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How to Choose the Best Drawing Tablet for You
Last Updated: January 3, 2019
Drawing tablets, also known as graphics tablets, allow users to combine the precision of drawing on paper with the convenience of using a computer. Whether you’re an artist, educator or hobbyist, a drawing tablet can take your work to the next level.
However, it can be tricky to find the right drawing tablet for your needs, since they come in a range of sizes, resolutions, styles and price points. In this review, we’ll arm you with all of the information you need to pick the perfect drawing tablet for you.
In the table below, we’ve highlighted our top 5 picks for the best tablets for drawing. You can find more detailed information about each choice further down.
At a Glance: Our Top 5 Drawing Tablet Picks
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Types of Drawing Tablets
There are two main types of drawing tablets. The first kind must be hooked up to a computer monitor, where you can see what you’re drawing — the tablet itself has no screen. The second kind has a built-in LCD screen, so that it more closely mimics the experience of drawing directly onto paper.
Standard Graphics Tablets
Traditional graphics tablets do not include a built-in screen. Instead, they connect to a computer monitor that displays the artwork. This type of tablet is commonly used by professional artists, including illustrators, animators and graphic designers.
Using a standard drawing tablet is a much different experience from drawing directly onto a surface. It’s somewhat similar to using a computer mouse to color in a picture on a computer, except that you have a much more precise tool at your disposal: the “stylus,” or the pen.
Drawing tablets are able to monitor the location of the stylus even when it’s not actively touching the surface of the tablet. Different types of tablets have different ways of doing so:
- Passive tablets: These tablets use electromagnetic signals in order to sense the position of the stylus when it’s near the surface. The electromagnetic signal also powers the stylus so that you never need to individually charge the pen.
- Active tablets: With this style of tablet, the stylus uses an internal battery to generate a signal of its own to the tablet. Since the stylus has its own power source, the tablet does not need to also power the stylus and the signal can be somewhat smoother.
- Acoustic tablets: These styluses operate by generating a small sound, which the surface of the tablet then picks up in order to determine the position of the stylus.
- Optical tablets: Optical tablets include a digital camera inside of the stylus, which then matches up with the image on the paper to produce an accurate result.
- Capacitive tablets: These tablets use an electrostatic or capacitive signal to communicate the stylus’ position to the tablet.
LCD Screen Tablets
The second style of tablet includes a screen on the tablet itself. This style is a lot easier to use for those without a lot of tablet experience, since drawing on these tablets closely mimics the experience of drawing on paper. The only real difference is that the surface is a smooth screen rather than ordinary paper or canvas.
Many tablets in this style are useful for professional artwork and illustration, but these tend to be quite pricey. Other more general-use tablets, such as the iPad, used to be less precise than standard tablets, but as technology has evolved, some recent versions have become quite useful for drawing. It’s also possible to be more accurate using a touchscreen since you can see where you’re drawing right on the tablet.
General-use tablets can be quite versatile, but some aren’t compatible with the full range of art and design programs that professionals and hobbyists typically use. Depending on your intended use, it’s important to choose a model that can be used with any necessary apps.
What are Drawing Tablets Useful For?
Drawing tablets are used for a wide range of activities — not just drawing! You can use a tablet to make illustrations, design graphics, take notes, paint, project lessons onto a screen or manipulate photographs. Many tablets are multifunctional and can be used as computers in addition to their drawing function.
You can use a drawing tablet to:
- Digitize your work: By drawing with a tablet, you can immediately digitize your images and store them on a computer for future use. You’re able to start over as many times as you like — with no mess.
- Better quality: Using a stylus while using professional graphics programs results in a more precise, clean line, which improves the overall quality of your images.
- More natural feel: Tablets bring the natural, organic feel of drawing on paper to computer graphics.
- Improve speed: Artists of all types can use a stylus to more quickly complete tasks like painting or manipulating graphics with Photoshop. This allows for greater output, since each image doesn’t take as long to complete.
- Project images or notes: Tablets can also be used for a practical purpose: you can use them to project handwritten notes, lessons or images.
- Fine-tune designs: Since you can trace from a piece of paper onto a tablet, they’re useful for working with technical designs — for example, for computer-aided design (CAD).
How to Choose a Drawing Tablet
Here are a few factors to consider when choosing a drawing tablet. By evaluating each tablet by these criteria, you’ll be sure to choose a high-quality tablet that meets your own specific needs.
- Pressure sensitivity: The best tablet pens are highly sensitive to pressure, allowing you to achieve a range of line thickness and density.
- Resolution: A higher resolution means a cleaner, clearer image.
- Size: Some tablets are small enough to fit in your purse, while others are much larger. Of course, the trade-off to a small model is that the drawing surface area may not be as large.
- Stylus: All styluses are not created equal. Some will require recharging, while others have no need. Look for a stylus with a pen-like, comfortable feel.
- Battery life: Consider how often the stylus and/or tablet needs to be recharged to be functional.
- Software compatibility: Standard tablets are compatible with a wide range of art programs like Photoshop and ArtRage, while general-use tablets like iPads are only able to be used with mobile apps.
- Workflow capabilities: Graphics tablets usually have several touch keys for navigating and manipulating your work. Whether you choose a touchscreen or standard tablet, look for easy-to-navigate menus and shortcut keys.
- Price: Tablets range in price from around $50 to over $2000. If you’re an amateur, a less-pricey model will work just fine, and will allow you to get the hang of using this technology. Experienced users may want to spring for more expensive, powerful models.
- Technical support: It’s important to buy from a company that provides a useful warranty and plenty of technical support. A great tablet is worth nothing if you can’t keep it running smoothly.
- Bonus features: Some tablets also have other useful features. For example, a PC tablet can also be used to surf the internet and listen to music while you work.
Our Top 5 Picks for the Best Drawing Tablet
1. Wacom Cintiq Pro 13HD
- Vivid LCD Screen
- High Pressure Sensitivity
- Integrated Stand
- Touchscreen Gesture Controls
- Large Drawing Area
- Requires a USB Connection
- Cables are Short and Inconvenient
There are a lot of wonderful versions of the Wacom Cintiq, but the Pro 13HD is our pick for the best value for the money for professional users. The 13.3 inch display is roomy, yet small enough that it can be transported easily. It features a 1920 x 1080 high-definition screen, making it easier to draw directly onto the screen without needing to transmit the image to a monitor.
This tablet does still need to be connected to a monitor in order to work. There are more expensive Cintiq models that are stand-alone devices, but this one works fabulously for less than half the price. The new version of the 13HD is more expensive than the old version. Both are lightweight, easy to use and powerful.
This model includes four customizable shortcut keys along with touch gestures. It comes with an adjustable stand so that you can prop the tablet up while you work. The screen is made of etched glass, and the pen is lightweight and comfortable.
According to reviews, this tablet is fantastic for advanced artists and professionals. However, it’s also easy enough to use that any amateur with a high budget will appreciate the Cintiq 13HD. Users love the highly responsive pen, large drawing area, smooth bright surface and integrated stand. The main downside mentioned by users is the cable. It would be great if this model had wireless capability rather than needing to be physically connected to a monitor.
If you prefer even larger sizes, the Cintiq also comes in a 16- and 22-inch model.
2. Huion H610 Pro
- Good Pressure Sensitivity Levels
- Thin, Lightweight Design
- Large Drawing Surface (10" x 6.25")
- Good Value for the Price
- Comes with a Drawing Glove
- Poorly Written User Manual
- Some Lag with Particular Art Programs
The Huion H610 Pro is a great mid-range graphics tablet that is suitable for intermediate to professional users. It’s lightweight and easily portable yet also has a large drawing surface area. The resolution is excellent with 5080 lines per inch.
This tablet has a generous drawing surface area of 10 x 6.25 inches, so you have plenty of room to create the vision of your dreams. It also includes 8 buttons and 16 hotkeys, which can be customized to the shortcuts of your choosing. The surface is textured, providing just enough resistance to allow your pen to move around comfortably without slipping.
The Huion H610 Pro stylus does require recharging, but it lasts for 800 hours on a single charge. Its pressure sensitivity is 2048, and it’s of medium heft. It comes with multiple nibs.
According to artist reviews, this tablet is ideal for large computer monitors due to its large surface area. The rough, paper-like texture is a great improvement to previous models, which had a smooth surface that doesn’t feel as natural to draw on. This model is ideal for those who don’t have a lot of money to spend, but want a lot of bang for their buck.
The user manual for this model can be a little difficult to follow, but luckily you’ll only likely need it at the beginning to set everything up.
3. Apple iPad Pro
- Extremely Versatile Device
- Stand-Alone Drawing Tablet with Built-In Apps
- Responsive Stylus
- Vivid Screen
- Pencil Must be Purchased Separately
- Models with Extra Storage can get Expensive
The Apple iPad Pro is our pick for the best tablet that doubles as a computer. This stand-alone device can easily meet all of your web browsing, writing and drawing needs, as long as you don’t need to use any computer-only applications like the full version of Photoshop. The iPad iOS does come with a plethora of mobile art programs, many of which can fulfill the functions of traditional desktop applications.
The iPad Pro comes in multiple screen sizes and storage sizes. The 9.7 inch version with 32 GB of storage will suit most needs. You may want to upgrade to extra storage, but a larger screen is too unwieldy to be useful. The iPad also features 10 hours of battery life, a 12 megapixel camera with flash, and audio speakers.
The screen is vivid and clear, and the stylus is responsive and comfortable. One downside is that the Apple Pencil must be purchased separately, which adds onto the expense of using this as a drawing tablet.
Users say the iPad Pro works wonderfully for drawing and is a major improvement from past iPad models. They say the 9.7 inch model is extremely lightweight and easy to pack, and the stylus feels just like using a pen on paper.
The cons of the Pro? The price. If you need a model with a lot of storage and the fact that you also need to purchase the Pencil separately can easily send you up to the $700 range (depending on current prices).
4. Microsoft Surface Pro 4
- Very Responsive Pen
- Vivid, High-Resolution Screen
- Versatile Enough for Multiple Uses
- Large Drawing Area
- Kickstand Included
- Keyboard Not Included
- Somewhat Large for a Tablet
The Microsoft Surface Pro is a stand-alone device that can be used as both a computer and drawing tablet. The associated keyboard must be purchased separately, but it snugly connects to the tablet for a full laptop experience and quickly detaches again when all you need is a tablet. It also comes with a stylus included at no extra cost.
The Surface Pro’s price depends on the amount of storage and memory that you need. The most affordable model comes with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, which is plenty for regular use. This makes the Pro 4 an outstanding value for the price.
The screen is a generous 12.3 inches. It comes with a built-in kickstand. The stylus is comfortable, smooth and responsive.
Reviewers of the Surface Pro 4 mention several pros and cons. Several felt dissatisfied that the keyboard doesn’t come included with the tablet, since it’s integral to the experience. Other key issues include a smaller variety of apps as compared to the iPad, and an overly large screen.
Some users may prefer the generous drawing surface area, but using such a large device as a tablet is somewhat inconvenient. However, the screen itself is bright and has great resolution.
5. Wacom Intuos Draw
- Easy to Set Up
- Compact & Easily Portable Size
- Simple Shortcut Buttons
- Stylus Does Not Require Charging
- Surface Area may be Too Small for Some
- Stylus Nibs Wear Out Quickly
The Wacom Intuos Draw is a classic beginner tablet. It’s reasonably priced and it’s compact enough to be carried anywhere. It’s easy to use and low-maintenance, with just 4 customizable keys and a battery-free stylus.
The Intuos Draw has a relatively small drawing surface area of 3.7 x 6 inches, making it suitable for most art and graphics needs though not for more large-scale design work. The surface is textured rather than smooth, which results in a more natural drawing experience. The pressure sensitivity of the stylus is 1024, so the tablet is exquisitely responsive to your touch.
This tablet can connect to your computer wirelessly or via USB. It’s compatible with a wide range of art programs and comes with free online tutorials.
Users of the Intuos Draw say it’s powerful enough to be used for professionals, but is most ideal for beginner artists, students and designers who want a high-quality tablet for learning the ropes of digital drawing. Some users aren’t a fan of the rough texture, while others say that the pen nibs wear out quickly. However, the stylus is easy to grip and responsive.
Though all five of these drawing tablets are great values, our ultimate pick for the best choice is the Wacom Cintiq Pro 13HD.
This model is beloved by professional users for its vivid built-in LCD screen and highly responsive stylus. It offers a realistic drawing experience, and it’s built to last for a long time. All of this makes the somewhat high price tag well worth it.
For those who don’t intend to use their drawing tablet for long-term professional purposes, the other four tablets are wonderful choices; even general-use tablets like the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4 are powerful tools for illustrators and artists. However, none of them quite match the Cintiq in terms of their compatibility with a wide range of apps and platforms.
With a high resolution screen, easy-to-access shortcut keys and generous drawing surface area, the Cintiq 13HD is the best all-around choice. | <urn:uuid:9f6f9420-12cb-445b-87aa-43018d252bab> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.iotechie.com/best-drawing-tablet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571090.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809215803-20220810005803-00078.warc.gz | en | 0.929968 | 3,509 | 1.859375 | 2 |
Choices and Rights are looking into the benefits of technology and disabled people. We are aware that there are web sites that deal with access issues, provide information, etc. but we want to try and think of new and exciting possibilities to really change things!
For example, we are looking into if speech software could be used to enable deaf people to get an instant script of what their doctor is saying to them or to allow them to attend a comedy gig without a lip speaker/sign language interpreter or palantypist.
Have you a “wish list” of what you would like technology to do for you? LET US KNOW YOUR IDEAS. Don’t worry if they sound impossible, expensive, etc., just tell us what you think. It’s also about adapting current ideas. (more…) | <urn:uuid:10a4de93-aa4c-42db-be92-daf13381fa04> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.choicesandrights.org.uk/?idsection=6&subid=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560282926.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095122-00402-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962732 | 168 | 1.640625 | 2 |
While President Obama has been touring the mid-Atlantic state attacking Republicans for their opposition to his “jobs bill”, he has repeatedly surrounded himself with public sector employees. At the same time, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated that it is “very clear that private sector jobs are doing just fine. It’s the public sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers.” These two examples show how Obama and liberals want to grow the public sector.
However, we must ask ourselves, who pays public sector employees? Who pays for public sector employees’ salaries and benefits? It comes from the private sector and from the tax payer.
The next question we should ask is if the private sector is suffering, where do they get more money for more public sector employees? Should the private sector and the tax payer go deeper into debt, or dig deeper into pockets that already empty?
Those simple questions don’t seem to matter to Obama and the liberals. Their answer is simply to tax the rich more. But what happens when the rich move their money and their factories off-shore or to other countries? Who pays for investing large sums into industrial growth and development? All we have to do is look at the “rust belt” in northern states to see what happened when steel unions and government regulations became too much for the steel industry to compete with cheaper production in other countries.
Today, the private sector is suffering because of public sector. The economy is too weak to support a so many public sector employees. To correct Reid’s comment, government workers have the lowest unemployment rate of any industry at 4.7%, while the national unemployment rate is 9.1% or nearly twice that of public sector workers.
Liberals at the national, state and local levels of government need to be held accountable for the economy. Do they want to buy votes with public sector jobs just as political bosses have always done, or are they interested in letting the free market and economic liberty make America number one in the world again?
The pubic sector needs to shrink substantially so that the national debt can lowered. We cannot spend more to get out of debt. We cannot dig a deeper hole to get out of the one we’re in already.
Obama and the liberals believe in greater federal involvement and control in economy and personal lives of Americans which is clearly a socialist model. To them, the public sector is more important than the private sector. Unfortunately, they have not noticed that socialism has not worked anywhere except in the minds of socialists.
The private sector is suffering because of the economic uncertainty caused by the huge federal debt. We cannot spend more money on creating more public sector jobs. Cut the spending, stop the regulations, and let the private sector grow. That’s what will work. | <urn:uuid:3ec0de95-72ea-4dec-96bc-cf7c541e3373> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://blog.mysanantonio.com/georgerodriguez/2011/10/liberals-want-to-buy-public-sector-support-and-votes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279189.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00057-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956725 | 576 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Features » March 3, 2005
John Negroponte’s Dark Past
The case against the former U.S. ambassador to Hondurus and Iraq—and Bush intelligence czar.
Previous Coverage of John Negroponte
In These Times has been following the career of John Negroponte for many years. Here is some of what we have reported.
George W. Bush’s choice of John Negroponte to be the first U.S. intelligence czar signals that Washington is heading down the same road that has led to earlier American intelligence failures and controversies—from politicizing analysis to winking at human rights abuses.
Although Negroponte’s nomination is expected to sail through the Senate, one question that might be worth asking about his tenure as U.S. ambassador to Honduras from 1981 to 1985 is: “Were you oblivious to the Honduran military’s human rights violations and drug trafficking, or did you just ignore these problems for geopolitical reasons?”
Negroponte either oversaw a stunningly inept U.S. intelligence operation at the embassy in Tegucigalpa—missing major events occurring under his nose—or he tolerated atrocities that included torture, rape and murder, while slanting intelligence reports to please his superiors in Washington.
Whichever it is—incompetence or complicity—it is hard to understand how Negroponte, the current U.S. ambassador to Iraq, can be expected to fix the intelligence flaws revealed by the Bush administration’s failure to connect the dots before the 9/11 terror attacks or to avert the scandalous use of torture on Muslim suspects captured in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Despite the bipartisan praise Negroponte’s nomination has elicited, a clear-eyed look at his record suggests that the Bush administration intends to continue making two demands on the U.S. intelligence community: that analysts wear rose-colored glasses when assessing U.S. policies and that field operatives turn a blind eye to atrocities committed by U.S. allies or American interrogators.
A history of oversight
Given the human rights records of the Honduran military and the Nicaraguan contras who set up shop in Honduras during Negroponte’s tenure as ambassador the early ’80s, he will have no moral standing as a public official who repudiates abusive interrogation techniques and brutal counterinsurgency tactics. Indeed, some cynics might suggest that’s one of the reasons Bush picked him.
Negroponte’s work in Honduras means, too, that he will come to his new job with a history of forwarding inaccurate intelligence to Washington and leaving out information that would have upset the upper echelon of the Reagan-Bush administration. For his part, Negroponte, who is now 65, has staunchly denied knowledge of “death squad” operations by the Honduran military in the ’80s.
In 1983, in another move that helped the Honduran military and the contras, the Reagan-Bush administration closed down the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, just as Honduras was emerging as an important base for cocaine transshipments to the United States.
“Elements of the Honduran military were involved … in the protection of drug traffickers from 1980 on,” is how a Senate Foreign Relations investigative report, issued in 1989 by a subcommittee headed by Sen. John Kerry, put it. “These activities were reported to appropriate U.S. government officials throughout the period. Instead of moving decisively to close down the drug trafficking by stepping up the DEA presence in the country and using the foreign assistance the United States was extending to the Hondurans as a lever, the United States closed the DEA office in Tegucigalpa and appears to have ignored the issue.”
It’s unclear what role Negroponte played in shutting down the DEA office in Honduras during his time as U.S. ambassador, but it is hard to imagine that a step of that significance could have occurred without at least his acquiescence.
Negroponte’s ambassadorship also coincided with the evolution of the Nicaraguan contra forces from a small band under the tutelage of Argentine intelligence officers into an irregular army supported by the CIA, and later by a secret operation inside the White House run by National Security Council aide Oliver North.
Despite several investigations into what became known as the Iran-Contra scandal, many documents about Negroponte’s involvement remained classified, outside public knowledge. Some of that information bubbled to the surface in September 2001 when Negroponte was facing confirmation to be Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations.
In a Senate floor speech before Negroponte won confirmation, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) said, “The picture that emerges in analyzing this new information is a troubling one.” Summarizing the new documents from the State Department and CIA, Dodd said the evidence pointed to the fact that from 1980 to 1984, the Honduran military committed most of the country’s hundreds of human rights abuses. The documents reported that some Honduran military units, trained by the United States, were implicated in “death squad” operations that employed counterterrorist tactics, including torture, rape, and assassinations against people suspected of supporting leftist guerrillas in El Salvador or leftist movements in Honduras.
Dodd criticized Negroponte’s earlier Senate testimony. In response to questions about one of these units, Battalion 316, Negroponte had said, “I have never seen any convincing substantiation that they were involved in death squad-type activities.”
“Given what we know about the extent and nature of Honduran human rights abuses, to say that Mr. Negroponte was less than forthcoming in his responses to my questions is being generous,” said Dodd. “I was also troubled by Ambassador Negroponte’s unwillingness to admit that—as a consequence of other U.S. policy priorities—the U.S. Embassy, by acts of omissions, end[ed] up shading the truth about the extent and nature of ongoing human rights abuses in the 1980s.”
“The Inter-American Court of Human Rights had no such reluctance in assigning blame to the Honduran government during its adjudication of a case brought against the government of Honduras [in 1987],” Dodd said. “The Court found that ‘a practice of disappearances carried out or tolerated by Honduran officials existed between 1981-84’ … Based upon an extensive review of U.S. intelligence information by the CIA Working Group in 1996, the CIA is prepared to stipulate that ‘during the 1980-84 period, the Honduran military committed most of the hundreds of human rights abuses reported in Honduras. These abuses were often politically motivated and officially sanctioned.’ ”
However, when Bush nominated Negroponte to be ambassador to Iraq in 2004, Dodd and other Democrats largely dropped their objections. The National Catholic Reporter, which had covered the right-wing persecution of Catholic clergy in Central America during the ’80s, was one of the few publications still questioning Negroponte’s fitness.
In an April 2004 article, the magazine recounted a statement from Society of Helpers’ Sister Laetitia Bordes, who had gone to Honduras and approached Negroponte about the “disappearances” of 32 women who had fled to Honduras after rightist death squads in El Salvador assassinated Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero in 1980.
Later, these women, including one who had been Romero’s secretary, “were forcibly taken from their living quarters in Tegucigalpa, pushed into a van and disappeared,” Sister Laetitia Bordes said. “John Negroponte listened to us as we exposed the facts. … Negroponte denied any knowledge of the whereabouts of these women. He insisted that the U.S. embassy did not interfere in the affairs of the Honduran government.”
The National Catholic Reporter noted, “Years later, the Baltimore Sun would reveal that Negroponte apparently knew more than he was letting on. In fact, charge his many critics, the ambassador oversaw an exponential increase in military aid to the Honduran army, deceptively downplayed human rights violations, and played a key role in supporting the activities of Battalion 316, a CIA-backed Honduran-based regional counterinsurgency unit subsequently found to be among the cruelest of the cruel.”
Many congressional Democrats, as well as Republicans, consider those two-decade-old concerns about Central America stale and irrelevant to Negroponte’s nomination as the nation’s first National Intelligence Director. But his tenure as ambassador to Honduras raises questions not only about his moral judgment and integrity, but his capacity to assess information and to ensure that political pressures don’t influence intelligence reporting.
As the first person chosen to hold this post—with oversight responsibility for all U.S. intelligence activities—Negroponte might legitimately be expected to represent something other than tolerance of death squads and politicization of intelligence information.
Never has independent journalism mattered more. Help hold power to account: Subscribe to In These Times magazine, or make a tax-deductible donation to fund this reporting.
Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the '80s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. He is the author of Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush and Secrecy and Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq. He is the editor of Consortium News. | <urn:uuid:4f90d5b7-56ef-4e09-a305-a320f5908923> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://inthesetimes.com/article/1998 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280128.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00385-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958075 | 2,007 | 1.679688 | 2 |
A coffee ceremony is a ritualised form of making and drinking coffee. The coffee ceremony is one of the most recognizable parts of Ethiopian culture and Eritrean culture. Coffee is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life. If coffee is politely declined then most likely tea (shai) will be served.
The coffee is brewed by first roasting the green coffee beans over hot coals in a brazier. Once the beans are roasted each participant is given an opportunity to sample the aromatic smoke by wafting it towards them. This is followed by the grinding of the beans, traditionally in a wooden mortar and pestle. The coffee grounds are then put into a special vessel and boiled. The boiling pot (jebena) is usually made of pottery and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout, and a handle where the neck connects with the base. When the coffee boils up through the neck it is poured in and out of another container to cool it, and then is put back into the boiling pot until it happens again. To pour the coffee from the boiling pot, a filter made from horsehair or other material is placed in the spout of the boiling pot to prevent the grounds from escaping.
The host pours the coffee for all participants by moving the tilted boiling pot over a tray with small, handleless cups without stop until each cup is full. Some of the coffee will inevitably miss the cup but this is done to prevent the coffee grounds from contaminating the brew. One extra cup is poured each time. The grounds are brewed three times: the first round of coffee is called awel in Tigrinya, the second kale'i and the third bereka ('to be blessed'). The coffee ceremony may also include burning of various traditional incense. People add sugar to their coffee, or in the countryside, sometimes salt or traditional butter (see niter kibbeh). The beverage is accompanied by a small snack such as popcorn, peanuts or himbasha.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coffee ceremony in Ethiopia.|
- Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony in photos at Canadian Photographer series on the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony | <urn:uuid:97e5bb9e-b7dd-4556-ba06-8988e4ce7411> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_ceremony | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720845.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00085-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942488 | 446 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Next time you’re at the playground, take note of how the toddlers interact. Chances are, if they aren’t grabbing, hitting, or throwing something, they’re totally ignoring their playmates or, at best, grunting in one another’s general direction. Pretty antisocial, huh? Yes — and perfectly normal, especially for young toddlers, for whom parallel play (playing side-by-side, with no interaction) is still the name of the game. But the tide is about to turn, Mom; at two to three years old, kids start to notice one another at play and to share their stuff (hallelujah!) in loosely organized ways (this is called associative play).
During parallel play, babies and toddlers sit happily alongside one another but rarely interact. One critter may occasionally look up from her shape sorter to see what her pal is doing or even to hand her a toy, but more typically she’ll spend most of her time in her own little zone. Yet that doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy being around other toddlers — in fact, she loves looking at faces and bodies similar in size to her own.
When associative play emerges, toddlers begin to share playthings. Your toddler and her playgroup gang may all build with blocks, for example, but each constructs her own teetering tower. Or they may all cluster near a play kitchen, busily “washing” their dirty dishes or stirring an empty pot — but without the planning and directing (“You be the mommy and I’ll be the daddy”) you’ll see among older kids.
Of course, all this associating is bound to lead to squabbling, since toddlers this age are still learning about turn-taking, sharing, and the many nuances of “being a good friend” (some adults are still working on that!). You can foster friendship skills by trying these tactics:
- Be a good role model. When you play with your tot, make a point of asking before picking up a toy she’s been using. Once she gives you the green light, tell her you appreciate her giving you a turn and praise her willingness to share. (Oh, and don’t forget your pleases and thank-yous.)
- Choose cooperative games. If you’re hosting a group (or even just a pair) of toddlers, make ring-around-the-rosy or other circle games part of the fun, or have them roll a ball to one another (a great way to teach turn-taking). All-hands-on-deck activities such as cooking together, doing crafts, or making music encourage teamwork and sharing.
- Intervene when necessary. Keep a close eye on toddlers during playdates and be ready to step in quickly if anyone’s on the verge of lashing out. With all the matter-of-factness you can muster (whether your child is the aggressor or the victim), separate the battling parties and redirect them to a new activity or separate areas of the room.
- Practice…a lot. Just because one playdate (or several) ends in tears and tantrums, don’t give up. Learning social skills takes time. Experiment with different groups, settings, times of day, and activities (without overstuffing your child’s social calendar, of course).
See more toddler growth and development tips. | <urn:uuid:fe07036c-3e0b-4b48-8d42-1323f48e7c1a> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler-development/parallel-play.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279368.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00321-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945667 | 721 | 3.109375 | 3 |
December 4, 2013 (San Diego) — By a 5-0 vote, San Diego Supervisors Tuesday approved efforts to add the PulsePoint smartphone app to regional 9-1-1 emergency systems. The system enables notification of trained citizen volunteers to respond quickly to cases of sudden cardiac arrest and initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while awaiting medical responders. The measure was introduced by Supervisors Ron Roberts and Bill Horn.
Nearly 1,000 lives are lost daily in the U.S. due to sudden cardiac arrest, which can occur even in active, seemingly healthy people with no history of heart disease. Cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death among adults over age 40 in the U.S. According to the American Heart Association, of 383,000 people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest, 90% die. | <urn:uuid:620e7a0c-c915-4dfc-8dd0-7bdb97ace590> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/taxonomy/term/18674 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570765.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808031623-20220808061623-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.933234 | 168 | 2.046875 | 2 |
MOTHERS. DAUGHTERS. REBELS.
One day in 1912, East End laundress Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) accidentally finds herself in a suffragette riot and becomes drawn into an increasingly more violent struggle for women’s rights. After portraying a Conservative icon in The Iron Lady (2011), writer Abi Morgan took on the suffragette movement and showed the consequences of its leader Emmeline Pankhurst’s call for civil disobedience. The movement’s use of violence has been heavily debated, but the script doesn’t reach any intellectual depths. It does however touch our hearts and the depiction of working-class conditions and how women were treated is infuriating. Very engaging, with strong performances by Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter.
2015-Britain. 106 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced by Alison Owen, Faye Ward. Directed by Sarah Gavron. Screenplay: Abi Morgan. Cast: Carey Mulligan (Maud Watts), Helena Bonham Carter (Edith Ellyn), Meryl Streep (Emmeline Pankhurst), Natalie Press, Anne-Marie Duff, Romola Garai… Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw.
Trivia: Bonham Carter is the great-granddaughter of one of the Prime Ministers mentioned in the film, H.H. Asquith.
Last word: “I often found myself saying, ‘Can I bring in a bit of [Pankhurst]? But ultimately, even [the Mrs. Pankhurst role] became slimmer in the film, because my desire was to focus on those women who had not had a voice. Sarah and I both felt it was more important to make a film which would be accessible to women globally. So as we looked at this incredibly charismatic leader, who created this structure and was the vocal advocate for the movement, it became more important to give Maud balance.” (Morgan, The Mary Sue) | <urn:uuid:7a87d905-9f98-42c8-a1ac-23278662d10e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.hedmarkreviews.com/2015/11/suffragette/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573876.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820012448-20220820042448-00073.warc.gz | en | 0.95399 | 414 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Source: Penn State Extension
DairyCents Pro producer version and consultant version will allow the user to enter in farm specific information so the herd can determine their feed cost/cow, IOFC, milk margin and the percent of income going towards feed cost. The other component of the app is to monitor several feed management metrics.
More information on the app, instructions and where to download can be found on the app homepage.
DairyCents Pro is the newest version of DairyCents. It has the original DairyCents features plus farm specific calculations. The producer version allows data to be entered and tracked over time for one farm. The consultant version allows for multiple farms and the opportunity for their clients to share their information with them. The producer has to allow their consultants to access their data first and it can be revoked any time right from their device. Consultants can also download their data to an excel file.
The idea behind sharing information from the producer to the consultant is that often the producer is making adjustments to their forage source, purchased feeds, rations, groups of animals, etc. that the consultant may not be aware of until they are on the farm again. Sharing this information through DairyCentsPro can increase effective communication between the many people working on or for a dairy. | <urn:uuid:b0149001-dbb9-49c9-b1ae-75bce941788a> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.agweb.com/livestock/beef/article/dairycents_pro_mobile_app_now_available_for_android_and_iphone__naa_university_news_release/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988721355.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183841-00013-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959311 | 263 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Everyone knows that the rising proportion of women who bear and raise children out of wedlock has greatly weakened the American family system. This phenomenon, once thought limited predominantly to African Americans, now affects whites as well, so much so that the rate at which white children are born to an unmarried mother is now as high as the rate for black children in the mid-1960s, when Daniel Patrick Moynihan issued his famous report on the Negro family.
For whites the rate is one-fifth; for blacks it is over one-half.
Why has this happened? I think there are two possible explanations to consider: money and culture.
For the complete article go to the Manhattan Institute website. | <urn:uuid:8b74d6b2-9c04-4974-b0a9-f37847642f67> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles/WilsonDeclineMarriage.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988721595.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183841-00477-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978415 | 141 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Volunteer with SBC and Philanthropitch on October 20th! This Fall, we're celebrating Philanthropitch Finalists with…
Racial Equality & Justice Through Small Biz Cares
A Message from the Board of Small Biz Cares
Small Biz Cares stands against racism, injustice and discrimination of any kind. The inequitable and brutal treatment of the black community needs to stop. We support initiatives that work to correct inequities, injustice, racism and violence. We stand in solidarity with the black community – our friends, employees, customers and community. Black Lives Matter.
We also stand with all of the small businesses and nonprofit organizations working on the front lines to pave the way for change. We are committed to doing the hard and good work that leads to true systemic progress. This includes working to inspire our members and the community to promote racial equality, supporting local organizations that strive for equality, and engaging small business leaders from diverse backgrounds.
We commit to doing more and will continue to advocate for the black community in the fight against institutional racism.
The Small Biz Cares Board Team
Small Biz Cares held a webinar to discuss the issues of racial equality and how businesses can take action to address these issues with their teams, customers, and the community.
Nevin Bansal and Kim Tapia along with guests, Hanad Duale and Adele Busch, speak on racial equality in small businesses, as well as, how small businesses can create opportunities and contribute to those working to advance people of color.
Fundraiser: Yard Signs to Support NAACP Columbus + Columbus Urban League
All net proceeds from these yard signs went to support NAACP Columbus and the Columbus Urban League and their efforts to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
There was a total of $5,700 raised that will benefit The Columbus Urban League, NAACP Columbus, and the Small Biz Cares Scholarship Fund.
Click here for the full fundraiser recap.
I couldn’t sit back and not get involved. I believe, as a white person, that it is our responsibility to keep this very important and sometimes “uncomfortable” conversation going. We must raise awareness, hold each accountable, start speaking up, show our support to our Black family, friends, community members, and colleagues.
Maggie Humphrey, Fundraiser Co-Chair
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
Columbus Urban League
The Columbus Urban League (CUL) is a community‐based, non‐profit, advocacy organization. Founded in 1918, the CUL is an affiliate of the National Urban League. We stand as one of the largest and most prestigious community‐based organizations in Central Ohio. Ranked in the top 5% of the 88-affiliate network of the Urban League movement nationally, we are one of the oldest organizations in the United States promoting equal and equitable access to resources. | <urn:uuid:d4030646-cac6-4799-a6eb-e7be270af558> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://smallbizcares.org/racial-equality-justice-through-small-biz-cares/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573193.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818094131-20220818124131-00476.warc.gz | en | 0.93623 | 694 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Panihati Municipality was established on the 1st day of April in the year 1900 covering Sukchar, Panihati, Agarpara, Ghola, Natagarh and Sodepur and some adjoining Mouzas with an area of 7.5 sq. mile or 19.43 sq. km which was the largest municipality not only in the Barrackpore Subdivision but also in the undivided 24 Parganas district. The Gazette Notification of formation of the Municipality was made on 30th January, 1900. At the very beginning there were 6 wards only and population about 11,000. Presently there are 35 wards and above 4 lakhs people.
Initially, the Municipality was established in the rented Garden House of Gagan Bhusan Basak near B. T. Road, opposite present Panihati Sporting Ground. Later on, the municipality was shifted to its new building at the present location at the crossing of B. T. Road and Sodepur Station Road on the acquired land of Seth Suklal Karnani. The town was a famous business and trade centre in one hand and rich in political and religious movement on the other hand. Attracted by its natural surroundings and locational advantage people from different parts of the state and outside have flocked to the town. However, after partition of India, there has been a steep increase of population due to migration of a large section of displaced persons.
The first meeting of the Municipality was held on 1st September, 1900 when late Shib Chandra Roy Chowdhury was elected as the Chairman. However, he resigned shortly due to health reason and Tran Nath Banerjee, rich businessman, famous for his social and charitable works was elected as the Chairman on 16th Sept,1900. Under his stewardship, the newly born municipality started functioning. A half bust statue of Late Tran Nath Babu was unveiled at the Municipal premises at its centenary year 2000.
Panihati in History
Reference of the glorious heritage of this Place is found in the ancient literature. Reference of Sukchar is found in the voyage route of Chand Sadagar “Manasa Mangal” written by Bipradas Pillai in 1495. The Bhagirathi Map from Suti to Gangasagar prepared by Jao De Barros in 1550 BS, mentions Agarpara and Barnagar. Panihati has been depicted as a prosperous and sacred place in Chaitanya Charitamrita, Chaitanya Bhagabat, Chaitanya Mangal & other texts. W. W. Hunter in the ‘Statistical Account of Bengal, 1875, mentioned “Strictly speaking with the exception of Calcutta, there was no large river side cities, with community living by water traffic. The following is the list of the chief trading towns and villages showing principal articles for which each is noted. The Hooghly - Baranagar, Dakshineswar, Agarpara, Panihati and Sukchar”. It is also worth to note from the 24 Parganas District Gazetteer “Chaitanya then stopped at a very populous and prosperous village called Panihati. According to ‘Chaitanya Bhagabata’ no other village on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi was as populous and prosperous as Panihati in those days.” Chaitanya Deb had taken Sannyas exactly 500 years back in the year 1510 and his first visit to Panihati was in the year 1514. Panihati was a major centre of Vaishnab Culture through Nityananda Mahaprabhu and Raghav Pandit also.
A confluence of religious, cultural and business/ industrial activities has created Panihati into a prominent place in the history of Bengal and India. This place has an unique distinction of having the footsteps of the great men like : Sri Chaityana & Nityananda Mahaprabhu, Sri Ram Krishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Mahtama Gandhi, Rabindra Nath Tagore., Acaharya Parfulla Chandra Roy.
On the river bank of Hooghly, along Sukchar - Panihati - Agarpara there seems to be a necklace of gangar ghats, temples and ashrams, the picturesque view of this concentration is probably comparable with Kashi - Varanasi, which has been revealed in the research work of Jatindra Mohan Dutta aliasly renowned as Jom Dutta (published in SHONIBARER CHITHI); “there is no other place in India in respect of the concentration of beautiful Ghats (33 nos) on the bank of the River Ganges in Panihati, which is next to only Kashi/ Varanasi." Incidentally the special red sugar used in Varanasi was being manufactured in Sukchar and was being supplied from Sukchar, as it was one of the largest manufacturers of red sugar.
The Municipality is located in North 24 Parganas District on the eastern bank River Hooghly. It is bounded by Khardaha Municipality on the north, Kamarhati Municipality on the south, Border of North DumDum Municipality and Bilakanda Panchayat area on the west.
Total geographical area of the municipality is 19.43 square kilometres, which is divided into 35 administrative wards. Mean Coordinates of the municipality being Coordinates: 22° 42' 2.41" N 88° 22' 30.62" E which is 9 kilometer away in the west from the district head quarter Barasat and 16 Kilometer away in the north from the State Capital Kolkata. Census 2001 population is 3,48,379 which is likely to grow to - 4.30 Laks by 2011 - 4.30 Laks and 5.75 laks by 2025 as per the KMDA Vision document. There are two Police Stations, namely, Sodepur and Ghola, situated within the boundary of the municipality. The municipality is being administered by a Board of elected Councillors.
Linkages of Rail, Road, River and Air
The B.T. Road passes through the town from North Barrackpur to South connecting Dunlop– Dunlop- Shyambazar. Sodepur Station Road starting from the Municipality crosses the station through Flyover to Barasat Road to Kalyani Highway and also to Madhyamgram Jessore Road to Dum Dum International Airport to the South and Barasat to the North. This road is a major route to the international border of Bangladesh. There are many arterial roads. Sodepur is an important node on the Indian Eastern Railway map with the highest nos of daily commuters. Agarpara is another station. Panihati ferry service is operating in the Municipal area - from Panihati Ghat to Konnnagar Ghat. In the early days, river traffic was the major source of communication and ghats of the river Ganga were used for trade/business.
A large number of industries came up in the area covering Panihati Sodepur Agrapara and Sukchar. The economic base of the Municipality consists of secondary sector i.e. large, medium and small industries and tertiary sector including offices, commercial outlets and institutional activities. Several prominent industries were set up which has linkage with the Self reliance and Swadeshi / Freedom Movement. Notable are: Bengal Chemical founded by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, Duck Back- Bengal Water Proof, Basmati Cotton Mills, named after wife of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and inaugaurated by Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sodepur khadi Pratisthan- Set up by Satish Chandra Dasgupta and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. There was a tradition of business and trades in the region from the old days. Many industries got wide reputation like Sodepur Glass Factory, Hurricane factory at Agarpara, Agarpara Kutir Shilpa, Kusum Industries, Berry Brothers, Sodepur Pottery, Bangasree, Bangodaya, Alpine Dairy, Sulekha Inks, Hindustan wire, Hind ware, Sodepur Cotton Mills, Texmaco, Coles Crane, Agarpara Jute Mills, NTC Ltd etc. Many of them have however, were closed later on for various reasons.
Panihati is famous for its shopping centres around the Sodepur Station Road where people form distances come for shopping. There is a mix of industries of small scale followed by medium and large scale industries. Present notable industries include.
Places of Interest
The Panihati Mahotsab tala and Raghab Mandir/ Pat Bari are famous Baishnab Pilgrimage which were sanctified by great men like Sri Chaitanay Deb, Nityananda Maha Prabhu, Raghab Pandit, Sri Ram Krishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekannda. Sodepur Khadi Pratsithan was the “second home “ called by Mahatma Gandhi where he used to live while staying in Bengal. Gobinda Home is also on the river Ganges famous for Rabindra Nath Tagore and other eminent personalities. Other notable places are: Sodepur Pinzrapole, Giribala Thakurbari, Baromondir, Paine Bari, Anondomoyee Ashram and nos of places along the river bank, at Ghola, Natagarh, Panshila and Agarpara area. Various festivals and fairs are organised in the municipal area. Panihati Book Fair and Panihati Mela have become very popular and a testimony of the rich culture of the area.
The climate of this region like rest of the Gangetic Plains in West Bengal is tropical with monsoon season spreading from early June to early October. The weather remains dry during the winter (mid-November to mid- February) and humid during the summer in the range between 50–95 %. During the months of April and May, thunderstorms, sometimes accompanied by hail, frequently occur at dusk. Winter prevails for a short period with chilling dry wind coming from the northeast. The average rainfall varies between 150-200 cm/yr. The maximum temperature is about 40°C in the month of May and minimum temperature is 10°C in the month of January. | <urn:uuid:ea699c3b-8426-4188-b325-2b0e8cad7674> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://panihatimunicipality.in/html/gen-info.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718423.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00271-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960493 | 2,196 | 2.0625 | 2 |
The future is green, indeed! As temperatures rise, governments and organizations worldwide are frantically searching for solutions to the looming, urgent threat that climate change poses to our existence.
Everyone is concerned about sustainability or the ability of humans and the biosphere to coexist. Recent events like the bushfires in Australia and the Amazon rainforest show ecological imbalance.
QR codes and sustainability can go hand in hand to spread environmental awareness to everyone.
Even if your company or brand is making a conscious effort to reduce its environmental impact, you must communicate this message to consumers and consider using an advanced QR code generator online as part of your overall strategy.
Top 3 ways that QR Codes can help spread environmental awareness
QR codes and sustainability can help your company become a brand or business that cares more about the environment.
Here are three ways a QR Code might help you be more eco-friendly:
This mantra of sustainable practices is as relevant as ever. QR Codes can help businesses reduce waste.
Unnecessary packaging, flyers, and inserts should be removed. If you’re offering a service, offer digital materials instead of printed ones.
A PDF QR Code has been effective in helping restaurants offer contactless solutions and reduce waste.
