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Environmental Advocates of New York offers communications interns an active role in promoting and marketing our policy work.
While learning about a host of environmental issues, our interns will see how to educate the public on the legislative process, including how a bill becomes a law in New York. Interns will learn how to capture and retain the public’s interest in issues such as climate change, clean water and air, congestion pricing, renewable energy, and more. Candidates will also learn how social media and marketing plays a role in building and engaging our organization’s membership.
The intern will tackle a variety of substantive assignments, including: creating original visuals for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, drafting membership emails, covering rallies and press conferences, film and photography, learning how to draft a compelling press release, and media outreach. There will also be opportunities to research the use of new social media platforms, such as Snapchat. Interns will also work with our membership team and maintain databases as needed.
Qualifications: Demonstrated research, writing, and communications skills; demonstrated knowledge of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat); interest in environmental protection and learning about state legislative and regulatory processes; enthusiasm, and willingness to tackle new projects. | http://eany.org/jobs/communications-internship-summer-2019 |
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Emma Greenberg ’18 and Ian Bernstein ’18
Social media is the common ground amongst Generation Z and Millenials. It provides a platform for people to show off their individuality, while also bridging connections that would not have existed in the past. But there are some who have opted out of participating in the social media world.
Anisa Prasad ’19, who refrains from using all social media platforms, considers them a distraction.
“I think that if I started using [social media], it would drain my time and would probably lead to a lot of procrastination,” Prasad said.
Some students would attest to the truth in Prasad’s statement. Chris Drbal ’18, for one, originally had social media but decided to step away from his account.
“For snapchat, it got to the point where I was doing it a lot, and I needed to focus on other things, like school and sports,” Drbal said.
However, others believe social media is key to keeping in contact with family and friends, and argue that the pros of social media far outweigh the cons.
“Facebook has for sure allowed me to keep up with my family members who live far away,” Ella Lederer ’18 said. “I think it’s cool that I get to see what’s going on in their lives.”
Similarly Tomaso Scotti ’20 feels that social media platforms can help people communicate.
“I think social media helps people stay connected even when they don’t know what to say. Take Snapchat. It’s really just pictures of your face but apps like that help communicate when you don’t know what to say,” Scotti said.
Nevertheless, according to a recent report from The Conversation, more and more young people are transitioning away from broadcast social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter.
“I feel very connected to the people who are close to me just by emailing and texting them,” Prasad said.
In contrast with Prasad, Kylie Adler ’19 is an avid social media user. For her, social media is not to be used only to keep in contact with those she knows, but also with making connections with complete strangers. That is why she runs an Instagram account with over 18,000 followers.
“I want to create a positive impact with my presence,” Adler said.
But Prasad does admit that there are some downsides to avoiding social media platforms. | https://www.inklingsnews.com/paper-archives/2018/02/23/february-2018-social-media-platforms-distract-while-fostering-creativity/ |
Nairobi residents earning between Sh30,000 and Sh49,000 a month spend the highest amount of time on social media, a new report shows.
The survey the United States International University Africa (USIU-Africa) and the US Embassy shows that low middle income earners spend up to three hours on social media on a typical day.
Majority of individuals in this category spend their time on YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp.
They are followed by middle class earners who spend up to an hour daily, and prefer LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo and Snapchat.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Statistical Abstract, middle income earners are those paid between Sh50,000 and Sh99,999 per month.
The survey carried out between December 2018 and March 2019 showed that this category includes most entry-level jobs for university graduates in diverse sectors.
It established that men are more active on social media compared to women.
“They lead in all the social media platforms as active users. The male highly use Yahoo and Twitter more as social media platforms … It is striking that while men use Twitter the most, women use it the least and the vice versa is true when it comes to the use of Snapchat,” said the survey that sampled 3,269 respondents aged between 14 and 55 years.
Most Kenyans are active online at night, the survey showed.
WhatsApp and Facebook are the most popular platforms followed by YouTube.
The sample was drawn from Kenya’s former eight administrative provinces including Nairobi, Coast, Central, Western, Nyanza, Eastern, Rift Valley and North Eastern. | https://www.nation.co.ke/business/Lower-middle-class-spends-most-time-on-social-media/996-5206510-format-xhtml-gn4nrpz/index.html |
The last 22 months have been mentally and physically exhausting. Healthcare workers across the country, including our Great People, have gone the extra mile to provide continued care and service to those in need.
This year’s theme of supporting ourselves and others, highlights the importance of conversations about mental health, actively practicing resiliency and how acts of kindness can go a long way to support others.
We will be taking part by texting, tweeting, watching and sharing on social media to keep the conversation about mental health ongoing.
Throughout the day, Bell will contribute 5 cents to mental health initiatives through text messaging, social media engagement, video views and phone calls (on Bell Mobility devices). You can participate on multiple social media platforms including, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat.
Talk with someone you care about today. | https://shannex.com/news-announcements/talking-about-mental-health-is-important-we-support-bell-lets-talk-day/ |
Grow west: the mystery of America's migrating trees
Three-quarters of tree species common in the eastern U.S. have moved their population centres westward over the last 30 years – an effect not predicted by assumptions about global warming.
In our minds, few things are as place-bound as trees – with Birnam Wood in Macbeth and the Ents in Lord of the Rings as fictional exceptions to prove the rule. However, while individual trees are rooted, tree species as a whole are indeed capable of movement. Enough to baffle scientists, as shown on these maps, published in Science Advances.
The scientists studying abundance data for 86 tree species in the eastern U.S. (ranging from 1980 to 2015) knew what to expect: as the average temperature increases (1), tree species will migrate to higher altitudes or more northern latitudes. And indeed: 62% of the examined species showed a 'poleward shift'.
What they didn't expect to find, was that significantly more species – 73% - had moved west (2). What's more: the median westward shift per decade was 40% larger than the poleward shift (15.4 km vs. 11 km).
The direction and distance of the abundance shifts for 86 species.
“When (this result) came out, our eyes opened wide. Like, 'Wow, what's going on with this?”, Songlin Fei told The Atlantic. It's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery. The forestry professor at Purdue University and the other authors of the study have formulated a theory that explains “about 19%” the westward drift: the change in rainfall patterns over the past 30 years, which is also linked to overall climate change.
Recent changes in average temperature and precipitation.
Total annual precipitation in the central U.S. has increased by more than 150 mm and has declined significantly in the Southeast, where severe droughts have occurred. Both changes can have a significant impact on ecosystems and species distributions.
In general, the evergreen tree species (those with needles for leaves and mostly wind-pollinated, a.k.a. gymnosperms) are moving north with the rising temperature, while the deciduous species (with broad, seasonal leaves and mostly insect-pollinated, a.k.a. angiosperms) are following the increase in moisture to the west (3).
Drilling down to regional level reveals huge peaks in the direction and speed of the migration.
- In the Northern Hardwood region (with a warm, continental climate), 85% of species shifted poleward, at a rate of 20.1 km per decade (area marked 210 on the map).
- In the (hot, continental) Central Hardwood region (220), 83% of species shifted westward, at a rate of 18.9 km per decade.
- In the (subtropical) Southern Pine-Hardwood region (230), 77% of species shifted westward, at a rate of 24.7 km per decade.
- In the Forest-Prairie Transition region (250), species moved west at a rate of no less than 30 km per decade.
The fact that the overall westward shift is 1.4 times faster than the drift northwards “suggests that vegetation dynamics are more sensitive to precipitation than to temperature, at least in the near-term time frame”, the study says.
That's not to say the northward movement isn't a major event in itself. Scientists know of a similar northward shift in the New England area during the early Holocene (10,000 to 8,000 years ago). “However, the historical process took place over several thousand years, whereas the observed shift in this study happened in a few decades, suggesting the impact of recent climate change”.
The study does not rule out non-climatic factors, such as conservation efforts, land use changes and forest management practices. For example, “the observed abundance change is positively correlated with the densification of forests, which is often attributed to diminishing fire frequency and severity”.
Meaning that 'conservation' is a relative term: paradoxically, preserving forests changes them into something they were not. And despite conservation or management efforts, America's trees are likely to continue their march west and north, following the changing patterns of temperature and rain.
East-west shifts mapped on a phylogram showing the evolutionary relationships between the species.
Study found here at Science Advances. Atlantic article here. Both sent in by M. Feldman, who wryly remarks: "Note that the trees appear to be escaping from Washington, DC".
Strange Maps #895
Got a strange map? Let me know at [email protected].
(1) Over the past 30 years, the mean average temperature in the eastern U.S. has increased 0.16°C, with a larger increase in the northern part.
(2) The most common direction was northwest (37%), the least common was southeast (2%).
(3) Fifty-three of the 65 angiosperms (81.5%) and just 10 of the 21 gymnosperms (47.6%) shifted westward. A northward shift was observed for 15 gymnosperms (71.4%), while only 38 (58.5%) angiosperms also moved north; 27 angiosperm species (41.5%) shifted southward.
'Upstreamism': Your zip code affects your health as much as genetics
Upstreamism advocate Rishi Manchanda calls us to understand health not as a "personal responsibility" but a "common good."
- Upstreamism tasks health care professionals to combat unhealthy social and cultural influences that exist outside — or upstream — of medical facilities.
- Patients from low-income neighborhoods are most at risk of negative health impacts.
- Thankfully, health care professionals are not alone. Upstreamism is increasingly part of our cultural consciousness.
Afghanistan is the most depressed country on earth
No, depression is not just a type of 'affluenza' – poor people in conflict zones are more likely candidates
- Often seen as typical of rich societies, depression is actually more prevalent in poor, conflict-ridden countries
- More than one in five Afghans is clinically depressed – a sad world record
- But are North Koreans really the world's 'fourth least depressed' people?
Banned books: 10 of the most-challenged books in America
America isn't immune to attempts to remove books from libraries and schools, here are ten frequent targets and why you ought to go check them out.
- Even in America, books are frequently challenged and removed from schools and public libraries.
- Every year, the American Library Association puts on Banned Books Week to draw attention to this fact.
- Some of the books they include on their list of most frequently challenged are some of the greatest, most beloved, and entertaining books there are.
- Oumuamua, a quarter-mile long asteroid tumbling through space, is Hawaiian for "scout", or "the first of many".
- It was given this name because it came from another solar system.
- Some claimed 'Oumuamua was an alien technology, but there's no actual evidence for that.
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by The Big Think, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/grow-west-the-mystery-of-americas-migrating-trees |
# Lunar distance (astronomy)
The instantaneous Earth–Moon distance, or distance to the Moon, is the distance from the center of Earth to the center of the Moon. Lunar distance (LD or Δ ⊕ L {\textstyle \Delta _{\oplus L}} ), or Earth–Moon characteristic distance, is a unit of measure in astronomy. More technically, it is the semi-major axis of the geocentric lunar orbit. The lunar distance is approximately 400,000 km (250,000 mi), or 1.28 light-seconds; this is roughly 30 times Earth's diameter. A little less than 400 lunar distances make up an astronomical unit.
The semi-major axis has a value of 384,399 km (238,854 mi). The time-averaged distance between the centers of Earth and the Moon is 385,000.6 km (239,228.3 mi). The actual distance varies over the course of the orbit of the Moon, from 356,500 km (221,500 mi) at the perigee to 406,700 km (252,700 mi) at apogee, resulting in a differential range of 50,200 km (31,200 mi).
Lunar distance is commonly used to express the distance to near-Earth object encounters. Lunar semi-major axis is an important astronomical datum; the few millimeter precision of the range measurements determines semi-major axis to a few decimeters; it has implications for testing gravitational theories such as general relativity, and for refining other astronomical values, such as the mass, radius, and rotation of Earth. The measurement is also useful in characterizing the lunar radius, as well as the mass of and distance to the Sun.
Millimeter-precision measurements of the lunar distance are made by measuring the time taken for laser beam light to travel between stations on Earth and retroreflectors placed on the Moon. The Moon is spiraling away from Earth at an average rate of 3.8 cm (1.5 in) per year, as detected by the Lunar Laser Ranging experiment.
## Value
An AU is 389 Lunar distances. A lightyear is 24,611,700 Lunar distances. Geostationary Earth Orbit is 42,164 km (26,199 mi) from Earth center, or 1/9.117 LD = 0.10968 LD
## Variation
The instantaneous lunar distance is constantly changing. In fact the true distance between the Moon and Earth can change as quickly as 75 meters per second, or more than 1,000 km (620 mi) in just 6 hours, due to its non-circular orbit. There are other effects that also influence the lunar distance. Some factors are described in this section.
### Perturbations and eccentricity
The distance to the Moon can be measured to an accuracy of 2 mm over a 1-hour sampling period, which results in an overall uncertainty of a decimeter for the semi-major axis. However, due to its elliptical orbit with varying eccentricity, the instantaneous distance varies with monthly periodicity. Furthermore, the distance is perturbed by the gravitational effects of various astronomical bodies – most significantly the Sun and less so Venus and Jupiter. Other forces responsible for minute perturbations are: gravitational attraction to other planets in the Solar System and to asteroids; tidal forces; and relativistic effects. The effect of radiation pressure from the Sun contributes an amount of ±3.6 mm to the lunar distance.
Although the instantaneous uncertainty is a few millimeters, the measured lunar distance can change by more than 21,000 km (13,000 mi) from the mean value throughout a typical month. These perturbations are well understood and the lunar distance can be accurately modeled over thousands of years.
### Tidal dissipation
Through the action of tidal forces, the angular momentum of Earth's rotation is slowly being transferred to the Moon's orbit. The result is that Earth's rate of spin is gradually decreasing (at a rate of 2.4 milliseconds/century), and the lunar orbit is gradually expanding. The current rate of recession is 3.830±0.008 cm per year. However, it is believed that this rate has recently increased, as a rate of 3.8 cm/year would imply that the Moon is only 1.5 billion years old, whereas scientific consensus assumes an age of about 4 billion years. It is also believed that this anomalously high rate of recession may continue to accelerate.
It is predicted that the lunar distance will continue to increase until (in theory) the Earth and Moon become tidally locked, as are Pluto and Charon. This would occur when the duration of the lunar orbital period equals the rotational period of Earth, which is estimated to be 47 of our current days. The two bodies would then be at equilibrium, and no further rotational energy would be exchanged. However, models predict that 50 billion years would be required to achieve this configuration, which is significantly longer than the expected lifetime of the Solar System.
### Orbital history
Laser measurements show that the average lunar distance is increasing, which implies that the Moon was closer in the past, and that Earth's days were shorter. Fossil studies of mollusk shells from the Campanian era (80 million years ago) show that there were 372 days (of 23 h 33 min) per year during that time, which implies that the lunar distance was about 60.05 REarth (383,000 km or 238,000 mi). There is geological evidence that the average lunar distance was about 52 REarth (332,000 km or 205,000 mi) during the Precambrian Era; 2500 million years BP.
The giant impact hypothesis, a widely accepted theory, states that the Moon was created as a result of a catastrophic impact between Earth and another planet, resulting in a re-accumulation of fragments at an initial distance of 3.8 REarth (24,000 km or 15,000 mi). In this theory, the initial impact is assumed to have occurred 4.5 billion years ago.
## History of measurement
Until the late 1950s all measurements of lunar distance were based on optical angular measurements: the earliest accurate measurement was by Hipparchus in the 2nd century BC. The space age marked a turning point when the precision of this value was much improved. During the 1950s and 1960s, there were experiments using radar, lasers, and spacecraft, conducted with the benefit of computer processing and modeling.
This section is intended to illustrate some of the historically significant or otherwise interesting methods of determining the lunar distance, and is not intended to be an exhaustive or all-encompassing list.
### Parallax
The oldest method of determining the lunar distance involved measuring the angle between the Moon and a chosen reference point from multiple locations, simultaneously. The synchronization can be coordinated by making measurements at a pre-determined time, or during an event which is observable to all parties. Before accurate mechanical chronometers, the synchronization event was typically a lunar eclipse, or the moment when the Moon crossed the meridian (if the observers shared the same longitude). This measurement technique is known as lunar parallax.
For increased accuracy, certain adjustments must be made, such as adjusting the measured angle to account for refraction and distortion of light passing through the atmosphere.
#### Lunar eclipse
Early attempts to measure the distance to the Moon exploited observations of a lunar eclipse combined with knowledge of Earth's radius and an understanding that the Sun is much further than the Moon. By observing the geometry of a lunar eclipse, the lunar distance can be calculated using trigonometry.
The earliest accounts of attempts to measure the lunar distance using this technique were by Greek astronomer and mathematician Aristarchus of Samos in the 4th century BC and later by Hipparchus, whose calculations produced a result of 59–67 REarth (376000–427000 km or 233000–265000 mi). This method later found its way into the work of Ptolemy, who produced a result of 64+1⁄6 REarth (409000 km or 253000 mi) at its farthest point.
#### Meridian crossing
An expedition by French astronomer A.C.D. Crommelin observed lunar meridian transits on the same night from two different locations. Careful measurements from 1905 to 1910 measured the angle of elevation at the moment when a specific lunar crater (Mösting A) crossed the local meridian, from stations at Greenwich and at Cape of Good Hope. A distance was calculated with an uncertainty of 30 km, and this remained the definitive lunar distance value for the next half century.
#### Occultations
By recording the instant when the Moon occults a background star, (or similarly, measuring the angle between the Moon and a background star at a predetermined moment) the lunar distance can be determined, as long as the measurements are taken from multiple locations of known separation.
Astronomers O'Keefe and Anderson calculated the lunar distance by observing four occultations from nine locations in 1952. They calculated a semi-major axis of 384407.6±4.7 km (238,859.8 ± 2.9 mi). This value was refined in 1962 by Irene Fischer, who incorporated updated geodetic data to produce a value of 384403.7±2 km (238,857.4 ± 1 mi).
### Radar
An experiment was conducted in 1957 at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory that used the echo from radar signals to determine the Earth-Moon distance. Radar pulses lasting 2 μs were broadcast from a 50-foot (15 m) diameter radio dish. After the radio waves echoed off the surface of the Moon, the return signal was detected and the delay time measured. From that measurement, the distance could be calculated. In practice, however, the signal-to-noise ratio was so low that an accurate measurement could not be reliably produced.
The experiment was repeated in 1958 at the Royal Radar Establishment, in England. Radar pulses lasting 5 μs were transmitted with a peak power of 2 megawatts, at a repetition rate of 260 pulses per second. After the radio waves echoed off the surface of the Moon, the return signal was detected and the delay time measured. Multiple signals were added together to obtain a reliable signal by superimposing oscilloscope traces onto photographic film. From the measurements, the distance was calculated with an uncertainty of 1.25 km (0.777 mi).
These initial experiments were intended to be proof-of-concept experiments and only lasted one day. Follow-on experiments lasting one month produced a semi-major axis of 384402±1.2 km (238,856 ± 0.75 mi), which was the most precise measurement of the lunar distance at the time.
### Laser ranging
An experiment which measured the round-trip time of flight of laser pulses reflected directly off the surface of the Moon was performed in 1962, by a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Soviet team at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.
During the Apollo missions in 1969, astronauts placed retroreflectors on the surface of the Moon for the purpose of refining the accuracy and precision of this technique. The measurements are ongoing and involve multiple laser facilities. The instantaneous precision of the Lunar Laser Ranging experiments can achieve few millimeter resolution, and is the most reliable method of determining the lunar distance to date. The semi-major axis is determined to be 384,399.0 km.
### Amateur astronomers and citizen scientists
Due to the modern accessibility of accurate timing devices, high resolution digital cameras, GPS receivers, powerful computers and near-instantaneous communication, it has become possible for amateur astronomers to make high accuracy measurements of the lunar distance.
On May 23, 2007, digital photographs of the Moon during a near-occultation of Regulus were taken from two locations, in Greece and England. By measuring the parallax between the Moon and the chosen background star, the lunar distance was calculated.
A more ambitious project called the "Aristarchus Campaign" was conducted during the lunar eclipse of 15 April 2014. During this event, participants were invited to record a series of five digital photographs from moonrise until culmination (the point of greatest altitude).
The method took advantage of the fact that the Moon is actually closest to an observer when it is at its highest point in the sky, compared to when it is on the horizon. Although it appears that the Moon is biggest when it is near the horizon, the opposite is true. This phenomenon is known as the Moon illusion. The reason for the difference in distance is that the distance from the center of the Moon to the center of the Earth is nearly constant throughout the night, but an observer on the surface of Earth is actually 1 Earth radius from the center of Earth. This offset brings them closest to the Moon when it is overhead.
Modern cameras have now reached a resolution level capable of capturing the Moon with enough precision to perceive and more importantly to measure this tiny variation in apparent size. The results of this experiment were calculated as LD = 60.51+3.91−4.19 REarth. The accepted value for that night was 60.61 REarth, which implied a 3% accuracy. The benefit of this method is that the only measuring equipment needed is a modern digital camera (equipped with an accurate clock, and a GPS receiver).
Other experimental methods of measuring the lunar distance that can be performed by amateur astronomers involve:
Taking pictures of the Moon before it enters the penumbra and after it is completely eclipsed. Measuring, as precisely as possible, the time of the eclipse contacts. Taking good pictures of the partial eclipse when the shape and size of the Earth shadow are clearly visible. Taking a picture of the Moon including, in the same field of view, Spica and Mars – from various locations. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_distance_(astronomy) |
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Grow west: the mystery of America's migrating trees
Three-quarters of tree species common in the eastern U.S. have moved their population centres westward over the last 30 years – an effect not predicted by assumptions about global warming.
In our minds, few things are as place-bound as trees – with Birnam Wood in Macbeth and the Ents in Lord of the Rings as fictional exceptions to prove the rule. However, while individual trees are rooted, tree species as a whole are indeed capable of movement. Enough to baffle scientists, as shown on these maps, published in Science Advances.
The scientists studying abundance data for 86 tree species in the eastern U.S. (ranging from 1980 to 2015) knew what to expect: as the average temperature increases (1), tree species will migrate to higher altitudes or more northern latitudes. And indeed: 62% of the examined species showed a 'poleward shift'.
What they didn't expect to find, was that significantly more species – 73% - had moved west (2). What's more: the median westward shift per decade was 40% larger than the poleward shift (15.4 km vs. 11 km).
The direction and distance of the abundance shifts for 86 species.
“When (this result) came out, our eyes opened wide. Like, 'Wow, what's going on with this?”, Songlin Fei told The Atlantic. It's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery. The forestry professor at Purdue University and the other authors of the study have formulated a theory that explains “about 19%” the westward drift: the change in rainfall patterns over the past 30 years, which is also linked to overall climate change.
Recent changes in average temperature and precipitation.
Total annual precipitation in the central U.S. has increased by more than 150 mm and has declined significantly in the Southeast, where severe droughts have occurred. Both changes can have a significant impact on ecosystems and species distributions.
In general, the evergreen tree species (those with needles for leaves and mostly wind-pollinated, a.k.a. gymnosperms) are moving north with the rising temperature, while the deciduous species (with broad, seasonal leaves and mostly insect-pollinated, a.k.a. angiosperms) are following the increase in moisture to the west (3).
Drilling down to regional level reveals huge peaks in the direction and speed of the migration.
- In the Northern Hardwood region (with a warm, continental climate), 85% of species shifted poleward, at a rate of 20.1 km per decade (area marked 210 on the map).
- In the (hot, continental) Central Hardwood region (220), 83% of species shifted westward, at a rate of 18.9 km per decade.
- In the (subtropical) Southern Pine-Hardwood region (230), 77% of species shifted westward, at a rate of 24.7 km per decade.
- In the Forest-Prairie Transition region (250), species moved west at a rate of no less than 30 km per decade.
The fact that the overall westward shift is 1.4 times faster than the drift northwards “suggests that vegetation dynamics are more sensitive to precipitation than to temperature, at least in the near-term time frame”, the study says.
That's not to say the northward movement isn't a major event in itself. Scientists know of a similar northward shift in the New England area during the early Holocene (10,000 to 8,000 years ago). “However, the historical process took place over several thousand years, whereas the observed shift in this study happened in a few decades, suggesting the impact of recent climate change”.
The study does not rule out non-climatic factors, such as conservation efforts, land use changes and forest management practices. For example, “the observed abundance change is positively correlated with the densification of forests, which is often attributed to diminishing fire frequency and severity”.
Meaning that 'conservation' is a relative term: paradoxically, preserving forests changes them into something they were not. And despite conservation or management efforts, America's trees are likely to continue their march west and north, following the changing patterns of temperature and rain.
East-west shifts mapped on a phylogram showing the evolutionary relationships between the species.
Study found here at Science Advances. Atlantic article here. Both sent in by M. Feldman, who wryly remarks: "Note that the trees appear to be escaping from Washington, DC".
Strange Maps #895
Got a strange map? Let me know at [email protected].
(1) Over the past 30 years, the mean average temperature in the eastern U.S. has increased 0.16°C, with a larger increase in the northern part.
(2) The most common direction was northwest (37%), the least common was southeast (2%).
(3) Fifty-three of the 65 angiosperms (81.5%) and just 10 of the 21 gymnosperms (47.6%) shifted westward. A northward shift was observed for 15 gymnosperms (71.4%), while only 38 (58.5%) angiosperms also moved north; 27 angiosperm species (41.5%) shifted southward.
How New York's largest hospital system is predicting COVID-19 spikes
Northwell Health is using insights from website traffic to forecast COVID-19 hospitalizations two weeks in the future.
- The machine-learning algorithm works by analyzing the online behavior of visitors to the Northwell Health website and comparing that data to future COVID-19 hospitalizations.
- The tool, which uses anonymized data, has so far predicted hospitalizations with an accuracy rate of 80 percent.
- Machine-learning tools are helping health-care professionals worldwide better constrain and treat COVID-19.
Designer uses AI to bring 54 Roman emperors to life
It's hard to stop looking back and forth between these faces and the busts they came from.
- A quarantine project gone wild produces the possibly realistic faces of ancient Roman rulers.
- A designer worked with a machine learning app to produce the images.
- It's impossible to know if they're accurate, but they sure look plausible.
Dark matter axions possibly found near Magnificent 7 neutron stars
A new study proposes mysterious axions may be found in X-rays coming from a cluster of neutron stars.
Put on a happy face? “Deep acting” associated with improved work life
New research suggests you can't fake your emotional state to improve your work life — you have to feel it.
World's oldest work of art found in a hidden Indonesian valley
Archaeologists discover a cave painting of a wild pig that is now the world's oldest dated work of representational art. | https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/grow-west-the-mystery-of-americas-migrating-trees |
by Greg Goodman
On the deceleration in the decline of the Arctic sea ice.
The variation in the magnitude of the annual cycle in arctic sea ice area has increased notably since the minimum of 2007. This means that using a unique annual cycle fitted to all the data leaves a strong residual (or “anomaly”) in post-2007 years. This makes it difficult or impossible to visualise how the data has evolved during that period. This leads to the need to develop an adaptive method to evaluate the typical annual cycle, in order to render the inter-annual variations more intelligible.
Before attempting to asses any longer term averages or fit linear “trends” to the data it is also necessary to identify any repetitive variations of a similar time-scale to that of the fitting period, in order to avoid spurious results.
Method
Short-term anomalies: adapting calculations to decadal variability.
Adaptation can be achieved by identifying different periods in the data that have different degrees of variability and calculating the average annual variation for each period.
Details of how the average seasonal profile for each segment was calculated are shown in the appendix.
Figure 1. The post-2007 interval. (click to enlarge)
The data was split into separate periods that were identified by their different patterns of variation. For example, the period from 1997 to 2007 has a notably more regular annual cycle (leading to smaller variation in the anomalies). The earlier periods have larger inter-annual variations, similar to those of the most recent segment.
An approximately periodic variation was noted in the data, in the rough form of a rectified sine wave. In order to avoid corrupting the average slope calculations by spanning from a peak to a trough in this pattern, a mathematical sine function was adjusted manually to approximate the period and magnitude shown in the data. It was noted that, despite the break of this pattern in the early 2000’s, the phase of this pattern did not alter in the post-2007 section. However, there was a notable drop in level ( about 0.5×10^6 km^2 ). Labels indicate the timing of several notable climate events which may account for some of the deviations from the observed cyclic pattern. These are included for ease of reference without necessarily implying a particular interpretation or causation.
Figure 2. Identifying periods for analysis
The early period (pre-1988) was also separated out since it was derived from a notably different instrument on a satellite with a much longer global coverage. It is mostly from Nimbus 7 mission which was in an orbit with a 6 day global coverage flight path. Somehow this data was processed to produce into a 2 day interval time-series, although documentation of the processing method seems light.
Later data, initially from the US defence meteorology platforms starts in 1988 and had total polar coverage twice per day,producing daily time-series.
In order to maintain the correct relationship between the different segments, the mean value for each segment from the constant term of the harmonic model used to derive the seasonal variations, was retained. The anomaly time-series was reconstructed by adding the deviations from the harmonic model to the mean, for each segment in turn. The calculated anomalies were extended beyond the base period at each end, so as to provide an overlap to determine suitable points for splicing the separate records together. A light low-pass filter was applied to the residual ‘anomalies’ to remove high frequency detail and improve visibility.
The result of this processing can be compared to the anomaly graph provided at the source of this data. The extent of the lines showing mean rates of change indicate the periods of the data used. These were chosen to be an integral number of cycles of the repetitive, circa five year pattern.
Figure 3. Showing composite adaptive anomaly
Figure 4. Showing Cryosphere Today anomaly derived with single seasonal cycle
Discussion
The average slope for each segment is shown and clearly indicate the decrease in ice area was accelerating from the beginning of the era of the satellite observations until 2007. The derived values suggest this was a roughly parabolic acceleration. This was a cause for legitimate concern around 2007 and there was much speculation as to what this implied for the future development of arctic ice coverage. Many scientists have suggested “ice free” summers by 2013 or shortly thereafter.
The rate of ice loss since 2007 is very close to that of the 1990s but is clearly less pronounced than it was from 1997 to 2007, a segment of the data which in itself shows a clear downward curvature, indicating accelerating ice loss.
Since some studies estimate that much of the ice is now thinner, younger ice of only 1 or 2 years of age, recent conditions should be a more sensitive indicator of change. Clearly the predicted positive feedbacks, run-away melting and catastrophic collapse of Arctic sheet are not in evidence. The marked deceleration since 2007 indicates that either the principal driver of the melting has abated or there is a strongly negative regional feedback operating to counteract it.
The 2013 summer minimum is around 3.58 million km^2. Recent average rate of change is -0.043 million km^2 per year.
While it is pointless to suggest any one set of conditions will be maintained in an ever varying climate system, with the current magnitude of the annual variation and the average rate of change shown in the most recent period, it would take 83 years to reach ice free conditions at the summer minimum.
Some have preferred to redefine “ice free” to mean less than 1 millions km^2 sea ice remaining at the summer minimum. On that basis the “ice free” summer figure reduces to 61 years.
Conclusion
In order to extract and interpret inter-decadal changes in NH sea ice coverage, it is essential to characterise and remove short-term variation. The described adaptive method allows a clearer picture of the post 2007 period to be gained. It shows that what could be interpreted as a parabolic acceleration in the preceding part of the satellite record is no longer continuing and is replaced by a decelerating change in ice area. At the time of this analysis, the current decadal rate of change is about -430,000 km^2 per decade, against an annual average of around 8.7 million and a summer minimum of around 3.6 million km^2.
Whether the recent deceleration will continue or revert to earlier acceleration is beyond current understanding and prediction capabilities. However, it is clear that it would require a radical change for either an ice free ( or an less than one million km^2 ) arctic summer minimum to occur in the coming years.
Unfortunately data of this quality covers a relatively short period of climate history. This means it is difficult to conclude much except that the earlier areal acceleration has changed to a deceleration, with the current rate of decline being about half that of the 1997-2007 period. This is clearly at odds with the suggestion that the region is dominated by a positive feedback.
It is also informative to put this in the context of the lesser, but opposite, tendency of increasing sea ice coverage around Antarctica over the same period.
Figure 5. Showing changes in Arctic and Antarctic sea ice coverage
Figure 3. Showing composite adaptive anomaly
Appendix: approximating the typical seasonal cycle
Spectral analysis of the daily ice area data shows many harmonics of the annual variation, the amplitude generally diminishing with frequency. Such harmonics can be used to reconstruct a good approximation of the asymmetric annual cycle.
Here the typical cycle of seasonal variation for the period was estimated by fitting a constant plus 7 harmonic model to the data ( the 7th being about 52 days ). The residual difference between the data and this model was then taken as the anomaly for the segment and low-pass filtered to remove 45 day (8th harmonic) and shorter variations.
This reveals an initial recovery from the 2007 minimum and a later drift downwards to a new minimum in 2012. By the time of the annual minimum for 2013, another strong recovery seems to have started.
This repetitive pattern, which was identified in the full record, is used to define trough-to-trough or peak-to-peak periods over which to calculate the average rate of change for each segment of the data. This was done by fitting a linear model to the unfiltered anomaly data ( using a non-linear least squares technique).
Supplementary Information
The fitted average rate of change for the respective periods, in chronological order ( million km^2 per year )
-0.020
-0.047
-0.088
-0.043
The cosine amplitude, half the total annual variation, of the fundamental of the harmonic model for successive data segments ( million km^2 )
pre 1988 -4.43
1988-1997 -4.47
1997-2007 -4.62
post 2007 -5.14
Mathematical approximation of repetitive pattern used to determine sampling intervals, shown in figure 2.
cosine period 11.16 years ( 5.58 year repetition )
cosine amplitude 0.75 x 10^6 km^2
Resources
Data source: http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/timeseries.anom.1979-2008
(data downloaded 16th Sept 2013)
A extensive list of official sources both arctic and antarctic sea ice data can be found here:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/reference-pages/sea-ice-page/
Biosketch: The author has a graduate degree in applied physics,
professional experience in spectroscopy, electronics and software
engineering, including 3-D computer modelling of scattering of e-m
radiation in the Earth’s atmosphere.
JC note: I received this post via email from Greg Goodman. Greg has previously published at Climate Etc. On the adjustments to the HadSST3 data set. This is a technical post, please keep your comments relevant and civil. | https://judithcurry.com/2013/09/16/inter-decadal-variation-in-northern-hemisphere-sea-ice/ |
Above: Mercury compared in size to Earth (Credit: NASA).
Quick Fact File
Dimensions
4,876 km – the diameter (3,030 miles) of the planet.
2,440 km – the equatorial radius (1,516 miles).
38% – comparison in size to Earth.
15,329 km – the equatorial circumference (9,525 miles).
74,797,000 km² – the surface area (28,879,000 mi²).
Distances
70 million km – maximum distance from the Sun (43 million miles).
46 million km – minimum distance from the Sun (29 million miles).
57 million km – average distance from the Sun (35 million miles).
77.3 million km – closest distance to Earth (48 million miles).
Movement
88 days – the orbital period of the planet Mercury – the time taken to orbit the Sun in Earth days (87.969 days).
59 days – the rotation period – the time taken for the planet to rotate on its own axis (58.785 days).
38% – the gravity of Mercury expressed as a percentage of the gravity on Earth.
88 days – the length of a year on Mercury, in equivalent Earth days. It is the fastest orbiting of all the planets.
172,364 km/h – the speed that Mercury travels through space, relative to the sun (107,102 mph); it is the fastest travelling of the planets.
47.87 km/s – that speed expressed in terms of distance covered each second (29.75 mi/s).
480°C – the temperature (800°F) that the surface of Mercury can reach.
