestinian Arab groups animated by the concept of violent resistance – Muqawama – to the Zionist entity.
According to the Oslo Accords, Israel transferred territories to the exclusive control of the Palestinian Arabs, hoping the newly established Palestinian Authority (PA) would become a good neighbor and prevent terrorism. That did not happen, and the PA is having difficulties functioning as a state.
The defining characteristic of a state is the monopoly over the use of force. The Ramallah government lost control of the Gaza Strip to a rival armed militia, Hamas, in 2007. The PA recently lost control of northern Samaria, and the refugee camps have become strongholds of armed organizations that do not obey the PA.
The inability to maintain a monopoly over the use of force characterizes many Arab entities. Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen are countries in name only because the central government lacks the power to control armed groups. That does not bode well for the region’s prevailing political culture and the possibility of reaching stable, peaceful relations with our neighbors.
Unfortunately, Israel lives in a region where peace between countries does not prevail, and using force is an alternative that comes to mind for resolving conflicts between neighbors. In contrast to zones of peace (North America, for example), the use of force in the Middle East is an acceptable policy for political entities.
Israel must internalize that it will have to live on its sword for a long time.
Its security needs require military control of the entire territory of the Land of Israel – from the river to the sea. That means Israel will continue to monitor the area where many Palestinian Arabs live. Israel has no choice but to explain to itself and the world that the Palestinian Arabs are hostile to Israel and that Palestinian Arab groups act violently against the Jewish State.
Moreover, the Palestinian Arab political system cannot prevent terrorism against Israel even if it wants to. If there is no change in the Palestinian Authority education system, which teaches antisemitic and anti-Israeli content, if the PA continues to pay terrorists, and as long as its media persists in broadcasting despicable antisemitic messages – there will be no peace. And “occupation” will continue to characterize relations between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.
Today, there is a national consensus in Israel that the 30-year attempt to resolve the conflict with the Palestinian Arabs has failed – and the common knowledge is that a resolution to the 150-year conflict will remain elusive. The Israeli policy of managing the dispute is the default of the Oslo process. This insight also gradually permeated the international community. Conflict management requires reducing friction with the Palestinian Arabs by cautious use of military power and selective settlement (only to places of security importance, such as around Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley).
While the Palestinian issue has not been resolved, it is clear today that this conflict is not “the key” to stability in the Middle East. Unfortunately, it is ridden with many disputes, and a myriad of socio-economic problems in which the Jews have no part. Furthermore, the Palestinian issue does not prevent Arab countries from maintaining public diplomatic relations and mutually beneficial relations with Israel. In 1979, Egypt defied the widespread assumption that the Palestinian Arabs had veto power over improving ties with Israel. The Abraham Accords of 2020 underscored this lesson.
However, Israel should not fall under the illusion that its acceptance in ever-growing circles in the Arab world is a one-way process. The Palestinian issue still reverberates in the corridors of government and the classrooms of educational institutions in the Arab world. Under certain circumstances, Israel could find itself isolated and threatened by Arab countries again. Therefore, Israel needs to continue investing in a strong IDF, which is the guarantee for the security of the country and its citizens.
It is a pity that the learning process required the bloodshed of Israelis. At first, the terrorists’ victims were called by Oslo supporters “victims of peace.” Over time, it was recognized that the casualties resulted from Palestinian Arab terrorism motivated by abysmal hatred of the Jewish state and that most of the Palestinian population does not see fit to protest it. Abundant Jewish blood was needed to shed away a beautiful but unrealistic dream.
Apparently, nations learn slowly.
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Grass doesn’t always grow well underneath trees. The leafy canopy of the tree blocks the sun from reaching the grass, so it’s unable to make food for itself via photosynthesis and it shouted. The rest patchy grass is aesthetically unpleasing. Even in cases where grass does grow correctly beneath a tree, its removal may be crucial for a variety of reasons. There are a couple of unique procedures for safely removing the grass from the ground around trees.
Reasons to Remove Grass Around Trees
While a properly maintained yard and tree can co-exist, there are several arguments favoring a grass-free zone about trees. Grass and trees also have distinct water and fertilization requires, so keeping one well-fed can harm another. Grass removes nutrients from the soil the tree requires for development. Some grasses, such as red fescue and bermudagrass, release chemicals which slow the development of tree roots. Tools such as string-trimmers and mowers, used to maintain the grass trimmed, can cut and injure tree trunks when they become too close to the tree.
Mulching around the tree at a radius about equivalent to the canopy is one method to eliminate the grass. A weed barrier fabric cut to fit around the tree, or layers of wet newspaper, four to eight sheets thick, laid out above the ground will block the sun from getting to the grass, but still allow water and air for the tree roots. According to Southern Nevada Water Authority, do not use materials made of plastic, since they do not allow oxygen and water to penetrate the soil and the tree can die. Instead, make certain to use weed barriers made of fabric or fabric. A 2-to 4-inch layer of mulch spread above the fabric or newspaper will weigh it down and make the region look nicer. After about a month, the grass will be lifeless. To prevent trunk decay, mulch should start a few inches from the tree trunk, so the crown is left uncovered.
Digging up sod or patches of grass by hand can clear the region around the tree. The top layer of grass in addition to the thatch, which will reach 1 or 2 inches under the soil surface, all require removing to rid the region of grass. Mechanical tools such as tillers may cut back the tree roots, which might damage or destroy the tree. Shovels, hoes, trowels or dethatchers are acceptable for sod removal about tree roots. Any roots which are uncovered during the process can be buried with a inch of new topsoil to keep them healthy.
Herbicides such as glyphosate are available to eliminate the grass, but never harm the tree. The label will indicate whether the herbicide is appropriate for the grass you have and if your particular tree is sensitive to it. Herbicides are best implemented on a sunny wind-free day so the rain doesn’t wash the chemicals away and wind doesn’t blow the spray in which it isn’t desired. A cardboard cover will shield the tree so the spray doesn’t get on the trunk or leaves. The producer gives rates and directions on the herbicide label so the herbicide can be implemented in the manner that’s the most effective and least damaging. | <urn:uuid:21dbd4e3-5b7b-4e12-b36e-4b771aeea64f> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.tesorodelvallesolar.com/what-to-use-to-kill-grass-around-trees | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.934017 | 670 | 3.15625 | 3 |
The Hidden Connection Behind Viruses, Vaccines and Cancer
Mainstream medicine tells us that the hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer which is why it is so necessary for US newborns to be vaccinated within hours of birth. We are told that the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is supposedly so prevalent in our population, causes cervical cancer which is why there is such a push to vaccinate girls and boys in the US as early as 9 years old. Let’s not forget about Simian Virus 40 (SV40) which is known to have contaminated polio vaccines and is associated with a wide variety of human cancers. Conventional wisdom tells us that viruses cause cancer. But is this true? Let’s investigate the story further.
The first recorded cases of HBV infection occurred following the administration of the smallpox vaccine containing human lymph to shipyard workers in Germany in 1883. HBV is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids. It is estimated that over 2 billion people worldwide have been infected and that approximately 350 million are chronic carriers. Chronic HBV infection is believed to cause up to 80% of all hepatocellular carcinomas. Sounds scary right? But when you look deeper you find that, in the US, HBV is found predominantly in adults who are either I.V. drug users or engaging in high-risk sexual behavior.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that only 0.1-0.5 % of the US population are chronic carriers. This is due, in large part, to the fact that only about 5% of acute HBV infections ever become chronic. In other words, about 95% of people clear the infection and never become chronic carriers. But those who do become chronic carriers will definitely get liver cancer right? No. The CDC estimates that only about 25% of those with chronic HBV infection die prematurely from liver cancer or cirrhosis decades after the initial infection.
Is it possible that over those decades, other factors could have caused or, at least contributed, to their liver disease? Ok, but if the mom tests positive for Hep B, her infant will definitely get infected right? Wrong again. According to the CDC, there is only a 10% chance that a mother who tests positive only for the Hep B surface antigen (s-antigen) will infect her baby. Additionally, does it make sense to indiscriminately vaccinate newborns if mothers have already tested negative for Hep B? It does if your motivation is ease of access.
HPV is recognized by mainstream medical authorities as the most commonly sexually transmitted infection in the US with an estimated 20 million persons infected and over 6 million new infections annually. They state that in the 1980s, cervical cancer cells were discovered to contain HPV. Although there are more than 100 types of known HPV, only a few are considered oncogenic or cancer causing.
The CDC claims that 99% of cervical cancers contain oncogenic human papilloma viruses with types 16 and 18 found in 70% of all cervical malignancies. The 2 most common types of cervical cancer are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Those numbers would certainly frighten the average woman. On deeper analysis, however, you learn that the CDC admits that HPV has never been isolated in culture. In other words, wild HPV has never been seen. But let’s assume that HPV does exist.
The CDC also says that most HPV infections are asymptomatic resulting in no clinical disease and that HPV by itself is not sufficient to cause cancer because the vast majority of women with the infection do not develop cancer. In fact, a recent study published in the journal Vaccine estimates that 90% of HPV infections are cleared from the body within 2 years.
As an interesting side note, Merck, the maker of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, presented information to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prior to approval that their vaccine increased the risk of pre-cancerous changes by 44.6% in women exposed to HPV types 16 or 18 pre-vaccination. How many doctors do you know who test for the presence of these strains prior to administering the HPV vaccine? I have yet to hear of such a doctor.
Not all viruses linked to cancer are natural inhabitants of the human body. Many of the early polio vaccines, which were cultured on monkey kidney tissue and given to millions of children in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, were found to be contaminated with live Simian viruses. One in particular, known as Simian virus 40 (SV40), was found to have powerful oncogenic effects and has been discovered in numerous tumors including various types of brain, bone and lung cancers. SV40 has even been found in tumors of individuals who were never given those early polio vaccines.
There is mounting evidence that this monkey virus can pass from generation to generation. Also, it has been suggested that SV40 is contaminating current polio vaccines since the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) viruses are still seeded from and cultured on monkey kidney tissue (vero-cell line). Government health officials will deny this possibility since widespread testing for contamination was mandated in the early 1960s, however, if you research the issue further, you will discover that methods used to test for contamination are often inadequate or non-existent.
But why didn’t every person who was infected with SV40 get cancer? Claude Bernard, considered the Father of Experimental Medicine and a contemporary of Louis Pasteur, once said so eloquently that “[t]he terrain is everything; the germ is nothing.” Following this pronouncement, he is said to have gulped down a glass of water filled with cholera without getting sick. This demonstration was a bold attempt to prove that individuals with a healthy internal environment and a robust immune system provide an inhospitable environment for pathogenic germs and are unlikely to succumb to illness while those who are malnourished and toxic provide a diseased terrain which is far more likely to be inhabited by disease causing microorganisms. This certainly is a plausible explanation with regard to SV40.
Furthermore, although human viruses, including HBV and the phantom HPV, are associated with cancer, their presence alone does not prove that they, in fact, caused the cancer. Consider, for a moment, that cancer may be an intelligent adaptation by the body’s cells in response to a deficient and toxic internal environment. These viruses may simply be innocent bystanders, or at worst accomplices, who find refuge in sick and weakened tissues that have been damaged by years of neglect and abuse. Rudolph Virchow, known as the Father of Pathology, stated that “[i]f I could live my life over again, I would devote it to proving that germs seek their natural habitat – diseased tissue – rather than being the cause of diseased tissue.” He sums up nicely the moral of our story; a moral that I wished more people truly understood.
About the Author
Dr. Tyson Perez, DC is a chiropractor in Carlsbad, CA where he specializes in pediatric, prenatal and family care. You can visit his websites www.WestCoastChiropracticCarlsbad.com and www.SanDiegoScoliosisCenter.com.