QR Codes on packaging let consumers download manuals and brochures. This reduces waste and saves businesses from printing costs.
- To reduce paper consumption
Most paper comes from trees. Statistically, it makes up 93% of all paper produced.
A QR Code can store unlimited data. QR Codes can convert printed documents to digital versions.
Not exactly. You can give a QR Code instead of a printed booklet. When scanned, this QR Code can lead to a PDF, video, or infographic with product instructions.
- Keep consumers informed about their options.
Wondering where your milk and fruit came from? QR codes can help.
The Soil Association, a British charity promoting sustainable and organic food production, has developed an Android app to track consumers’ produce.
Blockchain technology isn’t just for fashion supply chains, though. Food and beverage companies should tell consumers where their food comes from.
Brands utilizing QR codes for their sustainability campaigns
Nestle has been a sustainability leader for years, working on more sustainable packaging and work environments.
For one, they started building schools in Ivory Coast, where they buy cocoa.
They also discuss charities they support and how they reduce waste. Using QR codes on food packaging, they share ingredients too small for labels and give consumers insight into the company’s process, goals, and values.
H&M is a well-known multinational clothing retailer. It has devised a clever method of encouraging people to recycle unwanted clothing.
Some of the stores now have high-tech recycling bins. People can donate their unwanted clothing from any brand here. And H&M repurposes these garments into textile fibers or incorporates them into new collections.
When you finish donating, a QR Code appears on the screen. The donor can scan this QR Code to receive a 15% discount on their next H&M purchase.
The United Kingdom’s energy consumption initiative
In 2015, the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change implemented QR Codes on energy bills.
Each bill must include a QR Code. When scanned, this QR Code provides consumers with information on their gas and electricity expenses.
According to the government, the QR Code will assist people in understanding their bills. And possibly, even a better tariff deal.
You now understand how QR Codes can be used to promote sustainability, and how various industries are using them.
Sustainability has emerged as a megatrend as it encourages businesses to adopt cutting-edge tools like QR codes.
Now that you understand how a QR Code can help your business remain sustainable, the next step is to create one with the best QR code generator with logo software.Connect us with Social Media | <urn:uuid:e6af5f62-3d4d-47bf-9ec7-fc3a968b626e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://naijalivinguk.com/sustainability-and-qr-codes-how-can-qr-codes-help-spread-environmental-awareness/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570879.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809003642-20220809033642-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.925013 | 815 | 2.578125 | 3 |
[Windell] over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has reached out in order to help them identify a mystery piece of electronics equipment they came across a few years ago. Discovered at an electronics surplus store, the mystery component looks like a cross between an over-sized chess board and a breadboard. Failing to identify it they eventually disposed of the board, snapping a couple of pictures for good measure before it was gone for good.
Recently while visiting a local electronics flea market, they came across what looked to be a similar, though much smaller board. This piqued their curiosity and compelled them to dig out the pictures of the mystery board in hopes of finally discovering what it was. Using markings on the new board they found, the team at EMSL located some images of a patchboard cartridge that looked quite similar to their mystery object. Upon closer inspection however, they think that the two pieces might be related, but are not quite the same item.
Swing by their site and chime in if you happen to have any good leads – we’re sure they will appreciate it. | <urn:uuid:eb7a2331-e111-4bad-bf95-f7bb979fd959> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://hackaday.com/2011/04/30/help-identify-this-vintage-electronics-component/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=1a35c759c1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280761.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00091-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973894 | 223 | 1.992188 | 2 |
What is Systems Management? Systems management refers to the centralized administration of the IT (Information Technology) in an organization. The concept covers a broad set of subsystems that are needed to monitor and manage IT systems correctly.
Managing IT systems is essential for organizing and running your business. Good system management is the backbone of an IT-based organization.
When implemented effectively, it makes the delivery of IT much easier, making the employees adapt faster and be more productive.
Why is Systems Management so Important?
Expanding traditional IT systems create complex problems for the support staff, which in turn can waste their valuable time and efforts. This results in a lack of resources for capacity planning and performance improvement. Leaving your company without the potential for growth and technology adoption.
Adopting emerging technologies in 2019 such as IoT, Edge Computing, or 5G will help your businesses scale exponentially. But when you do, your IT requirements will scale as well. It will become really important to monitor and protect all your assets and adapt to hyper-connectivity speeds. A single second of downtime can affect your business and cause a high loss.
What Elements of IT Can Systems Management Help You With?
Systems Management consists of a wide range of IT functions or subsets aimed at maintaining or improving infrastructure, network, applications, services, OSs, among many others. Systems Management oversees many IT requirements such as, (but not limited to):
- Application Monitoring The Application Performance Management (APM) is a subset of the Systems Management. It deals with the monitoring and management of the performance of applications. This subset helps detect complex problems, deals with life-cycles, and level of service.
- Asset Inventory To keep a record of hardware or software assets. This subset helps in asset lifecycle management, keeps a record of hardware, including firmware, versions, OSs, and their licenses. For software asset inventorying, it keeps versioning, patching, and licenses in control.
- Log Management and Performance Analytics This subset helps manage the overall performance of the systems through log analyzing. It helps you collect, correlate, and analyze the system’s data to give you an insight into the performance.
- Network Monitoring and Management This includes monitoring of network devices, such as routers, switches, wireless access points, and end points. Network monitoring helps managers identify failures quickly and improve performance accordingly.
- System Administration Monitoring and management of servers, storage, databases, virtualization, cloud, printers, PCs, and mobiles. This subset gives you full administration over systems configuration and the disaster recovery and backups.
- IT Security and Compliance Security information and event management. This task is in charge of running anti-virus and malware tools, intrusion detection, data loss, and prevention systems and helping with any regulatory compliance.
- Automation This might include automated backups and restores, automated workloads, or desired configuration states. A network automation software can also give you insights into faults, performance, availability, bandwidth, and IP address management.
- Help and Service Desk Management Some benefits of this service are the ability to create and track issue tickets from a single place and have an IT expert solve them. IT teams can track issues, changes, and faulty assets.
What are Some Challenges When Implementing Systems Management?
The idea of a systems management tool is to keep your business systems running smooth and improve the employee’s productivity. But when it falls into the wrong hands, it is a different story.
A systems management can sometimes make management more complex and less productive. It requires a learning process and some investment to make it work.
- Training Employees need the right training to use these tools effectively. Deploying and using centralized systems management require time and effort. This is related to the size of the business and the existing expertise of the IT staff.
- Increase cost Implementing and maintaining an IT and systems management requires an increased cost. Some of the best tools on the market are not so cheap, and the free ones take time to install and learn.
- Interoperability Many systems management software is able to integrate and operate with different hardware or software vendors. Unfortunately, all of them have different data interpretations, which makes the interoperability, challenging.
How Can You Keep Your Systems Up and Running?
Management tasks such as Server Updates, Service Desk Management, Network Performance Monitoring, can help your systems have high availability.
According to the Global ICS & IIoT Risk Report from 2018, CyberX is finding unpatched Windows systems in more than 50% of all industrial sites. To make things worst, 57% are still not running anti-virus systems that update signatures automatically.
Having software up to date, patched, and with latest Anti-Virus definitions is one of the most important aspects to avoid security breaches and reduce high CPU loads. The best systems management tools will help you centralize and automate patching and updates deployments.
Another task is Service Desk Management solutions which can help you manage services remotely. You give control of your systems to IT experts that monitor 24/7 and manage all your patches and updates from a single place.
Network Performance Monitoring is another subsystem designed to reduce network outages and improve performance. When a problem occurs, a network performance monitoring tool creates alarms based on user-defined conditions, parent/child dependencies, or network topology.
What to do When Disaster Happens?
“Everything fails all the time” — Werner Vogel, The Vice President & Chief Technology Officer at Amazon Web Services.
Although AWS’ S3 service offers an amazing uptime percentage of “equal to or greater than 99.0% but less than 99.9%”, according to Vogel, all systems still fail.
This can happen because,
- Hardware Failure.
- Human-made errors.
- Software bugs.
- Natural Disaster
Sometimes a disaster is unavoidable. When it hits, there will be downtime and security breaches.
But systems management help us react quickly, get back on our feet, and investigate the root cause of the issue. Whether it was a system malfunction, a compromised device, failure to perform a backup, a power outage, or a security breach, we can be reactive and solve the problem.
An Intrusion Detection System can help identify the intrusion so you can stop it and implement an Incident Response Plan. At the same time, a Backup and Recovery System can help you recover all your data and configurations in case you were attacked by a Ransomware or the data got corrupted.
A Disaster Recovery and Backup solution can keep your business safe.
How to Plan When Getting a Centralized Systems Management?
A system administrator or a CIO (Chief Information Officer) must know the business criteria before getting a systems management tool. They should be able to answer the following questions:
- What are the current IT resources?
- What is the business size?
- What are the main requirements and limitations?
- What is the company’s budget?
Answering these questions will allow the systems administrator to find the right software match.
For example, if a small network with just a couple of devices needs a systems management, purchasing and deploying a tool will be more expensive and time-consuming, than just managing devices on their own. But if the company is large and depends on technology, it would be impossible to manage thousands of devices at the same time.
Unfortunately, there is no universal tool to match every business criteria. Products vary in price, features, operability, etc.
How to Find The Right Solution?
Finding the right solution is a matter of identifying the pain points that your employees or you are experiencing on your systems. That could be traffic at certain hours, vulnerabilities, or devices consuming high resources.
Your job is to find solutions that not only help you deal with those problems but also improve capabilities.
Considering the business criteria found before, you can evaluate different system management offerings. Some examples of popular products are (but not limited to):
Here's a list of the Best Systems Management Software:
- SolarWinds Systems Management Bundle – FREE TRIAL A package that includes monitoring for servers, applications, virtualizations, Web applications, and storage devices. Installs on Windows Server. Start a 30-day free trial.
- Syxsense Manage – FREE TRIAL A coordinated endpoint management system that can be supplemented by a sister security bundle. This is a cloud-based service.
- Paessler PRTG – FREE TRIAL A bundle of system monitors that cover networks, servers, and applications. Installs on Windows Server.
- Atera – FREE TRIAL A SaaS platform that provides managed service providers with all of the tools they need to run their businesses and support the systems of their clients.
- SolarWinds Patch Manager – FREE TRIAL Automates patch installation and provides compliance reporting. Installs on Windows Server.
- ManageEngine Service Desk for A support system that includes incident management, project management, and change management software. Installs on Windows Server and Linux and is also available as a cloud service.
SolarWinds Offers a Great tool that is a 3-in-1 Tool that has 3 separate, complimentary software suites that integrate with each other to provide you with a Macro view of your environment and really help you keep Systems Management on lock down!
A single second of downtime can affect your business, cause a high financial loss, and lower productivity of the employees. A Systems Management tool or software suite can help your IT environment to stay Online and run smooth. It is the most important element of an IT-based organization and your success!
But finding the right Systems Management for your business should not be your second priority, but something that needs your full attention. There are many options on the market and if you know your organization from head to toe, and your business requirements, you’ll be able to find the right software match.
But if you don’t have the time to hire IT specialists and purchase expensive software, you have the chance to hire an IT Help Desk and give them control of your systems management. The advice and support from these experts will be invaluable in the long run. | <urn:uuid:091dad85-4db9-4158-b4b7-8f78a0a7de1a> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.pcwdld.com/systems-management | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570741.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808001418-20220808031418-00073.warc.gz | en | 0.912512 | 2,102 | 2.65625 | 3 |
The way has finally been cleared for New Zealand to export apples to Australia, ending years of bickering between the two countries.
But Australia's federal opposition party says it's not confident that Australian quarantine inspectors have the resources to stop devastating diseases such as fire blight and European canker from coming in with the New Zealand fruit.
Only commercially mature fruit can be imported under guidelines proposed by Australia's director of animal and plant quarantine.
The fruit will need to be washed with high-pressure water spray and brushed in the packing house to remove surface contamination from pests and trash such as leaf litter.
Australia's Trade Minister Craig Emerson told parliament yesterday the decision had not been taken lightly and was based on science.
Any apple consignments that did not meet Australia's import requirements would be rejected, Dr Emerson said.
The system will be audited and verified by Australian authorities before the apples leave New Zealand, and Australian quarantine officers will inspect all consignments when they land in Australia.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told reporters in Canberra there was no certainty disease would not get into Australia with imported apples.
"That's what we are calling on the government to ensure - that no diseased apples come into this country - and we are far from confident that the Australian quarantine service at the present time can do that," Mr Abbott said.
Apple and Pear Australia chairman John Lawrenson agreed, saying all Australian growers should now fear the appearance of fire blight, leaf curling midge or European canker.
"Farmers will be nervous just getting out of bed in the morning because they will be wondering if today is the day they discover fire blight in their orchard," he said in a statement.
He described Biosecurity Australia's quarantine protocols as "horrendously weak".
An opposition private member's bill to give parliamentarians a veto over apple import permits will be introduced on Monday.
Dr Emerson said continuing to block NZ apples from the Australian market could lead to trade restrictions affecting other Australian industries.
"Australian farmers would be exposed to retaliation by New Zealand," Dr Emerson said.
The battle began five years ago when NZ took an Australian risk analysis on apples to the World Trade Organisation, arguing it was unfair.
The WTO ruled in late 2010 that the Australian quarantine restrictions were not supported by science.
Australian authorities then reviewed quarantine policy, sought industry comment and came up with the new import conditions. | <urn:uuid:491af761-7f2e-4335-aed7-3eebc43fd962> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10745841 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280718.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00406-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96212 | 492 | 1.929688 | 2 |
Motorists are advised to seek alternatives
When deciding on alternate vs. alternative, what choice do you have?
Whoever decided that the shortest distance between two points is always a straight line obviously didn't do much driving in Boston.
I spend a fair bit of my time behind the wheel trying to get from one side of the Charles River to the other. Surprisingly often, the best way between two points in Boston is through Cambridge. And oh, yes, are the Red Sox in town? I have their schedule, less because I'm a fan than because I want to avoid traffic at Fenway Park.
But Boston traffic jams, however intense, tend to be brief, in my experience. They're not nearly as serious as the one depicted in a cartoon years ago by the late Virgil Partch in the Los Angeles Times. Stuck hopelessly amid multiple lanes of car-clogged freeway, Partch's protagonist, Big George, puts his head out the window of his car to scream helplessly, and futilely, at the traffic helicopter circling far overhead, "What alternate routes??!!"
Or should that be "alternative routes"?
An inquiring reader wants to know. The phrase I have etched in thought from my California childhood, "Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes," is alive and well. Across the United States, local news organizations and public works departments continue to issue this counsel.
But "alternative routes" is out there as well – with over twice as many hits in a Google search just now. "Alternative" skews international, however. My top hits were from an Oxford English learners' dictionary and from The Jakarta Post.
To understand the nuances here, let's start with alternation, which involves "taking turns."
When we say that a plant has "alternate leaves," we mean that one leaf branches off from one side of a stem, and then the next branches off a little farther down from the other side. The leaves take turns. The "opposite" of alternate is, as it happens, opposite: Leaves branch in pairs directly opposite to each other, as if making up tiny cross streets up and down an avenue.
When we say, "The board meets on alternate Tuesdays," we mean that the meeting Tuesdays "take turns" with the nonmeeting Tuesdays.
Both alternate and alternative come from Latin and are rooted in the idea of "the other" and notions of taking turns, one after the other. The Online Etymology Dictionary has this to say about the distinction between the two: "Alternate means 'by turns'; alternative means 'offering a choice.' "
Alternate refers to certain kinds of jurors, delegates, or occasionally understudies in a play – either adjectivally ("an alternate juror") or as a stand-alone noun ("three delegates and an alternate"). It's a usage that goes back more than a century and a half. But some sticklers prefer alternative even here, since the jurors aren't taking turns (with Juror A hearing testimony Monday, let's say, and Juror B in the box on Tuesday). Rather, the alternates provide a "choice," giving the judge options, if, for instance, Juror A is found to be texting the defendant.
Where alternate is morally neutral, alternative can carry a fairly heavy weight of "otherness," of "difference," for good or ill. There's "the alternative music scene," for instance. And some readers may recall how, during the early days of the AIDS crisis, public health officials would speak nervously of how it affected primarily "people with alternative lifestyles."
I'm not sure I'll ever be a stickler on this one. But I can see why people prefer alternative to cover the meaning of "a different route," even if Big George saw no way out. | <urn:uuid:d3d3d49f-a504-4e86-b660-145ad158d9d5> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Verbal-Energy/2012/0509/Motorists-are-advised-to-seek-alternatives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280761.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00090-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961426 | 785 | 2.65625 | 3 |
The story of the marlurlu, a boy old enough to be an initiate, is an intense family drama, one with tragic consequences which, in this version, narrator Kajingarra Napangardi has been able to make very clear. She has added to the plot both a dramatic intensification of the psychological conflict and a depth of dramatic irony other versions of the story do not have. The boldest addition is her introduction of the vengeful fury-like bird before the boy commits his awful but necessary crime, prefiguring and ironically pointing to the hideous and tragic logic of the conclusion when the boy, who refused all food except what his mother game him, is finally forced by hunger to leave the shelter of the cave. Outside the eagle is poised and retribution follows.
The jukurrpa itself contains elements familiar to many from the family dramas of the Greek tragedians: an incestuous conflict between son and father for the attentions of the mother in which a fundamental balance is upset by the inappropriate victory of the son, and the consequences - rage, death, a necessary sequence of acts of revent - before the social univers is cleansed and restored. A major imperative in Warlpiri social life is that offenses must be met by the appropriate restitution, known as "kunka " or "pay-back" ... In this way, the tragic loss of the marlurlu story is set in motion and moves on to its inevitable conclusion.'
(Source: Warlpiri Dreamings and Histories, 1994, p. 71) | <urn:uuid:ac3b8706-67ab-4351-92b9-2340ebd09113> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C650890 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560283301.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095123-00511-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948619 | 320 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The House Oversight & Reform Committee passed the Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act (H.R. 8326) on July 20, 2022 by a 25 – 17 vote. The legislation aims to “enhance the independence and transparency of the Census Bureau” and “safeguard [it] from undue influence from political parties.”
The bill’s sponsor, Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12), described the bill as a response to a memo released that same day about the investigation into the Trump Administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. As the memo concluded, the committee’s investigation “exposed how a group of political appointees sought to use the census to advance an ideological agenda and potentially exclude non-citizens from the apportionment count. Despite experts, statisticians, and stakeholders warning of the threats that a citizenship question could pose to the census, Trump Administration officials pressed forward until the Supreme Court ruled their effort was illegal.”
By contrast, Committee Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY-01) contended that the Act would “make it easier for the Census Bureau to conduct an unfair and inaccurate census” by “eliminating nearly all accountability for the Census Bureau” and reducing the Bureau’s flexibility to adapt in future censuses. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) also criticized the bill, saying that it “more completely delegates Census Bureau responsibility to bureaucracy” instead of Congress. Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA-10) concurred, worrying that the bill would make the census director “unremovable.” He said that, “when the federal bureaucracy is unaccountable, that is when it most threatens to undertake rogue activity… precisely what we are looking at right now as it relates to the census.”
The bill avoids making the Census Bureau an independent agency, something that Chair Maloney told NPR that she knows “both Republican and Democratic administrations” have opposed, but she noted that it provides “strict guidelines, rules, regulations” while keeping the bureau within the Department of Commerce.
- Rep. Hice that would have deleted the bill’s provisions on causes for removing the director, the director’s duties, the reporting structure, the advisory committees, the requirement that only the director could make changes to the decennial census, and replacement of the director; and
- Rep. Biggs that would have added a citizenship question to the 2030 Census and every decennial thereafter, as well as changed apportionment to include only citizens.
Much of the debate dealt with arguments over the legality of the citizenship question, interpretations of the Supreme Court case that rejected the citizenship question, the legality of whether to count non-citizens.
Census budget provisions of H.R. 8326
The bill would require the Commerce Secretary to include in the Department’s budget request “the estimated costs of carrying out the duties of the Bureau during the five-year period beginning on the fiscal year covered by such request,” starting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, “and each fiscal year thereafter.” Those estimates would also need to be delivered to relevant Congressional committees.
When the President submits the Administration’s budget proposal in the final five years of a decennial census cycle, the director of the Census Bureau would be required to “transmit a report describing any changes to the applicable lifecycle estimate”, including:
- (A) “The basis for any such changes.”
- (B) “Projected impacts on response rates, staffing requirements, or costs throughout the lifecycle.”
- (C) “An explanation of any differences in budgetary resources between the amount requested in the President’s annual budget request and the lifecycle cost estimate, as updated by this paragraph.”
Census personnel and leadership
The Census Bureau Director would be allowed to be removed “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
The director would be specifically tasked with performing “such duties as may be imposed upon the Director by law, regulations, or orders of” the Commerce Secretary and would “report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce.”
Per the Act, any “operational, statistical, or technical decision for any decennial census of population” could only be made by the director.
H.R. 8326 would allow for a single deputy director, appointed by the director to a “career reserved position” and “selected from among any career appointee… at any agency.” The deputy would be required to “possess knowledge of, or experience in, the work of the Bureau, and possess experience in relevant fields, including demography, economics, survey methodology, statistics, or data science.”
The deputy would “perform such functions as the Director shall designate” and serve as acting director of the Bureau in case of “any absence or disability” of the director. “In the event of a vacancy in the office of Director, or when the Director is absent or unable to serve,” the deputy would only “act as Director until a Director is appointed.” Should no individual serving as deputy be available, “the highest level career employee of the Bureau” would instead serve as acting director “until a Deputy Director or Director is appointed.”
H.R. 8326 would also cap the Census Bureau at no more than 3 political appointees, including the director – everyone else would need to be career.
The Act would codify the existing Census Scientific Advisory Committee and the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations. The bill would also establish a new 2030 Census Advisory Committee “substantially similar to the 2010 Census Advisory Committee, consisting of up to 20 member organizations to address policy, research, and technical issues related to the design and implementation of the 2030 decennial census and the American Community Survey” and a new Committee on Statistical Quality Standards, “composed of five members to review and provide recommendations on the statistical quality standards of the Bureau that guide the production and release of all Bureau decennial census products.”
Adding questions to the census
Current law, 13 U.S. Code § 141(f), requires the Commerce Secretary, for each decennial and mid-decade census, to submit to the relevant Congressional committees:
- (1) “not later than 3 years before the appropriate census date, a report containing the Secretary’s determination of the subjects proposed to be included, and the types of information to be compiled, in such census”;
- (2) “not later than 2 years before the appropriate census date, a report containing the Secretary’s determination of the questions proposed to be included in such census”; and
- (3) “after submission of a report under paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection and before the appropriate census date, if the Secretary finds new circumstances exist which necessitate that the subjects, types of information, or questions contained in reports so submitted be modified, a report containing the Secretary’s determination of the subjects, types of information, or questions as proposed to be modified.”
Starting with the 2030 Census, the Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act would prohibit the inclusion of “any subject, type of information, or question that was not submitted to Congress in accordance with” that subsection.
The bill would require biennial reports to congress (also posted on the Bureau website), “no later than April 1 of the calendar year beginning after the date of enactment” that:
- (i) “describes each component of the operational plan for the subsequent decennial census of population”; and
- (ii) “includes a detailed statement on the status of all research, testing, and operations that are part of the Bureau’s com4 prehensive plan for the decennial census.”
Along with the reports, the Commerce Secretary would need to deliver “a certification stating that any question that has not appeared on the previous two decennial censuses has been researched, studied, and tested according to established statistical policies and procedures.”
Within six months of the Secretary’s certification, GAO would need to review it and “and submit a report to Congress on whether the questions to be included in the census have been researched, studied, and tested according to established statistical policies and procedures.”
The House could consider the Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act (H.R. 8326) on the floor before the end of the year. There is no Senate companion. | <urn:uuid:78363ec4-a557-4e3d-8013-12d9365065f6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://thecensusproject.org/2022/07/26/ensuring-a-fair-and-accurate-census-act-h-r-8326-approved-by-house-committee-in-response-to-investigation-of-citizenship-question/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00273.warc.gz | en | 0.955077 | 1,850 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Services on Demand
Print version ISSN 1413-8670On-line version ISSN 1678-4391
Braz J Infect Dis vol.12 no.6 Salvador Dec. 2008
Luiz José de Souza; Aldo Franklin Ferreira Reis; Fernanda Carlos Rodrigues de Almeida; Lara Assed de Souza; Marina Abukater; Maurício Assed Estefan Gomes; Olívia Araujo Abicair; Pedro Assed Gonçalves
Reference Center of Dengue; Brazilian Society of Internal Medicine; Medical School of Campos; Campos dos Goytacazes RJ, Brazil
A study of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate during the first hour (ESR) in dengue patients would help determine how this parameter is affected by this disease, as well as whether it can be used for diagnosis. One thousand, three hundred and ninety-eight cases of dengue attended at the Dengue Treatment Center, Campos dos Goytacazes Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were included. The ESR values were classified as normal or elevated and compared by gender and clinical form of the disease. Among the 1,398 cases ESR was normal in 81.25% (n = 1,136), while in 18.75% (n=262) it was elevated. In 83.92% (n=514) of the male dengue patients ESR was normal, while in 16.08% (n=98) it was elevated. Among female dengue patients, 79.17% (n=622) had normal ESR, and in 20.83% (n=164) ESR was elevated (p=0.05). Among patients with classic dengue, 77.28% (n=961) had normal ESR, while in 22.72% (n=282), it was elevated. Also in 85.81% (n=133) of patients with hemorrhagic dengue, ESR was normal, while in 14.19% (n=22) ESR was elevated (p=0.026). We concluded that ESR was within normal ranges in most dengue cases, independent of gender or clinical presentation. Given the high frequency of normality and the ease of determination of this parameter, ESR data can help in the differential diagnosis of dengue.
Key-Words: Dengue fever, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), diagnosis.
Dengue is an arbovirosis caused by a virus of the genus Flavivirus; four serotypes have been identified (Den-1, 2, 3 and 4). This disease is typically found in tropical and subtropical regions, where environmental and socioeconomic conditions favor the development of this vector, the mosquito Aedes aegypti. It reproduces in clean still water; this fact is crucial for control strategies, since no effective dengue vaccine is available [1-6]. Currently, this vector is found throughout Brazil. An estimated 100 million cases of dengue occur annually throughout the world, and 2.5 to 3 billion people live in areas considered at risk [1-6]. Dengue can be presented in various clinical forms, varying from oligosymptomatic forms to serious forms, such as dengue shock syndrome [4,7].
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) during the first hour is a simple and low cost exam. It measures the rate of sedimentation of erythrocyte of a blood sample in a graduated test tube maintained in a vertical position during one hour. Though it is unspecific, this test has been widely used for the documentation of inflammatory, infectious and neoplasic processes and in the accompaniment of various pathologies, especially in regions with limited resources. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate can also be high in pathologies such as anemia, macrocytosis, diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism, and as part of physiological processes, such as gestation, menstruation and aging. This justifies its being designated an nonspecific exam. Consequently, it is recommended that ESR not be interpreted as a diagnostic exam, but rather as an auxiliary tool to anmnese, physical exams and other complementary exams [8-11].
Given the fact that ESR is maintained within normal limits in dengue patients, during epidemics, this easily-performed exam could become an important tool to help confirm clinical suspicion of dengue. During the fever stage of dengue, various bacterial infections can be part of the differential diagnosis; in this case erythrocyte sedimentation rate is quite useful, because the values remain unaltered in dengue patients . Consequently, given the effect of dengue on morbidity and mortality and the impossibility of a more complete investigation when there are many suspected cases, ESR would be useful to help diagnose with diagnosis whenever this disease is suspected.
Material and Methods
We examined the speed of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) during the first hour in 2,627 patients suspected of having dengue, attended at the Centro de Referência da Dengue (CRD) in Campos dos Goytacazes, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from March to May 2007. These patients were initially examined in the clinic (anamnesis and a physical exam) and then included in the following laboratory protocol: the symptomatic patients attended from days one to five after the symptoms began were referred for a full hemogram, aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) concentrations and ESR, along with virus isolation. The latter was done at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Department of Virology, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. The exams solicited for the symptomatic patients attended from days six to nine included a complete hemogram, along with AST, ALT and ESR dosages. Serologies for IgM and IgG ELISA for dengue were requested for patients who were asymptomatic from day 10 on. This protocol improved participation of the patients and successfully confirmed the diagnosis of dengue. After these routine procedures, the patients continued to be attended in the ambulatory clinic or were hospitalized, depending on their clinical manifestations.
Inclusion criteria were patients with symptoms and laboratory data compatible with dengue (fever, head ache, myalgia, arthralgia, prostration, retro-orbital pain, nauseas, vomiting, leucopenia, hemoconcentration and thrombocytopenia) and IGM ELISA serology solicited after day 10 of the initiation of symptoms, positive for dengue. Classification as hemorrhagic dengue was made according to criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO), though with some adaptations, these being: platelet counts < 100,000/uL, positive loop test and/or signals of spontaneous bleeding and hemoconcentration, the latter defined based on a hematocrit (Ht) > 45% in men, H>40% in women and > 38% in children. . The criterion of a 20% increase over a previous value was not used, due to the impossibility of making comparisons, because most patients had no previous hematocrit data, besides the impossibility of doing serial hemograms because of the large number of patients.
From March to May 2007, 2,627 patients suspected to have dengue were attended at the CRD. Among these, 559 patients did not return for serological confirmation, 423 tested negative for dengue by IgM ELISA and 247 arrived at the ambulatory only nine days after disease symptoms began. Consequently, 1,398 confirmed cases of dengue met the criteria for our study.
The ESR exam was done using the Westergren method; 1.6 mL of a mixture of venous blood was mixed with 0.4 mL of 3.8% sodium citrate solution in a graduated transparent tube with an internal diameter of 2.5 mm. The zero mark of the tube was at the upper extremity, 200 mm from pipette tip. The tube was then placed in a vertical position for one hour. A reading was made of the height of the plasma column that formed at the upper part of the pipette, expressed as millimeters per hour (mm/h). . The reference values vary according to age and gender (Table 1).
Based on Table 2, the ESR values were classified as normal, lower than or equal to the reference value, or above the reference value. Using this classification, the ESR profile of dengue was examined based on the following: 1-The sample was divided by sex, with later classification of ESR; 2- The sample was divided according to clinical presentation, as classic dengue or hemorrhagic dengue, and then classified according to ESR; 3- After grouping by sex, a new division of these subgroups was made according to clinical presentation, and then according to ESR. We used the chi-square test to test for differences between proportions in the various comparisons.
Table 2 shows the groups of patients in our study.
The sample of 1,398 patients included 43.77% (n=612) males and 56.23% (n=786) females. When we grouped the patients by clinical presentation, we found 88.91% (n=1,243) with classic dengue and 11.09% (n=155) with hemorrhagic dengue. The mean age of the patients in our sample was 36.5 (+/-14.4) years. None of patients died during this period.
Among the patients with dengue 81.25% (n=1,136) had normal ESR and 18.75% (n=262) had high ESR (Table 3). Among male dengue patients, 83.92% (n=514) had normal ESR and 16.08% (n=98) had high ESR. Among female patients, 79.17% (n=622) had normal ESR and 20.83% (n=164) had high ESR. There was a significant tendency towards normal ESR (chi-square test, p < 0.05, Table 3).
When we grouped the patients according to clinical presentation, we found normal ESR levels in 77.28% (n=961) and high ESR in 22.72% (n=282) of the patients who had classic dengue. Among patients with hemorrhagic dengue, 85.81% (n=133) had normal ESR and 14.19% had high ESR (p=0.026, Table 3).
When we analyzed the effects of gender and clinical presentation together, we observed that 76.59% (n=528) of the female patients with classic dengue had normal ESR, while 23.41% (n=162) had high ESR. Among female patients with hemorrhagic dengue, 81.76% (n=78) had normal ESR, while 18.24% (n=18) had high ESR. This difference was not significant (chi-square test, p=0.31, Table 3). Among male patients with classic dengue, 77.98% (n=432) had normal ESR and 22.02% (n=122) had high ESR, while among male patients with hemorrhagic dengue, 89.86% (n=52) had normal ESR, and 10.14% (n=6) had high ESR (p=0.035, Table 3).
The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a complementary exam that initially was developed to help diagnose pregnancy; currently it is more commonly used in Rheumatology, and it has become important for the diagnosis and accompaniment of diseases such as rheumatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatic disease [8,10]. The ESR exam is a low-cost and sensitive, though unspecific test for documenting inflammatory, infectious and neoplasic processes . The speed at which erythrocyte sediment in the tube, affecting ESR values, depends on the volume and the morphology of the red blood cells and of the plasmatic proteins, which can be classified according to the following scale of values: fibrinogen (10), beta-globulin (5), alpha and gamma-globulins (2) and albumin (1). Consequently, pathologies that include reductions in plasmatic proteins, rigidity and cell morphology alterations, such as sickle cell anemia, hereditary spherocytosis and hypofibrinogen syndrome, and reduced erythrocyte sedimentation; consequently, ESR values generally are within normal limits [8,10,11]. On the other hand, diseases or physical alterations that present with hemodilution and increased asymmetric, high molecular weight plasma proteins, such as alcoholism, multiple myelomas and lymphomas, generally result in above-normal ESR values. This is because these plasmatic proteins bind to the cell membrane, reducing the repulsion potential between the erythrocytes (denominated zeta potential) facilitating the piling up and adherence of erythrocytes, named erythrocytes in rouleaux [8,10].
In cases of dengue, the principal characteristic of the disease is the state of hemoconcentrarion of the patient. After being bitten by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, the dengue virus is inoculated into the individual, initially infecting the histiocytes of the skin; then, they begin to multiply in local lymph nodes, in the smooth and striated muscle and in the fibroblasts. After this initial multiplication, a viremia develops within the plasma or within monocytes/macrophages. In the case of classic dengue, antibodies link to the E protein epitopes of the viral envelope by complement fixation or by blocking the receptors with viral neutralization. In cases of hemorrhagic dengue, the massive penetration of virus into the mononuclear phagocytic system provokes liberation of chemical mediators that stimulate basophils to secrete large quantities of histamine, activating the complement system and coagulation mechanisms. This increased liberation of histamine and activation of the complement system and of the coagulation mechanisms are responsible for diffuse endothelitis, which leads to increased vascular permeability, followed by plasma leakage to the third space, characterizing hemoconcentration in the patient. [4,6,13-15].
In a study of 180 patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever, it was observed that 77% had normal ESR (up to 20 mm/h) and 15% had slightly accelerated ESR (from 21 to 30 mm/h). Another 8% had a ESR of from 31 to 49 mm/h. The authors attributed this to the hemoconcentration and hypoalbuminemia found in dengue patients, as a consequence of the leaking out of plasma . The blood of a healthy individual consists of approximately 60% plasma and 40% blood cells (erythrocytes, leucocytes and platelets), varying physiologically with sex and age . Given this information, since plasma leakage leads to hemoconcentration, the blood of dengue patients has a proportional loss of plasma and blood cells, that is, while on one hand the relative percentage of blood cells increases, on the other hand the proportion comprised of plasma decreases. Consequently, when dosing ESR by the Westergren method, the reading of the column of plasma will be reduced; since this corresponds to the ESR value, the latter will be within normal limits [9,10,17]. Additionally, when there is hemorrhaging, the ESR values are also normal because of the hypophibrinogenemia in these patients. Mean ESR levels in cases of shock were found to be 7.63mm/h, while in the other cases it was 13.87mm/h, showing that ESR is lower in more serious cases . In this same study, the ESR values of 70 dengue patients were compared with those of patients affected by other viral and bacterial infections. The mean ESR in dengue patients was 10.71mm/h; in the group of patients with other viral infections it was 20.46mm/h, and in patients with bacterial infections, it was 34.81mm/h. Based on these results, we can see that ESR is an exam that should be interpreted within context, and never as isolated information; it can helpful in the initial diagnosis of dengue, principally in the fever phase, helping in differential diagnosis compared to bacterial diseases .
In another study made by our group in Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ, differential diagnosis of dengue from anicteric leptospirosis was found to important, due to similar clinical manifestations. In the cases of anicteric leptospirosis, 88.89% of the patients had ESR values above 40 mm/h . Comparing this information with what we found in our study, we can see that ESR behaves differently in these two pathologies, making it a useful tool for differentiation.
During our study, we found that a small percentage of patients had ESR values above the reference values; generally this was because these patients had diseases associated with dengue, most commonly, urinary infections and anemia. ESR was elevated in urinary infections due to the greater production of proteins by the liver in the acute phase and the consequent increased aggregation of erythrocytes, accelerating their sedimentation. It is a valid conclusion that the ESR value is proportional to the intensity of the inflammatory response. In the case of anemia, the sedimentation of erythrocytes is facilitated by a reduction in the number of erythrocytes relative to the volume of plasma [8,10,11].
Among 1,398 cases that we studied, we observed that the ESR values in dengue patients, independent of the clinical form, were within normal limits for a great majority of the patients, especially in male patients (83.92%), when compared to female patients (79.17%). Based on analysis of ESR according to clinical condition, we observed that in 85.81% of patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever, the ESR values were within normal limits, while among the patients with classic dengue, the ESR values were normal in 77.28%. Similar to what has been found in other studies, we attribute these findings to the degree of hemoconcentration, low levels of albumin and fibrogen and the finding of disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever, the main factors responsible for the decrease in ESR, especially in the more serious cases [8,9]. Another point that should be emphasized is the fact that hemoconcentration is translated in the laboratory as elevated hematocrit values. Martins et al. observed that the erythrocyte sedimentation process needs a longer time to occur when hematocrit levels are high (hemoconcentrated) and faster (greater sedimentation rate) when the hematocrits were small (hemodiluted) .
Analyzing the ESR values by clinical manifestation in males and females, we observed that ESR levels were normal in most patients of both sexes. The percentage of male patients with normal ESR values was greater than for female patients. We believe this to be a consequence of more common bacterial urinary infections and anemia in female patients; these are pathologies that increase ESR. Also, women normally have greater rates of hemosedimenation [8,10].
Based on our results, we conclude that ESR is within normal limits in most cases of dengue, independent of its clinical manifestation; this is mainly due to the hemoconcentration found in dengue patients, along with hypoalbuminemy and hypofibrinogenemia. This contrasts with the ESR profile in patients with bacterial diseases and should be incorporated into diagnostic exclusion criteria for dengue.
We thank Dr. Regina Célia Campos Fernandes for her collaboration and incentive of this research.
1. Souza L.J., Fortes H.J., Dengue. In: Lopes A.C., Cipullo J.P., Kubiak C.A.P. Programa de Atualização em Clínica Médica Ciclo 2 Módulo 4. Editora Artmed, 2004. [ Links ]
2. Tauil P.L. Aspectos críticos do dengue no Brasil. Cadernos de Saúde Pública 2002;18(3):867-71. [ Links ]
3. Souza L.J., Nogueira R.M.B., Bastos D.A., et al. Aminotransferase changes and acute hepatitis in patients with Dengue fever: Analysis of 1,585 cases. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 2004;8(2):156-63. [ Links ]
4. Souza L.J. Dengue: Diagnóstico, Tratamento e Prevenção. Campos dos Goytacazes,RJ. Editora: Rubio, 2007. [ Links ]
5. Souza L.J., Gomes C.R.P., Bastos D.A., et al. Aspectos Clínicos da Dengue. In: Lopes AC.Tópicos em Clínica Médica. Rio de Janeiro. Editora MEDSI, 2003. [ Links ]
6. Guzmán MG, Kouri G. Dengue: an update. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2002;2:33-42 [ Links ]
7. Martins A.L.O., et al. Hemorrhagic encephalopathy in Dengue shock syndrome: a case report. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases 2005;9(3):257-61. [ Links ]
8. Collare G.B., Vidigal P.G. Recomendações para o uso da velocidade de hemossedimentação. Rev Med Minas Gerais 2004;14(1):52-7. [ Links ]
9. Kalayanarooj S., Nimmannitya S. A study of erythrocyte sedimentation rate in dengue hemorrhagic fever. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Pub Health 1989;20(3). [ Links ]
10. Santos V.M., Cunha S.F., Cunha D.F. Velocidade de sedimentação das hemácias: utilidade e limitações. Rev Assoc Méd Bras 2000;46(3). [ Links ]
11. Sox H.C., Liang M.H. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate: guidelines for rational use. Ann Int Med 1986;104:515-23. [ Links ]
12. Souza L.J., Gonçalves P.A., Gomes M.A.E., et al. Leptospirose anictérica em Campos dos Goytacazes/RJ: análise de 18 casos. Revista Científica.Órgão Oficial da Faculdade de Medicina de Campos 2007;2(1):2-7. [ Links ]
13. World Health Organization. Dengue hemorrhagic fever: diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. 2nd edition. WHO 1997:1-83. [ Links ]
14. Fonseca B.A.L., Figueiredo L.T.M. Dengue In: Focaccia, R.; Veronesi, R. eds. Tratado de Infectologia. São Paulo: Ateneu, 2005, cap.13, p.343-56. [ Links ]
15. Veronesi R. Doenças Infecciosas e parasitárias. 8 ed. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan, 1991, p.1082. [ Links ]
16. Guyton A.C., Hall J.E. Tratado de Fisiologia Médica. 9 ed. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan, 1997, cap.25, p.277. [ Links ]
17. Martins G.S., Cardoso A.V., Marcondes G.A. Agregação e sedimentação eritrocitária utilizando VHS (velocidade de hemossedimentação) e espectrofotometria UV-Vis. Matéria 2007;12(1). [ Links ]
Address for correspondence:
Dr. Luiz José de Souza
Sociedade Brasileira de Clínica Médica/RJ
Avenida Alberto Torres, 217, Centro
Zip code: 28035-580. Campos dos Goytacazes- Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
Telephone and Fax: 55 (22) 2723-9243
Received on 5 May 2008; revised 10 October 2008. | <urn:uuid:8cc5ac28-e3ec-411e-9faa-b62d22eef54a> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-86702008000600005&lng=en&nrm=iso | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719416.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00364-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908773 | 5,374 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Plant Gains Power With Asset ManagementDownload Now
Gainsville Regional Utility Leverages Limited Maintenance Resources By Adding an Asset Management System as Part of a Repowering Project.
To meet growing power demans in the area, the John R. Kelly Generating Station in Gainsville, Fla., repowered an existing 48 MW steam unit by constructing a combined cycle facility. It uses a General Electric gas turbine and an ATS heat recovery steam generator to drive the existing steam turbine.
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 4/2/2014 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Have you ever visited the Scandinavian Cultural Centre at 746 Erin St.?
The Norwegian Club offers an excellent lunch for $7 every Friday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Included is a bowl of soup, three or four different types of open-face sandwiches, dessert and coffee or tea. Sunday brunches run between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. every week.
A TGIF dinner and speaker series continues on the fourth Friday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in 2014.
The Scandinavian Cultural Centre has been around for quite some time. Its current location was established in 1982 and it is the home to all five Nordic countries: the Danish Canadian Club, Finnish Canadian Club, Icelandic Frón, Norwegian Canadian Club, and the Swedish Cultural Association.
Each country has its own room in which it displays articles unique to that country.
According to the club’s website, scandinaviancentre.ca, "a number of associated groups, including the Scandinavian Stamp Collectors; the Scandinavian Folk Group, which organizes our annual Folklorama Pavilion; the Scandinavian Choir, the Scandia Fun Folk Dancers and the Scandia Young Folk Dancers" also make their homes at the centre.