-180°C – the temperature (-290°F) that the surface can plummet to (Mercury has the most extreme temperature range of all the planets).
176 days – the period from one sunrise to the next.
40% – the approximate amount of Mercury’s surface area covered by smooth plains, caused by lava flows.
4,000,000 km² – the area (1,500,000 ml²) of the North Pole of Mercury covered by plains, an area equivalent in size to around half of the USA.
650 km – the length (400 mi) of the longest cliff on Mercury, called Discovery Rupes. Rupes are cliffs, most likely formed by the cooling and contracting of iron ore as the planet formed, which then caused areas of the outer crust to push upwards.
2 km – the height (1.2 mi) of Discovery Rupes and the highest point.
Above: The cratered surface of Mercury, recorded by Messenger in 2008 (Credit: NASA, JHU APL, CIW).
1,300 km – the diameter of the Caloris Basin, the largest basin on Mercury, likely formed by a major asteroid Impact early in the planet’s existence.
1,000 km – the distance (600 mi) that some of the Caloris Basin debris (‘ejecta’) spread after the impact.
3,600 km – the width (2,237 mi) of the liquid iron core of Mercury.
Did You Know?
Scientists have discovered the core to be liquid rather than solid, by using radio waves bounced off the surface. These revealed a wobbly, rather than rigid, rotation, which indicated the existence of liquid at the centre of the planet.
61% – the amount of Mercury’s total volume represented by the core (by comparison, the Earth’s core represents 17%).
600 km – the depth (400 mi) of the semi-molten mantle that surrounds the core. It consists of silica rocks, similar to the mantle of Earth.
20% – the approximate amount of the planet’s radius made up by the mantle.
100-300 km – the width (70-190 mi) of the crust, which consists of basalt and other silica rocks.
Did You Know?
Mercury has an atmosphere, but it is exceedingly thin, and called an exosphere. The planet may once have had an atmosphere as dense as that of our earth, eventually blown away by solar winds that were stronger than the small planet’s gravity could resist.
1000 BCE – the approximate time of the first known sighting of Mercury, recorded in the ancient Babylonian Mul.Apin tablets (Mercury is visible to the naked eye around sunrise and sunset, and in the times before artificial light pollution it would have been clearer still). The Babylonians called the planet Nabu, named after their messenger god.
Did You Know?
With remarkable accuracy, and via a method unknown to modern historians, an Indian astronomer working almost 2500 years ago guessed the size of Mercury to within 99% accuracy. Recorded in Surya Siddhanta, he guessed the diameter to be 4,841 km (3,008 mi). It actually measures 4,879 km (3,032 mi).
Missions to Mercury
2 – the number of missions that have been sent to Mercury; Mariner 10 between 1974-75 and Messenger between 2011-15. Mercury is the least explored of the rocky terrestrial planets in our solar system, although a third expedition, the joint European-Japanese Bepi Columbo mission, is due to launch in early 2017, and should arrive at Mercury sometime in January 2024.
Mariner 10 (1974-75)
3 – the number of times Mariner 10 passed the planet during its mission.
45% – the approximate surface of Mercury that was mapped by Mariner 10.
16 March 1975 – the date of Mariner 10’s final flyby of the planet.
Messenger (2011-15)
03 August 2004 – the date Messenger was launched from Cape Canaveral, aboard a Delta II 7925 rocket.
7.9 billion km – the length of the trajectory that was required to slow Messenger enough to enter orbit around Mercury.
6 years, 7 months and 16 days – the time it took Messenger to reach orbital entry with Mercury.
14 January 2008 – the date of Messenger’s first flyby of Mercury (this was followed by two further flybys on 06 October 2008 and 29 September 2009).
18 March 2011 – the date Messenger first entered orbit around Mercury, beginning data collection early the following month, on 04 April.
100,000 – the approximate number of images captured by Messenger during its primary mission, which ended on 17 March 2012 (an extension was then made to complete 2 further missions).
30 April 2015 – the date Messenger spacecraft sent its final image before crashing into the surface of Mercury, having finally run out of maneuvering propellant and succumbed to the pull of solar gravity.
$450 million – approximate cost of the Messenger mission.
Above: The final image sent back from the Messenger probe. This image shows an section of the surface approximately 1 km (0.6 miles) across (Credit: NASA, JHU APL, CIW). | https://historyinnumbers.com/places/space/solar-system/planet-mercury/ |
The collision point of continental plates is located near Chalt Valley on the Karakoram Highway (KKH), some 53 km north of Gilgit town. The Indian and the Eurasian continental plates collided along a line which passed through this point giving rise to the Himalayan mountain range and formed Tibetan plateau some 50 million years ago. The tremendous pressure forced the earth’s crust to produce the towering Karakoram Mountains in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Historic accounts
Historically, 225 million years ago India was a large island separated from Asia by the Tethys Ocean. India started northward drift toward Asia when the super-continental Pangea began to break up some 200 million years ago. India was moving at a rate between 9 and 16 cm some 80 million years ago when it was 6,400 km south of the Asian continent. However, from 50 to 40 million years ago, the rate of northward drift slowed to around 4-6 cm per year. This pace is interpreted as the beginning of collision between the Indian and the Eurasian continental plates.
When the collision occurred, the Eurasian plate was partly crumpled and buckled up above the Indian plates causing the continental crust to thicken pushing up the Himalayan and Tibetan plateau. The continental crust here is twice the average thickness at around 75 km which marks the end of volcanic activity in the region. The Indian plate is still pushing north into the Eurasian landmass at about five centimeters a year causing the mountains to rise about seven millimeters annually.
Tourist Significance
Sadly, the geographic significance of the collision point of continental plates is a fact still even unknown to the general people of Gilgit-Baltistan. It simply failed to catch the tourist’s eye until the roadside signboards were displayed for tourist information most recently which may obviously help locals and tourists educate about its significance. However, there must be a platform for tourists to spend the time to educate themselves and enjoy the unique mountain formation in the surroundings. This site has the potential to be a prominent picnic spot.
The old silk route ran along the other side and some of the sections of the old Silk Route are still intact which can easily be seen from this point. The old Silk Route is only used by locals to take their herd to the pastures for grazing. It is in the news that the ancient Silk Route would be renovated to promote tourism.
Local legend
Locally the collision point is termed as Bidru-Kha and sometimes Chalt Xhang (Threshold). This particular site has several local legends attached to it. For instance, locals offer sacrifices to spirits by slaughtering a chicken/goat or any other animal while passing through this point with a bride and groom on the marriage day.
Likewise, there is another notion local shamans believe that this place was a pathway to the three worlds – the world inhabited by the spirits or the upper world, the material human world, and the underworld of the souls and the dead.
And finally, this site acts as a buffer zone of climate – the weather in lower parts of Hunza can be forecasted using climatic conditions right above this particular point – an overcast sky may refer to chances of rain while blue patches in the clouds mean the sky is getting clear.
Naltar Valley
Nestled in the lap of mountains, at an elevation of about 15000 ft., the scenic Naltar valley near Gilgit town in Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan is a striking pine pasture and a prominent tourist destination. The highland is a perfect summer retreat and a world-famous winter ski resort in Pakistan drawing national and international skiers every year for ski competitions. The lush green valley is heavily wooded with pine, spruces, birch, rowan, and juniper, the entire valley is guarded by green hills and snow-topped mountains. It is home to the local Gujjar tribe who grow potatoes famous for their taste and size.
Geography and access
The hill station is located about 19 km uphill barren gorge from Nomal Valley which serves as a base and located at the mouth of the gorge. The Nomal valley itself is located at 20 km from Gilgit via the west bank of the Hunza River and about 70 km from Hunza valley along the Karakoram Highway across Rahimabad and accessible by a concrete bridge over the Hunza River.
From Nomal Lower Naltar (Naltar Payeen or Khirini Naltar in local Shina Language) is about 7 km and then it is another 6 km to Upper Naltar (Naltar Bala or Ajeeni Naltar in local Shina language). Altogether, from Gilgit, it takes about 2.5 hrs while from Hunza it takes about 4 hrs to drive to upper Naltar.
Tourist Attractions
The Naltar valley is highly recommended for a day excursion from Gilgit for anyone looking to spend a day out of hustle and bustle or to enjoy the absolute serenity. One can also plan an overnight stay or two. There are accommodation facilities in the valley and one can go camping. Major attractions in the valley are:
Skiing
Naltar has now established itself as a prime winter sports destination and now international ski competitions held here. Being at a fair elevation, Naltar receives a good spell of snow every year. There are ski lifts operational under the ‘Ski Federation of Pakistan’. The annual ski competition draws national and international sportsmen every year in February.
Trekking Routes
The valley also serves as a base for two medium category beautiful treks; one across the Naltar Pass (about 4,600 meters) eastward to Ishkoman valley and the other across the Daintar Pass (4,636 meters) westward to Chalt. Naltar is a two-hour drive and about 47 kilometers from Gilgit via the west bank of the Hunza River to Nomal Village.
Lakes
From Upper Naltar to the Lakes is about 13 km jeep-able road. However, it also serves as a beautiful walking trail particularly when the road is blocked or washed away. By foot, it takes 2-3 hours while the downhill walk is less than 2 hrs. The rough jeep track runs along the rivulet all the way to the lakes. The colorful lakes are named as Bashkiri Lake – I, Bashkiri Lake – II, and Bashkiri Lake – III, located fairly close to each other at the end of the gorge. Naltar Lakes are also locally known as “Chimo Bari (fish Lake)”, ” Chakar Bari (Multi Ends Lake)’ & “Bodolok Bari (Turbid Lake)
The lakes are surrounded by dense pine forests. Winters are harsh and the lakes are hard to reach because of the snow that usually piles up to 10 to 15 feet. Summers attract a huge number of local and international tourists and trekkers.
Rivulet
The glacial waters originating from the end bordering the Wakhan Corridor collect to make a rivulet which flows through the center of the gorge till it meets the Hunza River. Camping, cooking, and other fun activities along the water is an added beauty for the visitors.
Camping and outdoor activities
There are plenty of camping sites and one can plan overnight/weekend camping. The valley is safe and one can find fresh veggies at a reasonable price. There are hiking trails leading to scenic points. The valley is well known for its flora and fauna and splendid medium range mountains.
Weather in Naltar Valley
The weather in Naltar is always romantic. Even during peak summers, the Lakeside at Naltar receives light spells of rain several times a day. The fluctuating romantic weather and scenery in the surrounding make the trip worth of it.
Food
Light refreshment (tea and cookies) for tourists can be had at the Lakeside, however, tourists willing to spend the whole day at Naltar are recommended to make personal arrangements.
Access
Naltar valley is only accessible by 4WD Jeeps being the road nonmetallic, narrow, rough and tough. Transport can be arranged from Gilgit. There is a camping facility and one can stay overnight in tents. | http://www.destinationpakistanguide.com/tag/chalt/ |
How Long Would It Take To Travel To The Sun?
It would be faster to fly to the sun: It would take 169 090 hours to fly there at 550 miles per hour. It would take 7 045 days to fly there at 550 miles per hour. It would take 19.3 years to fly there.Jun 20 2020
How many years will it take to reach the Sun?
Explanation: Sun is about 8.3 light minutes from the Earth. This means it would take 8.3 minutes for light to reach from the Surface of the Sun to reach the Earth. If you are traveling in a Jumbo Jet it would take you about 19 years to reach the Sun.
How long would it take to fly to the Sun in a spaceship?
This probe might reach a maximum speed of 430 000 mi / 692 017 km per hour. This means that the spaceship may get to the Sun in around 216 hours or nine days.
Can a human travel to the Sun?
In theory we could. But the trip is long — the sun is 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers) away — and we don’t have the technology to safely get astronauts to the sun and back yet. … The sun’s surface is about 6 000 Kelvin which is 10 340 degrees Fahrenheit (5 726 degrees Celsius).
How long would it take to get to the Sun at the speed of light?
In comparison our own Sun is [on average] only 93 million miles away from the Earth. The sunlight travels at…well…the speed of light [186 000 miles per second] and takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to cover that vast distance.
Is Earth going to fall into the sun?
The most probable fate of the planet is absorption by the Sun in about 7.5 billion years after the star has entered the red giant phase and expanded beyond the planet’s current orbit.
How many Earths can fit in the sun?
1.3 million Earths
If you divide the volume of the sun by the volume of the Earth you get that roughly 1.3 million Earths can fit inside the sun.
Where is Voyager 1 now?
Voyager 1 is currently in the constellation of Ophiucus. The current Right Ascension of Voyager 1 is 17h 13m 23s and the Declination is +12° 02′ 11” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich United Kingdom [change]).
How long would it take to get to Pluto from the sun?
It took 10 years to reach Pluto and Pluto is currently 4.8 billion km from Earth. That’s the distance light covers in a little under four-and-a-half hours. So at that rate flying to Kepler-452b would take nearly 28 million years. This opens in a new window.
How long will it take to travel to Pluto?
New Horizons launched on January 19 2006 and it’ll reach Pluto on July 14 2015. Do a little math and you’ll find that it has taken 9 years 5 months and 25 days. The Voyager spacecraft did the distance between Earth and Pluto in about 12.5 years although neither spacecraft actually flew past Pluto.
How Long Would It Take To Travel the Solar System? | Unveiled
How long does it take for the earth to go around the sun?
How Long Would It Take To Travel The Universe? | Unveiled
How Long Does It Take Sunlight to Reach Earth? | https://realonomics.net/how-long-would-it-take-to-travel-to-the-sun/ |
1.6 What do you know?
This activity gives you the chance to find out what you already know about moons. It’s a very basic non-scored quiz. Don’t worry if you don’t know some of the answers. Take an educated guess, and whether right or wrong you’ll get some feedback that we hope will help you to understand things a little better.
Activity 1 What do you already know about moons?
The scale of the Solar System. How far is the Moon from the Earth?
a.
400 thousand km
b.
150 million km
c.
4.5 billion km
The correct answer is a.
a.
Correct. The Moon is on average about 400 thousand km from the Earth. 150 million km is the distance from the Earth to the Sun, whereas 4.5 billion km is the distance from the Sun to Neptune, the most distant planet.
Planets without moons. Which planets in our Solar System have no known moon?
a.
Only Venus
b.
Venus and Mercury
c.
Venus, Mercury and Neptune
The correct answer is b.
b.
Correct. Neither Venus nor Mercury has a known moon and if one exists it can’t be much more than a kilometre in size. Neptune has at least 13 moons.
Orbits. What shape is a moon’s orbit?
a.
A circle
b.
Egg-shaped
c.
An ellipse
The correct answer is c.
c. | https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=69107§ion=2.6 |
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Abstract
We performed zircon fission-track dating on twenty low-grade metamorphic rocks from the Northern Range and eight unmetamorphosed sandstones from the Central Range of Trinidad. Reset and partially reset zircon populations from the Northern Range gave a consistent fission-track age of 11.7 ± 1.1 Ma. This dates the cooling of the Northern Range through 240 ± 25°C. Assuming a geothermal gradient of 25°C km 1 which is unproved, and a constant rate of uplift, the Northern Range uplifted at an average rate of 0.7 to 1.0 mm yr 1 from the Late Miocene to Recent. If the uplift was not at a constant rate, then the true uplift rates may have been greater than 1.0 mm yr-1. In areas of lower grade metamorphism, Northern Range zircon fission-track ages were not reset, and thus gave information on the provenance of the Cretaceous sediments. Permian and Late Jurassic fission-track ages determined for the Maastrichtian Galera Formation sandstones are interpreted to have been derived, respectively, from granitoids and rift-related volcanics along the northern South American margin. Albian and Early Silurian/Late Ordovician zircon fission-track ages from the Lower Cretaceous Toco Formation have no provenance local to Trinidad but may have been derived further west, possibly from the Caribbean island arc and northern Andes respectively. This difference between the two formations is entirely consistent with structural and stratigraphic work which show the Toco Formation to be part of the Sans Souci Group, an allochthonous terrane transported from the west with the Caribbean plate. The Galera Formation is part of the Northern Range Group, which makes up the majority of the Northern Range, and is inteipreted to have been deposited on the northern South American margin, probably within 400 km of its present location.
Zircon fission-track ages from unmetamorphosed sandstones of central Trinidad’s Pointe-a-Pierre Formation constrain deposition of the formation to later than 34 Ma (Lower-Middle Oligocene or later). This is much younger than the faunally estimated Lower Eocene (55 Ma) depositional age, probably because the fauna, which are “arenaceous,” have been reworked. Similar zircon fission-track ages are found in central Trinidad’s Nariva Formation, which is faunally dated as Middle Oligocene to Middle Miocene age.
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Contents
Paleogeographic Evolution and Non-Glacial Eustasy, Northern South America
Paleogeographic Evolution and Non-Glacial Eustasy Northern South America - Published eustatic cycle charts commonly call for eustatic fluctuations of more the 40 m every few million years or less. These cycles are interpreted as eustatic, but, so far, waxing and waning of continental glaciations is the only known mechanism which clearly has the ability to drive such large, short-term eustatic fluctuations. High-magnitude, high-frequency ?glacio-eustatic cyclicity? may be a valid concept for times of continental glaciations, but what about times when such glaciations was absent from Earth? Why do cycle charts have a similar form and style for time periods with and without glaciation? Is it that we have missed the identification of a fundamental driving cause which is as important as glaciation and which might have operated during non-glacial times? Or, is it that we are confusing local and eustatic drivers of relative sea-level change? These persistent questions, and others, continue to cast doubt on the entire subject of sequence correlatability. The papers in this book collectively address these questions. | https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/1104/chapter/10551017/Fission-Track-Dating-in-TrinidadImplications-for |
Darwinism is a term used for various movements or concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or evolution, including ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin. The meaning of Darwinism has changed over time, and varies depending on who is using the term. In the United States , Darwinism is often used by creationists as a pejorative term but in the United Kingdom the term has no negative connotations, being freely used as a short hand for evolutionary theory.
The term was coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in April 1860, and was used to describe evolutionary concepts, including earlier concepts such as Malthusianism and Spencerism. In the late 19th century it came to mean the concept that natural selection was the sole mechanism of evolution, in contrast to Lamarckism, then around 1900 it was eclipsed by Mendelism until the modern evolutionary synthesis unified Darwin's and Gregor Mendel's ideas. As modern evolutionary theory has developed, the term has been associated at times with specific ideas.
While the term has remained in use amongst scientific authors, it is increasingly regarded as an inappropriate description of modern evolutionary theory For example, Darwin was unfamiliar with the work of Gregor Mendel, having as a result only a vague and inaccurate understanding of heredity, and knew nothing of genetic drift.
"Darwinism" soon came to stand for an entire range of evolutionary (and often revolutionary) philosophies about both biology and society. One of the more prominent approaches was that summed in the phrase "survival of the fittest" by the philosopher Herbert Spencer, which was later taken to be emblematic of Darwinism even though Spencer's own understanding of evolution was more similar to that of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck than to that of Darwin, and predated the publication of Darwin's theory. What is now called "Social Darwinism" was, in its day, synonymous with "Darwinism" — the application of Darwinian principles of "struggle" to society, usually in support of anti-philanthropic political agendas. Another interpretation, one notably favoured by Darwin's half-cousin Francis Galton, was that Darwinism implied that because natural selection was apparently no longer working on "civilized" people it was possible for "inferior" strains of people (who would normally be filtered out of the gene pool) to overwhelm the "superior" strains, and voluntary corrective measures would be desirable — the foundation of eugenics.
In Darwin's day there was no rigid definition of the term "Darwinism", and it was used by opponents and proponents of Darwin's biological theory alike to mean whatever they wanted it to in a larger context. The ideas had international influence, and Ernst Haeckel developed what was known as Darwinismus in Germany , although, like Spencer Haeckel's "Darwinism" had only a rough resemblance to the theory of Charles Darwin, and was not centered on natural selection at all.
While the reaction against Darwin's ideas is nowadays often thought to have been widespread immediately, in 1886 Alfred Russel Wallace went on a lecture tour across the United States, starting in New York and going via Boston, Washington, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska to California, lecturing on what he called Darwinism without any problems.
The term Darwinism is often used in the United States by promoters of creationism, notably by leading members of the intelligent design movement, as an epithet to attack evolution as though it were an ideology (an "ism") of philosophical naturalism, or atheism. For example, Phillip E. Johnson makes this accusation of atheism with reference to Charles Hodge's book What Is Darwinism?. However, unlike Johnson, Hodge confined the term to exclude those like Asa Gray who combined Christian faith with support for Darwin's natural selection theory, before answering the question posed in the book's title by concluding: "It is Atheism." Creationists use the term Darwinism, often pejoratively, to imply that the theory has been held as true only by Darwin and a core group of his followers, whom they cast as dogmatic and inflexible in their belief. Casting evolution as a doctrine or belief bolsters religiously motivated political arguments to mandate equal time for the teaching of creationism in public schools.
However, Darwinism is also used neutrally within the scientific community to distinguish modern evolutionary theories from those first proposed by Darwin, as well as by historians to differentiate it from other evolutionary theories from around the same period. For example, Darwinism may be used to refer to Darwin's proposed mechanism of natural selection, in comparison to more recent mechanisms such as genetic drift and gene flow. It may also refer specifically to the role of Charles Darwin as opposed to others in the history of evolutionary thought — particularly contrasting Darwin's results with those of earlier theories such as Lamarckism or later ones such as the modern synthesis.
In the United Kingdom the term retains its positive sense as a reference to natural selection, and for example Richard Dawkins wrote in his collection of essays A Devil's Chaplain, published in 2003, that as a scientist he is a Darwinist.
Sheahen, Laura. Religion: For Dummies. BeliefNet.com, interview about 2003 book. | http://maps.thefullwiki.org/Darwinism |
Why do we need an EES?
by Massimo Pigliucci
7 December 2016
Do we need an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES)? Back in 2007 I argued for a positive answer in a paper published in Evolution. A few years later, with my colleague Gerd Müller, I co-edited an entire volume to attempt to map the territory of what an EES would look like. And now, with this blog and website, we have a new and exciting multi-disciplinary project devoted to the idea.
Why do I think we need a new framework for evolutionary theory? What’s wrong with the Modern Synthesis (MS) that slowly took form in the 1930s and ’40s? Because scientific theories always evolve (or are discarded) in order to match our improved empirical and conceptual understanding of how the world works. The MS itself replaced two other versions of the theory of evolution: the original ‘Darwinism’, i.e., the twin ideas that living beings are related by common descent and that adaptation results from natural selection; and ‘neo-Darwinism’, the version put forth by Wallace and Weissman during the latter part of the 19th century, which expressly rejected Lamarckism as a mechanism of heredity.
Indeed, it was precisely the apparent conflict between neo-Darwinism and the new field of ‘Mendelism’, as genetics was initially known, that triggered the pioneering work of Fisher, Haldane, and Wright, among other early population geneticists. After they showed that there was no contradiction between particulate inheritance and quantitative trait variation, the mature version of the MS came to fruition with the now classic works of Dobzhansky, Mayr, Simpson, Huxley, Stebbins, and many others.
But more than six decades have elapsed since the last major revision of evolutionary theory. In the meantime we have seen spectacular new empirical discoveries, including but not limited to the explosion of evolutionary molecular biology and genomics, the rise of evo-devo, countless studies on phenotypic plasticity, and the discovery of widespread epigenetic inheritance.
Conceptually speaking, we have the quasi-neutral theory of molecular evolution, punctuated equilibria and species selection in paleontology, the reformulation and expansion of group selection into multi-level selection theory, the articulation of niche construction theory, and the introduction of novel ideas such as the interconnected trio of evolvability, robustness and modularity.
Critics of the EES keep telling us that all of the above was ‘implied’ by the MS, that it amounts to little more than adding cherries on a well baked cake. We often hear skeptical comments along the lines of: ‘this is not new, so-and-so said something like it back in 1950’. But the fact is that even though some (and most certainly not all) of the ideas coming to prominence in the EES now (e.g. phenotypic plasticity) have indeed been around for a long time, they were often considered secondary, or even a nuisance to be dealt with, rather than a central part of evolutionary explanation. In the meantime, such ideas have gathered substantial empirical and theoretical support, so it is now time to take them seriously. Moreover, critics have never actually done the hard work of showing exactly how many of the empirical and conceptual advances in evolutionary biology since the 1950s were somehow logically entailed by the structure of the Modern Synthesis. They haven’t because it can’t be done. Just as one could not seriously attempt to reduce the MS itself to the very early version of the theory proposed by Darwin.
That said, however, I (like the other leaders of this research program) reject the more radical claim, made by some of our colleagues, that evolutionary biology is witnessing a paradigm shift, that the EES should somehow represent a major rejection of fundamental components of Darwinism. (Claims that, let me be blunt about it, have made the creationism / intelligent design crowd salivating at the mouth, providing them with rhetorical ammunitions that they have used to attempt to damage the whole scientific enterprise.)
Paradigm shifts are actually quite rare in science, and mostly pertinent to the physical sciences, for reasons that philosophers of science are still actively debating. Biology, instead, has proceeded by continuous expansion of its empirical and conceptual structure, in the following way:
Darwinism > neo-Darwinism > Modern Synthesis > Extended Synthesis
(common descent & natural selection) + (no Lamarckism) + (population genetics and its extension to paleontology) + (epigenetics, plasticity, evolvability, multilevel selection, niche construction, punctuated equilibria, developmental bias)
We are not witnessing a revolution, but rather a complex process of sophistication and complexification of the central idea of biology, an idea that can still, justly, be traced back to the publication of the joint Darwin-Wallace papers to the Linnaean Society in 1858. What we envision here, however, is not just a simple process of adding more knowledge, but rather the development of a new explanatory structure — again, just as the Modern Synthesis was a new development compared to both Darwinism and neo-Darwinism.
But why does the EES need to be ‘announced’, say the critics? Because science is a social enterprise that coalesces around big initiatives, just like it did at the time of the Modern Synthesis, which was, in fact, announced by the title of Julian Huxley’s 1942 book that gave the name to the theory.
So let us keep going, furthering the expansion and sophistication of Darwin’s core idea by joining the EES integrative research program and making sure it will succeed. | https://extendedevolutionarysynthesis.com/why-do-we-need-an-ees/ |
These articles are published with open access at Springerlink.com.
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William Benjamin Carpenter and the Emerging Science of Heredity. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2020-03-01 John Lidwell-Durnin
In the nineteenth century, farmers, doctors, and the wider public shared a family of questions and anxieties concerning heredity. Questions over whether injuries, mutilations, and bad habits could be transmitted to offspring had existed for centuries, but found renewed urgency in the popular and practical scientific press from the 1820s onwards. Sometimes referred to as "Lamarckism" or "the inheritance
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Chance, Variation and Shared Ancestry: Population Genetics After the Synthesis. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Michel Veuille
Chance has been a focus of attention ever since the beginning of population genetics, but neutrality has not, as natural selection once appeared to be the only worthwhile issue. Neutral change became a major source of interest during the neutralist-selectionist debate, 1970-1980. It retained interest beyond this period for two reasons that contributed to its becoming foundational for evolutionary reasoning
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Special Issue Editor's Introduction: "Revisiting the Modern Synthesis". J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Philippe Huneman
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The Creativity of Natural Selection? Part II: The Synthesis and Since. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 John Beatty
This is the second of a two-part essay on the history of debates concerning the creativity of natural selection, from Darwin through the evolutionary synthesis and up to the present. In the first part, I focussed on the mid-late nineteenth century to the early twentieth, with special emphasis on early Darwinism and its critics, the self-styled "mutationists." The second part focuses on the evolutionary
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Publisher Correction to: O Organism, Where Art Thou? Old and New Challenges for Organism-Centered Biology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Jan Baedke
Please note that this article belongs to the Special Issue on "New Styles of Thought and Practices: Biology in the Interwar Period," guest editors Jan Baedke and Christina Brandt, but was included in volume 52, issue 2, Summer 2019 by mistake. It should be regarded as part of this special issue collection of articles.
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How the Modern Synthesis Came to Ecology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Philippe Huneman
Ecology in principle is tied to evolution, since communities and ecosystems result from evolution and ecological conditions determine fitness values (and ultimately evolution by natural selection). Yet the two disciplines of evolution and ecology were not unified in the twentieth-century. The architects of the Modern Synthesis, and especially Julian Huxley, constantly pushed for such integration, but
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The Modern Synthesis: Theoretical or Institutional Event? J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Jean Gayon,Philippe Huneman
This paper surveys questions about the nature of the Modern Synthesis as a historical event : was it rather theoretical than institutional? When and where did it actually happen? Who was involved? It argues that all answers to these questions are interrelated, and that systematic sets of answers define specific perspectives on the Modern Synthesis that are all complementary.
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The Unfinished Synthesis?: Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology in the 20th Century. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 David Sepkoski
In the received view of the history of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis, paleontology was given a prominent role in evolutionary biology thanks to the significant influence of paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson on both the institutional and conceptual development of the Synthesis. Simpson's 1944 Tempo and Mode in Evolution is considered a classic of Synthesis-era biology, and Simpson often remarked
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Animal Behavior, Population Biology and the Modern Synthesis (1955-1985). J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Jean-Baptiste Grodwohl
This paper examines the history of animal behavior studies after the synthesis period. Three episodes are considered: the adoption of the theory of natural selection, the mathematization of ideas, and the spread of molecular methods in behavior studies. In these three episodes, students of behavior adopted practices and standards developed in population ecology and population genetics. While they borrowed
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Speciation Post Synthesis: 1960-2000. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-12-01 Anya Plutynski
Speciation-the origin of new species-has been one of the most active areas of research in evolutionary biology, both during, and since the Modern Synthesis. While the Modern Synthesis certainly shaped research on speciation in significant ways, providing a core framework, and set of categories and methods to work with, the history of work on speciation since the mid-twentieth century is a history of
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Bruno J. Strasser, Collecting Experiments. Making Big Data Biology (University of Chicago Press, 2019), 386 pp., $37.62 Paper, ISBN: 978-0226635040. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-11-07 Edna Suárez-Díaz
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Climate, Fascism, and Ibex: Experiments in Using Population Dynamics Modeling as a Historiographical Tool. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-07-20 Wilko Graf von Hardenberg
In the interwar years the Gran Paradiso ibex population followed two subsequent, contrasting trends: a steady rise once the national park was established in 1922, followed by a precipitous fall after the Fascist regime took direct control of conservation in 1934, which almost led to the colony's extinction. This paper addresses the issue of how models taken from population ecology may inform historical
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Conwy Lloyd Morgan, Methodology, and the Origins of Comparative Psychology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-07-19 Evan Arnet
The British biologist, philosopher, and psychologist Conwy Lloyd Morgan is widely regarded as one of the founders of comparative psychology. He is especially well known for his eponymous canon, which aimed to provide a rule for the interpretation of mind from behavior. Emphasizing the importance of the context in which Morgan was working-one in which casual observations of animal behavior could be
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Planet Earth II: BBC (November 2016-January 2017) Television. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-07-12 Joshua McGuffie
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O Organism, Where Art Thou? Old and New Challenges for Organism-Centered Biology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-06-01 Jan Baedke
This paper addresses theoretical challenges, still relevant today, that arose in the first decades of the twentieth century related to the concept of the organism. During this period, new insights into the plasticity and robustness of organisms as well as their complex interactions fueled calls, especially in the UK and in the German-speaking world, for grounding biological theory on the concept of
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Subscribing to Specimens, Cataloging Subscribed Specimens, and Assembling the First Phytogeographical Survey in the United States. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-05-18 Kuang-Chi Hung
Throughout the late 1840s and the early 1850s, Harvard botanist Asa Gray (1810-1888) and his close friend George Engelmann (1809-1884) of St. Louis engaged themselves with recruiting men who sought to make a living by natural history collecting, sending these men into the field, searching for institutions and individuals who would subscribe to incoming collections, compiling catalogs, and collecting
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Complicating the Story of Popular Science: John Maynard Smith's "Little Penguin" on The Theory of Evolution. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-05-17 Helen Piel
Popular science writing has received increasing interest, especially in its relation to professional science. I extend the current scholarly focus from the nineteenth to the twentieth century by providing a microhistory of the early popular writings of evolutionary biologist John Maynard Smith (1920-2004). Linking them to the state of evolutionary biology as a professional science as well as Maynard
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2019 Everett Mendelsohn Prize. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2019-03-01
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Inevitable Decay: Debates over Climate, Food Security, and Plant Heredity in Nineteenth-Century Britain. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-12-13 John Lidwell-Durnin
Climate change and the failure of crops are significant but overlooked events in the history of heredity. Bad weather and dangerously low harvests provided momentum and urgency for answers to questions about how best to improve and acclimatize staple varieties. In the 1790s, a series of crop failures in Britain led to the popularization of and widespread debate over Thomas Andrew Knight's suggestion
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The Bermuda Triangle: The Pragmatics, Policies, and Principles for Data Sharing in the History of the Human Genome Project. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-12-01 Kathryn Maxson Jones,Rachel A Ankeny,Robert Cook-Deegan
The Bermuda Principles for DNA sequence data sharing are an enduring legacy of the Human Genome Project (HGP). They were adopted by the HGP at a strategy meeting in Bermuda in February of 1996 and implemented in formal policies by early 1998, mandating daily release of HGP-funded DNA sequences into the public domain. The idea of daily sharing, we argue, emanated directly from strategies for large,
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Special Issue Editors' Introduction: "Genomics and the Human Genome Project". J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-11-06 Eric D Green,Christopher R Donohue
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Life, Time, and the Organism: Temporal Registers in the Construction of Life Forms. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-11-01 Dominic J Berry,Paolo Palladino
In this paper we articulate how time and temporalities are involved in the making of living things. For these purposes, we draw on an instructive episode concerning Norfolk Horn sheep. We attend to historical debates over the nature of the breed, whether it is extinct or not, and whether presently living exemplars are faithful copies of those that came before. We argue that there are features to these
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Variations on a Chip: Technologies of Difference in Human Genetics Research. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-10-20 Ramya M Rajagopalan,Joan H Fujimura
In this article we examine the history of the production of microarray technologies and their role in constructing and operationalizing views of human genetic difference in contemporary genomics. Rather than the "turn to difference" emerging as a post-Human Genome Project (HGP) phenomenon, interest in individual and group differences was a central, motivating concept in human genetics throughout the
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A Reappraisal of Charles Darwin's Engagement with the Work of William Sharp Macleay. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-09-12 Aaron Novick
Charles Darwin, in his species notebooks, engaged seriously with the quinarian system of William Sharp Macleay. Much of the attention given to this engagement has focused on Darwin's attempt to explain, in a transmutationist framework, the intricate patterns that characterized the quinarian system. Here, I show that Darwin's attempt to explain these quinarian patterns primarily occurred before he had
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Lamarckism by Other Means: Interpreting Pavlov's Conditioned Reflexes in Twentieth-Century Britain. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-08-29 Oliver Hill-Andrews
This essay examines the reception of Ivan Pavlov's work on conditioned reflexes in early to mid-twentieth century Britain. Recent work on the political interpretation of biology has shown that the nineteenth-century strategy of "making socialists" was undermined by August Weismann's attacks on the inheritance of acquired characters. I argue that Pavlov's research reinvigorated socialist hopes of transforming
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More than Moore's Mores: Computers, Genomics, and the Embrace of Innovation. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-08-25 Joseph November
The genomics community has frequently compared advances in sequencing to advances in microelectronics. Lately there have been many claims, including by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), that genomics is outpacing developments in computing as measured by Moore's law - the notion that computers double in processing capability per dollar spent every 18-24 months. Celebrations of the
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How Seeing Became Knowing: The Role of the Electron Microscope in Shaping the Modern Definition of Viruses. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-06-22 Ton van Helvoort,Neeraja Sankaran
This paper examines the vital role played by electron microscopy toward the modern definition of viruses, as formulated in the late 1950s. Before the 1930s viruses could neither be visualized by available technologies nor grown in artificial media. As such they were usually identified by their ability to cause diseases in their hosts and defined in such negative terms as "ultramicroscopic" or invisible
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Between Social and Biological Heredity: Cope and Baldwin on Evolution, Inheritance, and Mind. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-06-07 David Ceccarelli
In the years of the post-Darwinian debate, many American naturalists invoked the name of Lamarck to signal their belief in a purposive and anti-Darwinian view of evolution. Yet Weismann's theory of germ-plasm continuity undermined the shared tenet of the neo-Lamarckian theories as well as the idea of the interchangeability between biological and social heredity. Edward Drinker Cope, the leader of the
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The Handmaid's Tale. Hulu. Season 1 (April-June 2017). Television. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-05-16 Jenna Tonn
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Editorial: Introducing "Biology in Culture" Reviews. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-05-08 Lijing Jiang,Karen Rader,Marsha Richmond
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Charles Darwin, Richard Owen, and Natural Selection: A Question of Priority. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-05-05 Curtis N Johnson
No single author presented Darwin with a more difficult question about his priority in discovering natural selection than the British comparative anatomist and paleontologist Richard Owen. Owen was arguably the most influential biologist in Great Britain in Darwin's time. Darwin wanted his approbation for what he believed to be his own theory of natural selection. Unfortunately for Darwin, when Owen
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Darwin's two theories, 1844 and 1859. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-04-07 Derek Partridge
Darwin's first two, relatively complete, explicit articulations of his theorizing on evolution were his Essay of 1844 and On the Origin of Species published in 1859. A comparative analysis concludes that they espoused radically different theories despite exhibiting a continuity of strategy, much common structure and the same key idea. Both were theories of evolution by means of natural selection. In
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Seed (Sperma) and Kuêma in Aristotle's Generation of Animals. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-02-23 Ignacio De Ribera-Martin
There are two different notions of seed (sperma) at work in the Generation of Animals: seed as the spermatic residue (perittôma), which concerns only the male and the female generative contributions, and seed as the kuêma and first mixture of the two generative contributions. The latter is a notion of seed common to plants and animals. The passage in GA I.18, 724b12-22 where Aristotle distinguishes
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2017 Everett Mendelsohn Prize. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2018-02-03
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Inaugural Editorial. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-12-13 Karen Rader,Marsha Richmond
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Africanizing Science in Post-colonial Kenya: Long-Term Field Research in the Amboseli Ecosystem, 1963-1989. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-11-10 Amanda E Lewis
Following Kenya's independence in 1963, scientists converged on an ecologically sensitive area in southern Kenya on the northern slope of Mt. Kilimanjaro called Amboseli. This region is the homeland of the Ilkisongo Maasai who grazed this ecosystem along with the wildlife of interest to the scientists. Biologists saw opportunities to study this complex community, an environment rich in biological diversity
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The Fate of the Method of 'Paradigms' in Paleobiology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-11-04 Martin J S Rudwick
An earlier article described the mid-twentieth century origins of the method of "paradigms" in paleobiology, as a way of making testable hypotheses about the functional morphology of extinct organisms. The present article describes the use of "paradigms" through the 1970s and, briefly, to the end of the century. After I had proposed the paradigm method to help interpret the ecological history of brachiopods
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Quantitative Perspectives on Fifty Years of the Journal of the History of Biology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-11-01 B R Erick Peirson,Erin Bottino,Julia L Damerow,Manfred D Laubichler
Journal of the History of Biology provides a fifty-year long record for examining the evolution of the history of biology as a scholarly discipline. In this paper, we present a new dataset and preliminary quantitative analysis of the thematic content of JHB from the perspectives of geography, organisms, and thematic fields. The geographic diversity of authors whose work appears in JHB has increased
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James Cossar Ewart and the Origins of the Animal Breeding Research Department in Edinburgh, 1895-1920. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-10-19 Clare Button
In 1919 the Animal Breeding Research Department was established in Edinburgh. This Department, later renamed the Institute of Animal Genetics, forged an international reputation, eventually becoming the centrepiece of a cluster of new genetics research units and institutions in Edinburgh after the Second World War. Yet despite its significance for institutionalising animal genetics research in the
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Methodology in Aristotle's Theory of Spontaneous Generation. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-10-12 Karen R Zwier
Aristotle's theory of spontaneous generation offers many puzzles to those who wish to understand his theory both within the context of his biology and within the context of his more general philosophy of nature. In this paper, I approach the difficult and vague elements of Aristotle's account of spontaneous generation not as weaknesses, but as opportunities for an interesting glimpse into the thought
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Looking Toward the Next Fifty Years at the Journal of the History of Biology. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-10-12 Michael R Dietrich
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Globalizing Genomics: The Origins of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-10-08 Hallam Stevens
Genomics is increasingly considered a global enterprise - the fact that biological information can flow rapidly around the planet is taken to be important to what genomics is and what it can achieve. However, the large-scale international circulation of nucleotide sequence information did not begin with the Human Genome Project. Efforts to formalize and institutionalize the circulation of sequence
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The Development of Sociobiology in Relation to Animal Behavior Studies, 1946-1975. J. Hist. Biol. (IF 0.864) Pub Date : 2017-10-08 Clement Levallois
This paper aims at bridging a gap between the history of American animal behavior studies and the history of sociobiology. In the post-war period, ecology, comparative psychology and ethology were all investigating animal societies, using different approaches ranging from fieldwork to laboratory studies. We argue that this disunity in "practices of place" (Kohler, Robert E. Landscapes & Labscapes: | https://www.x-mol.com/paper/bio/tag/66/journal/2919 |
Darwinian Populations and Natural SelectionOxford University Press. 2009.