- “The Pink Book: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases“, CDC (12thEdition, May 2012)
- “Fear of the Invisible: An Investigation of Viruses and Vaccines, HIV and AIDS“, Janine Roberts (2008-9)
- “The Virus and the Vaccine: Contaminated Vaccine, Deadly Cancers, and Government Neglect“, Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher (2004)
- “New Evidence Demolishes Claims of Safety and Effectiveness of HPV Vaccine”, Dr. Joe Mercola (Oct 16, 2012)
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Chronic pain is one of the most pressing issues facing the medical system today. Two of the most common causes of chronic pain include multiple sclerosis, usually shortened to MS, and fibromyalgia. Even though discomfort is a common theme in both conditions, they are very different. What are the differences between fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis? What are the treatment options available? Let’s take a closer look at a few important points…
An Overview of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that impacts the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Even though it does cause chronic pain, fibromyalgia can also lead to memory problems, mood issues, fatigue, and drowsiness. Even though medical researchers do not yet understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, it can present differently in different people.
For example, “fibro fog” is one of the most common conditions of fibromyalgia. It’s responsible for the changes in focus and memory that people experience. It is also not unusual for people with fibromyalgia to develop depression.
In addition to musculoskeletal pain, chronic fatigue is another significant concern among individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia. For this reason, it is important to work with a healthcare professional who has experience treating this condition.
An Overview of Multiple Sclerosis
Another possible cause of chronic pain is multiple sclerosis. This is an autoimmune neurological condition that targets the myelin sheath that protects the nerves throughout the body.
In essence, the immune system attacks the healthy myelin that coats the nerves throughout the body. As myelin continues to degrade, the nerves do not function as they should. As a result, people who suffer from multiple sclerosis can develop a wide variety of nerve problems.
For example, people who suffer from multiple sclerosis may have a hard time walking. Coordination and balance are significant concerns. Double vision is another common issue among people who suffer from multiple sclerosis. Some people even have difficulty talking. When all of this is combined with chronic pain, multiple sclerosis has the potential to significantly impact someone’s overall quality of life.
A Chiropractor Can Treat Both Conditions
Even though these conditions present differently, a chiropractor has the ability to treat both of them. Even though a lot of people believe they need to visit a surgeon or undergo a dangerous procedure to treat these conditions, this is not always the case. There are holistic, natural ways to treat chronic pain.
A chiropractor will work with someone individually to develop a treatment plan that has been customized to meet their needs. Then, a chiropractor will make sure to use treatment methods that target the underlying cause of all of these issues. That way, it is possible to not only treat the symptoms but also prevent them from coming back.
In this manner, a chiropractor can reduce the chances of complications and side effects while treating multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia. This is why it’s important to speak to a chiropractor about the treatment options available for chronic pain.
Rely on the Help of a Chiropractor for Help with MS and Fibromyalgia
Ultimately, it is important for you to reach out to a chiropractor if you are suffering from chronic discomfort. Even though two possible causes are multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia, it is important to receive an accurate diagnosis so you can develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
If you are looking for someone who can help you manage the symptoms of fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis, give us a call. Our Doctor of Chiropractic can help you minimize complications and side effects while placing yourself in the best position possible to recover. So give us a call. We’re here to help!
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Many people learn how to climb at an indoor climbing centre, which is a great place to develop the basics. It’s a really fun way to stay fit and learn new skills. In fact, because the sport is becoming so popular, new climbers are actually swapping the gym for indoor rock climbing or bouldering. But there are some definite limitations to indoor climbing, and moving to climbing outdoors opens up a whole world of new options and room for growth. Moving out of the climbing gym can be complicated—there are so many terms to learn and gear to master. This guide will get you ready to make the transition.
Four Types of Rock Climbing
This is a common setup at climbing gyms. The rope is anchored at the top of the climb before the climber begins, which means that the only thing the climber has to do is climb. A belayer on the ground uses a belay device to take up slack in the rope as the climber moves upward. The belay device relies on friction to brake the rope and prevent the climber from falling very far if he or she comes off the wall. A fall will generally be anywhere from a few inches to one or two feet, as climbing ropes are designed to stretch a bit in order to help absorb the energy of a climber’s fall. Top-roping is very safe, and is a fun way to practice climbing movement on longer routes.
Bouldering is a type of climbing that is typically done on walls ranging from 10 to 15 feet in height, and is practiced without a rope, harness, or use of a belayer. However, boulderers usually have a crash pad—a thick mat that is placed below the route—and also often employ the use of a spotter to help land safely if they fall off the climb. Bouldering routes have a different rating from other climbs because the goal is to figure out the exact sequence of moves to ‘solve’ the bouldering ‘problem.’
Sport Climbing and Lead Climbing
Sport climbing is a good next step for a gym climber because it adds a new element, but isn’t as complicated as traditional climbing. Climbing sport means you’re climbing a pitch that has bolts drilled along the entire route, including two bolts for anchor-building at the top. Sport routes are common in areas with rock that traditional gear would not fit in. Usually, the bolts are metal and are placed in sections where the lead climber can place a quickdraw—a set of two carabiners connected by a length of sewn runner. The top of the draw is placed in the bolt and the bottom of the draw is clipped into the rope. This way, at each bolt, the lead climber has shortened the length of a possible fall.
When ‘leading’ a sport route, the climber, belayer, and all of the rope start on the ground. As the leader moves up the route, she clips the rope to the bolts via the quickdraws. When the climber is below the clipped quickdraw, it is as though she is top-roping, with the rope running from the belayer, through the ‘draw, and then back down to her harness. However, as she moves up the climb to the next bolt, and climbs above her last clipped ‘draw, she has the potential to take a larger fall than she would while top-roping. In the event of a fall, while leading on sport, the climber would fall to the last clipped quickdraw, then the same distance below it, and often a bit more to account for rope stretch. Sport climbing is still very safe; however, it has the potential for larger falls for those leading the routes.
Traditional (Trad) Climbing
Trad climbing is sometimes viewed as the purest form of climbing because the lead climber places their protection as they go, which is more technical than clipping bolts in sport climbing. Trad climbing gets its name through being the original type of climbing, practised in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, before the advent of bolted climbs in the 1980s.
When trad climbing, the ‘protection’ is a piece of gear that can be slipped into cracks or constrictions that the rope is clipped through in the same way that a leader climber clips a bolt when sport climbing. However, on a trad climb there are no bolts, and the protections can be removed after the leader has ascended to the top of the route. Trad climbing requires a lot of gear and a lot of training in how to properly place the gear in the rock so that it will hold in the event of a lead fall.
It’s recommended for aspiring trad climbers to find a person or organisation to get training and mentorship from in the art of placing gear before leading any trad climbs. A great way to develop this skill is through practising placing gear on cracks and constrictions while on the ground, coupled with feedback and advice from a mentor.
Free Climbing, Free Soloing, and Aid Climbing
If you’ve read much about climbing in the news, then you’ve probably heard of free soloing. This is not the same as free climbing. Free soloing, or ‘soloing,’ means the climber is not using a rope or a harness; there is nothing to arrest their fall. Those who free solo are usually very experienced, very skilled, and only solo on routes that are well within their climbing ability. Free climbing means to climb without the aid of gear, or in other words, by only making upward progress through the use of one’s body on the rock. Importantly, free climbing does not mean climbing without the use of a rope.
Conversely, aid climbing is climbing primarily through the use of pulling on gear placed in the rock, and is often done on very hard climbs. Aiders are one common piece of gear that allows a climber to ascend without using the rock; aiders are like a ladder made of webbing.
Buy a Guidebook
Climbing guidebooks can help orient you to a climbing area; however, using a guidebook can be a skill set unto itself! All climbs have a rating, which gives an idea of the difficulty of the intended climb. The grade is the standardised way of describing climbing difficulty and is different in different corners of the world. In the U.S. it’s known as the Yosemite Decimal System, which runs from 5.1-5.15c. Most climbs in the 5.5 to 5.9 range are ideal beginner or intermediate routes. The route will usually have either an illustration or a picture that shows details of the climb.
Gear to Consider
The move from climbing indoors to climbing outside is the perfect time to invest in a helmet. Helmets are designed to protect the user from falling rocks and gear, and they can also add a level of protection in the event of a fall. Wearing a helmet while belaying is just as important as wearing one while climbing, because who knows what can fall from the climber.
A harness connects both the climber and the belayer to the rope. For beginners, it is important to find a harness that is comfortable and sits tightly over the hips. Be careful how you store your harness. Too much direct sunlight, such as storing it in the back window of a car for a long time, can degrade the material’s strength.
Climbing shoes are a very important piece of equipment, as their fit and comfort can directly affect your experience on the rock! Fit is important for climbing shoes. Look for shoes that are comfortable for extended use, aren’t too tight, and have a flat sole. One common error is getting shoes that are too snug, which can make climbing painful.
If you buy a belay device, you’ll need at least one locking carabiner to attach the device to your harness. A screw-gate carabiner is the most common type of locker, and uses a threaded mechanism on the gate of the carabiner to keep it closed when belaying.
Gymnastic chalk is crucial for keeping your hands dry while climbing, particularly in hot or humid environments. Most climbers use a chalk bag to dip into on long climbs.
Dynamic rope is the industry standard for outdoor climbing. Dynamic ropes often have about 5 percent rope stretch, designed to help absorb the energy of a climber’s fall. Ropes can range in diameter from 9 mm to 10.5 mm, and the most common first rope for one beginning to climb outside is 10 mm.
When top-roping, sport climbing, or trad climbing, the climber relies upon the belayer to catch a fall using a belay device. The most common type of belay device is called an ATC, or air traffic controller, in which the climber is the ‘air traffic.’
Hire a Guide
There are a number of great resources for developing outdoor climbing skills. Climbing with a guide can be an excellent way to get personal coaching on movement, learn new rope systems, and get to know an outdoor climbing area. The American Mountain Guides Association trains and certifies guides and guide companies across the United States. Some climbing gyms also have guide services, classes, or clinics. These can provide opportunities to learn how to sport lead, place protection, or learn climbing rescue skills.
Overall, rock climbing can be an excellent way to get exercise, build community, experience the natural world, and even push one’s limits. While there is a lot of jargon and many different skills encompassed in the activity, the journey of learning this language and these skills can be fun and empowering. The act of moving up a climb can also be thrilling and invigorating – for some, climbing can become a way of life! Regardless of one’s passion or desire to fully delve into the world of climbing, remember to pursue proper training and the mentorship when developing these skills. Stay safe, and climb on! | <urn:uuid:c41d0a55-8939-476e-8b33-9db92e6a37f9> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://adaptnetwork.adaptpress.com/sports/climb/how-move-from-indoor-outdoor-rock-climbing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.959669 | 2,095 | 2.65625 | 3 |
If you are considering adding an exotic pet to your family, congratulations. Owning an unusual pet can be a lot of fun .
Over past 10 years The exotic pet trade has gained a lot of interest . Reptiles, small mammals, avian, and some primates/marsupials have become very popular and are readily available at many local pet stores, and from breeders.
Before deciding on a pet there are some issues you need to consider:
- Having the proper information about the pet before buying which includes research on their habitat in the wild and social characteristics.
- Where to get the pet. Is the dealer reputable?
- Legal issues. Many exotic pets are not legal to own without special permits or licenses.
- Finding a veterinarian to treat your animal. It can be difficult to find a veterinarian willing to treat exotic pets. In some cases, veterinarians are not legally allowed to treat some animals people acquire as pets (raccoons, skunks, etc.)