Throughout the year many activities are held at the centre, including lunches and brunches, language classes, heritage days, and Christmas celebrations for children and adults alike. It is a very popular place to hold birthday parties and socials as the centre rents out its premises.
For the last three years, the centre has offered a two-hour school program called "Everyone wants to be a Viking", geared "for Grade 3 and 5 students studying Vikings as part of the Manitoba Social Studies curriculum."
The program focuses on the daily life, traditions, customs and cultural aspects of the Vikings in North America and Northern Europe.
Children have to opportunity to see how Vikings lived through looking at replicas of Viking furniture and utensils. They also get to sample some traditional food and learn about the herbs that Vikings used for healing.
They also learning to "write in the Runic alphabet on their own Rune stone and make a unique necklace to take home." The program is quite popular and the children enjoy learning about the Viking age.
Arny Hjaltadottir is a community correspondent for the West End. | <urn:uuid:7427e068-7b82-4b74-bb90-25fd29e6fa30> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/correspondent/Scandinavian-Centre-is-Winnipegs-home-of-Nordic-culture-243491741.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281069.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00265-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954201 | 524 | 1.507813 | 2 |
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The latest Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey on religion finds that a majority of organizational leaders foster a secular work environment even when employees practice a variety of religions.
The October 2008 report, Religion and Corporate Culture: Accommodating Religious Diversity in the Workplace, notes that nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 percent) said they have “some” religious/spiritual diversity among employees in their organizations. One in four said they have “a great deal” of religious/spiritual diversity.
Yet nearly all respondents (98 percent) said groups of religiously diverse employees work together cooperatively.
“When it comes to religious inclusivity, it is in the best interest of all companies— whether secular or slightly more religious—to be aware of their employees’ religious diversity and to be sensitive to the needs of both believers and nonbelievers,” noted Georgette Bennett, Ph.D., president and founder of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding and a member of SHRM’s Workplace Diversity Special Expertise Panel, in the report.
One way that organizations convey their sensitivity to employee beliefs is by adapting the work environment to enable employees to practice their beliefs during the workday.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to “reasonably accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs, observances and practices when requested, unless accommodation would impose an undue hardship on business operations.”
The survey suggests that employers are working to fulfill this obligation in a variety of ways.
HR professionals said the most prevalent types of religious accommodations granted in the prior 12 months included consideration of different religious beliefs of employees when planning holiday-related events (55 percent), allowing religious decorations in an individual’s workspace (44 percent), providing flexible scheduling to accommodate employees’ religious practices at work (43 percent) and taking religious holidays into account when planning work-related events (40 percent).
Respondents also said they offer foods that meet various religion-based dietary needs in their cafeteria or meetings (27 percent), make dress code modifications (17 percent), designate space for religious practices (15 percent) and allow on-site religion-based affinity groups (9 percent).
Most respondents (56 percent) offer either paid leave (28 percent) or unpaid leave (28 percent) for holidays not regularly covered by the organization. But 44 percent reportedly offer no leave for other holidays.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (91 percent) reported that the number of religious accommodation requests remained the same over the past 12 months.
“This is an important finding,” Bennett noted. “One of the reasons that many employers are reluctant to address the issue of religious accommodation is their fear that by granting a few requests they will open the floodgates to an overwhelming flow of demands. Clearly, this is not the case.”
SHRM research findings suggest that the increased availability of flexible scheduling options such as compressed workweeks and telecommuting might make it possible for some employees to practice their religious beliefs without the need to request a specific accommodation.
“Employees are annoyed when holiday-related events tend to favor one group or ignore other groups,” said Michelle Singletary, a member of SHRM’s Employee Relations Special Expertise Panel, in the report. “Employees tend to want freedom of expression (within reason) of their own work areas, and individuals generally want the freedom, even in scheduling, to express their personal beliefs.
“It’s HR’s (and supervisors’) responsibility to find a balance—enough balance to allow employees freedom of expression without offending others or creating hostile work environments,” Singletary added. “I think finding the right balance and providing accommodations where necessary increases employee morale and productivity. It also can help develop an appreciation for diversity.”
This is easier said than done. Employee beliefs and practices can vary widely, even within the same religious faith, making it difficult for employers to respond to requests for accommodation in a fair and consistent manner.
Some of the challenges employers face might be corrected easily through systemic changes.
For example, only 40 percent of organizations said they had a formal avenue for employees to request religious accommodation in the work setting, but 74 percent of companies granted their employees’ requests for religious accommodation in the past 12 months. “This suggests that while most employers are attempting to meet the religious needs of their employees, for the most part these requests are handled informally,” the report’s author notes.
The survey found that just 2 percent of respondents have a separate religious diversity policy. Forty-nine percent include religious diversity in an overall diversity policy, and an equal number have no written religious diversity policy.
Moreover, a majority (63 percent) of respondents don’t include religion and spirituality in their employee training. Of the respondents that do offer such training, 58 percent added it to their employee training in the past five years and 36 percent added it in the past 12 months.
This might explain why HR involvement in the accommodation process remains high. Forty-four percent of respondents said HR was the primary accommodation decision-maker, compared with 17 percent who said this responsibility falls to the immediate supervisor and 19 percent who said the CEO/president makes the call.
“I was surprised by the high percentage of organizations that have the HR staff grant religious accommodations, as opposed to having supervisors do so,” Singletary observed. “I would think that supervisors would be better able to grant an individual employee’s request. … It would be more efficient than having to go through HR for individual accommodation that could be easily resolved.”
Raising the Bar
The report provides four key areas in which employers should concentrate their efforts to help balance individual employee needs and the needs of the workplace:
“The mere inclusion of religion in a list of protected classes in the boilerplate diversity policy does not address the critical issue of accommodation,” Bennett said. “Of all the protected classes, religion and disability are the only ones that require accommodation. The best practice is to adopt a distinct religious diversity policy.”
Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR, is an editor/manager for SHRM Online.
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Mexico-Experts in the Capital are working to determine the causes of the fire in the Grand Lodge of Mexico located on Sadi Carnot Street in the San Rafael district.
The fire gutted the second level, and according to the first reports of the fire fighters may have been due to a short circuit, however experts will identify and confirm the real causes of the accident.
Fire fighters worked for 40 minutes, and two of them were treated for smoke inhalation.
The street was cordoned off by the Civil Protection, until removal of debris from the place where the fire occurred was completed.
A second story on Impacto reports:
A fire damaged the headquarters of the Masonic Grand Lodge of the Valley of Mexico located in the San Rafael, in this capital city, and learned that the fire was set, according to the report of the experts.
The incident occurred at dawn on the premises of the Lodge located at number 75 on the street near the corner of Sadi Carnot Antonio Caso.
The fire wiped out many books and paintings from the seventeenth century, and objects of historical value, say members of the Lodge.
At the time of writing this report no information of victims. | <urn:uuid:4e6d8e9f-2e6c-400e-9c6a-02c7fcc981da> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/2012/06/fire-guts-grand-lodge-of-mexico.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279224.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00484-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973025 | 244 | 1.867188 | 2 |
The Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and deep-sea port, if realized, would be one of the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. Since the beginning, the project has fueled massive concerns by many local communities as well as Myanmar and Thai civil society groups, who have documented the social and environmental impacts and implications of the mega-project in several reports (see “Voices from the Ground” by the Dawei Development Association (DDA) , and “Our lives not for sale” by the Tavoyan Women Union (TWU)).
The Dawei SEZ was initiated in 2008 as a jointly owned bilateral economic cooperation project between the governments of Thailand and Myanmar . The project is comprised of an industrial estate area containing a deep seaport, an oil refinery complex, a steel mill, a fertilizer and petrochemical plant, a pulp and paper processing plant, other industrial factory complexes and one or more electric power plants . The infrastructure required to establish and run the SEZ extends, however, well beyond the economic zone itself. In order to supply the necessary resources and to enable international trade, the project also includes a road to Thailand and other transport links, the construction of new oil and gas pipelines to Thailand, a large water supply dam in the hills Northeast of the SEZ, a smaller port to the South, a stone quarry for construction materials in the North, waste management facilities, and several resettlement areas for the displaced villagers .
Following the initial agreements in 2008, land was cleared in certain areas to commence infrastructure development. In 2010, a 60 year concession was granted to the project contractor Italian-Thai Development Plc. (ITD). Most works have been carried out in the name of the Dawei Development Company (DDC), which is a subsidiary of ITD (75%) and Max Myanmar (25%). The latter withdrew its investment in July 2012 and the project was consequently stalled. In November 2013, the concession rights for the project were transferred to a new company, referred to as ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ (SPV), jointly owned by the governments of Myanmar and Thailand (for a chronology of events between 2008-2013, see ). Soon after (December 2013), the project was temporarily suspended, but negotiations and the search for adequate investors continued . In 2015, the resumption of the project was announced, especially after the Japanese Government got involved by signing a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) with Thailand and Myanmar in July 2015 [5;6]. As of 2018, some preparatory and initial works have been completed, such as land clearing around the area of “Km 0” (the start of the international road to Thailand), a quarry, a small port, a visitor center, housing facilities, a resettlement area and other industrial infrastructure.
The project development has been accused of severe misconduct and adverse impacts, including a lack of transparency, a lack of meaningful consultations, violation of communities’ rights to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), severe human rights abuses such as forced evictions, lack of meaningful compensation, inflated employment estimates, corruption, environmental destruction, land grabbing, pollution and blocking of rivers and fishing areas, livelihood loss, and the harassment of people opposing the project [1;2;3;4;7;8;9]. Many villagers face a daily struggle to survive and to access food, following the grave land and livelihood loss [1;2;8]. Women are particularly affected due to their traditional gender roles and related discrimination (see report ). For instance, women have received even less information about the project and were excluded from decision making processes. Shellfish collection along the seashore – a traditional source of income for women – has been restricted due to reduced access to the coast. Sexual harassment by workers has also become a concern .
It has been estimated that if fully developed, the project would directly affect 20-36 villages with about 22,000 to 43,000 people . Villagers would lose to the project their farmlands, forests and fishing areas, as well as cultural and sacred sites, and would have to bear the environmental impacts of the project [2,7]. The loss of natural and traditionally used ecosystems would also threaten biodiversity and endemic species . Given the massive social and environmental transformation the Dawei SEZ brings for the entire region, civil society groups recognize a long-lasting impacts for people: “Dawei society – from the sea to the fields to the highlands, from Dawei town to all surrounding areas, from Dawei migrants working abroad to their friends and family in Dawei – will experience profound and long-lasting changes as a result of the SEZ. Dawei society’s land and livelihoods, shared histories and traditions, ecologies and cultures, and ability to build common futures are all under threat” [1, page 1].
Manifold mobilizations, protests and interventions against the project and its many components have been taken place. For example, in July 2011, the Karen National Union (KNU) stopped the construction of the international road connecting the SEZ to Thailand, after local communities alleged their lands were taken for the construction. In December 2011, DDA held a press conference in Yangon to express concerns about the project’s impacts on locals. In January 2012, local groups organized a campaign against the proposed coal-fired power plant that would supply the SEZ with energy. During the same month, 18 civil society groups in Thailand, supported by Thai scholars and intellectuals, held a press conference to question the Thai government over the contentious project. In April 2012, Karen villagers affected by the road construction expressed strong opposition and walked out of a meeting with the Environmental Research Institute of Chulalongkorn University (ERIC), who came to collect data for an environmental assessment report (EA), because they doubted the team’s neutrality. In August, September and November 2012, villagers from Kalonehtar protested against the water reservoir and dam, which would submerge 182 households. In January 2013, cyclist activists began a 10-day bicycle ride from Yangon to the SEZ site to raise public awareness over the environmental concerns. Many other protests were held against the Dawei SEZ. (For an overview of events see ).
Civil society organizations conducted furthermore in-depth research on the impacts and implications of the mega-project based on large research teams of up to 64 members, using both quantitative (random household surveys) and qualitative methods (focus groups, interviews) . Different groups published several reports, such as “Voices from the Ground (Dawei Development Association, 2014, see ), “Land grabbing in Dawei (Paung Ku and TNI, 2012, see ), or “Our lives not for sale” (Tavoyan Women Union, 2014, see ). The groups documented the project’s adverse impacts and reminded of the legal obligations according to international, national and regional standards to protect and respect the rights of affected communities. Related appeals were raised to the Myanmar and Thai National Human Rights Commissions, as well as to the involved private corporations. Recommendations for the involved governments, companies and Human Rights Commissions were put forward (see [2;3;7]).
In October 2014, DDA activists met with Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRCT) to submit the research findings on the Dawei SEZ . Some Thai officials reportedly deflected the blame onto the Burmese government . The Thai NHRCT issued a report in 2015, acknowledging some rights violations while continuing to investigate the case [11;12]. Despite of the concerns and mobilizations, the resumption of the project was announced in 2015 [5;6].
Civil society groups questioned also the legality of the Social and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and argued that land acquisition and resettlement arrangements were inconsistent with national law and international standards [4;8]. While EIAs have been conducted under the initial phase for the 10 projects that are part of the SEZ, no site-wide EIA has been conducted as required by national law .
On February 20, 2018, a coalition of 36 civil society organizations signed a statement expressing their profound concerns over the resumption of the project . In the statement they expressed five demands to be addressed: First, the project cannot resume until all former problems have been completely resolved; second, the conduction of a site-wide EIA as required under Myanmar law; third, provision of accurate information about all aspects of project implementation to all people; fourth, to assure meaningful community participation that allows people to give or withhold their consent to the project overall, and lastly, the development of alternative development strategies that are not based on top-down planning of dirty industries that only benefit a few economic, political and military elites. Strategies should be based on sustainable small-scale agriculture, fisheries, customary forestry and community-based tourism . “These practices provide livelihoods and maintain the environment for the vast majority of people in Dawei. They support social solidarity, and forms of life that question the assumption that modern industry and market capitalism are the natural end points for all societies” [1, page 2], argues the CSO coalition.
Following the coup on February 1, 2021, the Thai government has suspended further funding for the connecting road until the Myanmar government stabilizes. Italian-Thai Development Plc. (ITD) has also been dropped from the project . However, this does not mean that the project itself has been suspended, as construction firms from Myanmar have been picking up development during the coup, causing rampant deforestation. The coup eliminated what little legal protection there was for the surrounding natural areas, letting new construction devastate local wildlife populations, including endangered tigers and birds. The coup and military crackdowns have brought policy-level negotiations for local and/or indigenous land rights to an abrupt halt as nearby residents focus on their basic survival . | <urn:uuid:63f3a4f8-c3d1-49c2-a1ee-619354d4107d> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ejatlas.org/conflict/dawei-sez-tanintharyi-region-myanmar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570921.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809094531-20220809124531-00268.warc.gz | en | 0.958594 | 2,077 | 2.328125 | 2 |
The introduction of this paper includes three elements:
A brief statement regarding the ongoing debate about whether video games are harmful or helpful to children and adolescents. This can be one or two sentences to give the reader some background on this issue.
A clear thesis statement telling the reader your position in this debate (videos are harmful or videos are helpful). Because there is research support for both sides of this video game debate, your thesis statement must be concise, very clear, specific, and persuasive. Guidance for creating a clear thesis statement is found in this article by Baggett (2017)..
A very brief introduction (overview) of the basic arguments that support your thesis statement. Be sure to include at least one in-text citation to a journal article that supports your thesis statement. Including citations raises the professional credibility of your statements above the level of personal opinion. End your introduction by leading the reader into the next section of your paper, your arguments.
In this section present your arguments in greater detail to support your thesis statement. Each paragraph should be a brief statement about what the research shows to support your thesis statement. Apply relevant psychological principles (e.g., violence, prosocial behavior, empathy, bonding, competition, aggression) in your arguments. It is essential that you include in-text citations to the journal articles that support your arguments. Depending on your wording, this section may contain one to three paragraphs.
In this section present counterarguments to your thesis statement. Counterarguments show the reader you are aware of the opposing viewpoints and that you can cite sources, using in-text citations, with brief descriptions of the counterarguments while applying relevant psychological principles (violence, prosocial behavior, empathy, etc.) of those counterarguments. Depending on your wording, this section may contain one to three paragraphs.
In this section you state your conclusion. Your conclusion should support your thesis statement and provide a very brief summary of the arguments and counterarguments presented in your paper. The conclusion is similar to “closing arguments” in a court trial where the attorneys present their perspective of the results of the trial and why the jury should vote to support their position or client. You are providing a conclusion based on the evidence you have presented in your arguments and counterarguments.
The reference page is provided on a separate page of your paper. A reference in APA style for each cited source of information must be included in the reference page. You may also copy and paste references found in the course room if you cite those sources because they are presented in APA style. References are listed alphabetically by the first author’s last name. | <urn:uuid:631ec321-ca16-400e-812c-161a506b4700> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://topstarsprofessors.com/argumentative/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573876.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820012448-20220820042448-00067.warc.gz | en | 0.889858 | 553 | 3.171875 | 3 |
More vendors are turning to the Internet to expand the reach of programs. Cutting-edge technology helps patients help themselves.
As with any dynamic business, disease management is changing as it grows, relying more and more on the Internet as a tool to help lower the costs of caring for the chronically ill. While year 2000 saw about $360 million spent on DM, health plans in 2001 will probably pony up about $510 million, according to the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA), the field's three-year-old trade association.
DM companies are learning more about spinning their healthy ways online, where the same doses of extra care can be delivered at a fraction of the cost. Often, Web technology can reinforce some of the functions of case managers. However, warns Al Lewis, executive director of the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium, a good tool should not be mistaken for a system.
"Online access is a great supplement, but a poor replacement for DM," says Lewis. "You still need health care professionals to back up the technology."
Still, the Internet, e-mail, and in-home gizmos that tap ordinary telephone lines add a new element to the delivery of health care. Despite the recent dot-com meltdowns, people and physicians are still signing on to the Internet in record numbers.
Says David Nash, M.D., associate dean of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and editor of the book Connecting With the New Health Care Consumer: "The appeal of online DM is the mass customization of clinical information. About 200 DM companies currently ply their trade. And, tellingly, most can connect with their patients online."
DM gained a bad-boy reputation in the late '80s when the field consisted only of sending pricey newsletters and other patient information mailings to certain health plan members every quarter.
"That did not work," says Wells Shoemaker, M.D., chief medical director of Physicians Medical Group (PMG) in Santa Cruz, Calif. "For DM to be effective, somebody must actively check on and contact patients when their vitals start going south."
Leading the list of health woes better controlled by online efforts is congestive heart failure.
"Controlling CHF symptoms provides an almost immediate payback for managed care companies," says Shoemaker.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, congestive heart failure is the leading cause of hospital admissions for people over 65. Yearly, $30 billion is spent treating the disorder.
Studies show how the Internet can help. For one year, PMG studied 69 elderly people (average age: 79) with moderate to severe CHF. One group was wired and entered their vitals daily on a Web site operated by LifeMasters Supported SelfCare of Newport Beach, Calif.
Another group used a touch-tone phone to enter their vitals or speak with a nurse. A third (control) group received traditional care. When researchers crunched the numbers, the phone group had nearly twice the rate of hospitalization and 73 percent more inpatient days than the Web group. Claims for each patient in the control group increased by $3,600 over the previous year.
Reduced ER visits
Another small study, this one at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Boston, gave 29 moderate-to-severe CHF patients a special scale, blood pressure cuff, and heart rhythm monitor developed by Agilent Interactive Healthcare Services for CHF to measure and transmit their vitals each day to a distant nursing station where software flags weight and blood pressure increases.
If there was a sudden change, the patient received a phone call if he or she was supposed to increase or decrease diuretics. An 18-month study revealed that the wired subjects reduced their emergency room visits by 88 percent while slashing their hospital admissions 92 percent.
John Hoggle, CEO of Heart Alert near Atlanta, gave pilot groups a scale and blood pressure cuff that plugs into an ordinary phone line jack to test 25 patients. A 95-percent reduction in hospitalization rates, compared to a control group, was what Hoggle found.
"A part of what is driving online DM is the evolution of the electronic medical record," says Jim Coffman of Cybernet, the Ann Arbor, Mich., company that produces the $250 smart box used in the Heart Alert tests.
"Computerization in health care is far behind, compared to the banking or manufacturing industries," says Dick Hodach, M.D., medical director of Accordant in Greensboro, N.C. "All the data in scattered medical records will one day become combined into one electronic record for everybody."
Accordant has contracts with about a dozen managed care companies to control about 15 chronic diseases online.
"We've found the Internet is an excellent way to save physician and nurse time in explaining how to treat various conditions," says Hodach. "Altogether, online DM programs have resulted in a consistent 40 percent reduction in hospitalization rates."
According to the DMAA's Lewis, good DM Web sites should first take a health assessment and be as interactive as possible. That means sending e-mail reminders about taking meds and recording vitals. A nurse or other health professional should be easily reachable on the phone and, for people who don't or won't use computers, patients should also be able to report their vitals via a touch-tone phone.
One stumbling block is physician acceptance. For instance, Accordant surveyed its physicians and found that only 68 percent have access to the Internet. On the other hand, PMG researchers in California found that 90 percent of its CHF test group had never used a computer but started eagerly.
In asthma management, a reduction in ER use is a quality-of-life, as well as a cost-control, question. For diabetics, DM companies closely eye the patient's blood sugar and cholesterol levels. They apply various strategies and supply some home-based monitoring devices.
Health plan members benefit because they feel better, enjoy life more, take fewer sick days, and see fewer copayment bills. Most health plans don't do disease management themselves because it is "enormously complicated," says Lewis. "Moreover, your customers' lives are threatened if it's done wrong."
Some companies have picked up the pace of online medicine by installing special gizmos and gadgets in patients' homes that plug into ordinary telephone jacks, sometimes hook up to personal computers, and automatically send health measurements to the DM vendors.
Then, physicians, nurses, and others with one or even two passwords can log on to look for warnings. Many providers, with HIPAA privacy requirements in mind, use the same encrypted technology used in wire transfers between banks.
First Health of Downers Grove, Ill., offers electronic office visits to members enrolled in DM programs, says the company's national medical director, Scott Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
Patients and physicians must already know one another, and the patient must initiate the e-mail. The physician is reimbursed $25. A typical exchange might involve a diabetic asking his physician how to better treat a foot ulcer.
With two other institutions, East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., studied 10 women who suffered from pregnancy-induced hypertension. Physicians' worst fear then becomes premature delivery that saddles the baby with continuing, expensive ailments. Often, patients with this disorder are admitted to the hospital from the time of diagnosis until delivery — an extremely expensive proposition.
In one trial, the women were ordered to take bed rest in their own homes. A computer was placed in the home enabling a video visit with a nurse several times a week. The computer connects through a phone line. An associated device measures the expectant mothers' blood pressure and transmits prenatal measurements, including fetal heart tones.
Vital signs were recorded twice daily and transmitted to the home care agency. Study results? Researchers found they could safely avert 187 hospital days, saving about $101,000 in medical bills, according to Angela Still, R.N., a perinatal clinical nurse specialist at the University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina.
In another study, conducted by Emory University's School of Health and the Shepherd Center, 100 patients with spinal cord injuries, discharged from Shepherd, were divided at random into three groups:
- Standard discharge, which included a follow-up, out-patient clinic visit eight weeks after being released;
- Weekly calls from a rehab R.N. for eight weeks following discharge; and
- Weekly videoconference with a rehab R.N. for eight weeks following discharge. At discharge, the patient was given an Aviva computer that transmits sound and video by telephone but has no keyboard.
Of the latter group, 50 percent were back to work within one year. Usually in the U.S., only 23 percent of spinal cord injury patients are back to work within five years. Also, the video conference group showed fewer hospitalizations and ER visits in the year following discharge than the other two groups.
Another health care problem that creates huge costs can be overcome with an electronic medication dispensing system linked by phone lines to a distant but all-seeing health center.
"Statistics reveal that when people must take four or more medications daily, they tend to lose count, get confused, or forget altogether," says Ralph Kirk, CEO and president of Healthcom in Sullivan, Ill.
Thus, only 40 percent of that group follow doctors' orders and take all their medications on time. That usually leads to worsening of their conditions, missed work, more time in hospitals, and yet more expense to cure more advanced illnesses.
So Healthcom developed an at-home electronic medication dispensing system. The system not only reminds patients when it's time to take their medications and dispenses the medication for them, but it can also alert family, friends, or nurse if the patient is missing medication doses, says Kirk.
The dispenser "speaks" to the patient, in a clear, recorded voice, and flashes a light when it's time for medication.
The patient pushes a button on the dispenser and a plastic cup containing the dosage is dispensed. If this button is not pushed after 45 minutes of voice reminders, the system notifies a 24-hour, health-and-wellness center where trained people can talk with the patient through a microphone/speaker built into the system, says Kirk.
"If problems are detected that are preventing the patient from taking the meds correctly, the family or the patient's home-care provider can be notified," says Kirk.
The system sends in a report every day detailing the times that medications are taken, if any are missed, and how many are left in the dispenser.
"The system also contains a personal emergency response pendant, so that if the patient should have a fall, heart attack, or other emergency, he can push the button on his pendant," says Kirk. "This will allow him to notify the people in the 24-hour center and obtain quick assistance." The system costs approximately $89 per month per patient.
Glucose readings on the road
The next big buzz in disease management is wireless gizmos that free you from your desktop PC.
Imetrikus, in Carlsbad, Calif., has developed a system that allows readings from any glucose monitor with a cable connection to be uploaded to a computer and then to the patient's health record. Other systems work on personal digital assistants and mobile phones that connect to the Web.
Thus, one patient/pitchman for Imetrikus, a 62-year-old retiree from Auburn, Wash., was fitted with an insulin pump but nonetheless travels the land in a motor home with his wife.
He tests his blood glucose eight times daily and transmits the readings with a PDA to a Web site where his doctor reads it. The nomad-like retiree also maintains his health by bringing up that Web site where all his medical information has been conveniently converted into read-at-a-glance bar graphs and pie charts.
Maybe that's what they meant by "information superhighway." | <urn:uuid:5fd0c98e-3ee9-4077-9cee-2d72cc7c0749> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://managedcaremag.com/archives/2001/7/disease-management-uses-web-net-savings | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280761.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00091-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953431 | 2,494 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Pope Francis, in the first extensive interview of his six-month-old papacy, said that the Roman Catholic church had grown “obsessed” with preaching about abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and that he has chosen not to speak of those issues despite recriminations from some critics.
In remarkably blunt language, Francis sought to set a new tone for the church, saying it should be a “home for all” and not a “small chapel” focused on doctrine, orthodoxy and a limited agenda of moral teachings.
“It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” the pope told the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a fellow Jesuit and editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal whose content is routinely approved by the Vatican. “The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. Read full story
Here’s the full interview with the Pope, which was conducted in Italian and has been published in English by the Jesuit magazine America. The interview took place over three days and was conducted by the editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, an Italian Jesuit journal. Some of the Pope’s translated words, as reported in America:
We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.
The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. Proclamation in a missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things: this is also what fascinates and attracts more, what makes the heart burn, as it did for the disciples at Emmaus. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then flow.
“I say this also thinking about the preaching and content of our preaching. A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation. There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation. Then you have to do catechesis. Then you can draw even a moral consequence. But the proclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing. The homily is the touchstone to measure the pastor’s proximity and ability to meet his people, because those who preach must recognize the heart of their community and must be able to see where the desire for God is lively and ardent. The message of the Gospel, therefore, is not to be reduced to some aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.” Read full interview
The Pope seems determined to undo decades of Catholic church emphasis on certain hot-button issues, topics that in America, at least, have been front and center in the culture wars. From AFP on Monday:
Pope Francis on Monday called for “another way” of treating divorcees who remarry – a thorny issue since Catholics who wed a second time are currently not allowed to receive Holy Communion at mass.
Catholic faithful should “feel at home” in parishes and those who have remarried should be treated with “justice,” the pope was quoted as saying by Romasette, the local newspaper for the diocese of Rome.
In July, he said this about about gay priests: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
Update: Bernard Schlager, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, talked with KQED’s Tara Siler today about the pope’s remarks. Schlager said he was “surprised” by Francis’ comments on abortion, gay marriage, and contraception, but that his views are probably in line with the Catholic laity, if not church leaders.
“I think that he has listened deeply probably throughout his entire career in the church… and he’s getting a sense that I believe is shared by many Catholics around the world, that this narrow focus is hurting the church.
“As Francis grows into his position as Pope, he is putting his stamp on his papacy in a way that is decidedly pastoral, in a sense that he is focusing on being shepherd of the church, first and foremost, and less of an enforcer of doctrine. I’m not saying he’s not supporting traditional Catholic teaching, but as he was saying, much of [the church leadership] has become obsessed with these three issues of gay marriage, contraception, abortion.”
Schlager said this sea change at the very top of the church may play out in terms of appointments the Pope makes.
“The influence of his two predecessors is seen today in the fact that the two of them have chosen all of the bishops and cardinals except for maybe a very few. That is where the influence is most felt significantly in the church throughout the world. The question will be how long Francis remains pope and what kind of appointments he makes in terms of bishops around the world, because they of course are the local leaders of the Catholic Church. They are nearly all, because they were appointed by John Paul and Benedict, quite conservative.” | <urn:uuid:0a780df7-27c3-4160-a946-25cc0345c0ee> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/09/19/pope-francis-abortion-lgbt/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988722459.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183842-00345-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978571 | 1,269 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The Nature of Sex : The Ins and Outs of Mating in the Animal Kingdom Paperback
Thought about sex today? Of course you have! It's about the most natural thing any animal can do.
But have you ever wondered how human sex compares to that of other beasts?
It's far from merely inserting part A into slot B. The sex lives of our animal cousins are fiendishly difficult, infinitely varied and often violent.
They involve razor-sharp penises, murderous cannibals and chemical warfare in an epic battle between the sexes. Like us, animals must first find the perfect partner.
You think we have it tough? Try having to do it while being hunted down by predators, against a backdrop of unpredictable or life-threatening conditions.
Then, sperm and egg must successfully meet. Can you imagine doing this when your partner is intent on killing you or when other disgruntled singles are determined to throw you off your game?
The next task is to ensure that the resultant offspring reach sexual maturity in order to keep the cycle going.
The myriad ways in which this is accomplished is ingenious. Join Carin Bondar on a fascinating journey from puberty to old age across the entire animal kingdom - it will forever change your idle daydreams about the nature of sex.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 400 pages
- Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
- Publication Date: 08/09/2016
- Category: Popular science
- ISBN: 9781780229119 | <urn:uuid:2a0d75fd-73a7-4662-9ba3-da475edb7cf9> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Dr-Carin-Bondar/The-Nature-of-Sex--The-Ins-and-Outs-of-Mating-in-the-Animal-Kingdom/19291395 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718423.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00271-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.894632 | 307 | 1.65625 | 2 |
By Berin Szoka, Geoffrey Manne & Ryan Radia
As has become customary with just about every new product announcement by Google these days, the company’s introduction on Tuesday of its new “Search, plus Your World” (SPYW) program, which aims to incorporate a user’s Google+ content into her organic search results, has met with cries of antitrust foul play. All the usual blustering and speculation in the latest Google antitrust debate has obscured what should, however, be the two key prior questions: (1) Did Google violate the antitrust laws by not including data from Facebook, Twitter and other social networks in its new SPYW program alongside Google+ content; and (2) How might antitrust restrain Google in conditioning participation in this program in the future?
The answer to the first is a clear no. The second is more complicated—but also purely speculative at this point, especially because it’s not even clear Facebook and Twitter really want to be included or what their price and conditions for doing so would be. So in short, it’s hard to see what there is to argue about yet.
Let’s consider both questions in turn.
Should Google Have Included Other Services Prior to SPYW’s Launch?
Facebook and Twitter and other services, basically, their terms of service don’t allow us to crawl them deeply and store things. Google+ is the only [network] that provides such a persistent service,… Of course, going forward, if others were willing to change, we’d look at designing things to see how it would work.
In a follow-up story, Sullivan quotes his interview with Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt about how this would work:
“To start with, we would have a conversation with them,” Schmidt said, about settling any differences.
I replied that with the Google+ suggestions now hitting Google, there was no need to have any discussions or formal deals. Google’s regular crawling, allowed by both Twitter and Facebook, was a form of “automated conversation” giving Google material it could use.
“Anything we do with companies like that, it’s always better to have a conversion,” Schmidt said.
MG Siegler calls this “doublespeak” and seems to think Google violated the antitrust laws by not making SPYW more inclusive right out of the gate. He insists Google didn’t need permission to include public data in SPYW:
Both Twitter and Facebook have data that is available to the public. It’s data that Google crawls. It’s data that Google even has some social context for thanks to older Google Profile features, as Sullivan points out.
It’s not all the data inside the walls of Twitter and Facebook — hence the need for firehose deals. But the data Google can get is more than enough for many of the high level features of Search+ — like the “People and Places” box, for example.
It’s certainly true that if you search Google for “site:twitter.com” or “site:facebook.com,” you’ll get billions of search results from publicly-available Facebook and Twitter pages, and that Google already has some friend connection data via social accounts you might have linked to your Google profile (check out this dashboard), as Sullivan notes. But the public data isn’t available in real-time, and the private, social connection data is limited and available only for users who link their accounts. For Google to access real-time results and full social connection data would require… you guessed it… permission from Twitter (or Facebook)! As it happens, Twitter and Google had a deal for a “data firehose” so that Google could display tweets in real-time under the “personalized search” program for public social information that SPYW builds on top of. But Twitter ended the deal last May for reasons neither company has explained.
At best, therefore, Google might have included public, relatively stale social information from Twitter and Facebook in SPYW—content that is, in any case, already included in basic search results and remains available there. The real question, however, isn’t could Google have included this data in SPYW, but rather need they have? If Google’s engineers and executives decided that the incorporation of this limited data would present an inconsistent user experience or otherwise diminish its uniquely new social search experience, it’s hard to fault the company for deciding to exclude it. Moreover, as an antitrust matter, both the economics and the law of anticompetitive product design are uncertain. In general, as with issues surrounding the vertical integration claims against Google, product design that hurts rivals can (it should be self-evident) be quite beneficial for consumers. Here, it’s difficult to see how the exclusion of non-Google+ social media from SPYW could raise the costs of Google’s rivals, result in anticompetitive foreclosure, retard rivals’ incentives for innovation, or otherwise result in anticompetitive effects (as required to establish an antitrust claim).
Further, it’s easy to see why Google’s lawyers would prefer express permission from competitors before using their content in this way. After all, Google was denounced last year for “scraping” a different type of social content, user reviews, most notably by Yelp’s CEO at the contentious Senate antitrust hearing in September. Perhaps one could distinguish that situation from this one, but it’s not obvious where to draw the line between content Google has a duty to include without “making excuses” about needing permission and content Google has a duty not to include without express permission. Indeed, this seems like a case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” It seems only natural for Google to be gun-shy about “scraping” other services’ public content for use in its latest search innovation without at least first conducting, as Eric Schmidt puts it, a “conversation.”
And as we noted, integrating non-public content would require not just permission but active coordination about implementation. SPYW displays Google+ content only to users who are logged into their Google+ account. Similarly, to display content shared with a user’s friends (but not the world) on Facebook, or protected tweets, Google would need a feed of that private data and a way of logging the user into his or her account on those sites.
Now, if Twitter truly wants Google to feature tweets in Google’s personalized search results, why did Twitter end its agreement with Google last year? Google responded to Twitter’s criticism of its SPYW launch last night with a short Google+ statement:
We are a bit surprised by Twitter’s comments about Search plus Your World, because they chose not to renew their agreement with us last summer, and since then we have observed their rel=nofollow instructions [by removing Twitter content results from “personalized search” results].
Perhaps Twitter simply got a better deal: Microsoft may have paid Twitter $30 million last year for a similar deal allowing Bing users to receive Twitter results. If Twitter really is playing hardball, Google is not guilty of discriminating against Facebook and Twitter in favor of its own social platform. Rather, it’s simply unwilling to pony up the cash that Facebook and Twitter are demanding—and there’s nothing illegal about that.
Indeed, the issue may go beyond a simple pricing dispute. If you were CEO of Twitter or Facebook, would you really think it was a net-win if your users could use Google search as an interface for your site? After all, these social networking sites are in an intense war for eyeballs: the more time users spend on Google, the more ads Google can sell, to the detriment of Facebook or Twitter. Facebook probably sees itself increasingly in direct competition with Google as a tool for finding information. Its social network has vastly more users than Google+ (800 million v 62 million, but even larger lead in active users), and, in most respects, more social functionality. The one area where Facebook lags is search functionality. Would Facebook really want to let Google become the tool for searching social networks—one social search engine “to rule them all“? Or would Facebook prefer to continue developing “social search” in partnership with Bing? On Bing, it can control how its content appears—and Facebook sees Microsoft as a partner, not a rival (at least until it can build its own search functionality inside the web’s hottest property).
Adding to this dynamic, and perhaps ultimately fueling some of the fire against SPYW, is the fact that many Google+ users seem to be multi-homing, using both Facebook and Google+ (and other social networks) at the same time, and even using various aggregators and syncing tools (Start Google+, for example) to unify social media streams and share content among them. Before SPYW, this might have seemed like a boon to Facebook, staunching any potential defectors from its network onto Google+ by keeping them engaged with both, with a kind of “Facebook primacy” ensuring continued eyeball time on its site. But Facebook might see SPYW as a threat to this primacy—in effect, reversing users’ primary “home” as they effectively import their Facebook data into SPYW via their Google+ accounts (such as through Start Google+). If SPYW can effectively facilitate indirect Google searching of private Facebook content, the fears we suggest above may be realized, and more users may forego vistiing Facebook.com (and seeing its advertisers), accessing much of their Facebook content elsewhere—where Facebook cannot monetize their attention.
Amidst all the antitrust hand-wringing over SPYW and Google’s decision to “go it alone” for now, it’s worth noting that Facebook has remained silent. Even Twitter has said little more than a tweet’s worth about the issue. It’s simply not clear that Google’s rivals would even want to participate in SPYW. This could still be bad for consumers, but in that case, the source of the harm, if any, wouldn’t be Google. If this all sounds speculative, it is—and that’s precisely the point. No one really knows. So, again, what’s to argue about on Day 3 of the new social search paradigm?
The Debate to Come: Conditioning Access to SPYW
While Twitter and Facebook may well prefer that Google not index their content on SPYW—at least, not unless Google is willing to pay up—suppose the social networking firms took Google up on its offer to have a “conversation” about greater cooperation. Google hasn’t made clear on what terms it would include content from other social media platforms. So it’s at least conceivable that, when pressed to make good on its lofty-but-vague offer to include other platforms, Google might insist on unacceptable terms. In principle, there are essentially three possibilities here:
- Antitrust law requires nothing because there are pro-consumer benefits for Google to make SPYW exclusive and no clear harm to competition (as distinct from harm to competitors) for doing so, as our colleague Josh Wright argues.
- Antitrust law requires Google to grant competitors access to SPYW on commercially reasonable terms.
- Antitrust law requires Google to grant such access on terms dictated by its competitors, even if unreasonable to Google.
Door #3 is a legal non-starter. In Aspen Skiing v. Aspen Highlands (1985), the Supreme Court came the closest it has ever come to endorsing the “essential facilities” doctrine by which a competitor has a duty to offer its facilities to competitors. But in Verizon Communications v. Trinko (2004), the Court made clear that even Aspen Skiing is “at or near the outer boundary of § 2 liability.” Part of the basis for the decision in Aspen Skiing was the existence of a prior, profitable relationship between the “essential facility” in question and the competitor seeking access. Although the assumption is neither warranted nor sufficient (circumstances change, of course, and merely “profitable” is not the same thing as “best available use of a resource”), the Court in Aspen Skiing seems to have been swayed by the view that the access in question was otherwise profitable for the company that was denying it. Trinko limited the reach of the doctrine to the extraordinary circumstances of Aspen Skiing, and thus, as the Court affirmed in Pacific Bell v. LinkLine (2008), it seems there is no antitrust duty for a firm to offer access to a competitor on commercially unreasonable terms (as Geoff Manne discusses at greater length in his chapter on search bias in TechFreedom’s free ebook, The Next Digital Decade).
So Google either has no duty to deal at all, or a duty to deal only on reasonable terms. But what would a competitor have to show to establish such a duty? And how would “reasonableness” be defined?
First, this issue parallels claims made more generally about Google’s supposed “search bias.” As Josh Wright has said about those claims, “[p]roperly articulated vertical foreclosure theories proffer both that bias is (1) sufficient in magnitude to exclude Google’s rivals from achieving efficient scale, and (2) actually directed at Google’s rivals.” Supposing (for the moment) that the second point could be established, it’s hard to see how Facebook or Twitter could really show that being excluded from SPYW—while still having their available content show up as it always has in Google’s “organic” search results—would actually “render their efforts to compete for distribution uneconomical,” which, as Josh explains, antitrust law would require them to show. Google+ is a tiny service compared to Google or Facebook. And even Google itself, for all the awe and loathing it inspires, lags in the critical metric of user engagement, keeping the average user on site for only a quarter as much time as Facebook.
Moreover, by these same measures, it’s clear that Facebook and Twitter don’t need access to Google search results at all, much less its relatively trivial SPYW results, in order find, and be found by, users; it’s difficult to know from what even vaguely relevant market they could possibly be foreclosed by their absence from SPYW results. Does SPYW potentially help Google+, to Facebook’s detriment? Yes. Just as Facebook’s deal with Microsoft hurts Google. But this is called competition. The world would be a desolate place if antitrust laws effectively prohibited firms from making decisions that helped themselves at their competitors’ expense.
After all, no one seems to be suggesting that Microsoft should be forced to include Google+ results in Bing—and rightly so. Microsoft’s exclusive partnership with Facebook is an important example of how a market leader in one area (Facebook in social) can help a market laggard in another (Microsoft in search) compete more effectively with a common rival (Google). In other words, banning exclusive deals can actually make it more difficult to unseat an incumbent (like Google), especially where the technologies involved are constantly evolving, as here.
Antitrust meddling in such arrangements, particularly in high-risk, dynamic markets where large up-front investments are frequently required (and lost), risks deterring innovation and reducing the very dynamism from which consumers reap such incredible rewards. “Reasonable” is a dangerously slippery concept in such markets, and a recipe for costly errors by the courts asked to define the concept. We suspect that disputes arising out of these sorts of deals will largely boil down to skirmishes over pricing, financing and marketing—the essential dilemma of new media services whose business models are as much the object of innovation as their technologies. Turning these, by little more than innuendo, into nefarious anticompetitive schemes is extremely—and unnecessarily—risky.
The Fragmentation Claim
For some, the problem isn’t so much about antitrust but about the fragmentation of the web. John Battelle claims that tensions between search engines and social networking platforms threaten our culture, and we need a “public commons” for social data to set things right. In the abstract (and the real world is never “in the abstract”), the claim has appeal: the Web users of today might, in some sense, be better off if Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Bing could all just “get along” and share social content among themselves seamlessly so that users could find content from any major social media platform on Google (or Bing, for that matter). Instead of facing a choice among major search engines that each only offer a fragment of potentially relevant social networking content, users in this Social Commons Utopia would choose search engines based on the quality of the algorithm, or other features—not on which social networks the search engine indexes. Meanwhile, users active in multiple social networks would enjoy a one-stop shop for searching content shared by their friends.