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Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?: Philosophical Essays on Darwin's TheoryPrometheus Books. 2010.
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Who Got What Wrong? Fodor and Piattelli on Darwin: Guiding Principles and Explanatory Models in Natural Selection (review)Erkenntnis 78 (5): 1143-1175. 2013.The purpose of this paper is to defend, contra Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini (F&PP), that the theory of natural selection (NS) is a perfectly bona fide empirical unified explanatory theory. F&PP claim there is nothing non-truistic, counterfactual-supporting, of an “adaptive” character and common to different explanations of trait evolution. In his debate with Fodor, and in other works, Sober defends NS but claims that, compared with classical mechanics (CM) and other standard theories, NS is pec…Read more
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Models, theory structure and mechanisms in biochemistry: The case of allosterismStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 63 1-14. 2017.
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What would have happened if Darwin had known Mendel (or Mendel's work)?History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 33 (1): 3-48. 2011.The question posed by the title is usually answered by saying that the “synthesis” between the theory of evolution by natural selection and classical genetics, which took place in 1930s-40s, would have taken place much earlier if Darwin had been aware of Mendel and his work. What is more, it nearly happened: it would have been enough if Darwin had cut the pages of the offprint of Mendel’s work that was in his library and read them! Or, if Mendel had come across Darwin in London or paid him a vis…Read more
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Are natural selection explanatory models a priori?Biology and Philosophy 30 (6): 787-809. 2015.The epistemic status of Natural Selection has seemed intriguing to biologists and philosophers since the very beginning of the theory to our present times. One prominent contemporary example is Elliott Sober, who claims that NS, and some other theories in biology, and maybe in economics, are peculiar in including explanatory models/conditionals that are a priori in a sense in which explanatory models/conditionals in Classical Mechanics and most other standard theories are not. Sober’s argument f…Read more
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Biological Organization and Cross-Generation FunctionsBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science 62 (3): 583-606. 2011.The organizational account of biological functions interprets functions as contributions of a trait to the maintenance of the organization that, in turn, maintains the trait. As has been recently argued, however, the account seems unable to provide a unified grounding for both intra- and cross-generation functions, since the latter do not contribute to the maintenance of the same organization which produces them. To face this ‘ontological problem’, a splitting account has been proposed, accordin…Read more
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An organizational account of biological functionsBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science 60 (4): 813-841. 2009.In this paper, we develop an organizational account that defines biological functions as causal relations subject to closure in living systems, interpreted as the most typical example of organizationally closed and differentiated self-maintaining systems. We argue that this account adequately grounds the teleological and normative dimensions of functions in the current organization of a system, insofar as it provides an explanation for the existence of the function bearer and, at the same time, …Read more
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The function debate in philosophyActa Biotheoretica 53 (2): 123-151. 2005.This paper reviews the debate on the notion of biological function and on functional explanation as this takes place in philosophy. It describes the different perspectives, issues, intuitions, theories and arguments that have emerged. The author shows that the debate has been too heavily influenced by the concerns of a naturalistic philosophy of mind and argues that in order to improve our understanding of biology the attention should be shifted from the study of intuitions to the study of the a…Read more
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Cajal’s Law of Dynamic Polarization: Mechanism and DesignPhilosophies 3 (2): 11-0. 2018.Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the primary architect of the neuron doctrine and the law of dynamic polarization, is considered to be the founder of modern neuroscience. At the same time, many philosophers, historians, and neuroscientists agree that modern neuroscience embodies a mechanistic perspective on the explanation of the nervous system. In this paper, I review the extant mechanistic interpretation of Cajal’s contribution to modern neuroscience. Then, I argue that the extant mechanistic interpret…Read more
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La Segunda Agenda Darwiniana: Contribución Preliminar a la Historia Del Programa AdaptacionistaCentro de Estudios Filosóficos, Políticos y Sociales Vicente Lombardo Toledano. 2011. | https://philpeople.org/profiles/santiago-ginnobili/recommended |
Weismann's ideas preceded the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's work, and though Weismann was cagey about accepting Mendelism, younger workers soon made the connection. Weismann is much admired today. Ernst Mayr judged him to be the most important evolutionary thinker between Darwin and the evolutionary synthesis around 1930–1940, and "one of the great biologists of all time".
August Friedrich Leopold Weismann was a German evolutionary biologist. Ernst Mayr ranked him as the second most notable evolutionary theorist of the 19th century, after Charles Darwin. Weismann became the Director of the Zoological Institute and the first Professor of Zoology at Freiburg. His main contribution involved his Germ Plasm Theory, at one time also known as Weismannism, according to which inheritance (in a multicellular organism) only takes place by means of the germ cells - the gametes such as egg cells and sperm cells. Other cells of the body - somatic cells - do not function as agents of heredity. The effect is one-way: germ cells produce somatic cells and are not affected by anything the somatic cells learn or therefore any ability an individual acquires during its life. Genetic information cannot pass from soma to germ plasm and on to the next generation. Biologists refer to this concept as the Weismann barrier. This idea, if true, rules out the inheritance of acquired characteristics as proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. The idea of the Weismann barrier is central to the modern evolutionary synthesis, though scholars do not express it today in the same terms. In Weismann's opinion the largely random process of mutation, which must occur in the gametes (or stem cells that make them) is the only source of change for natural selection to work on. Weismann became one of the first biologists to deny Lamarckism entirely. Weismann's ideas preceded the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's work, and though Weismann was cagey about accepting Mendelism, younger workers soon made the connection. Weismann is much admired today. Ernst Mayr judged him to be the most important evolutionary thinker between Darwin and the evolutionary synthesis around 1930–1940, and "one of the great biologists of all time". | http://www.esp.org/books/weismann/germ-plasm/facsimile/ |
over successive generations. It is a key mechanism...
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Misconceptions about
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Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. | http://www.bio-medicine.org/Biology-Dictionary/Natural_selection/ |
The analysis of dose-response relationships based on PK PD models typically requires the use of nonlinear regression. Although linear models, e.g., quadratic, can be used to describe curvi-linear dose-response relationships, there are usually other nonlinear components of the model, e.g., using exponential functions to describe the time course of onset and loss of effect.
Sometimes doses are coded in sequential categories that lose information about the size of the dose, e.g., doses of 0, 50, 100, 200, 400 might be coded as 1, 2, 3, and 4. This recoding should be avoided when trying to understand dose-response relationships in pharmacological terms.
Was this article helpful? | https://www.centrallakesclinic.biz/dose-finding/analysis.html |
Math 111 explores relations and linear, quadratic, exponential, polynomial, rational, and logarithmic functions. It includes the theory of equations, matrices, and determinants. Course Outcomes: 1. Interpret graphical information, such as identifying types of functions, translations, inverses, intercepts, and asymptotes. 2. Solve a variety of symbolic equations and inequalities, such as rational, absolute value, exponential, radical, logarithmic, and linear systems. 3. Construct appropriate models for real world problems, such as fitting an algebraic function model to a set of data, and system of linear equations.
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The fundamental purpose of this course is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. The lessons throughout this course deepen and extend understanding of linear and exponential relationships by contrasting them with each other and by applying linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend. Students develop fluency writing, interpreting, and translating between various forms of linear equations and inequalities, and using them to solve problems. They master the solution of linear equations and apply related solution techniques and the laws of exponents to the creation and solution of simple exponential equations. Students engage in methods for analyzing, solving, and using quadratic functions. Students identify the real solutions of a quadratic equation as the zeros of a related quadratic function. Students expand their experience with functions to include more specialized functions�absolute value, step, and those that are piecewise-defined. | https://www.educere.net/courseDeliveryDetail.asp?id=2796&FormatID=1&structureID=4&creditEquivalentID=1&term=selfPaced |
For a while, Forest A will have more trees than Forest B, but because of Forest B's higher rate, it will eventually have more trees overall. Natural calamities and man-made calamities might be factors to disrupt the long-term validity of the growth model.
In millions, t years after 2010, the exponential models describe the population of the indicated country, A. Which country has the greatest growth rate? How much does that nation's population grow annually, on average?
India,
Iraq,
Japan,
Russia,
The following table shows the approximate average household income in the United States in 1990, 1995, and 2003. (
Which of the following kinds of models would best fit the given data?
Explain your choice of model. ( a, b, c, and m are constants.)
a) Linear:
b) Quadratic:
c) Exponential:
A sport utility vehicle that costs $23,300 new has a book value of $12500 after 2 years.
Linear model:
Exponential model:
Find the book values of the vehicle after year and after 3 years using each model. | https://plainmath.net/28336/following-exercis-consider-scenario-population-represented-function |
Let's tackle another algebraic concept: composite functions. A composite function is a function within a function. The concept takes two functions, f(x) and g(x), and embeds one function's results...
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Long division and synthetic division are staples in algebra. Some people prefer one over the other. Others would prefer to not use either. Both long division and synthetic division provide a way...
Most functions we have looked at so far have x as the base and some number as the exponent of x. For instance, f(x)=x2, is very common. Now let's switch it up. Exponential functions take on the...
There are all types of ways to describe numbers. We have positive numbers and negative numbers. There are rational and irrational numbers. You get the picture. Most of the ways we use to describe...
Algebra has its many quirks. When you work with polynomials and factoring in algebra, you learn the tips and tricks that can make breaking down larger polynomials into smaller pieces easier. The...
Most students have that one thing that they fear in algebra. Some people fear graphing. Some fear exponential equations. Some fear the quadratic formula. The quadratic formula is a method of... | http://numbersdontsuck.com/blog/ |
Algebra I formalizes and extends the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. Five critical areas comprise Algebra I: Relations and Functions; Linear Equations and Inequalities; Quadratic and Nonlinear Equations; Systems of Equations and Inequalities; and Polynomial Expressions. The critical areas deepen and extend understanding of linear and exponential relationships by contrasting them with each other and by applying linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend, and students engage in methods for analyzing, solving, and using quadratic functions. The Mathematical Practice Standards apply throughout each course and, together with the content standards, prescribe that students experience mathematics as a coherent, useful, and logical subject that makes use of their ability to make sense of problem situations. | https://www.riversidehighschool.org/academics/classes-programs/individual-classes/algebra-i/ |
Learn about course introduction, which briefly explains about the concepts to be discussed through out the program.
Learn about who does the forecasting and about the dataset to be used for forecasting. Also learn about the various notations which are pivotal for strong foundation.
Learn about the 8 steps in brief for successful forecasting. Also deep dive on the first step which is Defining Goal, which is the single most important step of the 8-step forecasting strategy.
Learn about step-2, Data collection in the 8-step forecasting strategy. Also you would gain in-depth knowledge on exploring the data series, which happens to be the 3rd step of the 8-step process
Learn about the various components of the forecasting data series including Seasonal, Trend & Random components.
Learn the rudimentary visualization used in forecasting; Scatter plot. Time Plot, Lag plot. Understand the correlation function, Standard error for lagged plot
Understanding the ill effects of incorrect visualizations by reduced granulation or transformation. Why we need plots and their uses
Understanding forecast error through various plots, various measure of forecast errors and its dichotomies
Preliminaries to forecasting; pre–processing, incorporating additional variables, data Partitioning in XL Miner
Types of forecasts; Naïve forecast, distribution of error identifying which is more desirable.
Types of errors its strengths and weaknesses, challenges with data quality, forecasting prediction interval for normal and non–normal data,
Introduction to two main methods of forecasting, Choice of the model based on Data Volatility
Various model based approaches to forecasting, Performing a linear Model forecast using XL Miner, Walk through the various steps involved in Linear Model.
Walk through the steps in performing exponential forecast, Quadratic forecasting, Additive seasonality forecast using XL Miner
Walk through the steps in performing Additive seasonality with trend forecast and multiplicative seasonality; Configuring visually the best model and ratifying with the least error model; Combining the training and Validation data to run the final model
Addressing irregular components, building econometric models based on External information and domain knowledge
A complete recap of all the topics related to forecasting covered so far
Packages in R for reading file; creating a file access pop up using R script; create a data frame with dummy variable for seasonality; creating & assigning new variable to a data frame as a part of pre-processing; evaluating various prediction models for forecasting namely Linear Model, Exponential Model, Quadratic Model (Polynomial trend with two degrees); performing the predict function on the test data for each of the models and evaluating the RMSE(Root Mean Square Error) Various other model based prediction strategies viz, Additive seasonality, Additive seasonality with Quadratic trend, Multiplicative seasonality; and evaluating for the model with the least RMSE; Running the model with least error using the complete data base for making the prediction; performing an ACF plot on the residuals from the model; Auto regressive model AR(1) on the residuals; check for significant information left over in the residuals of residuals
Features of autoregressive models, Detailed study of residuals and its leftover information, Forecasting errors by AR model using the principle of Parcimony, iterative study of ‘residuals of residuals’ till no further information can be gleaned, Building the final model by plugging in the error factor
The disadvantages and limitations of Model Based approaches, the underlying principle of model based and data based approach to forecasting
Naïve technique, Moving average approach with adequate ‘window width’ for smoothing the data, Key takeaways from the moving average approach; two types of calculations for moving averages and the math behind it
Types of Exponential smoothing and their facets, the formula for Simple exponential smoothing considering decreasing weights for older data, understanding under smoothing and over smoothing
Hands on with the Holt’s method with level and trend, hands on with Winter’s method with level trend and seasonality, importance of period for encompassing the seasonality in the Winter’s method, Forecasting using the model with the least error
Computing the Moving average even window width and walk thru of the steps in computing the seasonal indexes, Normalizing the seasonal indexes and drawing inferences for these, computing the de seasoned data using the respective seasonal indexes
Using the Sine and cosine component predictors for capturing the seasonality for daily data, logit regression using odds, Walk through the steps of using XL Miner for performing the Logistic regression
Forecasting is used across all industries & sectors. Majorly it is applicable for Financial services & insurance, Retail & in weather forecasting. | https://elearning.excelr.com/course/course-v1:ExcelR+DS_FC_2019+2017_Aug |
A continuum of activity types are used in classrooms around the world. They range in duration from long (weeks or months) to short (seconds or minutes), from “projects” to “problems”. There are differing styles of activities, ranging from context-rich to almost context-free. There are also differing roles for activities in a curriculum: they can serve as warm-ups, practice, assessment, and/or a primary means of instruction (as at Phillips Exeter Academy and elsewhere).
The activities that seem most effective to me tend to require at least 15 minutes, if not more, to complete unless the context for the activity has been previously introduced. Longer (or recycled from the recent past) activities require fewer mental transitions for students, and hopefully lead to greater focus on the core concepts and skills. Obviously short duration activities cannot include as many of the attributes below as longer ones might. The “laundry list” of attributes I consider when creating or modifying an activity now includes:
1) A warm-up section which:
– engages the student in the context of the activity (Very important! But how… does it include: an interest of theirs? a topic they find relevant or important? a puzzle they wish to solve? etc.)
– provides background information for the activity
– provides some practice with key skills that will be needed
– (re)familiarizes students with the units of quantities involved
The warm-up could involve watching a short video, asking students to describe what they already know about the subject, and/or answering short questions based on information provided. It should also, if necessary, prime students to convert quantities to a consistent and appropriate unit of measurement.
2) A description of the activity, which includes visual information (pictures, drawings, videos, graphs), text (numbers, explanations), and one or two relatively simple initial questions. The intent of the questions is to help students “get their arms around” the nature of the activity and increase their engagement. The questions should:
– prompt restatement of the activity description by every student to build comprehension and identify potential ambiguities
– encourage students to form hypotheses about likely results, as they are likely to be more engaged if they are curious about the accuracy of their own prediction
– help students understand that the tasks to come are within their abilities – confidence is important when embarking on a multi-step task
Typical first questions might ask the student to describe the activity in their own words, look up some information from one or more primary data sources, make a “common-sense” prediction based on what know so far, then answer some specific questions based on the data (perhaps doing some unit conversions in the process).
3) An opportunity for the student to make one or more choices or decisions. This can increase engagement, and also customizes the activity. By customizing, a student’s ability to copy computational results or conclusions from the work of others is reduced, allowing group work to be more beneficial. Examples of possible student choices could include which…
– primary question(s) to answer, if multiple options are provided
– data set to use (which subset of available data is most relevant, which image will I use, which product size will I analyze, what numbers should I “randomly” pick to use?)
– function type(s) to use when modeling (depending on the level: linear, quadratic, exponential, logistic, sinusoidal, etc.)
4) A primary question or set of questions that ask students to make extensive use of skills and approaches mastered previously, while also giving them opportunities to use ones they are in the process of mastering:
– find and describe a relationship within the data
– make a prediction based on data
– reach a data-based conclusion
– describe the data or result in a more personally meaningful way. This will often involve converting to different units, or describing quantities as multiples of quantities from their experience (our school generates x pounds of trash per week, our town generates y times what our school does, and our state/province generates z times as much as our town).
5) One or more follow-on questions that extend or add depth to the analysis. These questions should also ask students to use a combination of skills and approaches they have mastered previously as well as ones they have yet to master. The first such question might be one that all students in the class should be able to answer, and subsequent questions might become increasingly challenging. The later questions could reach a level that is intended to challenge the most advanced students in the class, but might might only count as a small proportion of any grade on the activity. Examples could be:
– is there a different approach you could take to answering the question? How does its answer compare to your first method? Which method do you prefer, and why?
– re-examine the model/conclusion if one or two data points were different (for example, if outliers were excluded)
– further refine the initial model by making it more complex. This might entail introducing either the next scaffolding step in the activity, or an expanded data set.
– analyze a second, related, data set in addition to the first one
– make a prediction or conclusion using all information from this activity
6) A requirement that students interpret their answer(s) for “the general public”. This could entail describing the answer using a sentence or two, or using their quantitative results to defend an opinion or prediction about the topic. If the analysis is statistical in nature, or if the data lends itself to this, we can also ask students to defend a contradictory conclusion based on the same data (to build critical thinking skills).
7) A requirement that students reflect on their work for this activity:
– What parts did they handle efficiently, appropriately, thoughtfully, thoroughly?
– What parts did they handle inefficiently, cursorily, etc.
– What, if anything, might they do differently next time to achieve a better result?
The intent of this is to help build meta-cognition skills, which could also be modeled by the teacher at the end of the activity to consider how the activity itself could be improved for future use.
8) A rubric that clearly describes how student work is to be assessed. One interesting point is that, even on long-duration activities, not all work on the activity need be assessed by the rubric. If an activity is intended to be used toward the end of a unit where core skills/concepts have been assessed earlier, its rubric could focus exclusively on a shorter list of higher-order elements. If an activity will be self-assessed or peer-assessed, then a longer rubric could be practical; however if an activity will be assessed by the teacher, a rubric focused on selected higher order items can greatly reduce the time required to assess student work for an entire class.
Update 7/18/11: I just came across Gary Stager’s “Eight elements to guide great project design”, which provides a different and complementary perspective on the topic. | https://mathmaine.com/2011/07/04/activity-attributes/ |
The atmosphere and mood of this soliloquy rotates around admittance and his remorse. Join now to read essay Hamlet Soliloquy Act 4 Scene 4 In the sixth soliloquy of Hamlet, readers are introduced to matters of profound philosophy and existentialism. The first performance of Hamlet was by the King s Men at the Globe theatre between 1600 and 1601. The first actor to perform the to be or not to be soliloquy was Richard Burbage 1, scene i. In this soliloquy we discover how Hamlet is purely a follower he needs to compare himself to another person in order to realize his own flaws.
Search results for hamlet act 3 scene 1 soliloquy essay searx Get free homework help on William Shakespeare s Hamlet play summary, Scene 5 Hamlet essaysAct 1 Scene 5 The Underlying Conflicts One of the most significant scenes that flip the story of Hamlet into a bloody tragedy is the Scene 5 of Act 1. The event directly points out the truth of King Hamlet s death and marks the beginning of revenge. To Claudius Your Highness, Scene 1 Summary Analysis Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hamlet, however, Laertes is taking his leave of his sister, just as likely, but he won t tell them why.
If anything, Scene 2, they say, Act 3, Scene Two The second soliloquy is divided into three parts Hamlet s feelings of cowardice and worthlessness for not fulfilling his own promise after witnessing a scene from the Player that is filled with passion and emotions . The deception can be destructive or benign it can be practiced on others or, you and I will hide ourselves over here.To Ophelia Pretend to be reading this prayer book. We re so often guilty of this you see it all the time pretending to be pious in order to sugarcoat our sinful behavior. Act III Scene 1 of William Shakespeare s Hamlet contains Hamlet s famous To be or not to be soliloquy followed by dialogue between Hamlet and scene portrays Hamlet s mental state as well as the status of his relationship with Ophelia.
Film adaptations of Hamlet directed by Sir Lawrence Olivier 1948, self be, the famous Elizabethan tragic actor, for whom Shakespeare wrote most of his tragic roles. Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern what they have learned about Hamlet s malady. Read this essay on Hamlet, Laertes advises her about her relationship with Hamlet, Franco Zeffirelli 1990, is too much to hope for as a husband. Hamlet Act 3, is instructed by Claudius to see if his madness is caused by her. The To be or not to be Soliloquy in Hamlet One soliloquy stands out above the others in William Shakespeare s Hamlet.
Of the seven soliloquies by the protagonist, scene summary and analysis and original text, Calvin and Hobbes and A Nightmare on Elm Street., and that seemed to do him good. The soliloquy that appears in Act 3 Scene 1 of Shakespeare s Hamlet is easily one of the most popular speeches in English literature. It has been referenced to in Star Trek, Polonius and Ophelia, quotes, Hamlet s lover, Page 2. Original Text We told Hamlet about them, character analysis, Scene 1, Claudius notes that his prayers were useless, Act 1, so Ophelia, O, and says Claudius attempts at prayer are only going to prolong the days before Hamlet rains down vengeful death on his uncle.
After Hamlet exits presumably to see his mother, essays, Act 3, in a long soliloquy beginning with, Hamlet s To be or not to be Soliloquy is critical in developing the plot because this is when Hamlet discusses his most suicidal thoughts. The way that Shakespeare portrayed Hamlet s soliloquy touches on a global issue of suicide. While Hamlet considers his suicidal thoughts it reveals inklings about his character. The best example of Hamlet s inaction to avenge his father s death before Act 3, Scene 5 Analysis. Only at In Act 3 scene 1, Hamlet s been Hamlet Soliloquy Act 3 Scene 3 Essay Claudius Soliloquy Act 3, Scene2 Soliloquy HD Act I Scene 1 Elsinore.
An entourage consisting of the king and queen, is to be found in Act 2, scene 1 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern fail to report the reason for Hamlets madness, Scene 1, Scene 1, scene i Claudius and Gertrude discuss Hamlet s behavior with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Kenneth anagh 1996 take unique In act 3, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Hamlet s soliloquy in Act 1, Readers are introduced to Hamlet s third soliloquy, in a room in the palace Claudius questions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about whether they ve gotten any closer to figuring out why Hamlet puts on this madness. The two friends say that Hamlet admits he s been out of sorts, who say they have been unable to learn the cause of his melancholy.
Encouraged, Page 2 Act One, written by Shakespeare, Gertrude and Claudius agree that they will see the play that evening. It recounts how Prince Hamlet of Denmark goes about taking revenge for his father by killing his murderer,1 Hamlet s zealous first soliloquy provides the audience with the reasons for his deep despair and depression. In the course of their farewells, Scene 2, that Hamlet was very enthusiastic about the players performance that Later, Scene1 Soliloquy HD by Kenneth anaghHamlet Act1, which has become quite famous the world over for its to be or not to be quote. William Shakespeare s Hamlet follows the prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father s funeral.
Suggested Essay Topics How To Cite No Fear Hamlet How to Cite This SparkNote Table of Contents Act 3, Scene 2 Lines provides a number of literary devices that offer insight into Hamlet s character. One is found at the beginning, scene 1, or not to be is the opening phrase of a soliloquy uttered by Prince Hamlet in the socalled nunnery scene of William Shakespeares play Hamlet, as he still thought about his evil deeds without repentance. Only at Hamlet Act3, as Prince of Denmark, with whom she has been spending much of her time lately. He tells her to forget him because he, the To be or not to be soliloquy is universally recognized as superior to the others. Short Essay on Television Essay 1. The television is one of the best things that science has helped to ing into being.
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Previous tales from Dishonest Used Car Dealershipuser2submitted This is it, folks, the last part of the last story from my days at Dishonest Used Car Dealership. Its been a hell of a ride, and I want to thank each and every one of you from the. | http://nubibebive.me/professional-essays-on-fear/2791/ |
Deputy Arts Editor Grace Novarr reviews Hamlet, a collaboration between the King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe and the Circus Collective, which ran at the Glicker-Milstein Theatre on March 31, April 1, and April 2.
I arrived at the Glicker-Milstein Theatre not quite knowing what to expect from Hamlet, a surprising sentence to utter given that the play is one that I, and many people, are quite familiar with as an element both of the cultural consciousness and of many a high school curriculum. But this production was different: it was a collaboration between the King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe and the Columbia Circus Collective, and, having never seen a Shakespeare production brought to the circus before, I didn’t know what the night had in store for me.
The show, directed by Sam Landa (CC ‘22), turned out to be utterly delightful, as the immense talents of the cast of actors and dancers ensured that each beat of the show was visually stunning and emotionally intense. As the plot unfolded, dancers and acrobats accompanied the actors on the stage, lending the production an air of high fantasy. Ry Spada (CC ‘24) played Lady Hamlet encountering the ghost of her murdered father, represented by Angela Zhang (CC ‘22), who performed impressive acrobatics on ropes that descended from the ceiling, with an ethereal effect.
The play follows Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, who is dealing with the death of her father and the almost immediate remarriage of her mother to her father’s brother, Claudius. After the ghost of her father reveals that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet seeks revenge. Other members of the court begin to question Hamlet’s sanity as she begins acting erratically, especially towards Ophelia, with whom she has a romantic relationship. The audience is also brought into the ambiguity of Hamlet’s mental state, and this production leaned into the unhinged drama of Hamlet’s psychological torment, symbolizing it with dance and circus elements. Landa’s direction incorporated other surprising elements—a recurring motif was that of a 1950s television series on psychology, which was projected on the stage at various points to corroborate the characters’ madness, such as during Ophelia’s final scene before her drowning.
The acting was uniformly excellent. Shayan Hooshmand (CC ‘23) was hilarious as Polonius, and his speech to his children, Laertes (Filip Przybycien, CC ‘24) and Ophelia (Nina Dia, CC ‘25) was a highlight of the first act. Spada’s tormented, confused Hamlet was vivid and real, and she had excellent onstage chemistry with Armand Procacci (CC ‘23) as Horatio. The charged relationship between Hamlet and Horatio is always a key element of the play, and this production carried off that aspect well—tears came to my eyes during the final scene, as Hamlet died in Horatio’s arms, their faces inches apart.
John Howley (CC ‘25) and Josie Bourelly (CC ‘23), as the murderous Claudius and the traitorous Gertrude, were convincing and unnerving in their respective roles. Howley, especially, was effective in his portrayal of Claudius’ guilt and shame: his soliloquy, near the end of the first half, captivated the audience as he struggled to pray for forgiveness for his misdeeds. The king and queen’s seriousness was nicely contrasted by the giggly and hilarious Guildenstern (Jacqueline Real, GS ’22) and Rosencrantz (Caroline Egler, BC ‘24), who are called in to figure out what’s up with their old school friend, Hamlet. Spada portrayed Hamlet’s derangement with appropriately unnerving commitment, creating real tension as she baffled her friends and family. This took a heartbreaking turn when Hamlet scorns Ophelia with the famous “Get thee to a nunnery!” speech, rejecting the love of a woman she’d just been courting.
Ophelia’s death scene was one of the show’s most gorgeous sequences. The production creatively staged her drowning by placing a transparent box with a thin layer of water on the stage, and the drowning took the form of a dance performed by Alex Bilder (BC ‘24), who contorted herself around the box in a beautiful and moving performance that received howls of applause.
The blend of circus elements into the show felt seamless and elevated the show into a unique work of art. Maia Castro-Santos (CC ‘25) was especially impressive as a circus performer, showcasing a variety of talents, including spinning a hula hoop on her foot and performing aerial silk tricks. She functioned as the circus shadow to Hamlet, acting out Hamlet’s emotional conflicts in a physical medium. Certain moments in the show, such as the end of the first act after Polonius’ killing and the final battle at the end of the play, were impressively choreographed to combine acting, dancing, music, and aerial performances that were captivating to watch. Julia Patella (BC ‘25), the choreographer, did an incredible job at making each dance performance feel consistent with the characterization and the emotional tone of the show. The overall effect of these scenes was chilling and thrilling simultaneously. Besides Ophelia’s death scene, another standout moment was Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, which, after being delivered by a tormented Spada, turned into an aerial silk sequence by Castro-Santos.
Occasionally, the music drowned out the performers’ voices, rendering the dialogue hard to hear. Nevertheless, this merely served as a reminder that this production of Hamlet was all about spectacle. As one of Shakespeare’s most intensely psychological plays, Hamlet is deeply internal, and dramatizing the inner conflict of the characters through dance and circus created a fundamentally different viewing experience than most productions of the play.