DO NOT BUY ON IMPULSE!!
Reptiles make really good pets. They are a lot of fun to watch and are a blast to care for. Keeping reptiles is a lot like having a hobby. They require constant care and attention. Proper reptile husbandry is essential for keeping a healthy happy herp. When keeping reptiles it is important to know as much as possible about the health needs and requirements for your particular pet. Some reptiles can harbor some diseases that are harmful to people. Your pet is an exotic animal and will require an “exotic” diet and an “exotic” habitat. It is also important to create a habitat that is as close as possible to what they would have in the wild. Reptiles in particular require special lighting (UVA/UVB) and a certain heat gradient for thermoregulation. Reptiles cannot generate their own heat. When they are cold in the wild, they will climb on a rock on a sunny day and bask in the sun to raise their body temperature. When they are warm enough, they will dismount the rock and crawl back to a cooled spot under a bush or under a rock to cool down. Most also require calcium and vitamin supplements daily on their food. Depending on the species you acquire, the size of their enclosure may need to be quite large depending on the size they reach as adults.
Birds are fascinating pets. Many species have the ability to mimic, they are brightly colored and they can be extremely social. Purchasing a bird is a huge responsibility as they can live for decades. Each species, and the sexes within each species have varying characteristics. Before purchasing a bird, these characteristics should be thoroughly researched. Be realistic about your expectations for what adding a bird will mean to your family. First and foremost, birds are loud. All birds, even the very small ones. Obviously the constant chatter of a finch is a lot different than the earsplitting screech of a macaw. Birds require a proper enclosure to ensure their safety when not out socializing and to deter behavioral problems. The bigger the bird, the bigger the cage. All species tend to be messy and require daily cleaning of their enclosures for sanitation purposes. Again, the bigger the bird, the bigger the mess. As with all exotic pets, birds require very specific care as far as diet and husbandry. The rewards for providing this care will be returned tenfold fold by your companion that can last a lifetime (literally).
This is a very large category that includes ferrets, rabbits, sugar glider, gerbils, hamsters, rats, hedgehogs, and many other species. This is a huge group of exotic pets and they are all very different concerning husbandry and personality. Some are nocturnal which can disrupt children’s bedtime if the enclosure is kept in their room. This will also mean that during the day, the pet will not be active when everyone is awake. Unlike cats and dogs, all pets in this category will require constant handling to keep them tame. If they are not fed the proper diet, serious health problems can result. Like birds, their enclosures need to be cleaned regularly for sanitation purposes. The smaller species, hamster, rats, and gerbils, are notorious for being escape artists.
This blog is meant to be just a general summary to get you to ask yourself the right questions when considering an exotic pet. Consulting your veterinarian is paramount before purchase. | <urn:uuid:1876cbee-5508-4cb9-8748-c5b34dc2fc24> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://advancedpetcareofclearlake.com/2013/06/03/is-an-exotic-pet-right-for-you/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.954572 | 913 | 2.59375 | 3 |
At some point in your life, you’d probably have googled some variant of “How to eat healthier”, and one of the most common advice you’d have gotten is to “have a balanced diet by eating more fibre”. But what exactly are the health benefits and sources of fibre? How does having enough fibre contribute to maintaining a balanced diet?
Fibre is important and an essential in our daily diets — the Singapore Health Promotion Board recommends a daily fibre intake of 20g for women and 26g for men. The recommended two servings of fruits and vegetables a day doesn’t always cover the amount of fibre adults require in a day.
Studies have shown that people often do not consume enough fibre daily and they often struggle to do so, perhaps due to eating preferences, habits and inaccessibility to food that are high in fibre. The good news is, there are plenty of foods out there that are packed with fibre, and eating different types of food in moderation, for instance, cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables can help you to add fibre to your daily diet. There has also been an increasing demand for fibre-fortified food and beverage products in the market because of the multi-functional health benefits of dietary fibres, so it’s great if you’re trying to eat healthier.
Read on to learn more about the health benefits conferred by dietary fibre and its common dietary sources.
What is dietary fibre?
Dietary fibre comes from plants and is a type of carbohydrate that is indigestible. Unlike other types of carbohydrates that get broken down into sugar molecules, fibre cannot be broken down but passes through our bodies undigested. There are two types of fibre— insoluble and soluble, and both types are important for optimal health. There are many benefits to dietary fibre which is why consuming an adequate amount of fibre is so important to your health and wellbeing.
What are the health benefits of dietary fibre?
Apart from helping to improve your gut health by increasing bowel movement, fibre can also help to reduce your risk of developing several chronic diseases. Having an adequate amount of fibre in your diet can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity just to name a few. Other health-boosting properties of fibre include strengthening your immune system and nutrient absorption.
1. Dietary fibre helps to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes
Soluble fibre is beneficial for people with diabetes as it helps to slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream after meals and this prevents blood sugar spikes. This is because fibre helps to regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping you to achieve more consistent blood sugar levels. Having high blood sugar levels constantly is a risk factor of type 2 diabetes, especially if one’s body is unable to get rid of the sugar in the bloodstream fast enough. Fibre can help to prevent diabetes in those who are healthy, and for people with diabetes, better manage their condition.
2. Dietary fibre helps in weight management
If you’re trying to watch your weight, then consuming enough fibre should be your priority. Soluble and insoluble fibre can help you to manage your weight as the bulk from the fibres allows you to stay full longer and prevents you from overeating. This means that you’re more likely to feel full and more satisfied for a longer period of time after a meal, which might help you to cut back on all that snacking. High-fibre foods generally also contain fewer calories for the same amount of food as compared to those that are low in fibre. Consuming the recommended amount of fibre each day can thus help you to achieve a healthier weight and overcome obesity.
3. Dietary fibre helps to prevent constipation and improve gut health
Suffering from constipation is a painful experience. Luckily, fibre will help you to bring you some relief. In particular, a type of soluble fibre called Inulin might help you to soften your stool and loosen the bowel to promote regular bowel movement to maintain a healthier bowel function. Experts say that the fibre in wheat bran and oat bran might be more effective than the fibre from fruits and vegetables when it comes to relieving constipation. Dietary fibre also helps you to maintain a stronger intestinal barrier which helps to improve gut health.
4. Dietary fibre strengthens heart health to lower the risk of heart diseases
Studies have shown that consuming enough dietary fibre every day might help to lower the risk of heart disease by reducing your cholesterol levels. Fibre can help to lower LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol, and this helps to prevent the odds of getting heart disease.
There are other multi-functional benefits of dietary fibre including enhancing bone health, cognitive health and overall immunity.
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Alchemy Fibre™️ For Rice is a patented, plant-based fibre blend that is made specifically to be used with rice. When added to white rice during the cooking process, Alchemy Fibre™️ For Rice helps to reduce the glycemic index (GI) of white rice, while increasing the fibre content to 10x that of white rice.
What are the different sources of fibre?
Now that you’re aware of the benefits of dietary fibre, the next step is to ensure that you have enough of it in your daily diet. You can easily add fibre to your diet by eating more plant-based foods such as fruits, leafy vegetables, whole grains (bran), legumes (beans) and nuts. Note that you should be eating fruits with their peels/skin on to ensure you get high amounts of fibre.
Here are some examples of foods with high fibre content:
- Baked beans, 2 tsp: 4.0g of fibre
- Red kidney beans, 1 tsp: 7.5g of fibre
- Orange, 1 small: 3.0g of fibre
- Guava, 1 medium: 4.0g of fibre
- Broccoli, 1 cup: 3.0g of fibre
- Spinach, 1 cup: 6.0g of fibre
- Wholemeal bread, 2 slices: 5.0g of fibre
While having a high-fibre diet is beneficial, experts recommend increasing your fibre intake gradually especially if you haven’t been consuming enough fibre before. Consuming too much fibre all of a sudden might aggravate your digestive tract, which might cause you to bloat, become gassy, and even constipated as fibre might act as a bulking agent. Moreover, you should drink more liquids as you increase your fibre intake since fibre absorbs water.
One way to increase overall amount of fibre in your diet without changing the taste or texture of your carb-based food is to add Alchemy Fibre™. White rice cooked with Alchemy Fibre™ For Rice (100g) has a higher dietary fibre content than jasmine white rice and brown rice.
How can Alchemy Fibre™ help?
Alchemy Fibre™ is a patented plant-based fibre blend that helps slow down the glucose release of refined carbohydrates, like white rice. When added to the cooking process of white rice, Alchemy Fibre™ For Rice helps to lower the GI (glycemic index) of white rice to the same range as brown rice and increases fibre content 10 times that of usual white rice.
There are various blends of Alchemy Fibre™, each made for a different carbohydrate application. Alchemy Fibre™ does not change the taste, texture or appearance of your food and retains the taste and texture that you enjoy and are familiar with. | <urn:uuid:98fc6494-3574-4e01-9296-0c7e94e13821> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://alchemyfoodtech.com/blog-health-benefits-and-sources-of-fibre/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.940073 | 1,565 | 3.09375 | 3 |
T he term “Sharing Economy” appears again and again in connection with the digitalisation of the economy and above all the platform economy. Yet the underlying principle is so old that we live together as a community. It is a matter of making optimum use of existing resources and, for example, making our own tools available to a third party for this purpose.
What has always worked well in village communities, for example, is not very widespread today, particularly in the entrepreneurial sector. In many companies there is a lack of understanding for the shared use of existing resources. It is often the lack of information that causes expensive machines to be temporarily unused instead of being used by someone else who would contribute to the profit margin by sharing the costs.
This is where digitalization comes into play: through digital platforms or virtual networking, companies are in a position to reduce information asymmetries and provide data on unused or searched resources in real time. This is based on the principle of “asset over ownership” and means that ownership is not transferred, but that free resources are offered as capacity or service.
For example, machine tool manufacturers have joined forces in a plastics cluster and exchange information on free capacities of so-called special machines. The information for this is shared weekly in an email. Due to the regional proximity, these can quickly be passed on to partners in the network.
The more data acquisition and data processing are introduced into production, the earlier free capacities or corresponding bottlenecks can be identified. In other words, digitization delivers the data in real time and, in the next step, could immediately offer capacities or search in the network. At the latest with the establishment of Smart-Contracting (automated contract conclusion machine to machine), this optimization of machine utilization could be fully automated.
The sharing of certain resources is desirable, not least from the point of view of sustainability. The efficiency of the overall system is increased and the bottom line is that companies have to invest less. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular can benefit from such a system of sharing.
It is therefore not surprising that classic forms of sharing already exist in small and medium-sized enterprises. In the agricultural sector, for example, there are cooperatives that have been allowing the joint marketing of products for many decades, but also the use of machines at different times. However, the cooperative as an independent legal form is not yet comparable with the idea of a completely flexible Sharing Economy.
From a macroeconomic point of view, an economic system is efficient when no free resources are unused. Transferred to the existing structures of a cooperative, this means that a free market must be created for the available resources, for example by setting up its own platform.
In any case, a solution is needed that on the one hand involves as many actors as possible and at the same time ensures that there are no resource conflicts. In addition, the processing effort (identification, booking, billing) must not be so great that it consumes the resources saved.
For many companies, the cross-organizational use of resources means cultural change. Companies have the responsibility to introduce their employees to the topic in small, concrete steps. As entrepreneurs, they should start by listing free capacities that could be made available to third parties with their managers and consider who they could offer them to. Then think about how you can make this offer to the potential interested parties. Networking could, for example, be organised via regional industry clusters or IHKs.