That all sounds well and good, but it misses the forest for the trees. The question isn’t simply about consumer welfare in a static snapshot of today’s marketplace. From that myopic perspective, commoditizing search might make a lot of sense. But of course, what’s ultimately important is that search keeps evolving to become more social and more … who knows what else the future will bring? Achieving a static “utopia” might end up killing the contentious rivalry that fuels the evolution of the market in ways that dramatically outweigh any short-term gains for consumers. Incorporating a realistic appreciation for that into a court-ordered “reasonable” deal is a Sisyphean task—yet another reason why courts are (and should be) likely to err on the side of extreme caution about meddling here.
To be sure, a “public commons” for social data is an interesting idea, and it may well make sense someday. But how would such a regime, if implemented tomorrow, affect social networking firms looking to grow and innovate? Unlike Microsoft and Google, both among the world’s most profitable companies, Facebook and Twitter are still trying to figure out how to effectively monetize their massive user platforms. Inking creative deals to sell access to social data to search engines, or to other entities such as advertisers, is a logical way to generate the income that social networking companies need. This sort of arrangement may offend diehard believers in information commons, but it should seem perfectly natural to those who recognize that, to serve consumers, web companies need to innovate not just in new technologies but in strategies for monetizing those technologies.
Do we really want to live in a world where companies like Google have to wait to launch innovative new features until they’ve worked out how to to ensure that their competitors get to participate—on their competitors’ terms? This kind of “open access” requirement would be catastrophic for innovation. Even forcing companies to clearly define their terms of access on day one would essentially be equivalent to requiring them to file a rate tariff as if they were an old regulated utility—a recipe for stagnation, not innovation. Condemning Google to antitrust purgatory for failing to accept competitors’ offers to participate when those offers don’t even exist is nothing if not premature. | <urn:uuid:00e39c36-d8d4-4d9b-9073-44ed65784d2a> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://truthonthemarket.com/2012/01/12/fed-should-stay-out-of-googletwitter-social-search-spat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280266.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00495-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947547 | 4,133 | 1.640625 | 2 |
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Companies must create a risk-based framework for developing and manufacturing drugs, and acquire the scientific knowledge and technological skills to create more complex products.
The past few years have been difficult for the pharmaceutical industry. Profit warnings have abounded and products worth billions of dollars failed during late development or were withdrawn because of safety problems (1). Several drugs will lose blockbuster status over the next few years, resulting in billion-dollar profit losses (2). What is causing these problems?
For one, products are becoming more complex. Because of advances in molecular sciences and technology, pharmaceutical companies can, in theory, develop drug–device–diagnostic hybrid products, healthcare packages for patients with specific disease subtypes, and targeted treatment solutions (i.e., individualized medicine). But these products, which are complex, delicate, and difficult to manufacture, are beyond the reach of most pharmaceutical companies at the moment.
Another factor is that the US Food and Drug Administration has raised the bar on regulations. Janet Woodcock, deputy commissioner for operations at the US Food and Drug Administration, said in a 2003 Wall Street Journal article: "Production techniques were outmoded, and that just refining procedures and documentation wasn't going to change that" (3). Compliance now requires a quality-systems approach that begins with quality by design during development and ends with scientific process control in manufacturing.
In addition, reported quality performance improvements are somewhat misleading. Although the absolute number of recalls is down (from 471 in 2000 to 254 in 2005 ), the ratio of development-to-manufacturing issues has doubled during this period, thus indicating the true source of poor quality performance. Although quality improvements have been made, they have been attained by increased efforts in "testing-to-document quality." This approach is costly, superficial, unsustainable, and simply not feasible for new, complex products coming down the pike.
Joiner and Gaudard sharply summarized the difference between quality by inspection, the industry norm now, and quality by design: "Depending on inspection is like treating a symptom while the disease is killing you. The need for inspection results from excessive variability in the process . . . Ceasing dependence on variability means you must understand your processes so well that you can predict the quality of their output from upstream measurements and activities" (5).
Building on Deming's principles, FDA's vision for modern pharmaceutical manufacturing (6) can be summarized in five statements:
In other words, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing will be synonymous with quality by design, scientific manufacturing, and risk-based regulatory oversight in the future. No longer can the industry afford to be ruled by a "cause no problems" mentality focused on getting enough manufactured product through extensive quality controls to meet market demand.
If pharmaceutical companies are to meet FDA's challenge to improve the predictability of their drug development and manufacturing processes (see Figure 1), they must create a risk-based framework for identifying, developing, and manufacturing drugs, and acquire the scientific knowledge and technological skill to create and deliver increasingly complex products (6). To achieve these goals, pharmaceutical companies will face a myriad of complex questions:
Figure 1: FDAôs challenge is three-fold: to improve innovation, efficiency, and predictability in drug development and manufacturing.
Based on industry research and the authors' extensive experience with clients in the pharmaceutical industry, we believe companies should take a "value-driven compliance" approach to these questions (see Figure 2). This plan consists of five steps: risk diagnosis, business refactoring, transforming industrialization, compliance-centric business architecture, and compliance-centric IT architecture.
Figure 2: IBM value-driven compliance approach.
Risk diagnosis. The first step is risk diagnosis, which involves identifying root causes of failure, quantifying product risk, and then translating the results to dollars.
By analyzing batch records, deviation reports, out-of-specification reports, nonconformance reports, and customer complaints, the root causes of failure can be identified and indeed attributed to inherent characteristics of products, pharmaceutical technologies, and good manufacturing practices (GMPs) systems.
Using advanced statistical analysis techniques, it is then possible to assign a probability to each root cause and to derive the cumulative "beta" factor for any given source. By adding revenue projections to the equations, it is further possible to derive a probability density distribution that represents the company's revenue at risk over a particular time horizon.
Business refactoring. Next, companies should engage in business refactoring in which they prioritize, schedule, and cost-justify the best set of actions to reduce and manage the risk profile.
Once a company has calculated the beta factors and figured out its potential effect on future revenue, it must decide what to do to reduce the root causes of failure and reduce the potential revenue impact.
One method, developed by IBM's business consultants and academic researchers, uses a mixed-integer linear program to calculate a company's revenue at risk based on the computed beta factors for its products, technologies, and GMP systems, and its projected product revenue streams. The method then determines the best course of action by accounting for the capital cost of every risk mitigation option, the actual risk reduction these options are expected to achieve, and the company's goals and constraints.
The model has been tried in a pharmaceutical environment with 18 months of data on 3500 batches from 13 product families manufactured at three different sites. The root causes of all nonconformance incidents were identified, quantified, and classified in more than 90 categories. The information then was used to calculate the beta factors for all 13 product families and seven technology platforms. The output was used to simulate five future scenarios, including the sequence of actions required to reach the desired end state. One scenario was chosen for further analysis.
Business refactoring not only helps to comply with the FDA's vision for pharmaceutical manufacturing, but it also provides the business case for change, together with the sequence and timing of actions.
Transforming industrialization. Third, companies should build quality into products and processes using science, systems, and technology to reduce risk.
FDA's vision requires significant collaboration across the scientific disciplines (e.g., development, quality, and manufacturing) and functions (e.g., review of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls as well as current GMP [CGMP] investigations) incident to pharmaceutical quality. This collaboration is needed to develop an understanding of the systematic factors affecting quality and performance. The enablers of this collaboration are data, information, and knowledge management.
Product lifecycle management (PLM) is a concept for managing product data throughout a drug's lifecycle from early development to retirement. PLM is the electronic backbone that facilitates the flow of data on products and processes between development and manufacturing, which are presently far too disconnected. It provides an integrated framework for regulatory compliance, strategic sourcing, product specification and data management, manufacturing and corrective actions, and product safety and quality control. The two-way data flow (i.e., passing data back from manufacturing to development to inform the design of new products and processes) is crucial, particularly as products and processes become more complex.
Compliance-centric business architecture. Next, companies should make a cultural revolution to embed quality into everyday operations and reduce compliance costs.
According to a Compliance Program Guidance Manual for FDA staff about drug manufacturing inspections, the business architecture is a framework that:
The key to moving to a systems-based approach is the definition, ownership, and execution of a quality plan for each GMP system. This strategy helps to ensure each system has clearly defined objectives, quality and regulatory requirements, resources, training needs, performance standards, controls, and targets for continuous improvement, regardless of which department "owns" the GMP system.
Defining and instituting a set of standardized processes to manage quality and compliance across operations improves the consistency and quality of execution, standardizes training needs, and helps instill quality and compliance. Once these processes are harmonized and the information content is standardized, BPM and other technologies can play a role in ensuring process conformance, assessing process performance, and delivering process excellence.
Compliance-centric information technology architecture (CCITA). Finally, companies should provide the visionary architecture to enable value-driven compliance and show feasibility.
Finally, every pharmaceutical company must move toward CCITA. This plan provides a "topology" of systems functionality to support integrated quality, manufacturing, and compliance processes, and a service-oriented technical design that uses existing IT solutions and provides services to the quality and compliance macroprocesses.
The functional architecture identifies the system functionality required to support quality by design and scientific manufacturing. Focusing on functional components (e.g., product-data management or enterprise-risk management) instead of on specific applications helps to ensure that the architecture suits the needs of the business rather than those of the applications vendors.
The final dimension of the CCITA is the technical architecture, which facilitates business integration and supports the functional needs of the organization. It has multiple layers (e.g., infrastructure, data, application, service, integration, and interaction), each of which can be instituted and modified without affecting the others. To work, it must be designed according to the principles of open standards, common specifications, and a service-oriented architecture (i.e., a structure that functions as a collection of services that communicate with each other, either to pass data or to coordinate two or more activities).
Companies that embrace the new five-element manufacturing paradigm can cut internal failures from 16% to less than 1%, reduce the cost of goods sold from 20% to 17%, and attain process performance levels of 4.5 sigma. For the top 30 pharmaceuticals companies alone, savings of nearly $10 billion are possible. Greater production effectiveness can speed time-to-peak-sales by as much as two years, generating additional revenue of $600 million per year for a drug with peak sales of as much as $1 billion per year (2, see figure 3).
Figure 3: Process understanding can accelerate time to peak sales by as much as two years.
Companies that quantify their quality and compliance risks and then plan the strategic actions to mitigate those risks while building a foundation for quality by design and scientific manufacturing will likely be rewarded with business certainty, operational efficiencies, reduced regulatory oversight, and, most important of all, the freedom for real process and product innovation. Those companies that do not might not be around for the next revision of the GMPs.
Michael T. Ricci* is the global Value Driven Compliance lead in the life sciences and pharmaceuticals practice at IBM Global Business Services, [email protected]
Heather E. Fraser is the global lead in life sciences and pharmaceuticals at the IBM Institute for Business Value, [email protected]
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed.
1. C. Bowe, "Companies the Americas: Pulling Vioxx Cuts Merck Profits by 29%," Financial Times, Oct. 22, 2004.
2. IBM Global Business Services analysis (White Plains, NY), 2005.
3. L. Abboud and S. Hensley, "Factory Shift: New Prescription For Drug Makers: Update the Plants" Wall Street Journal (Sept. 3, 2003), A1.
4. "Drug Recall Totals for 2005," The Gold Sheet 40 (2), (Feb. 1, 2006).
5. B. Joiner and M. Gaudard, "Variation, Management and W. Edwards Deming," Qual. Progr. (Dec.) 29–37 (1990).
6. US Food and Drug Administration, Innovation and Continuous Improvement in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Pharmaceutical CGMPs for the 21st Century (FDA, Rockville, MD, Sept. 2004) http://www.fda.gov/cder/gmp/gmp2004/manufSciWP.pdf, accessed July 21, 2006.
7. L. Bush, "From CGMPs to the Critical Path: FDA Focuses on Innovation, Quality and Continuous Improvement: Inside and Out," Pharm. Technol.28 (7), 34–44 (2004).
8. FDA, Compliance Program Guidance Manual: Drug Manufacturing Inspections (7356.002), (FDA, Rockville, MD), Feb. 1, 2002, http://www.fda.gov/cder/dmpq/compliance_guide.htm, accessed July 21, 2006. | <urn:uuid:04eb6c21-fc8c-4e8e-b9cd-2a425bcd06e7> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.pharmtech.com/view/quality-inspection-quality-design-roadmap-success | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573197.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818124424-20220818154424-00667.warc.gz | en | 0.930327 | 2,595 | 2.703125 | 3 |
If They Can Make it Here
During his first week as the director of the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), Glenn Adamson proposed an idea for an exhibition that would celebrate not only New York’s newest crop of designers but also the established makers that are essential to the city’s creative life force. Eight months later, at the press preview of
NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial,
Adamson spoke proudly in one of the show’s immersive environments, an otherworldly lecture room conceived by Rafael de Cardenas and realized by local artisans whose names were prominently on display along with the designer’s. “This show came together in 8 months which is lighting fast for museums,” Adamson said of the exhibition, which includes works by 100 artists, from up-and-comers like Misha Kahn and Shayne Oliver to local legends like Marilyn Minter and Yoko Ono. “I think you’ll feel the electricity.” See our highlights here.
July 2, 2014 03:27 PM
Three iterations of Paula Hayes’s
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Please don't show this again. | <urn:uuid:cff45b5d-db5c-454a-ac14-fe16860112fc> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.wmagazine.com/culture/art-and-design/2014/07/mad-biennial-nyc-makers/photos/slide/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720000.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00024-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929071 | 244 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Top US Technical Schools list for students going to took admission in various Technical Schools and Institutes in following year and also National University Ranking are being provided to all students so that they can choose best from the National Universities categories. These Schools and institutes provides a wide range of Under-graduate, Post graduate (Masters) and even Ph.D Courses and programs for various students according to students Interest and Field of study.
Top US Technical Schools:-
These US Technical Institutes & Schools are being ranked by National University and categorized under National University under particular colleges Scores in various fields.
The List of best US institutes are followed as:-
1) Princeton University:- It is an private institution which is the only 1st university who offered various facilities to students in need like.. No loan policy with lowest tuition prices of $40,170 and total enrollment of 8,000 in there institutes. This is the best institute so far for students in United States US.
2) Harvard University:- This Cambridge & Boston situated Private Institutes is the oldest IVY school of all time for higher education in whole country with tuition fee of $42,292 and enrollment of total 19,726 which is a huge number as per other university enrollments.
3) Yale University:- This university is located in New Haven having large research resources in a small college campus. Yale university converges there students into 12 residency colleges.
4) Columbia University:- This is the university are having three Undergraduate schools which are as such :-
- Columbia College
- SEAS ( School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)
- School of General Studies
These Schools and colleges of Columbia University grant students 4 years accommodation in New York with Tuition fee of $49,138 and total enrollment of 23,168.
5) University of Chicago:- Situated in Chicago, Illinous offer a premium Life at campus, This private institution hosts Scavenger Hunt of Chicago university which is four day event. This Scavenger Hunt is the largest hunt in the world by any university. Tuition fee of University of Chicago is $46,386 and total enrollments are 12,508.
So, This is the best 5 US Schools which are being ranked by National University Of United States US. Students form US now can get a great idea about categorized colleges and schools which to choose and which to leave for there under- Graduate and masters courses or even Ph.D programs in US. | <urn:uuid:befafbe2-f317-4a1d-8707-89197bf49a14> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://myyouthcareer.com/top-us-technical-schools-national-university-ranking/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280292.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00342-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956038 | 496 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Posted by Karen
It’s January, and we’ve signed Miranda’s brother Owen up for swimming and skating lessons. He’s got a lesson going every night Monday through Thursday. Until not too long ago, Miranda accepted this as natural and didn’t question why she wasn’t in any classes. She was, after all, too young for most things. Recently, however, she’s been starting to think about activities, especially since her friends are talking about them. She knows, for instance, that a few of her friends take ballet lessons and another is in gymnastics. Miranda is learning to swim, but that’s a once a month thing with her physiotherapist and she’s not in lessons at any community pool (her arm restrictions would prohibit that).
We had a funny moment a few weeks ago – Miranda’s friend was chattering on about how she was taking “Sea Turtle Advanced” level swimming lessons, and Miranda said she was taking swimming lessons too. She said, “I’m not in Sea Turtle. I’m in… Floating.” (which is what we were working on with the therapist). It was kind of a funny moment, but made me realize I should think about activities for my little miss.
So what are good activities if you’re just about 5 years old, and have Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva? I’d venture to say the answer varies from child to child. I do know one little girl with FOP who’s about 5, and she IS taking ballet lessons. I think that wouldn’t work for Miranda though – unlike the other little girl, Miranda has almost no shoulder movement and so couldn’t do most of the arm movements. Also, ballet involves lots of running on a hard wood surface, and Miranda is too prone to tripping when she runs a lot. Also, I think skating is out, for obvious reasons (all that hard, hard ice, yikes).
But… I don’t think it’s fair that Miranda should be kept out of all activities because of that stupid ole’ FOP. And so, over the holidays, I sat down with our City of Burnaby Parks and Recreation guide to see what I could find.
First I looked for music lessons. Music is a good idea (especially singing – expands the ribcage) but most types of such lessons seem to start at age 6, and M is just turning 5. I did find one program in the guide, but it seemed to involve dancing as well, and I wasn’t sure about that. I think we’ll be returning to the idea of music lessons when Miranda is a little bit older.
Pretty soon I figured out that should focus on the “preschooler activities” section of the guide (yeah, duh, I know, kind of obvious). Lots of those activities seemed to be focused on running and tumbling in gyms – not what we’re looking for. I did, however, see one thing that looks promising. It’s called “Kindercooking”, and is for kids age 3 to 5. The idea is that an instructor teaches a group of kids about healthy snacks and how to prepare simple recipes. I checked into it with the group instructor, and she was supportive of Miranda participating.
And so, Miranda is now registered to start her Kindercooking class on Fridays in February, from 12:30 PM to 2:30 pm. I think she will have a lot of fun in this class, and learn some interesting things. I’m really glad I was able to find an activity which looks suitable.
On the down side, the City can’t provide one-to-one support for Miss M during the class. However, I think it will be OK anyway. It’s only two hours per day, once per week, and the kids will be absorbed in preparing their recipes. Also, I’ll be on-site (though not in the classroom) during the class, so will be available right away if anything were to happen. Naturally, I will also be briefing the instructor thoroughly on what she needs to know about FOP.
Please wish Miranda luck as she starts this new adventure. Also, if you are an adult with FOP, or the parent of a child with FOP, please feel free to share your comments with me about lessons or activities you or your child did (especially if FOP had been diagnosed at the time). I’d love to get more ideas. Thanks. | <urn:uuid:688e27bd-624c-452e-985d-ee51418f94ff> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.friendswithfop.com/2010/01/activities-for-a-preschooler-with-fop/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719136.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00468-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973922 | 973 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Sean attended special education classes for most of his K-12 years. He always thought he was smart, but because of his “learning disabilities” (difficulties with reading), he was typecast. Sean has been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, and dyslexia. His parents sent him to special classes and seminars, but nothing really worked. By age 13, he was discouraged and had gotten in with the “wrong crowd.” His mother gently forced him into the Explorers, a program for young people working with firemen. In 10th grade, he came in contact with a GCC recruitment counselor, and joined the Jump Start program. He continued taking fire technology and math classes and was accepted into the GCC Fire Academy in 2001. The same counselor tested him for SSS, a visual imaging perceptual disorder. With some simple aids he was finally able to comprehend what he was reading. He was amazed at the difference in his ability to read and understand and he still uses these tools today.
Sean states that his GCC Fire Academy experience and certification gave him the knowledge and ability to present himself well. He feels that the Fire Academy’s professionalism sets it apart from any other local academies. Sean completed his EMT training and currently works as a paramedic for a private ambulance company. He feels that being able to have a direct impact on people’s lives everyday provides tremendous satisfaction. Sean credits much of his success to the strong foundation his parents gave him. He hopes to get a master’s degree and become an educator—another way to help people and impact lives. | <urn:uuid:1ed8533a-ca67-437f-b7fb-363092d86586> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://glendale.cc.ca.us/index.aspx?page=103 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284405.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00033-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991883 | 325 | 2.03125 | 2 |
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At a young age John Milton was convinced that he was destined for greatness He thought that he might perhaps leave something so written to aftertimes as they should not willingly let it dieText 414 For this reason he thought that his life was very important to himself and to others He often wrote directly about himself and he used his life experiences as roots for his literature In Paradise Lost and in a sonnet entitled On His Blindness Milton speaks indirectly and directly of his loss of vision Also in Paradise Lost he uses the political situation of his time as a base for the plot and he incorporates elements of his own character into the character of Satan In On Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three he speaks plainly about the course of his life In the latter part of his life Milton lost his vision This loss was very traumatic for him because he had not yet completed his mission of writing a memorable work of literature Soon after he continued his work with the help of his daughters He dictated to them a sonnet he called On His Blindness in which he asks how God expects him to do his work blind Miltons ambitious side says that his writing talent is lodged with him uselessText 417 His religious side soon realizes that he is complaining to God and he takes it back He discovers that God will not look down on him if he does not write a masterpiece He granted Milton a great talent and he expects Milton to be happy He has to learn to do his work in a dark world This poem was not the last time Milton referred to his condition in his writing In book one of Paradise Lost while
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- Camvu Pham, student @ U of M
If I'd known about @Kibin in college, I would have gotten much more sleep
- Jen Soust, alumni @ UCLA | <urn:uuid:b965c4fc-1661-439c-a9a7-239255b83661> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | https://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/a-life-and-works-of-john-milton-qiWP7Zlq | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719273.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00066-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992931 | 426 | 2.4375 | 2 |
Happy Black History Month. As I’ve written before, so much of the work we do at the IDHH is focused on how people document history. For Black History Month, we’ve been thinking of ways that the community members can engage in the conversation of Black history, and the African American experience by visiting museums in Illinois and exploring digital resources. We’ll have another post coming later this month that highlights a collection, but for the meantime here are a few notable collections relevant to Black history and culture available at the IDHH as well as some resources that we hope will help build context with our collections when thinking about the African American experience.
Galesburg, the largest city in Knox County Illinois, was the first city in the nation settled as an anti-slavery society. Founded in 1837, and a known site on the underground railroad, Galesburg hosted the fifth Lincoln-Douglas Debates (written about previously here). Even though Galesburg welcomed African Americans as early as the 1840s the struggle for equal rights played out in the city just as it did in other communities across the nation. Struggle and Progress- African Americans in Knox County, Illinois from Knox College brings together photographs, documents, manuscripts, and newspaper clippings to document the struggle for civil rights in Knox County while illustrating the culture and everyday life of African Americans in Knox County.
The Amos Kennedy Collection at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Library contains work from the printmaker, paper maker, teacher, and book artist based in York, Alabama. His books, postcards, posters, and paper-based sculpture address race freedom, equality and violence. His work often includes proverbs from people of Africa alongside images, and poetry from African American poets.
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Chicago Urban League Photos gathers over 20 years of the social service, research, and advocacy organization’s history. Founded in 1910, the Chicago Urban League’s focus has evolved from social services to speaking up for the need for employment, Black owned business, and affordable housing and equitable education. CUL’s relationship with UIC’s School of Sociology brought community studies and statistical tools to the front of the conversation in shaping public policy.
The career of Eugene B. Redmond, the Poet Laureate of East St. Louis, started in East Saint Louis at the birth of the Black Arts Movement. As it developed over the next 30 years into a critical and poetic voice responding to life in the U.S., Redmond carefully documented and collected artifacts relating to the movement. The EBR African American Cultural Life digital collection is a selection of the 10,000 photographs, posters, and pamphlets from the Eugene B. Redmond Collection at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville’s Lovejoy Library. The digital collection includes photographs of poetry readings, conversation with Black poets, events, and art.
Our contributors’ collections are gems in their own right. There are so many other collections though that interrogate and contextualize Black History, that give even more life to what we have on the IDHH. Here are a few more:
The Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories project at the Library of Congress. In twenty-three interviews, recorded between 1932 and 1975, former slaves recount their stories as slaves and then as three people. They have much to say about their experience living as African Americans well into the 20th century. Similar to Born Into Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writer’s Project, 1936-1938, a large collection of more than 2,300 first person accounts of slavery collected as part of the Federal Writers’ Project, Voices Remember Slavery is unique and notable for the songs interviewees sang.
The Museum of Science and Industry is celebrating the contributions of African Americans in science, technology, medicine and art. Focusing specifically on the past since 1970 “50 Years of Black Creativity” runs through the end of the month. Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum collects and displays the legacies of African Americans in Central Illinois.
Decatur’s The African-American Cultural and Genealogical Society of Illinois, is one of the only institutions in Illinois that specializes in African American Genealogy. A field typically challenged because of the institution of slavery and it’s violence in breaking families, which made record keeping nearly impossible. Here’s another article on African-American Genealogy from PBS. | <urn:uuid:82c441c1-7c67-4afd-b1d3-8afaa9b55649> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://finditillinois.org/idhh/index.php/author/tath-haver/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570692.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20220807181008-20220807211008-00674.warc.gz | en | 0.940244 | 931 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Jack The Ripper Identified After 20-Year Investigation
Can You Guess Jack The Ripper's True Identity?
Why Is This Important?
Because it's the world's most famous unsolved mystery
Long Story Short
An Australian teacher who's spent decades researching the famed Jack the Ripper believes the crimes were committed by a poet named Francis Thompson. His conclusion is based both on Thompson's personal history and the content of his poems.
The late 19th century was a charming time to be alive (if you were rich). The industrial revolution was booming, people dressed all fancy-like, and you could even make a living as a poet! The downside to the time period, though (aside from the rampant disease and poverty), was the fact that the same poet might kill you and rip your guts out. At least, that's the case if an Australian teacher named Richard Patterson is to be believed — he believes that the famous serial killer known only as Jack the Ripper was actually a poet named Francis Thompson.
Patterson has spent the past 20 years researching the case, exhaustively pouring over details others had either ignored or dismissed. According to Patterson, Thompson spent time as a surgical assistant, where he would have cut up hundreds of cadavers and learned the relatively rare surgical techniques found on Jack the Ripper's victims. He was also known to walk around with a knife under his coat and fraternize with prostitutes, who happened to be Jack's main targets.
Patterson also found that around the time of the 10-week killing spree in 1888, Thompson's poems took a turn for the macabre. Just before and just after the murders, Thompson was writing about murdering prostitutes with knives which is, uh, kind of suspicious, dude.
“I swear I struck not the first blow. Some violence seized my hand, and drove the poniard down. Whereat she cried ; and I, frenzied, dreading detection, dreading, above all, her wakening, I struck again, and again she cried; and yet again, and yet again she cried,” reads an excerpt from an 1889 piece titled Finis Coronat Opus.
It's all pretty convincing, but then again Patterson is just the next in line of dozens who claim to have finally solved the Jack the Ripper mystery. It's also highly circumstantial — prostitutes were mighty popular in those days, and just because a slow-loading web page makes me want to throw my computer into the ocean, that doesn't mean I actually do it. Still, Patterson's claim is probably the least tenuous one so far. The reality is, though, that unless someone uncovers a smoking gun (or dripping knife, as it were), we'll probably never know for sure.
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question: Is the mystery of Jack the Ripper more intriguing without answers?
Disrupt Your Feed: It's a shame the victims couldn't get closure sooner.
Drop This Fact: People believed to be Jack the Ripper have included everyone from immigrants to even the wife of the royal physician. | <urn:uuid:776a96c0-72e1-42a1-a6a1-ae520bd81104> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.askmen.com/news/power_money/jack-the-ripper-identified-after-20-year-investigation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284405.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00042-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973668 | 636 | 2.5 | 2 |
You have already learnt about lists in a previous tutorial. In this tutorial, we’re going to dive deeper into Python lists.
Python has a great built-in list type named
list. List literals are written within square brackets
[ ]. Lists work similarly to strings — use the
len() function and square brackets
[ ] to access data, with the first element at index 0.
colors = ['red', 'blue', 'green'] print(colors) ## red print(colors) ## green print(len(colors)) ## 3
Assignment with an
= on lists does not make a copy. Instead, assignment makes the two variables point to the one list in memory.
colors = ['red', 'blue', 'green'] b = colors ## Does NOT copy the list colors = 'yellow' print(colors) # ['red', 'yellow', 'green'] print(b) # ['red', 'yellow', 'green']
The “empty list” is just an empty pair of brackets
[ ]. The
+ works to append two lists, so
[1, 2] + [3, 4] yields
[1, 2, 3, 4] (this is just like
+ with strings).
in constructs are extremely useful, and you have already seen its use with lists. The
for construct —
for var in list — is an easy way to look at each element in a list (or other collections). Do not add or remove from the list during iteration.
squares = [1, 4, 9, 16] total = 0 for num in squares: total += num print(total) ## 30
If you know what sort of thing is in the list, use a variable name in the loop that captures that information such as
url. Since python code does not have other syntax to remind you of types, your variable names are a key way for you to keep straight what is going on.
in construct on its own is an easy way to test if an element appears in a list (or other collection) —
value in collection — tests if the value is in the collection, returning
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] if 'curly' in list: print('yay')
in constructs are very commonly used in Python code and work on data types other than list, so you should just memorize their syntax. You may have habits from other languages where you start manually iterating over a collection, where in Python you should just use
You can also use
in to work on a string. The string acts like a list of its chars, so
for ch in s: print(ch) prints all the chars in a string.
Here are some other common list methods.
list.append(elem) — adds a single element to the end of the list. Common error: does not return the new list, just modifies the original.
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.append('shemp') ## append elem at end print(list)
list.insert(index, elem) — inserts the element at the given index, shifting elements to the right.
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.insert(0, 'xxx') ## insert elem at index 0 print(list)
list.extend(list2) adds the elements in
list2 to the end of the
+= on a list is similar to using
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.extend(['yyy', 'zzz']) ## add list of elems at end print(list)
list.index(elem) — searches for the given element from the start of the list and returns its index. Throws a
ValueError if the element does not appear (use
in to check without a
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] print(list.index('curly')) ## 1
list.remove(elem) — searches for the first instance of the given element and removes it (throws
ValueError if not present)
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.remove('curly') ## search and remove that element print(list)
list.pop(index) — removes and returns the element at the given index. Returns the rightmost element if index is omitted (roughly the opposite of
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.pop(1) ## removes and returns 'curly' print(list)
list.sort() — sorts the list in place (does not return it). (The
sorted() function shown below is preferred.)
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.sort() ## sorts the list print(list)
list.reverse() — reverses the list in place (does not return it)
list = ['larry', 'curly', 'moe'] list.reverse() ## reverses the list print(list)
Notice that these are methods on a list object, while
len() is a function that takes the list (or string or whatever) as an argument.
Common error: note that the above methods do not return the modified list, they just modify the original list.
list = [1, 2, 3] print(list.append(4)) ## NO, does not work, append() returns None ## Correct pattern: list = [1, 2, 3] list.append(4) print(list) ## [1, 2, 3, 4]
List comprehensions are a more advanced feature which is nice for some cases but is not needed for the exercises and is not something you need to learn at first (i.e. you can skip this section). A list comprehension is a compact way to write an expression that expands to a whole list. Suppose we have a list
[1, 2, 3, 4], here is the list comprehension to compute a list of their squares
[1, 4, 9, 16]:
nums = [1, 2, 3, 4] squares = [ n * n for n in nums ] ## [1, 4, 9, 16] print(squares)
The syntax is
[ expr for var in list ] — the
for var in list looks like a regular
for-loop, but without the colon
expr to its left is evaluated once for each element to give the values for the new list. Here is an example with strings, where each string is changed to upper case with
strs = ['hello', 'and', 'goodbye'] shouting = [ s.upper() + '!!!' for s in strs ] print(shouting) ## ['HELLO!!!', 'AND!!!', 'GOODBYE!!!']
You can add an
if test to the right of the
for-loop to narrow the result. The
if test is evaluated for each element, including only the elements where the test is
## Select values <= 2 nums = [2, 8, 1, 6] small = [ n for n in nums if n <= 2 ] print(small) ## [2, 1] ## Select fruits containing 'a', change to upper case fruits = ['apple', 'cherry', 'banana', 'lemon'] afruits = [ s.upper() for s in fruits if 'a' in s ] print(afruits) ## ['APPLE', 'BANANA']
In this tutorial, we covered a number of advanced topics in lists:
- Review of lists
- List Methods
- List Comprehensions | <urn:uuid:12c6c4a1-ffb5-40ee-a380-41af851b3f27> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.commonlounge.com/python3-lists-advanced-41bd24749c33491599c1c50c116c9566 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571745.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812170436-20220812200436-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.760131 | 1,721 | 4.53125 | 5 |
10 BPA Free Water Bottles
BPA is an organic synthetic compound belonging to the group of diphenylmethane. It is a soluble organic solvent. This makes it display a poor performance with long-term use as a water container. The compound is basically used to make plastics, bottles and cellophane.
The use of the product was launched in the year 1957. Due to its chemical ingredients, it may cause danger to the consumer. To avoid the danger it could bring your health, it’s better to use BPA free water bottles.
- READ MORE
Best BPA Free Water Bottles
Here are the top 10 BPA free water bottles in the market.
1. Infuser Water Bottle Leak-Proof BPA-free Bottle.
The bottle is being produced by the company Great Gear to provide customers the satisfaction on healthy products around water consumption. It is 25 oz with Flip Top Sprout Infusion making drinking easy and comfortable.
2. Camelbak Eddy Insulated Water Bottle.
This product has a bite valve and straw for easy consumption of water or juice preparations. It is about 20 oz or .6L bottle.
3. NALGENE Tritan 1-Quart.
It is a slate blue colored bottle. It has narrow mouth in order for the user to easily drink water in the most convenient way.
4. Bobble brand plastic bottles.
The product allows fresh, clean water consumption every time you use the product without any worries of chemical intake such as toxins that could enter your body.
5. Ecofils BPA free Droplet.
The product is a 500 ml Water Bottle. The design of the bottle appears to have a resemblance to a drop of water. It is described to be of great strength, stiff resistance, good glass clarity with no chemical residual taste and is very durable.
6. Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel water bottles.
The product is 100% BPA free with no toxins and phthalates. It keeps the water clean and keeps any fresh water flavor for each use. It has rounded corners.
7. Pura Kiki Stainless Sippy Bottle Stainless Steel.
It has an XL Sipper Sprout. The bottle is made for infants to provide safe water container and bottle nipple with its 100% plastic free medical grade silicone components to guarantee the safety of the child, away from the consumption of chemicals and toxins.
8. Takeya 12 oz Glass water bottle.
It has a Silicone Sleeve and is BPA, lead and phthalates free with airtight twist cap feature. The see through body and wide mouth is significant for easy cleaning and convenience purposes.
9. Contigo Autosprout Addison Water Bottle.
The bottle is made by Contigo Company and it can carry 24-ounce water. It is considered as one of best BPA free water bottles.
10. Frank Water Refillable Bottles.
The product is mainly for UK area including Northern Ireland. This bottle is BPA free with screw top lids that has a one way no drip valve. You can choose between 3 color designs such as green, white and water blue.
Due to modern technologies that can create harmful effects on human, it is a must to choose chemical free products such as BPA free bottles for containing water. It is much safer to do so. You may not feel anything now, but the effects of toxins and chemical can be harmful in the long run. Refrain from its usage on daily consumption.
- READ MORE
Next Page >> | <urn:uuid:a62185e6-d6c8-456c-94b1-5d7c84da0728> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.thrombocyte.com/bpa-free-water-bottles/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560283008.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095123-00079-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930314 | 737 | 1.703125 | 2 |
By John Ross
The US attempt to expand NATO into Ukraine, both in its direct effects and in emboldening the Kiev government’s attempt to deprive the Russian speaking population of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine of their rights via the 2014 coup d’etat, is the cause of the Ukraine military conflict. But while there are extremely specific features of the Ukraine situation there are also key elements characterising the present course of US foreign policy. These pose a great threat to humanity as a whole and have direct effects on Russia-China relations. This latter aspect is the subject of this article.
The great general danger to humanity, as well as to Russia and China, is the US’s current trend to increasingly transfer issues onto the military field. This escalating course of US military actions is clear. It started with US wars against developing countries militarily weaker than the US – attack on Serbia (1999), Afghanistan invasion (2001), Iraq invasion (2003), bombing of Libya (2011). Now, with the attempt to expand NATO into Ukraine, following on from United States support for the 2014 Ukraine coup d’etat, the US has been prepared to carry out a policy which it knew in advance affected the most fundamental national interests of Russia – therefore crossing its “red lines”. Russia is a country with very strong military forces including nuclear weapons.
In parallel, the US has systematically attempted to erode the “one China” policy – the fundamental basis of US-China relations since Nixon’s 1972 Beijing visit. The US is conscious that the One China policy affects China’s most fundamental national interests and that to abandon it crosses China’s “red lines” in the same way the attempt to incorporate Ukraine into NATO crosses Russia’s.
The US is, equally, fully aware that its claim that in the issue of NATO and Ukraine it is upholding the “right” of countries to enter military alliances is the purest sophistry. In the 1962 Cuban missile crisis the US never upheld the “national right” of Cuba to host Soviet missiles – the US made clear it was prepared to go to war to prevent it. And the distance of a missile from Ukraine to Moscow is less than half the distance of a missile from Cuba to the US.
The US is therefore escalating from military attacks on developing countries – which are entirely unjust but do not bring such risks to the whole of humanity as the threat of world nuclear wars – to aggression against great powers such as Russia and China. This US trend of military escalation is thereby a general threat to humanity, making it necessary to analyse why the US is embarking on this policy?
The core of the issue is that the US has already lost overwhelming world economic predominance. Even taking the US’s single biggest competitor economy, China, the US no longer has an overwhelming lead.
At market exchange rates the US economy is still bigger than China but in realistic price levels, purchasing power parities (PPPs), China’s economy is already 18% larger than the US.
Even if it is conceded that overall the United States economy is still ahead of China, due to the US higher level of productivity and technology, the US has already clearly lost its global economic predominance. By 2021, in PPPs, the US accounted for only 16% of the world economy – 84% of the world economy is outside the US. The issue of geopolitics is discussed below, but in the economy the global era of multipolarity has already arrived.
The great present danger is that while the US has irreversibly lost global economic dominance it has not yet lost military supremacy. Certainly, in nuclear weapons the US and Russia are approximately equal but the conventional military spending of the US is far higher than any other country.
This difference between the economic and military positions of the US marks the fundamental difference between the “new cold war” being waged by the US and the “old cold war” waged by the US against the Soviet Union. In the first cold war the US and USSR’s military strength was roughly comparable. But the US economy was always much larger than the Soviet economy.
In that situation US strategy was to attempt to shift issues onto the economic terrain. Even Reagan’s military build-up of the 1980s was not actually intended to wage war against the USSR but to engage it in an arms race damaging the Soviet economy. Consequently, despite geopolitical tension, cold war never turned to hot war.
The present US situation is the opposite. The US’s economic position has weakened greatly. But its military power is still very great. Therefore, the US attempts to move issues onto the military terrain. This explains its escalating military aggression.
A chilling historical analogy can be found. In 1912 German Chief of Staff Moltke made the notorious statement “war is unavoidable and the sooner the better.” This, from Germany’s viewpoint, was a rational calculation. Russia and the US’s economies were growing more rapidly than Germany – inevitably leading to them becoming militarily stronger than Germany. Therefore, Moltke called for war as soon as possible.
This is similarly the great present danger flowing from the US. The US is attempting to use its military strength to avoid the geopolitical consequences of its relative economic decline. This therefore produces an escalating US use of war.
This directly affects Russia and China’s relations. Russia and China on good terms is a formidable economic and military obstacle to US threats of war. Therefore, the central strategic goal of US policy is to separate Russia and China – then the US will attack them individually including using military strength.
Chinese TV presenter Liu Xin put it perfectly regarding Biden’s present attempt to separate China and Russia: “Can you help me fight your friend so that I can concentrate on fighting you later?”. It is vital for Russia, China, and humanity this reality is understood.
The above article was originally posted here by the Valdai Discussion Club. | <urn:uuid:3f3e5f97-b075-4d97-b84c-c9c00924117e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.socialistaction.net/2022/03/25/us-military-escalation-is-creating-a-very-dangerous-moment-for-humanity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573908.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20220820043108-20220820073108-00271.warc.gz | en | 0.956068 | 1,236 | 2.296875 | 2 |
Mary Poppins and the chain of command
The chain of command—everybody has one. Everybody knows where they are in that chain, and it honestly clarifies and simplifies your life as a military member. As officers, you are in the upper echelons of the chain of command where your word and orders carry a certain level of authority. You know what it means to give a command and see it followed out by those beneath you. You have seen how this chain designates responsibility and is critical to maintaining order and accomplishing your mission. There is little wonder why it has been the governing structure for militaries for millennia. So what happens when you transfer that structural framework from your military environment into your family life? How does your understanding of the chain of command work itself out in your family system? And how does being an officer who follows Jesus as your Savior and Lord play into all of this?
Believe it or not, a great story to look at for insight into this topic is the classic Disney movie Mary Poppins. What you may remember as a lighthearted tale about a nanny and her two wards, is, upon closer inspection, really a story about a man, Mr. Banks, and what happens to his life and perspective on his family when his chain of command is disrupted.
The father’s favorite line defines so much about the family’s life, “Everything in its place and a place for every thing!” Mr. Banks is actually a banker, and he prides himself on running a “tight ship” as the ruler of his personal domain. While not a military family, the parallel is clear. The chain of command is regularly enforced and fearfully followed—until the old nanny quits, and Mr. Banks and his family meet the magical Mary Poppins.??In response to a strictly dictated advertisement, Mary Poppins appears, and the children are astounded by her joy, imagination, and magical adventures! She brings life and love and music into a very structured world, and Mr. Banks resists this change at every turn. Wishing for his children to exist only when it is convenient, Banks wants his nanny to know her place in the chain of command and execute his intentions!
What he doesn’t see is that Mary Poppins has connected with his children because of the love she gives them; and her attempts to include him in the adventure are attempts to encourage connection and love between Mr. Banks and his family. This special nanny understood that the chain of command has no true influence at home unless it is accompanied by love. Perhaps that’s how Mary Poppins represents what Jesus would want most in our families—not simply a structured and functioning group, but rather a connected, loving, respecting, engaging, thriving family unit. To misquote Mr. Banks, “Every person is loving and there is love for every person.”
Military families are usually fairly structured units. Sometimes, especially because of deployments, there is a felt need to have everything in its place before the military member leaves. Keeping the order seems to loom large and sometimes even becomes “the most important thing.”
We might be tempted to think of a chain of command as the ultimate guide for group structure, but what we see in scripture is the Lord encouraging a loving, purposeful order where each person’s dignity and worth is celebrated, and their contribution can be offered and appreciated. When you open up your family to the influence of love and begin to personally connect, you will be surprised by the response you get. Teens in particular are asking questions like, “What is my role in this family?” “Where do my gifts and abilities fit in?” “Does the family even need me?” It’s easy to see how your family could begin to grow and unite when you start discussing things like this!
Perhaps you have a mission statement for your family that drives your structured actions, or maybe you just feel like you’re barely hanging on and completely winging it. Wherever you find yourself on this spectrum, reaffirming your personal submission to Jesus and his love is a critical first step. Next steps may include some or all of these ideas—making God known, serving through Christ’s love, and working at unity.
When Mr. Banks’ very efficient and structured world collapsed around him, he did not lose the family’s respect as he feared, but gained their love and admiration. It was the personal connection with his family members and discovering the joy and hope that love can bring, which led to true transformation.
Three Scriptures to balance your chain of command
1. Making God known (Psalm 78:1-7)
The Lord gives us a glimpse into His purpose for establishing families. It shows how structure tempered with love is a powerful formula that creates families with legacies that last generations and faith that is nurtured and passed on from parent to child again and again. While the child’s role is to learn and obey, the parent’s responsibility is to actively love and pursue a life serving the Lord. This is how the glories of the Lord pass among your family and down through the generations.