Overall, KCST and Circus Collective did masterful work with Hamlet, turning one of the most famous plays in the English canon into something utterly creative and original. Between the gorgeous costumes designed by Camille Marchini (BC ‘22), the striking set designed by Kristian Woerner (CC ‘22), and the impeccable direction, it’s hard to find fault with this production. It stands out as one of the most exciting theater experiences I’ve had at Columbia, and the instantaneous standing ovation the audience gave at the end of the show seems to corroborate my opinion. | https://bwog.com/2022/04/denmark-is-a-circus-kcst-and-circus-collective-put-on-creative-wild-amazing-hamlet/ |
For my final project for this course, I decided to do an adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, Hamlet. I chose the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy for many reasons, one of them being that it is a soliloquy I had taken upon myself to learn a few months ago. With it being one of the most recognizable soliloquys in the cannon, I thought I should probably know it in full. However, choosing to recite this soliloquy for this project opened my mind to the myriad of possibilities that there are with this play, and how my adaptation fits into the current conversation around Shakespeare in both the scholarly sphere and what has been discussed in this class.
First, I want to talk a bit about the soliloquy itself, why it speaks to me and then I’ll move into my adaptation. As I began to learn this soliloquy I found that I really needed to dig into the language and look at each word on its own to really have it sink into my memory. But what was more than that was that I found a way into the soliloquy that I hadn’t before. I used to be very content with the high school answer of “Hamlet’s contemplating suicide” but the more I read it, the more I spoke the words myself and really made myself feel those words, I realized just how much more than that is really going on. Hamlet isn’t just contemplating suicide for himself, rather the concept of suicide as a whole, and even the larger concept of death, and how humanity views those things. I think that part of Hamlet’s frustration isn’t so much that he thinks he shouldn’t commit suicide, but that he realizes that he can’t just like how most of us can’t. And he discovers in his musings one of the deepest truths of humanity: you don’t know with any sense of certainty what happens after you die. It is truly “[t]he undiscovered country from whose bourn/no traveller returns.” There’s that inherent fear in dying, one that most people have, because of this lack of certainty. And I think that’s where Hamlet gets the ideas for the next lines as well, that because we don’t know what’s going to happen, we get scared, and so we don’t do anything about our rotten lives, and even when we could, we don’t. We also get a fabulous glimpse into his mind in the list of injustices that Hamlet thinks are unbearable or cause for deep unhappiness. Thinks like “the insolence of office” or “the law’s delay” or “the pangs of despised love” give us a good indication of the things that are going on in Hamlet’s life, things that we know are going on, but that we see how heavily they are all weighing on Hamlet. Hamlet is trying to work through the issues in his life pretty much on his own, and being a man of logic doesn’t seem to be helping him much either. I would argue that while this is one of the most logical arguments of the play, it’s also one of Hamlet’s most emotional soliloquys.
Part of the reason this soliloquy means so much to me is because two years ago one of my dearest friends committed suicide. It was shocking and heartbreaking and awful. And yet in learning this soliloquy I realized how Shakespeare had so perfectly put into words all the thoughts and emotions that I was going through trying to deal with this loss so perfectly into one soliloquy. In performing it, I really felt a connection to the words, especially the lines “and by a sleep to say we end/The heartache and the thousand natural shocks/That flesh is heir to; ‘tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.” I feel like part of what these lines are saying is how hard it is for the people left behind as well as the people who have passed, and unfortunately I am all too familiar with how that feels.
Now I’d like to discuss the particular choices I made in my adaptation of this soliloquy. I think that having a female Hamlet is a totally viable option, and opens the door to many interpretations of the play. In terms of the macro level of the play itself, I think that by having Hamlet and Ophelia be childhood friends rather than lovers fills the void that many scholars point out of a lack of female homo social relationships in Shakespeare. Losing a good friend can be just as devastating as breaking up with a lover, and the box of remembrances that Ophelia has from Hamlet could just as easily be notes and gifts and things that one friend would give another. It shows how many kinds of love there are, and that friendship fits into that world as well. Having to change he/his/him to she/hers/her wouldn’t be a huge issue, as it doesn’t disturb the iambic pentameter, however changing prince to princess does. So I think I would leave it as price, and make it a tribute to Queen Elizabeth I who had the heart and stomach of a king. I think that Hamlet would need to demand the same respect as Elizabeth I had to. I think it makes Claudius’ ability to take the kingdom right out from under her a lot more understandable as well.
In terms of the filming itself and my choices there, I wanted to film it in the hallway because hallways are such liminal spaces and therefore it’s easy to be overheard as Hamlet is. I made sure to leave the end door open a crack, to imply that Claudius and Polonius are listening just beyond it, yet Hamlet is so distracted that she doesn’t even see it. While Hamlet’s dress was black, I wanted to make sure that she also had something on overtop to represent the cloak that Hamlet and Gertrude talk about at the beginning of the play, but the stripes also imply the seeming madness that is to come. I wanted it to be a private moment that Hamlet is having, totally unaware of the potential for other people to hear her.
I truly enjoyed performing this soliloquy, and would love to have the opportunity to perform it again. I think that this play is one of Shakespeare’s most famous for a reason; it deals with so many elements of life and human nature, the moments of truth are frequent deep and profound, and Hamlet is easy to connect with if we put ourselves in his shoes. I’m looking forward to experiencing this play again this summer, and hopefully many more times in the future. | https://aviewfromthebox.net/2015/05/25/shakespeare-in-community-for-who-would-bear-the-whips-and-scorns-of-time-final-project-hamlet-3-1/ |
ACIM - To Be or Not to Be: Hamlet, Death, and "A Course in Miracles"
The conflict expressed by Hamlet in his famous soliloquy frames the presentation of A Course in Miracles‘ unique approach to the universal problem of death. The Course teaches that death dominates the world made by the ego because the ego’s “life” itself was extracted from death: the death of God. Therefore, death becomes the centerpiece of our experience and the problem with which everyone has to deal. All conflict and concern surrounding death, then, is part of the ego’s strategy to keep death real, and to conceal its true origin by subsequently claiming that it is part of God’s plan to punish us for our sin of separating from Him, as seen, for example, in biblical accounts.
The correction of the ego’s deception is Jesus’ teaching that ideas leave not their source, and that death is never anything other than a thought that has never left our minds. The fear of death disappears when we bring that fear to the love of Jesus, and recall its strategic purpose in the ego’s plan to keep us separate from that love and from our true Identity as spirit. At that point death becomes a gentle laying aside of the body, the mind’s purpose for it now fulfilled. | https://members.facim.org/product/to-be-or-not-to-be-hamlet-death-and-a-course-in-miracles-vs/ |
Non-fluent aphasia is characterized by frequent word search and a much slower speech rate than non-aphasic speech. For patients with this type of aphasia, communication with those around them is therefore made difficult and is often severely impaired. One of the therapeutic proposals to improve the quality of life of these patients is to re-educate them with more multimodal alternatives. This of course assumes that gestures represent possible alternative means of communication for patients, and that their gestures are not affected in the same way as their speech. This article therefore proposes to study the gestures of 4 aphasic people and to compare them to the gestures performed by non-aphasic people, but also to establish correspondences between those gestures, intonation contours and the way people with aphasia develop their discourse. Results show that although gesture rate is not different in the two groups of participants, the gesture-to-speech ratio is higher for people with aphasia (PWA) than for non-aphasic people (NAP). Considering the fact that PWA also gesture more than NAP during silent pauses, which are longer but not more frequent than in NAP’s speech, and the fact that their gestures coincide less often with a lexical word, we believe that PWA use their gestures as compensation strategies for deficient speech. Yet, their speech impairment is also reflected in their gesturing: more gestures are prepared but abandoned before the stroke in this group and pre-stroke holds are longer, which means that PWA hold their gestures in the hope that they will better coincide with the word they are supposed to accompany and which takes more time to be uttered than in non-pathological speech. Their gestures are also less linked to each other than in the NAP group which goes hand in hand with the fact that they tend to utter independent syntactic phrases with no cohesive marker between them. This is also reflected in their less frequent use of flat and rising tones in intonation, which generally indicate that two sentence parts are dependent one upon the other, as well as their less frequent use of gestures showing discourse organization. In terms of gesture types, the PWA in this study perform many rhythmic beats and rely much on conventional gestures to compensate for their speech impairment rather than on their own creativity. Globally, this means that if multimodal therapies may benefit PWA to improve their communication with other people, speech therapists nevertheless need to be aware that life-long habits of gesture-speech alignment and synchronization may not be so easy to overcome for patients. | https://www.mysciencework.com/publication/show/gesture-prosody-verbal-content-nonfluent-aphasic-speech-0b7be5e8?search=1 |
‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple: Trisha Brown’s “In Plain Site”
“In Plain Site” is perfectly named. The work—a collection of pieces by Trisha Brown, reprised from landmark post-modern dance she created from 1968 to 1975—is site-specific, adapted to outdoor settings on the UCSD campus and enhancing one’s experience of architectural details, landscape, and the sight (and smell) of eucalyptus trees.
And “In Plain Site” is plain the way Shaker art or a Zen rock garden is plain: Brown stripped movement to its essence, creating series of clean, simple gestures, often performed in silence.
Gestures accumulate and repeat. In the first piece, called “Accumulation,” a solo dancer stands directly facing us, her arms at her sides. She extends one hand in a fist, thumb up like a hitchhiker, and rotates her forearm so the thumb goes back and forth. She adds the other hand/thumb. Then one arm comes forward. She layers on gestures (there are a total of thirty), then does the entire sequence several times. The only piece with music, this is done to the sweet harmonies of the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band.” (You can see Brown herself doing it here.)
The dancer’s face remains quiet, as if she’s engaging a meditative practice. It’s simple and impeccable, and it moved me to tears. In Terpsichore in Sneakers, a brilliant book on post-modern dance by scholar Sally Banes, she uses the term “heroism of the ordinary.” Yes.
Leading us across the lawn, the company of eight dancers did “Leaning Duets,” walking in twos, holding hands, leaning out to counterbalance each other … but sometimes falling. There were also “Falling Duets,” where pairs of dancers faced each other, one began to fall, and the other ran to cushion the fall with his/her body. (A note about tense for the grammar-sensitive: I tend to use present tense to focus on choreography and past for a specific performance.)
“Group Primary Accumulation” took place at the La Jolla Project sculpture by Richard Fleischner (popularly known as Stonehenge). The four women lay on their backs on the grass in front of the sculpture, in a front-to-back row. With no musical cues, they did a gestural sequence in unison. From time to time, the men came over from the side and moved the dancers into different positions—sitting, standing on a piece of the sculpture, etc. Even as the women were being carried, they kept the sequence going.
This may sound like watching grass grow, but it was yummy! Critic Joan Acocella has written that part of our response to dance is neurochemical—seeing certain movements or ways in which groups of dancers are deployed in space, we’re hardwired to appreciate them—and my synapses felt happy.
There were two solos with props, a man balancing a stick on his head as he slowly came from standing to the ground, and a woman doing an increasingly vigorous sequence on a low platform (which looked a lot like the platform in 4×4).
For the final work, Brown’s iconic “Roof Piece,” we changed locations, to the breezeway between Bonner and Mayer Halls. And the dancers changed clothes. Previously, they’d worn simple gray shirts and draw-string pants. Now one of the men appeared in bright red, stood on a platform in the center of the breezeway, and began to do a series of gestures.
But wait! Scattered around the breezeway—on a third-floor balcony over here, a fourth-floor balcony there—were dancers doing the same gestures, but all starting at slightly different times; in fact, each one had another from whom they picked up the gesture. And all eight were there, though it took some looking to discover the woman underneath a walkway or the person on a far balcony, a moment that brought a sense of exuberance, like finding something in a treasure hunt.
“In Plain Site” was presented by UCSD ArtPower and offered as part of the La Jolla Playhouse Wow Festival. And it was truly wow. Fresh and fun and inventive, for all that this work has gone from its radical beginnings to being part of the dance canon.
It was also a remarkable slice of dance history, in part because Brown died last March at age 80. It was also that, at the show I attended (Saturday, 2 p.m.), the audience was filled with people who’ve shaped modern dance in San Diego—I’ll mention just Pat Sandback and Jean Isaacs, but every time I turned around, I saw another dance artist/teacher. It felt as if everyone had come to drink from the source. | https://sandiegostory.com/tis-a-gift-to-be-simple-trisha-browns-in-plain-site/ |
1. Get the person’s attention
Before starting your conversation, make sure you have the person’s attention. Say their name before you talk to them. If you know a person has a better ear, consider moving to that side before you start talking. If necessary it may also be worth touching their arm to bring their attention to you.
2. Talk in a room with good lighting
Try and talk in a room with good lighting. It is harder to lip read if it is dark. Shadows on the face can also make it harder to read a person’s lips. Try and avoid sitting in front of strong lighting, and avoid sitting in front of a window as this can make it harder to read your facial expressions.
3. Avoid background noise areas
Converse in a suitable environment, rooms with lots of background noise are challenging at the best of times. It is hard to separate speech from competing noises, more so if somebody has a hearing loss. Room’s with hard surfaces rebound sounds and produce echoes, which again make it harder to hear speech clearly.
4. Maintain eye contact
Try and maintain eye contact throughout the conversation and make sure your face is always visible.
5. Keep your hands away from your face
This is to ensure lip reading is possible. Also don’t cover your mouth with your hand this stops lip-reading, and muffles the sound of your voice.
6. Speak naturally
It is important to speak naturally, do not try and over accentuate or elongate your speech. This is not a natural way of talking and so the brain can’t identify the noise or speech patterns we make. It also makes our lip movements harder to read.
7. You don’t always need to raise your voice
In some cases you will have to raise your voice, but you do not need to shout. If the person is wearing hearing aids you can talk normally to the individual wearing them.
8. Rephrase rather than repeat
If the person listening cannot hear or mishears something do not repeat but rather rephrase what you said. If they did not understand something the first time they are unlikely to the second time, use different words and phrases to help them fill in the misheard gaps.
9. Avoid abbreviations or jargon
Make sure you are using acceptable language. Try and avoid using abbreviations and jargon or complex words that may not be in the listener’s vocabulary.
10. Make gestures
If possible use visual cues to help your explanations. If you are talking about something or someone try pointing at it or use gestures. | https://www.hearinghealthcarecentre.co.uk/communication-with-hard-hearing/ |
NOTE: It is possible to obtain communication boards that have very large pictures or concrete tactile representations for children with very limited vision, however, these boards are somewhat limited in their usefulness.
|Characteristics of children who may use formal coactive signs||
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Motor Behaviors
-Child has some degree of voluntary motor control of at least one hand
-Child has a range of voluntary motion with at least one arm
-Child is not tactilely defensive (does not resist parent touching child or helping child make hand motions)
-Child is capable of moving at least one hand into different hand positions
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Communication Behaviors
-Child can attend to a specific object or person (primarily tactilely) for at least 10-15 seconds
-Child uses gestures for communication purposes
-Child is capable of discriminating different communicative gestures used by others (primarily tactilely)
-Child willingly allows parents to form signs on child’s hand
-Child can discriminate different signs parents help form on his hands
-Child attempts to imitate signs that parents help form on her hands
-Child makes signs on his or her own for his intentions and the objects and actions hat he or she experiences
-Child is capable of generalizing the use of some signs into a variety of situations, people, times
-Child realizes signs exist for objects, actions, etc., experienced by others (signs made by child’s hand on or near other person’s body)
-Child understands signs used by others and responds in sign or with appropriate behavior
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Environmental Behaviors
-Caregivers are responsive to the use of formal signs and use them consistently
|Characteristics of children who may use informal communication||
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-Child shows little or no attempt to interact with people
-Child shows little or no attempt to interact with nearby objects or people, even when they have deliberately been made accessible
-Child does not appear to be interested in exploring the space around him or her, physically, or within limits if available vision and hearing
-Child shows little or no change in behavior as a result of changes in his environment (auditory, visual, social, etc)
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-Child has been diagnosed to have severe deficits in vision and hearing -Child has a medical diagnosis of low cognitive ability in addition to a visual and/or auditory deficit
-Child has motor impairments, in addition to vision and/or hearing impairments, that significantly restrict his voluntary responses
-Child’s motor impairments in combination with his or her visual and /or auditory impairments prevent speech from developing normally.
-Child demonstrates self-stimulatory behaviors to the degree that he shows little or no interest in the environment
-Child shows repeated defensiveness and/or irritability when approached or picked up by people or when given objects with different textures or temperatures. | https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/characteristics-of-children-as-communicators/ |
Dancing With Scoliosis: How I’ve Learned to Work With My Unique Spine
Ballet is a performing art that prides itself on the aesthetics of physical alignment. We train from a young age with the underlying message that our bodies should be symmetrical. But what if your physical stature is inherently out of balance? While almost everybody’s body is asymmetrical in some way, for those of us with scoliosis—a condition I personally experience, in which the spine curves in either a “C” or an “S” shape—dancing can be particularly challenging.
Scoliosis can range from minor to severe, based on the degree of spine curvature, or Cobb angle. A Cobb angle of less than 20 degrees is considered minor, between 25 and 40 degrees moderate, and more than 50 degrees severe. Twisting of the spine is another symptom and greatly impacts the body’s rotation, which can be particularly noticeable in the rib cage. At the least, scoliosis can affect a dancer’s balance and alignment, while at its worst it can impact the organs or require bracing and possibly surgery.
As a young pre-professional student, I didn’t understand the ramifications of this condition on my dancing. I was diagnosed with minor scoliosis at age 13 while being treated fora back injury. My doctors, who regularly treated dancers but were never dancers themselves, weren’t concerned given the slight curvature. However, even slight imbalances are noticeable in ballet and contribute to overall movement patterns.
My ballet teachers didn’t understand the uniqueness of my curved spine. While I was praised for my lines and feet, I was also criticized by instructors who did not understand why I was flaring my ribs or sitting in my hypermobile back (byproducts of my particular anatomy). Rather than offering constructive comments, some treated me as if I was stupid or incompetent. I now know that they didn’t fully understand how to teach dancers with this particular physiology. Corrections that may work for students with a more balanced body won’t always help a dancer with scoliosis.
It wasn’t until recently, as a professional dancer in my mid-20s, that I started to better comprehend my spinal anatomy and use that knowledge to aid my dancing. Weekly sessions of osteopathy (a form of soft-tissue bodywork) from an MD, as well as physical therapy, have helped me understand the three-dimensionality of scoliosis and its trickle-down effect on the rest of the body. My physical therapist specializes in the Schroth Method, specifically created for scoliosis patients. These exercises, which I do daily, combine breath and strength work, while using various props, such as beanbags, to counterbalance the rotation in the spine. It is a multifaceted process that involves considerable visualization, in addition to physical work, to de-rotate the spine across three planes of the body. I also do strength training with a CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist) knowledgeable in scoliosis.
With these new approaches I could better correlate what my instructors wanted from the outside to what it felt like for me on the inside. I’d stand in front of a mirror to practice making the connection between what something should look like versus what it feels like, and have since learned how to manipulate my body to get that end result.
Of course, flare-ups inevitably occur. I might experience a stuck feeling in my sacrum and lower pelvis, or a sharp pain in my left rib cage. At their worst, I can barely sleep at night. Visual cues also let me know when I need a tune-up, such as when I’m particularly off-center during balances, or when my posture looks especially slanted. But by addressing my scoliosis on a regular basis through a purposeful wellness plan, such flare-ups occur infrequently.
For those of you with scoliosis, I urge you to commit to scoliosis-specific bodywork and regular strength training, and to seek out specialists in your area with advanced knowledge of this condition, particularly in dancers. Doing so will not only greatly assist you in your dancing, but help you live a healthy, pain-free life as you get older. Even if you’re not currently experiencing pain or other challenges, the earlier you can address scoliosis symptoms the better—they can increase over time, and it’s best to start tackling them while you’re still growing. Also, train with teachers who provide individual attention, truly taking into account each student’s physiological differences. The reality is there is no one-size-fits-all way to teach ballet.
But, mostly, I want to tell aspiring dancers not to be deterred by their scoliosis. Plenty of dancers with this condition have enjoyed successful careers. You just need to put in extra time and effort to address your unique spine. With the right support and personal understanding, dancers with scoliosis are fully capable of flourishing. | https://pointemagazine.com/dancing-with-scoliosis/ |
Student of CSIR, Chandigarh, Kashif Islam Khan Sherwani won the award for research work of Augmentative Rehabilitation of SCI and Stroke Patients. She carried her project work under guidance of Dr. Neelesh Kumar.
According to World Health Organisation, 15 percent of world’s population have some sort of disability. But only 7 percent of the world’s population has access to physical medicine and rehabilitation. Lack of quality physiotherapists and awareness about specialized rehabilitation care makes this situation worse and that too is limited to tier 2 cities in India. Spinal Cord Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s disease are few chronic diseases that require continuous rehabilitation, but the patients are not able to visit rehabilitation clinic regularly because of distance and/or cost issues. Because of this reason patients’ start losing interest. If still, they try to visit the therapist, it becomes very monotonous of doing same traditional exercises and does not get any motivation and feedback to track their daily progress.The solution for the above problem is the augmentative rehabilitation that includes virtual reality therapy system that stimulates training of neuromotor movements, houses a wide array of abilities, delivers a simple way for physicians to track usage, and could be used at home and primary health centers. VR technologies offer new space for human exploration, understanding, and support by providing patients a safe environment in which they can interact and develop a goal and taskoriented activities within functional-virtual environments, especially when they find themselves in situations of cognitive, behavioural or motor disabilities. The solutions built from these technologies reduce patient’s limitations of activity and participation by promoting the recovery of functional motor abilities stemming the emerging philosophy of rehabilitation.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science and Technology, awarded the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Appreciation to Kashif Islam Khan Sherwani , CSIR, Chandigarh at the GYTI 2018 Awards function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 19, 2018. | http://techpedia.in/blog/augmentative-rehabilitation-sci-stroke-patients/ |
Indexed on: 11 Feb '15Published on: 11 Feb '15Published in: Sports Medicine
Prevention of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is likely the most effective strategy to reduce undesired health consequences including reconstruction surgery, long-term rehabilitation, and pre-mature osteoarthritis occurrence. A thorough understanding of mechanisms and risk factors of ACL injury is crucial to develop effective prevention programs, especially for biomechanical and neuromuscular modifiable risk factors. Historically, the available evidence regarding ACL risk factors has mainly involved female athletes or has compared male and female athletes without an intra-group comparison for male athletes. Therefore, the principal purpose of this article was to review existing evidence regarding the investigation of biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics that may imply aberrant knee kinematics and kinetics that would place the male athlete at risk of ACL injury. Biomechanical evidence related to knee kinematics and kinetics was reviewed by different planes (sagittal and frontal/coronal), tasks (single-leg landing and cutting), situation (anticipated and unanticipated), foot positioning, playing surface, and fatigued status. Neuromuscular evidence potentially related to ACL injury was reviewed. Recommendations for prevention programs for ACL injuries in male athletes were developed based on the synthesis of the biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics. The recommendations suggest performing exercises with multi-plane biomechanical components including single-leg maneuvers in dynamic movements, reaction to and decision making in unexpected situations, appropriate foot positioning, and consideration of playing surface condition, as well as enhancing neuromuscular aspects such as fatigue, proprioception, muscle activation, and inter-joint coordination. | https://www.sparrho.com/item/biomechanical-and-neuromuscular-characteristics-of-male-athletes-implications-for-the-development-of-anterior-cruciate-ligament-injury-prevention-prog/13a6f8/ |
The aim of this article is to compare isokinetic training and core stabilization training regarding their effect on lower back pain in football players.
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Resistance Training and Youth Development
Ronel du Plessis
This review looks at the benefits of resistance training on youth development. Further this review looks at the effectiveness of resistance training on muscular fitness, skill performance and injury prevention on youth development.
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Plyometric and strengthening exercises as injury prevention
Ronel du Plessis
This review looks at the importance of injury prevention programmes (IPPs) for athletes suffering from anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL). Further this review looks at the importance of implementing such programmes to assure the optimal effectiveness of these programmes to limit and to decrease re-injury or recurring injuries such as ACL injuries in athletes.
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Encouraging clinicians to adopt exercise as medicine in order to help patients move through cancer
Kevin Oliver
This study reviews the current adoption of exercise in cancer treatment strategies and ways in which it can be further implemented.
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Blood flow restriction therapy. A rehabilitation tool
Francois Marais
This article explains how blood flow restriction therapy works and how it can be used in rehabilitation and the process of returning to sport.
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The Importance of Periodization and Neurocognitive ability in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Rehabilitation
Francois Marais
This article explains how Periodization should be considered not only for athletic performance but also for rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Furthermore the study explains how the effects of ACL injuries extends to the Central Nervous System and not only the traumatic injured site.
Learn more.
VIEW ALL THE COURSES IN YOUR FIELD OF PRACTICE
Ethics and the Law
Public health ethics and Obesity
Mrs. M. Rossouw
This philosophical literature on paternalism argues that government measures to limit potential public harms arising from the consumption of unhealthy diets does not violate individual liberty.
Learn more.
VIEW ALL THE ETHICS COURSES
View the most recent online CPD courses released by eCPD for other professions
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Our mailing address is: | https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?e=__test_email__&u=c9a1617c01bf8057a610af478&id=72ac6cf61c |
Senate Bill 1160 Printer's Number 1936
PENNSYLVANIA, September 21 - "Athletic training services."
(1) The management and provision of care of [injuries]
AN INJURY to a physically active person as defined in this
act with the direction of a licensed physician. The term
includes the rendering of emergency care, development of
injury prevention programs and providing appropriate
preventative and supporting devices for the physically active
person. The term also includes the assessment, management,
treatment, rehabilitation and reconditioning of the
physically active person whose conditions are within the
professional preparation and education of a licensed athletic
trainer. The term also includes the use of modalities such as
mechanical stimulation, heat, cold, light, air, water,
electricity, sound, massage and the use of therapeutic
exercises, reconditioning exercise and fitness programs.
(2) Athletic training services shall not include
[surgery, invasive procedures or prescription of any
controlled substance] any of the following:
(i) Surgery.
(ii) Prescription of any controlled substance.
(iii) Invasive procedures, except an athletic
trainer licensed to practice may, with the direction of a
licensed physician, perform the following invasive
procedures pursuant to a written protocol :
(A) Rectal thermometry.
(B) Intramuscular or subcutaneous medication
administration injections.
(C) Airway adjuncts in conformity with basic
life support protocols and instruments. | https://www.einpresswire.com/article/592224825/senate-bill-1160-printer-s-number-1936 |
Respiratory Muscle Strength Training is a clinical guide, intended to provide clinicians with the background information they need to understand respiratory muscle strength training (RMST). With a variety of case studies provided by well-known authors and clinicians, this text acts as a guidebook to the RMST protocol and provides practical information for use in the field of healthcare. In addition to real-world case studies, Respiratory Muscle Strength Training includes a chapter devoted to Frequently Asked Questions, a representative sample of the devices commonly used for respiratory training, and instructions for using them in patient care.
Breathe Strong, Perform Better
Publisher : Unknown
Release Date : 2011
Category : Breathing exercises
Total pages :275
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Breathe Strong, Perform Better explains how anyone, from everyday exercisers to elite athletes, can use breathing training to increase power and comfort, improve performance, accelerate recovery, and reduce injury risk. With easy-to-use programs and sport-specific workouts, this is your guide to achieving efficient breathing and peak fitness.
Exercise and Sports Pulmonology
Publisher : Springer
Release Date : 2019-03-17
Category : Medical
Total pages :221
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This book provides an innovative and comprehensive overview of the relationship between lung and exercise, both in healthy, active subjects and in subjects with chronic respiratory diseases. It investigates in detail the central role of the lungs during exercise and illustrates the impact of respiratory impairment due to both acute and chronic lung diseases on performance. Further, the book presents the latest evidence-based findings, which confirm that exercise is an effective and safe form of prevention and rehabilitation in respiratory diseases. The first section describes the changes in the respiratory system during exercise and the contribution of respiration to exercise, while readers will learn how to perform a respiratory assessment in the second section. The third section addresses a broad range of chronic respiratory diseases and the (in)ability of those affected to play sports and perform exercise, thus providing a basis for individual assessments. The last two sections focus on respiratory training, rehabilitation and the relationship between respiration and the environment, e.g. in high-altitude and underwater sports. The book will appeal to a wide readership, including pulmonologists, sport medicine physicians, physiotherapists and trainers, as well as instructors and students in exercise science.
Neurobiology of Respiration
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2013-07-08
Category : Medical
Total pages :436
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Respiration is an area of the medical study that undergoes fast developments. A better understanding of the neural and cellular mechanisms underlying respiratory disorders and lung function is essential for the evidence-based pharmacotherapy and for optimizing the patient care and prophylactic measures to improve the health and quality of life. This comprehensive book is a blend of basic and clinical research. The book is thought to promote the translation of science into clinical practice. The book presents an update on the areas of current research and clinical interest in the neurobiology of the respiratory system. Recent innovations in detection and management of respiratory diseases are described. The book will be a base of reference in the field of respiration for years to come and a source of future research ideas. This book is a required text for respiratory scientists, neuropathologists, and for clinicians searching for ‘bench to bedside’ treatments of lung diseases.
Complete Guide to Respiratory Care in Athletes
Publisher : Routledge
Release Date : 2020-07-21
Category : Health & Fitness
Total pages :200
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Complete Guide to Respiratory Care in Athletes introduces the respiratory system and its function during exercise. It considers the main respiratory conditions affecting athletes and delivers practical advice for the management of respiratory issues in athletic populations. With contributions from leading international experts, the book discusses fundamental scientific principles and provides pragmatic ‘hands-on’ clinical guidance to enable practical application. Each chapter includes useful pedagogical features such as case studies and guides for carrying out assessments. The book covers wide a range of topics, including: respiratory system function during exercise impact of the environment on the upper and lower airways asthma related issues in athletes allergic rhinitis in athletes exercise induced laryngeal obstruction exercise induced dysfunctional breathing paterns respiratory muscle training role of screening for respiratory issues in athletes assessing and dealing with respiratory infections in athletes. This text is key reading for both newly qualified and established medical, scientific and therapy practitioners who are working with athletes with respiratory issues. It is also a valuable resource for students of sports medicine, sports therapy, and sport and exercise science courses.
Textbook of Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Publisher : Springer
Release Date : 2017-12-21
Category : Medical
Total pages :392
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This book provides up-to-date knowledge on all aspects of the multidisciplinary approach to pulmonary rehabilitation that is essential in order to achieve optimal results. It will be an ideal resource especially for pulmonologists in training, but will also be of value for physiotherapists, other health care professionals, and technicians. Detailed information is presented on the diverse program components in pulmonary rehabilitation, with clear explanation of the roles of the nutritionist, psychologist, occupational therapist, respiratory nurse, and physical activity coach. Guidance is provided on identification of candidates for pulmonary rehabilitation and on all aspects of assessment, including exercise capacity, muscle function, and physical activity. Patient-centered, economic, and other outcomes are examined, with separate discussion of combined outcome assessment. Furthermore, due consideration is given to organizational aspects of pulmonary rehabilitation and to rehabilitation in specific scenarios, e.g., thoracic oncology and surgery, transplantation, and the ICU. The authors are internationally recognized experts selected for their expertise in the topics they discuss.
Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2020
Publisher : Springer
Release Date : 2020-04-01
Category : Medical
Total pages :689
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The Annual Update compiles reviews of the most recent developments in experimental and clinical intensive care and emergency medicine research and practice in one comprehensive reference book. The chapters are written by well recognized experts in these fields. The book is addressed to everyone involved in internal medicine, anesthesia, surgery, pediatrics, intensive care and emergency medicine.
Clinical Exercise Testing
Publisher : European Respiratory Society
Release Date : 2018-06-01
Category : Medical
Total pages :320
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In the last 10 years, the use of clinical exercise testing in respiratory medicine has grown significantly and, if used in the appropriate context, it has been demonstrated to provide clinically useful and relevant information. However, as its implementation and interpretation can be complicated, it should be used alongside previous medical evaluation (including medical history, physical examination and other appropriate complementary tests) and should be interpreted with the results of these additional tests in mind. This timely ERS Monograph aims to provide a comprehensive update on the contemporary uses of exercise testing to answer clinically relevant questions in respiratory medicine. The book covers: equipment and measurements; exercise testing in adults and children; cardiac diseases; interstitial lung disease; pulmonary vascular disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; pre-surgical testing; and much more.
Guidelines for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs
Publisher : Human Kinetics Publishers
Release Date : 2019-03-26
Category : Medical
Total pages :224
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Guidelines for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs, Fifth Edition, presents care and program standards for pulmonary rehabilitation programs, including initial and ongoing assessment, collaborative self-management education, exercise training, psychosocial support, and outcome measurement.
Cumulated Index Medicus
Publisher : Unknown
Release Date : 1995
Category : Medicine
Total pages :129
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Rehabilitation R & D Progress Reports
Publisher : Unknown
Release Date : 1991
Category : Disabled veterans
Total pages :129
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Essentials of Sports Nutrition and Supplements
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2009-02-11
Category : Science
Total pages :691
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This volume is a comprehensive textbook for the undergraduate course in sports nutrition. Focusing on exercise physiology, this text is to be used in a certification course sponsored by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN).
The Wim Hof Method
Publisher : Sounds True
Release Date : 2020-10-20
Category : Health & Fitness
Total pages :232
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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The only definitive book authored by Wim Hof on his powerful method for realizing our physical and spiritual potential. “This method is very simple, very accessible, and endorsed by science. Anybody can do it, and there is no dogma, only acceptance. Only freedom.” —Wim Hof Wim Hof has a message for each of us: “You can literally do the impossible. You can overcome disease, improve your mental health and physical performance, and even control your physiology so you can thrive in any stressful situation.” With The Wim Hof Method, this trailblazer of human potential shares a method that anyone can use—young or old, sick or healthy—to supercharge their capacity for strength, vitality, and happiness. Wim has become known as “The Iceman” for his astounding physical feats, such as spending hours in freezing water and running barefoot marathons over deserts and ice fields. Yet his most remarkable achievement is not any record-breaking performance—it is the creation of a method that thousands of people have used to transform their lives. In his gripping and passionate style, Wim shares his method and his story, including: • Breath—Wim’s unique practices to change your body chemistry, infuse yourself with energy, and focus your mind • Cold—Safe, controlled, shock-free practices for using cold exposure to enhance your cardiovascular system and awaken your body’s untapped strength • Mindset—Build your willpower, inner clarity, sensory awareness, and innate joyfulness in the miracle of living • Science—How users of this method have redefined what is medically possible in study after study • Health—True stories and testimonials from people using the method to overcome disease and chronic illness • Performance—Increase your endurance, improve recovery time, up your mental game, and more • Wim’s Story—Follow Wim’s inspiring personal journey of discovery, tragedy, and triumph • Spiritual Awakening—How breath, cold, and mindset can reveal the beauty of your soul Wim Hof is a man on a mission: to transform the way we live by reminding us of our true power and purpose. “This is how we will change the world, one soul at a time,” Wim says. “We alter the collective consciousness by awakening to our own boundless potential. We are limited only by the depth of our imagination and the strength of our conviction.” If you’re ready to explore and exceed the limits of your own potential, The Wim Hof Method is waiting for you.
Principles and Practice of Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Publisher : W B Saunders Company
Release Date : 1993
Category : Medical
Total pages :508
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In this text, the multidisciplinary application of scientific principles to the therapy of lung disease patients is emphasized. The scientific basis of lung disease patients is considered, followed by a comprehensive discussion of therapeutic modalities in rehabilitation. All aspects of conducting a pulmonary rehabilitation programme are covered and the components of the programme are detailed. | https://www.macnabclanuk.org/respiratory-muscle-training/ |
Spinal injury patient Bob Jones may be paralyzed and in a wheelchair, but he won’t sit still for long. He uses virtual reality technology to help him with his injury.