The third step would then be to set up functioning processes, where perhaps no complex software would be necessary at all. How about, for example, a Whatsapp group of participating companies for fast communication of available resources? When they are faced with the decision to digitalise production and make it agile, they plan interfaces for the Sharing Economy right from the start. Modular production, which is highly flexible, is primarily based on the fact that not all modules are used to the same capacity. These modules can be made available to third parties without endangering the company’s own production targets.
So let’s summarize, sharing costly resources is easier than ever before with the help of digital technologies. Information barriers can be overcome and win-win situations arise. In increasingly volatile value creation networks, the ability to collaborate and share resources can become a key competence.
What does this mean for you as an entrepreneur? Critically examine your structures and resources and identify exactly those resources that are temporarily unused. Try to offer them in regional networks and to gain supporters for the development of a sharing platform.
Dr. Alexander Bode | <urn:uuid:6e2cb122-3c61-4e09-aec4-d56d459cef31> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://alexander-bode.de/en/2018/12/old-principle-in-new-clothes-from-sharing-in-the-sharing-economy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.952803 | 939 | 2.859375 | 3 |
In the fast-paced digital age, where information travels at the speed of light, fiber optics emerges as a revolutionary technology that drives our interconnected world. In this article, we’ll delve into the intricacies of fiber optics, exploring its inner workings, applications, and profound impact on modern communication.
Understanding Fiber Optics
Fiber optics, at its core, is a technology that transmits data through thin strands of glass or plastic fibers using light as its carrier. It departs from traditional electrical transmission, offering unparalleled speed and efficiency.
The fundamental principle of fiber optics lies in total internal reflection. Light entering the fiber’s core at a specific angle continuously reflects off the cladding, ensuring minimal signal loss and enabling data to travel long distances.
How Fiber Optics Work
A fiber optic cable consists of a core where light travels, surrounded by a cladding with a lower refractive index. This contrast in refractive indices allows for total internal reflection, confining the light within the core and preventing leakage.
Data is transmitted through fiber optics using optical signals, which can represent complex information through variations in light intensity. This process involves using lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate light pulses that encode the data.
Advantages of Fiber Optics
Blazing-Fast Data Transfer Rates: One of the most prominent advantages of fiber optics is its remarkable speed. With data rates surpassing traditional copper cables by leaps and bounds, fiber optics facilitate seamless streaming, rapid downloads, and lag-free online experiences.
Immunity to Electromagnetic Interference: Fiber optics are immune to electromagnetic interference. This makes them highly reliable in environments prone to electrical noise, ensuring consistent and stable data transmission.
Long-Distance Communication Made Possible: Fiber optics enable long-distance communication without compromising signal quality. The minimal attenuation of light ensures that data can traverse thousands of kilometers with minimal loss, making it invaluable for global communication networks.
Applications of Fiber Optics
Telecommunications: Backbone of Global Connectivity: Fiber optics form the backbone of modern telecommunications networks. They enable the transmission of huge amounts of data, including voice calls, video conferencing, and internet traffic, connecting people across the globe.
Internet Revolution: Enabling High-Speed Browsing: The fiber optic revolution has paved the way for high-speed internet connections, transforming how we browse, stream, and interact online. Fiber-optic broadband offers unparalleled speed and reliability, enhancing user experiences.
Medical Field: Endoscopes and Surgical Imaging: Fiber optics play a crucial role in endoscopic procedures and surgical imaging in the medical field. The flexibility of fiber optic cables allows for non-invasive internal examinations and precise imaging during surgeries.
Industrial and Defense Sectors: Secure Data Transfer: Industries and defense sectors utilize fiber optics for secure data transmission. Their immunity to eavesdropping and electromagnetic interference makes them ideal for transmitting sensitive information and maintaining communication in critical situations.
Fiber vs. Traditional Copper Wiring
Bandwidth and Speed Comparison: Fiber optics outshine traditional copper wiring when it comes to bandwidth and speed. While copper struggles to keep up with increasing data demands, fiber optics provide ample bandwidth for today’s data-hungry applications.
Durability and Maintenance: Fiber optic cables are faster and more durable than traditional copper wires. They are immune to weather conditions and corrosion, that results in lower maintenance costs and increased reliability.
Future Innovations in Fiber Optics
Quantum Fiber – Revolutionizing Encryption: The advent of quantum fiber holds the promise of unparalleled data security. Quantum key distribution through fiber optics ensures unbreakable encryption, safeguarding sensitive information from cyber threats.
Integrated Photonics – Merging Optics and Electronics: Integrated photonics is a groundbreaking technology that combines optics and electronics on a single chip. This innovation opens doors to more compact, energy-efficient, high-performance application devices.
Installation Costs and Complexity: Despite its numerous advantages, the initial installation costs of fiber optics can be relatively high. The delicate nature of the cables and the expertise required for installation add to the complexity.
Vulnerability to Physical Damage: Fiber optic cables, while robust, can be susceptible to physical damage, such as bending or crushing. Safeguarding these cables during installation and maintenance is essential to maintain uninterrupted communication.
Fiber optics are a beacon of technological advancement, revolutionizing how we transmit and receive data. Their incredible speed, immunity to interference, and diverse applications make them the backbone of modern communication systems. | <urn:uuid:978456d0-0656-4501-a9aa-6a76fce3a11d> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://amerifiber.com/fiber-optics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.86726 | 924 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Tinnitus is a series of uproarious noises that bangs the ear or ears in the absence of any external sounds or noises. In informal language it is referred to as whistling, buzzing, hissing, ringing and etc. Definitely not categorized as a medical condition, it is a kind of symptom that is triggered as a result of an underlying mental or physical condition. The gravity of tinnitus varies from person to person. If tinnitus is caused as a result of mental stress, then the severity of the symptom is directly proportional to the magnitude of stress experienced by the person on that particular day.
The outcome of research performed by a U.S government agency indicates that approximately around 25 million Americans suffer from Tinnitus, of which many are adults. Though it isn’t a very serious symptomatic condition, it is highly annoying in nature in many circumstances.
The exact triggering factor of this symptomatic condition hasn’t been identified yet. However, it is perceived that abnormality in the sound hearing potential of the brain and the interpretation capacity of the brain is what triggers excessive noise in the. Sometimes, it can also be a result of inner ear damage. Dysfunction in the jaw and joint and chronic neck muscle strain is also the other probable causes of Tinnitus along with the build-up of earwax, infection in the middle-ear, glue ear, perforated eardrum, and otosclerosis. The rare causes are head injury, being anemic, negative reactions to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and chemotherapy medicines. However, the above-mentioned causes aren’t hypothetically proved. Tinnitus can also be caused as a result of sleeping disorders. Despite all this, there are supplements like Sonus Complete which are quite effective for the treatment as well. Sonus complete does it work? Yes, this is a safe and proven supplement that can be used for the treatment of Tinnitus.
Relentless ringing in the ears is one of the primary symptoms of Tinnitus. The loudness of the noise heard in the ears is to such an extent that it makes a person feel frustrated and irritated. In most cases, the nature of noise heard is of buzzing or ringing type. In some rare instances, the sound is followed by a loss in hearing potential, which is partial in nature rather not complete. Sometimes, upon hearing such noises, people will find difficulty in hearing the external sounds. Frequently, people complain of dizziness and laziness whilst experiencing such noises.
Effects of Tinnitus
Individuals affected by tinnitus are most likely to experience anxiety and depression, which thereby impacts their concentration and attention abilities.
Given the medical advancement, the diagnosis of tinnitus is being performed through many means with the help of modern diagnostic instruments. The focus of examination is on the head, ears, and neck. This is to identify whether these body parts contribute to the cause of tinnitus. Below are the tests for tinnitus diagnosis. Medications for tinnitus also undergo a relay clinical trial. | <urn:uuid:92416896-de25-47df-bf1f-8dd68309c836> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://antikythiradirect.com/what-is-tinnitus-what-are-its-symptoms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.955119 | 633 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Open all pages about Heart failure
Symptoms of heart disease include shortness of breath, tiredness and swelling in your ankles or legs.
Heart failure is caused by damage to the heart or a problem with the way it works. Common causes include heart disease and high blood pressure.
The main treatments for heart failure are healthy lifestyle changes and medicines. Some people may also need a pacemaker or heart surgery.
Heart failure is where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly and needs treatment to help it work.
Page last reviewed: 19/05/2022
Next review due: 19/05/2025 | <urn:uuid:d52867b0-3b58-4ac5-a35b-792fbb482234> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://api-bridge.azurewebsites.net/conditions/index.php?uid=c3VwcG9ydEBzaXRla2l0Lm5ldA%3D%3D&category=I&p=heart-failure%2F%23causes&index=1&tabname=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.90677 | 129 | 3.28125 | 3 |
The number of people living with depression increased by more than 18% between 2005 and 2015, according to a new WHO report. Depression is also the largest cause of disability worldwide. More than 80% of this disease burden is among people living in low- and middle-income countries.
The release of these estimates, along with corresponding data on anxiety disorders, comes just six weeks before the World Health Day, which this year will focus on depression. World Health Day will be the highlight of a one-year campaign “Depression: let’s talk”, the goal of which is that more people with depression, in all countries, seek and get help. | <urn:uuid:42edb522-0808-4b29-9e01-8680b7fbe569> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://app.com.pt/its-time-to-talk-about-depression-oms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.96499 | 135 | 2.6875 | 3 |
June 6, 2012 – Talk about throwing yourself into a relationship too soon.
A University of Utah study found that when a virgin male moth gets a whiff of female sex attractant, he’s quicker to start shivering to warm up his flight muscles, and then takes off prematurely when he’s still too cool for powerful flight. So his headlong rush to reach the female first may cost him the race.
The study illustrates the tradeoff between being quick to start flying after a female versus adequately warming up the flight muscles before starting the chase. Until the next study, it remains a mystery which moths actually reach the females: the too-cool, quick-takeoff males or the males who wait until they’re hot enough to take a shot. The latter may end up flying faster and more efficiently and win the race, despite a slow takeoff.
“What happens before flight has not been well studied,” says José Crespo, a University of Utah doctoral student in biology and first author of the new study, published online June 7 in the Journal of Experimental Biology. “To me, the story is you have a behavior – pre-flight warmup – that is switched on by smell.”
Senior author Neil Vickers, professor and chairman of biology at the University of Utah, says: “In many insects, moths in particular, all of their adult lives are affected by odor – all the activities they engage in that you and I see at night at the porch light are things typically affected by odor.”
Moths forage for nectars using flower odors. Males follow female sex attractants or pheromones to find the females. Then they have what Vickers calls “an odor dialogue” and mate. The females use odor to lay their eggs on the right plants.
“Finding out how odors switch on behavior is critical to the whole picture,” Vickers says. “Furthermore, because insects have this amazing ability to fly, which not many animals have, finding out how flight is turned on by odor is an issue relevant to many insects. … There is a whole constellation of behaviors driven by odor, and this is true of all manner of insects” and even other animals and people.
Vickers and Crespo conducted the study with University of Utah biology Professor Franz Goller. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.
Watching Chilled Moths Heat Up
The study involved a moth named Helicoverpa zea, commonly known as the corn ear worm. It belongs to the largest family of moths and butterflies – noctuids – which have more than 35,000 species worldwide, including the medium-sized moths many of us see in or near our homes.
“It’s a significant agricultural pest which attacks many different crops – corn, soy, tomato, strawberries,” Vickers says. Researchers use them because they are good models to show how odors are processed in the brain.
Virgin males were used in the study because it is standard protocol to use animals that haven’t previously mated or been exposed to pheromones.