2. Serving through Christ’s love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Those you lead need to know you love them. The key to a vibrant, nurturing chain of command is love, which was modeled by the ultimate servant leader, Jesus Christ. This involves respect and appreciation and knowing your family members—they are all very different people made in God’s image!
3. Working at unity (Mark 3:24-25)
Stresses and strains of military life on people in a family unit are bound to create tension and flares of anger every once in a while. That’s pretty normal. Destructive families attempt to undermine and create failure and ruin for each other. This kind of competition of win/lose, crush and destroy is what Jesus warns against. Make sure that in your “family fighting,” you aim for a win/win where everyone is left standing and knows they are valuable and loved even if they disagree!
About Dave and Raine
Dave is a Christian Ministries professor at Judson University, special projects assistant for MCYM, and senior author/editor for the military teen website RezLife.com with American Bible Society. Dave’s daughter, Raine, is a freelance writer, reader, nomad, new wife, art historian, animal lover, Pinterest addict, horror fan and Christ follower. | <urn:uuid:66b75e1b-2a35-4f79-be53-06ecb604b1cb> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.ocfusa.org/articles/mary-poppins-and-chain-command/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280587.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00556-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968821 | 1,370 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Learn more about when and why a patient might benefit from palliative care
GOING THROUGH a serious illness can be difficult, but palliative care is one option that many patients and caregivers find to be a godsend during such a time. While many are not familiar with the term “palliative care,” it’s the kind of care that is provided by hospice services, though palliative care is not exactly the same thing as hospice services.
Essentially, palliative care is an umbrella team for any kind of medical care administered by the palliative care team aimed at relieving the pain, discomfort, or stress of a serious illness and improving the patient’s quality of life.
There are many important aspects concerning palliative care and when it’s needed, so take our quiz to test and increase your knowledge.
1. Palliative care can be administered for which of the following serious illnesses?
A. Treatable or manageable illnesses like cancer and AIDS
B. Chronic issues like cardiac and respiratory diseases
C. Degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and kidney failure
D. Long-term diseases like ALS or MS
E. All of the Above
2. Which of the following are examples of complaints or problems that palliative care will address?
A. Physical pain
B. Breathing problems
C. Depression, insomnia, and/or fatigue
D. Issues with your bowels, bladder, and/or nausea
E. All of the Above
3. Fill-In-The-Blank: Palliative care addresses the _____________, and can focus on any physical, social, psychological, emotional, or spiritual needs the patient may have.
A. Disease or illness
B. Doctor’s treatment plan
C. Whole person
D. None of the Above
4. Which of the following are examples of palliative care that might be administered to a patient?
B. Complementary treatments like massage therapy
C. Teaching relaxation techniques
D. All of the Above
5. True or False? The main difference between palliative care and hospice services is that palliative care can be given at any time during a serious illness and in conjunction with treatments that are meant to heal or cure the patient, while hospice services are given during the last stages of an illness after curative treatments have ceased.
6. Which is NOT a benefit of palliative care?
A. An improved quality of life through relief of pain and discomfort
B. Advancements in testing and equipment
C. Improved ability to undergo medical treatments
D. A better understanding of available treatments and choices
E. Help and support for the patient’s caregivers
7. Which of the following is a common MYTH concerning palliative care? (Choose all that apply.)
A. You have to give up your doctor
B. You can’t get palliative care at home
C. Palliative care means you won’t recover from your serious illness
D. Insurance won’t cover palliative care
E. Receiving palliative care starts by having a talk with your doctor or nurse.
1. E. All of the Above. Palliative care can be administered to ease the pain, discomfort, and stress of any serious illness, at any time during the illness.
2. E. All of the Above. Palliative care can address a wide array of pains, complaints, and issues to help those with serious illnesses have a better quality of life.
3. C. Whole Person. Palliative care addresses physical complaints and more, treating the issues of the whole person.
4. D. All of the Above. Any treatment, medication or care that alleviates or improves the side effects of a serious illness or medical treatments is considered an option in palliative care.
5. True. Palliative care can be given at the beginning, middle, or end of an illness, and it can be given in conjunction with treatments meant to cure the patient.
6. B. Advancements in testing and equipment. Palliative care focuses on alleviating the pain and discomfort a patient experiences due to a serious illness, not the actual treatments or cures themselves. There are, however, important benefits for the patient and the patient’s caregivers.
7. A, B, C, and D. It is true that receiving palliative care begins by having a conversation with your doctor or nurse. You can keep your doctor, who will still oversee your treatment and will collaborate with the palliative care team; Home palliative care can be an option; Palliative care is given along with the treatments the patient and the patient’s doctors have agreed upon; Health insurance usually covers all or part of palliative care services.
article by ERIKA ALDRICH | <urn:uuid:9787f54b-998c-49e8-a527-a6110aff6e53> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://centralfloridahealthnews.com/pop-quiz-palliative-care-and-when-its-needed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571472.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811133823-20220811163823-00667.warc.gz | en | 0.933213 | 1,040 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Origin of clerical collar
Words nearby clerical collar
How to use clerical collar in a sentence
This is significant, because we now see, from his clerical collar, that he’s a priest.Roy Andersson's Quietly Gorgeous About Endlessness Explores Questions for Which There Are No Answers|Stephanie Zacharek|April 29, 2021|Time
GOP leaders refused; they saw that Duke was pulling blue-collar Democrats to the party.
His chin rested on the thick plastic collar buckled around his neck.Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A portrait of him was done once in which the collar point was made to sit in its proper place.
The only surprise was the left collar point, which was allowed to curl.
My adopted home region of Southern California has seen an almost 14% drop in high-wage blue-collar jobs since 2007.Legal but Still Poor: The Economic Consequences of Amnesty|Joel Kotkin|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The seed of discontent was again germinating under the duplicity of the Spanish lay and clerical authorities.
To give him a party name, he became an anti-clerical, strictly in a political and lawful sense.
His hat was pushed back from his forehead, the collar of his blue flannel shirt was open.The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Presently there was a clattering of hoofs behind him, and Ribsy came galloping along the road, with nothing on him but his collar.Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Joseph, with his liberal ideas, had attempted to free the people from clerical thraldom.Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison | <urn:uuid:b0b0da24-5c03-4046-ac6c-3e5415354aa0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.dictionary.com/browse/clerical-collar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570871.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808183040-20220808213040-00265.warc.gz | en | 0.968529 | 399 | 2.453125 | 2 |
Integrating rehabilitative measures within and beyond the criminal justice response will include inter alia training of prison staff in the use of adequate risk assessment tools, psychological and mental health support, and engagement with families and community leaders.
The central GCTF document for such matters is the Rome Memorandum on Good Practices for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders, which takes up the Rabat Memorandum’s suggestion that prison systems should “prevent further radicalization of prisoners, prevent terrorist activities from being directed or supported from within the prison system, and provide for the de-radicalization and reintegration of prisoners into society where possible and thereby reduce recidivism.” The document includes sections on defining goals and objectives, the prison context, the role of different actors in prison, and reintegration components.
The intention of policymakers and practitioners is to:
- Ensure that individuals radicalized to violence eventually disengage from violent extremist groups
- Abandon violence
- Successfully reintegrate into society
The Addendum to the Rome Memorandum provides additional good practices related to the specific sorts of legal frameworks states may need to allow certain types of rehabilitation and reintegration measures. The IIJ’s Prison Management Recommendations to Counter and Address Prison Radicalization can also be a helpful guide for countries to determine how to handle terrorist suspects incarcerated prior to and during a trial, as well as for persons convicted of terrorist offenses and who are sentenced to prison.
Building on the general principles outlined in the Rome Memorandum, the UN Inter Regional Crime and Justice Institute (UNICRI) and the Government of Spain held a workshop that produced Additional Guidance on the Role of Religious Scholars and other Ideological Experts in Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programmes.
This additional guidance addresses issues such as:
- Specialized training and qualifications
- Classification of inmates
- Building a relationship of trust
- Protecting and vetting scholars and material, restorative justice
- Outreach to families and communities
A Tailored Approach
The rehabilitation and reintegration process, which ideally should start at the pre-trial stage, will require a tailored approach at the individual level, once again involving a wide range of actors, depending on the case itself. Depending on the assessed risk, alternatives to imprisonment such as reporting to the authorities, monitoring (e.g., with anklets or other electronic devices), community service, and/or voluntary participation in a reintegration program, could also be considered.
Both the Recommendations on the Effective Use of Appropriate Alternative Measures for Terrorism-Related Offenses and the Neuchatel Memorandum on Juvenile Justice in a Counterterrorism Context may prove useful in helping design such approaches. Given the scale of the FTF phenomenon, it is likely that over time many of the individuals requiring rehabilitation and reintegration will be returning FTFs, including disillusioned defectors.
Practitioners and policy-makers can consult the Addendum to The Hague-Marrakech Memorandum for a More Effective Response to the FTF Phenomenon, which expands significantly upon Good Practice 19 regarding the development of comprehensive reintegration programs for returning FTFs. | <urn:uuid:c403da41-9de2-420f-9a7c-afcf44939b1e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://toolkit.thegctf.org/en/Rehabilitation-and-Reintegration | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571284.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811103305-20220811133305-00475.warc.gz | en | 0.903489 | 665 | 1.84375 | 2 |
In sociology, feminization is the shift in gender roles and sex roles in a society, group, or organization towards a focus upon the feminine. This is the opposite of a cultural focus upon masculinity.
Scholar Ann Douglas chronicled the rise of what she describes as sentimental "feminization" of American mass culture in the 19th century, in which writers of both sexes underscored popular convictions about women's weaknesses, desires, and proper place in the world.
It can also mean the incorporation of women into a group or a profession that was once dominated only by men.
Potential examples of feminization in society can include:
- The feminization of education – Majority female teachers, a female majority of students in higher education and a curriculum which is better suited to the learning process of women.
- The feminization of poverty – Less income for females than males in the labour market, and female single-headed households seem to face poverty more severely than other women. | <urn:uuid:4bb03ced-3bf6-49ee-aa1c-4efcfed476c9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Feminization_(sociology).html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570879.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808213349-20220809003349-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.95902 | 214 | 3.40625 | 3 |
The Russian people “deserve the truth” about Ukraine and should use virtual private networks (VPN) to “access independent information from anywhere in the world,” the British prime minister said in an address on Tuesday.
The recorded speech was partially delivered by Boris Johnson in Russian. He asked Russians to trust Kiev’s unverified civilian murder accusations against Moscow and to be as horrified about them as, what he described as, “the world.”
“Your president stands accused of committing war crimes,” one of the parts delivered in Russian said. “But I cannot believe he’s acting in your name.”
ALSO READ: VPN use in Russia is surging as citizens try to bypass government’s tightening internet control
Johnson was referring to images from Ukrainian cities, including Bucha; which Kiev claims to be evidence of atrocities perpetrated by Russian troops.
Moscow has denied the allegations and insists the Ukrainian government is manipulating public opinion with staged scenes of brutality; which it falsely attributed to Russian soldiers.
The British prime minister expressed no doubts that Russian troops were guilty as charged and said the alleged crimes were “a stain on the honor of Russia itself.” He called on the Russian people to share the claims, saying that “history will remember who looked the other way.”
It’s not the first time Johnson has directly addressed the Russian people since Moscow attacked Ukraine, in late February. Johnson addressed Russians in their own language saying that “I do not believe this war is in your name.” The speech was reportedly boosted on Russian social media by the Government Information Cell, a so-called British government “anti-propaganda” unit.
Russia called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting after Kiev voiced its allegtions of war crimes in Bucha. Britain, the current president of the international security body, refused to allow it on Monday and scheduled it for Tuesday instead.
During the meeting, the parties traded accusations; while neutral nations like China said a thorough investigation should be conducted before blame could be assigned.
Moscow attacked its neighbor in late February; following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements signed in 2014, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics in Donetsk and Lugansk.
The German and French brokered protocols had been designed to regularize the status of those regions within the Ukrainian state.
Russia has now demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that; will never join the US-led NATO military bloc.
Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force. | <urn:uuid:6ccb0781-2b43-4765-bbb9-35240e567b4e> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://1stnews.com/britain-tells-russians-to-use-vpn/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572215.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815235954-20220816025954-00666.warc.gz | en | 0.970426 | 556 | 1.9375 | 2 |
Highlights outlined in their press release include (NACS):
- Students estimate spending $655 (down from $667) on required course materials within the past twelve months. An average of 57% is spent at the college store either in store or online.
- Prior to the start of the term, the majority of students (47%) go to their physical campus bookstore or to their campus bookstore’s web site to find information about which required course materials they need for class.
- Approximately 67%--up from 57% of students report regularly (“often” and “always”) comparison shopping for required course materials.
- Students indicated that the most important factor when deciding if they will purchase required course materials for a class is the price of the course materials. In previous studies the two most important factors were linked to the class itself - the extent to which there are assignments, exams, or in-class work based on the course materials and whether the class falls within their major of study—these have now fallen to the second and third most important factors.
- Interestingly, given the importance of price, most students rarely or never consider the cost of course materials when deciding on a career, major, or which courses to take.
- Students rated the confidence they are getting the lowest possible price as the most important factor when considering where to purchase their required course materials.
- If students decided not to purchase their required course materials, the top three reasons selected were price (22%), didn’t want it/didn’t think they would need it (19%), and already owned the textbook/materials (17%).
- Of students who say they have purchased required course materials from an online source within the past 12 months, approximately 23% (up from 19%) say they experienced a delay in expected order delivery.
- Approximately 24% (up from 18%) of students wait until after classes begin to purchase their required course materials. Only 13% of students purchase their required course materials a month or more before classes start.
- Approximately 20% of students reported renting textbooks for the fall 2011 term.
- Seventeen percent of students own an eReader device. Of those owners, 39% purchased it for school use.
- The most common ways students are accessing digital/electronic textbooks include purchasing a pin code or access code at the college or university bookstore (57%—up from 51% in 2010) purchasing an e-text directly from a publisher (42%) and accessing electronically through a course management system or professor web site (e.g., WebCT, Blackboard) (34%--down from 42%).
- According to students, professors utilizing required course materials continues to decline—to 75% from 79% in 2010, and 81% in 2008.
- Fifty-six percent of students use a smart phone as their primary mobile phone.
Student WatchTM Student Attitudes and Perceptions:Linking Course Materials to the Connected College Student A Comprehensive Analysis on Textbooks and Course Materials, 2012 | <urn:uuid:76fe3f69-0eef-45a9-8a57-2e284d0c177e> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://personanondata.blogspot.com/2012/08/nacs-study-comprehensive-analysis-on.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284352.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00189-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939396 | 622 | 1.960938 | 2 |
Standing up for what you believe in is an essential life skill. By asserting yourself, you are actively taking charge of your life. Doing this can be scary, though, since you may be afraid of offending people or standing out from a crowd. By truly knowing yourself and your convictions, however, you will be able to find the courage to be your true self and stand up to make a difference for yourself or others. Once you’re ready to take a stand, you can do it through your actions, words, or a combination of the two.
Preparing to Take Action
1Be clear on your core values. Your core values are those that help guide your behavior and the choices you make. They can be based on cultural norms or religious teachings, and being aware of them will help you as you find the courage to stand up for things you believe in. Traits like truth, integrity, and equality often are components of a person’s core values.
- Ask yourself what accomplishments you are proud of and reflect on the core values that may have played a role in attaining them.
- Think about people you admire and the core values they exemplify.
2Be courageous. Set aside your fears of being judged or being different and take action for the good of something you believe in. This is sometimes referred to as having moral courage, meaning you are willing to act upon your ethical values to help others despite the risk to yourself (whether physical, social, or otherwise).
- Make a list of things you are afraid of happening, and think about whether they may actually occur or whether they are not likely.
- Just getting your fears out and on paper is sometimes enough to make you feel less scared.
3Understand the issue you want to take action on. Knowing precisely what you are asking for or trying to change will help you approach the situation confidently and help you maintain your composure in a challenging situation.
- If it is an issue at your school, talk with different teachers and administrators to see all sides of the issue.
- For a community issue, read articles and talk with those in your area to learn more about it.
- Think about the arguments of those who are on the other side of the issue. By being aware of these, you’ll be better able to defend your perspective.
Putting Your Convictions into Action
1Be a friend. Sometimes, a simple gesture of kindness and friendship is enough to take a stand and help someone who is being bullied, for example. By your actions, you can show them that they are not alone.
- Also, your actions may inspire others to be a friend as well.
2Speak up when you see behavior that bothers you. Suppose you are out with some male friends and one of them makes a derogatory comment about an attractive woman nearby. You can ignore it or choose to take a stand. Ask your friend, “Is that how you try to get dates?” or “How would you like if I talked to your sister like that?”
- Be calm and non-confrontational while speaking up. You can even use humor to deflect the situation if your friend gets defensive.
- By not ignoring behavior you find troubling, you can help spark conversation and possibly accelerate change.
- Remember that silence often means approval. When there is a conflict around you, if you stay silent, people will think you agree with the status quo.
3Join an advocacy group. Often, it is easier to take a stand when you’re surrounded by people who share similar opinions. If, for example, you have decided not to experiment with drugs or alcohol while in high school, you may benefit from joining a drug-free teen group.
- Advocacy groups are available for all types of issues, such as environmental groups or human rights organizations.
4Express your opinion in a public forum. Whether you speak up at a school assembly, community meeting, or town hall, your opinion will definitely be heard. Prepare yourself ahead of time with the arguments you will present, and you will be more effective at communicating your viewpoint.
- Be clear in your presentation and don’t beat around the bush. Say what you want clearly and concisely.
- Others may be unwilling to speak up on something, but they may be inspired if they see you take action first.
5Write a letter. A great and effective way to express your viewpoint is to write a letter to your local government official or member of Congress. Express your point simply but completely, and keep the focus on your primary topic. For example, you could request that they vote a particular way on an upcoming bill and let them know why you feel this way.
- Write a letter instead of sending an e-mail. Letters typically garner more attention since they’re less common these days.
6Get help if needed. Some jobs are just too large to accomplish on your own. Inform friends and family about what you're doing, and ask them to help or spread the word. You can also get help by starting a petition.
- Online petitions are an easy way to mobilize support for your cause.
Is there a easier way?wikiHow ContributorStanding up for what you believe is always hard when there is pressure to hold a different view or conform to the majority of people around you. I can be easier to stand up if you have someone willing to stand beside you.
Sources and Citations
- ↑ http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/define-your-personal-core-values-5-steps.html
- ↑ http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/Courage-and-Distress/Moral-Courage-and-Risk.html
- ↑ https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/standing-up-for-your-people.htm
- ↑ http://www.yourcourageouslife.com/how-to-stand-up-for-yourself/
- ↑ https://www.upworthy.com/this-movement-wants-guys-to-take-a-stand-when-women-face-verbal-harassment
- ↑ http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/5-reasons-you-should-speak-up-even-when-you-think-you-shouldnt.html
- ↑ http://www.webmd.com/parenting/teen-abuse-cough-medicine-9/teens-take-stand-drugs
- ↑ https://www.riskology.co/how-to-take-a-stand-and-change-the-world/
- ↑ http://www.writeexpress.com/How-to-Write-a-Letter-to-Congress.html
In other languages:
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 85,158 times. | <urn:uuid:4bd80372-be86-4ad4-95b7-846aec2efb33> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.wikihow.com/Stand-Up-for-Something-You-Believe-In | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279224.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00478-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937064 | 1,454 | 3.71875 | 4 |
Saint Nestor the Chronicler, of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves was born at Kiev in 1050. He came to St Theodosius (May 3) as a young man, and became a novice. St Nestor took monastic tonsure under the successor to St Theodosius, the igumen Stephen, and under him was ordained a hierodeacon.
Concerning his lofty spiritual life it says that, with a number of other monastic Fathers he participated in the casting out of a devil from Nikita the Hermit (January 31), who had become fascinated by the Hebrew wisdom of the Old Testament. St Nestor deeply appreciated true knowledge, along with humility and penitence. “Great is the benefit of book learning,” he said, “for books point out and teach us the way to repentance, since from the words of books we discover wisdom and temperance. This is the stream, watering the universe, from which springs wisdom. In books is a boundless depth, by them we are comforted in sorrows, and they are a bridle for moderation. If you enter diligently into the books of wisdom, then you shall discover great benefit for your soul. Therefore, the one who reads books converses with God or the saints.”
In the monastery St Nestor had the obedience of being the chronicler. In the 1080s he wrote the “Account about the Life and Martyrdom of the Blessed Passion Bearers Boris and Gleb” in connection with the transfer of the relics of the saints to Vyshgorod in the year 1072 (May 2). In the 1080s St Nestor also compiled the Life of the Monk Theodosius of the Kiev Caves. And in 1091, on the eve of the patronal Feast of the Kiev Caves Monastery, he was entrusted by Igumen John to dig up the holy relics of St Theodosius (August 14) for transfer to the church.
The chief work in the life of St Nestor was compiling in the years 1112-1113 The Russian Primary Chronicle. “Here is the account of years past, how the Russian land came to be, who was the first prince at Kiev and how the Russian land is arrayed.” The very first line written by St Nestor set forth his purpose. St Nestor used an extraordinarily wide circle of sources: prior Russian chronicles and sayings, monastery records, the Byzantine Chronicles of John Malalos and George Amartolos, various historical collections, the accounts of the boyar-Elder Ivan Vyshatich and of tradesmen and soldiers, of journeymen and of those who knew. He drew them together with a unified and strict ecclesiastical point of view. This permitted him to write his history of Russia as an inclusive part of world history, the history of the salvation of the human race.
The monk-patriot describes the history of the Russian Church in its significant moments. He speaks about the first mention of the Russian nation in historical sources in the year 866, in the time of St Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople. He tells of the creation of the Slavonic alphabet and writing by Sts Cyril and Methodius; and of the Baptism of St Olga at Constantinople. The Chronicle of St Nestor has preserved for us an account of the first Orthodox church in Kiev (under the year 945), and of the holy Varangian Martyrs (under the year 983), of the “testing of the faiths” by St Vladimir (in 986) and the Baptism of Rus (in 988).
We are indebted to the first Russian Church historian for details about the first Metropolitans of the Russian Church, about the emergence of the Kiev Caves monastery, and about its founders and ascetics. The times in which St Nestor lived were not easy for the Russian land and the Russian Church. Rus lay torn asunder by princely feuds; the Polovetsian nomads of the steppes lay waste to both city and village with plundering raids. They led many Russian people into slavery, and burned churches and monasteries. St Nestor was an eyewitness to the devastation of the Kiev Caves monastery in the year 1096. In the Chronicle a theologically thought out patriotic history is presented. The spiritual depth, historical fidelity and patriotism of the The Russian Primary Chronicle establish it in the ranks of the significant creations of world literature.
St Nestor died around the year 1114, having left to the other monastic chroniclers of the Kiev Caves the continuation of his great work. His successors in the writing of the Chronicles were: Igumen Sylvester, who added contemporary accounts to the The Russian Primary Chronicle; Igumen Moses Vydubitsky brought it up to the year 1200; and finally, Igumen Laurence, who in the year 1377 wrote the most ancient of the surviving manuscripts that preserve the Chronicle of St Nestor (this copy is known as the “Lavrentian Chronicle”). The hagiographic tradition of the Kiev Caves ascetics was continued by St Simon, Bishop of Vladimir (May 10), the compiler of the Kiev Caves Paterikon. Narrating the events connected with the lives of the holy saints of God, St Simon often quotes, among other sources, from the Chronicle of St Nestor.
St Nestor was buried in the Near Caves of St Anthony. The Church also honors his memory in the Synaxis of the holy Fathers of the Near Caves commemorated September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent when is celebrated the Synaxis of all the Fathers of the Kiev Caves. His works have been published many times, including in English as “The Russian Primary Chronicle”. | <urn:uuid:74566b73-06de-45aa-b3e3-610423cef65f> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | https://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/10/27/103067-venerable-nestor-the-chronicler-of-the-kiev-caves | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988717963.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183837-00375-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961041 | 1,199 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Published in the January/February 2013 issue of REIT magazine.
Mark Zandi is something of a media “go-to guy” for all subjects economic. Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics and co-founder of Economy.com (which is now a part of Moody’s Corp.), talked with REIT magazine about his outlook for the global economy and commercial real estate in 2013 and beyond.
REIT: Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast very hard. Will it have a lasting effect on the economy?
Mark Zandi: By the end of , the economy will be back to where it would be otherwise. The economy between New York and [Washington] was disrupted, but the rebuilding will begin pretty quickly.
Initially, there was a lot of property damage and lost economic activity. Insurers have very quickly issued checks and government aid has poured in. This was a wealthy area, so the businesses had a lot of resources and they will use them to rebuild. People lost their homes and small businesses got flooded out, but from a broad macroeconomic perspective there will be little long-term effects on the economy.
REIT: There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the run-up to the presidential election. Now that that issue is resolved, what impact will the election have on the economy?
Zandi: It doesn’t make much of a difference that President Barack Obama won over Governor Mitt Romney. The key for the next several years is how the president and Congress address central issues, i.e., the fiscal cliff, the Treasury debt ceiling and achieving fiscal sustainability. On the question of deficit reduction, President Obama will rely more on tax revenue.
Ultimately, how the president and Congress address economic issues will be the key to growth over the next several years.
REIT: Did the country have unrealistic expectations about how long it would take to get out of the Great Recession?
Zandi: Everyone has been rightly impatient; an 8 percent unemployment rate is unconscionable. It’s understandable that people want better, but we had dug ourselves into a very deep hole. We were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month at the worst of the downturn, house prices were in a free-fall, stock prices cratered, the financial system was at death’s door and the auto industry wasn’t going to make it. It was all very debilitating and it was unrealistic to think that everything would be better at this point in time.
Having said that, I will add, our economy has made a lot of progress over the past four years and we have righted a lot of wrongs. The economy’s private sector balance sheet of businesses, banks and households is in good shape. Our prospects are good if we can nail down the fiscal issues. We will get out of this a lot faster than most other countries—and certainly faster than the United States did in the Great Depression of the 1930s.
REIT: Will the pace of the recovery pick up in 2013?
Zandi: The first half of the year will be tricky, because we will be in the middle of the debate about what to do about these fiscal issues. As a result, the first quarter will be soft, and, depending on how it goes, the second quarter could be soft as well. Assuming the fiscal issues do get nailed down, by the second half of the year, the economy should gain traction.
By late 2013 and going into 2014, growth will be much stronger. Again, the first part of 2013 will be “squishy,” but assuming we solve some of these lingering fiscal problems reasonably well, we’ll be off and running by the end of the year.
"Capital flows to commercial real estate are slowly repairing, and that’s most obvious in the CMBS market, where there was nothing going on a couple of years ago but there are some signs of life now. I expect that to continue."
REIT: Housing also looks to be improving. What’s your view on that recovery?
Zandi: Housing has gone from being a headwind to now being a tailwind, and that tailwind will blow steadily harder over the next several years.
Construction for housing is very low considering the number of household formations. I do expect a significant revival in housing activity, and that will provide a nice boost to the economy through construction, housing wealth and employment. Multifamily has already begun to recover. Prospects for more construction are good, and demographics are aligned with the need for multifamily housing. Nevertheless, single-family residential has to kick into higher gear.
Although the sector is still very depressed, that will pick up quite dramatically over the next couple of years.
REIT: There seems to be more interest in commercial real estate beyond investors trying to buy distressed properties. What’s your view?
Zandi: Commercial real estate markets are coming back to life. Absorption is steadily improving with the job market. Given the low levels of construction, vacancy rates are starting to decline. The low interest-rate environment combined with improving rents means better pricing. Capital flows to commercial real estate are slowly repairing, and that’s most obvious in the CMBS market, where there was nothing going on a couple of years ago but there are some signs of life now. I expect that to continue.
Everything is pointing to how much better the commercial real estate market will be over the next several years, and that, too, is keyed to broader economic growth.
REIT: Where is Corporate America heading? Generally, companies have been conservative coming out of the Great Recession.
Zandi: It all depends on the outcome of solving our fiscal issues.
The uncertainty in regard to these fiscal issues has been the principal hang-up as to whether businesses remain reluctant to engage or aggressively expand payroll and investments. If we can put the fiscal issues behind, then we have all the makings for much better growth. Businesses will start taking more risk and making more investments, building their fields of dreams, and we will be off and running–to the benefit of commercial real estate, because that means the absorption of space. I do expect it to happen.
REIT: We hear so much about the importance of jobs. When will the unemployment numbers get better?
Zandi: I don’t think we are going to make a lot of progress in the next six to nine months, but I do think by late 2013 and certainly as we make our way into 2014 and 2015, we are going to see more jobs, and that will bring down unemployment.
The unemployment rate will be close to what we might consider full employment, around 5.5 percent to 6 percent, by spring or summer 2016. That goes to how deep a hole we dug for ourselves. Even in my optimistic worldview, it takes at least four years to get back to full employment.
REIT: Shifting overseas, should Americans worry about the problems in Europe?
Zandi: The eurozone will hang together. European policymakers are committed. They are all-in, and that’s most obvious in the moves of the Central Bank over the past year.
There is a lot of risk around the eurozone because of politics; the German electorate has decided to bail because it is paying for the budget deficits of the weaker, peripheral economies. Although there is risk, because the European policymakers are committed and anteed up a lot of euros, they’ll keep it together. It is going to be a slog for Europe in the near term, but it won’t be cataclysmic.
REIT: Despite the rhetoric during the election, a slowing economy in China can’t be helpful to the U.S. economy. Your view?
Zandi: The monetary stimulus that China has already put in place, and that which is yet to come, will turn that economy around, and we will see stronger growth by this time next year. That’s also part of my reason for optimism regarding our own economy—that the Chinese economy will kick back into gear. It is not going to be a straight line for China, and they are going to have some significant issues ahead, but that won’t come until 2014 or the year after. | <urn:uuid:8370bc6e-bc2d-4c8b-8003-57326c04467e> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://www.reit.com/news/reit-magazine/january-february-2013/mark-zandi-explains-it-all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281424.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00333-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968168 | 1,709 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Pre-schools help in laying the foundation of your child’s future education and career. Zeroing down on the right pre-school can give sleepless nights to young parents like you. While some parents choose a pre-school because of its trained faculty, others prioritize its amenities. Some parents may give importance to the pre-school’s teaching techniques, others may focus on their child’s all-round development. Since every neighborhood boasts of having more than a dozen pre-schools, selecting one can be very confusing. Go on to find out the best pre school in ghaziabad in this article.
Ghaziabad is a populous and developed city in Uttar Pradesh. Here is our pick of the top 10 play schools in Ghaziabad:
1. Maple Bear Canadian Pre-School:
Located near Raj Nagar, this is one of the best play schools in Ghaziabad. Its reputation of giving individual attention and focusing on children’s developmental activities makes it top the list.
- Website: www.maplebear.in/crossingrepublik
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 098998 90155
[ Read: Advantages Of Preschool ]
2. The First Step:
Located in Raj Nagar, this playschool also offers day care facilities. It is a great option for your little one if you are a working mom. It claims to practice the renowned ‘play way’ method of teaching toddlers.
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 919871994307
3. Kidzone International:
It is in Vaishali and boasts of a highly educated and trained faculty. It is famous for its targeted activity program that helps toddlers develop their motor and cognitive skills.
- Website: www.kidzoneinternational.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 9958016611
4. Serra International Pre-School:
The playschool is in Raj Nagar. It is a popular choice among young parents because of its unique style of teaching. It claims to have a more practical and experiential approach to education rather than the obsolete theoretical one.
- Website: www.serrapreschools.com
- Email: [email protected].
- Phone: 09211 175175
[ Read: How To Choose A Preschool ]
5. Mother’s Pride:
It is a premium brand in pre-school education and is in Indirapuram. Besides education, it initiates children in extra-curricular activities early on. It is also adept at preparing the kids for nursery and school admissions.
- Website: www.motherspridepreschool.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 7838654158
6. Hand In Hand:
It is located in Indirapuram again. As its name suggests it involves the parents to help the child adapt to the new environment. The pre-school specializes in activities that hone the creative skills and the thinking abilities of the child.
- Website: www.handinhand.in
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 9899540822
7. Amiown -Amity’s Caring Pre-school:
It is a part of the prestigious Amity Education Group and is in Vasundhara. Its motto is to encourage your toddler’s inquisitive streak so that he explores new things and acquires new skills on a daily basis.
- Website: www.amiown.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 98-187-04663
[ Read: Is Your Child Ready For Preschool ]
8. ABC Montessori Playway & Daycare:
It is one of the few international pre-schools in Vasundhara. It has an alliance with The International Montessori Council, USA, and The American Montessori Society. It focuses on all-round development of your toddler.
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 08468046328
9. Rise Kids:
A well-known playschool, it provides a safe environment to your little one to start his education. It is in Indirapuram.
10. Genius Kids:
It is in Vasundhara. The playschool not only helps your child develop his cognitive and language skills but also his creative skills with the help of art and craft activities.
- Website: www.geniuskids.in
- Email: [email protected]
Take your pick from the best pre-schools and help your child nurture his skills to excel in the future. Hope this list was helpful in selecting the best play school in Ghaziabad for your toddler.
If you have a toddler, tell us about the activities at his pre-school that have helped him in his all round development.
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- 15 Cute Lunch Boxes For Your Kids | <urn:uuid:19633e0c-7d3d-4d27-8480-5d090533ea78> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://coolmom.info/en/pages/604265 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719453.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00230-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920694 | 1,140 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Neonatal dairy calf gut microbiota-derived ursodeoxycholic acid improves intestinal homeostasis and colitis to attenuate diarrheagenic Escherichia coli infection
Metabolomics preprocessed data, the data set is related to figure 2, Extended Data figure S3.
Steps to reproduce
Feces were thawed on ice-bath to diminish degradation. About 5 mg of each lyophilized sample was weighted and transferred to a new 1.5 mL tube. Then 25 μL of water was added and the sample was homogenated with zirconium oxide beads for 3 minutes and 120μL of methanol containing internal standard was added to extract the metabolites. The sample was homogenated for another 3 minutes and then centrifuged at 1,800 g for 20 minutes. The 20 μL of supernatant was transferred to a 96-well plate and following procedures were performed on a Eppendorf epMotion Workstation (Eppendorf Inc., Humburg, Germany). 20 μL of freshly prepared derivative reagents was added to each well. The plate was sealed and the derivatization was carried out at 30°C for 60 min. After derivatization, sample was further diluted by adding 330 μL of ice-cold 50% methanol solution. Then, the plate was stored at -20°C for 20 minutes and followed by 4,000 g centrifugation at 4℃ for 30 minutes. 135 μL of supernatant was transferred to a new 96-well plate with 10 μL internal standards in each well. Serial dilutions of derivatized stock standards were added to the left wells. Finally, the plate was sealed for LC-MS analysis. Metabolite profiling and data processing were performed using a ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) system (ACQUITY UPLC-Xevo TQ-S, Waters Corp., Milford, MA, USA). The analytes were separated on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 1.7 µM VanGuard pre-column (2.1×5 mm) and ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 1.7 µM analytical column (2.1×100 mm). Mobile phases were used as carried liquid at a constant flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The source and desolvation temperatures of was set at 150℃ and 500℃, respectively. Each sample was analysed by UPLC-MS/MS in both negative and positive ionization modes to acquire metabolite profiles. The raw data files generated by UPLC-MS/MS were processed using the MassLynx software (version 4.1, Waters, Milford, MA, USA) to perform peak integration, calibration, and quantitation for each metabolite. The analysis order of all test samples was randomized. Quality control (QC) samples were obtained by mixing a small aliquot of each biological sample in the study set. The pooled QC represented both the sample matrix and metabolite composition of the samples. The raw pooled QC mixture were used to produce multiple QC samples that would be analyzed during the whole injection sequence. In metabolomics the application of QC samples provides a mechanism to evaluate the quality and assess the analytical variance of the aquired data. The self-developed platform iMAP (version 1.0, Metabo-Profile, Shanghai, China) was used for statistical analyses, including PCA, OPLS-DA, univariate analysis and pathway analysis. | <urn:uuid:43f7d23b-63db-4bb8-9f4f-2611e01765b6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/gspw8w9wt6/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571536.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811224716-20220812014716-00265.warc.gz | en | 0.950952 | 745 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Iran won't exceed uranium stockpile limit on Thursday: diplomatic source
Vienna (AFP) –
Iran will not exceed Thursday a uranium stockpile limit agreed under a nuclear deal with world powers, contrary to what Tehran said earlier this month, according to a diplomatic source in Vienna.
"They won't exceed it today," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source suggested there might be a "political reason" for this, given intensified efforts by European governments in recent days to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf region.
There was no indication to suggest the agreed limit would be exceeded this weekend either, the source added, saying that Tehran can suspend its uranium enrichment activities at any time.
Iran said 10 days ago that it would surpass the agreed 300-kilogram (660-pound) reserve of enriched uranium on June 27 because it no longer felt bound by certain limits contained in the 2015 deal which the United States unilaterally pulled out of in May 2018.
Speaking at a seminar on the effects of sanctions organised in Vienna by diplomats from Iran, Cuba and Venezuela, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "We are in the middle of an economic war with the US, not a military war -- yet."
He added that this "economic war" was the reason why "tensions have escalated" in the region.
"There will be no de-escalation unless there is a ceasefire in this economic war," Araghchi said.
Vienna is home to the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency or IAEA, which is responsible for monitoring whether Iran is sticking to the terms of the nuclear deal.
Tehran has also threatened to start enriching uranium above the agreed purification level of 3.67 percent starting from July 7.
Under the landmark deal signed with world powers in 2015, Iran pledged to reduce its nuclear capacities for several years and to allow IAEA inspectors into the country to monitor its activities in return for relief from international sanctions.
The deal set a limit on the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges, and restricted Iran's right to enrich uranium to no higher than 3.67 percent, well below weapons-grade levels of about 90 percent.
But the deal has come under severe strain since Washington pulled out of it last year and slapped new economic sanctions on the Islamic republic.
On Tuesday, in a gesture seemingly aimed at reining in tensions with the US, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told French President Emmanuel Macron in a telephone call that Iran "never seeks war" with any country.
Macron, for his part, said on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Tokyo that he would do "the maximum" to "avert military escalation" between Iran and the US.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he does not want a war with Iran, but warned that if fighting did break out, it "wouldn't last very long".
Macron reiterated that France shared the US "strategic objective" that Iran should not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
? 2019 AFP | <urn:uuid:d610d474-4c03-4418-a9dc-8fd3d7095b9f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.france24.com/en/20190627-iran-wont-exceed-uranium-stockpile-limit-thursday-diplomatic-source | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571692.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812105810-20220812135810-00073.warc.gz | en | 0.949936 | 634 | 1.632813 | 2 |
There has been a lot of discussion lately about Airbnb and some in connection with EAA housing. It seems to be a controversial subject and one I hate to be in the middle of. Unfortunately, being an owner of a bed and breakfast,it is a question I have been asked about a lot lately. This is not a local issue though and has little to do with EAA. Many licensed facilities, and local government agencies around the country are dealing with this subject. Whether you knew about Airbnb before or it is a new term to you, there are some things that you maybe didn’t know. I can tell you that it is not about the competition. I would even love to see another licensed Bed and Breakfast in Oshkosh. EAA housing is a one time annual event, which in my opinion, should not be policed since it is under the 10 day lodging law. It is the homeowner that accepts payment for renting out their sofa, room or even home for a fee throughout the year continuously, that does not hold the permit or license, that is the concern.
Airbnb, for those that are not familiar, is a room or someones home to stay, one to several nights for an amount of money that is determined by the home owner. A percentage of that fee is then returned to Airbnb. They may even call themselves a BnB. You may get a bed, but you may also get a sofa or air mattress. Yes, you do know ahead of time since there is a description, pictures and reviews. Sometimes you may even get breakfast. Donuts, cereal, who knows, somebody may make you breakfast even. They have NOT been inspected for cleanliness or safety and they do NOT pay taxes to run as business.
Airbnb clearly states on their site the legal and regulatory issues that one should look into before deciding to be a “host”. This means registering, getting a permit or obtaining a license before being able to accept guests. They go on to say that each local government varies in how they enforce these laws but that they should be reviewed before listing on their site. Many times, this is like the fine print that few of us may not always read.
You see, bed and breakfasts are just like hotels, restaurants and many other businesses. We have to be licensed, inspected and insured. We also have to pay room, sales and income tax. The majority of the city taxes that are collected, go back into the city for tourism dollars. It has helped make our convention center what it is today and helps bring tourism to Oshkosh, where in turn, money is spent in our restaurants, retail and entertainment sectors.
We have inspections each year to make sure that the fire detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers are working along with making sure that we do not have insects, rodents or that our coolers and refrigerators are clean and cold enough. Our linens are also checked to make sure we are storing them correctly along with outlets and lighting working correctly. These are just a few of the items that we rigorously go through, not only yearly, but on a daily basis to make sure that we, as a business, are not only running legally but also comfortably for those that visit us each and every day. Some people may argue with what is wrong with trying to earn an extra buck or two by renting out a spare room. If you take a look at some of the Airbnb listings, you will notice from some of the reviews that some of these “hosts” are doing quite well with there unlicensed and non tax paying businesses. The Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association(WBBA) is the only quality-certified organization of its kind in the state, which is why we try so hard to let people know the differences between a licensed bed and breakfast and a non-licensed, not tax paying air bnb. There is room for everyone, including Airbnb hosts in Oshkosh that abide by the same rules as other business owners. We have a great city that many want to travel to and stay in. There was a great article on a website today that not only talked about Airbnb, but other such businesses that I thought was an excellent read that made several valid points.
With that being said we just learned that we won the Certificate of Excellence Award from TripAdvisor. This award is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews. Winners are selected from all over the world, with only the top 10 percent receiving this award. We needed to maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months. We are so honored to receive this award and want to say thank you for everyone who has stayed with us this last year and for those that posted reviews. Without guests like yourselves, we would not have been able to achieve this. | <urn:uuid:ed08bd27-077e-4017-be82-b84bcd92e5e5> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://braytonbb.net/tag/airbnb/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719041.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00167-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984492 | 1,004 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Treasures from American Film Archives Encore Edition
4-DVD box set, with program notes
642 minutes, released 2000 and 2005
In 2000, 18 of America's premier film archives joined forces with the NFPF to release films preserved in their collections for the first time on video. The resulting Treasures from American Film Archives, 50 Preserved Films showcases the breadth of American filmmaking during the first 100 years of the motion picture. With rarities ranging from the first movie exhibited in the United States to a 1985 experimental documentary of New York's Battery Park, the 11-hour four-DVD box set received critical accolades and was covered on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Originally produced through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Pew Charitable Trusts, Treasures was reissued in a reduced price edition, complete with updated program notes in 2005. The Encore Edition was made possible through the support of the Cecil B. De Mille Foundation and Sterling Vineyards®.
The contents include silent-era features (Hells Hinges, with Western star William S. Hart, 1916 Snow White, The Toll of the Sea in two-strip Technicolor, and the first feature shot in Alaska, The Chechahcos); landmark avant-garde works (The Fall of the House of Usher by Webber and Watson; Rose Hobart by Joseph Cornell; OffOn by Scott Bartlett, and others), documentaries and newsreels (John Huston's The Battle of San Pietro; footage from Orson Welles's 1936 "Voodoo Macbeth", Negro Leagues baseball, and Marian Anderson's Lincoln Memorial concert, and more); and samples of the earliest American movies, pioneering special effects, cartoons and experimental animation, home movies, travelogues, worker training films, political ads, and other less familiar types of American films made over the last century.