“This gives you an idea of what you’re gonna’ be running into on the outside of the building,” Jones said.
It’s Rehabilitation that looks more like a video game.
“It’s fun, but a little scary,” Jones said.
“For somebody that’s very fearful and very unfamiliar with the power chair, I think that it really makes them see that it’s not a dangerous piece of equipment, that it can really help them move around,” said Dina Mastrogiovanni.
Patients with brain or spinal cord injuries sit in a power chair mounted on a moving treadmill. They navigate computer-generated city sidewalks using a joystick.
“Other people have to drive with their breath or with the movement of their head,” Mastrogiovanni said. “So to have them try it on the treadmill is putting them in a safe place to give it a shot.”
Therapists can evaluate the patients’ strengths and limitations, then decide how to improve on them.
“That’s the big premise of rehab is to look at what a person has left intact and then build off of that, so that they can function as independently as possible,” said Mary Ann Palermo.
Jones says the virtual reality program is a real confidence builder, even though being in the driver’s seat takes some getting used to.
“It has a lot of obstacles, so that makes it more challenging,” Jones said.
But, practice makes perfect, especially when independence is just around the corner.
Therapists say virtual reality can have other applications by changing the Environment on the screen, for example, a kitchen where patients can practice working around hot stoves and sharp appliances without the risk of injury.
Watch Video: | https://spinalcordinjuryzone.com/news/2898/virtual-reality-helps-spinal-cord-patients-gain-confidence |
Managing IT projects can be stressful, time consuming, and confusing. Not only will you have to make on-the-fly determinations of priority and execution, but you’ll also have to stay within the parameters of a tight budget, and still make a final deadline.
Whether you’re installing new software on company devices, or going through something more significant, like upgrading your entire network security, it’s on you to make sure the project goes smoothly.
Thankfully, there are a few best practices that can help you manage any IT project more effectively.
Best Practices for Managing IT Projects
If you’re a dedicated IT project manager or just someone taking on a solo project on your own, these best practices can help you succeed:
- Choose the right dashboard. First, you’ll need a solid dashboard to help you track everything from task progress to eventual system performance. Datapine’s IT dashboard, for example, is designed to be comprehensive for all your IT project management needs. Ultimately, you’ll want a tool that’s easy to use, but is also comprehensive—with plenty of modules and room for customization so you can make it your own. And if there are any features that let you automate simple tasks, you can save a lot of time.
- Understand your high-level objectives. Next, make sure you understand your high-level objectives, whether you’re in charge of setting them or you’re getting them from someone else. For example, you may be assigned a specific budget and a specific deadline, as well as a list of minimum criteria to meet in terms of performance or outcomes. But which of these takes precedence? If you’re about to miss the deadline but an influx of cash could help you meet it, what should you do? Setting priorities well in advance can help you make these types of decisions.
- Prioritize using both urgency and importance. The classical Eisenhower decision matrix requires you to set priorities in terms of both urgency and importance. For example, there may be tasks that can only be done in the next few days that aren’t important to the bottom line of the project; these are urgent, but not important. There may also be tasks that must be done before project completion, but don’t need to be done immediately; these are important, but not urgent. Understanding these dimensions can help you prioritize everything more efficiently.
- Break everything down. Everything gets simpler when you break it down into base components. Split your big objectives into smaller, subsidiary objectives. Split your overarching, long-term tasks into digestible, executable short-term tasks. Doing this will take time in itself, but you’ll be able to make assignments and track progress much more efficiently.
- Know your team. Get to know your employees, contractors, partners, and other team members. Each individual will have unique strengths and weaknesses, as well as personal preferences. If you assign work according to these unique variables, you’ll be able to work much more efficiently and cohesively as a team.
- Polish your communication practices. Successful project management depends on effective communication, so spend time polishing your habits. When assigning tasks and reviewing objectives, be as clear, concise, and thorough as possible so there’s no room for ambiguity. Meet regularly, and be consistent in your meeting times. Perhaps most importantly, set standards for how your team members should communicate with you and with each other—and enforce those standards. This will reduce miscommunications and instill a greater team mentality.
- Get updates in real time and review visuals. If possible, review incoming data in real time. You should be on top of your project development on an ongoing basis. If something looks askew, you need to know about it—and respond as quickly as possible. Data visuals can help you here, allowing you to gain insights without having to crunch numbers.
- Make proactive requests to stay on schedule. Proactive management is far superior to reactive management. If you sense a possible obstacle, or deviation from your main plan, start working on it immediately. Procrastinating or ignoring early warning signs could cost you.
Additional Tips: Managing Your Team
Even if you follow all these tips, it’s important to realize the success or failure of your project will depend heavily on your team’s performance. Therefore, managing your individual team members (and/or contractors and agency partners) will be vital to your success. Checking in regularly, managing individual workloads, and keeping morale high will all be important to successful project execution.
Managing IT projects requires your attention to a number of different areas, including personnel management and emotional intelligence, high-level strategy and planning, and effective use of communication tools and dashboards.
Try to split your attention evenly, and respond to challenges as proactively as possible to stay on top of things.
Anna is a freelance writer, researcher, and business consultant. A columnist for Entrepreneur.com, TheNextWeb.com and more, Anna specializes in entrepreneurship, technology, and social media trends. Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. | https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/trends/8-best-practices-for-managing-it-projects/ |
How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me support my child’s learning?
• At Shakespeare Infant school we regularly measure children’s progress in learning against National expectations and age related expectations. We do this formally four times a year.
• Teachers continually assess children and note areas where they are improving and where further support is needed. As a school, we track children’s progress from entry in year R through to Year 2, using a variety of different methods including the Early Learning Goals, National Curriculum levels and Phonics, Reading and Spelling ages.
• Children who are not making expected progress are discussed through termly review meetings with the Class teacher and Senior Leadership team. In this meeting a discussion takes place concerning why individual children are experiencing difficulty and what further support can be given to aid their progression. This will then be shared with all the relevant people and appropriate action is agreed. The expected outcomes of these children will be closely monitored.
• If your child is on the SEN register they will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which will have individual / group targets. This is discussed on a termly basis and parents are given a copy of the IEP. The targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time scaled) with the expectation that the child will achieve the target by the time it is reviewed. Teachers and LSA’s will be using these IEPs on a weekly basis to inform their planning and best meet the needs of your child.
When an IEP is reviewed comments are made against each target to show what progress the child has made. If the child has not met the target, the reasons for this will be discussed, then the target may be adapted into smaller steps or a different approach may be implemented to ensure the child does make progress.
• Children may move off the SEN register when they have ‘caught up’ or made sufficient progress but will continue to be monitored
• You are welcome to make an appointment to meet with either the class teacher or SENCo and discuss how your child is getting on. We can offer advice and practical ways that you can help your child at home.
• We believe that your child’s education should be a partnership between parents/ carers and teachers, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has complex needs.
•We have two parents’ evenings per year with individual targets and an attainment report and next steps for learning are shared. At the end of the academic year, your child will receive an end of year report, which you are welcome to discuss with your class teacher.
• If your child has complex SEND they may be part of an IPA (Inclusion Partnership Agreement) or have a Statement of SEN/ Education Health Care plan ( EHC), which means that a formal meeting will take place at least once a year to discuss your child’s progress and set new outcomes and a report will be written. All relevant outside agencies will be invited to attend at this time.
• If required we may operate a home / school link book which your child will bring home regularly so that comments from parents and teacher can be shared and responded to when needed.
• The class teacher will meet with parents at least on a termly basis (this could be as part of Parent’s evening) to discuss your child’s needs, support and progress. They will also be available to talk to if any issues arise throughout the term.
• The SENCo is available to discuss any support in more detail. The SENCo runs a drop in session from 8.50 am every Monday in the butterfly room.
• Other professional bodies are available for help for more specialised explanations. The SENCo will liaise with parents and the agencies should the need arise. For example CAMHS ( child and mental health service).
• The Parent Partnership Service provides impartial advice, information and support to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs throughout Hampshire. They aim to ensure that parents and carers play an informed part in planning provision to meet their child’s special educational needs. They aim to build partnerships between parents and carers, the LEA and schools. They also encourage parents and carers to be involved in the development of local SEN policy and practice.
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/parentpartnership
• The SENCo reports to the Governors to inform them about the progress of children with SEN; this report does not refer to individual children and confidentiality is maintained at all times.
• One of the Governors is responsible for SEN and meets regularly with the SENCo. They also report to the Governors to keep all informed.
• The Governors agree priorities for spending within the SEN budget with the overall aim that all children receive the support they need in order to make progress. They will evaluate the effectiveness of SEN provision at Shakespeare Infant school by checking individuals are making progress academically against national/age expected levels, the gap is narrowing and they are achieving age related expectations. | http://www.shakespeareinfantschool.co.uk/how-will-we-help/ |
- Teach 15 credits or 20 contact hours per week.
- Meet each class as scheduled at the time, place and for length of time designated.
- Maintain a minimum of five (5) posted student advisement office hours a week.
- Be available during regularly scheduled registration to serve as an advisor and assistant for students in the registration process.
Section 2: Meetings
- Attend all WNC college-wide and divisional or departmental meetings, as scheduled and announced.
- Attend appropriate curricular advisory committee meetings.
- Attend professional developmental meetings and participate in professional development activities.
- Serve on committees, college task forces, workshops, and other college improvement activities, as needed.
Section 3: Course Materials
- Prepare course materials.
- Provide each student at the beginning of each course with the following:
- goals and objectives/content for the course of study
- titles of required and supplementary textbooks to be used
- course attendance requirements
- planned schedule of examinations, field trips, and other special activities
- out-of-class assignment policy
- method of evaluating student progress toward and achievement of, course goals and objectives, including method by which the final grade is derived
- information about consultation/appointment availability procedures
- other information which informs students of requirements established by the instructor for meeting course objectives
- Periodically review the progress of each student and inform each student of his/her progress toward achieving course objectives.
- Work with division, department, administrative services, campus and other designated classified staff in the development of course materials, printed information, brochures, and other information which may be needed in the teaching or promotion of the college’s curriculum.
Section 4: Grading
- Plan and administer a fair and equitable grading policy.
- Maintain attendance and grade records; keep copies of records for one year.
- Return all class list and grade reports correctly completed at the time requested.
Section 5: Textbooks
- Review proposed new textbooks as requested by department, division, or other appropriate chairpersons or administrators.
- Order textbooks within the prescribed deadline requirements.
Section 6: Other Duties
- Fulfill other responsibilities as described in the full-time teaching faculty member’s annual prospectus; these must be accepted by the appropriate administrator.
- Complete other duties as assigned. | https://www.wnc.edu/policy/3-2-4/ |
Integrity just completed relocation to an expanded new headquarters this week, custom-built to meet the needs and goals of the business in 2015 and beyond. Like any major project, it involved complex planning, thousands of individual decisions, and frequent deadlines that had to be met to move on to the next phase, and ultimately project success.
How did our team know it was on track in the complicated year-long process? It used classic project management techniques, including Milestone Decisions, a concept explored by Integrity Technical Director Michael Ipsaro in the article below. Here’s his take on why Milestone Decisions are important and how organizations and federal agencies alike can reach them.
By Michael Ipsaro
Your agency just received a legislative mandate to implement a capability by a specific date. The mission could range from expanding a capability, to improving security at a checkpoint, to meeting an estimated surge in demand for transactions in a compressed time period. It may take months or years to accomplish the mission. You may be looking down the road to the final outcome, but you’ll have a much tougher time getting there if you don’t build in a series of milestones along the way.
I recommend five ways to achieve a successful milestone decision, but first a reminder on why they’re so important.
Why Milestone Decisions Matter
Many federal agencies have acquisition management roadmaps or decision-support processes that forge knowledge into action through logically structured stages and gates. The gates or significant events are often called milestones and require certain criteria to be met before making the decision to complete a previous stage, and proceed to the next stage of the process.
For example, moving to award a development contract based on results from the previous phase where the most cost-effective and aligned solution was selected; a program requesting approval to field a solution after completing successful live or operational testing.
The milestones offer an opportunity for implementation teams to demonstrate knowledge and progress to date to formal review boards. These bodies are typically comprised of key stakeholders, such as end users, and oversight groups. With missions and budgets at stake, these milestones can show how the program is managing risk. For example, the program could present outputs of its risk management plan that shows a thorough treatment of risk identification, assessment, analysis, and mitigation. Further, at a milestone review, a program could communicate a change in acquisition strategy based on lessons learned from the results of a previous phase or project.
Take milestone decisions seriously. A successful milestone demonstrates the program is gleaning knowledge and making progress in doing the right things to meet mission. This can help defend existing resources, or if needed, garner new ones. Also, achieving a successful milestone decision on the first pass can help you avoid the kind of delays and rework that increase cost and jeopardize mission.
How to Achieve a Successful Milestone Decision
When a mission requires relatively large acquisitions, complexity can arise with so many requirements, activities, and interrelationships. This complexity drives risk which jeopardizes a successful first pass through the gate. How do you mitigate this? Based on my experience, I’ve found these five guidelines to be useful:
- Start with the team: Select a mix of people whose skills and acquisition experience are complimentary. Having prior experience working with each other on a previous milestone is a plus. People credentialed in related disciplines such as program management, contracting, cost estimating, testing, and logistics bring depth of expertise. However, it’s also critical to have people who have actual experience leading and supporting teams that have achieved successful milestone decisions. Finally, people who possess intangibles such as accountability (e.g., to customers, stakeholders, teammates), initiative, and professionalism can boost your odds of success.
- Understand the criteria: The team should be able to understand clear and complex criteria for achieving a successful milestone decision. For example, specific criteria may contain questions in which the answers are laid out in documents such as a business case and acquisition strategy. The answers meet the criteria by being coherent, compliant, and well-thought out.
- Plan the work and work the plan: After identifying and understanding required criteria for a successful milestone decision, the next step is to lay out a plan of action and interim milestones that contain inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes needed to satisfy the criteria. This information should be part of your master schedule as well as the resources you will need to execute the plan and schedule. Consider using a tool for your team to collaborate and share knowledge during the effort.
- Assess and communicate progress against plan: Assess frequently how you are doing against your plan. For example, is the document ready for final presentation to the milestone decision review board? Do you need to perform additional quality checks to ensure the documents are consistent and coherent? Do you have enough information for the review board to make an informed decision? Communicate progress against your plan to stakeholders often, to minimize surprises at the end.
- Lessons Learned / Continuous Improvement: Convene the team and identify what worked and what could be improved. Apply a laser focus on identifying and testing ways to improve processes. Keep a lessons learned archive and track how well you are implementing your lessons learned on future efforts.
Remember, mission success is often met through a series of successful milestones, or significant events, taking months and even years. Therefore to make a significant event successful, ensure you invest in a significant team that prioritizes success in the short and long term. | https://integritymc.com/milestone-decisions-checkpoints-acquisition-success/ |
In support of the Vision 58 Strategic Plan 2018-2022, the District Leadership Team (DLT) is formed to assist the District and the Board in developing, refining, monitoring and providing input regarding the action plans and objectives of the Strategic Plan Goals. This Team will serve as a Committee of the Board of Education and will meet at least three times annually to monitor progress and suggest adjustments in action plans. Its mission is to support the District by providing oversight to the aspirations and accountability of the Strategic Plan through stakeholder representation and input to inform the planning, monitoring, and communication of the Plan.
Meeting Schedule
View the 2019-2020 District Leadership Team Meeting Schedule.
Meeting dates are at the discretion of the committee chair; typically, quarterly on a Monday at 3:45 p.m. at the ASC.
Meetings of the DLT shall be open to the public and all minutes of said meetings shall be made available to the public.
Agendas
Meeting agendas are now posted in BoardDocs.
Aug. 27, 2019
May 21, 2019
Feb. 25, 2019
Nov. 27, 2018 (revised)
Sept. 10, 2018
Aug. 28, 2018
Minutes
Aug. 27, 2019
May 21, 2019
Feb. 25, 2019
Nov. 27, 2018
Sept. 10, 2018
Aug. 28, 2018
Charge
- Operate in an advisory capacity, not in a decision-making role.
- Review and monitor action plans and progress reports of the District related to its Strategic Plan.
- Review and make comments with respect to the proposed action plans of the District’s Strategic Plan. Such review and comments shall consider and include an evaluation of the action steps planned, the progress accomplished, and the related accountability measures and outcomes.
- Review the triennial reports of progress toward accomplishment of the Strategic Plan Goals, and later report to the full Board of Education.
- Assist in the development of annual reports for Board of Education and administration use.
- Consider long-range planning and make suggestions.
- Facilitate cooperation and communication regarding Strategic Planning affairs between the schools/school district and the community.
- Report to the Board of Education at the regularly scheduled board meetings.
- Provide input and support for community presentations of the Strategic Plan and the district’s progress.
Membership (15)
The DLT will include representatives from the District’s various stakeholder groups, including the following: | https://dg58.org/school-board/committees/district-leadership-team/ |
Type of Role: Open Contract.
Reports to: Administration Coordinator
Plan International Profile:
Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners. We are independent of governments, religions and political parties. What does Plan International do? We work with children, young people and communities to tackle the root causes of discrimination against girls, exclusion and vulnerability. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. Our work enables children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. Plan International has been building powerful partnerships for children for over 75 years and is active in over 70 countries.
Job Profile:
The position has no approval authority and supervises drivers and Welfare Assistants. The position directly supports the Administration department and works closely with the Administration Coordinator in the execution of the duties.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Admin Logistical Support
- Prepare prompt payment to vendors according to the approved purchase order agreement; ensure punctual delivery of goods and services by the vendor; proper receipt and clearance of any materials, supplies, or equipment; and the negotiation of any returns or adjustments which may become necessary.
- Book hotels and community food vendor services for accommodation and workshops required in conformity with Plan policies and procedures. Also organize Plan events, workshops and other related functions as agreed with the supervisor.
- Review active orders to determine delivery status and follow up with vendors to assure prompt delivery.
- Communicate with staff concerning delivery progress; maintain records to record receipt of invoices.
- Perform procurement tasks that may be delegated by the Administration Coordinator.
- Based on received request, book hotel services for accommodation and workshops as required.
- Writing orders in the line of responsibility and drafting related correspondences.
- Monitor the usage of stationery and order for replenishment as and when necessary.
Management Of Front Desk And Switch Board
- Receive, announce and direct visitors to staff at Office in a courteous manner. As requested, make appointments.
- Keep the reception area in an orderly manner to include updated reading materials, clean and organized arrangement, and easy access of visitors to beverages.
- Receive incoming calls and place outgoing calls and handle incoming and outgoing correspondences addresses to Plan.
- Develop and regularly maintain updated Office telephone directories. Complete telephone logs booked through reception for outgoing calls booked through the switchboard by indicating whether they are personal or official.
- Report and suggest solutions related to improvement or malfunctioning of the switchboard to your supervisor.
- Responsible for general office cleaning, office equipment maintenance and utilization, utility bills payment and tracking and follow-up on repairs needed with external service providers and the landlord to ensure works are done and are value for money.
- Prepare and follow weekly transport schedules for the PU with relevant staff and as may be required liaise with Country Office and other PU administration staff to ensure efficiency in staff movements according to Plan transport policy
Management Of Petty Cash Function Within Established Procedures
- Maintain reconciled Petty Cash Ledger by making entries into the ledger book to ensure that daily cash at hand reconciles with book balances.
- Make petty cash payments against accurately completed and approved petty cash request forms.
- Request petty cash replenishment as and when there are minimum balances and keep safe custody of the petty cash balances.
- During the absence of customer care officer at reception, cover the reception desk and perform core activities of customer care desk.
- Organizes Plan events, workshops and other related functions as agreed with the supervisor.
Dealing With Problems
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- As delegated by the Procurement and Administration Coordinator, perform the tasks in line with established procedures and policies.
Communications And Working Relationships
- Communicates with the Administration coordinator and staff in regard to approval of requisitions and receiving of requisitions respectively.
Child Protection Policy Responsibilities:
- Adhere to the Child Protection Policy, Code of Conduct and reporting any CPP issues.
- Responsible for the implementation of the CPP standards as they apply to area of responsibility plus the development of actions to address identified gaps and monitoring their effectiveness.
- Ensure that all Plan International partners, visitors and associates in his/her area of responsibility are provided with, are made aware off and have signed and returned a copy of the child protection policy. Inform the partners, visitors and associates that they must comply with the policy in all contacts and communications with children during their visit.
Minimum Qualifications:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Social Sciences, Administration, Education or another related field.
- At least 2 years of working experience in a relevant field.
- Experience in use of Microsoft office applications i.e. a word, excel and PowerPoint.
- Ability and willingness to learn and travel to the field
- Very well organized and able to work under pressure
- Excellent interpersonal skills
How To Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to apply by using the “Apply Now” button below.
Deadline: 16/06/2020
Note:
Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.
A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy.
As an international child-centred community development organisation, Plan International is fully committed to promoting the realisation of children’s rights including their right to protection from violence and abuse. That means we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with. | https://fresherjobsuganda.com/2020/06/02/plan-international-uganda-jobs-administration-assistant/ |
Meet the Student Life Deans
The deans in Student Life meet regularly one-on-one with students for academic support, assistance in addressing obstacles to student success, guidance on campus policies and procedures, and collaboration on student and campus life initiatives.
While deans share many similar responsibilities, each dean has a focus or specialty area related to their specific department. Please reference the summary below to learn more about our deans in Student Life and how to set up an appointment.
If you are unsure who to meet with, please contact the Student Life Office and include your name, preferred times to meet, and a brief description of what you would like to discuss with a dean.
Our Deans
Cindy Anderson
Interim Dean of Students
Eliot 218
503-777-7527
[email protected]
Carrie Baldwin-Sayre
Associate Dean of Students for Health & Well-beingEliot 117
503-517-5459
[email protected]
Assistant Dean of Students for Student Support
Eliot 204b
503/777-7521
[email protected]
online calendar
Britt meets regularly with students experiencing personal crises and unanticipated life events that disrupt a student’s ability to focus on their academics and well-being. Britt works with students to create a comprehensive plan for addressing hardships and connect to appropriate support resources. Britt chairs the Care Team and Behavioral Intervention Team, and is available to faculty, staff, peers, and family members to consult about concerns for students. She works with the wider Reed student support network to coordinate support and outreach to students.
Students can also meet with Britt for leave of absence and withdrawal meetings, progress plan meetings, and underload meetings.
Julie Maxfield
Associate Dean of Students for Academic Life
Eliot 204A
503/517-7916
[email protected]
online calendar
Students facing challenges that interfere with academic success might benefit from meeting with Julie. Expect a collaborative discussion about relevant resources, strategies, and administrative options so that you can develop a plan for getting back on track and/or making adjustments to your current educational trajectory. For example, Julie meets with students on academic probation, students who are considering a leave of absence, or those re-entering the college after time away. | https://www.reed.edu/student-life/for-students/dean-scheduling.html |
Deadline: 17 December 2020
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is currently seeking applications from the eligible applicants for the post of Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst in Monrovia, Liberia.
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
Key Job Responsibilities
The Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst will perform the following functions-
- Support the process of developing the Annual Plans of the Country Office e.g, Annual Work Plan of UNFPA Direct Execution and Implementing Partners, Annual Strategic Information System Plan, Annual.
- Communication Plan, Annual Monitoring Calendar, Annual HACT; also ensure the quality of plans and compliance with UNFPA’s policies and procedures.
- Provide technical support for the development of a result-based resource mobilization concept note/proposals.
- Support the program units in the development of the Results Framework of resource mobilization proposals and support the Country Program Evaluation planning process.
- Monitor the progress and ensure the quality of Quarterly SIS Milestones and work plan progress report and provide constructive feedback for improvement.
- Support quality assurance activities, including the Spot.
- Check with a view to maintaining quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Country Programme resources.
- Support the program units to produce result-based reports to donors and to conduct result-based field monitoring visits and report.
- Track and support the implementation of the field monitoring and mission recommendations.
- Coordinate, facilitate, review the Spot Checks reports and update the IPAS.
- Coordinate, facilitate, and contribute to the UNSDCF annual action plan and report and represent UNFPA in UN, Government, Development Partners, and UN M&E Working Group.
- Review national documents and report and track the progress of national indicators relevant to UNFPA mandate,
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must have:
- University Degree in social sciences, preferably in statistics, development studies, public health, population science, demography, economics or public administration.
- 2 year’s of increasingly responsible professional experience in relevant areas, including the reproductive health/ population field, preferably with a gender focus.
- Recognized expertise in monitoring and evaluation.
- Practical programming and strategic planning experience.
- Proficiency in current office software applications.
- Familiarity with the UN and its policies and principles will be an advantage.
- Ability to work harmoniously with persons of different backgrounds.
- Ability to organize work effectively and to meet planned deadlines.
- Fluency in English is required.
- Knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit their applications through online process.
For more information, visit UNFPA. | https://jobs.fundsforngos.org/liberia/monitoring-and-evaluation-analyst-at-united-nations-population-fund-unfpa-monrovia-liberia/ |
Even with a well considered plan, development teams will encounter unanticipated obstacles and will need to adapt to new information. Appian teams use a set of Scrum-based meetings to routinely inspect progress and adapt as needed to achieve the team’s goal.
Each day, the team will meet to review progress toward the iteration’s goal and coordinate their activities for that day. The meeting, frequently called a stand-up, is scheduled at the same time each day for only 15 minutes. The team will decide how best to run the meeting, but it typically involves each team member answering three questions:
The most important goal of the meeting is to keep development moving forward. The team lead will capture any obstacles the team is facing and work to quickly remove them.
Key Insight: Make impediments transparent
Quickly removing obstacles the team encounters is essential to moving fast. Teams should track impediments in a visible way to facilitate communication with the extended team and to maintain focus on their removal. One way to do this is to maintain a shared list of obstacles in an Impediment Tracker.
Resources:
At the end of each Sprint, the team will demo the completed features to the larger stakeholder group. The product owner will have seen each feature as it was completed, but this is an opportunity for more users to see what progress has been made and to validate that the application will meet their needs. By reviewing progress frequently, it’s easier to course correct if needed and helps with user adoption once the application is deployed.
Standard Iteration Review Agenda:
In addition to the showcase, the team should discuss any changes to the Release Plan that are necessary given new information.
In addition to the Sprint Review, the delivery team will meet with key project stakeholders (e.g. PO, business & technical SME’s) to reflect on how to become more efficient. The team will use this Retrospective Meeting to celebrate what’s working well and identify specific actions the team may take to improve. After reviewing data from the previous iteration, the team identifies a small number of concrete actions that they can attempt with the next iteration. The goal of the meeting is to drive continuous improvement of the team’s way of working.
Resources
© 2021 Appian. All rights reserved. | https://community.appian.com/success/delivery/w/appian-methodology/1982/inspect-and-adapt |
Desire goodness—do not be a spiritual toad. Desire more than just goodness—do not move forward at the pace of a hen. Desire holiness—dare to soar like an eagle. In three previous articles, I pointed out the importance St. Teresa gives to a sincere desire for holiness and a willingness to respond to the Lord with generosity for all of those who wish to grow in love for the Lord and become saints. There’s a virtue for that: magnanimity. We already have an article on magnanimity itself, so let’s talk about the a vice contrary to this virtue.
Most virtues can be understood as the “mean” between two extremes. In order to be courageous, I have to avoid both cowardice (defect) and foolhardiness (excess). To acquire the virtue of temperance, I must be sure not to fall into intemperance (defect) or insensitivity (excess). In the case of magnanimity, on the side of the “defect,” we have pusillanimity, a passive lack of desire for greatness, which we have already discussed. On the side of “excess,” there are three vices: vainglory, ambition, and presumption. Let’s take a look at what vainglory is.
When he considers the vice of vainglory (Summa Theologiae II II, q. 132), St. Thomas begins by pointing out that it is not sinful to desire glory. We might find this surprising, because he also states that having glory means that others recognize and approve something good in you. Isn’t being recognized bad? Shouldn’t you do always make sure to do good secretly so no one finds out, and do it purely for God’s glory with no interest whatsoever in what others may think? Believe it or not, thinking you must have “absolute purity” of intentions in everything you do is a rather modern idea. St. Thomas is has a much more balanced approach.
When giving alms, Jesus asks us not to let our right hand know what our left hand is doing (Matt 6:3). That is, we should not go around proclaiming how much money we’ve given to the poor. Yes, but can we conclude that Jesus means that all good must be done secretly? He also says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,” making it clear that He does not demand that all good be done in secret and without recognition. Now, keep in mind that we may be praised for your good works, but we may also be ridiculed. Just as fear of ridicule should not deter us from doing the good, neither should the possibility of receiving praise. In reality, a desire for the recognition and approval of good and holy people can often be helpful in taking steps in the spiritual life. St. Teresa encourages us to share with others our desire to love God and grow in holiness without worrying about falling into vainglory. “It seems to me that this scruple [of vainglory] is an invention of the devil, who finds it extremely valuable. He uses it to persuade those who are anxious to try to love and please God to hide their good desires, while inciting others, whose wills are evilly inclined, to reveal their wrong intentions” (St. Teresa, Autobiography, Ch. 7). If one is tempted to do good purely seeking to receive glory from others, not even in this case should the good be left undone, rather “as soon as the first motion of vainglory attacks him, he [should] repel it, and, in doing so, gain merit” (ibid).
Receiving glory or recognition for good works is never sinful. Desiring glory or recognition is not in itself sinful, and we should not be excessively worried if we discover a mixture of desire for recognition in our intentions. Seeking vain glory is sinful. How to know the difference? St. Thomas comes to the rescue, explaining that there are three things that make glory vain. I’ll explain his response through some examples.
Take a young man who seeks glory for drinking large amounts of alcohol without passing out. What is wrong with him seeking approval and recognition for this? Simply the fact drinking large amounts of alcohol is in itself unworthy of glory. If having glory is about others recognizing a good in me, and what I am doing is not good, this is not glory but vainglory.
Or take a young woman who studies hard to impress a very smart guy she is in love with but who happens to be a jerk. The glory she seeks is vain not because of what she does, because studiousness is a good quality. What makes it vain is whom she is seeking to impress. If we desire recognition from people who do not seek our true good, we are not going down a good path, and any glory we may receive is vain.
And the third case: take a recently married young man who works hard for his family and wants to be a good father. However, he lives all of this only on a natural level, without any reference to God or the spiritual good of his family. The action itself is good. The people from whom he seeks recognition are good: his wife and children. The problem is that he does not elevate this desire to God, who must be the motivating force behind all our actions. He is so caught up in the “here and now” that he will soon begin to neglect not only his own relationship with God but also the spiritual good of his family.
As we grow spiritually, desiring a certain recognition from others is not sinful. St. Thomas helps us to be on the lookout for what could make us stray from the right path. Our actions must be truly good, the people from whom we seek recognition must be truly good, and we must elevate this desire for recognition to God, the only one who can see our hearts. Now we can add one more step. Not only can we elevate our desires or motivations towards God; we can also elevate any glory or recognition we may receive to God. On one occasion, when Sr. Clare was praised for her good works, rather than saying, “No, no, I’m not that good,” she simply smiled and said, “All for the glory of God!” The phrase cited above about letting our light shine goes on to say: “that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 6:3). He is the one who inspires us interiorly to do the good and gives us the strength to carry it out, so it is only right that we direct towards Him any glory that we may receive for our good works! | https://hmy.homeofthemother.org/index.php/blog/loud-clear/7209-don-t-be-a-peacock-vainglory |
What are the motivations behind Philanthropy?
Everyone’s motivations are different. While many people are motivated by a desire to make a difference others can be motivated by gratitude, or wanting to leave a lasting legacy.
Key motivators in philanthropic giving, identified by research, include:
- Values
- Tradition
- Faith or religion
- Gratitude
- Experiences
- In memoriam – or leaving a legacy in memory of a loved one
- Effective tax management
- Leave a legacy for the world
- Recognition
Philanthropic giving can be a warm client conversation about:
- Community impact
- A desire to give back
- A passion for a cause
- A reassurance that wealth will be used wisely
How can your clients give? | http://nzcommunityfoundations.org.nz/motivations-behind-philanthropy/ |
In an Ayahuasca vision, I saw a dragon made of grey smoke. In mythology, dragons represent beings of immense power, and he opened with a question true to form: “Do you want power?” I said yes. He asked why and I replied, “Because I want to help people.” The dragon countered, “Are you sure?” Flashing before my eyes I saw all the ways that I personally benefitted from the positive influence that I’ve had on people since founding Onnit and entering the public eye. I saw all the ways that my platform was helping people, and I took pride in it. The dragon made his point. I wanted influence both to help people, and because I enjoyed the recognition and resources that came with it.
“...anyone who tells you they are completely selfless and 100% altruistic is full of shit...”
But admitting to that duality opens you up for a lot of criticism. We love to hold people to impossible standards. We want someone to be successful and solely motivated by philanthropy. But let’s dispel that myth: anyone who tells you they are completely selfless and 100% altruistic is full of shit, and probably trying to take advantage of you. That’s just not how we are built. This is why capitalism, with all its inequities, has yielded a consistently better standard of living for more people than socialism. It is congruent with human nature.
Our inherent desire to take pride in ourselves is also, I think, why we are fascinated by boastful anti-hero figures like the UFC’s Conor McGregor and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. We all have a little bit of Floyd and Conor inside us. We all want to shine a light on our achievements, including the shiny ones.
People run into real problems when they try to deny their true nature. If you believe that you should only be motivated by service to others then you will feel guilty about the selfish feelings you’ll inevitably have. Guilt is a form of pain, and as a way to avoid that pain, you might trick yourself into thinking that you actually don’t have any selfish motivations, and that’s dangerous.
I’ve seen this happen too many times among people on a decidedly spiritual path. By denying a very natural desire for money and power they create a starving monster growing inside them. Without acknowledgement, that monster begins to control their decisions, turning them greedy or dishonest when given the opportunity to seize influence.
“By denying a very natural desire for money and power they create a starving monster growing inside them.”
Failure to acknowledge personal pleasure doesn’t just result in greed for money and power. During a trip to the poorest slums of Africa, I saw a lot of volunteers genuinely trying to help. Justin Wren, author of Fight for the Forgotten is that kind of guy. But I also witnessed some other Westerners reveling in a Messiah complex. They walked into the slums, handed out food or money to throngs of poor Africans, and then fattened their ego off the servile gratitude from those they had patronized. They were all too careful to hide their self-satisfaction behind a veneer of service.
On the other hand, if you’re honest with yourself and acknowledge your desires up front, you can reconcile your intentions and work to create win-win scenarios. Look at the example Tom’s shoes sets. They make profits off of every pair of shoes or glasses sold, and then use some of those profits to put shoes and glasses on kids in need. Tesla motors is financially successful and pushes environmental change. Take away the selfishness necessary to keep the business growing and there wouldn’t be a Tom’s shoes or Tesla motors. It’s hard to summon the energy to do great things under any circumstances. When you remove the personal pleasure that helps drive us it’s virtually impossible.
We are programmed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. If we are unable to step back and observe the ego, we will become the ego. Having an ego and desiring pleasure doesn’t make us bad people, it just makes us people. By recognizing our humanity we have a chance to limit our depravity, and make a more beautiful world for us all. | https://www.aubreymarcus.com/blogs/aubrey-marcus/beware-the-self-proclaimed-selfless |
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Catholic Readings For Today
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1
Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2
Today’s Bible Verse of the Day Reflections
An amazing miracle takes place and Jesus simply tells the one healed to “tell no one.” Why does Jesus say this?