To start the experiments, all the moths were chilled down to 46 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, cool enough so they stay inactive, and so handling them before the experiments doesn’t prompt them to start warming up immediately.
The first experiments were conducted using a small, open roofed, cardboard wind tunnel about 11 inches long, 5.5 inches wide and 5.5 inches tall. A 1.2-inch tall, 1.2-inch diameter cylindrical wire cage, with no top, was placed upright inside one end of the wind tunnel, with an inactive moth at the bottom.
A fan blew a gentle, 1 mph breeze toward the moth, and one of six odors was released near the upwind end of the tube. One was the moth’s normal pheromone blend, one was the blend’s primary component, and the other four were odors (or in one case, no odor) that scientists believed wouldn’t attract the moths (and didn’t).
An infrared video camera – which measures temperatures – recorded the moths as they began their shivering warm-up and finally took off. The moths are seen in infrared turning from cooler purple-blue to warmer orange and even warmer red and yellow.
By analyzing the video after each of dozens of experiments, Crespo measured how long it took inactive moths to start shivering after smelling the odor, and how long they spent shivering until takeoff. The infrared video, one frame before takeoff, showed the temperature of the moth’s thorax at takeoff (the wings and all related muscles are in the insect’s thorax, the body section between the head and abdomen). Crespo also calculated the rate at which the moths warmed up.
Moths that did not smell pheromone flew in random directions when they finally warmed up. Moths that smelled the pheromone blend (and often the primary component alone) started shivering faster, took off sooner (less time shivering), did so at a lower temperature than other moths, and flew toward the odor.
Quicker Takeoff, Less Powerful Flight
Until now, researchers thought the moths simply warmed up as fast as they can. “These guys don’t all heat up at the same rate,” Vickers says. “The guys exposed to the pheromone odor, go ‘Wow!’ and they warm up faster and take off more quickly. And that compromises the flight power they can produce.”
Crespo conducted a second set of experiments that showed cooler temperatures mean less vertical flight power or force.
In these experiments, wax was used to gently attach (not stick) an entomological pin to a moth’s thorax. The other end of the pin was attached to a force sensor, which in turn was wired to various electronics to read the results. A small Styrofoam ball was placed under the moth, which reflexively grabbed onto it with its legs. When Crespo gently pulled away the ball, the moth reflexively tried to fly upward, and the force of that effort was recorded. White and black lights – to which moths are attracted – were above the apparatus to induce the moths to fly with maximum force.
The test was repeated in small temperature increments, showing how warm a moth thorax must be for maximum flight power – about 90 degrees Fahrenheit – and that those in the study took off too cool at about 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Crespo says moths “are well-known for ‘scramble competition.’ When the female is advertising the pheromone in a field, that pheromone is probably going to be detected by several males, and they’re going to try to compete and get to the female first. You can see how it might be advantageous to take off sooner and try to get to the female first.”
“However,” he adds, “if you take off with a lower temperature, we show you have less maximum power in flight, so we think there is a compromise between heating up faster to a lower temperature to arrive at that female first, or waiting a little longer to heat up to a higher temperature and make sure you’re going to make it to the female.”
“This is about a decision to get up and go: ‘This is the right smell. Let’s do it,’” Vickers says. “There are neurons that detect the odor, and they feed that information into the brain, and the brain says, ‘This is the right odor, this is a female,’ and then processes occur that we don’t know much about. But the brain sends instructions to the flight muscles to start warming up. The animal responds to this odor by warming itself at a faster rate than if it’s exposed to a non-female odor. At some level, we’ve moved a little step closer to understanding that black box that’s evaluating these inputs and internal conditions and deciding to move.”
Vickers adds: “Insect flight muscles are among the most metabolically costly in the animal kingdom. In order to fly, you have to use a lot of oxygen and generate the power. The decision to take flight after a female odor is not one that would be taken lightly by the moth because it’s expensive.”
“It’s costly to fly, to jump into a relationship,” he says.
Video and infrared video of a moth warming up may be viewed at: | <urn:uuid:c2b82886-76b1-4db3-a60f-f1dc489d4def> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://archive.unews.utah.edu/news_releases/virgin-male-moths-think-theyre-hot-when-theyre-not/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.965803 | 1,840 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Deer can damage tree trunks by rubbing or scraping their antlers against the bark to remove the velvet and polish. Bucks also rub against trees to mark territory and attract females. Unfortunately, this causes enormous tree damage. Young trees are especially vulnerable because the scraping can damage the systems needed to transport water and nutrients from the roots.
Deer further damage trees by chewing on low branches as well as pawing at the soil below a tree, and urinating around it to mark territory. Compounding the problem is the fact that deer are creatures of habit. They will return to the same trees and repeat the same behavior, so it's important to protect tree trunks. This can be done in a variety of ways.
Tip: A hungry deer will eat almost anything. However, there are a few preferred trees that even a deer who is full might go after. These include the common lilac, Russian olive, oak, hackberry, apple, hawthorn, walnut, white pine, and dogwood. If you have any of these trees, you may want to consider protecting them even if damage has never occurred before.
Protect Tree Trunks with Fencing
The simplest way to protect trees is with fencing placed around a single tree or an entire stand. While fencing is the most expensive way to deter wildlife, it is also the most effective. The fence must be at least six to eight feet tall and tilted at an angle of 30 degrees, as deer are champion jumpers.
Tip: If you notice deer have been chewing on the lower branches of your trees, consider pruning all low branches off completely. If the deer cannot reach a branch for chewing, they may lose interest and move on.
Tree Care with DIY Materials
If fencing is not suitable, protect individual trees by wrapping any number of materials around the trunk, including chicken wire, plastic mesh netting, spiral wraps, paper tree wraps, plastic piping, or corrugated drain pipe. You can even cut plastic bottles open and tie them around the trunk stacked on top of each other. Any of these options, while they may not be the most aesthetically pleasing , can be easily cut to size and secured around any tree trunk.
When using any of these do-it-yourself materials, measure the tree trunk from the ground to just under the first branch. Cut a section of your chosen material to this length. For corrugated drain pipe, an extra cut will be required to split the material open in order to wrap it around the tree trunk. Use care when installing a corrugated drain pipe around the tree so as not to damage the bark or injure your fingers. The material is difficult to maneuver open. To install the chicken wire or netting, simply wrap it around the tree securely and close with zip ties. Any protective material should be kept a few inches from the bark of the tree to allow for proper air circulation.
Firm material, such as the spiral wraps, drain pipes, or plastic pipes are most effective when the bottom four inches are secured in the ground. Dig a trench around your tree and wiggle the bottom of your guard into the soil, tamping it down firmly.
For material such as plastic bottles, use taut twine to attach them to sturdy bamboo stakes a few feet from the tree. The extra support will go a long way during storms and high winds. For maximum tree care, monitor growth annually and widen the protective material as needed.
Tip: To learn more about different types of tree guards, visit this article!
Limit Tree Damage with Repellents
Two types of repellents exist to limit different behavior. Contact repellents taste bad, while area ones emit foul odors that may encourage deer to stay away. With a contact repellent, the tree trunk should be treated to a height of six feet. Commercial preparations of both types exist but many people choose to make their own.
One method is to cut slices of deodorant soap, enclose them in cheesecloth, and hang them from the branches of the tree. Deer don’t like the smell of the soap, but it must be replaced monthly and after every rain to remain effective. I have personally heard wonders about Irish Springs soap. Keep in mind that if food is scarce the deer may well ignore the scents and chow down regardless.
Other less savory options include mixing egg and water to spread around the base of the tree, or mixing dried blood meal (purchased in gardening centers) with any number of items designed to give off a scent to repel deer. Human or pet hair, chicken feathers, egg, garlic, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper are all effective. Mix your choice of ingredients, strain if necessary, cook under the sun to get it really smelly, and spray or pour around tree trunks. Rotate ingredients each season as deer can become accustomed to tastes or smells.
Plant Different Trees
Some types of tree are known to be deer resistant. If you are bothered by these animals and are thinking about planting another tree, consider American holly, bottlebrush buckeye, Alberta spruce, the black, red, or pitch pine, mimosa, or the paper birch, among others. Keep in mind that no tree is 100 percent resistant to wildlife damage and that a hungry deer will eat almost anything.
Tip: To deal with damage already done to your tree, acquire a pair of sharp garden shears. If deer have been rubbing up against your tree and shredding the trunk, use the shears to trim away all of the loose bark. Also prune broken branches back to a main branch or trunk. Over the growing season new bark should develop to cover any exposed wood. However, if the damage is severe, the tree may die. | <urn:uuid:5c1f5798-0dff-4d2e-aaee-206bd78ad597> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://assets.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-protect-tree-trunks-from-deer-and-other-wildlife | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.944982 | 1,186 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Looking for ways to encourage your reluctant musician without begging and pleading? Learning a new instrument is challenging, and many parents struggle to help motivate and inspire their kids.
We recently conducted an experiment to help us better understand our new students. We asked our beginners what they think of when they about learning a musical instrument:
“It’s a lot of hard work.”
“My mom makes me do it.”
But when we asked our instructors a similar question, “what does music mean to you?” we heard an entirely different response. Many teachers teared up immediately. They described music as a source of light, hope, identify, freedom, healing, and love. For these musicians, their music was everything.
When we enroll our students in music lessons, we want them to feel that same passion. We want learning music to be a joyful and rewarding experience. But so often, our kids get lost in the mundane and can’t see the big picture.
How can parents help? If you want to instill a love of music and passion for learning in your children, start today. Here’s three ways to help your new musician connect their heart to their art.
Let their Goosebumps be their Guide. (Feelings)
We recently asked a new student what made them want to start taking piano lessons. She told us about a school field trip to hear the Utah Symphony, and remembers feeling “chills” the moment she heard the piano.
There’s power in that memory, and each child needs their own “chills” experience to fall back on when practicing gets hard, or skills come slowly.
As parents, we need to identify what excites our child’s soul, and follow it. Fortunately, we can let the music do the hard work of conversion for us. Take your child to events and performances whenever possible, and give them a chance to talk about what they felt. Make these experiences and conversations a regular part of your family culture, and give them every opportunity to feel those chills.
The more memorable experiences we provide, the more our children will feel connected to their music.
Connect them Where it Counts (Relationships)
Our kids need a team of supporters when it comes to learning an instrument. Find the champions in their life that can appreciate them and act as positive role models. Once you’ve found your champions, invite them to be a bigger part of your child’s life.
How do you find a champion? Look for the following people.
When it Doubt, Point Arrows Out (Experiences)
Help break kids out of a learning rut with special moments that allow them to truly experience their art. The best way to accomplish this is through performance opportunities focused on service rather than recognition.
My own Dad helped me learn this lesson when I was asked to play the piano at my Grandpa’s funeral, and I spent the days before the service feeling extremely nervous and unfocused. After a few long and anxious days, my Dad gently reminded me that my performance wasn’t about me, it was about honoring my Grandpa.
I learned to use my abilities, (my arrows) to point out into the world and away from myself, and to let my talent help and encourage others. If you can create these meaningful experiences for your own kids, you’ll help them bond the joy of learning with a joy of serving. From playing hymns during a worship service, to volunteering to provide the music in a care-center or hospital, learning to perform is a chance to learn how to serve.
Want to get kids excited about practicing on their own and accepting the challenging parts of learning a new instrument? Start by teaching them how to feel those goosebumps, connect with their team, and point their arrows out. We promise you’ll help them become a great musician, and so much more. | <urn:uuid:28da3b9c-d8a2-46de-9d79-1a4d0a9379b7> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://austinmusicacademy.com/three-ways-parents-can-help-kids-connect-heart-to-art/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.962255 | 819 | 2.875 | 3 |
Florida’s vibrant and diverse ecosystems offer a captivating haven for bird enthusiasts, attracting a myriad of avian species year-round. Among these remarkable animals, geese hold a special place, captivating observers with their graceful flights and communal gatherings.