The 50 Treasures films are safeguarded for future generations through preservation masters and viewing prints. Together they stand as a reminder that the nation's archives hold many more such astonishing films that will survive and be seen only through further public support. Net proceeds support further film preservation.
Contributing films were the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Anthology Film Archives, George Eastman House, the Japanese American National Museum, the Library of Congress, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Archives, the National Center for Jewish Film, the New York Public Library, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, Northeast Historic Film, the Pacific Film Archive, UCLA Film & Television Archive, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and West Virginia State Archives. The first Treasures set was curated by Scott Simmon. The music, curated by Martin Marks, features piano and several ensembles. San Francisco’s Danielseed Design did the graphic design. AMPAS and Sony Pictures Entertainment generously provided technical assistance.
The first Treasures set went out of print in early 2012. The NFPF will continue to stream selections on our website as we seek funds to do a reprint. | <urn:uuid:d2e13d06-2a2e-4cfd-94fe-ed2b3cc07f4c> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.filmpreservation.org/dvds-and-books/treasures-from-american-film-archives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718866.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00004-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915819 | 643 | 2.078125 | 2 |
"EBBESBORNE WAKE, a parish in the hundred of Chalk, county Wilts, 8 miles E. of Shaftesbury, and 12 S.W. of Salisbury, its post town. It is situated on the Salisbury Downs, near the banks of the river Ebell. Where not occupied by the downs, the land is chiefly arable, and produces good crops, being a mixture of clay and chalk. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Salisbury, value £130, in the patronage of the Succentor in Salisbury Cathedral. The church is an ancient Norman structure, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The Independents have a place of worship, and there is a National school for both sexes. Lord Pembroke is lord of the manor."
[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003] | <urn:uuid:90e801f9-1e4c-4b05-8929-edc8a9be89e1> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/WIL/EbbesbourneWake/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280266.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00494-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939464 | 203 | 2.28125 | 2 |
Interpreting often the ‘new’ PSAT/NMSQT® score credit reportsAugust 23, 2019
Interpreting often the ‘new’ PSAT/NMSQT® score credit reports
Students sufficiently lucky to walk the College Board website plus successfully get back PSAT/NMSQ check scores via October are in all probability wondering what things to make of the main dizzying number of scores. Contained in the redesign in addition to repackaging connected with SAT-related products, the College Panel has created off no less than 16 distinct scores to take into account and tension over. Within these are a total score, a new math score, an evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) score, ‘Nationally Representative Model Percentile(s), ‘ three experiment scores, couple of cross-test dozens, seven subtest scores, and a National Merit® Scholarship Corp Selection Ways of timekeeping.
And each of such sets with scores carries a different credit report scoring range. The entire score ovens from 320 to 1520; math as well as ERW fares range from one hundred sixty to 760; test fares and cross-test scores consist of 8 that will 38; subscores range from one to 15; and also NMSC Selection Index ovens from seventy two to 228.
Families uneasy to make decisions around future screening and those concerned about how the brand new NMSC Choice Index could possibly translate into potential merit scholarship or grant designations are generally naturally asking which dozens are biggest and what accurately they mean.
‘Unfortunately, these overhauled reports feel overwrought together with confusing. Even though they offer a vast array of measures— some beneficial, some fewer so— in addition to newly made subscores, some people fall short of providing sharp takeaways college students are seeking, ‘ explained Generic Reed, regarding Compass Learning Group. ‘Aside from strongly encouraging young people to at this point practice regarding Khan Middle school, the new PSAT reports are not as obviously actionable since users require that they be. ‘
So what can trainees take away from them PSAT encounter?
First, feel comfortable knowing that no school will watch these check results. They can be for your use merely. So relax.
Next, be aware about should too much with regards to the relationship between your new PSAT scores and also the old PSAT or POSED. For a number of distinct reasons, the group Board is definitely making the brand-new PSAT dozens appearance just like SAT ratings by using three-digits instead of two.
According to Bruce Reed, ‘While the two innovative tests write about a common scale, they undertake slightly different varieties on which will single level. ‘
That is where confusion sets in. SAT will keep theoretically duration the 200-800 range, even though PSAT is definitely staggered up to 160 for you to 760, to reflect the exact test’s to some degree lower difficulty level. Decades that a few test-takers are usually incapable of going above a 760, it’s simply that the PSAT doesn’t in order to verify which will.
But , typically the shifting affordable of the level may lead to an unacceptable assumption that the scores theirselves must also move down. In fact , the exact reverse is more likely to get true.
‘Interestingly (and easily for the School Board), categories of PSAT dozens are ‘up’ this year, ‘ explains Reed. ‘But it’s nothing to conduct with a soar in all round student accomplishment. It doesn’t necessarily mean scores will be ‘better’ as compared with they were in ’09, and it without doubt doesn’t lead to they are ‘better’ than RESPOND scores even with their appearance. ‘
Reed talks about the way in terms of a ‘statistical tailwind, ‘ and that is occurring on the order regarding roughly 20 to thirty points a section for almost all students. They have occurred mainly because the test out is innovative and to a degree because of the eradication of the ‘guessing penalty. ‘ Think the effect arbitrary guessing would get on the extremely lowest ending of the range.
Next, inspite of suggestions towards contrary, the main scores in and of independently do not offer clear tutorials as to which inturn test towards take— WORK or SAT— to fulfill university entrance necessities. Out of worry for already-announced scoring troubles and timelines as well as soreness related to the unknowns from the new REMAINE, most consultants and test prep pros are still recommending students take the ACT. Since the first ratings from the brand new SAT aren’t going to be available until eventually late May perhaps, the most handy guide— a good concordance dinner table comparing scores from the a couple tests— aren’t going to be published before after the primary two administrations of the completely new SAT. To ensure that won’t help.
The College Board has also prepared a series of cha?ne tables looking at the 2014 PSAT when using the 2015 PSAT. While the evaluations may be fascinating, these platforms are not without the need of their boundaries, as they deliver no primary comparison into the ACT.
Towards approximate an assessment and provide guideline guide, https://payforaresearchpaper.com/best-research-papers-online/ Compass Prep examined all on the market research plus used essential data to manufacture a table assessing 2015 PSAT and WORK scores. Whilst not a perfect predictor of achievement on often ACT or even new SAT, the table does make a sense are students could possibly do better about what test. Note that while most pupils will likely find their PSAT and RESPOND scores meet somewhere on the purple ‘Judgment Call’ wedding ring, some could discover that one test is really better worthy them.
Last but not least, in absence of comparable check scales as well as relevant liaison tables, individuals may uncover some data as to their particular performance coming from ‘percentiles. ‘ Keep in mind, but percentile results from the PSAT cannot be specifically compared to TAKE ACTION percentiles, consequently their performance is limited.
‘The College Table now offers two types connected with percentiles: National Representative Model and Examine User. Without the need of going into particulars, the Country wide Sample represents a form of percentile-inflation, ‘ says Reed. ‘The former are normally higher than typically the latter, however , it’s the second item, which scholars can only accessibility online and once considerable exertion, that should be made use of when comparing towards actual test-takers. ‘
Once more, percentiles basically provide a swiftly glimpse into how effectively a student have relative to various PSAT test-takers and are reduced in terms of the way in which well typically the project achievements on different tests or the likelihood of pursuing to be a National Worthiness Scholarship semifinalist.
These are tough issues that will sort out— even for those experts. And for that reason far, the faculty Board offers driven the very conversation. With thanks to Bruce Reed, associated with Compass Knowledge Group, meant for cutting by way of some of the University Board advertising and marketing information and putting the brand new PSAT credit report scoring reports in to perspective. | <urn:uuid:e3db5f7f-509e-4574-9f07-511baf72b8f6> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://jdewitt.ca/2019/08/23/interpreting-often-the-new-psat-nmsqt-score-credit-16/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571210.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810191850-20220810221850-00470.warc.gz | en | 0.953056 | 1,513 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Tripura gives land deeds to tribalsJanuary 18th, 2009 - 1:37 pm ICT by IANS
Agartala, Jan 18 (IANS) Tripura has become the first state in eastern India to hand over ownership rights of forest land to tribal people.”After the enactment of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, 2005 by the Centre, the long cherished dreams of tribal people and traditional forest dwellers have been fulfilled after granting ‘Patta’ (title deed) of the land on which they had been residing for years,” Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar said Saturday.
Sarkar distributed land deeds among tribals, who account for about 33 percent of Tripura’s 3.2 million-population.
“The three Left front-ruled states - West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura - petitioned the Supreme Court against a case submitted before the apex court to block the enforcement of the historical land rights act,” Sarkar told a gathering after handing over a ‘Patta’ to a 72-year-old tribal woman Rabirung Rupini at Mandai, 22 km north of here.
The chief minister also suggested providing similar land rights to the non-tribal people who are also residing in forest areas for generations. Out of land claims of 126,000 tribal and forest dwellers, 22,000 claims were found valid of which 11,500 have been settled.
“I have asked the officials to settle those claims with a sympathetic approach as the tribal people are getting forest land rights after hundreds of years,” Sarkar said.
- Help sought for tribals' livelihood plans in Tripura - Nov 16, 2011
- Land rights in forests: Tripura wants norms relaxed - Sep 19, 2009
- Left wants forest land norms relaxed for non-tribals - Apr 01, 2011
- Tripura mulls reserving jobs for Muslims - Apr 18, 2011
- CPI-M to launch stir for reserving jobs for Muslims - Feb 26, 2012
- CPI-M plans agitation against land acquisition act - Apr 22, 2011
- UPA working for 'khaas aadmi', not 'aam aadmi', says CPI-M - Aug 09, 2009
- 'Better connectivity of northeast India with rest of world is crucial' - Sep 24, 2010
- New norms to improve forest rights act - Jul 13, 2012
- Focus more on schools than on higher education: Digvijay Singh tells Sibal - Sep 12, 2010
- Anti-POSCO protesters burn effigy of officials - Apr 15, 2011
- Japan aiding 11 forest project in India (Lead) - Jun 22, 2011
- Japan's aid to India's environment - Jun 22, 2011
- Orissa gets final nod for Posco project (Lead) - May 02, 2011
- Madhya Pradesh tops in forest rights - Nov 23, 2010
Tags: apex court, chief minister, eastern india, enactment, forest areas, forest dwellers, forest land, hundreds of years, kerala, land deeds, land rights act, mandai, manik, rupini, sarkar, sympathetic approach, title deed, traditional forest, tribal woman, west bengal | <urn:uuid:932ae7fb-c159-4825-a417-8f46c3e3d8b4> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/tripura-gives-land-deeds-to-tribals_100143835.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280364.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00029-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916136 | 695 | 2.125 | 2 |
At first glance, hunters and ATV riders have little in common. One sits quietly in the woods, patiently waiting for his or her moment to act. The other tears around the woods on a loud motorized toy, leaving a trail of exhaust.
Believe it or not, these two can be one and the same when they're united for a common purpose: hauling hunters and gear into the woods. In this article you'll learn about how hunting ATVs work, why hunters use them, how they handle and some of the accessories and types available. But first, let's talk ATV basics.
If you take a look at the range of all-terrain vehicles on the market, you'll notice two kinds: sport models and utility models [source: Tranby].
Sport models are primarily made for fun. They're lighter than the utility models, more maneuverable, and built for speed. Utility models, on the other hand, are bigger, heavier, can handle more cargo and can be customized for particular jobs.
As you might have guessed, hunting ATVs fall into the utility category. ATVs typically are single-rider vehicles that are powered by a gas or electric engine. Engines are described by their size, measured in cubic centimeters. The more ccs, the more power. Adult models typically range from 250 cc to 1,000 cc [source: Tranby].
To handle off-road terrain, ATVs have suspension systems that are either fully independent or a combination of front independent suspension with a swing arm on the rear suspension. The swing arm is basically a solid axle that's connected to an arm that moves up and down to absorb some of the shock.
ATVs ride on four heavy-duty tires designed to handle a variety of terrain. Four-wheel drive is the most popular, with two-wheel drive a distant second. There are three-wheeled ATVs out there, but they're no longer manufactured in the United States because of their tendency to flip over. ATVs are continually evolving; Yamaha and Honda now offer power steering on some ATV models.
Read on to find out why hunters like using ATVs. | <urn:uuid:2a872c12-a290-47ec-8858-7c8e90283506> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hunting/traditional-methods/hunting-atvs.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281574.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00024-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958278 | 443 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Unfortunately these qualities seem to take their most virulent form in parents
out to "protect" children from threats arising in parents' fevered fears.
For example, see any of Hillary Clinton "protect the children" speeches.
After all, parents vote.
Little is known about the history of witchcraft in Europe, and what is known comes
from hostile sources. In traditional European society witchcraft was believed to
be a kind of harmful sorcery associated with the worship of SATAN, or the devil (a
spirit hostile to God).
The European doctrine of witchcraft was formulated in the late Middle Ages. Just
how many of the beliefs about witches were based on reality and how many on delusion
will never be known. The punishment of supposed witches by the death penalty did
not become common until the 15th century. The first major witch-hunt occurred in
Switzerland in 1427, and the first important book on the subject, the Malleus maleficarum
(Hammer of Sorceresses), appeared in Germany in 1486. The persecution of witches
reached its height between 1580 and 1660, when witch trials became almost universal
throughout western Europe.
Geographically, the center of witch-burning lay in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland,
but few areas were left untouched by it. No one knows the total number of victims.
In southwestern Germany alone, however, more than 3,000 witches were executed between
1560 and 1680. Not all witch trials ended in deaths. In England, where torture was
prohibited, only about 20 percent of accused witches were executed (by hanging);
in Scotland, where torture was used, nearly half of all those put on trial were burned
at the stake, and almost three times as many witches (1,350) were killed as in England.
Some places had fewer trials than others. In the Dutch republic, no witches were
executed after 1600, and none were tried after 1610. In Spain and Italy accusations
of witchcraft were handled by the INQUISITION, and although torture was legal, only
a dozen witches were burned out of 5,000 put on trial. Ireland apparently escaped
witch trials altogether. Many witch trials were provoked, not by hysterical authorities
or fanatical clergy, but by village quarrels among neighbors.
About 80% of all accused witches were women. Traditional theology assumed that
women were weaker than men and more likely to succumb to the devil. It may in fact
be true that, having few legal rights, they were more inclined to settle quarrels
by resorting to magic rather than law.
All these aspects of witchcraft crossed over to the Americas with European colonists.
In the Spanish and French territories cases of witchcraft were under the jurisdiction
of church courts, and no one suffered death on this charge. In the English colonies
about 40 people were executed for witchcraft between 1650 and 1710, half of them
in the famous SALEM WITCH TRIALS of 1692.
Witch trials declined in most parts of Europe after 1680; in England the death
penalty for witchcraft was abolished in 1736. In the late 17th and 18th centuries
one last wave of witch persecution afflicted Poland and other areas of eastern Europe,
but that ended by about 1740. The last legal execution of a witch occurred in Switzerland
Beginning in the 1920s, witchcraft was revived in Europe and America by groups
that considered it a survival of pre-Christian religious practices. This phenomenon
was partly inspired by such books as Margaret Murray's The Witch Cult in Western
Europe (1921). Some forms of modern witchcraft follow the traditions of medieval
herbalists and lay healers.
The term witch-hunt is used today to describe a drive to punish political criminals
or dissidents without regard for the normal legal rules.
E. William Monter
But surely witch hunting is dead? Just tune in any radio or TV news broadcast
with your witch-hunt detector on. Here's an ever-partial collection of examples:
The Evolution Of Criminal Justice By Sandy Judd
In twentieth century America, coerced confessions to criminal acts are not technically
admissible as evidence in courts of law. Since the 1980's, however, a movement against
the enforcement of such "technicalities" has developed within the federal
courts. As more forms of questionable evidence become admissible, we must begin to
ask ourselves if justice is being properly served. Although blatant physical torture
is not yet regularly used, other techniques for obtaining confessions are common:
promises of leniencey, threats, isolation, sleep and food deprivation, forced nudity
and other practices which serve to demoralize the accused. The validity of these
confessions is highly questionable.
The Return Of The Witch Hunts by Jonathan G. Harris
I went to that preschool since I was a baby. I even went there during the first grade
after school. I had fun. We painted and colored," Karen (name changed for privacy),
now 16, describes some happy times that ended when her preschool closed ten years
ago. Her parents have similar memories. The center was open and they could drop in
any time. Her father said that today Karen jumped with joy at the prospect of visiting
Miss Vi; but visiting the school's seventy year old former owner or her two children,
Gerald and Cheryl, is somewhat difficult today. They all remain in Massachusetts
prisons. The school was the infamous Massachusetts daycare, Fells Acres.
The Satanism Scare By Gerry O'sullivan University
of Pennsylvania Copyright (c) 1991 by Gerry O'Sullivan, all rights reserved _Postmodern
Culture_ v.1 n.2 (January, 1991)
Secondhand Smoke The
Congressional Research Service Raises Questions About EPA's Secondhand Smoke Study
Keyboarding Explosive Data For
Homemade Bombs Foxor; Tracy Gordon: Hartford Courant Newspaper [ bjc: Included
as one of the most egregious examples of irresponsible "news" reporting
in the long and sordid history of that industry. Bomb building, indeed! Wait until
this distinguished 'reporter' learns about the information his local public library
provides to all comers.]
Response to Dateline treatment of bomb
recipes on internet Peter Ludlow Dept of Philosophy; SUNY Stony Brook
The use of a certain ritual action to bring about the intervention of a supernatural
force, either in human affairs or in the natural environment, for a specific purpose
is called magic. The term has a wide range of reference, from major ritual performances
to conjuring tricks. Nineteenth-century anthropologists were particularly concerned
with distinguishing between magical and religious activity, seeking in their evolutionary
approaches to present magic and religion as belonging to different stages of cultural
development, with magic as the earlier form. It has been suggested that whereas religious
acts generally involve a personal approach to spiritual powers, magical activity
is largely impersonal, a ritual technology that constrains and controls rather than
supplicates the powers it wields. Nevertheless, the true complexity of the interrelationship
of religious and magical beliefs and practices is now widely recognized.
The role of magic varies from culture to culture, from a central position in primary
rituals involving the well-being of an entire community--as with some major hunting
or agricultural rituals (see FERTILITY RITES)--to minor, peripheral, private acts
of magic. Both public and private magic can and do exist within single societies.
Black magic or sorcery (see VOODOO) may be used destructively to bring misfortune
or death, and it is often distinguished from WITCHCRAFT by its use of magical techniques,
such as spells or charms. Witchcraft relies on an internal quality or disposition
of the witch. An example of a true sorcerer is the tohunga makutu of the New Zealand
Maori, who has to learn his special magical practices, which are said to make it
possible for him to destroy humans. Beneficial, or white, magic is used to ward off
such attacks as well as to prevent natural calamities; magical healing is among its
aspects (see SHAMAN). Much of white magic is directly concerned with the productive
activities of a particular society. The fishing and agricultural magic of the people
of the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea is an example. Love charms are also
considered white magic.
In casting spells, the appropriate use of words is sufficient to release or activate
a power. The importance of the words is variable. In some Melanesian and Polynesian
societies the precise wording of a spell is a crucial part of the magic. Other cultures,
such as that of the Azande of the Sudan, lay less stress on wording, being content
with conveying the spell's general meaning. For the Azande, magical objects such
as special woods and roots are of greater significance. The objects used in magic
are regarded as repositories for or symbols of the powers engaged, or, as with the
destruction of wax figures of victims in sorcery, symbolically connected to the aims
of the magic.
Magical acts may be performed by individuals on their own behalf, or a magician
with specialized knowledge of the rites may be consulted. In some societies associations
of magical specialists exist. Magical knowledge is sometimes bought and sold or can
be passed on through inheritance. The magician, both in the preparation and the performance
of a rite, may need to be aware of a complex set of rules and restrictions, such
as food taboos, that may influence the efficacy and safety of the magic.
Sir Edward TYLOR and Sir James FRAZER, who advanced influential anthropological
theories of magic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, saw it as pseudoscientific.
Tylor proposed that magic was based in the erroneous equation of physical causality
with the association of ideas. This notion was elaborated by Frazer, who saw two
basic principles in magical thought: that like produces like and that an effect resembles
its cause, and that things formerly in contact continue to act on one another. The
magic based on similarity he termed homeopathic, that based on contact contagious.
The destruction of a victim's likeness is homeopathic magic, the burning of a lock
of his hair for the same destructive purpose is contagious magic. These are the two
forms of sympathetic magic.
Frazer fitted magic into an evolutionary scheme in which, as its techniques were
found unproductive, magic would be succeeded by religion, which in turn would be
followed by scientific enlightenment. The influential sociologist Emile DURKHEIM,
however, stressed the dependence of magic on collective religious belief and ritual.
Magic contrasted with religion in that it did not involve a church, a moral community,
but its powers were derived from notions of the sacred established within such a
community. After working (1914-18) among the Trobriand Islanders, the anthropologist
Bronislaw MALINOWSKI developed a pragmatic theory of magic that stressed its psychological
value. Where there is uncertainty of practical success of the outcome of uncontrollable
events, magical acts, he suggested, reduce the anxieties involved, thus widening
the apparent range of an individual's ability to deal with the environment. Through
work in the 1920s and '30s with the Azande, Sir Edward EVANS-PRITCHARD provided an
account of magic functioning in a full social context as part of a logically coherent
belief system. The emphasis on viewing magic as part of a total belief system and
on the contexts of magical action has continued in many contemporary studies.
Bibliography: Cavendish, Richard, A History of Magic (1977; repr. 1991); Christopher,
Milbourne, The Illustrated History of Magic (1973); Davis, W., Magic and Exorcism
in Modern Japan (1980); Evans-Pritchard, E. E., Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among
the Azande (1937) and Theories of Primitive Religion (1965; repr. 1985); Flint, V.
I., The Rise of Magic in Early Medieval Europe (1991); Frazer, James G., The Golden
Bough, abr. ed. (1925; repr. 1987); Lessa, William A., et al., Reader in Comparative
Religion, 4th ed. (1979); Malinowski, Bronislaw, Magic, Science and Religion, and
Other Essays (1948; repr. 1984); Marwick, Max, ed., Witchcraft and Sorcery (1970;
repr. 1987); Middleton, John, comp., Magic, Witchcraft and Curing (1967); Neusner,
J., et al., Religion, Science and Magic (1989); Thomas, Keith V., Religion and the
Decline of Magic (1971); Tylor, E. B., Primitive Culture, 2 vols. (1871; repr. 1986).
Bibliography: Baroja, Julio C., The World of Witches (1964); Guiley, Rosemary,
The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchraft (1990); Levack, Brian, The Witch-Hunt in
Early Modern Europe (1987); Luhrmann, T.M., Persuasions of the Witch's Craft (1989);
Monter, E. W., ed., European Witchcraft (1969). Transmitted: 94-05-10 17:59:27 PDT
[[bjc: From either eWorld or America Online; I don't recall]] In the modern world
witchcraft is a form of nature religion that emphasizes the healing arts. The term
is also applied to various kinds of MAGIC practiced in Asian, African, and Latin | <urn:uuid:2044eb0e-77bc-471b-a318-ab4f3d61ee13> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/SocialConstruction/WitchHunts.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281450.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00180-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942513 | 2,883 | 2.984375 | 3 |
|Web Site of ToyTrains1|
|Baldwin Diesel Locomotives|
The Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ, Jersey Central) was one of the few roads to use Baldwin diesel locomotives in large numbers. Units of the type pictured above were called "baby faces" based on their appearance. The unit above is actually a "Janus" unit, in that it has a cab at both ends, and operated equally well in either direction. Another is shown below.
Shown below is a Baldwin Janus in the later CNJ colors.
This is the Baldwin "Centipede" in the livery of the Seaboard Air Line. The origin of the name, given the number of wheels, is fairly obvious!
A Pennsylvania RR centipede is shown below.
This is the most famous of the Baldwin diesels, the RF-16 "Sharknose" that was a contemporary of the EMD E- and F-class diesels. The name derives from the front profile. In the fall of 2001, MTH brought out a Premier model of the Shark in the Brunswick Green freight livery. It's an excellent model that runs well and sounds great! Here are a few photos of the model, followed by pictures of the prototype.
Note the PRR trainphone antenna on top of this locomotive, exactly as modeled above!
Here's another shot of the Sharknose, in D&H livery.
Here's a photo of an early Baldwin diesel switcher, preserved at the Railroad Museum of PA.
This is one of the Baldwin Lima Hamilton 2500 hp center-cab transfer diesel locomotives, a number of which were owned by the Pennsylvania RR.
In 2002, MTH brought out a superb Premier model of this diesel. Though not a fan of diesels, this one was ugly enough to qualify for my collection!
All of the text contained within this page and all of the photographs and videos taken by ToyTrains1 are copyright (c) 2000 - 2015 by ToyTrains1, and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of ToyTrains1.
If you wish to use any of my content, please see my detailed copyright statement for terms and conditions of use. | <urn:uuid:3481728e-2fea-4a2e-bd26-17757798cc3c> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.toytrains1.com/baldwin.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281331.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00218-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952776 | 475 | 1.640625 | 2 |
3 Daring Women Producers take over the Music industry in 2021
We know it, and you know it. Men are still in control of the music industry. According to the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Institute, the number of women writing, performing, and producing hit songs dropped low in 2020.
This fourth annual report analyzed the gender and race/ethnicity of artists, songwriters, producers, and creators across 900 top songs out in the last nine years. Turn out women represent only 21.6% of all artists, 12.6% of all songwriters, and only 2.6% of all producers. The study reveals the rate of women in this industry also decreased from 2019 to 2020. The number of female artists went from 22.5% to 20.2%. Female songwriters declined from 14.4% to 12.9%, and female producers lowered from 5% to 2%.
It’s a pity. Therefore, this observation gets sadder when it comes to production. “Women producers — and particularly women of color — are virtually erased from the music industry,” says Stacy Smith. She’s the Communications professor leading this statement. These results may be discouraging, but this is also a valid reason to battle to get equality.
When a little girl says she wants to play music, people assume she wants to become a singer. That may be true in some cases, but this scheme is a reducer. Sounds So Beautiful stands alongside women musicians and presents three artists. All of them speak their truth and have several points in common, including their desire to share with others. They always believed in their talent, even when people tried to shut doors in front of them. Music guided them to find and defend their identity.
1. Aisha Gaillard on drums: Hit it like a girl!
Let’s start with the Los-Angeles-based drummer-producer Aisha Gaillard. She was only three years old when her aunt took her to an African dance class. However, an African hand drums caught her eyes next to the drummers. She fell in love with it instantly, and the feeling was mutual. Once she played, her aunt noticed her touch was natural. Then, Aisha Gaillard went on a Monday evening drum workshop in Leimert Park at a music venue called the World Stage. Jazz musician and humanitarian Billy Higgins was the one who taught her drums.
Her love for music didn’t fade away when she hit middle school. She took violin lessons and got on stage when she was only seven. She performed with Sweet Strings at the Hollywood Bowl and Royce Hall at UCLA. She began to take music as a serious business, and her musical experiences diversified during high school. Then, she multiplied performances and musical programs. It helped her discovering various music genres and various mentors.
As the years go by, she took part in formations, quartets and teaches drums to kids. Yet, she struggled with finding a music program for the university. She even had to step academically away from music for a while. Once she got her Bachelors’s degree in Hospitality Management from Long Beach State, she hoped to own a restaurant with live music. Except that her love for music was more powerful.
It took her to even more lessons, travels, and recordings. 2018 is the year where she performed in front of a crowd of 30 000 youth in Houston, Texas, during a Christian event called “The ELCA Youth Gathering.” This experience blew her mind. She quickly quit her day job and decided to become a full-time musician.
She recently played behind singer/songwriter Mereba and toured with UMI. Can we just say that these collaborations make sense to us? As these three female artists pledge for women’s recognition and women’s empowerment. On UMI’s EP “Introspection Reimagined”, Aisha’s groove and rhythm perfectly match UMI’s universe. She uses her creativity to express melancholy, joy, rage, determination, and emotional insecurity…
Accents, slower or jerky rhythms add tension to the melody. She connects easily to these emotions because she uses her sensibility to produce music. Moreover, it’s not uncommon to see her lip-syncing while she plays on the drums. She lives music as she plays it. She puts a bit of her personality and her experience into her creations too. By looking at her Instagram account or her YouTube Channel, Aisha appears to be quite a solar character. We dare you to find a photo or a video of her where she isn’t smiling.
Proud of her career choices she can be. Collaborating with Mereba also led her to do a Tiny Desk Concert is yet another great accomplishment.
She makes it look easy when she plays. Her versatility (jazz, neo-soul, R&B) probably makes her one of the most promising musicians of her generation. Her content online proves how approachable she is. She shares covers, original productions, and she even gives guidance to bring people together around her love for drums. Only to show how vibrant music can be in your life.
2. Emmavie: Collaboration over competition
As a young black woman, Aisha Gaillard faced some issues trying to make her place in this industry, and so did Emmavie. The London-based beatmaker-DJ-singer-songwriter-producer loves music since childhood. When she was a little girl, her dad brought her a karaoke machine and she would record her little-girl-prowess on audio cassettes. To this day, she fondly remembers it as her very first audio record.
When still in high school, she used to experiment music through dance. Creating her own dance mixes to rehearse, she realized over time she would preferably produce than dance. It didn’t take long for her to find her signature sound. She mixes 90’s R&B vibes to her love for digital audio representation. The results give sensual tunes that help her express the more complex parts of herself. 2013 is the year where the music took a big part in her life.
Emmavie is an independent artist with no PR nor label. To this day, she already released two EPs, and her debut album “Honeymoon” came out in 2019.
Her career took a new turn when she bounded with others artists over social media. Together, they founded Her Songs, a collective of female artists from around the world. Emmavie declared she used to struggle when it came to trusting somebody in this industry. However, this reunion felt right to all of the members. Her Songs is also composed of London-based artist-producer Marie Dahlstrøm, Colombian/Miami native songwriter-producer Dani Murcia, French/English songwriter The Naked Eye, New Zealand-based songwriter Emily C. Browning, Copenhagen-based graphic designer, and photographer Malthe Milthers, and LA-based artist and producer Maddie Jay.
The music industry encourages women to be competitive towards each other, but not in a good way. According to Emmavie, competition can be toxic and lead you to tread. She admits that collaborating allows all of them to go further in their art. They’re out of their comfort zone, but they’re free to do it in a safe space.
Through discussions, the idea of Her Songs is to create something future generations could look up. They reunite during intense camps to write, produce and share their stories. They first met in L.A. for one week in 2018 to create and deliver their debut EP “Los Angeles.” They renewed the experience in 2019 while in Toronto; two new EPS were born from this reunion.
Different experiences and profiles enrich this project. Women are free to share their thoughts and their stories without any fear of judgment or discrimination. Emmavie regrets that women musicians or producers aren’t considered good enough. They’re often considered beginners before their performance, even when it’s not their first show. Just because you’re a female, then you’re not professional enough. Her Songs stands up against that.
Emmavie herself had to “act like a boy” during her sound art studies. To this day, she still thinks this teaching was gendered and sexist. They were only 2 girls among 300 students. She was the only one in the 2nd year. Emmavie wishes more black female superstars could emerge, and that’s what Her Songs is about. Giving talents the opportunity they deserve.
3. Jenn Clemena: Being at ease with your identity
Indeed, sometimes you have to push your luck. Jenn Clemena learned to play the guitar by herself when she was 13 years old. San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist quickly joined her father in the band of their local church once she mastered her instrument. She took her talent outdoors two years later. She performed around bustling San Francisco areas like Powell Street Bart Station and Pier 39.
She refers to it today as a challenging experience, but this episode undoubtedly forged part of her beginning career. Music helped her being at ease with her identity. She especially expresses how it feels to be a part of the LGBTQ community when you grow up in a religious family. Jenn’s melodies are smooth and soulful.
Her notes lead us into the whirlwind of her thoughts. Her original song “Let Me Know” gives us that feeling. The words repeat themselves and the melody is heady. It’s running in circles, and maybe the guitar’s part expresses what can’t be said.
Jenn Clemena is also used to sharing her passion and creativity with others thanks to social media or her YouTube channel. Furthermore, her videos sometimes tend to be registered in what seems to be her bedroom. It’s an intimate place, but it proves that she’s ready to show herself vulnerable through her art.
Her jam sessions are a place for her to keep exploring her creativity. By doing that in front of her community, she includes the audience in her creation process. She even encourages them to let their imaginations speak for themselves. Other improvisations are welcome during passages of her creations.
“Left 16 bars open at 3:50-4:30 for any of you musicians out there who would like to jam 🙂 Chords are CM7 – D7 – Em” she wrote in the description box on the first Jam session.
It’s not unusual to see men playing guitar, but it’s refreshing to see a young female producer choosing for herself how she’s going to tell her story. Aisha Gaillard, Emmavie, and Jenn Clemena aren’t the only ones trying to find their ways through the jungle. The road might seem far, but patience and determination are keys for female artists to get the recognition they deserve. | <urn:uuid:88860d83-a36e-4d4a-8733-cf0c0410dd50> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://soundssobeautiful.net/2021/05/14/women-producers-music-industry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571150.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810070501-20220810100501-00665.warc.gz | en | 0.975044 | 2,309 | 1.796875 | 2 |
The use of certain antimicrobials in animals and humans is associated with resistance to these antimicrobials in bacteria from animals and humans. There are also important differences in the consumption of antimicrobials in animals and in humans between European countries. These are some of the findings of the first integrated analysis of data from humans, animals and food in Europe published jointly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The ‘ECDC/EFSA/EMA first joint report on the integrated analysis of the consumption of antimicrobial agents and occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from humans and food-producing animals’ also identifies data limitations that need to be addressed to allow further analysis and conclusions to be drawn. These include additional data on antimicrobial consumption by animal species, data on antimicrobial consumption in hospitals in more European countries and monitoring of resistant bacteria in the normal flora from both healthy and diseased people.
The analysis was carried out at the request of the European Commission and combines data from five European monitoring networks that gather information from the European Union (EU) Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. This holistic approach aims to make better use of the existing data and thus strengthen coordinated surveillance systems on antimicrobial consumption and antimicrobial resistance in human and veterinary medicine, and to allow policy makers to decide on the best way to tackle antimicrobial resistance in humans and animals.
The joint report will inform the European Commission’s action plan against the rising threats from antimicrobial resistance. The data will also contribute to establishing strong methodologies and priorities in the fight against the development of antimicrobial resistance.
This is the first in a series of reports that EMA, EFSA and ECDC are planning to publish based on the data collected by various monitoring networks.
Access to accurate data on the use of antimicrobials and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance is an essential step to develop and monitor policies that minimise the development of resistance and keep antimicrobials effective for future generations.
Read the full report
1. This release, together with all related documents, is available on the three agencies’ websites.
2. The data analysed come from the European monitoring networks EARS-Net, ESAC-Net, FWD-Net, Scientific Network for Zoonosis Monitoring Data and ESVAC.
3. Further information on the European Commission’s action plan against the rising threats from antimicrobial resistance can be found here
4. Further information on the work of ECDC on surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and consumption in EU/EEA countries is available here
5. Further information on the work of EFSA on antimicrobial resistance can be found here
6. Further information on the work of EMA on antimicrobial resistance can be found here | <urn:uuid:57e72a5d-cf08-4d2e-a424-0dcc390f9a94> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/press/news/_layouts/forms/News_DispForm.aspx?List=8db7286c-fe2d-476c-9133-18ff4cb1b568&ID=1159 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280718.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00411-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914971 | 583 | 3.140625 | 3 |
Are you looking for a new job, challenge, or change in career? Working in care could be perfect for you.
Take a look at our dedicated jobs portal for roles in social care, early years and childcare. Once you’ve signed up, you will receive updates about available care roles in your area – whatever your level of experience.
Real stories from real people
There is no better way to know if you have what it takes than hearing from people who are currently doing the job.
Below are a selection of films for you to view.
Uchenna came from Nigeria to start working as a delivery driver because he enjoys speaking to people. But after he discovered the WeCareWales website, he started his career as a care worker and uses his people skills to improve the lives of those in his care.
Student Social Worker (former Apprentice)
Naomi experienced the care system first hand growing up in foster care and wanted to use her experiences to help other young people in similar situations.
While working for her local council’s finance department, the apprenticeship provided Naomi with the perfect opportunity to begin a career in social care while crucially allowing her to continue to earn a wage.
The qualification Naomi gained from her apprenticeship gave her the additional UCAS points she required to apply for an undergraduate place at University of South Wales where she is now a third year Student Social Worker.
Amy left school with no qualifications and decided she wanted to make a difference to families’ relationships. As a qualified social worker, she now works to find forever homes for children and supports vulnerable families to cope with various issues.
Job vacancies in care
Wales needs more social care workers.
Many people working in social care have made the jump from jobs such as hospitality or retail. Use your transferable skills and apply for roles in your area now. | <urn:uuid:1cf74d74-7122-49e1-b0ea-577c871a67aa> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.gofalwn.cymru/?_ga=2.154229112.1117274160.1603814846-910023147.1584616020 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571472.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811133823-20220811163823-00666.warc.gz | en | 0.969938 | 401 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Elsie B. Smith Professor of Liberal Arts.
Departments of Classics, Art History and Art, and Cognitive
A native of England, Charles Burroughs
is a historian of built environments and visual culture in Italy
and, more recently, in the New World. He was trained in Classics
and the Classical Tradition at Balliol College of Oxford University
and at the Warburg Institute of London University. He has published
two books. One is a highly archival study of changing patterns
of spatial practice as well as the actual or planned transformation
of architectural and wider settings in Rome at the very beginning
of the modern age (mid fifteenth century). The other, more theoretical,
project deals with the emergence in late medieval and early modern
Italy, both in discourse and in practice, of the cultural as well
as architectural concept of facade. Focusing on secular, mostly
residential architecture, the book follows the recognition—or,
more typically, lack of recognition— of the facade as a
an element linking as well as separating the evolving public and
private domains, and it examines the aesthetic and semiotic functions
and implications of diverse models of elaboration applied to the
fronts of buildings.
Charles Burroughs has also published widely on Renaissance art
and architecture, with articles on such major figures as Alberti,
Botticelli, Brunelleschi, Domenico Fontana, Michelangelo (as painter
as well as architect), and Palladio, as well as on some key patrons
of the era. Currently he is engaged on a book on Botticelli's
Primavera as a political painting, in relation to claims made
for the natural basis for the formation of social and economic
structures as well as political regimes, or at least principles.
He is also working with an international and interdisciplinary
group of scholars from the US, Brazil, and Cuba on plantation
landscapes and architecture, as well as representations of these,
in the New World in the era of the "second slavery,"
i.e., the early and mid nineteenth century, following the association
of slavery with new technologies and forms of organization, often
in previously unexploited territories.
In terms of his association with the Cognitive Science Department,
Burroughs looks forward to developing his interest in the semiotics
built environment, with regard both to actual and virtual instances.
hopes to develop work on the spatial settings and conditions for
processes as well as various kinds of enunciation and (self-)
representation, whether on the part of various social agents or
institutions, that occur in and by means of the immediate spatial
architectural matrix. He is planning a course on Architecture
Sign, with particular emphasis on the elaboration and appropriation
"classical language of architecture" in a range of settings,
and on the
interplay between the history of architectural writing and that | <urn:uuid:5404cc71-f048-416c-96b5-b02789f28d84> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://case.edu/artsci/cogs/burroughs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280835.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00473-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944922 | 610 | 1.84375 | 2 |
India at the Lusophony Games
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
||This article possibly contains original research. (September 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)|
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Overall performance of India in the Lusophony Games.
Medal table by sports
Participation by year
|This article about sports in India is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.| | <urn:uuid:0d4e02b2-ca9f-4792-b0a7-db5e99c95fb6> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_at_the_Lusophony_Games | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560283301.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095123-00511-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.737645 | 109 | 1.851563 | 2 |
The Civil Rights Act of 1963 and the Equal Pay Act prohibit employers in Delaware from discriminating on the basis of gender. Accordingly, gender may not be the basis for any employer decisions regarding pay, hiring policies, or promotion requirements. They are also required to ensure that working conditions are not hostile toward any one gender and that the atmosphere is not overtly sexual.
What Must be Proven in a Discrimination Claim?
Under the Equal Pay Act, discrimination is proven when both men and women do the same type of work in the same job and yet are given different wages. A discrimination claim may also succeed when employers in Georgetown hire only one specific gender, issues promotions based on gender, or retaliates against persons who seek relief for employer misconduct.
When is Sexual Harassment Prohibited?
Physical or verbal acts of a sexual nature that are unwelcome to the victim are considered to be sexual harassment. An employer in Georgetown may be liable for such conduct, even when it is simply other co-workers that have engaged in harassment.
If the employer allows conduct to create an overly sexual work environment, they might be held liable for sexual harassment in Delaware. It is usually somewhat difficult to prove gender discrimination if you don't have an attorney, because certain aspects such as proving intent can be complex. Pursuing a claim also involves following procedures, many of which can be detailed. | <urn:uuid:71571691-38e5-48e1-afbf-50e6b8d66cf0> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://employment-law.legalmatch.com/DE/Georgetown/gender-discrimination.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572215.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20220815235954-20220816025954-00673.warc.gz | en | 0.944999 | 273 | 2.46875 | 2 |
Oftentimes, we as humans tend to gravitate to music that is familiar to us. Although we have a variety of music to choose from, rarely do we try a genre of music that is new to us. According to Plato, “Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.†It is worth exploring different kinds of music to experience the impact of music and how it can touch us in unique ways.
Initial Post: To expand your music horizons, listen to a genre of music that is new to you (Country, Classical, Rap, Pop, R&B, etc.). After listening to a song or piece from your new genre, explain why you would or would not be open to hearing more music from this genre. Share the following:
The post Exploring Music Genres first appeared on https://nursingcoursework.org. | <urn:uuid:6ed64305-2156-497f-a240-688ab8fa8914> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://nursingcourseworks.com/exploring-music-genres/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571150.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810070501-20220810100501-00667.warc.gz | en | 0.950178 | 184 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Computer numerical control
Computer numerical control (CNC) is the operation of any kind of tool by a computer using commands stored on a tape or disk. Typical CNC machines consist of a plate capable of moving in the X and Y dimensions with a tool spindle moving in the Z dimension. Movement in each dimension is controlled by a computer operating highly precise step motors or, in older machines, motors connected to various transmissions capable of translating large movements into extremely small and precise movements.
Because of the great versatility of CNC machines, any number of tools can be attached to the tool spindle. When working with metal, the tool spindle may consist of a drill bit or other cutting tool, or even a laser or plasma cutter. When working with wood, the tool spindle can be a drill or router bit, or a saw. When working with fabric, the tool spindle can be fitted to pin, cut, glue, mark, sew, or embroider fabric. The CNC machines' versatility has made it ubiquitous in manufacturing applications, as it makes extremely complex operations cheap, accurate, and highly repeatable. | <urn:uuid:2a75f29d-d70e-4ce6-a5a2-18a834983a5c> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.conservapedia.com/Computer_numerical_control | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281424.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00328-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911687 | 226 | 3.765625 | 4 |
Mariner notes exciting bioluminescent displayJan 1, 2003
The Indian Ocean produces the most spectacular displays of a marine phenomenon called bioluminescence. This is a gentle blue or green light that appears in the ocean at night. It is a bit like the marine equivalent of fireflies, only on a much grander scale. For years I have been a casual but fascinated observer of this natural display, but nothing could have prepared me for the show that I observed on November 4, 1997.