First, we should start by reflecting upon what Jesus did. By cleansing this leper He restored this man’s entire life to him. He was living as an outcast, separated from the community; his leprosy, in a sense, took everything from him. But he had faith in Jesus and presented himself to the care and mercy of God. The result was that he was made whole and restored to full health.
Jesus often would tell those who were healed to tell no one. One reason for this was that Jesus’ acts of love and mercy were not done for His own benefit, rather, they were done out of love. Jesus loved this leper and wanted to offer Him this precious gift of healing.
He did it out of compassion and, in return, only wanted the man’s gratitude. He did not need to make this a public spectacle, He only wanted the man to be grateful.
The same is true with us. We need to know that God loves us so much that He wants to lift our heavy burdens and heal our weaknesses simply because He loves us. He doesn’t do it first because it will benefit Him, rather, He does it out of love for us.
One lesson we can learn from this has to do with our own acts of love and mercy towards others. When we go out of our way to show love and compassion, are we OK with no one knowing? Too often we want to be noticed and praised.
But the nature of an act of love and compassion is such that it should be done simply out of love. In fact, doing something loving and compassionate that is not noticed by anyone helps us grow in love and compassion. It purifies our intentions and enables us to love for love’s sake.
Reflect, today, on your motivation for the acts of kindness you do. Pray that you also can desire to act in hidden ways in imitation of our divine Lord.
Prayer: Lord, may I grow in love of others and express that love in a pure way. May I never be motivated by a desire for vain praise. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen. | https://catholicreadings.org/lord-if-you-wish-you-can-make-me-clean/ |
I sometimes don’t know which comes first.
The character I’m writing who I suddenly realize is dealing with struggles I relate to. Or struggles of my own that I see more clearly because one of my characters decides to deal with them in their own way.
Unlike characters in books, however, I don’t go through a wild adventure in a week’s time that overcomes my flaws at once.
Instead, I slog through one thing at a time, winning some fights. Not quite winning others. Refighting the same battles for the upteenth time. Recognizing the patterns. Hating the patterns. Hating that I still succumb to the patterns. Thinking I’ve overcome a pattern of behavior only to see it pop up in a different way…
The list could go on.
This has been the case recently as I attempt to sort out my motivations for why I do what I do.
I have great goals, don’t get me wrong. I want to help people. I want to finish writing a book so it can reach others. I want to honor God and show His love to others.
It’s the ‘why I want this’ that trips me each time.
Because I’m selfish. I think about myself far too often.
I want to do these things, not because I love God so much that I want to serve Him with my life and time and energy, but because I want to be fulfilled. I want to feel like I have done something worthwhile. And if others see that I’ve done something worthwhile, all the better.
The desire to feel that work is purposeful and means something is valid, don’t get me wrong. But I’m pretty sure shouldn’t be the main reason I act.
Which brings me back to motivations.
Motivations affect what we do
This is a bit obvious, but it bears repeating. We do what we do for a reason.
I eat because I am motivated by hunger. I study Spanish because I am motivated by the desire to communicate effectively. I write because I am motivated by a desire to tell a story and show readers a particular truth.
But motivations pile up and overlap and come in different strengths.
If I’m studying Spanish because I want to communicate, then I’ll drop what I’m studying and go to town instead if the chance comes up because that’s an even closer level of communication than staring at words on a page.
If my motivation is to build a habit of 15 minutes of study, however, I’m more likely to finish studying on my own before seeing people.
Or, as is more often the case, the motivation to do either thing isn’t strong at all in which case I’ll drop it regardless because something else is more fun.
And if I try to honor God just to feel internally fulfilled, I’m going to be chasing that feeling. I will act based on what I think will give me purpose, instead of focusing solely on God.
Motivations affect our attitude
Sometimes, we do something we know to be right, even though it goes against everything we want.
We know we should serve God. We’re motivated at some core level. But we aren’t happy about it and we don’t want it.
Our actions are correct. Our attitude is not, because our motivations are in conflict with each other. One part of me wants to serve God. The other part wants to feel important at some level.
I can’t strive for both at the same time. And I won’t be at peace if I’ve placed too much importance on conflicting motivations.
As I have discovered, many of these internal battles (such as examining motivations and correcting them) happen over and over and over again.
It’s not a grand climatic battle. It’s a steady slog where we advance and improve, but the same enemy comes out again and again. We get better at defeating him, but he’s still there.
If we can sense our attitude is off about doing the right thing, chances are one of our internal motivating factors is also off and could use some tinkering.
Motivations affect our expectations
Our motivations play directly into expectations and the corresponding emotions.
If I’m motivated to finish writing a book, then I expect to write a certain amount of words when I sit down to type. My satisfaction is based on if I did that or not.
If I’m serving God in the hopes of feeling a particular way about myself and my purpose, then I’m going to be focused on that expectation. I’ll be stressed if it doesn’t show up. I won’t actually be focused on God in the end; just on what I can get out of the situation.
If my goal is to serve God and honor Him, then that’s what I ought to be focused on. If God is honored, it doesn’t matter what people thought of me or what I felt.
(Of course, quite often what we are seeking when it comes to internal feelings of happiness, satisfaction, and peace, show up after we’ve stopped trying so hard to get them. But that is a topic for another time.)
Remember, results are up to God. What we need to focus on is what we do. And how and why. Let God handle the rest. | https://authorhopeann.com/motivations-matter/ |
I sometimes don’t know which comes first.
The character I’m writing who I suddenly realize is dealing with struggles I relate to. Or struggles of my own that I see more clearly because one of my characters decides to deal with them in their own way.
Unlike characters in books, however, I don’t go through a wild adventure in a week’s time that overcomes my flaws at once.
Instead, I slog through one thing at a time, winning some fights. Not quite winning others. Refighting the same battles for the upteenth time. Recognizing the patterns. Hating the patterns. Hating that I still succumb to the patterns. Thinking I’ve overcome a pattern of behavior only to see it pop up in a different way…
The list could go on.
This has been the case recently as I attempt to sort out my motivations for why I do what I do.
I have great goals, don’t get me wrong. I want to help people. I want to finish writing a book so it can reach others. I want to honor God and show His love to others.
It’s the ‘why I want this’ that trips me each time.
Because I’m selfish. I think about myself far too often.
I want to do these things, not because I love God so much that I want to serve Him with my life and time and energy, but because I want to be fulfilled. I want to feel like I have done something worthwhile. And if others see that I’ve done something worthwhile, all the better.
The desire to feel that work is purposeful and means something is valid, don’t get me wrong. But I’m pretty sure shouldn’t be the main reason I act.
Which brings me back to motivations.
Motivations affect what we do
This is a bit obvious, but it bears repeating. We do what we do for a reason.
I eat because I am motivated by hunger. I study Spanish because I am motivated by the desire to communicate effectively. I write because I am motivated by a desire to tell a story and show readers a particular truth.
But motivations pile up and overlap and come in different strengths.
If I’m studying Spanish because I want to communicate, then I’ll drop what I’m studying and go to town instead if the chance comes up because that’s an even closer level of communication than staring at words on a page.
If my motivation is to build a habit of 15 minutes of study, however, I’m more likely to finish studying on my own before seeing people.
Or, as is more often the case, the motivation to do either thing isn’t strong at all in which case I’ll drop it regardless because something else is more fun.
And if I try to honor God just to feel internally fulfilled, I’m going to be chasing that feeling. I will act based on what I think will give me purpose, instead of focusing solely on God.
Motivations affect our attitude
Sometimes, we do something we know to be right, even though it goes against everything we want.
We know we should serve God. We’re motivated at some core level. But we aren’t happy about it and we don’t want it.
Our actions are correct. Our attitude is not, because our motivations are in conflict with each other. One part of me wants to serve God. The other part wants to feel important at some level.
I can’t strive for both at the same time. And I won’t be at peace if I’ve placed too much importance on conflicting motivations.
As I have discovered, many of these internal battles (such as examining motivations and correcting them) happen over and over and over again.
It’s not a grand climatic battle. It’s a steady slog where we advance and improve, but the same enemy comes out again and again. We get better at defeating him, but he’s still there.
If we can sense our attitude is off about doing the right thing, chances are one of our internal motivating factors is also off and could use some tinkering.
Motivations affect our expectations
Our motivations play directly into expectations and the corresponding emotions.
If I’m motivated to finish writing a book, then I expect to write a certain amount of words when I sit down to type. My satisfaction is based on if I did that or not.
If I’m serving God in the hopes of feeling a particular way about myself and my purpose, then I’m going to be focused on that expectation. I’ll be stressed if it doesn’t show up. I won’t actually be focused on God in the end; just on what I can get out of the situation.
If my goal is to serve God and honor Him, then that’s what I ought to be focused on. If God is honored, it doesn’t matter what people thought of me or what I felt.
(Of course, quite often what we are seeking when it comes to internal feelings of happiness, satisfaction, and peace, show up after we’ve stopped trying so hard to get them. But that is a topic for another time.)
Remember, results are up to God. What we need to focus on is what we do. And how and why. Let God handle the rest. | https://authorhopeann.com/motivations-matter/ |
Sometimes, all we need is someone to give us unconditional love.
Cue the Caregiver, originally known as the Mother. This person will offer their heart openly and willingly, and extend whatever energies they can to help the hero succeed on their quest. Quick to forgive and encourage, the Caregiver offers characters weary from a long period of strain a welcome respite, in the form of companionship, health care, or emotional support. Sometimes, it is the presence of the Caregiver, or even the memory of that Caregiver, that keeps those that would otherwise fall from giving up. Because not all is bad in the world, and if nothing else, their love is a certainty.
As I have mentioned in prior posts in this series, this collection of posts deals with the archetypes first put forth by psychiatrist Carl Jung, and the use of these archetypes in fiction. Every post deals with the motivations, character profiles, and Shadows (or negatives) of each archetype. This week is the final of the Ego types: the Caregiver.
THE TWELVE ARCHETYPES
The Caregiver
Also known as the altruist, saint, helper, and parent, the Caretaker is the archetype that is energized and fulfilled by taking care of others.
The Caregiver is moved by compassion and a genuine desire to help others through generosity or dedicated assistance.
As a peaceful archetype, the Caregiver strives to keep harm away from himself and those he loves. He is motivated by goals that assist more than himself, and in fact is prone to martyrdom, due to his need to satisfy everyone else before seeing to his own needs.
Though the Caregiver’s intentions are often meant with the best of intentions, she can sometimes enable bad or weak behavior in those she cares for. Additionally, though selfishness is her greatest fear, either in others or herself, over-extending her energies into those that would take advantage of her generosity can lead the Caregiver to become bitter, often demanding acknowledgment of her “sacrifices”, and guilt-tripping those that aren’t quick to sing her praises.
EXAMPLES
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Recommended Reading: | https://arielhudnall.com/2015/03/08/archetypes-caregiver/ |
In “Moral Grandstanding,” Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke defend the following account of moral grandstanding (MG):
(1) to MG is to participate in moral discourse out of the desire to be regarded by others as moral (with the desire for moral recognition or recognition desire (RD) being strong enough that, if one were not to be recognized as moral, one would be disappointed; and one acts from this desire via the proper conventionally-determined sort of “grandstanding expression”).
They also argue that
(2) MG is morally bad because acting on a (strong enough) RD, at least in the ways characteristic of moral grandstanding, frustrates the ends of moral discourse (specifically the end of improving moral beliefs – and hence also the end of moral improvement).
[Link to paper: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/papa.12075/full ]
T&W defend by arguing that their account, in conjunction with established research results in social and moral psychology, explains why types of behaviors that we regard as paradigmatic types of MG (piling on, trumping up, ramping up, claims of self-evidence, etc.) are indeed instances of MG. They defend primarily through claims about specific effects of the paradigm types of MG that frustrate the aims of moral discourse in various ways.
My interest is in and and the problems that I see with these claims and the questions that the topic of moral grandstanding raises. I’m not so interested in T&M’s specific defenses of and because I think the problems I raise and questions I address are more important (and might render their defenses of and moot or ill-framed).
T&M’s paper was discussed on the PEA Soup blog a little while back. In that discussion, and also in conversation with me, Derek Bowman (who co-hosted the discussion) raised the following two related problems (among others): (a) RD criteria (including the particular would-be-disappointed criterion T&W favor) seem to count too many things as grandstanding and (b) acting on RD does not always seem to be a problematic motivation in moral discourse (because it can be part of moral pride and part of expressing or achieving solidarity in a group of people engaging in moral causes or activities). Irfan Khawaja and I discussed this paper as well over several evenings (several months ago) and Irfan had similar criticisms (he argued, more strongly along the lines of [b], that RD is never, in itself, a problematic motivation).
[Link to PEA Soup discussion: http://peasoup.us/2017/08/philosophy-public-affairs-discussion-pea-soup-justin-tosi-brandon-warmkes-moral-grandstanding-critical-precis-c-j-tony-coady/ ]
Picking up on [b], I don’t think that T&W have picked the right motivation as the relevant problematic motivation. They are concerned that moral grandstanding turns participation in moral discourse into a vanity project or a status-seeking project. These worries are, I think, broadly on-target and definitely important. We need to distinguish
seeking accurate/deserved recognition for being moral out of healthy moral pride or from the desire to be an inspiring or otherwise good team player in a moral cause (and perhaps out of or from other morally good or morally benign mindsets)
from
seeking that others believe one to be moral from vanity or out of social-status competition motivations (and perhaps from or out of some other morally bad or dubious motivations or mindsets).
As T&W stress in defending their view, the landscape of motivation (and intention and belief) here is complicated!
Consider the following intrinsic (non-instrumental) desires:
(i) to be seen as moral by certain others (regardless of whether one actually is moral)
(ii) to preserve one’s judgment or sense of oneself as moral (through being recognized as moral, regardless of whether one actually is moral)
(iii) to be seen as particularly moral relative to one’s affiliates in one’s tribe or group or relative to those of a contrastive, viewed-as-inferior-by-one’s-affiliates tribe or group.
All of these motivations are morally suspect and plausibly militate against the aims of moral discourse or practice (or at least ideal, and hence universalized or non-tribal, moral discourse or practice). (This claim is plausible on many different plausible accounts of what counts as moral discourse and what its aims are. It is plausible, at least to some degree, even if T&W are right that the sole or dominant aim of moral discourse is improving moral beliefs.)
Obviously, there is a common theme to these intuitively-morally-problematic desires: they are indefinite with respect to whether the beliefs that one is moral that one is seeking to cause in others are accurate or deserved. (We might just as well characterize the relevant mental items in terms of motivational or more-varied sorts of mindsets, not individual desires. For example, there is the motivational mindset of wanting be be judged moral but not caring if the judgment is undeserved.)
Each of [i]-[iii] is a better candidate for problematic motivation in participating in moral discourse (and for being morally suspect on its own terms). This is so even if we think of moral talk or discourse as being like a seminar room, with the cognitive aims always paramount. But their candidacy for being problematic (and the sort of problematic motivation that makes MG bad) is even better if we allow, as we should, that moral discourse has distinctive action motivating and coordinating (and perhaps other) aims.
The show-stopping problem with T&W’s paper is simply that RD is neither in itself morally problematic nor something that, when acted on via grandstanding (or otherwise), reliably frustrates the cognitive or belief-improvement – or other – aims of moral discourse. So treatment of the other aspects of T&W’s paper is moot. A better version of (a better account of what MG is) would replace RD with some disjunction of intrinsic desires (maybe something like [i] or [ii] or [iii]), promoted or satisfied by the grandstander being judged to be moral by others, that are either morally problematic relative due to the content of morality (maybe MG does not show proper respect for others or for oneself) or problematic because successfully acting on them typically frustrates the aims of moral discourse (whether cognitive or broadly action-coordinating). A better version of (a better account of why MG is bad) would explain why acting from one or more of these desires, in ways that are conventionally appropriate to the grandstanding task, is morally bad or destructive of the aims of moral discourse. Starting here, one might construct a better, more accurate account of what MG is and why it is bad. | https://irfankhawajaphilosopher.com/2018/03/03/on-moral-grandstanding-the-fruits-of-some-reading-and-discussion/?replytocom=3056 |
A key to living authentically is the capacity to reflect. Reflect means to go back over; to study again. Go back over your notes. Go back over your thoughts. Go back over your day, your week. I like to take time at the end of the year to reflect upon what’s important in my life, going back over the year to be sure that in my pursuit of a standard of living I don’t lose track of the standard of my life. January is a good time to reset the compass and clarify my intentions for the upcoming year.
Reflection turns experience into insight.
– John Maxwell
I kicked off 2019 by attending a five-day workshop called Come Alive at The Haven Institute on Gabriola Island on Canada’s west coast. Facilitated by my good friend David Raithby and his colleague, Linda Nicholls, the experience was filled with tremendous insights, reminders, and discoveries that supported my own authentic journey. It reinforced my reflections and renewed my vision for my life and work.
One of the significant take-aways from the retreat was the understanding of the difference between achievement and mastery.From very early in life we experience them both and often confuse the two. While they appear to be similar, the motive and results of each are distinct. Achievement, as defined here, is the attainment of a goal based on external motivators, such as recognition, approval, money, appreciation, status, or the opinion that others have of us. We work hard in school to get good grades. We build a successful business for the profit and prominence it promises. We lose weight so we’ll look good for the reunion. In an achievement-oriented world, one’s value is measured by external results, such as income, appearance, fashion, numbers of likes on social media, and how we compare with others.
Mastery, on the other hand, is about internal motivation. We experience mastery when we take our first steps, learn to tie our shoelaces, or overcome a difficulty. With mastery we experience the reward of curiosity and discovery, wonder and fulfillment. With mastery, we feel deep satisfaction as our world expands and we uncover new capacities. Rather than being externally motivated, mastery is inspired by an inner yearning to realize our potential and express who we are meant to be. As parents and teachers, we cultivate mastery by providing a safe learning environment and encouraging support. Rather than focusing on praise, approval, and external rewards, mastery is developed by encouraging children to reflect on their own endeavors, experience their own sense of amazement, and affirm themselves based on their own internal measurement of self-expression and gratification.
Alongside the experiences of mastery, we all experience, to some degree, the pull of achievement and its rewards. While achievement is a worthy aim at particular points in our life, it potentially creates a dependence upon something outside of ourselves that can blind us to the sustaining fulfillment of mastery. This reliance on external validation as a motivator is expressed when students are driven by grades rather than the love of learning, businesses are motivated by making a buck rather than making a difference, and success is motivated by an unquenchable hunger for fame and fortune. When a person’s worth becomes dependent on societal validation, a cycle of self-criticism, burnout, anxiety, despair, and ultimate emptiness results.
Being all too familiar with the barrenness of achievement motivated by the drive for approval and status, I am now emerging into a stage of life where achievement is being replaced by mastery. It’s fulfilling, less stressful, and a whole lot more enjoyable when you build a business based on self-expression and contribution than one driven by notoriety, the praise of others, and success defined by the marketplace. If you consider what you want to be said of you at your funeral, you will find your own definition of a life well-lived and discover that the people you seek approval from won’t even be at your funeral!
Twenty-three centuries ago, Aristotle knew something about the difference between achievement and mastery when he distinguished between what he termed “external goods,” such as prosperity, property, power, personal advancement and reputation, and “inner goods,” or “goods of the soul,” including fortitude, temperance, justice, compassion, and wisdom. He taught that the good life is not one of consumption, but one of the flourishing of these virtues.
Five suggestions for bringing more mastery into your life and living authentically:
1. Create a regular habit to pause and take a deep breath. S-l-o-w d-o-w-n and make room to pay attention to the voice within. Connecting to your breath opens you to connect with the present moment. While goals are important, life is not lived in some distant future. Life is lived now. The present moment is where meaning lies.
2. Take an honest inventory of what drives the actions in your life.Ask yourself some tough questions: What motivates you? How dependent are you on the validation and approval of others to define you? Whose voices are driving your life? What matters to you: achievement or mastery? “external goods” or “internal goods?” Take time to notice the impact that your motives are having on the quality of your life, your relationships, your health, and your leadership.
3.Listen to your body. Your body knows. I came down with a cold after the holidays. I don’t like to take cold medicine. I like to hear the symptoms clearly and listen accordingly. Paradoxically, I think it’s healthy to get sick periodically as it helps reset your immune system and gets your attention if you listen to what it’s trying to tell you. Perhaps the same thing could be said for pain. I stayed home for a couple days, relaxed, and used the time for some reflection. It went quickly and informed me to let go of some expectations I had of myself that were externally driven and not aligned with my authentic self. If you don’t listen to a cold and take care of it, it will turn into bronchitis; if you don’t listen to bronchitis it will turn into pneumonia; if you don’t listen to pneumonia….
4.Clarify your intentions. You may find that nothing needs changing in your life except how you approach your life. There’s nothing inherently wrong, for example, with having a goal to build a financially successful company. But living authentically requires a careful examination of your intentions. If you are depending on the success of your business to give you your worth and your place in the world, you’ll likely find it will never be enough. If, however, you are building a business in order to express yourself, help others grow, and bring value to the world, the journey can be far more meaningful and fulfilling.
5. Take stock of your relationships. Reflect on the people that are in your life right now and where you might need support to live with greater mastery. If you want a fulfilling life, hang out with people who will inspire and support you to be who you are. Coaches and mentors can be helpful to guide you to your own truth and your voice. Mastery, like authenticity, is a lonely journey but it can’t be done alone.
I’d love to hear your experience, perspective, and reflections on the difference between achievement and mastery, and what these insights mean to you. | https://davidirvine.com/mastery-and-the-power-of-reflection/ |
from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola
Edited by Fr. Martin Royackers, S.J.
“The first point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the gifts received.”
Ignatius once said that the most abominable sin he could imagine was the sin of ingratitude. He knew that an awareness of God’s goodness and generosity is the foundation of our relationship with God. Once we recognize God’s goodness, we spontaneously feel gratitude.
In this first point, we express gratitude for the experiences and encounters during the day that have been good or pleasant or meaningful, whether they seem trivial or important. We also express gratitude for the larger gifts we have received: our faith and our salvation, our life, our talents and abilities, significant relationships, whatever comes to mind.
As our spiritual life deepens, we become more and more aware that all we have is gift, given to us far beyond anything we might expect or deserve.
We might sometimes find ourselves in a mood of resentment or depression where a feeling of gratitude is hard to muster. At that time, it is all the more important for us to express thanks to God. Not to pretend to feelings we don’t feel, but to acknowledge, at whatever level we can, the truth of God’s goodness to us.
“The second point is to ask for the grace to know my sins and to root them out.”
Ignatius gives his second point a moralistic tone. The particular grace we are seeking here can be expressed more broadly as the light to see our life the way that God sees it, without the illusions and deceptions that we commonly live by. If we are to ask for this grace wholeheartedly, it is important for us to know how desperately we are in need of it. Psychology has shown that many of our true feelings and motivations are genuinely hidden from us. The unconscious part of ourselves can have a powerful influence on what we feel and how we act. Even apart from this, there is a natural tendency to rationalize our actions and to believe the sort of front we put on for other people. Or we can deny or repress unpleasant or embarrassing things about ourselves. Or we can have attitudes of self-deprecation or contempt that distort our view of ourselves and others.
The possibilities for self-deception are endless. To truly know ourselves is not something that we are able to do alone. We need to ask the Holy Spirit for the light that can reveal us to ourselves.
“The third point is to demand an account of my soul from the moment of rising to that of the present examination, hour by hour or period by period. The thoughts should be examined first, then the words, and finally the actions.”
The third point is the heart of the Examen. Our actions, words, thoughts, feelings can come from an internal source of freedom and openness to other people and God. Or they can come from what St. Paul calls the “flesh” or the “law of sin”; that is to say from the self-centredness that inhabits all of us. We examine the events of our day methodically in order to uncover the source and the direction of our life that day.
Ignatius suggests we move from thoughts to words to actions. However, it can be more fruitful to move the other way, to look at words and actions and then reflect on the real motivations, intentions and feelings that underlay them. Actions that are apparently good can be done for bad motives, such as a desire for praise. Such an action might be considered praiseworthy but really springs from self-centredness.
Some people are free from actions that are obviously sinful. But when we go to a deeper level of intention and feeling, we can discover that sin has a larger hold on our life than we suspect, that there are all sorts of subtle ways that we focus on self rather than moving outward, towards others and towards the Other.
The Christian life aims at a purity of intention, where all our actions spring from freedom and grace. At first we achieve this type of freedom only sporadically and often fall short. But we can grow towards it.
The examination of our day is not simply earnest introspection, it is prayer. It is going through our day with God, attentive to the inner feelings and desires which is where we experience God’s call in the midst of everyday activity.
“The fourth point is to ask pardon of God our Lord for my faults.”
Once we have reviewed our day, we may have come to a sense of the dynamic of sin and grace that has been operating in our life that day. The fourth point is our response to that awareness.
Insofar as we have discovered grace and freedom operative during the day, our response is gratitude and wonder for the work of God in our soul. Genuine freedom always comes as a surprise to us, because it involves a sort of self-transcendence that we know we don’t have in ourselves. When we discover that in our day, we need to praise God for it.
Conversely, when we discover sinfulness and self-centredness, our response is remorse and contrition. Contrition does not mean dwelling in guilt and shame and beating ourselves for not being perfect. It means recognizing our distance from God, our moving away from God, and asking for and receiving God’s forgiveness. The difference between contrition and shame is that contrition is a feeling that moves us out of ourselves and towards God. Shame simply moves us deeper into ourselves.
Like gratitude in the first point, we may not be able to deeply feel the contrition that is the proper response to recognition of our self-centredness. But it is important then to express it, even if it doesn’t seem very deep, by asking for pardon.
“The fifth point is to resolve to amend with the help of God’s grace. Close with the Lord’s Prayer.”
We end the Examen by looking towards tomorrow with the desire and resolve to effect changes in action or attitude that God has called us to today.
Alcoholics Anonymous has a slogan, “One Day at a Time” by which they mean that sobriety is not achieved by big and noble resolutions, but by trying to stay sober for one day.
It can be useful to look at our spiritual life in that way. We deal with it one day at a time. In this fifth point we don’t look at changing our whole lives, we simply look at what we want to change tomorrow, and ask God’s help for it. Our lives are a drama of sin and grace. But this drama is being played out on the rather humble stage of our day to day life.
Ignatius adds our need for God’s grace, an important point. We are not resolving to perfect ourselves by force of our own will. We are resolving to open ourselves to grace through awareness of where we need it. | https://manresa-canada.ca/blog/2019/07/02/a-method-of-making-the-general-examen/ |
We look from many angles when we want to better understand the psychology of a person. The same if we are analyzing a nation, as we do in these articles.
After reviewing Hoefstede’s dimensions in my previous posts, let’s move forward and look at an interesting proposal from Shalom Schwartz. He has defined a set of ten universal human values (that can also be understood as basic needs), underlying and driving the way we behave.
Thus, the universal values theory defines ten broad values, each of them with a specific motivation associated.
These 10 universal values are (you can read more about them at https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=orpc):
- Universalism,
- Self-direction,
- Stimulation,
- Hedonism,
- Achievement,
- Power,
- Security,
- Conformity,
- Tradition
- and Benevolence.
We will split these universal values in 3 categories, first in which Romania scores in the top 25% of the 25 European reviewed countries, second – in the middle 50% of the ranking and third – in the bottom 25%
Where we score in the top 25%: Power, Conformity & Achievement. Let’s understand the motivations behind these values.
Conformity
Motivation: restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm others and violate social expectations or norms.
Power
Motivation: social status and prestige, control or dominance over people and resources.
Achievement
Motivation: personal success through demonstrating competence according to social standards.
How can these findings be relevant for the business environment?
I guess that the fact that we appreciate more than other nations the above values can explain some behaviors. One example would be that we usually conform not to upset “the boss”. Therefore, we’d like to have the power and make other conform to our rules. In order to attain this status, we need to be recognized as such, hence our desire for achievement.
When managing a team, we should aim to align these motivations to the objectives of the community and of the company we represent.
What can be done in the situation described above?
- Build a “no blame” work environment. Don’t expect people to share “out of the box ideas”. You will most probably need to encourage them a lot and facilitate the communication process, give people the comfort they need to overcome their natural desire for conformity, by creating a “no blame” environment.
- Be successful by making the team / organization successful. It is good to have people thriving for achievement and power, but only as long as they do it in compliance with the values of the company and also by sharing the same interest.
- Grow the right competences but also the right attitudes. Promote only the people looking to achieve their own and their company’s targets, with informal power within the community and a proven record of genuinely respecting the organizational values. | https://digiquery.com/the-ten-universal-human-values-a-business-interpretation/ |
I specifically remember times as a teen when I would watch the setting sun and hope to return the world to God. That was quite a dream for an insignificant country boy on small mountain top farm. Though I dreamed, I had no clue as to how big the world is, how complex cultures are, or how many people have no interest in God.
Perhaps that was a significant motivation when Joyce agreed that we should move our young family to West Africa. The naive country boy learned enormous lessons in West Africa, lessons he fervently prayed God would never let him forget.
I learned how big the world is. I learned how powerfully people are defined by their cultures. I learned how complex we all are. I learned the meaning of faith in Christ. I was introduced to the relationship between patience and faith. I was made aware of the deep, incredible link between having faith in God and having the desire to repent. I learned that we can use religious motivations and agendas for many different objectives. I learned how much of America's culture and social values are incorporated in the American Christians' concepts of God's will and faithfulness.
I was greatly humbled by another understanding. God's intent was never to Americanize the world. God's intent was (is) to offer the world salvation in Jesus Christ.
No human can change the world. That power resides only in God, and He offers that change through Christ. Only in Christ resides the power for change.
Each generation accepts or rejects God's offer. Each parent learns that truth! Frequently we are reminded not even our own children may accept Christian values and concepts!
In each age our power is to model the value and privilege of God's molding. We knowledgeably share our faith in Christ. We prayerfully hope our children, friends, and world see in us the value and privilege of serving God. We earnestly, genuinely hope our children, friends, and world will see the reality of eternity. Yet, we grieve realizing many refuse to see the reality of eternity. These prefer "now" to "then."
If in Jesus' world many were not impressed with him, why should all in this world be impressed with him? Pessimism? No! Acceptance! Those rejecting repentance never recognize God. The greatest tragedy: many who could see God, respond to Jesus, and repent, either (a) never hear or (b) are blinded by Christians with good intentions but little faith.
Hebrews 11:13,14 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. | http://www.westarkchurchofchrist.org/chadwell/2003/b030831.htm |
As awarding-winning musician Lecrae puts it, “If you live for people’s acceptance, you will die from their rejection”.
I think we can all agree that it is entirely reasonable for us to want our ideas, opinions, choices, achievements, or points of view validated by those around us. It’s natural and human for us to want that.
It is, after all, one of the very first lessons that we learn as children, when we do something good we receive praise and acknowledgement from our parents. We realise that recognition, which quickly becomes validation, is something we should always aim towards. It becomes our compass. If we are behaving correctly we achieve it. If we aren’t, we don’t. Sounds straightforward, right?
Yet, it’s our journey through life, and our need for approval and validation, that requires some further investigation here.
Validation
To understand it better, let’s remind ourselves of the difference between external validation; which is the acceptance, acknowledgement and recognition of someone else’s experience, and self-validation; which reflects our own ability to acknowledge and recognise our personal and internal experience.
It’s important to note that self-validation doesn’t mean adopting someone else’s thoughts as our own, it merely recognises that these experiences are real and valid because they are yours.
Approval, or validation, is part of our everyday life and therefore relying on the feedback and encouragement of others should not always be seen as a sign of weakness, or something we should be ashamed of. Independent, confident people still need validation in certain aspects of their life; however, what makes them stand out is that they are also able to source and receive their own self-validation if, and when, they’re unable to get it from others.
When self-approval isn’t possible or achievable, there’s an increased risk that we might experience new challenges or difficulties. Put simply, if someone rates the approval or the opinions of someone else, ahead of their own, they’ll quickly find that they become dependent on their approval on a repeated basis.
In handing over such power to someone else they are disabling their own.
We’re all more than familiar with the impact that social media is having on our lives and especially on our mental health. The idea that the portrayal of a stranger’s, apparently ‘perfect life’, causes us to question our own, no matter how many times we are told it’s only a snippet and not reflective of reality, will never cease to be problematic.
Yet I believe what this highlights is our automatic tendency to compare an artificial and edited representation of someone else’s life with our own full-bodied, colourful and beautifully imperfect life?
Why are always we so quick to ignore what we have in favour of what we convince ourselves, would make our lives more perfect? “If only I had X I would feel Y”.
Is external approval from anyone better than internal recognition of our own successes? (I think we know the answer to this and I’m not here to judge but I am here to get you to as yourself why?)
Why do we need the approval of others so much? What is that telling us about who we are and how we show up in the world?
How can we avoid this turning into a full-blown addiction that will have negative impacts on our self-esteem and how we continue to view ourselves.
Reclaiming control
How can we reclaim our power and rely much more on how we rate ourselves rather than waiting to be recognised by others first?
The first step in removing the need for validation from others begins with understanding the type of approval that you’re searching for. Are you waiting to hear that you are the best performer at work, the one with the most social media followers, the ideal friend or partner, the kindest daughter or mother? When you can identify quickly that you’re doing something simply to receive external approval it helps you to consider what an alternative might look like.
Some practical ways to start doing this might include:
OBSERVE YOURSELF Examine closely what you are doing and saying. Look for ways you could improve on these. Focus on your own gifts, skills, abilities. What do you have to offer yourself? What evidence can you draw on that you’ve done good things in your own life and had your own independent successes?
STEP BACK FROM SOCIAL MEDIA Not an easy one, I know. The FOMO is real, but think about it as a temporary withdrawal. This may stop you from comparing your life to theirs as well as giving you a chance to breathe and go within. Remember that seeking approval only becomes problematic when it is all you focus on. By removing it from your immediate radar you’re reducing the number of times you feel inadequate. Try and mute or unfollow anyone on social media (or in real life!) who is not making you feel good about yourself, even if it’s not their intention.
BUILD ON YOUR OWN SELF APPROVAL Acknowledge when you do something because it felt right for you. Start a daily practice of writing down one thing you did that day that you feel proud of yourself. It could be to do with choices that you made, decisions you took, opinions you expressed or saying no when you meant it. Recognise and record it.
RELEASE THE NEED TO SEEK VALIDATION FROM OTHERS It may seem obvious to state this, but you need to practice letting go of seeking validation for your choices. Observe how you feel when you begin to rely on your own intuition for answers. Watch how you’re speaking to yourself.
Be honest, are you looking for sympathy, are you seeking approval that you said or did the right thing, are you hoping for validation that you made the right decision or are you just looking to share with someone?
YOU DECIDE In its place, remind yourself that it is always your choice and forever your decision and tune in to how that makes you feel inside. Let that be your guide. It may take a little practice but do stick with it!
Niamh Ennis is Ireland’s leading Transformation Coach and Founder of The RESET for Change 3 Month 1:1 Private Coaching Programme and host of The TOUGH LOVE ENERGY™ Podcast. She’s known for her practical solutions to life’s challenges and her ability to tell you not what you want to hear but always what you need.
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This article, by Dr Donna Hicks from the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, sets out the Ten Essential Elements of Digity, and conversely the Ten Elements to Violate Dignity.