This article delves into the captivating world of geese in Florida, shedding light on their intriguing behaviors within the state’s lush landscapes. From the tranquil shores of picturesque lakes to the expansive wetlands that teem with life, we embark on a journey to uncover the hidden nuances of these majestic waterfowl.
As we venture into the heart of geese country, we discover the intricate web of ecological interactions that underscore their presence, offering a deeper appreciation for the delicate balance of nature within the Sunshine State.
1. Canada Goose
- Scientific name: Branta canadensis
- Life span: 10-25 years
- Size: 30-43 in / 76-110 cm
- Weight: 7-14 lbs / 3-6.4 kg
- Wingspan: 50-71 in / 127-180 cm
- Status: Least Concern
The Canada Goose is a prominent waterfowl species found across North America. With a vast geographical range extending from Arctic tundras to urban parks, these iconic geese are recognized by their striking black necks and heads, adorned with distinct white chinstrap markings.
Their bodies showcase a rich palette of brown, black, and gray feathers, while their imposing size and strong presence make them a common sight in various habitats, often forming distinctive V-shaped formations during migration.
The Canada Goose is known for its diligent and family-oriented nesting habits. These geese construct their nests near water bodies, typically on islands or elevated sites, using a mix of grasses, down feathers, and plant materials.
The female takes on the responsibility of incubating the eggs while the male stands guard, showcasing a cooperative and attentive approach to parenting.
Canada Geese have an adaptable and varied diet that includes a range of plant materials. They are commonly seen grazing on grasses in fields near water, foraging for aquatic plants, and even browsing on agricultural crops. Their ability to thrive in different environments is in part due to their dietary flexibility.
Once under threat due to overhunting and habitat loss, Canada Geese have made a remarkable recovery thanks to conservation efforts. Managed hunting seasons, habitat protection, and public awareness campaigns have contributed to their resurgence, allowing these geese to now grace urban parks, suburban lakes, and natural wetlands across North America.
2. Egyptian Goose
- Scientific name: Alopochen aegyptiaca
- Life span: 5-10 years
- Size: 24-29 in / 61-74 cm
- Weight: 3.5-6.6 lbs / 1.6-3 kg
- Wingspan: 47-67 in / 120-170 cm
- Status: Least Concern
The Egyptian Goose stands out as an exotic treasure amidst its native range spanning Africa, from the Nile River to South Africa. This species boasts an intriguing appearance, featuring a captivating blend of chestnut and white on its body, highlighted by strikingly dark eyes and a distinctive dark band around its neck.
Since this bird is native to Africa, its presence in the US might be confusing. Escapees from zoos and aviaries have created wild populations in Florida, Texas, and California.
The Egyptian Goose demonstrates an interesting nesting strategy, often utilizing tree cavities, rock ledges, or abandoned nests of other birds. They line their nests with feathers, down, and vegetation to create a comfortable environment for their eggs. This adaptable approach highlights their resourcefulness in choosing suitable nesting sites.
Egyptian Geese are predominantly herbivores, feeding on a variety of plant materials such as grasses, aquatic vegetation, and agricultural crops. They also supplement their diet with insects and small invertebrates, showcasing a versatile and opportunistic feeding behavior.
Native to Africa, the Egyptian Goose has expanded its range to other continents, including North America and Europe, often establishing feral populations. While not under significant conservation concern, monitoring their interactions with local ecosystems and other waterfowl species remains important to maintain ecological balance.
3. Snow Goose
- Scientific name: Anser caerulescens
- Life span: 3-15 years
- Size: 25-32 in / 64-81 cm
- Weight: 3.2-6.5 lbs / 1.5-3 kg
- Wingspan: 53-63 in / 135-160 cm
- Status: Least Concern
With its wide distribution across North America, the Snow Goose paints the landscapes with its ethereal beauty. Named after its snowy white plumage, this goose species contrasts its surroundings during migration.
While some individuals boast this pristine white coat, others exhibit a striking dark coloration known as the “Blue Goose” phase. The harmonious blend of these variations creates a stunning visual mosaic amidst the wetlands, tundra, and fields they inhabit.
The Snow Goose undertakes its nesting duties in the Arctic tundra regions. These geese build their nests on elevated ground, using plant material, down, and feathers. Their nesting colonies can be quite dense, creating a unique spectacle against the vast northern landscapes.
Snow Geese are primarily herbivores, with a preference for grasses, sedges, and other vegetation found in their breeding and wintering habitats. They are known for their impressive migration flights, during which they rely on these fuel-rich food sources to sustain their long journeys.
Once facing declines due to overhunting, Snow Goose populations have rebounded due to regulated hunting and habitat protection. However, their large numbers have led to concerns about their impact on Arctic ecosystems, prompting ongoing research and management efforts to ensure a balanced coexistence.
4. Greater White-fronted Goose
- Scientific name: Anser albifrons
- Life span: 15-20 years
- Size: 20-30 in / 51-76 cm
- Weight: 2.7-6.6 lbs / 1.2-3 kg
- Wingspan: 43-59 in / 110-150 cm
- Status: Least Concern
The Greater White-fronted Goose embarks on an extensive migration journey, spanning across North America, Europe, and Asia. Its appearance is characterized by a mottled gray-brown body, accentuated by its namesake white facial markings and a delicate pinkish-orange bill.
As they traverse diverse landscapes, from Arctic tundras to agricultural fields, their resonant calls and distinct markings distinguish them as a prized sight among waterfowl enthusiasts.
The Greater White-fronted Goose chooses a variety of nesting sites, from elevated tundra to low-lying coastal areas. They create their nests from grasses, moss, and down, often lining them with feathers for insulation. Their nests are well-hidden and blend into the surrounding environment.
These geese exhibit a diverse diet, consuming a mix of grasses, sedges, aquatic plants, and crops. Their feeding habits vary depending on the season and availability of food sources in their migratory and wintering locations.
Greater White-fronted Geese are not considered threatened, and their populations are relatively stable. Conservation efforts often focus on protecting their breeding and wintering habitats to ensure the continuation of their migratory cycles and the health of the ecosystems they inhabit.
5. Ross’s Goose
- Scientific name: Anser rossii
- Life span: 10-12 years
- Size: 20-25 in / 51-64 cm
- Weight: 2.2-3.6 lbs / 1-1.6 kg
- Wingspan: 37-43 in / 94-110 cm
- Status: Least Concern
A petite inhabitant of North America, Ross’s Goose captivates observers with its diminutive size and snow-white plumage.
Often found alongside larger flocks of Snow Geese, these birds possess a compact body, dainty pink bill, and lack the distinctive black “grinning patch” that its larger companions exhibit
The Ross’s Goose stands as a delightful reminder that even within the avian world, subtle variations give rise to unique and charming characteristics.
Ross’s Geese, native to the Arctic tundra, demonstrate a practical nesting approach, often sharing nesting sites with other goose species. Their nests, crafted from grasses, down, and feathers, blend seamlessly with the tundra landscape, reflecting their adaptation to challenging northern habitats.
These smaller geese primarily consume grasses and herbaceous plants. During migration, they shift to foraging in agricultural fields, feeding on leftover grains, showcasing their flexibility in food sources.
Conservation measures have benefited Ross’s Geese by protecting their breeding grounds and regulating hunting. This management has contributed to their population stability, highlighting the importance of habitat preservation for interconnected waterfowl species.
6. Brant Goose
- Scientific name: Branta bernicla
- Life span: 10-20 years
- Size: 21-25 in / 53-64 cm
- Weight: 2.2-4.6 lbs / 1-2.1 kg
- Wingspan: 40-45 in / 102-114 cm
- Status: Least Concern
The Brant Goose undertakes an impressive migration journey, connecting Arctic breeding grounds to coastal habitats across North America, Europe, and Asia. These geese showcase a dark coloration, with a black neck and head, contrasting against a light grayish-brown body. A distinguishing feature is the white patch on their necks, a trait that sets them apart as they grace coastal shores and wetlands during their extensive travels.
Brant Geese, distinguished by their unique nesting approach, exhibit a remarkable affinity for hidden havens along the Arctic coasts. A fusion of plant materials and feathers serves as the foundation for their nests, a testament to their seamless integration within the rugged coastal terrain.
This nesting strategy not only showcases their adaptability but also underscores their intrinsic connection to the untamed landscapes they call home.
A defining trait of the Brant Geese is their specialized diet, a testament to their coastal lifestyle. With an unwavering preference for marine vegetation like nutrient-rich seaweed and eelgrass, they have evolved to master the art of nutrient extraction from these coastal plants.
This dietary prowess has left an indelible mark on their migration patterns and habitats, revealing the intricate interplay between their culinary preferences and ecological dynamics.
As guardians of critical coastal ecosystems, Brant Geese’s migrations play a pivotal role in highlighting the significance of preserving these vital habitats. Conservation initiatives are laser-focused on safeguarding their coastal sanctuaries, ensuring the perpetuation of their preferred food sources.
These endeavors mirror the harmonious coexistence that nature intricately weaves, emphasizing the delicate balance needed to sustain both Brant Geese and the coastal ecosystems they grace.
7. Cackling Goose
- Scientific name: Branta hutchinsii
- Life span: 6-10 years
- Size: 16-22 in / 41-56 cm
- Weight: 1.7-3.7 lbs / 0.8-1.7 kg
- Wingspan: 22-31 in / 56-79 cm
- Status: Least Concern
The Cackling Goose embodies a smaller counterpart to the Canada Goose, with a range stretching from North America to Siberia. Characterized by its compact size, stubby bill, and short neck, it showcases a similar black head and neck, complemented by a delicate white chinstrap.
Its distinctive “cackling” call echoes across wetlands, adding a unique musical note to the natural symphony.
Much like their fellow geese, Cackling Geese adhere to a time-tested nesting routine, favoring elevated sites amidst the Arctic expanse. Employing a blend of plant materials, down, and feathers, they craft intricate nests that serve as safe havens for their precious eggs.
This meticulous approach underscores their commitment to ensuring the survival of the next generation within the challenging northern realms.
Driven by their herbivorous nature, Cackling Geese partake in a versatile diet, comprising an array of grasses, sedges, and aquatic vegetation. Their foraging escapades extend across a diverse landscape, spanning from tranquil wetlands to verdant agricultural fields.
This dietary adaptability is a testament to their resourcefulness in utilizing available food sources to thrive in various habitats.
Cackling Geese’s population stability speaks to their resilience and adaptability. While not under significant conservation concern, their role as migratory wonders cannot be understated. As they traverse vast distances, their presence contributes to the delicate balance of multiple ecosystems, emphasizing the need to safeguard habitats along their migratory routes.
This migratory journey stands as a living testament to the interconnectedness of our natural world and the imperative of preserving these vital corridors.
8. Barnacle goose
- Scientific name: Branta leucopsis
- Life span: 10-15 years
- Size: 20-26 in / 51-66 cm
- Weight: 2.2-4.2 lbs / 1-1.9 kg
- Wingspan: 35-39 in / 89-99 cm
- Status: Least Concern
Native to the northern reaches of Europe, the Barnacle Goose enchants with its intricate black-and-white plumage. Its name stems from an old myth suggesting that these geese hatched from barnacles, underscoring their unique and captivating appearance.