I was standing watch on the oil rig supply ship Ocean Worker. At 0300 local time we were at 14° 45' N, 96° 25' E, about 70 miles south of the entrance to the Rangoon River. It was a dark, overcast night with rain in the area. The water depth was 45 fathoms and the wind was blowing from the northeast at 20 knots. Three hundred miles to the southeast lay tropical cyclone Linda.
Feeling cramped and in need of some fresh air, I opened the wheelhouse door and stepped out onto the bridge wing. I was standing just 30 feet above sea level. The first thing I noticed was hundreds, maybe thousands, of bioluminescent masses in the water all around the ship. They were pulsating in unison at an estimated 80 cycles per minute.
I had seen similar displays in these waters, although not on such a large scale. I was sufficiently impressed to summon the lookout, Samuel Apaya, who was still inside the wheelhouse. I know this man does not drink or smoke and is a credible witness. By the time Apaya made his way outside, the entire surface of the water had changed appearance. Not only could we see bioluminescent masses, but the sea surface was pulsating with bright, rotating wands of green energy. We both looked upwards, half expecting to see a flying object, but there was nothing in sightno aircraft, ships, yachts, lighthouses, submarines, or fishing boats. We had no clue as to what would cause the weird display of lights in the sea all around us as far as we could see.
I was wild with excitement. I reached for my camera, although I knew that no camera could capture what I saw with my own eyes. How, then, could I record this amazing event for posterity? With sweat on my brow, I reached for my pen and began taking notes.
Within five minutes the bioluminescent display turned off as quickly as it started. I estimate that the wands of light were moving at 100 knots, maybe more. The interval between the light was barely a second. Even as a seasoned mariner, I was very impressed by what I had seen. So was Apaya, who cosigned my official report of the event.
Nautical publications mention sightings of "bioluminescent wheels," but no explanation is offered. Has anyone else witnessed such an event?
Norm Fraser is a master mariner who operates a marine surveying business in Queensland, Australia.
Dr. Michael I. Latz, a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Biology Research Division, in La Jolla, Calif., replies:
Mr Fraser's letter makes for interesting reading. As of 1985 there were approximately 230 reports of phosphorescent wheels or moving bands of luminescence. These reports are summarized in an article written by P. Herring and P. Horsman in Marine Observer vol. 55, 1985).
All of the reports originate from tropical areas, with most (95%) from the Indo-Pacific. It is interesting that there are few reports from sailing ships, either modern or before engines were used. In fact, there are no reports from local fisherman or other small boat traffic. This suggests that perhaps the ship itself is involved in the production of light. Of the reports in which the frequency of pulsing is given, more than half were between 60 and 120 per minute. Fraser's observation fits right into this range. In cases where the engine rpm was noted, the flashing rate was similar to the engine rpm. A critical experiment, which has never been done, would be to stop the engines. Not to take away from its interesting nature, but Fraser's report appears to be typical of many others describing bands of luminescence. | <urn:uuid:41299d75-84ae-46e2-8681-b06b0906a612> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.oceannavigator.com/January-February-2003/Mariner-notes-exciting-bioluminescent-display/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560285001.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095125-00303-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981218 | 887 | 2.671875 | 3 |
"Danny was born in ’46, and at that time they said he would never walk or talk. I have to laugh every time I say that because I was determined he was going to walk and talk."
Danny Powell was born in Dayton. As a teenager, he was sent to a home for people with developmental disabilities. For four years, Danny Powell lived at Orient Developmental Center, a state facility in Orient, Ohio, which closed in 1984 due to a lawsuit. Danny's mother, Eunice Powell fought to improve conditions in the facility. Eunice later served on the Montgomery County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. That's where she met Julia Bell, who also has a son with disabilities. Julia and Eunice came to StoryCorps to reflect on raising - and fighting for - children with disabilities. Danny passed away in 2006 at age 60.
(Originally broadcast October 27, 2010) | <urn:uuid:7d02187c-f698-4657-b247-345e1cbe6824> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://wyso.org/post/miami-valley-storycorps-eunice-powell-julia-bell | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280872.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00315-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989842 | 191 | 1.875 | 2 |
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Age Differences in the Reliability of the Psychiatric Interview of the Child
Craig Edelbrock, Anthony J. Costello, Mina K. Dulcan, Robert Kalas and Noelle Calabro Conover
Vol. 56, No. 1 (Feb., 1985), pp. 265-275
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1130193
Page Count: 11
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The NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, a highly structured interview covering a broad range of clinically relevant symptoms and behaviors, was administered to 242 disturbed children and their parents. Parent and child were interviewed separately and were assessed twice at a median interval of 9 days. Intraclass correlations between symptom scores derived from the interviews indicated that parents were generally more reliable than children in reporting child symptoms. However, test-retest reliabilities showed an opposite age pattern for parent and child. The reliability of the child's report increased with age and was lower for children aged 6-9 than those aged 10-13 and 14-18. Conversely, the reliability of the parent's report decreased with the age of the child and was slightly higher for children aged 6-9 than those aged 10-13 and 14-18. These findings were interpreted in terms of children's cognitive development and age-related shifts in parents' perceptions and awareness of their children's behavior.
Child Development © 1985 Society for Research in Child Development | <urn:uuid:adac9570-f869-4ab8-bfb2-9b6338d70ad2> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.jstor.org/stable/1130193?origin=crossref | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988718309.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183838-00405-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942744 | 410 | 2.203125 | 2 |
Until now, research into transnational organised crime groups has concentrated on their male participants. Felia Allum is redressing the balance by analysing the presence, activities and influence of women within these groups
Transnational organised crime groups (TOCGs), like terrorist cells, have a huge influence on contemporary society, whether through their illicit traffics, money laundering techniques or random victims. Both are, unfortunately, features of the twenty-first century. And, yet we still have very little detailed evidence-based analysis of TOGCs’ illegal or legal activities, their recruitment methods, or their multifaceted accomplices across Europe. Many of the existing studies concentrate purely on the male participants within these para-state organisations, ignoring the role of women. As a result, there is a lack of understanding of women’s true involvement. It is time to shift our focus and to examine their presence, activities and influence.
The aim of this research project is to look at the roles women play in different TOCGs, European, African and Asian. Often, their roles appear contradictory: are they active agents, neutral accomplices or passive victims? Are they managers, financial advisers or simple companions? If the latter, are they then leaders or victims? Are they included or excluded? Feminine or masculine? Violent or passive? Further, how fundamental are women to the success of TOCGs?
In order to clarify these aspects of women’s involvement I will consider the following questions. Why does this gender gap exist? Why do these gender contradictions exist? Why do gender constraints persist over time and space? Why these particular gender differences and this type of stratification in TOCGs? Why does gender still matter and make a difference in TOCGs? Have law enforcement agencies underestimated women’s roles?
I hope my approach will provide the basis for a new and ground-breaking conceptual framework for understanding the roles of women in TOCGs in a global context. As a woman researcher and using a biographical and autobiographical approach, I want to listen to women and their stories to understand their criminal experiences, involvement and pasts. I will collect the cultural and intersubjective life stories and narratives of TOCGs women in order to reconstruct their involvement and participation between 1990 and 2018 and so answer my research questions.
This study will combine the analysis of historical documents (papers from court cases; newspaper and other reports) with the first-hand accounts of women involved in TOCGs viewed through a cultural lens. I will analyse the women’s experience from a variety of angles – bottom up and top down, insider and outsider, formal and informal – to decipher their life stories, motivations, strategic choices and life paths, in order to understand more fully their role within TOCGs. | <urn:uuid:fd28509b-300c-44d4-9836-d20137016255> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/major-research-fellowships/women-crime-and-culture-transnational-organised-crime-equal-opportunity | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570913.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809064307-20220809094307-00068.warc.gz | en | 0.938047 | 568 | 1.65625 | 2 |
There is a reason why America rejects the notion that there should not be early detection of breast cancer for woman in their 40’s. We have all been touched be the deadly disease of breast cancer and the battle against the dreaded cancer transcends genders.
There is a reason why 81% of voters disagree the the new government rationed health care mammography suggestions from the so called Government Task force independent panel. Only 8% agree with the panels recommendations that woman not get early screenings in their 40’s. It is about the hypocritic oath, not the bottom line.
A federal medical panel’s recommendation that women can now wait until age 50 to get a routine mammogram instead of age 40 is stirring up strong debate. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 81% of adults disagree with the panel’s recommendation. Just nine percent (8%) agree with the new guideline, and another nine percent (9%) are not sure.
Why did not many people go ballistic when these new rationed health care guide lines came out? Maybe because about 75% of people know some one who has had breast cancer. This coming at the most in opportune time has Americans do not trust and do not want government healthcare or suggestions that it should be rationed.
Survivors of breast cancer, woman of all ages and backgrounds.
Breast cancer does not discriminate
Some want to call it communications malpractice; however, let’s call it for what it really is … rationed care. It is the foot in the door for a government health care bureaucracy limiting medical services to save money. Let us get one fact completely straight without a liberal slant of its about the way the message was presented, not the actually message. There is a reason why the mortality rate in the US is greater for women diagnosed with breast cancer than Europe. It’s called early screening!!! The Gateway Pundit provides some great informational numbers to just how much better the US is a dealing with breast cancer than places like Europe with socialized health care.
Researchers discovered that it was because of breast cancer screenings that women with breast cancer have a 14 percent higher survival rate in the United States than in Europe. Breast cancer mortality is 52 percent higher in Germany than in the United States, and 88 percent higher in the United Kingdom. Breast cancer mortality is also 9 percent higher in Canada than in the US. Less than 25 percent of U.S. women die from breast cancer. In Britain, it’s 46 percent; France, 35 percent; Germany, 31 percent; Canada, 28 percent; Australia, 28 percent, and New Zealand, 46 percent.
AMERICA, why do you think that the US has such better survival rates from cancer than these other countries listed? Hmm? Because our health care system is broken like the agenda driven government control Democrats would like you to believe? It is called early detection and quality health care. Try telling a surviver of breast cancer that her mammogram was a waste.
Could this government panel have picked a worse form of cancer or manner to diagnose it than breast cancer and mammograms? In October during Brest Cancer Awareness month, the NFL supported the cause and designated games and gear to provide awareness. He-man football players who would never be caught wearing pink, proudly supported the Breast Cancer cause.
Sadly, just recently Stefanie Spielman, the wife of NFL and Ohio State star Chris Spielman who led a public fight against breast cancer, died after a lengthy battle with the disease. She was 42. Yes, that is correct Independent Government Health Care panel, she died of breast cancer before the age you even recommend that woman be provided mammograms.
Stefanie & Chris Spielman
Stefanie Spielman was 30 years old and three months pregnant in 1998 when she detected a lump in her breast. She later miscarried and discovered she had cancer. She survived four bouts with cancer before a fifth recurrence in March.
Chris Spielman was playing linebacker with the Buffalo Bills when he decided to give up football for a year to stay home with his wife and children. When his wife lost her hair because of chemotherapy treatments, he shaved his head.
Earlier this year breast cancer was thrust upon the PGA and the men’s golfing tour when Left, Phil Mickelson’s wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mickelson left the tour to be with his wife as her treatments began. The visibility that breast cancer has been given has been tremendous because as so many have learned with this awful disease is that it does not discriminate. | <urn:uuid:3abd0283-bbe7-44a7-8cfd-329f64167277> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://scaredmonkeys.com/2009/11/28/a-preview-of-obamacare-81-of-voters-disagree-with-government-rationed-health-care-mammogram-rules/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279224.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00479-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968638 | 939 | 2.1875 | 2 |
“Something isn’t right” with the European Union, said French president Nicolas Sarkozy (photo), as France took over the rotaring presidency of the bloc from Slovenia.
Europe’s citizens were losing faith in the project, warned Mr Sarkozy on French TV.
France’s grandiose EU presidency plans are in doubt after the Irish Lisbon treaty No vote. And given Ireland’s rejection, Poland’s president, Lech Kaczynski, said it would be pointless for him to sign the treaty.
Poland’s president reportedly said it would be pointless for him to sign the treaty, given Ireland’s rejection.
He told Polish daily newspaper Dziennik that even though the document has been ratified by Poland’s parliament, he would not approve it, reported AFP news agency.
For its six month at the helm of the EU, France has set out ambitious plans concerning immigration, the environment, agriculture and defence.
His priority would be to get all the other EU states to approve the treaty, and then, see what could be done, because the treaty can’t come into effect until it has been approved by all 27 member states.
EU’s institutional shape
Horst Koehler, German president, is also delaying the ratification of the treaty. He said to sign the treaty, he would wait until after the country’s highest court had delivered a ruling on legal challenges.
After the enlargement of the bloc, the treaty is meant to streamline EU decision-making, create a new EU president and foreign affairs chief. By the end of its tenure, France is supposed to oversee these appointments.
But Irish rejection of the treaty, last month, shows once again that it is the EU’s institutional shape, rather than anything it can actually do, that is in the spotlight, says BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris.
Speaking on France 3, Mr Sarkozy said: “Something isn’t right. Something isn’t right at all.”
“Europe worries people and, worse than that, I find, little by little our fellow citizens are asking themselves if after all the national level isn’t better equipped to protect them than the European level”, he added, calling such thinking a “step backward”.
Mr Sarkozy said: “The first priority is to pinpoint the problem with the Irish voters and to continue to allow other countries to be ratified, especially our Czech friends.”
“I don’t want to say it like that because it would give the impression of forcing their hand”, he answered, when asked if Ireland should vote again.
On 11 July, Mr Sarkozy will travel to Dublin, in order to hear Irish voters’ concerns first-hand. The day before that he will present the priorities of the French EU presidency, in an address to the EU parliament in Strasbourg, France.
In October, EU leaders are due to meet, to hear from Ireland’s prime minister on how to move forward after the “No” vote.
Nicolas Sarkzy also said that, during France’s EU presidency, he would work for a Europe-wide cut in value-added tax on restaurant bills and oil to help consumers cope with soaring crude prices.
Little support from other member states has been given to French president’s call for the EU to cut VAT on fuel.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon are to kick off France’s stint at the EU helm by meeting European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Afterwards, at the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital, a ceremony will be held. | <urn:uuid:53b55c77-66dd-45b1-9deb-30fafe4ce8e0> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://babs22.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/france-takes-over-european-union-presidency/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280483.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00291-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95865 | 787 | 1.828125 | 2 |
What is the chiropractic approach to treating a "slipped disc"?
Chiropractic is conservative care, which means it is non-surgical and drugless. In treating low back "slipped discs", most spine experts agree that conservative care should be tried before surgery is considered, except in severe cases. Chiropractic care has a long history of successfully providing conservative care for disc conditions, and no, chiropractors don't try to "pop a disc back in place".
What is a "slipped disc"?
The disc is a circle of cartilage between each vertebra in the spine that acts as both a shock absorber and a shock distributor. If you jump up and down, imagine what would happen to the stack of bony vertebra that make up the spine without the cushioning of the discs. Move your back side to side. Again, you can visualize the give and take of the discs between the vertebrae. Without discs, the spine simply could not function.
Discs don't really "slip". Instead, they bulge, herniate, or rupture. Saying a disc has "slipped" does suggest that something has "slipped out" and is not where it's supposed to be, which is what happens in disc injuries. Discs are made up of concentric circles or rings of fibrous material with a tough gelatinous center. When cracks or fissures occur in the fibrous rings, the gelatinous material in the center can begin to push out. A number of different factors may cause the disc to "slip".
Does a sneeze cause a "slipped disc"?
The low back "slipped disc" is almost always the result of a process. As is often the case with joint and back injuries, the problem starts small and then builds until it becomes symptomatic. It's a little corny to talk about "the straw that broke the camel’s back", but it gets the point across. For example, a patient sneezes and experiences sudden back pain that then proceeds to leg pain. However, the sneeze didn't cause the disc to "slip," but represents the final "straw" in a much longer process.
Factors that precede the pain and symptoms of disc injury include disc dehydration, unusual stress on the disc secondary to disturbed mechanics, and too much load on the disc. Discs depend on water to keep their height and perform efficiently. When we're young, discs have their own circulation that helps keep them hydrated. As we get older, this circulation ends and the spine must move so that water can be drawn into the discs. If discs become dehydrated and lose their height, they become more vulnerable to cracks and fissures
Discs are integral parts of our body's mechanical system that allows us to move. Chiropractors are especially interested in seeing how injuries in one part of the body relate to the mechanical system of the body as a whole. Chiropractors look at injuries specifically, but they also try to determine in what way an injury is the outcome of disturbances elsewhere in the body.
The spine functions as a whole, so if we have mechanical disturbances in one part of the spine, even as far away from the low back as the neck, it can influence conditions in another area of the spine. Imbalances in the pelvis, problems in the sacroiliac joints, low back facet fixations, as well as joint restrictions in the mid-back and the neck, can contribute to the process of disc degeneration and eventual injury. Disturbed mechanics from lack of muscular support or muscular imbalance are important because discs can come under more stress from weak abdominal muscles, or too much weight around our abdomen. The resulting hyperextension can cause a wedging of the discs.
The opposite condition, hyperflexion, is caused when we round our low back because of weak back muscles or poor sitting habits. This causes stress on the disc in the opposite direction. Finally, if we put too much load on the back over a period of time, or occasionally in one dramatic episode, we can add another significant factor.
A "slipped disc" most often occurs when a number of these and other factors act together to cause disc injury. For example, a middle-aged accountant who sits for long periods, suffers from disc dehydration, and has poor mechanics from weak abdominals, then lifts a heavy piece of furniture and experiences acute low back and leg pain. Or perhaps many months after lifting the piece of furniture, he experiences no pain at all until he sneezes. Bingo! A slipped disc.
How do chiropractors diagnose what went wrong?
What has happened to our poor accountant who is now experiencing acute back and leg pain? Apparently, the cracks and fissures in his disc, the dehydration, the poor mechanics, the lifting, and perhaps even the sneeze, has caused the disc to slip just enough to press against the nerve that exits next to the disc. This has caused inflammation of the nerve, which can then cause pain along the path of the nerve into the leg.
The great majority of disc injuries involve some degree of bulging of the disc. The "slipped" disc can be a slight, even temporary, push against the nerve or the spinal cord, or it can be a more definite mild, moderate, or marked bulge. Frankly, herniated discs occur when a fragment from the central part of the disc breaks completely through the fibrous rings. Whatever the category of disc bulge, the low back pain, leg pain, and muscle spasms require examination and, in most cases, a period of conservative, non-surgical care prior to any consideration of surgical intervention.
What is our chiropractic approach to conservative care of the disc?
First, we should address a misconception. Chiropractors do not attempt to "pop a disc back in place" with forceful adjusting or manipulative techniques. There is a form of disc insult to a nerve with low back instability, often resulting in a quite dramatic lean of the low back with spasm that responds well to traditional chiropractic adjusting. However, all other disc conditions are treated in chiropractic with a gentle program of low-force techniques.
Another misconception is that chiropractic care involves a few quick treatments, again usually seen as “popping the back“, which will fix the disc. Instead, chiropractors who treat disc conditions integrate their low force adjusting techniques in an organized protocol of evaluation and treatment.
Throughout a program of chiropractic care for disc conditions, patients are asked questions regarding their progress. Evaluation of progress using neurological and chiropractic tests based on comparison with the initial findings are essential aspects of this chiropractic protocol.
If a patient is not responding to conservative care using this protocol, the chiropractor will refer the patient for imaging studies and spine specialist consultation. | <urn:uuid:f754f436-7498-4496-b938-e8087fe38e52> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | http://www.chirofitfl.com/Disc-injuries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570741.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808001418-20220808031418-00079.warc.gz | en | 0.949616 | 1,431 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Language Scholars Prove That The
The language connection
The language of the early Hebrews bears an
amazing correspondence to a number of European languages, including English. Can all
of this be just a coincidence, or is there a connection? Here is the evidence.
ADONIS is from the Hebrew Adon meaning Lord or Ruler. Exodus 23:17 says:
Exo 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD GOD.
Adon with the Hebrew suffix AI (meaning 'MY') added is ADONAI, ("MY LORD") which is the most common name of God in the Hebrew text of the Bible.
The Norse God Odin is derived from the Hebrew word, Adon, as is the Tuetonic God, WODEN, from which we get our day of the week, Wednesday.
Odin was the Norse leader to led the Caucasian tribes out of Asia and into Scandinavia in ancient times. In ancient Egypt, Biblical Joseph, father of Ephraim and Manasseh, was the ADON, or ruler, olver all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:9 says,
Gen 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Gen 45:9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me LORD of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
Another variation of this is the word, ADAM, meaning man or ruddy, was the earth's lord and master, and was to take dominion over all the earth.
How about another related word: MADONNA, from the Latin mea (my) and donna (lady); or "MY LADY." The title, lady is the feminine of Lord (as in Lords and Ladies). The pagan Romans worshipped a female goddess called Mea Domina, or the Mother Ruler, which became corrupted into the mother of Jesus after Christianity came to Rome.
The Hebrew-Phoenicians were great traders throughout the known world, and we see that in our word market even today. Market comes from the Latin word MERCARI, meaning to trade, which in turn came from the Hebrew-Phoenician word,. MIKHER, meaning to pay a price, as seen in II Samuel 24:24:
2 Sam 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a PRICE: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
MOCHAR (MAH-KHAR means a merchant in Genesis 37:36, speaking of Joseph in Egypt:
Gen 37:36 And the Midianites SOLD him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
From this original Hebrew word we have our modern words Commerce, market, mart, mercantile, mercenary, merchandise, mercer, merchant, mercury, and mercy.
The Hebrew word, AMEN, (meaning so be it, it is true and certain) is the root of our word, Amenable, (meaning willing to believe and submit, agreable).
The word Money comes from the Hebrew word, Mone (Moan-Eh), meaning a weight or coin. Ezekiel 45:12 says:
Ezek 45:12 And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your MANEH.
Related words, Mana, means to count or number in II Kings 12:11,
2 Ki 12:11 And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,
MINA means to number as in:
Dan 5:25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Dan 5:26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
MAMON is money, from a related Aramaic word, mamona meaning riches.
Etymologist Ernest Klein says that the latin word moneta meaning mint and money is conjectured to be from Phoenician Hebrew origin.
The word mystery is "the secret worship of a deity or a secret thing." The Hebrew word, MESTAR is a secret place:
Jer 13:17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive.
Related Hebrew words are bimestar meaning secretly in Psalm 10:9, and misootar is secret in Proverbs 27:5. Yet another related word is Nistaros:
Deu 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
In pre-Christian Greece and Italy, they worshipped Astarte, which is linked to the pagan Phoenician and Syrian Ashtoreth, which in turn was adopted from ancient Babylon and Assyrian Ishtar; all were a magical mystery religion. The word mystic is also related.
Botany comes from the Greek word botane, meaning a plant or herb, but possibly even earlier from the Hebrew Nabhat, meaning a sprout; the Hebrew boten are nuts in Genesis 43:11, and Nebh(eg) is a fungus. The Semitic Arabic word batatis is the root of potato.
The dictionaries aren't sure what Europe means, but in ancient Greek mythology, Europa was a Phoenician princess who was carried off to the West. In Hebrew, the word, West, is (Ma)Urobh, as in Psalm 103:12. The root of this Hebrew word is EREV, meaning EVENING, and west is the direction of the setting sun of the evening-time. This word appears in Genesis 1:5. In fact, ancient Assyrian monuments speak of the land of EREB, meaning "Setting Sun Land." Likewise, ASU (ASHU) was Assyrian lingo for "land of the rising sun," and of course, the sun rises in the EAST. So we see where we got the modern terms.
EAST AND WEST
Speaking of evening, the Hebrew word for that is (HEY)-EVE, meaning to darken or grow cloudy. (YA)EV in Lamentations 2:1 means "covered with a cloud."
Hebrew language scholar, Dr. Isaac Mozeson, wrote an entire dictionary of words which in English are derived from Hebrew. It is entitled, "“The Word, The Dictionary That Reveals the Hebrew Source of English,” and includes over 5,000 words with a Hebrew origin. Most modern dictionaries ignore this connection even for words with a very obvious Hebrew connection, such as "jubilee" and "jubiliate," etc. The aforementioned words are usually only ascribed to Latin or Greek! Thus, the truth has been obscured on the Hebew-English connection.
Also read our tract on "The Hebrew-English Connection" for more information. | <urn:uuid:7a3a7268-10fe-4566-95a3-d9d262ea38d2> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.israelite.info/thebiblestoryfiles/hebrew-etymology.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280761.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00097-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946253 | 1,613 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Did you ever notice that during times of rain, ants start to appear? They are not trying to be a pest, the ants are trying to survive! Heavy rains will flush ants out of the wet soil. The ants search for food and safety in higher grounds; if it is dry, they will of course feel even better.
Why do ants show up after rain?
All insects, including ants, have the same basic needs as us: ants want shelter and food. When it rains, ants that live on the ground surface or underground are at risk of drowning. Therefore, the workers pick up eggs and other immature ants and seek out shelter in a dry place.
How do I get rid of ants in rainy season?
Spray vinegar near baseboards, in any cracks, and on countertops where they may be walking. You can allow vinegar to dry on surfaces or wipe with a clean cloth – this eliminates their chemical trail and will deter some of the stragglers. Repeat several times a day. Some ants like protein and grease.
Does rain kill ants?
Heavy rain drives ants up from their flooded homes. If the rain has been heavy enough, the entire colony may search out a new place to live. … The Borax is poisonous and almost immediately fatal to ants once it has been ingested.
Do ants mean rain is coming?
And despite the persistent rumours, Wayne says there’s no evidence to show that ants can predict rain. “There is no scientific evidence of any relationship between ants and rain except to say that we know that ants behave in certain ways after rain.”
Does rain cause ants to come in house?
Instead, ants commonly come inside during times of heavy rains because—like humans—they want a safe, dry place to live. So when the rains get heavy, you can expect ants to make their way into your house by any means possible—cracks in windows, gaps between bricks, or doors that don’t seal fully shut, to name a few.
Do ants have a queen ant?
Ants have a caste system, where responsibilities are divided. The queen is the founder of the colony, and her role is to lay eggs. … A female ant’s fate to become a worker or queen is mainly determined by diet, not genetics. Any female ant larva can become the queen – those that do receive diets richer in protein.
What kills ants instantly?
If you notice ant holes near your home, pour boiling water into them. This will effectively and immediately kill many of the ants inside.
Why are there so many ants this year 2020?
So, why are there so many this season? Experts say an extremely wet winter could be to blame. Ants will make their way to higher, drier ground and try to find their way inside your home through any crack during heavy rain. Carpenter ants, especially, love the moisture and to feast on rotten wood.
What smell do ants hate the most?
Which smells do ants hate the most?
- Lavender. …
- Eucalyptus. …
- Peppermint. …
- Garlic. …
- Cinnamon. …
- Plant herbs in your garden. …
- Make an essential oil-based repellent spray. …
- Keep ants out with an essential oil barrier.
Do ants get flooded when it rains?
Rain seems like it would be a big problem for these tiny insects, but surprisingly you won’t see a colony swept away in a downpour. The crafty bugs are safe and dry in their subterranean home. … As long as the rainfall isn’t too heavy, the water will pass through the nest without pooling.
Do ants drown in water?
Yes, ants die in water. Ants can’t swim, and they drown if you put them in water. … Even though the ants can’t swim, they can float. The amount of time ants takes to drown varies from one ant species to another.
Do Floods kill ants?
Floods don’t kill fire ants, they just move the colonies around a bit, according to Extension entomologists. … Remove ants immediately by rubbing them off. Ants will only cling to the skin if submerged. Even a high-pressure water spray may not dislodge them. | <urn:uuid:ce1a47f0-fe1f-435d-882a-fdb48e65f7a8> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://graftonweather.net/meteorology/does-rain-increase-ant-activity.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573533.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818215509-20220819005509-00276.warc.gz | en | 0.947391 | 903 | 3.03125 | 3 |
In recent days, the health care debate has shifted back to an idea that's been kicking around since Barack Obama first started talking about universal coverage on the campaign trail: Let's stick fatties with the tab. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke out (
) this week in favor of
to fight the obesity epidemic and raise federal revenue. The
spelled things out: "
The recent push comes in the wake of a report published Monday in Health Affairs that purports to compute the annual medical spending attributable to obesity . According to author Eric A. Finkelstein, " obesity is the single biggest reason for the increase in health care costs " in the United States, contributing $147 billion to our national tab in 2008. A similar study from a few weeks ago pinned California's budget problems on the $41 billion cost of "obesity and inactivity." ) Predictably, media outlets have jumped on the story .
This isn't the first time we've been led to believe that we can pay for universal health care by taxing fat people or making them lose weight. During the presidential campaign, both Obama and Hillary Clinton were asserting that preventing obesity could save the Medicare system a trillion dollars . But the idea that a national diet could solve all our problems is purest fantasy. (Or should I say pie-in-the-sky?) If we were really dedicated to cutting healthcare costs—if pinching pennies were a more important goal than making people well—then we wouldn't tax soda and cheeseburgers. We'd subsidize them .
The fact is, fat people aren't breaking the bank at all—they're saving us money. While it's true that someone who's grossly overweight might rack up bills for obesity-related ailments like diabetes and hypertension, those added costs would be more than offset by his shorter lifespan. The rest of us tend to suck more resources over the duration of our slim and fruitful lives on account of all the expensive degenerative diseases we develop in our
bonus years. That's not to say we shouldn't try to prevent obesity. But let's stop pretending it's a reasonable way to pay for health care reform.
(For a more detailed discussion of this topic, see my piece on the fat tax from February of last year.) | <urn:uuid:89f1bfd0-d310-4754-8774-b99f2882289e> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2009/07/29/no_fat_people_won_t_pay_for_health_care_reform.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281331.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00220-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968848 | 467 | 1.976563 | 2 |
King Tut is back — and this time, it's pharaonic
Some are lucky to get their 15 minutes of fame, but rare is the person who gets some 3,000 years of it. The world's best-known pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, shows his
Some are lucky to get their 15 minutes of fame, but rare is the person who gets some 3,000 years of it. The world's best-known pharaoh, King Tutankhamun, shows his royal longevity starting this week in Philly, as an exhibit that hasn't toured the U.S. for two decades (kind of like the supergroup Asia) is back for its fourth and final stop. So whether you want to gaze upon the recognizable gold canopic coffinette, explore his ever-mysterious death in the current CT scans, or lust after any of the other 50 treasures found in his excavated tomb, this is the show for you. And Tut's treasures aren't all-more than 70 riches from other royal graves in the 18th Dynasty will be showcased too. It turns out the Egyptians knew a thing or two about bling.
“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs,” February 3rd to September 30th at the Franklin Institute, 222 North 20th Street; fi.edu. Tickets $17.50 to $32.50; call 877-TUT-TKTS. | <urn:uuid:04a58987-5de1-4ddf-b112-b8359bae21e5> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.phillymag.com/articles/ae-the-mummy-returns/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279915.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00272-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956493 | 298 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Meal replacement plans such as Slimfast and Medifast have been around a long time now. Is there any evidence on their effectiveness? The hesitant answer is yes. Why hesitant? Many of these studies are funded by these vendors. Certain populations are excluded that are very important in today’s society.
In a 2010 publication, the VP of Scientific and Clinical Affairs at Medifast was the lead author on a study of adults aged 18-65. Both diet plans were restricted to 1000 kilocalories a day, a seemingly good recipe for success to begin with. Early weight loss favored the meal replacement plan (12.3% vs. 6.9%). At week 40 there were no significant differences in the BMI reduction (7.8 vs. 5.9%) nor the biochemical markers studied.
A 2004 study was funded by Slimfast and also focused on adults aged 20-65. Here, again, both groups lost weight. The authors noted that the meal replacement plan subjects found it easier to understand and follow the food amounts.
A 2007 study funded by Slimfast found mean weight lost was not difference between groups. The low calorie group lost 8.4% of their original weight and the meal replacement group lost 6.2%. Both groups reduced calorie and fat consumption and increased protein intake over one year. Women 50 years and under were the subjects.
Ahrens was another Slimfast funded study from 2003. Again, both groups lost over 5% of their base body weight, the marker of significant body weight reduction set by the CDC. Further, there were no differences in biomarkers, including blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides or lipids. This study spanned 22 weeks.
A 2003 meta-analysis was provided by a member of the Slimfast nutritional institute. This meta-analysis combined six studies but two of these included diabetics that may have been quite different. Again the age was limited to those under 65. 88% of the population were women. Attrition was a problem in many studies and sometimes approached 50%. All six individual studies showed significant weight lost in both groups. Pooling the data had interesting results. More participants lost over 5% of their baseline body weight in the meal replacement group p<0.0001) at one year. The low calorie diet group lost between 2.61 and 4.35 Kg and the meal replacement plan lost 6.97 to 7.31 Kg and this difference was statistically significant. Was this influenced by including the diabetic patients? We do not know.
An interesting study came from Australia (Truby, 2008). Again the population was adults 65 years and under. Four diet plans were assessed including the Atkins, Weight Watchers, Slim Fast and a local product. Although they only followed patients for two months, they found all diet groups lost significantly more weight than the control group. Differences were found in the levels of minerals and vitamins in patients. Slimfast showed a decrease in niacin and an increase in zinc in this older study.
An obvious conclusion is that bias may well have influenced this body of literature. The elderly are conspicuously absent from these studies. All studies involved calorie reductions for both groups. Weight loss was evident in almost all cases. The conundrum is the meta-analysis. We leave that to your assessment. We have validated our literature search with the assistance of a medical librarian. It is possible that we did not locate all relevant studies . Reported here is a summary of some of the best found for adults.
Ahrens, R. A., Hower, M., & Best, A. M. (2003). Effects of Weight Reduction Interventions by Community Pharmacists. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 43(5), 583-589.
Ashley, J. M. et al. (2007). Nutrient adequacy during weight loss interventions: A randomized study in women comparing the dietary intake tin a meal replacement group with a traditional food group. Nutrition Journal, 6, 12. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-6-12
Davis, Coleman, et al. (2010). Efficacy of a meal replacement diet plan compared to a food-based diet plan after a period of weight loss and weight maintenance: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Journal 9:11.
Heymsfield (2003). Weight management using a meal replacement (PMR) strategy: meta and pooling analysis from six studies. International Journal of Obesity.
Noakes, Foster, et al.(2004). Meal replacements are as effective as structured weight-loss diets for treating obesity adults with features of metabolic syndrome. Journal of Nutrition. 134: 1894-1899. (AUSTRALIA)
Truby, Hiscutt, et al. (2008). Commercial weight loss diets meet nutrient requirements in free living adults over 8 weeks: a randomized controlled weight loss trial. Nutrition Journal, 7:25. (AUSTRALIA)
Kathy Russell-Babin, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, NEA-BC
Sr. Manager, Institute for Evidence-Based Care
Meridian Health System | <urn:uuid:d7d7198e-aa4a-432c-8cc7-565657c66cb4> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/april-2012-(1)/are-meal-replacement-plans-better-than-low-calorie?feed=blogs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280718.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00410-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949584 | 1,052 | 2.359375 | 2 |
Jewish Museum of Greece / ATHENS
Stories Set in Stone: Jewish Inscriptions in GreeceThe Jewish Museum of Greece (JMG) presents a new temporary exhibition, entitled “Stone Paths - Stories Set in Stone: Jewish Inscriptions in Greece”, which it is co-organizing and co-hosting with the Epigraphic Museum and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The exhibition is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office, from the Greek-German Fund for the Future.
The exhibition was inspired by the publication of the academic volume Corpus Inscriptionum Judaicarum Graeciae: Corpus of Jewish and Hebrew Inscriptions from Mainland and Island Greece (Late 4th c. BCE-15th Century), which collects and presents 108 epigraphic items of Jewish interest that are located in Greek territory, many of them for the first time. The epigraphic corpus, which was awarded a prize by the Academy of Athens in December 2019 in the letters and fine arts category, is part of the research activity of the JMG, which focuses on the recording, study and publication of the intangible and material evidence for the archaeological and historical past of Greek Jews.
The aim of the joint temporary exhibition is to highlight and showcase selected items of the historical and archaeological evidence of the Jews of Greece (mainly from the late 4th BCE to the 15th century). The information this evidence contains, allows us to reconstruct aspects of one of the oldest religious and cultural communities in Europe while it also reveals the multicultural past of the country. The exhibits are presented in thematic sections, which cover all aspects of the social, religious, political, and cultural life of the Jewish communities of late antiquity. The novel approach represented by this double presentation, lies in the exploration of the early settlement of the Jews in Greece not as an isolated historical event, but as an integral part of a broader historical, geographical, and chronological context.
From 16 May 2022 to 28 February 2023
Monday to Friday 09:00 - 14:30
Sunday 10:00 - 14:00 | <urn:uuid:14283515-f769-42b3-8898-7bf8bc3e7b47> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://visitgreece.gr/events/exhibition/stone-paths-stories-set-in-stone-jewish-inscriptions-in-greece/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571758.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812200804-20220812230804-00669.warc.gz | en | 0.95797 | 439 | 2.390625 | 2 |
You may have heard that stock investing is an excellent method to build money over time, and this is true. But do you truly understand how the stock market operates? What distinguishes a stock market from a stock exchange or a stock index? Do you have any idea what a stock is?
Investing money is a long-term strategy for accumulating wealth. On the other hand, understanding the market isn’t always straightforward if you’re a beginner. It might be challenging to get your bearings with all of the abbreviations and industry jargon financial planners use. Brushing up on the fundamentals can help you make a more seamless transition into the market.
What is a Stock Market?
Stocks, usually referred to as equities or publicly traded companies, are ownership interests in companies that choose to make their shares available to the general public. A share of stock show’s a company’s ownership interest; if you buy a share of Apple, you own a small piece of the company and benefit from its success.
To put it another way, instead of being managed by a single person or a small number of individuals, some businesses choose to “go public,” which means that anybody can buy shares in the company and become a part owner.
Electronic stock exchanges are commonly used to buy and sell stocks, with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) being the two most prominent in the United States (NASDAQ). While some corporations sell stock directly to investors, most companies use a brokerage to do so.
Although the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq are the world’s largest exchanges and receive the majority of attention in the United States, there are other stock exchanges around the world, including the London Stock Exchange, some locations in Asia and various locations throughout the European Union.
On a stock exchange, how are prices set?
Supply and demand, basic and simple, dictate stock prices on exchanges. At any one time, there is a maximum price someone is willing to pay for a stock and a minimum price at which they are prepared to sell shares of the stock.Consider stock market trading similar to an auction, with some investors bidding for equities that others are willing to sell.
When a stock is in high demand, investors will buy it faster than sellers want to sell it, driving up the price. On the other hand, if more people sell than acquire stock, the market price would fall.
Investing in Stocks
Several studies have shown that over extended periods of time, equities outperform all other asset classes in terms of investment returns. Capital gains and dividends are the sources of stock returns.
Stocks are an important aspect of any portfolio because of their potential for growth and better returns than other investment products. To figure out how much to put into stocks, you’ll need to create a thorough financial plan representing your investment horizon and the level of risk you’re prepared to take in exchange for the potential upside that stocks can provide.
Investors who want to take a riskier approach to their stock portfolios should have higher risk tolerance. Most of these investors’ profits will come from capital gains rather than dividends. Investors who are conservative and require income from their portfolios, on the other hand, may choose equities with a long history of providing high dividends.
How The Economy Affects The Stock Market
When the general public believes that the economy is about to deteriorate, they tend to sell shares in favor of bonds and treasuries, which provide a safer return. On the other hand, when people are confident and enthusiastic about the economy, they are more likely to invest in stocks, taking on more risk in exchange for a higher gain.
When people are optimistic about the economy, they are more likely to purchase stock. When events in the globe make individuals feel uncertain, they will be more cautious and gravitate toward lower-risk investments like bonds and Treasury bills.
Keep in mind that everyone’s financial condition is unique. If you’re not sure if a particular investing strategy is good for you, seek the guidance of financial consultants who can provide you advice based on your specific financial position. | <urn:uuid:5f46523c-1f5c-45ab-aa2d-6a16e1e58ea9> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://advats.com/how-does-the-stock-market-works/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570977.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809124724-20220809154724-00467.warc.gz | en | 0.949553 | 865 | 2.9375 | 3 |
VENICE, FL. - It's a highly used industrial area in Venice some say could be better used. Now, talks of turning it into a waterfront type location is once again being discussed by city leaders.
It's called the Seaboard Area and it’s located just off the Island of Venice and along the Intercoastal Waterway. There’s a nice water view, but the businesses along the area don't use it. Helping them move to other parts of the city could perhaps bring on some major development there.
Along the Intercoastal Waterway there certainly seems to be a lot of potential. Water views, even if man made come at a premium. "I look at that area and I can see a nice river walk area with a bit of park space," says Venice City Mayor John Holic.
Mayor Holic sees the potential for things like condos, retail, tech-based businesses, maybe even a satellite campus to one of the local colleges. "It can be such a wide variety of beautiful buildings in a beautiful surrounding."
There is just one big problem. The businesses already there would have to go. "It would be tough to just up and move."
Along the stretch are dozens of established businesses which provide services and hundreds of jobs. Places like Inline Filling Systems build large machines which help fill and package products. "I can appreciate what they want to do. Obviously our concerns are trying to replace the exact structure and the type of things we need to do in the building. To replace it would be an extreme burden on our company. Probably to the point of putting us out of business," says Joe Schemenauer of Inline Filling Systems Inc.
Mayor Holic says imminent domain isn't something he's thinking of. "We would not want to turn around and dislocate viable businesses."
Instead, Holic says the city could look at designating the stretch as a community redevelopment area. Taxes taken in from increases in property values would be set aside and invested. Incentives and grants could be grabbed to help businesses relocate in the city. "We would be willing to move if it worked out if it was very equitable. Obviously, if we had the opportunity to move someplace else and still be in the area, we would absolutely be open to that."
By the way, Holic isn't alone in thinking it might be a good idea. Redeveloping the area has been a part of the city's comprehensive plan for 20 years. "We can't keep talking about it and doing nothing. We can't keep doing that. We have to do something," says Holic.
The city itself would have to make some changes. The Public Works Department currently takes up seven acres along Seaboard Avenue, and Holic says moving those facilities could be the starting point. | <urn:uuid:f68eae34-3c31-4e40-af9e-73625257ab8f> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/local/seaboard-area-in-venice-discussed-for-redevelopment/article_70b4b1a2-ff93-11e2-ac11-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=image&photo=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281353.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00071-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981087 | 583 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
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|dc.description.abstract||Turbulent convective heat transfer and Fe3O4/water nanofluid flow behaviors in a corrugated tube were studied numerically. The numerical study was performed using the corrugated copper tube with a 10.70 mm inside diameter with a constant heat flux boundary condition. The finite volume approach was used to discretize the Eulerian two-phase model and then solve it using the SIMPLE technique. The effect of corrugated pitch and corrugated depth on the velocity vectors and temperature contours are presented and analyzed. It was found that the geometrical parameters (corrugated pitch and corrugated depth) have a significant effect on the velocity and temperature contours. In comparison to the plain tube, the maximum and minimum turbulent intensity enhancements are 1.40 and 1.06 times, respectively, also resulting in an increase in the Nusselt number enhancement. Simultaneously, due to more flow complexity and roughness augmentation, the flow resistance also increased. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.|
|dc.subject||Heat transfer and flows|
|dc.subject||Heat transfer behavior|
|dc.subject||Turbulent convective heat transfers|
|dc.title||Heat Transfer and Flow Behaviors of Ferrofluid in Three-Start Helically Fluted Tubes|
|dc.identifier.bibliograpycitation||Heat Transfer Engineering. Vol , No. (2021)|
|Appears in Collections:||Scopus 1983-2021|
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Items in SWU repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. | <urn:uuid:52dbed6d-735c-444a-ba9a-ecf8cc513ac5> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ir.swu.ac.th/jspui/handle/123456789/17398?mode=full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572833.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817001643-20220817031643-00266.warc.gz | en | 0.661607 | 912 | 1.75 | 2 |
In a recent interview, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards said she didn’t know at what point a baby receives its constitutional rights. With that answer she moved the abortion argument back to where it should have been all along, babies and constitutional protection of inalienable rights.