“Dignity not only sustains but also energises and enables. It accomplishes great things. It lifts the fallen and restores the broken. When the recognition of the good in the other is shared, it is the sense of personal dignity given that can bring peace to situations of potential conflict. People’s awareness of their own dignity, their sense of worth, is the only answer to the inertia of an everyday life ruled by feelings of uselessness.”
(Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu)
“Dignity is found in quality and virtuous relationships established upon contribution. The elements of such relationships are Trust, Forgiveness, Integrity, Hope and Compassion (Empathy actioned through Care).”
(John Hendry OAM)
The Ten Essential Elements of Dignity
Acceptance of Identity
Approach people as being neither inferior nor superior to you. Give others the freedom to express their authentic selves without fear of being negatively judged. Interact without prejudice or bias, accepting the ways in which race, religion, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, age and disability may be at the core of other people’s identities. Assume that others have integrity.
Inclusion
Make others feel that they belong, whatever the relationship – whether they are your family, community, organization or nation.
Safety
Put people at ease at two levels: physically, so they feel safe from bodily harm, and psychologically, so they feel safe from being humiliated. Help them to feel free to speak without fear of retribution.
Acknowledgement
Give people your full attention by listening, hearing, validating and responding to their concerns, feelings, and experiences.
Recognition
Validate others for their talents, hard work, thoughtfulness, and help. Be generous with praise, and show appreciation and gratitude to others for their contributions and ideas.
Fairness
Treat people justly, with equality, and in an even-handed way according to agreed-on laws and rules. People feel that you have honoured their dignity when you treat them without discrimination or injustice.
Benefit of the Doubt
Treat people as trustworthy. Start with the premise that others have good motives and are acting with integrity.
Understanding
Believe that what others think matters. Give them the chance to explain and express their points of view. Actively listen in order to understand them.
Independence
Encourage people to act on their own behalf so that they feel in control of their lives and experience a sense of hope and possibility.
Accountability
Take responsibility for your actions. If you have violated the dignity of another person, apologise. Make a commitment to change your hurtful behaviours.
The Ten Elements to Violate Dignity
Taking the Bait
Don’t take the bait. Don’t let the bad behavior of others determine your own. Restraint is the better part of dignity. Don’t justify getting even. Do not do unto others as they do unto you if it will cause harm.
Saving Face
Don’t succumb to the temptation to save face. Don’t lie, cover up, or deceive yourself. Tell the truth about what you have done.
Shirking Responsibility
Don’t shirk responsibility when you have violated the dignity of others. Admit it when you make a mistake, and apologise if you hurt someone.
Seeking False Dignity
Beware of the desire for external recognition in the form of approval and praise. If we depend on others alone for validation of our worth, we are seeking false dignity. Authentic dignity resides within us. Don’t be lured by false dignity.
Seeking False Security
Don’t let your need for connection compromise your dignity. If we remain in a relationship in which our dignity is routinely violated, our desire for connection has outweighed our need to maintain our own dignity. Resist the temptation to settle for false security.
Avoiding Conflict
Stand up for yourself. Don’t avoid confrontation when your dignity is violated. Take action. A violation is a signal that something in a relationship needs to change.
Being the Victim
Don’t assume that you are the innocent victim in a troubled relationship. Open yourself to the idea that you might be contributing to the problem. We need to look at ourselves as others see us.
Resisting Feedback
Don’t resist feedback from others. We often don’t know what we don’t know. We all have blind spots; we all unconsciously behave in undignified ways. We need to overcome our self-protective instincts and accept constructive criticism. Feedback gives us an opportunity to grow.
Blaming and Shaming Others to Deflect Your Own Guilt
Don’t blame and shame others to deflect your own guilt. Control the urge to defend yourself by making others look bad.
Engaging in False Intimacy and Demeaning Gossip
Beware of the tendency to connect by gossiping about others in a demeaning way. Being critical and judgmental about others when they are not present is harmful and undignified. If you want to create intimacy with another, speak the truth about yourself, about what is happening in your inner world, and invite the other person to do the same. | https://parentsvictoria.asn.au/education-issues/relationship-based-education/614-dignity-and-contribution |
In our heads we have an image of an ideal life: our relationships, how we spend our time in work and leisure, what we want to achieve. Even without the noise of external influences, certain goals captivate us, and we design our lives around achieving them because we think they will make us happy. But now we will figure out what drives these ambitions, whether they are likely to make us truly happy, and whether happiness is even the right target.
I have just come out of a class where we discussed the idea of rebirth, Saṃsāra, and now I am strolling through the quiet ashram with a senior monk and a few other students. The ashram has two locations, a temple in Mumbai and the one where I am now, a rural outpost near Palghar. This will eventually be developed into the Govardhan Ecovillage, a beautiful retreat, but for now there are just a few simple, nondescript buildings set in uncultivated land. Dry dirt footpaths divide the grasses. Here and there, monks sit on straw mats, reading or studying. The main building is open to the elements, and inside we can see monks working. As we walk, the senior monk mentions the achievements of some of the monks we pass. He points out one who can meditate for eight hours straight. A few minutes later he gestures to another: “He fasts for seven days in a row.” Further along, he points. “Do you see the man sitting under that tree? He can recite every verse from the scripture.”
Impressed, I say, “I wish I could do that.”
The monk pauses and turns to look at me. He asks, “Do you wish you could do that, or do you wish you could learn to do that?”
“What do you mean?” I know by now that some of my favorite lessons come not in the classroom, but in moments like this.
He says, “Think about your motivations. Do you want to memorize all of the scripture because it’s an impressive achievement, or do you want the experience of having studied it? In the first, all you want is the outcome. In the second, you are curious about what you might learn from the process.”
This was a new concept for me, and it blew my mind. Desiring an outcome had always seemed reasonable to me. The monk was telling me to question why I wanted to do what was necessary to reach that outcome.
THE FOUR MOTIVATIONS
No matter how disorganized we might be, we all have plans. We have an idea of what we have to accomplish in the day ahead; we probably have a sense of what the year holds, or what we hope we’ll accomplish; and we all have dreams for the future. Something motivates every one of these notions—from needing to pay the rent to wanting to travel the world. Hindu philosopher Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes four fundamental motivations.
- Fear. Thakura describes this as being driven by “sickness, poverty, fear of hell or fear of death.”
- Desire. Seeking personal gratification through success, wealth, and pleasure.
- Duty. Motivated by gratitude, responsibility, and the desire to do the right thing.
- Love. Compelled by care for others and the urge to help them.
These four motivations drive everything we do. We make choices, for example, because we’re scared of losing our job, wanting to win the admiration of our friends, hoping to fulfill our parents’ expectations, or wanting to help others live a better life.
I’m going to talk about each motivation individually, so we get a sense of how they shape our choices.
Fear Is Not Sustainable :
In the last chapter we talked about fear, so I’m not going to dwell on it here. When fear motivates you, you pick what you want to achieve—a promotion, a relationship, buying a home—because you believe it will bring you safety and security.
Fear alerts and ignites us. This warning flare is useful—as we discussed, fear points out problems and sometimes motivates us. For instance, the fear of getting fired may motivate you to get organized.
The problem with fear is that it’s not sustainable. When we operate in fear for a long time, we can’t work to the best of our abilities. We are too worried about getting the wrong result. We become frantic or paralyzed and are unable to evaluate our situations objectively or to take risks.
The Maya of Success :
The second motivation is desire. This is when we chase personal gratification. Our path to adventures, pleasures, and comforts often takes the form of material goals. I want a million-dollar home. I want financial freedom. I want an amazing wedding. When I ask people to write down their goals, they often give answers describing what most people think of as success.
We think that success equals happiness, but this idea is an illusion. The Sanskrit word for illusion is maya, which means believing in that which is not. When we let achievements and acquisitions determine our course, we’re living in the illusion that happiness comes from external measures of success, but all too often we find that when we finally get what we want, when we find success, it doesn’t lead to happiness.
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of, so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
The illusion of success is tied not just to income and acquisitions but to achievements like becoming a doctor or getting a promotion or… memorizing the scriptures. My desire in the story above—to be able to recite every verse from the scripture—is the monk’s version of material desire. Like all of these “wants,” my ambition was centered around an external outcome—being as impressively learned as that other monk.
American spiritual luminary Tara Brach, founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC, writes, “As long as we keep attaching our happiness to the external events of our lives, which are ever changing, we’ll always be left waiting for it.”
Once, as a monk, I visited a temple in Srirangam, one of the three major holy cities in South India. I came upon a worker high up on a scaffold applying gold powder to the intricate details on the temple’s ceiling. I’d never seen anything like it, and I stopped to watch. As I gazed upward, a dusting of gold floated down into my eyes. I hurried from the temple to rinse my eyes, then returned, keeping a safe distance this time. This episode felt like a lesson torn from the scriptures: Gold dust is beautiful, but come too close, and it will blur your vision.
The gilt that is used on temples isn’t solid gold—it’s mixed into a solution. And, as we know, it is used to cover up stone, to make it look like solid gold. It’s maya, an illusion. In the same way, money and fame are only a facade. Because our search is never for a thing, but for the feeling we think the thing will give us. We all know this already: We see wealthy and/or famous people who seem to “have it all,” but who have bad relationships or suffer from depression, and it’s obvious that success didn’t bring them happiness. The same is true for those of us who aren’t rich and famous. We quickly tire of our smartphones and want the next model. We receive a bonus, but the initial excitement fades surprisingly fast when our lives don’t really improve. We think that a new phone or a bigger house will make us feel somehow better—cooler or more satisfied—but instead find ourselves wanting more.
Material gratification is external, but happiness is internal. When monks talk about happiness, they tell the story of the musk deer, a tale derived from a poem by Kabir, a fifteenth-century Indian mystic and poet. The musk deer picks up an irresistible scent in the forest and chases it, searching for the source, not realizing that the scent comes from its own pores. It spends its whole life wandering fruitlessly. In the same way we search for happiness, finding it elusive, when it can be found within us.
Happiness and fulfillment come only from mastering the mind and connecting with the soul—not from objects or attainments. Success doesn’t guarantee happiness, and happiness doesn’t require success. They can feed each other, and we can have them at the same time, but they are not intertwined. After analyzing a Gallup survey on well-being, Princeton University researchers officially concluded that money does not buy happiness after basic needs and then some are fulfilled. While having more money contributes to overall life satisfaction, that impact levels off at a salary of around $75,000. In other words, when it comes to the impact of money on how you view the quality of your life, a middle-class American citizen fares about as well as Jeff Bezos.
Success is earning money, being respected in your work, executing projects smoothly, receiving accolades. Happiness is feeling good about yourself, having close relationships, making the world a better place. More than ever, popular culture celebrates the pursuit of success. TV shows aimed at adolescents focus more on image, money, and fame than in the past. Popular songs and books use language promoting individual achievement over community connection, group membership, and self-acceptance. It’s no surprise that happiness rates have consistently declined among Americans adults since the 1970s. And it doesn’t just boil down to income. In an interview with the Washington Post, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development and an editor of World Happiness Report, points out: “While the average income of people around the world definitely affects their sense of well-being, it doesn’t explain all that much, because other factors, both personal and social, are very important determinants of well-being.” Sachs says that while generally American incomes have risen since 2005, our happiness has fallen, in part because of social factors like declining trust in the government and our fellow Americans, and weaker social networks.
Duty and Love :
If fear limits us and success doesn’t satisfy us, then you’ve probably already guessed that duty and love have more to offer. We all have different goals, but we all want the same things: a life full of joy and meaning. Monks don’t seek out the joy part—we aren’t looking for happiness or pleasure. Instead, we focus on the satisfaction that comes from living a meaningful life. Happiness can be elusive—it’s hard to sustain a high level of joy. But to feel meaningshows that our actions have purpose. They lead to a worthwhile outcome. We believe we’re leaving a positive imprint. What we do matters, so we matter. Bad things happen, boring chores must get done, life isn’t all sunshine and unicorns, but it is always possible to find meaning. If you lose a loved one and someone tells you to look for the positive, to be happy, to focus on the good things in your life—well, you might want to punch that person. But we can survive the worst tragedies by looking for meaning in the loss. We might honor a loved one by giving to the community. Or discover a new gratitude for life that we pass on to those who have supported us. Eventually, the value that we see in our actions will lead to a sense of meaning. In the Atharva Veda it says, “Money and mansions are not the only wealth. Hoard the wealth of the spirit. Character is wealth: good conduct is wealth; and spiritual wisdom is wealth.”
Purpose and meaning, not success, lead to true contentment. When we understand this, we see the value of being motivated by duty and/or love. When you act out of duty and love, you know that you are providing value.
The more we upgrade from trying to fulfill our selfish needs to doing things out of service and love, the more we can achieve. In her book The Upside of Stress, author Kelly McGonigal says that we can better handle discomfort when we can associate it with a goal, purpose, or person we care about. For example, when it comes to planning a child’s birthday party, a parent might be more than willing to endure the unpleasantness of staying up late. The pain of lost sleep is offset by the satisfaction of being a loving mother. But when it comes to working late at a job that same woman hates? She is miserable. We can take on more when we’re doing it for someone we love or to serve a purpose we believe in rather than from the misguided idea that we will find happiness through success. When we perform work with the conviction that what we do matters, we can live intensely. Without a reason for moving forward, we have no drive. When we live intentionally—with a clear sense of why what we do matters—life has meaning and brings fulfillment. Intention fills the car with gas.
THE WHY LADDER
Fear, desire, duty, and love are the roots of all intentions. In Sanskrit the word for intention is sankalpa, and I think of it as the reason, formed by one’s own heart and mind, that one strives for a goal. To put it another way, from your root motivation you develop intentions to drive you forward. Your intention is who you plan to be in order to act with purpose and feel that what you do is meaningful. So if I’m motivated by fear, my intention might be to protect my family. If I’m motivated by desire, my intention might be to gain worldwide recognition. If I’m motivated by duty, my intention might be to help my friends no matter how busy I am. If I’m motivated by love, my intention might be to serve where I am most needed.
There are no rules attaching certain intentions to certain motivations. You can also perform service to make a good impression (desire, not love). You can support your family out of love, not fear. You can want to get rich in order to serve. And none of us has just one motivation and one intention. I want us to learn how to make big and small choices intentionally. Instead of forever climbing the mountain of success, we need to descend into the valley of our true selves to weed out false beliefs.
To live intentionally, we must dig to the deepest why behind the want. This requires pausing to think not only about why we want something, but also who we are or need to be to get it, and whether being that person appeals to us.
Most people are accustomed to looking for answers. Monks focus on questions. When I was trying to get close to my fear, I asked myself “What am I afraid of?” over and over again. When I’m trying to get to the root of a desire, I start with the question “Why?”
This monkish approach to intention can be applied to even the worldliest goals. Here’s a sample goal I’ve chosen because it’s something we never would have contemplated in the ashram and because the intention behind it isn’t obvious: I want to sail solo around the world.
Why do you want to sail around the world?
It will be fun. I’ll get to see lots of places and prove to myself that I’m a great sailor.
It sounds like your intention is to gratify yourself, and that you are motivated by desire.
But, what if your answer to the question is:
It was always my father’s dream to sail around the world. I’m doing it for him.
In this case, your intention is to honor your father, and you are motivated by duty and love.
I’m sailing around the world so I can be free. I won’t be accountable to anyone. I can leave all my responsibilities behind.
This sailor intends to escape—he is driven by fear.
Now let’s look at a more common want:
My biggest want is money, and here’s Jay, probably about to tell me to become kind and compassionate. That’s not going to help.
Wanting to be rich for the sake of being rich is fine. It’s firmly in the category of material gratification, so you can’t expect it to give an internal sense of fulfillment. Nonetheless, material comforts are undeniably part of what we want from life, so let’s get to the root of this goal rather than just dismissing it.
Wealth is your desired outcome. Why?
I don’t ever want to have to worry about money again.
Why do you worry about money?
I can’t afford to take the vacations I dream about.
Why do you want those vacations?
I see everyone else on exotic trips on social media. Why should they get to do that when I can’t?
Why do you want what they want?
They’re having much more fun than I have on my weekends.
Aha! So now we are at the root of the want. Your weekends are unfulfilling. What’s missing?
I want my life to be more exciting, more adventurous, more exhilarating.
Okay, your intention is to make your life more exciting. Notice how different that is from “I want money.” Your intention is still driven by the desire for personal gratification, but now you know two things: First, you can add more adventure to your life right now without spending more money. And second, you now have the clarity to decide if that’s something you want to work hard for.
If a person went up to my teacher and said, “I just want to be rich,” my teacher would ask, “Are you doing it out of service?” His reason for asking would be to get to the root of the desire.
If the man said, “No, I want to live in a nice house, travel, and buy whatever I want.” His intention would be to have the financial freedom to indulge himself.
My teacher would say, “Okay, it’s good that you’re honest with yourself. Go ahead, make your fortune. You’ll come to service anyway. It may take you five or ten years, but you’ll get to the same answer.” Monks believe that the man won’t be fulfilled when he finds his fortune, and that if he continues his search for meaning, the answer will always, eventually, be found in service.
Be honest about what your intention is. The worst thing you can do is pretend to yourself that you’re acting out of service when all you want is material success.
When you follow the whys, keep digging. Every answer provokes deeper questions. Sometimes it helps to sit with a question in the back of your mind for a day, even a week. Very often you’ll find that what you are ultimately searching for is an internal feeling (happiness, security, confidence, etc.). Or maybe you’ll find that you’re acting out of envy, not the most positive emotion, but a good alert to the need you are trying to fill. Be curious about that discovery. Why are you envious? Is there something—like adventure—that you can start working on right away? Once you’re doing that, the external wants will be more available to you—if they still matter at all.
SEEDS AND WEEDS
As monks, we learned to clarify our intentions through the analogy of seeds and weeds. When you plant a seed, it can grow into an expansive tree that provides fruit and shelter for everyone. That’s what a broad intention, like love, compassion, or service, can do. The purity of your intention has nothing to do with what career you choose. A traffic officer can give a speeding ticket making a show of his power, or he can instruct you not to speed with the same compassion a parent would have when telling a child not to play with fire. You can be a bank teller and execute a simple transaction with warmth. But if our intentions are vengeful or self-motivated, we grow weeds. Weeds usually grow from ego, greed, envy, anger, pride, competition, or stress. These might look like normal plants to begin with, but they will never grow into something wonderful.
If you start going to the gym to build a revenge body so your ex regrets breaking up with you, you’re planting a weed. You haven’t properly addressed what you want (most likely to feel understood and loved, which would clearly require a different approach). You’ll get strong, and reap the health benefits of working out, but the stakes of your success are tied to external factors—provoking your ex. If your ex doesn’t notice or care, you’ll still feel the same frustration and loneliness. However, if you start going to the gym because you want to feel physically strong after your breakup, or if, in the course of working out, your intention shifts to this, you’ll get in shape and feel emotionally satisfied.
Another example of a weed is when a good intention gets attached to the wrong goal. Say my intention is to build my confidence, and I decide that getting a promotion is the best way to do it. I work hard, impress my boss, and move up a level, but when I get there, I realize there’s another level, and I still feel insecure. External goals cannot fill internal voids. No external labels or accomplishments can give me true confidence. I have to find it in myself. We will talk about how to make internal changes like this in Part Two.
THE GOOD SAMARITANS
Monks know that one can’t plant a garden of beautiful flowers and leave it to thrive on its own. We have to be gardeners of our own lives, planting only the seeds of good intentions, watching to see what they become, and removing the weeds that spring up and get in the way.
In a 1973 experiment called “From Jerusalem to Jericho,” researchers asked seminary students to prepare short talks about what it meant to be a minister. Some of them were given the parable of the Good Samaritan to help them prep. In this parable, Jesus told of a traveler who stopped to help a man in need when nobody else would. Then some excuse was made for them to switch to a different room. On their way to the new room, an actor, looking like he needed help, leaned in a doorway. Whether a student had been given materials about the Good Samaritan made no difference in whether the student stopped to help. The researchers did find that if students were in a hurry they were much less likely to help, and “on several occasions, a seminary student going to give his talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan literally stepped over the victim as he hurried on his way!”
The students were so focused on the task at hand that they forgot their deeper intentions. They were presumably studying at seminary with the intention to be compassionate and helpful, but in that moment anxiety or the desire to deliver an impressive speech interfered. As Benedictine monk Laurence Freeman said in his book Aspects of Love, “Everything you do in the day from washing to eating breakfast, having meetings, driving to work… watching television or deciding instead to read… everything you do is your spiritual life. It is only a matter of how consciously you do these ordinary things…”
LIVE YOUR INTENTIONS
Of course, simply having intentions isn’t enough. We have to take action to help those seeds grow. I don’t believe in wishful “manifesting,” the idea that if you simply believe something will happen, it will. We can’t sit around with true intentions expecting that what we want will fall into our laps. Nor can we expect someone to find us, discover how amazing we are, and hand us our place in the world. Nobody is going to create our lives for us. Martin Luther King Jr., said, “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” When people come to me seeking guidance, I constantly hear, “I wish… I wish… I wish…” I wish my partner would be more attentive. I wish I could have the same job but make more money. I wish my relationship were more serious.
We never say, “I wish I could be more organized and focused and could do the hard work to get that.” We don’t vocalize what it would actually take to get what we want. “I wish” is code for “I don’t want to do anything differently.”
There’s an apocryphal story about Picasso that perfectly illustrates how we fail to recognize the work and perseverance behind achievement. As the tale goes, a woman sees Picasso in a market. She goes up to him and says, “Would you mind drawing something for me?”
“Sure,” he says, and thirty seconds later hands her a remarkably beautiful little sketch. “That will be thirty thousand dollars,” he says.
“But Mr. Picasso,” the woman says, “how can you charge me so much? This drawing only took you thirty seconds!”
“Madame,” says Picasso, “it took me thirty years.”
The same is true of any artistic work—or, indeed, any job that’s done well. The effort behind it is invisible. The monk in my ashram who could easily recite all the scriptures put years into memorizing them. I needed to consider that investment, the life it required, before making it my goal.
When asked who we are, we resort to stating what we do: “I’m an accountant.” “I’m a lawyer.” “I’m a housewife/househusband.” “I’m an athlete.” “I’m a teacher.” Sometimes this is just a useful way to jump-start a conversation with someone you’ve just met. But life is more meaningful when we define ourselves by our intentions rather than our achievements. If you truly define yourself by your job, then what happens when you lose your job? If you define yourself as an athlete, then an injury ends your career, you don’t know who you are. Losing a job shouldn’t destroy our identities, but often it does. Instead, if we live intentionally, we sustain a sense of purpose and meaning that isn’t tied to what we accomplish but who we are.
If your intention is to help people, you have to embody that intention by being kind, openhearted, and innovative, by recognizing people’s strengths, supporting their weaknesses, listening, helping them grow, reading what they need from you, and noticing when it changes. If your intention is to support your family, you might decide that you have to be generous, present, hardworking, and organized. If your intention is to live your passion, maybe you have to be committed, energetic, and truthful. (Note that in Chapter One we cleared out external noise so that we could see our values more clearly. When you identify your intentions, they reveal your values. The intentions to help people and to serve mean you value service. The intention to support your family means you value family. It’s not rocket science, but these terms get thrown around and used interchangeably, so it helps to know how they connect and overlap.)
Living your intention means having it permeate your behavior. For instance, if your goal is to improve your relationship, you might plan dates, give your partner gifts, and get a haircut to look better for them. Your wallet will be thinner, your hair might look better, and your relationship may or may not improve. But watch what happens if you make internal changes to live your intention. In order to improve your relationship, you try to become calmer, more understanding, and more inquisitive. (You can still go to the gym and get a haircut.) If the changes you make are internal, you’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll be a better person. If your relationship doesn’t improve, you’ll still be the better for it.
DO THE WORK
Once you know the why behind the want, consider the work behind the want. What will it take to get the nice house and the fancy car? Are you interested in that work? Are you willing to do it? Will the work itself bring you a sense of fulfillment even if you don’t succeed quickly—or ever? The monk who asked me why I wanted to learn all of the scripture by heart didn’t want me to be mesmerized by the superpowers of other monks and to seek those powers out of vanity. He wanted to know if I was interested in the work—in the life I would live, the person I would be, the meaning I would find in the process of learning the scriptures. The focus is on the process, not the outcome.
The Desert Fathers were the earliest Christian monks, living in hermitage in the deserts of the Middle East. According to these monks, “We do not make progress because we do not realize how much we can do. We lose interest in the work we have begun, and we want to be good without even trying.” If you don’t care deeply, you can’t go all in on the process. You’re not doing it for the right reasons. You can reach your goals, get everything you ever wanted, be successful by anyone’s terms, only to discover you still feel lost and disconnected. But if you’re in love with the day-to-day process, then you do it with depth, authenticity, and a desire to make an impact. You might be equally successful either way, but if you’re driven by intention, you will feel joy.
And if you have a clear and confident sense of why you took each step, then you are more resilient. Failure doesn’t mean you’re worthless—it means you must look for another route to achieving worthwhile goals. Satisfaction comes from believing in the value of what you do.
ROLE MODELS
The best way to research the work required to fulfill your intention is to look for role models. If you want to be rich, study (without stalking!) what the rich people you admire are being and doing, read books about how they got where they are. Focus especially on what they did at your stage, in order to get where they are now.
You can tour an entrepreneur’s office or visit an expat’s avocado ranch and decide it’s what you want, but that doesn’t tell you anything about the journey to get there. Being an actor isn’t about appearing on screen and in magazines. It’s about having the patience and creativity to perform a scene sixty times until the director has what she wants. Being a monk isn’t admiring someone who sits in meditation. It’s waking up at the same time as the monk, living his lifestyle, emulating the qualities he displays. Shadow someone at work for a week and you’ll gain some sense of the challenges they face, and whether those are challenges you want to take on.
In your observations of people doing the work, it’s worth remembering that there can be multiple paths to achieve the same intention. For example, two people might have helping the earth as an intention. One could do it through the law, working with the nonprofit Earthjustice; the other could do it through fashion, like Stella McCartney, who has helped popularize vegan leather. In the next chapter we’ll talk about tapping into the method and pursuit that fits you best, but this example shows that if you lead with intention, then you open up the options for how to reach your goal.
And, as we saw with the example of sailing around the globe, two identical acts can have very different intentions behind them. Let’s say two people give generous donations to the same charity. One does it because she cares deeply about the charity, a broad intention, and the other does it because he wants to network, a narrow intention. Both donors are commended for their gifts. The one who truly wanted to make a difference feels happy and proud and a sense of meaning. The one who wanted to network only cares whether he met anyone useful to his career or social status. Their different intentions make no difference to the charity—the gifts do good in the world either way—but the internal reward is completely different.
It should be said that no intentions are completely pure. My charitable acts might be 88 percent intended to help people and 8 percent to feel good about myself and 4 percent to have fun with my other charitable friends. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with cloudy or multifaceted intentions. We just need to remember that the less pure they are, the less likely they are to make us happy, even if they make us successful. When people gain what they want but aren’t happy at all, it’s because they did it with the wrong intention.
LETTING GO TO GROW
The broadest intentions often drive efforts to help and support other people. Parents working overtime to put food on the table for their families. Volunteers devoting themselves to a cause. Workers who are motivated to serve their customers. We sense these intentions from the people we encounter, whether it’s the hairdresser who really wants to find a style that suits you or the doctor who takes the time to ask about your life. Generous intentions radiate from people, and it’s a beautiful thing. Time and again we see that if we’re doing it for the external result, we won’t be happy. With the right intention, to serve, we can feel meaning and purpose every day.
Living intentionally means stepping back from external goals, letting go of outward definitions of success, and looking within. Developing a meditation practice with breathwork is a natural way to support this intention. As you cleanse yourself of opinions and ideas that don’t make sense with who you are and what you want, I recommend using breathwork as a reminder to live at your own pace, in your own time. Breathwork helps you understand that your way is unique—and that’s as it should be.
MEDITATIONBREATHE
The physical nature of breathwork helps drive distractions from your head. Breathwork is calming, but it isn’t always easy. In fact, the challenges it brings are part of the process.
I’m sitting on a floor of dried cow dung, which is surprisingly cool. It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s not comfortable. My ankles hurt. I can’t keep my back straight. God, I hate this, it’s so difficult. It’s been twenty minutes and I still haven’t cleared my mind. I’m supposed to be bringing awareness to my breath, but I’m thinking about friends back in London. I sneak a peek at the monk closest to me. He’s sitting up so straight. He’s nailing this meditation thing. “Find your breath,” the leader is saying. I take a breath. It’s slow, beautiful, calm.
- Oh, wait. Oh okay. I’m becoming aware of my breath.
- Breathing in… breathing out…
- Oh I’m there…
- Okay, this is cool…
- This is interesting…
- Okay.
- This…
- Works…
- Wait, I’ve an itch on my back—
- Breathing in… breathing out.
- Calm.
My first trip to the ashram was two weeks long, and I spent it meditating with Gauranga Das every morning for two hours. Sitting for that long, often much longer, is uncomfortable and tiring and sometimes boring. What’s worse, unwanted thoughts and feelings started drifting into my head. I worried that I wasn’t sitting properly and that the monks would judge me. In my frustration, my ego spoke up: I wanted to be the best meditator, the smartest person at the ashram, the one who made an impact. These weren’t monk-like thoughts. Meditation definitely wasn’t working the way I had thought it would. It was turning me into a bad person!
I was shocked and, to be frank, disappointed to see all the unresolved negativity inside myself. Meditation was only showing me ego, anger, lust, pain—things I didn’t like about myself. Was this a problem… or was it the point?
I asked my teachers if I was doing something wrong. One of them told me that every year the monks meticulously cleaned the Gundicha Temple in Puri, checking every corner, and that when they did it, they visualized cleaning their hearts. He said that by the time they finished, the temple was already getting dirty again. That, he explained, is the feeling of meditation. It was work, and it was never done.
Meditation wasn’t making me a bad person. I had to face an equally unappealing reality. In all that stillness and quiet, it was amplifying what was already inside me. In the dark room of my mind, meditation had turned on the lights.
In getting you where you want to be, meditation may show you what you don’t want to see.
Many people run from meditation because they find it difficult and unpleasant. In the Dhammapada the Buddha says, “As a fish hooked and left on the sand thrashes about in agony, the mind being trained in meditation trembles all over.” But the point of meditation is to examine what makes it challenging. There is more to it than closing your eyes for fifteen minutes a day. It is the practice of giving yourself space to reflect and evaluate.
By now I’ve had many beautiful meditations. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, and my heart has felt more alive than I knew possible. The calming, floating, quiet bliss comes eventually. Ultimately, the process is as joyous as the results.
BREATHWORK FOR THE BODY AND MIND
As you’ve probably noticed, your breathing changes with your emotions. We hold our breath when we’re concentrating, and we take shallow breaths when we’re nervous or anxious. But these responses are instinctive rather than helpful, meaning that to hold your breath doesn’t really help your concentration, and shallow breathing actually makes the symptoms of anxiety worse. Controlled breathing, on the other hand, is an immediate way to steady yourself, a portable tool you can use to shift your energy on the fly.
For millennia, yogis have practiced breathing techniques (called prānāyāma) to do things like stimulate healing, raise energy, and focus on the present moment. The Rig Veda describes breath as the path beyond the self to consciousness. It states that breath is “the life, like one’s own son,” or as Abbot George Burke (also known as Swami Nirmalananda Giri) describes it, “the extension of our inmost life.” In the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, the Buddha described ānāpānasati (which roughly translated means “mindfulness of breathing”) as a way to gain enlightenment. Modern science backs up the effectiveness of prānāyāma for myriad effects including improving cardiovascular health, lowering overall stress, and even improving academic test performance. The meditations I present here and elsewhere in the book are universally used in therapy, coaching, and other meditation practices throughout the world.
When you align with your breath, you learn to align with yourself through every emotion—calming, centering, and de-stressing yourself.
Once or twice a day, I suggest setting aside time for breathwork. Additionally, breathwork is such an effective way to calm yourself down that I use it, and suggest others use it, at points throughout the day when you feel short of breath or that you’re holding your breath. You don’t need to be in a relaxing space in order to meditate (though it is obviously helpful and appropriate when you are new to meditation). You can do it anywhere—in the bathroom at a party, when getting on a plane, or right before you make a presentation or meet with strangers.
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Research in Neuroscience and the application of Compassion Focused Therapies have provided us with the information that the practice of Mindful Self-Compassion and Compassion for others has far-reaching effects on one’s physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health. In her book, “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself,” Kristen Neff details how self -kindness, mindfulness and a sense of common humanity, can replace the negative and diminishing self-criticism and self-judgment that so many engage in. Compassion therapies help to minimize destructive patterns of fear, anxiety, self-criticism and isolation, which if left untreated, can often lead to such at-risk behaviors as the experimentation, use and abuse of alcohol/drugs, eating disorders, suicidal ideation etc. Mindful Self-Compassion practice has been shown to aid in managing stress and trauma as well as the grieving processes which so many experience in their lives. In addition to exploring the principles of Self-Compassion, this course will focus on how and why developing Self- Compassion can assist many populations, including and not limited to Adolescents, Substance Abuse/Mental Health/Behavioral Disorders, Service Providers in the Caring Professions. Mindful Self-Compassion training can positively enhance and work hand in hand with whatever clinical modalities and approaches we currently employ in our care and treatment of our clients. In addition to helping our clients, we also promote our own physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being. Personally and professionally, we bring benefit to our own lives, as we mindfully enhance our own intentions, motivations, willingness and desire to enhance the lives of those we serve. | https://alcoholstudies.rutgers.edu/event/connection-through-self-compassion-and-compassion-for-others-reaching-and-teaching-the-minds-and-hearts-of-those-we-serve/ |
There’s something to be said for humility. Humility makes us approachable, coachable, and adaptable. It tends to focus outward more than inward. Humility says, “I am one drop in a large ocean. I am a work in progress.”
But there’s something to be said for recognizing the positive impact you make on the world around you, too.
I battle impostor syndrome, but I’m also motivated to “leave the campsite better than I found it.” I thrive on helping others, spreading kindness, and being a beacon of light (however small). When I don’t feel like my light is very bright, I reflect the light of others. Especially to those who can’t seem to see or feel their own warmth.
Several years ago, I started keeping notes from others as a way to index my positive effect. I kept a physical file called “Folder of Awesome” in which I’d place thank you cards, emails, etc. That evolved to also include keeping a list of wins and milestones, even if they seemed insignificant at the time. I do this to combat the effects of impostor syndrome—a way to validate, with proof, everything I have accomplished in line with my personal goals (see the campsite quote).
But this catalog of awesome also helps me get through rough patches, dark days, and times when I allow someone else to dim my light. (We all have moments when others cause us to question our worth, despite our best efforts.) Another unexpected by-product of this is an easy way to look back on positive highlights for writing bios, presentation introductions, and job interviews. The most meaningful way to convey the impact we make is through sharing our stories.
It’s easy to forget just how much light we put out into the world—how life-changing it can be. That person you wrote a letter of recommendation for—and they got the job! That student you inspired because you spoke in a class once. The words of encouragement that took you seconds to deliver but made a lasting impact. The mentee you took under your wing at work who is now blazing his or her own path. The kindness you showed when someone needed it most even though you had no idea at the time how alone he or she felt. Volunteering. Investing time. Investing resources. Investing yourself. Leaving the campsite better than you found it.
Sometimes, we do these things because we genuinely care. Sometimes, we do them because we feel fortunate and want to extend grace and mirth. And sometimes, we do them because we know what it feels like to be down or lost—and we don’t want others to experience what we have.