The contrast of black neck and head against a white face, along with its intricate barred body pattern, makes the Barnacle Goose a true emblem of the Arctic landscapes it calls home.
In the Arctic and subarctic regions of Florida, Barnacle Geese exhibit unique nesting habits, often selecting cliff ledges or elevated sites for their nests. These nests, constructed from grasses, down, and feathers, utilize natural features to provide protection for their eggs.
These geese are primarily herbivores, with a diet that includes grasses, grains, and aquatic plants. They adapt their feeding behaviors to the availability of food sources, foraging in both coastal and inland habitats.
Barnacle Geese have faced historical declines due to hunting, but conservation efforts have helped stabilize their populations. Monitoring their interactions with other species and their habitats is essential to ensure their continued presence in their native and expanded ranges. Efforts to protect their nesting sites and manage food sources contribute to their conservation success.
Where to find Geese in Florida
Florida is a haven for birdwatching enthusiasts, offering diverse ecosystems that attract a variety of bird species, including geese.
To spot geese in Florida, birdwatchers can focus on wetlands, lakes, and marshes where these waterfowl often congregate. The winter months, from November to February, are prime times as many geese migrate south to escape colder climates.
Four notable areas to observe geese in Florida are:
- Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive: This expansive wetland complex near Orlando is a hotspot for waterfowl, including geese. Birdwatchers can drive along a designated route, stopping at various observation points to catch glimpses of these majestic birds.
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park: Near Gainesville, this park boasts a diverse range of habitats, attracting various geese species. Hiking trails and an observation tower offer opportunities for close encounters.
- J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge: On Sanibel Island, this refuge is a haven for migratory birds, including geese. Visitors can explore the mangrove estuary by foot, bike, or kayak while observing geese in their natural habitat.
- Circle B Bar Reserve: Situated near Lakeland, this reserve features expansive marshes and lakes, making it a prime location for geese sightings. Well-maintained trails and boardwalks provide birdwatchers with ample vantage points.
To increase the chances of successful geese spotting, it’s advisable to bring binoculars, a field guide, and a camera for capturing these avian wonders. Patience and quiet observation are key, as sudden movements or noise may startle the birds. Respecting the natural habitats and maintaining a safe distance ensures a rewarding and responsible birdwatching experience in the Sunshine State.
In the verdant tapestry of Florida’s landscapes, geese stand as both majestic inhabitants and harbingers of the delicate balance that sustains its diverse ecosystems. Their nesting behaviors, dietary preferences, and conservation stories weave a captivating narrative of resilience and adaptation.
From the graceful Canada Geese gracing urban ponds to the enigmatic Egyptian Geese adding an exotic flair, these avian wonders remind us of nature’s intricate interconnectedness. As we gaze upon the skies and shores, these geese inspire a deeper appreciation for the intricate dance of life that unfolds in the Sunshine State. | <urn:uuid:1232a034-9d51-4268-86d0-aa8561a0c732> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://avibirds.com/geese-in-florida/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.90926 | 3,539 | 3.40625 | 3 |
January 22, 2004: SCHUMER:$200,000 FOR "GEESEPEACE" SOLUTION TO CANADA GEESE PROBLEM PASSES CONGRESS
Geese overpopulation is a major health hazard to local residents and the environment. Federal funds will go towards "Geesepeace" program for New York that uses humane methods to stop Canadian geese from ruining parks and fields
US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that Congress has passed $200,000 in federal funds for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a Geesepeace program that works to alleviate the Canada geese overpopulation problem that threatens the health of local residents and the environment. Geesepeace is a national non-profit organization that uses non-lethal methods to reduce the number of geese and redirect them to areas where they pose less of a threat to people. The funds come as part of the agricultural appropriations component of the Omnibus bill passed today by the Senate and have been earmarked to be used specifically for New York. The bill, previously passed by the House, now awaits the President's signature.
"Canada geese are overrunning our parks and open spaces and their droppings are polluting our water and our land," Schumer said. "When you talk to anyone who uses local parks, playgrounds, open spaces, athletic fields and golf courses, you hear the same complaint, time and time again. That's why we need a solution to this problem and that's what we have with the Geesepeace program. It will control the goose population and keep our parks and open spaces clean, green and beautiful."
This issue came up in 2004 when Geesepeace was trying to save a flock of geese from Riker's Island (in the flight path of Laguardia) rather than have the geese killed:
In this time of trouble in faraway places, the man-versus-fowl struggle brewing on Rikers Island may seem trivial. But its implications are dire for a certain flock. On one side are geese, slender-necked and given to relieving themselves liberally, who like where they are living, a stone's throw away from La Guardia Airport. On the other is a worried band of federal officials who believe the geese are too close to planes carrying millions of passengers in and out of one of the nation's busiest airports.
History teaches that these things hardly ever end well - for the birds at least. Indeed, by the end of the day today, barring a last minute reprieve, 495 Canada geese will be on their way to an upstate slaughterhouse, Port Authority and federal wildlife officials said yesterday.
There's nothing in the New York Times archives between the 2004 slaughter and the crash yesterday, but I think an investigation into what was or wasn't done over the years to control the geese is in order. If environmental concerns overrode passenger safety then that's something that needs to be debated in light of yesterday's miracle.
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your daily roundup of pro-environment but anti-Greenie news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH . Email me (John Ray) here | <urn:uuid:ea43b7d7-9a36-4fb0-be46-246d88177cb8> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/2009/01/greenies-caused-crash-of-us-airways.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.94432 | 685 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Tummy time is essential for your baby’s growth. But tummy time isn’t as easy as putting your baby down on a blanket for a few minutes a day. What if your baby screams every time? At what age is the right time to start? How do you stimulate your baby during this time, so they aren’t just lying on the cold floor?
To answer your questions we’ve compiled a list of milestones, tips, and tricks from other moms to help get you started with tummy time.
What Is Tummy Time?
Let’s start easy. Tummy time is when babies spend time laying on their stomachs as opposed to sitting up or on their backs. This is a time when your baby should be awake and supervised because they will get the most out of tummy time by squirming, wiggling, and using those neck muscles.
Why Does Your Baby Need It?
There are several benefits to dedicated tummy time. The top among them is how much growth and development your baby does when on their stomach. Plus, it gives you a great bonding opportunity. So, when your baby is fed up and you’re wondering why you’re doing this at all, just remember that your little one is reaping these benefits:
- Engaging muscles that aren’t often used
- Boosting gross motor skills
- Mastering head control
- Alleviating gas pain
- Preventing flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly)
- Practicing for rolling over, sitting up, and crawling
When Should You Start?
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests starting tummy time as soon as possible. Yes, you can even start it safely on Day 1 at home from the hospital if you have a healthy, full-term baby. Remember that your baby must be awake and supervised during tummy time. So, if you’ve just fed or your baby seems tired, save it for later.
How Long Should Your Baby Stay On Their Tummy?
At first, you will want to only do a few minutes, two or three times a day. In the first month, aim for 10 total minutes a day, and add 10 minutes each month until your baby can roll over—usually around six months old.
In the first few days of tummy time, you may only put your newborn on his or her stomach for one or two minutes at a time. Be prepared for your baby to cry. Your instinct will be to stop it or not do it at all because you don’t want them to suffer. But, these few minutes are essential.
What Should You Do If Your Baby Hates It?
If you want to help your baby through tummy time until they start to love it, try a few of these tricks:
- Lay in front of your baby, or invite an older sibling, aunt, uncle, or grandparent to lay there, and talk, coo, or sing.
- Place an unbreakable mirror in front of your baby.
- Put one or two age-appropriate toys near them to grab.
- Shorten tummy time but add more instances of it throughout the day. Instead of five minutes at a time four times a day, do 2 ½ minutes eight times a day.
- Give your baby a massage. Massaging the feet, legs, or back during tummy time can make it more enjoyable and help them adjust.
- Go tummy to tummy. This is a baby favorite! Lay on your back and put your baby on your stomach. Then talk or sing while you both enjoy looking at each other.
Tummy Time Milestones, Safety Tips, and Tricks That Boost Bonding and Growth.
- By about a month, baby will be able to lift their head to look around for short moments.
- Around four months, baby should be able to prop themselves up on their elbows while lifting the head up.
- By five months, baby should begin to kick themselves over as if trying to roll to the back.
- Around six months, baby should begin rolling over.
- Always supervise tummy time.
- Never put your baby on their tummy to sleep, and if they fall asleep during tummy time, move them to their back right away.
- Tummy time should take place on the floor or on your stomach, not on the couch or an elevated surface. You never know when your baby will start to roll!
- Put pets away so they do not walk on your baby or get in their face.
- Watch other children in the household to make sure they either engage appropriately during tummy time or stay away.
- Put a blanket down on a clean floor, so your baby doesn’t become a dust bunny.
Tricks that Boost Bonding and Growth:
- Sit on the ground with baby and prop them up on your legs.
- Make a baby airplane by lying on your back with your knees to your chest. Lay your baby on your shins and rock them back and forth.
- Cradle baby in your arms on the belly and walk around the house or yard.
- Use tummy time to read books to your baby.
Tummy time is a big deal for your little one. Make it fun, for both of you, and you’ll get to bond while helping them develop essential muscles and motor skills that will be used for life. | <urn:uuid:342116a6-0c52-4023-8470-4064c816ba62> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://babypalooza.com/introducing-your-baby-to-tummy-time-2/?utm_term=tummy%20time&utm_campaign=NP%20Postnatal%2020190923&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=4790721660&hsa_cam=6537978415&hsa_grp=83507339258&hsa_ad=394544118691&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-18168220&hsa_kw=tummy%20time&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VGFmneZcgiQzWCGwOsSOecimTCW3vRKPm4zEAalvRPbDZexyY6uWR4aAgV-EALw_wcB | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.941029 | 1,135 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Constipation is the disorder of gastrointestinal tract characterized by the presence of hard stools which are difficult to defecate. Constipation may be primary or secondary and acute or chronic. Diagnosis is done through imaging techniques and the causes of constipation include low fiber diet, insufficient intake of water, medications and other diseases.
Constipation can be divided into two types on the basis of the cause of constipation:
- Primary constipation: This type of constipation does not have any underlying reason such as medications or any metabolic disease. Primary constipation further divided into the following types:
a) Slow transit constipation: This type of constipation is caused due to the low speed of bowel movement and may lead to gas formation and patient discomfort.
b) Pelvic floor dysfunction: Inappropriate anorectal functioning is the primary cause of such constipation. It may be due to poor anal contraction as well as relaxation.
c) Normal-transit constipation: This type of constipation is due to psychological distress and even with normal transit and perfection anorectal functioning, the patient feels difficulty in bowel evacuation.
- Secondary constipation: Secondary constipation is caused due to disorders which reduces the bowel movement. This includes Parkinson’s disease, neurological disorder, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and hypothyroidism. Medications such as clonidine, propranolol, and opioid drugs also cause constipation.
Constipation can also be classified based on duration:
- Acute constipation: Acute constipation is a sudden difficulty in bowel evacuation. This condition is caused by medications, dehydration, certain medications and missing a bowel movement.
- Chronic constipation: Chronic constipation is the condition characterized by the painful bowel evacuation or fecal incontinence for a long period of time, specifically three months or more.
Following are the causes of constipation:
- Medications: Various medications such as antidepressants, clonidine, propranolol, opioids, and diuretics slows the movement of bowel in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Lifestyle: People with low fibers in their food and do not drink sufficient water are significantly at risk of developing constipation.
- Missing bowel movements: Frequently missing bowel movements causes constipation.
- Medical Disorders: Various diseases such as hypothyroidism, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, and neurological disorders also causes constipation.