Planned Parenthood prefers using clinical sounding terms like extraction to abortion, but it really doesn’t matter because whatever one calls them, these babies are people.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion is a woman’s right, they never ruled on the most important issue. In Roe v Wade the court ruled 7–2 that a right to privacy under the due process Clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman’s decision to have an abortion, but that this right must be balanced against the state’s two legitimate interests in regulating abortions: protecting women’s health and protecting the human life. But the court forgot to add one more set of rights to its consideration set, rights that were explained in an earlier document, The Declaration of Independence.
I will acknowledge that I’m not an attorney nor do I play one on TV (although one of my undergraduate degrees is in acting and directing). And to be totally honest, my Jewish parents were a bit disappointed with my announcement that my other major, political science was not going to lead me to law school. But a lack of a law degree does not preclude me (or any other adult) from understanding our founding documents. And that if considered logically, those documents instruct us that the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision ignored the very essence of the U.S. Constitution. While the court considered the rights of the mother and the rights of the states, it did not consider the inalienable rights of the baby. And it is the protection of those inalienable rights which made the U.S. Constitution what it is; a timeless guide to protecting our God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
This question has nothing to do with viability, or when life begins (in Judaism we believe that life begins when the kids get married and we move to Boca Raton). The real question was not addressed by the court, when is child is eligible for constitutional rights. Or on the other hand does the court have the power to take away our constitutional rights.
As David Shestokas explained in his book Constitutional Sound Bites, the Constitution takes its lead from the Declaration of Independence in believing that our rights do not come from the government, they are inalienable rights:
For the first time in world history a country would be guided by a philosophy not based upon force, but upon a shared view of government’s purpose. The Declaration defined government’s purpose to secure our inalienable rights. The Constitution’s purpose is to secure the blessings of liberty. To understand the Declaration of Independence is to understand the Constitution.
As Mr.Shestokas explains, these inalienable rights (which Jefferson describes later in the Declaration as “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”) cannot be taken away by the government.
(…) There exist in the world things that no government has the power to change. No government can repeal the Law of Gravity. No government can extinguish the desire of human beings to be free. These are natural laws.
The Law of Nature is observable in a scientific sense. The Law of Nature’s God is revealed to men in a spiritual sense. Whether scientific or spiritual, natural law comes to the same conclusion, that all men have inalienable rights. The Declaration of Independence relies upon this “self-evident” truth for the establishment of the United States.
Per the famous phrase written in 1776 those self-evident truths include, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” And the entire purpose of the Constitution is to protect those rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence.
Therefore the real constitutional question about abortion has nothing to do with viability outside of the womb, or when life begins, but when do humans acquire those inalienable rights. Viability doesn’t matter. An adult human who is seconds from death because of a terminal disease still has those rights. When does life begin is a theological question not a legal question. From a Declaration of Independence/ Constitutional point of view the real question is when do those natural laws of God apply? Because based on the Constitution as soon as they apply, the court has no power to take them away.
This brings us to CEO of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards because she doesn’t know at what point a baby receives constitutional rights to protect their inalienable rights.
According to a report in CNS News:
Wagner said, “At what point does that child – or that unborn person, fetus – whatever you want to call it – at what point does that baby get the constitutional rights?”
“Well, I don’t really, actually – I don’t know that there’s an exact answer for that,” Richards replied.
“Because what the point is (inaudible) that women have and there are, as you know, restrictions on women’s ability to terminate a pregnancy – and when they can, but until a pregnancy is viable they have the right to make that decision.”
“I think it really, honestly that’s not the problem we are facing in America,” Richards continued. “What we are facing in America is the fact that women in many states have fewer rights to access basic health care. And again, I think it’s really important that we be honest here about birth control.”
No Ms. Richards it has nothing to do with birth control and everything to do with at one point in their development are babies eligible for inalienable rights protected by our Constitution. Because based on our founding documents which rules the way our government works, those rights weren’t given to us by the government but were endowed by our creator. Therefore no court, no legislature, and no executive, has the power to take them away.
And if we don’t have the answer when those inalienable rights kick in, how can we take the life of a child?
Cecile Richards’ interview is below:
The cartoon at the top of this post was created by 2x Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Michael Ramirez. If you don’t read him at his site Michaelpramirez.com, or on Facebook you are doing yourself a great disservice! | <urn:uuid:2592f56a-6ea2-476f-ba58-21e074eaaaf1> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://lidblog.com/planned-parenthood-ceo-makes-a-constituional-case-against-abortion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573104.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817183340-20220817213340-00478.warc.gz | en | 0.955933 | 1,378 | 2.09375 | 2 |
Christmas thank you messages are those types of messages that are written to thank someone for wishing the sender a happy Christmas.
These messages are written and sent to express gratitude and wish Christmas in return and the tone of these messages must compliment the nature of the content.
The length of Christmas thank you messages must be kept short. Given below are a few samples of Christmas thank you messages which can be used for reference purpose.
Sample Christmas Thank You Messages:
- [blockquote]Thank you so much dear for wishing me a merry Christmas. I would like to wish you the same and hope you are doing fine as well.[/blockquote]
- Merry Christmas to you and your family as well. Thank you so much for wishing me and I pray to god to bless you with happiness and success.
- [blockquote]Christmas is a festival which brings us all together. I thank god for helping us keep in touch and maintain a beautiful relationship. Merry Christmas to you and your family.[/blockquote]
- Thanks for wishing me. I would like to wish you a merry Christmas as well. May you be happy and have a great Christmas celebrations.
- Merry Christmas and I am grateful that you remembered to wish me. | <urn:uuid:4c587252-98e0-4c9d-b8eb-3bb457fb1935> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.samplemessages.com/christmas-messages/christmas-thank-you-messages.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281746.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00289-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939478 | 250 | 1.515625 | 2 |
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission On Commission Enforcement of the Anti-Fraud Provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule; the Requirements of the National Do Not Call Registry; and the Credit Repair Organizations Act
Before the Committee On Commerce, Science and Transportation, United States Senate | <urn:uuid:f2905630-262f-429d-96d4-5ddbaaa5880c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/prepared-statement-federal-trade-commission-commission-enforcement-anti-fraud-provisions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571989.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813232744-20220814022744-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.875328 | 146 | 1.835938 | 2 |
A recent report by Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 showed how supply chains have become a cloud security threat.
Indeed, it was found out that 63% of third-party code used in building cloud infrastructure had insecure configurations, which means that it is possible for hackers to infiltrate thousands of organizations’ cloud infrastructures. 96% of third-party container applications deployed in cloud infrastructure possess known vulnerabilities.
Besides, the study revealed that even a ‘mature’ cloud security posture can contain several critical misconfigurations and vulnerabilities. Cloud infrastructures can be targeted by unvetted third-party code that introduces security flaws allowing attackers access to sensitive data in the cloud environment.
It is then essential to reinforce DevOps and cloud-native applications security. DevOps and security teams need to gain visibility into the cloud workload so as to evaluate risk at every stage of the dependency chain and establish guardrails. Organizations also need to spend more on cloud security. | <urn:uuid:89c8d8f5-a502-4dfa-8ced-7d4b025399e2> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://devopsnews.online/supply-chain-applications-in-the-cloud-to-contain-vulnerabilities/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570921.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20220809094531-20220809124531-00274.warc.gz | en | 0.95174 | 198 | 1.984375 | 2 |
If you want to record a your voice over a piece of music you have two choices in the NCH Software audio suite. MixPad recording and mixing software is the more advanced program, that will allow you to record multiple tracks, and fine tune the mixing of the music and vocal tracks, but you can also try the Paste Mix feature in WavePad audio editor for quickly combining to files.
WavePad doesn't allow you to record directly over another file, highlighting a file and clicking record will end up replacing the selection. Instead, use the Paste Mix feature to combine two audio files into a single track.
Copy the recorded voice over to the clipboard, then select all in the audio file you want to add that voice over to and click Paste Mix on the Edit Tab.This will open a window with options on what to do if your files are not the same length. If the Mix Audio—which is your voice recording on the clipboard—is the shorter of the two files, you can ignore the options and click OK. If the Mix Audio is longer, you need to decide what to do when the audio you are mixing into is finished. When you click OK the two pieces of audio will be combined and when you press Play you will hear both files. | <urn:uuid:2118b11a-d3a5-4415-818e-cdefb1c9d0b2> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://nchsoftware.blogspot.com/2013/03/add-voice-over-audio-paste-mix-software.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281424.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00332-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926286 | 254 | 2.15625 | 2 |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – A state of the art quartet of identical science satellites aimed at unraveling the mysteries of the process known as magnetic reconnection is slated for a spectacular nighttime blastoff tonight, March 12, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The $1.1 Billion Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is comprised of four formation flying and identically instrumented observatories whose objective is providing the first three-dimensional views of a fundamental process in nature known as magnetic reconnection.
Magnetic reconnection is a little understood natural process whereby magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect while explosively releasing vast amounts of energy. It occurs throughout the universe.
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Liftoff is slated for 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday March 12 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
The launch window extends for 30 minutes. You can watch the MMS launch live on NASA TV, below, starting at 8 p.m.
Spectators ringing the Florida space coast region and ranging well beyond should be treated to a magnificent fireworks display and skyward streak of perhaps several minutes – weather and clouds permitting.
Currently the weather forecast is 70 percent “GO” for favorable conditions at launch time. The primary concerns for a safe and successful launch are for cumulus clouds and thick clouds.
In the event of a 24 hour delay for any reason the weather forecast is 60 percent “GO.”
The 195 foot tall rocket and encapsulated MMS satellite payload were rolled out to Space Launch Complex-41 on Wednesday March 10 at 10 a.m. on the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) about 1800 feet from the Vertical Integration Facility or VIF to the Cape Canaveral pad.
The two stage Atlas V rocket will deliver the MMS constellation to a highly elliptical orbit.
The venerable rocket with a 100% success rate will launch in the Atlas V 421 configuration with a 4-meter diameter Extra Extended Payload Fairing along with two Aerojet Rocketdyne solid rocket motors attached to the Atlas booster first stage.
The Atlas first stage is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine and the Centaur upper stage is powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A engine producing 22,300 lb of thrust.
The first stage is 12.5 ft in diameter and fueled with liquid propellants. The RD-180 burns RP-1 highly purified kerosene and liquid oxygen and delivers 860,200 lb of sea level thrust.
This is ULA’s 4th launch in 2015, the 53nd Atlas V mission and the fourth Atlas V 421 launch.
“This is the perfect time for this mission,” said Jim Burch, principal investigator of the MMS instrument suite science team at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas.
“MMS is a crucial next step in advancing the science of magnetic reconnection. Studying magnetic reconnection near Earth will unlock the ability to understand how this process works throughout the entire universe.”
After a six month check out phase the probes will start science operation in September.
Unlike previous missions to observe the evidence of magnetic reconnection events, MMS will have sufficient resolution to measure the characteristics of ongoing reconnection events as they occur.
The four probes were built in-house by NASA at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland where I visited them during an inspection tour by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
I asked Bolden to explain the goals of MMS during a one-on-one interview.
“MMS will help us study the phenomena known as magnetic reconnection and help us understand how energy from the sun – magnetic and otherwise – affects our own life here on Earth,” Bolden told Universe Today.
“MMS will study what effects that process … and how the magnetosphere protects Earth.”
MMS measurements should lead to significant improvements in models for yielding better predictions of space weather and thereby the resulting impacts for life here on Earth as well as for humans aboard the ISS and robotic satellite explorers in orbit and the heavens beyond.
The best place to study magnetic reconnection is ‘in situ’ in Earth’s magnetosphere. This will lead to better predictions of space weather phenomena.
Magnetic reconnection is also believed to help trigger the spectacular aurora known as the Northern or Southern lights.
MMS is a Solar Terrestrial Probes Program, or STP, mission within NASA’s Heliophysics Division
Watch for Ken’s ongoing MMS coverage and he’ll be onsite at the Kennedy Space Center in the days leading up to the launch on March 12.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing MMS, Earth and planetary science and human spaceflight news. | <urn:uuid:c27e2d6b-b8c4-467f-b703-550a2100cd28> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.universetoday.com/119319/nasa-unravels-mysteries-of-magnetic-reconnection-with-nighttime-blastoff-of-mms-satellite-quartet-watch-live/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573744.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819161440-20220819191440-00475.warc.gz | en | 0.912898 | 1,038 | 2.1875 | 2 |
Positive scenarios for the occupied part of the Donbas are unlikely, the region is threatened with desolation. The way it will look like is evidenced by the experience of PMR (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) and the Nagorno-Karabakh
Please follow the link to read the 1st part of the story
The situation of people in the occupied areas of the Donbas continuously worsens. The situation threatens to turn into a long-drawn-out unresolved conflict with periodic escalations in the demarcation line, or in the frozen conflict in limbo. Any of the scenarios do not bode well for the local population. Is there a way out?
Military conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the Donbas is not a unique phenomenon in the post-Soviet space. It has much in common with the armed conflicts in Moldova, and between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as a result of which the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh and the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic have "fallen away". All these conflicts directly or indirectly, have been initiated or supported by Moscow which solved in this way its geopolitical objectives. Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria are two real alternative models for transformation of the occupied East of Ukraine. Except, of course, the return of these territories under full control of Kyiv after the withdrawal of Russian troops, mercenaries and heavy weapons. As things stand now, this scenario appears to be the most unlikely.
NKR model. Pace of developments in the Donbas is similar to Nagorno-Karabakh. The same direct separation of the territory by a neighboring state, the escalation of the conflict through the supply of weapons to separatist structures, the creation of "authorities" in the occupied territories, the attempt to legitimize the status of separate regions and, finally, the beginning of peace negotiations, and dragging out the negotiations in the future.
As well as in the east of Ukraine, on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh there is no foreign peacekeeping forces, that is, the observance of the state of ceasefire is entirely dependent on the goodwill of the parties. Similarly to Donbas, the state is not kept. Since the summer of 2014, the situation in the region has worsened considerably. The record number of collisions over the past 20 years was registered along the front line. Every day in the news there are new mutual accusations of firings and reports of killed and wounded people.
"The key similarity of the Karabakh conflict with the events in eastern Ukraine is that both regions have gone through the phase of bloody armed conflict and both have not yet reached the level of a full freeze of the situation on the front line and the transition to a full peace settlement", - says to LІGA.net Doctor of Political Sciences, deputy director of the Institute of Caucasus Sergey Minasyan.
OSCE Minsk Group was created for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Peace talks are underway for more than 20 years, but without much success. Recently, the President of Azerbaijan has called the work of diplomats as "absolutely senseless" and accused them of intending "not to end, but frozen the conflict".
Azerbaijani political scientist Azar Rashidoglu has told to LІGA.net that the inhabitants of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh are living day to day, trying to solve many social problems, and are little concerned about political issues. "To be a "citizen of an unrecognized state" is not an easy task. They want to live in peace, have a passport which allows you to go for medical treatment, study or leisure. Now people do not have all of this. The unresolved conflict has turned the inhabitants of the occupied territories into the hostages", - he said.
In addition, about 600,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were forced to leave their homes and settle in specially built complexes in Baku and other towns of Azerbaijan. Most of the displaced people are still in need of better housing conditions. But the situation of those who remained in the disputed territory, leaves much to be desired. Unavailable or poor quality medical care and education, restriction of freedom of movement and inability to engage in business are all the direct consequences of the unresolved conflict, because first of all the money goes to the defence of the territory, explains Sergey Minasyan.
After 28 years of mutual hostilities, thousands of killed and wounded, and nearly 4,500 missing persons, destruction of infrastructure and economic isolation of the region "freezing" the conflict looks like a deceptively acceptable way to alleviate the situation of the local population. But this scenario is attractive only at first, says to LІGA.net director of the East-West Research Center Arastun Orujlu.
"Freezing of a conflict is the worst option. In the long run, this has a negative impact not only on the situation of people in the conflict zone (the question of citizenship, the opportunity to travel and to establish business relations), but also on the status of the region limiting its socio-economic and political development, "- considers the analyst.
Please follow the link to read the 3rd part of the story
New service "Explain Ukraine". This is a daily mailout of five articles which were written about the situation in the Donbas by Donbas journalists and translated into English. Honest vision of people who work in the field is unbiased and fresh which is crucial in the world which is full of desinformation and propaganda. We try to share this vision in out daily mailout. You can subscribe here.
You can also join our Facebook community. | <urn:uuid:a8ac623d-cb77-4bbc-91d7-9a435e355041> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://novosti.dn.ua/en/news/251394-between-the-bad-and-the-very-bad-two-scenarios-for-donetsk-and-luhansk-part-2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719453.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00229-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953349 | 1,165 | 2.28125 | 2 |
The Science of Sticky Spheres
On the strange attraction of spheres that like to stick together
To compile the catalog of 10-sphere clusters, Arkus and her colleagues had to examine more than 750,000 matrices for minimally rigid structures. The challenge of pushing the frontier out to n=11 was taken up by Hoy, Harwayne-Gidansky and O’Hern at Yale. They relied on many of the same methods but adopted a different approach to streamlining the algorithms. For example, they took advantage of a curious fact proved by Therese Biedl, Erik Demaine and others: Any valid packing of spheres has a continuous, unbranched path that threads from one sphere to the next throughout the structure, like a long polymer chain. This fact implies that the rows and columns of the adjacency matrix can always be rearranged so that the superdiagonal (just above and to the right of the main diagonal) consists entirely of 1s. Confining attention only to these matrices reduces the workload by a factor of 1,000 for n=11.
The Yale group also devised simplified rules for excluding invalid packings. And they formulated more of the geometric rules in such a way that matrices could be tested without ever having to go through the time-consuming steps of computing sphere-to-sphere distances. For example, one such exclusion rule applies to clusters that have eight spheres arranged at the vertices of a cube. No ninth sphere can touch more than four of these corner spheres; to do so, the ninth sphere would have to lie somewhere inside the cube, but there’s no room for it there. Violations of this rule can be detected merely by counting 1s in the adjacency matrix, a much quicker operation than calculating three-dimensional coordinates.
At n=11 the Yale group identified 1,641 distinct clusters with C11≥27. The vast majority of these structures have exactly 27 contacts (the 3n–6 value), but there are 20 clusters with 28 contacts (equal to 3n–5) and a single packing with 29 contacts (3n–4). This last object, shown at right, can be understood as a further elaboration of the “floppy” cluster described above. The flexible nine-sphere structure has two square faces exposed at the surface. One of those faces is capped to form an octahedron in the sole 10-sphere cluster with 25 contacts. Capping the other square face to create a second octahedron leads to the unique 11-sphere cluster with 29 contacts.
Incidentally, there is an obvious way to add a 12th sphere to this cluster to produce a structure with 33 contacts, equal to 3n–3. But whether or not 33 is the highest attainable C12 value remains a matter of conjecture, because no complete survey of 12-sphere clusters has been attempted.
Even for n=11 it’s possible to quibble over questions of completeness and certainty. Some of the Yale results rely on a numerical algorithm to solve the system of distance equations. As noted above, when this process fails to converge, it does not unequivocally prove that no solution exists; even after many trials, there’s always a possibility that one more run with a different initial guess might succeed. In practice, the chance that a valid sphere packing might have been missed is extremely slim; whether the question is worth worrying about is perhaps a matter of differing attitudes toward rigor in mathematics and the physical sciences. | <urn:uuid:5d2e0c1b-be6c-4241-8685-c47d30841141> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/2012/6/the-science-of-sticky-spheres/9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281649.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00436-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937257 | 729 | 3.25 | 3 |
COVID-19: Make drugs, vaccines available to everyone, WHO urges global leaders
The World Health Organisation has urged all leaders around the world to step up efforts to make COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines available to all populations.
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the call during a press conference organised on Tuesday by the WHO.
He noted that low and middle-income countries are still unable to access antivirals, adding that testing is also drastically reduced in many places.
According to him, the WHO hopes to see progress at the global summit on COVID-19, so that antivirals and tests are shared fairly around the world.
“WHO is working very closely with ACT-Accelerator partners, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, on securing contracts that can increase availability and affordability,” Tedros said.
He stated further that there are four crucial areas to improve access adding that the WHO is calling on Pfizer to assist in improving access to COVID-19 drugs, and vaccines.
“There needs to be increased geographical scope on the licensing Pfizer signed with the Medicines Patent Pool, an UN-backed public health organisation.
“Too many countries, including most of Latin America, cannot access the drug at the moment.
“Drugs prices need to be affordable for countries and transparent.
“There must be no additional contractual requirements that hamper/delay access at the country level. Delays cost lives.
“Continue to support increased generic manufacturing around the world so that we can increase supply quickly,” he said.
“At the Global Summit on COVID-19, leaders must agree to end the stalemate at World Trade Organisation on the temporary waiver of intellectual property on COVID-19 tools.
He said an estimate of 15 million people have died and asked if the world was waiting for a worse pandemic before activating the waiver.
“Vaccination is the best way to save lives, protect communities and health systems and minimise cases of post-COVID-19 condition or long COVID.
“Long COVID is devastating and debilitating for individuals, both young and old, communities and economies.
“Governments need to take it seriously and provide integrated care, psychosocial support and sick leave for those patients that are suffering from it.”
“Vaccination can help mitigate the effects of long COVID and is yet another sound reason for people to get vaccinated and member states to not give up,” he said.
Tedros said, “We encourage member states, health facilities, and research networks working on long COVID to contribute to the WHO clinical data platform to better understand the condition and provide evidence guidance to support those suffering from it.” | <urn:uuid:0003812a-1a6c-4e07-bad6-ee832c71f680> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://von.gov.ng/covid-19-make-drugs-vaccines-available-to-everyone-who-urges-global-leaders/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571909.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20220813051311-20220813081311-00273.warc.gz | en | 0.936599 | 599 | 2.234375 | 2 |
Commentary: St. Louis deserves its reputation as a music city
Somewhere there's music--how high the moon--and that somewhere is right here in St. Louis, Mo. There's an incredible book titled “St. Louis Sound” written by Steve Pick and Amanda Doyle which traces the history of music in our city from the Native American Mississippian culture and early French settlers to the present. Now the Missouri History Museum has an exhibition with the same title, “St. Louis Sound.”
Andrew Wanko, the curator of the exhibition, gives Pick and Doyle lots of credit for their help and encouragement in this monumental show. Wanko says that the exhibition includes exciting stories of the St. Louis region's international stars, unsung legends, local venues, radio stations and more. There are nearly 200 artifacts, plus media, touchables and other interactives, and there are listenable song selections for every artist covered in the gallery.
Wanko says St. Louis just can't stay quiet. The region has produced legends who are on a first name basis worldwide like Ike and Tina, Miles, Chuck and Nelly. It's been home to the "Velvet Bulldozer" Albert King, the "Black Venus" Josephine Baker, and the original “king" of pop music, Scott Joplin. And don't forget world class songwriters like John Hartford, Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy and Willie Mae Ford Smith. Few cities anywhere can claim so many leading lights in such a wide range of styles. Wanko goes on to say, "But what about Dr. Jockenstein, the East St Louis DJ who turned school kids into rap masters? What about St. Louis's all-female punk band, The Welder's? What about "howling hillbillies" like Cousin Emmy and Pappy Cheshire? What about Bob Reuter, Victoria Spivey, Gabriel and Petey Wheatstraw? These are voices you might not have heard, but you need to.
I'm old and grey and don't get to the concerts like I once did, but with the media, one can't miss music in this city. I just read about St. Louis Music Park which was ready to debut in May 2020 with a concert by Keesha and Big Freeda, but the pandemic had other plans. More than a year later, the concert venue at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights made its grand opening with Blackberry Smoke.
Just a few weeks ago Music at The Intersection took over Grand Center for 3 days and nights. There were over 60 acts on 6 stages. There were both locally known as well as nationally known acts which were performed at The Fox, The Big Top, The Sheldon, Jazz St Louis, The Open Air Tent at The Dark Room and the Grandel Theater.
And the clubs are up and going strong. Joe Edwards’ Pageant and Delmar Hall are up and running. Edwards says, "St. Louis is a legendary music city and that music definitely became a huge part of my life. Because of our history as a major crossroads during both westward migration(in the early days of the nineteenth century) and the Great Migration from south to north, people from all races and backgrounds intersected here and were exposed to many different types of music and literature. This cultural collision resulted in an explosion of creativity that continues to this day."
The Muny, with its beautiful new face lift, wowed audiences with its abbreviated season, Stages moved into the new Ross Family Theatre at the stunning Kirkwood Performing Arts Center which now has live music and Scott Miller is presenting a fresh new season of New Line Theatre at the Marcelle in Grand Center.
And I haven’t even mentioned our history of folk music, or the choral and symphonic music with which we are blessed with top of the line venues and groups.
We've got it all right here at our finger tips in our great music city.
Nancy Kranzberg has been involved in the arts community for more than thirty years on numerous arts related boards. | <urn:uuid:b07a2765-745e-4199-8b46-bdcee13359ca> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2021-10-02/commentary-st-louis-deserves-its-reputation-as-a-music-city | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570741.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808001418-20220808031418-00067.warc.gz | en | 0.967932 | 856 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The topic of this book is systems of points in Coulomb interaction, in particular, the classical Coulomb gas, and vortices in the Ginzburg–Landau model of superconductivity. The classical Coulomb and Log gases are classical statistical mechanics models, which have seen important developments in the mathematical literature due to their connection with random matrices and approximation theory. At low temperature, these systems are expected to “cristallize” to so-called Fekete sets, which exhibit microscopically a lattice structure.
The Ginzburg–Landau model, on the other hand, describes superconductors. In superconducting materials subjected to an external magnetic field, densely packed point vortices emerge, forming perfect triangular lattice patterns, so-called Abrikosov lattices.
This book describes these two systems and explores the similarity between them. It presents the mathematical tools developed to analyze the interaction between the Coulomb particles or the vortices, at the microscopic scale, and describes a “renormalized energy” governing the point patterns. This is believed to measure the disorder of a point configuration, and to be minimized by the Abrikosov lattice in dimension 2.
The book gives a self-contained presentation of results on the mean field limit of the Coulomb gas system, with or without temperature, and of the derivation of the renormalized energy. It also provides a streamlined presentation of the similar analysis that can be performed for the Ginzburg–Landau model, including a review of the vortex-specific tools and the derivation of the critical fields, the mean-field limit and the renormalized energy. | <urn:uuid:47071cd0-c31a-47f4-abcd-bd289a66dd09> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://ems.press/books/zlam/208 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573399.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20220818185216-20220818215216-00077.warc.gz | en | 0.89602 | 346 | 2.59375 | 3 |
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. This article talks about FAO and its importance for the IAS Exam.
International organizations and groupings are an important part of the International Relations section of the General Studies paper-2 in the UPSC Syllabus. International relations is a very dynamic part and is crucial for multiple papers in Prelims and Mains. Students preparing for UPSC 2022 and other Government Exams must be aware of this topic.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – Latest Updates-
- 10th February 2021 – Building on the success of the International Year of Pulses in 2016 led by FAO, the United Nations General Assembly designated 10 February as World Pulses Day recognizing their potential to further achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular relevance to Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 13 and 15. Go through the important days and dates on the given link.
- On October 16th, 2020, Food & Agriculture Organization celebrated its 75th Anniversary. To mark this occasion, India released a commemorative coin of INR 75 denomination. The newly released coin also marks the long-standing relation of India with FAO.
- On June 21, 2021, during the 42nd FAO Conference, Members of the Organisazation endorsed the new Strategic Framework that will drive the Organization’s efforts to transform agri-food systems and address hunger, poverty, and inequality over the next decade.
|Visiting the Current Affairs page will help candidates immensely in cracking the IAS Exam.
Strengthen your preparation for the upcoming exam by checking the following links:
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
- Established in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has its headquarters in Rome, Italy.
- It was founded with a goal to provide food security for everyone and assure that people will have access to high-quality food in sufficient quantities to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
- Every year, the FAO publishes a number of major ‘State of the World’ reports related to food, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and natural resources.
The FAO has 197 member countries, which includes the European Union as well. It conducts biennial conferences. The FAO Council is the executive arm of the governing body. The members elect the Council which is composed of 49 members.
The FAO Council was established in 1947 at the FAO Conference that replaced the original “Executive Committee of FAO”. This was in accordance with the recommendation of the Preparatory Commission of FAO on World Food Proposals.
Note: The Council, within the limits of the powers, acts as the Conference’s executive organ between sessions.
Role and Functions of Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a global organisation and its functions can be listed as follows:
- Helping Governments and Development Agencies coordinate their activities which are targeted to develop and improve agriculture, fisheries, forestry and other water and land resources.
- Conducting research and providing technical assistance to various projects related to improving agricultural output and development.
- Conducting training and educational programs and also collecting and analyzing agricultural data to improve yield and production.
- The FAO also brings out a number of publications/reports, some of which are, the State of the World, the Global Report on Food Crises, the State of Food and Agriculture, the State of the World’s Forests, etc. Check out other reports published by international organisations here.
Other functions include dealing with matters related to Food and Agriculture around the world. It also executes current and prospective activities of the Organisation including its Programme of Work and Budget, administrative matters and financial management of the Organisation and constitutional matters.
To know more about Important Headquarters of International Organizations, check the linked article.
FAO’s Role in Agriculture Innovation
- FAO focuses on a system-wide approach. It assists member countries in unlocking the potential of innovation to drive socio-economic growth, ensure food and nutrition security, alleviate poverty and improve resilience to climate change, thereby helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Know more about Sustainable Development Goals on the linked page.
- FAO and its partners are working in nine pilot countries in Africa, Asia and Central America to bring international, national and local partners together to construct and implement capacity development plans for agricultural innovation.
- FAO is supporting governments to develop strategies that foster sustainable agricultural mechanization and works with small-scale enterprises, cooperatives and local organizations to ensure smallholder farmers have access to mechanized services.
- FAO harnesses the power of digital technologies to pilot, accelerate and scale innovative ideas with high potential for impact in food and agriculture, transforming digital solutions and services into global public goods.
- It explores and adopts the existing and frontier technologies, design and scale new services, tools and approaches to empower rural households and inspire youth entrepreneurship in food and agriculture.
FAO and India
The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations has enjoyed a valuable partnership with India since it began operations in 1945. It continues to play a major role in India’s progress in the areas of crops, livestock, fisheries, food security, and the management of natural resources. FAO began its operations in India in 1948. It has an office in New Delhi. The nodal ministry for FAO in India is the Ministry of Agriculture.
- The main objective of the Indian Government is to double the income of farmers by increasing efficiency and ensuring equity in a sustainable manner.
- The NITI Aayog is the country’s premier policy-making institution that is expected to bolster the economic growth of the country. Its various policies and agendas represent the encircling framework for the Agricultural Sector.
|Sustainable and improved agricultural productivity and increased farm incomes||Stronger food and nutrition security systems|
|Effective natural resource management, community development and assistance in transboundary cooperation to the global public good||Enhanced social inclusion, improved skills and employment opportunity in the agriculture sector|
The FAO Council also approved India’s membership to the Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021.
FAO UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here
FAQ about Food And Agriculture Organisation Fao
How many countries are members of FAO?
How is FAO funded?
For more UPSC related preparation materials and articles, visit the links given in the table below: | <urn:uuid:2b7ef95c-be6a-4346-9f2c-a90d9df2350b> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/food-and-agriculture-organisation-fao/?openInBrowser=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882570793.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20220808092125-20220808122125-00666.warc.gz | en | 0.915284 | 1,391 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Many people are calling in with housebreaking problems and/or problems with the dog damaging their belongings when the dog is alone in the house. All of these problems can be eliminated with the use of training a dog with a crate. Using a crate is not cruel. It approximates a den, which dogs in their wild state slept in for hundreds of thousands of years. Modern dog maintains the “den instinct” which is why using a crate is so effective in housebreaking. A dog will not soil where it sleeps. This is a throwback to the days when dogs were predators in the wild and needed safe places to sleep and rear their young. If they eliminated in the den, other predators would seek them out through the scent and prey upon the young and infirm.
Thus, dogs will not soil their sleeping quarters if they can possibly avoid doing so. The trick is to make the sleeping area small enough so the modern dog cannot use one end as a bathroom and the other end as a bedroom! A crate should be large enough so the dog can lie down and turn around in a tight circle. If it is big enough to lie down in, it will be big enough to sit in. Crates can cost anywhere from $30 to $200 and up, depending on your budget. If you have a puppy that will grow into a large dog, I suggest buying a full-size crate and using a piece of plywood or other material to block off a section for the puppy.
This can be expanded as the puppy grows. Crates must never be used to punish! The dog has to look at the crate as his special place where he is safe and happy. Many breeders crate train their puppies from the time they leave the whelping box. If you are purchasing your puppy from a breeder, ask if the puppy has been introduced to the crate. Before bringing the puppy home take a blanket or towel to the breeder and ask to put this item in with the litter at night. The blanket or towel will then be permeated with the litter/mother scent and will make those first few nights we all dread much easier. When the puppy comes home it should take all of its naps in the crate and sleep there at night. The crate should also be used any time the humans in the house are too busy to keep an eye on the puppy.
Keep in mind that puppies must relieve themselves before and within 15 minutes after eating, immediately upon drinking any water, after play, and immediately upon waking. Take the pup outside according to this schedule at first; never put the puppy out by himself! It just doesn’t work. Put the puppy on a leash and go to your designated potty area and standstill. Say “Potty” in a happy tone of voice. Let the puppy walk where it wants and as soon as it relieves itself outside praise it with “Potty, Good Potty”! Bring the puppy back in when you are sure it has finished.
Sometimes you know the puppy has to go but the puppy is fooling around. Wait! Don’t bring the puppy in before it has done its business that is just asking for an accident and the puppy will be happy to oblige! Each time you put the puppy in the crate praise it and give it a treat. Never let the puppy out of the crate when it is making noise such as whining, crying, or barking. Correct it by saying “no! bad puppy!” and only when it has quieted should you let it out, with a “good puppy!”
If you let the puppy out while it is making noise you are teaching it that making noise will get its attention and companionship, which is what it wants in the first place! This “mixed message” will be particularly difficult to straighten out in the middle of the night, when you want to sleep and the puppy wants to party! So be firm right from the start. Let puppy out only if it is quiet and never once you have put it in the crate for the night.
Remember that puppy is going to be missing its Mom and littermates no matter where it sleeps and this includes your bed which I don’t recommend unless you sleep on rubber sheets in a boat! So, keeping in mind that the puppy will be upset whether he is in the kitchen, piddling on the floor and chewing the cabinets; or in the crate, put him in the crate! At least he will only be making lots of noise and not redecorating your house in Early Destructo!
Many people put the crate in their bedroom where they can reassure puppy during the night. Some people prefer to put the crate, for the first few nights, where they won’t hear the puppy crying. There is nothing wrong with either plan. Don’t feed the puppy or give anything to drink (unless it is high, hot summer) after about 67pm. Exercise puppy lots in the evening. Wear a puppy out. Take puppy out as late as possible (11 pm works well). Take your time for this last outing of the night. Be absolutely certain the puppy is empty before putting it in the crate. Put the puppy in the crate with toys, the security blanket, and the old standbys loud ticking clock, hot water bottle, and stuffed animals with eyes, nose, etc. removed first. Praise puppy, say goodnight, and go to bed. Do not go back to a puppy until at least 3:30 or 4 am. By then puppy probably will have to go out for real.
Puppy bladders and bowels are just not mature enough to hold it much longer than that. The early mornings come with puppy territory, like 2am feedings and babies. By about 5 months the puppy’s bladder should start to mature and puppy will start sleeping later. But for now all you can do is grin and bear it! When you take puppy out at this uncivilized hour do so with a minimum of conversation. Puppy should know that this is not playtime. When he does his business outside praise him as usual and bring him right back in, put him back in the crate and go back to bed. Don’t go back to him now, either. Puppy should be fine now until you are ready to get up at your regular time. Just remember: Once you have put puppy in the crate don’t go back to him! If you do, you are teaching him that making lots of noise will get him what he wants your company. Puppy must learn that nights are for sleeping and his sleeping place is the crate. Once he learns this lesson and it will take about 24 nights he will begin to look on the crate as his special place.
Eventually, as he becomes more accustomed to it, he will look on the crate as a refuge where he can get away from running kids, crazy cats, out of control vacuum cleaners, or whatever inhabits his little bit of the world with him. One day you will look for the puppy and find him, curled up in the crate where he went by himself to catch a few zzz’s! Once you have used the crate properly never to punish! your house will be safe from “puppy destructo raids” and your puppy will be safe from the myriad dangers that lie in wait for lonely, bored, and curious puppies such as chicken bones or other inedible “treats” from the garbage; chocolate left in reach of dogs which is a poison to dogs; electric wires that could electrocute a puppy if chewed; cleaning solutions; toilet bowl cleaners; poisonous house plants; small toys or socks that could be swallowed, etc. I could go on and on! So please, use the crate to help with training your dog!
You will wonder how you ever survived without one and your puppy will have a safe place to be when left alone. Please remember that puppies are like babies when it comes to bladder and bowel control. Don’t ask the puppy to “hold it” longer than is physically comfortable and try not to leave a dog crated longer than 56 hours at a time during the day if you can avoid doing so.
If have more questions about how to train your dog with a crate please contact us and we be happy to help. | <urn:uuid:a750c1bf-e37f-4276-9146-0733a78571cf> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://compatiblecompanionsdogservices.com/dog-crate-training/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571719.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812140019-20220812170019-00269.warc.gz | en | 0.971111 | 1,726 | 1.921875 | 2 |
In 1729, when he was 23 years old, Benjamin Franklin authored a pamphlet titled "A Modest Inquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency." The revolutionary idea he advocated? Paper money printed and controlled by the Colonies. As a printer by trade, Franklin himself created some of the earliest American currency and fittingly, today Franklin's face is emblazoned on the largest denomination of U.S. currency in circulation—the one hundred-dollar bill, aka "a Benjamin."
The questions Franklin raised about the nature of money and its regulation in society are still relevant. It's easy to imagine that the famously prescient and witty statesman would have an opinion or two about the controversial emerging currencies of today's digital economy.
Could digital currency be poised to replace paper money?
The pursuit of an independent digital currency began in the early 1990s, explains John Jordan, clinical professor of supply chain and information systems at Penn State. Today's big contender, the Bitcoin, was introduced in 2008 by a person (or group of people) known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
Bitcoin is a digital payment network that allows users to engage in direct transactions without the oversight of a banking organization or government. It's based on open source software, meaning the programming is published publicly, and any developer around the world can download, review or modify the source code.
Bitcoin is not technically a currency, though it functions like one, says Jordan. That's not just his opinion; it's also the conclusion of the IRS, which has decided to legally regard Bitcoin as property rather than currency.
Jordan compares Bitcoin to poker chips: "Poker chips can be used as a stand-in for money in certain situations, such as in a casino, and they can also be exchanged for money, but they aren't money; their value is dependent on the casino system itself."
Bitcoin users are represented anonymously on the peer-to-peer network, and each user has a digital "wallet" that holds their bitcoins. (The accepted practice is to capitalize the word when referring to the concept and community, and to use lower-case when referring to the system's tradable units.) When Bitcoin transactions between digital wallets occur, those transactions must be verified by other Bitcoin users and added to the shared, public ledger.
"Transactions are verified through the process of cryptography," explains Jordan, "essentially, very difficult mathematical algorithms solvable only with powerful computing systems. That's what keeps the system secure and the ledger complete."
This process of verifying transactions and adding them to the network ledger is called "mining," and the activity of mining is also what creates more bitcoin. "Essentially, I can create more bitcoin by doing the work of the Bitcoin community—processing transactions," Jordan says. The combined computing power of these peer-to-peer transactions is not just fast, he adds; it is a great deal faster than the world's fastest supercomputer.
If you find any of this mind-boggling to follow, you're not alone; its inherent complexity and technical jargon have given rise to countless "Bitcoin for dummies" articles, television drama plots, and even stand-up comedy skits. Some university campuses, including Penn State, now even offer active Bitcoin clubs.
But let's get down to dollars and cents: what about Bitcoin's exchange rate? Says Jordan, "As computers gain more power and the math algorithms are solved more quickly, the system adjusts by making problems more difficult to solve—to control how much Bitcoin is created. Consequently, Bitcoin's exchange rate with the dollar fluctuates and can be tracked in real time online."
All bitcoins in existence were originally created through mining, but today, users without the computational power to mine can purchase bitcoins on online exchanges and even at some special ATMs.
One of the primary advantages of Bitcoin, Jordan adds, is its lack of oversight by a government of financial organization. Unlike traditional payment methods like credit cards or money orders, transaction fees on the Bitcoin network are often nonexistent—or, at least, much lower.
"In concept, this is great news for small business owners," says Jordan. "In a low-margin business, those three percent charges on credit card transactions can really add up."
And Bitcoin can provide a huge advantage for foreign workers sending money home to families still in their home countries. "In this way, it's really an artifact of globalization," says Jordan. "Billions of dollars in remittances are transferred every year, and when doing it by Bitcoin, no money is lost to fees and service charges."
Beyond the potential savings in transfer fees, many people see an ideological advantage to the anonymity of the Bitcoin system and its existence outside of governmental oversight.
"A lot of people think the government really doesn't need to know what we're doing," says Jordan. Unfortunately, the anonymity of crypto-currencies perfectly serves the needs of the so-called 'dark net,' the online trade in drugs and other illegal goods. In 2013, FBI agents busted Silk Road, the web's biggest black market in drugs, and seized more than $28 million worth in bitcoins.
"Since it's a user's private key that performs a transaction, and the person behind the key is invisible, Bitcoin is an attractive choice for illicit transactions," notes Jordan. Regardless of its advantages for less nefarious business activities, Jordan is skeptical that Bitcoin will grow enough in popularity to gain widespread acceptance.
"Bitcoin is a really clever system, and it's useful in many ways," he says, "but it's still too volatile and it's impossible to imagine it existing outside of a computational environment."
That's one of its potential downfalls. "It's good at what it does, but it's early and the system was not designed to scale," Jordan says. "Interestingly, economists speculate that, although Bitcoin may ultimately fail as money, it could succeed as something else—like a method for documenting chain of custody. For the time being, Bitcoin remains viable only in selected scenarios. While it may ultimately decline in popularity or disappear completely, other cryptography-based systems will evolve to capitalize on the opportunity."
As Benjamin Franklin saw it, "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
Explore further: Vietnam says bitcoin transactions are illegal | <urn:uuid:8d6f2f3a-4069-4fcf-921c-643884498253> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | https://phys.org/news/2014-07-probing-bitcoin.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280364.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00032-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960934 | 1,295 | 3.1875 | 3 |
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