- Overusing laxatives: People who are in the habit of using laxatives frequently, are at risk of developing constipation.
- Lack of physical activity: No exercise in daily routine also causes constipation. It should also be noted that too much exercise may also interfere in the bowel movements.
Following are the symptoms presented by the patient suffering from constipation:
- Dry, lumpy or hard stools
- Fecal incontinence
- Painful bowel evacuation
- Feeling of blockage in the rectum
- Fatigue and lethargy
- Discomfort and restlessness
- Reduced appetite
- Pain in the abdomen
- Bloating and belching
- Feels like you have not emptied your stomach even after you have a bowel movement
- Less than three bowel movements a week.
Ways to diagnose
Following are the diagnostic methods used by the physician for diagnosing constipation:
- a) Colonoscopy: Tube equipped with a camera is used to determine the functional ability of the colon.
- b) Sigmoidoscopy: Through this technique, the physician evaluates the health of rectum.
- c) Anorectal manometry: This diagnostic technique is used to identify the functional capacity of sphincter muscles. A small tube is inserted in the rectum and the balloon at the tip is inflated. This tube is pushed by the sphincter muscles.
- d) MRI: MRI of the colon is done with the help of contrast gel. MRI is used to analyze the functional ability of the gastrointestinal muscles.
- e) Blood tests: Blood test is done by the physician in determining the cause of secondary constipation.
Risks if neglect
- Rectal prolapse: In this condition, the intestine protrudes from the rectum.
- Fecal impaction: This stage is characterized by the presence of very hard stools which cannot be evacuated.
- Anal fissures: The tissue around the anus is damaged due to apple force during defecation.
- Hemorrhoids: When high pressure is applied on the rectum during constipation, the veins around anus gets irritated and swollen.
Constipation is progressed in the following stages:
- Functional constipation: This is the first stage of constipation characterized by incomplete evacuation, defecation incontinence, and sensation of blockage. This is due to a sudden change in diet as well as missing the bowel movement.
- Latent constipation: If the person needs a large fibre diet and laxatives for a normal bowel movement, the disease is said to be processed into the latent stage.
- Organic constipation: This stage is the advanced stage of constipation characterized by no stools. This is caused due to permanent organ damage or loss of functional ability.
Foods to eat and avoid
Foods to eat:
- Water and other fluids such as juices.
- Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables
- Wheat Bran
- Hot tea
Foods to avoid:
- Milk and dairy products
- Red meats
- Fried or frozen foods
- White flour
- Eat a high-fiber diet.
- Incorporate exercise in your daily routine.
- During sufficient quantity of water.
- Always go for bowel movement when there is an urge.
- Ask your doctor before taking any laxative.
When to see a doctor
Visit your doctor if:
- You have blood from your rectum.
- You feel the blockage in the rectum.
- You are not able to pass gas.
- You have less than three bowels per week.
- You have fecal incontinence even after taking prescribed medications.
- You have blood in stools.
- You have constant abdominal pain.
- You have a feeling of nausea and vomiting.
Do’s & Don’ts
- Always be sufficiently hydrated.
- Have a healthy diet especially containing fibers.
- Incorporate fresh fruits in your diet.
- Do regular exercise.
- Maintain routine for your bowel movement.
- Don’t take excessive dairy products.
- Avoid caffeinated drinks.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Avoid processed meat.
- Never suppress the urge for a bowel movement.
- Do not self-medicate with laxatives.
- Do not skip meals.
Risks for specific people
People older than 65 years are at higher risk for developing constipation. Women are more likely to develop constipation and risk increases during pregnancy or surgery. People with dehydration, having low fiber diet and with less physical activity are more prone to developing constipation. | <urn:uuid:5efb8390-893a-4c75-8625-733ab20e22fe> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://beautyhealthtips.in/causes-and-symptoms-of-constipation/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.922443 | 1,469 | 3.375 | 3 |
Plants for Depression
Mental health benefits of plants are already well known. Being around plants and nature lowers stress and helps combat anxiety and depression. Plants improve physical health too, reducing blood pressure and improving indoor air quality.
The calming effect of houseplants benefits everyone, but if you struggle with depression, you might get even more out of them. Plants can be an inexpensive and powerful supplement to professional care for depression.
What Do Plants Do for Mental Health?
Depression is a serious mental health condition. Anything that can boost mental health and reduce the risk or severity of depression is beneficial. Although they are not a cure for any condition, indoor plants boost mood and improve mental health. Along with professional support and other lifestyle choices, houseplants can help you feel better.
Plants and People Belong Together
We are closely connected to plants because we co-exist together. Modern life and urban living have removed many people from close proximity to plants, which isn’t natural. Throughout our species’ history, we have lived intimately and closely with plants.
Houseplants, gardens, and spending time outside helps you reestablish that natural connection, which is good for mental health. This connection has been proven over decades of research to increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions, boosting mood and improving mental health.
Plants Make You Feel Better
Even spending just 15 or 20 minutes near a plant can improve your mood and help you feel more at peace. Studies indicate that being around plants for only a few minutes is an instant mood boost. They make people feel happier, more comfortable, and more satisfied with life in general.
Plants Improved Mental Health During the Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic left people stuck indoors more often than they liked, plants provided relief.
In a study that surveyed people for a month during the pandemic, researchers found that those with access to plants or with a view of green spaces outside felt better. They suffered less depression and anxiety. Plants helped moderate some of the negative mental health effects of the pandemic quarantine.
Other Ways Plants Are Good for Health
Houseplants are great for mental health, but they are also good for your physical well-being. When you feel good physically, you are less likely to experience depression and other negative mental health symptoms.
Plants Lower Both Psychological and Physiological Stress
Not only do plants make you feel less stressed, but they also lower physiological stress markers like blood pressure. Plants actually suppress autonomic nervous system activity. This is the body’s fight-or-flight response, which triggers stress. Suppressing its activity has the effect of lowering your stress levels, both physically and mentally.
They Filter Harmful Toxins from the Air
NASA performed a famous study decades ago that has stood the test of time and that showed houseplants effectively filter toxic substances from indoor air.
It might be that the plants themselves as well as microorganisms in the potting soil both contribute to this effect. Either way, fewer airborne toxins are good for your health.
Being Around Plants is Energizing
The presence of green plants has the effect of recharging and restoring you mentally and physically. If you feel fatigued, the presence of a plant can give you a boost of energy. In turn, this effect boosts creativity, attention, focus, and productivity.
How Do Indoor Plants Help Combat Depression?
Plants are good for you, period. But they are particularly good for combatting depression. Plants are natural mood boosters, and there are several ways in which they specifically help people who struggle with depression.
The general mood-boosting powers of plants provide the primary mechanism for reducing depression, but there are other reasons plants help.
Houseplants Need You
When you are bogged down in a depressed mood, your motivation is at an extreme low. You might find it hard to do normal chores, go to work, or even get out of bed. Apathy and fatigue are typical signs of depression.
A plant needs you to survive. It requires regular watering at a minimum, but it also needs pruning and trimming, turning in the window to catch the sun all around, and occasional feedings.
Having something in the house that relies on you can give you a sense of purpose, and a reason to get up and take care of responsibilities. Even something as small as watering houseplants can remind you that you matter and that you are needed.
Being a Plant Parent Boost Confidence
Taking care of plants not only provides a purpose but also builds confidence. Depression can make you feel worthless and useless, but when you can successfully nurture and grow plants, you will feel better about your abilities.
Being good at something is a confidence booster that can also improve your mood and reduce feelings of depression.
Plants Remind You to Engage in Self Care
Taking care of someone or something else is also a reminder, a little nudge, that you too need care. As you dote on a houseplant, it reminds you that self-care is also essential. Nurturing a living plant can be a trigger to help you learn to take care of yourself too.
Houseplants Provide Green During Winter Months
Seasonal depression is a real phenomenon. Some people experience depression in fall and winter as the days get shorter and the temperatures colder. Known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), this condition can make you feel miserable all winter long.
Important lifestyle habits for combatting SAD include getting outdoors as much as possible. Exposure to sunlight and nature boosts your mood, but being outside in winter isn’t always practical or comfortable.
If you can add plants to your inside environment, they will help boost your mood in all the usual ways plants combat depression. But they also help you feel better by tricking your brain into forgetting that it’s winter.
Seeing green and smelling living plants triggers a sense that you are outside during spring or summer.
Plants Might Help You Sleep Better
Because plants reduce stress, lower blood pressure, boost mood, and help you feel more connected to nature, they can also improve your sleep. Depression can interfere with sleep and poor sleep, in turn, increases depressive symptoms.
Anything you can do to get more high-quality sleep will benefit your mental health and help you combat depression. Plants can be powerful tools in creating a relaxing environment for sleep.
The Best Plants for Depression
The best plants to boost your mood are the ones you can afford, find easily, and take care of successfully. The most important thing is to have plants in your environment, but these are some great specimens with both visual appeal and few maintenance needs:
Spider plant is a classic, easy, and low-maintenance houseplant for beginner plant parents. It’s one of NASA’s air cleaners and will help remove toxins from your indoor space. It also produces cheerful little baby plants known as pups.
This is an attractive yet easy-going plant. It survives even in tough conditions, which is a great reminder for anyone with depression. It’s difficult to kill snake plants. It just requires occasional watering to thrive, so it’s another great option for beginners.
The name says it all. This is a gorgeous plant that will help you create a soothing, peaceful indoor space that is conducive to good mental health. Peace lily is also easy to care for and withstands neglect.
During those times when you struggle to get chores completed, peace lilies might wilt from lack of watering, but it perks right back up once you lavish attention on them. It’s a great reminder for anyone with depression. A little attention and self-care make a big difference.
Another classic houseplant, the jade plant is a resilient succulent. It holds water in its fleshy leaves and doesn’t need to be watered as frequently as other plants. Jade plants live for many years, so they can serve as a reminder of where you have been and how you have improved your health.
Choose a large plant like bamboo palm for maximum impact. This tropical palm tree is a low-maintenance houseplant that can give you a summer feel during a winter spent indoors.
Bamboo palm doesn’t require a lot of care, but it does need humidity. Spritz it every day with water as a reminder to yourself that daily care is important for both you and your plants.
Build a Plant Collection for Better Mental Health
Houseplants can have a huge positive impact on your overall health, including mental wellness. Caring for and nurturing your plants can improve your mood and give you purpose, but can also be overwhelming. Start with plants that you can manage easily and add to your collection as you build confidence in caring for them.
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At Bistara Linen Co., we believe in offering environmentally sustainable products through:
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- Manufacturing practices producing eco-friendly products
- Minimising waste by using all leftover textiles
- Defining our intention through re-use and repurposing
Production of textiles both in manufacturing, to the finished product, can cause many environmental concerns, from consuming extraordinary amounts of energy to the usage of water and natural resources. The textile industry has found itself obligated to improve upon traditional methods of manufacturing and processing and is increasingly scrutinised by consumer concerns about such
The manufacture of linen has faced scrutiny, and as such the industry has focused on research and improvements to the methods by which linen fibres are processed. Linen by contrast uses less water than cotton or polyester; it is biodegradable and easy to recycle. It can be grown in soil that is of low quality.
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Sustainable waste management ensures socioeconomic development can occur without effects on the environment. It builds a way forward for developing communities and fulfils the needs without endangering future generations | <urn:uuid:99b9da28-7d53-4ffc-9b60-eddab5c62998> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://bistaralinen.com.au/pages/sustainability | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00600.warc.gz | en | 0.937161 | 266 | 2.53125 | 3 |
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