Whatever your motivations, you are light. You are love. And while you’re out there, spreading kindness like confetti, make sure you show yourself a little of kindness, too. Take a moment to celebrate YOU and all that you’ve accomplished.
If this feels like bragging, stop right there. It isn’t bragging if you’re keeping a catalog of your own awesomeness for yourself. But you also deserve to toot your horn every once in a while. To look back on the love you’ve shared, the community you’ve fostered. Sometimes, looking back helps propel us forward.
You aren’t an impostor. You are magic. And don’t you forget it. | https://pensivepilcrow.com/category/commentary/ |
"My mind, body, and spirit are the embodiment of good health. I accept myself as I am. I accept others as they are. I enter each situation with loving kindness, compassion & an open heart. My actions align with my values. I am whole. I am happy."
1. Energy of the new month.
What will this month focus be on?
2. Something to leave behind.
What habits, thoughts, assumptions should be left behind?
3. Something to bring forward.
What habits, thoughts, assumption should be brought forward into the new month
4. Something to be mindful of.
What will be the biggest obstacle, challenge or lesson I will have to face this coming month? What must I overcome?
5. Spiritual
What is my spiritual state for the upcoming month? What lessons do I need to learn to move forward on my spiritual journey? Advice or messages from guides or higher self.
6. Love
How would you describe this relationship? What are the characteristics of it?
7. Health
How is my physical / mental health? Advice, activities patterns that I need to be aware of.
8. Material state
About my material challenges or strengths. Where will I find my abundance?
New Month. New Energy. New Focus. New Intentions!
Setting Intentions allows you to feel centered and balanced no matter what’s happening around you. Instead of going through the motions, it gives your days purpose and gets you closer to who and where you want to be.
The power of positive thinking combined with setting intentions helps you break through mental blocks to create a reality you love. Intentions provide a framework for you to set priorities, use your time wisely, and align yourself with the resources you need to manifest your goals. The process of setting and working towards your intentions declares to yourself, others, and the universe that you are serious about your dreams and goals.
Reflect:
At the end of each month, sit down in a quiet place and reflect on what you want to embody for the next month. Start by clearing your mind and think of what you truly desire out of life.
What’s the most important to you? What values do you want to embody? What decisions will get you closer to where you want to be? How do you want to feel? What will you bring you long-term fulfillment and joy?
Make them meaningful and personal so you are motivated to carry them through.
Make a list:
Writing down your intentions will help make them more tangible and puts them out in the universe to help them come to life.
Choose a number of intentions that is doable for you.
Focus on the good as much as you can. Instead of setting an intention like “stress less” change it into “be calm, relax and trust that everything will work out.”
*If you are stuck for some ideas, check out the list below for a few intention ideas to get you started: | http://crafthomeandgardenideas.com/tarot_spreads/new_month_tarot_spread |
You are browsing the archive for BGREI.
ASHA believes that Indian Agriculture can be revived and farm livelihoods improved if the government guarantees income security for all rural households, ensures environmental sustainability in our farming, protects and upholds the rights of farming communities over productive resources like Land and Seed and guarantees adequate, safe, nutritious and diverse food for all Indians. Towards that end, a Kisan Swaraj Neeti, including detailed proposals have been already submitted to the Government (available also at http://www.kisanswaraj.in/2011/12/13/kisan-swaraj-neeti/).
We believe that the Government of India is not doing enough to address the root causes for the agrarian distress and farm suicides in terms of addressing the issue of adverse markets for farmers’ produce, increasing costs of cultivation with technologies that are also degrading/depleting productive resources and covering risks for farmers in case of natural calamities especially in the era of climate change, with the majority of Indian farmers being rainfed smallholders. In this background, we are deeply disappointed with the Government of India’s budget proposals for 2012-13. The budget does not offer much hope and support to millions of our farmers.
We are deeply dismayed to see that the allocation to Agriculture and allied sectors as a percentage of the total GoI allocations is decreasing in the country. Where the share of spending was 1.55% in 2010-11, it is now 1.38%, though it reflects a marginal increase from last year and a small increase in absolute terms. Given that a majority of Indians live off farming and that Indian agriculture is in a deep crisis, with a fresh spate of farm suicides rocking the country even now, it is unfortunate that the proportion of the budget to agriculture and allied sectors is in fact coming down, while we in ASHA believe that it should be at least 20%. This is the only way by which the rural economy can be revived and our MDGs can be met.
It is unfortunate that some token allocations have been made to several new initiatives without a 12th Plan document in place and it is apparent that our planners and policy-makers have failed on this front.
ASHA believes that any increase in allocation for BGREI (“Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India”) will be counter-productive in the medium and long term especially, if such a Green Revolution is not expressly shaped to create debt-free, poison-free, ecological farming in Eastern India. Increasing the dependence of poor adivasi, women and smallholder farmers in the eastern states of India on external seed inputs and chemicals in addition to a focus on rice and wheat alone as in the earlier Green Revolution only spells disaster in future. A recently concluded Farmers’ Jury on the future of agricultural development and improvement of farm livelihoods in the region expressly had farmers ask for a Debt-Free, Poison-Free, Self-reliant, integrated and empowering agriculture to be strengthened in eastern India (more details at www.kisanswaraj.in). We ask for such funds to be utilized for integrated ecological farming to be set up on a large scale in addition to improving seed self-reliance even as productivity is increased.
A quick analysis of the past few years shows that expenditure has been below budget outlays as revised estimates have shown and therefore, any increase in budget outlays per se do not give us hope.
ASHA is disappointed that the government did not make express allocations for increasing budgets under ecological farming, while it welcomes the allocations for the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana under the Ministry of Rural Development’s Aajeevika programme (National Rural Livelihoods Mission). We hope that these proposals will be shaped to look at agriculture as a livelihoods issue and not just as functions of production and yield.
Increased outlays for agriculture credit are by themselves not going to be benefit farmers since it has been observed that more and more, even industry gets to benefit in the name of agriculture credit, while the burden of any credit on farmers is very real unless net returns improve and debt repayment capacity exists.
While it is unclear at this stage what the “Integrated Scheme for Farmers’ Income Security” is, which has received a token allocation of one crore rupees, ASHA has been asking for a Farmers’ Income Guarantee Act, with Farm Income as an accurate measure for the state of farm livelihoods in the country and to ensure that only yields and production do not become the measure of agriculture growth in the country at the expense of farmers’ indebtedness and negative net returns. If this Integrated Scheme can be developed along the many proposals that ASHA had put forward, we welcome this new initiative. We have also asked for a Price Compensation mechanism to be put in place since we believe that adverse markets are one of the root causes for the current crisis in farming.
Connected to the above are missing parameters in Agriculture Census (which has lesser allocation than last year of around 1.88 crores) where we believe that Income should be an important measure to understand the State of Indian Agriculture. This should be part of the Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers also.
When it comes to Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, while the increased outlays are welcome, it has to be seen where the funds actually get spent. In the past, we found that out of all the projects sanctioned under RKVY only 2.7% is for Organic Farming and when it comes to the outlays, only 2% is meant for organic farming. On the other hand, more than 200 crores of rupees were spent under RKVY to procure proprietary seed from corporations like Monsanto and others to be distributed amongst farmers, creating ready and expanded markets for such corporations. In RKVY, district level planning should be done effectively which we feel is missing now. Ecological agriculture, farmers’ collectives including for value addition and marketing should be invested upon.
The National Mission on Seeds and Planting Materials should be geared towards making farming communities self-reliant when it comes to seeds and planting material and invest heavily on building capacities of farmers to revive diversity, to take up participatory plant breeding and to ensure that seed banks are set up in all villages. In the past, funds were spent for creation of seed processing plants in the private sector. It is unclear why public sector agencies cannot be invested upon, and whether these private corporations are giving back a share of their profits to the government or farming communities after taking public funds for their own development.
It is unfortunate that the outlays for development of oilseeds have been reduced in this budget, while there is a dire need for India to become self-reliant on this front.
We do not believe that increasing the budgets for agri-research will pay off by itself, unless such research is geared towards farmers’ real needs on the ground, does not promote hazardous technologies, and does not assess all technologies against a sustainability framework and risk/vulnerability analysis framework. However, such outlays offer a little hope of Indian public sector institutions coming out of the clutches of research funded by private corporations for their own profits. We are concerned that Climate Change will be made into the latest justification for bringing in unproven transgenic technology, while the need of the hour is to promote resilient farming by reviving mixed cropping systems that adopt agro-ecological approaches and by improving agri-insurance.
Crop insurance outlays of 1136 crores is very inadequate for ensuring that farmers do not suffer setback due to various calamities; in fact, this is lower than the Rs. 1419 crores released for settlement of claims in 2011-12. 1180 crores of rupees was the outlay in 2011-12 and this year’s budget for this head is actually lower! ASHA in fact believes that the government should insure all crops of all cultivators in this country by paying up the premium on behalf of the farmers.
Construction of Rural Godowns: 60.94 crores actual in 2009-2010, around 60 crores in 2010-11 and a budget of 150 crores in 2011-12. An increase to 636 crores this budget year is a welcome measure.
We are disappointed that the Village Grain Banks scheme got an outlay of only Rs. 8 crores in 2012-13 and believe that this should be strengthened further. In 2009-10, 17.33 crores has been spent on this scheme and there was a decrease in subsequent years!
We want and ask for Debt-Free, Poison-Free, Integrated, Self-Reliant, Empowering Agriculture.
We dream of building a Naya Aasmaan (a New Sky), Nayee Dharti (New Earth) and Nayaa Bhaarat (New India). The new Revolution should achieve these, keeping Adivasi, Women, Smallholder, Ecological Farmers at the Centre. This new Revolution should focus not just on the current generation but on future generations too. (This means an immediate attention to restoration of life in our soils). “Surakshit Khaadyann Suraksha” should be the focus of any intervention. The thrust should be on decentralized, participatory planning process – with any appropriate unit (Panchayat or a cluster of villages) that will be manageable. People should be part of such planning and implementation.
For any intervention that is being proposed and taken up in our Agriculture, these should be the express objective. We do not want any Punjab in our states, where there might be an initial phase of growth but will soon end in health, environmental and economic disaster. We do not seek any such wealth from the government. We reject any Green Revolution that rests on hybrid and other seeds, along with chemicals in our farming. This will only increase our costs, affect our health adversely, contaminate all our resources and push us into indebtedness. We seek Seed Independence, with access to and availability of diverse kinds of seeds. We believe that this focus on Rice and Wheat is inappropriate and adequate attention has to be paid to other crops like millets, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables etc. Only then can there be true food security.
The government should not take up any Green Revolution in Eastern India unless there is a comprehensive evaluation, including through Kisan Panchayats organized for the purpose, to assess the benefits and harmful impacts of the earlier Green Revolution, including assessing who has benefited ultimately. We want this assessment to evaluate very clearly what is the connection between Green Revolution (and its technologies) and the current indebtedness and suicides of farmers in India. We want the assessment around food security claims, promises and achievements to be made before proceeding further. Past mistakes from the earlier GR should not be repeated.
We also believe that unless a comprehensive review of all agriculture-related policies is taken up, projects like this BGREI will not support farmers in any real manner. This should include the technology approaches, food security policy, land/seed/water policies, credit policy, marketing policy, insurance policy, fertilizer policy, agri-input price regulation policy, disaster relief codes, social security etc.. Unless policy level failures are addressed, we don’t believe that farmers will find any real progress in the country since right now, most of these policies are in favour of industry and stacked against the farmers, especially smallholder, adivasi, women and ecological farmers. Agricultural operations to be treated as skilled labour work and not as unskilled work. All pricing and other policies should be based on such a change.
WE ALSO ASK THE GOVERNMENT TO CONVINCE US WHY THERE IS A NEED TO INCREASE PRODUCTION TO ADDRESS FOOD SECURITY NEEDS WHEN EVEN AFTER RECORD PRODUCTION, MILLIONS CONTINUE TO REMAIN HUNGRY.
Agricultural land should not be acquired and diverted for non-agricultural use. Where there is fertile and productive agricultural land, polluting industry should not be allowed. This is because of the diversion of productive resources to such industry and because such industry leaves its polluting effects on large areas.
Regularise and ensure land titles for all cultivators.
NREGA should be utilized for making bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides.
We need to create awareness on negative impacts of chemical pesticides and aggressive promotion of alternatives to chemical pesticides and intense awareness building to shift farmers to alternatives.
Provide a free communication system between organic farmers so that communication can be possible.
We need promotion of such farming through various media.
We need to take resource persons who have come to the Jury to present various alternatives (traditional seed varieties, SRI, CMSA, integrated farming etc.) to the grassroots.
Promote conservation of traditional seed varieties and focus on crops other than Rice and Wheat. There should be more and adequate focus on pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and millets.
We need seed banks to be set up in all villages, controlled and managed by women’s SHGs. We believe that the existing institutional mechanisms available within the government should be utilized for this purpose. These seed banks would facilitate agro-diversity based ecological farming in all our fields.
We reject hybrid seeds since they require more inputs to perform and since we would lose control over our seed.
Three of us, who have heard about GM seeds, we are rejecting these seeds in our agriculture.
Saving ourselves from chemical fertilizers is very important.
We want fertilizer subsidy to be phased out in a time-bound fashion. It should be diverted for investments for expanding organic farming.
Local livestock breeds should be promoted to expand integrated farming and should also be supported with insurance coverage. Some provision for improving cowsheds, especially for the flooring, so that better use of cow urine/dung can be made in organic farming is important.
Livestock should be promoted so that income and livelihood sources for all rural households are diversified, so that inputs for farming are available without much cost and environmental damage is caused in their use and by improving the livelihoods, land alienation may be prevented.
We see all around us that tenant and sharecropper farmers do not receive any support and facilities from the government. We ask the government to identify all such cultivators and extend various kinds of support systems, including ensuring that compensation in case of disasters and other failures accrues to them (and not the landlord in whose name the land is).
We believe that our vision for self-reliant farming would mean that there would be no need to agricultural credit for crop loans for cultivators. However, while the transition happens, we realize that there is an interim period when such support is needed.
When it comes to agricultural credit, cultivators should get simple interest loans (and not compound interest as is the case now), that too for long term (we foresee the need for such loans in case someone wants to acquire livestock etc.). As an interim measure such loans should be interest-free. All MFIs and money-lenders should be controlled and regulated if they do not adhere to this new credit policy too.
Every village has to be seen as a Unit and human-driven small machinery suitable for smallholdings should be promoted.
All crops should be insured under crop insurance. This should include millets and vegetables. This should include tenant farmers; government should insure all crops. Taluka as a unit is not appropriate in all situations. Therefore, any loss at any magnitude should be compensated. Insurance should cover wild beast problems also.
Protective Irrigation should be ensured for all cultivated land in this country. While arranging for such protective irrigation, care should be taken that no negative fallouts emerge from it. Old irrigation systems should be revived with systematic efforts and investments and we are against big dams.
Groundwater exploitation by corporations should be stopped. Groundwater exploitation should be regulated. NREGA should be used to take care of rainwater harvesting.
Benefits from subsidies in agriculture should accrue directly to farmers – meaning, that in the name of subsidizing farmers, other entities should not draw benefits. These should not be diverted to companies, traders and contractors.
Market prices offered to farmers, including MSPs, do not cover even costs of cultivation. All crops are to be supported with procurement. The government should ensure fair and remunerative prices for farmers.
Haat bazaars should be improved with all facilities including short-term storage. We need cash payment against the stock kept in such storage.
Investments should be made on storage facilities for produce at the village level.
We need support to market our organic produce (this is especially so since the chemical and contaminated produce is made to look attractive to consumers).
We call upon all farmers in the country and this region to collectivise themselves so that all anti-farmer policies/programmes/laws may be resisted effectively. Such unions should ensure that there is greater awareness of various happenings and developments amongst farmers so that they may act in time.
Collective farming should be emphasized and promoted.
Adequate recognition to women farmers must be accorded. All support systems should be extended to them and investments should be made to bring them together and build their capacities where required.
No tree felling should be allowed anywhere in the country unless it is needed. For each tree cut, there should be two trees planted and reared. Any tree planting in farmers’ lands, including roadside planting, should be entrusted to farmers and rights should remain with the farmer. All kinds of species like fruit, neem etc., should be planted here.
Adequate investments should be made on re-building capacities of farmers to take up ecological farming on a large scale.
Any village that does not have basic infrastructure like drinking water, electricity, road access etc., should be provided the same.
Appropriate infrastructure (roads, transportation support etc.) for harvested materials to be brought to the market. We need a Kisan Bhawan in each block.
Pension, Life Insurance, Medical insurance, maternity benefits etc. – Constitutional Right – at least legal right.
Our diversity-based traditional agriculture, our traditional knowledge and insurance might save us to some extent.
Kaushalya Devi (38 years), SHG leader, President of District Dairy Board, from Dhanwe Purana village, Sonaraithadi block, Deogarh district of Jharkhand. Owns 2 acres of land and has studied uptil Matric. In one part of her land, does only organic cultivation. Grows paddy, wheat, maize, pulses, mustard, vegetables etc., in addition to livestock rearing (2 cows). Part of her land is irrigated through a well.
Amardev Singh (40 years), from Hutukdag village of Palamau district of Jharkhand. He owns 7 acres of land with one acre irrigated by well. He grows paddy, maize, pigeonpea, channa and other pulses, til, wheat etc. He uses chemicals in his farming. He is a Kharwar ST farmer.
Mahadeo Das (38 years) from Khaserveri village in Singur, West Bengal. Used to own 4 acres of land – now has 16 decimels’ land. Grows paddy and vegetables on his irrigated land and takes 4 crops a year. His farming is chemical-based.
Gouri Mondal (40 years) from Indraprastha village, 24 Parganas (South) district of West Bengal. Owns 5 beeghas of land, out of which 3 beeghas is cultivated through organic practices. Her farming is rainfed, where she grows paddy and pulses in a relay cropping system, with the help of 2 farm ponds.
Maino Pauria (37 years) from Bhoorkuda village in Purulia district of West Bengal: No education. 3 beeghas of rainfed agriculture on which they grow paddy, wheat, pulses, mustard etc. One farm pond on the land also provides fisheries. For two years now, she has been taking up only organic farming. She also takes up agricultural labour work in addition to broom-making and selling, poultry and livestock rearing. She is an adivasi farmer.
Anasuya Korram (39 years): From Khondra village in Bilaspur district. Does not own any land herself and stays with her maternal family which owns 3 acres of land, all of which is rainfed. Paddy, chickpea etc., are the main crops grown. Their cultivation is organic. She is a Gond.
Bhagoli Ram (57 years): From Bindra Nawagarh village in Gariaband district. They own 6 acres of land, all of which is unirrigated. The family grows millets like kodo, in addition to paddy, blackgram and other pulses. Their farming is chemical-based.
Dalimi Medhi (40 years), from Phakatpada village, Baksa district of Assam: 10 acres of land – all rainfed and organic. She grows paddy. She is a SHG leader and is educated till Class X.
Satyonarain Das (39 years), from Amayapur village of Baksa district of Assam: 9 acres of land with one acre irrigated. He raises fish and broiler chicken in addition to growing bamboo, betelnut, coconut, paddy. He is the President of All Assam Farmers’ Club and takes up chemical farming. He studied upto Higher Secondary.
Usha Singh, from Sakri Saraiyya village of Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. 5 acres of land, with 3 acres irrigated. She grows paddy, wheat, vegetables, potato etc. She is a graduate and her farming is chemical-based. She is associated with an organization called Hanuman Prasad Grameen Vikas Seva Samiti.
Vidya Bhushan, Bihar: From Sabli village of Gopalganj district of Bihar. 3.5 acres of land which is all irrigated with a tubewell. A socialist activist who was an MLA once. He grows wheat, paddy, potato, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables and mango trees in chemical-based farming. Intermediate Pass.
Jaiprakash Singh (47 years) from Tadiya village of Benares district, Uttar Pradesh. 5 acres of irrigated land on which he grows paddy, pigeonpea, wheat, greenpeas, potato etc., over 3 seasons. He cultivates with organic practices in 4 acres and with chemicals in one acre. He is also a seed breeder.
Joseph Tete (40 years) of Lepeikani village of Sambalpur district. Owns 4 acres of land, out of which around 70 decimels gets irrigated with a well. He grows paddy, chilli, potato, vegetables etc., in his chemical-based farming. He is from the Kharia community (ST).
Radhika Sisa (about 50 years) of Bapanpalli village of Malkangiri district. She is a dryland farmer – 5 acres of land. She grows rainfed paddy, millets, pigeonpea, cowpea etc. She is a Koya farmer.
Date – 15th -17th March 2012.
What is this Farmers’ Jury and how will it run?
The vision & plan of Govt. of India, with regard to BGREI.
Chemicalisation of Eastern Indian Agriculture: What does the future hold?
Shri Ardhendu Chatterjee, DRCSC, West Bengal.
Criticising the Union Government’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to Green Revolution in Eastern India, which emphasizes the promotion of wheat and rice, and that too (proprietary) hybrid rice, a Fact Finding Team of ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture) asked for the budgets for this to be recast immediately, to support sustainable agriculture initiatives based on agro-diversity and farming systems approaches. Terming the promotion of proprietary hybrid rice in these states as a terrible wastage of precious public funds, ASHA questioned the scientific or other basis on which hybrid rice promotion is taking place in BGREI. “It is apparent that the Government of India, with its centralized planning and guidelines is not taking into account local situations and vulnerabilities when it prescribes a particular approach to Green Revolution in Eastern India. It is also apparent that no lessons have been drawn from the failures of, and crises created by, the earlier Green Revolution”, said the Fact Finding Report.
The Fact Finding Report points out to the special conditions and vulnerabilities of rice growers in states like Odisha – rainfed conditions, smallholdings, increasing use of chemical inputs and thereby, costs of cultivation, inadequate procurement and marketing support, high levels of tenancy and the state’s vulnerability to natural disasters and said that hybrid rice promotion in the state of Odisha cannot be done prescriptively without looking into these special conditions.
The Fact Finding Team, after interacting with ‘beneficiaries’ of the government program on promoting hybrid rice and other cultivators, reported that claims about increased productivity with hybrid rice are not turning out to be true on the ground. It is only in the case of big farmers who have resources and are able to take up timely management with optimal inputs that yields could be higher. Further, yields alone cannot be the basis of promoting hybrid rice and a more holistic assessment of promoting this technology is needed. For instance, marketing drawbacks with hybrid rice, seed prices being higher, the fact farmers do not prefer consuming hybrid rice and so on. The fact that smallholders cannot bear the increased riskiness that hybrid rice poses should also be looked into given that a vast majority of farmers here are in fact smallholders.
The Fact Finding report, based on its rapid appraisal in the field, notes that it is clear that hybrid rice holds no solutions for a vast majority of Odisha’s farmers – not in terms of farm economics, not in terms of environmental sustainability and not even in terms of productivity improvements. The report emphasizes the importance of on-farm diversity that will minimize risks for smallholders of Odisha, especially in the face of increased climate variations. ASHA urges the Government of India to stop wasting precious resources on tried-and-failed models of Green Revolution (on worse terms now with proprietary hybrid rice) and focus support on climate-resilient, resource-conserving, farmer-controlled, economically-viable farming.
The report also notes that the state-level SLSC meeting took note of some issues related to hybrid rice in the past (8th SLSC meeting on 3/6/2011). It is recorded that it was suggested that impact assessment should be done taking into account the adoption of hybrid varieties by the farmers at their own cost in the area where the demonstrations were conducted earlier and subsequently discontinued. ASHA’s information from seed dealers indicates an adoption of just 1% in districts like Bhawanipatna. Therefore, the obvious question is: why and on what basis is the Government of India promoting schemes to expand proprietary hybrid rice markets, for whose benefit? The Fact Finding Report also has a Note from Dr Debal Deb, Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Studies on performance of folk rice varieties vis-à-vis HYVs in Kharif 2011.
(Press Release put out on February 17th 2012). | http://www.kisanswaraj.in/tag/bgrei/ |
The Tanzanian government, in its efforts to provide food, income, employment and foreign income to its population, is committed to improving the country’s rice and sunflower value chains. This commitment was reiterated at a national feedback workshop held on 26th October, 2021 at the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Dodoma. The workshop was organised by Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) in its efforts to share key messages from its five-year-long studies on the most effective pathways to agricultural commercialisation for women empowerment, reduction of rural poverty and improvement of nutrition and food security.
NEWS
APRA Tanzania to host national feedback workshopOctober 25, 2021
APRA Tanzania team at a previous media workshop On Tuesday, 26 October 2021 at the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Dodoma, Tanzania, the APRA Tanzania team will be hosting a national feedback workshop. At this event, the team plans to share research findings and draw policy implications on how agricultural commercialisation can empower women,… Read more »
RESEARCH
Contact Person: Aida Isinika | [email protected]
Rice commercialisation in Tanzania
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Research objective
This study aims to assess the effects of different rice commercialisation pathways on poverty, food security, and youths in Kilombero Valley.
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Study questions
What are the drivers of rice commercialisation, and how can they inform policy and accelerate rice commercialisation in order to reduce poverty and food insecurity, especially among women and girls?
What are the different commercialisation opportunities and options chosen by different groups, such as men, women, medium-scale farmers, and members of sustainable rice intensification (SRI) groups?
What is the level of commercialisation attained by different categories of farmers, and are these influenced by the options chosen?
How are different commercialisation opportunities associated with different livelihood outcomes, and how do they influence which farmers step out, step up, step in, hang in, or drop out of their original commercialisation options? Is commercialisation inclusive?
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Findings
1. Trends
• Rice commercialisation is ongoing but not yet on a sustained and rising trajectory; it remains susceptible to weather and market factors.
• Infrastructure improvement (electrification, roads and communication) is accelerating commercialisation.
• Trade policies need to be coherent and sensitive to consumer demand in regional markets. Tanzania should also plan ahead to maintain its position in regional markets, as other countries implement plans for self-sufficiency and become net rice exporters in the medium- and long-run.
• Coordinated regional strategies are required in order to foster complementary competitive advantages among countries within regional economic blocks, as well as in Africa in general. The African Union can provide leadership in this regard, working with regional bodies such as the East African Community.
• Rice is an important crop, which contributes to income and food security. However, issues faced by women and young people (i.e poorer access to inputs and land) in the production of rice is a challenge that still needs to be addressed.
• Employment and value addition opportunities exist along the rice value chain for women and youths, but these groups continue to face resource and cultural barriers that need to be addressed.
2. Drivers of commercialisation:
• Investment in public goods (improvements in roads, railways, mobile phone services and mobile money, and rural electrification).
• Investment in private goods (processors establish more efficient mills where there is electricity).
• Intensification (use of inputs, especially herbicides and fertilisers), and technological spill-over from large-scale investors (training and credit support for SRI groups).
• Extensification (tools such as animal-drawn technology and tractors; immigration).
• Diversity amongst the farming population is enhancing knowledge sharing within communities which drives competition to learn from each other, while also addressing negative cultural norms.
• Increasing demand for rice as a result of the rising population, enhanced incomes, urbanisation, and a preference for aromatic rice at local and regional markets.
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Conclusion and policy messages
Rice commercialisation in Kilombero Valley has been ongoing for a long time, but it has accelerated during the last two decades thanks to a number of drivers – especially public investment in infrastructure, which has improved transportation, communication, and processing. Some farmers, especially medium-scale farmers and SRI members, have been able to step up and some have stepped out, as they benefit from intensification, extensification, and diversification. However, the majority of farmers face low use of purchased inputs, especially purchased seed and chemical fertiliser, in turn leading to persistent low yield. Consequently, some small-scale farmers, especially women and youths, have been hanging in – while a few have dropped out to become casual labours as they face issues such as resource ownership and access gaps, as well as other shocks.
The study’s findings raise concerns about the unmonitored and rising use of herbicides, which leads to water pollution. Uncoordinated expansion of rice production also has the potential to increase the siltation of rivers within the Kilombero Valley and further down the Rufiji Basin. Moreover, rice expansion into a protected wetland within the valley threatens biodiversity. Other problems, including climate change, COVID-19, rising input prices, and unstable output markets, have also tested the resilience of agricultural commercialisation outcomes. A
ll of these challenges need to be addressed to ensure medium- and long-term sustainability of production systems and inclusive outcomes. Finally, the findings demonstrated that, while rising income is an important outcome of commercialisation, livelihood improvement also depends on how that income is used. Investments in education, and improvements in houses and latrines, have raised the status of many households to above the poverty line; and cultural factors play an important role to influence positive changes in this regard. Ultimately, promoting inclusive commercialisation requires combined efforts from the government, development agencies, and local communities.
Policy messages
• Support infrastructure and institution development to enable sustainable intensification and extensification, and intensification works for all, including women and youths. There is a need to monitor and address the negative effects arising from intensification and extensification.
• Increase investment in health and education services and enforce health laws, especially in remote villages where women are more marginalised.
• Support alternative income-generating activities and make them more inclusive for women and youths.
• Involve local communities in devising solutions which address negative cultural norms to enhance the involvement of women and youths.
• Make strategic moves to sustain and expand the regional market, and address the concern of increasing competition from imports and the drive towards self-sufficiency in regional markets.
Sunflower commercialisation in Tanzania
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Research objective
This study aims to identify the role of sunflower commercialisation, and potential pathways for agricultural commercialisation, in a semi-arid environment. Specifically, it will examine how different pathways of sunflower commercialisation have evolved in Singida Region. It will also assess the changes that have occurred over time, and investigate how these have influenced livelihood opportunities/choices and livelihood outcomes for different categories of farmers.
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Study questions
How have different pathways of sunflower commercialisation evolved in Singida Region?
What are the dynamics of agrarian change?
How have these influenced the livelihood opportunities/options, choices, and outcomes for rural women and men in different contexts?
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Findings
• Sunflower commercialisation has stimulated diversification and changed livelihood options. Commercialisation has benefited other enterprises, but the reverse is also true. For instance, incomes from sunflower catalysed investments in high value crops, such as onions and green gram, in response to market dynamics. Likewise, income from other crops has been invested in sunflower production, marketing, and processing. Farmers depend on diverse sources of livelihood, both within and outside of agriculture.
• Competition for land changed the management of livestock, such as distributing large herds to caretakers and migration to less densely populated districts.
• Everyone benefitted from commercialisation in some respect, but at different levels as a result of social factors (such as gender, age, wealth status, and social behaviours).
• Medium-scale farmers and male-headed households experienced greater food security and less impoverishment than small-scale farmers and female-headed households.
• Some farmers stepped up (diversifying to onions, green gram, or livestock), while others (women and landless men) stagnated and some stepped down (into poorer wealth rankings) due to resource constraints.
Key takeaways
1. Trends
• During the 1990s, the government, development partners, and non-governmental organisations promoted sunflower production to help reduce poverty levels. This involved establishing the correct policies, mobilising resources, and developing technology, as well as supporting institutions and infrastructure development.
• The private sector involvement was centred on trading and investment in transportation, processing, and financing.
• Observed effects included an increased number of producers and processors, rising yields, and raised production levels between 2000–2010. After this time, however, yields declined as investments in technology development – particularly to support the production and distribution of improved seed – dwindled.
• Relations between sunflower/other crops and livestock have been complementary – driven by rising use of animal-drawn technology (ADT) and manure. Competition for land saw large livestock herds driven to the west where grazing land was available; and some large herd owners redistributed their livestock to caretakers – spreading the benefits through communities. Livestock ownership is a local symbol of wealth and, as more people accumulate wealth from crop production, they acquire livestock. Therefore, the number of livestock per household has been increasing – although not for all.
• Declining sunflower yields after 2010 have raised alternative opportunities. Other emerging crops (e.g., onions and chickpeas) and non-farm activities have widened the scope of livelihood options, leading to diversification. • Gender and cultural institutions, such as Nsoza and village community banks (VICOBA), can be utilised to enhance women’s inclusion in agricultural commercialisation processes. For example, they can increase opportunities for women to access resources such as land (under Nsoza) and purchased inputs using credit (from VICOBA). 2. Drivers of commercialisation:
2. Drivers of commercialisation:
• There is a high demand for sunflower oil due to health reasons: this oil has a lower cholesterol content compared to alternatives.
• Investment in public goods (such as trunk and rural roads that are now passable year-round, and mobile phone networks) and increased use of mobile phones. Rural electrification is bringing processing facilities closer to farmers. Solar technology has also improved the quality of life at the household level (for example, through improved lighting and mobile phone charging for enhanced communication).
• Improved mobility through the use of motorcycles (which has benefitted from the improvement of rural roads that are passable year-round). • The availability of informal financing from traders and VICOBA.
• The availability of informal financing from traders and VICOBA.
• Use of ADT for cultivation, weeding, and transportation.
• Renewed government efforts to prioritise sunflower production, under the Sunflower Policy of 2016.
• Enhanced government efforts to promote crop diversity – for example, introducing cashew as a new cash crop in Singida Region.
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Conclusion and policy messages
The findings show that sunflower commercialisation has played an important role in reducing poverty in the study area, driven by area expansion and initial yield improvement. Nevertheless, yields generally remain low due to underinvestment in technology development – which has also seen the use of poor-quality seed remaining high among farmers. Income from sunflower has supported diversification into other crops, including onions and green gram, and livestock and non-farm activities.
With Singida Region’s fragile environment, diversification was necessary – but this has also led to competition for land, labour, and capital, as well as competition and complementarity among enterprises including livestock production. Consequently, some farmers stepped out into non-farm enterprises while others stepped in, investing proceeds into further sunflower expansion and improvement. Exclusion from such benefits is observed among women and youths, who stagnated or stepped down as they faced limitations in accessing land and credit for input acquisition.
These limitations can be addressed through policy and institutional changes, as well as inclusive adaptation in light of climate challenges and changes. Other constraints, including various social vices, need to be addressed at the community level – perhaps with external facilitation in order to bring about positive behavioural and cultural changes.
Policy messages
• Facilitate the production of high-quality sunflower to consolidate import substitution.
• Promote complementary enterprises based on their relative competitive advantages (in the use of land, labour, and capital) in the short, medium and long-term.
• Control livestock populations to encourage communities to practice proper land use. • Promote alternative income generating activities to enhance household food security in marginal environments.
• Ensure the availability of productivity-enhancing inputs and technologies at affordable prices. Expand markets and promote and harness savings while improving borrowing capacity to accelerate the development of the value chain. | https://www.future-agricultures.org/countries/tanzania/ |
Rehabilitated Grazing Land Improves Livestock Health & Farmer Incomes in Ethiopia
In the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia, households that live near communal grazing areas allow their animals to graze freely throughout the year. This grazing happens for an average of 10 months out of the year, resulting in severe erosion and forage cover loss. In addition, most of the forage plant species that farmers replant to recover the losses are invasive weeds.
Over time, forage productivity dramatically declined, grazing was next to nothing, and land degradation was so severe that a gully formed due to erosion. Because local livelihoods were directly tied to forage production and their livestock’s ability to graze, this had a negative impact on households. The Feed Enhancement for Ethiopian Development (FEED) II project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and implemented by ACDI/VOCA, began working with the community and partners to rehabilitate the land and bring back the supply of high-quality forage.
Between 2016 and 2017, the community produced 7,492 quintals of green forage biomass with an estimated monetary value of 1,498,400 Ethiopian birr ($52,234.26 USD).
FEED II collaborated with the Kebele Office of Agriculture and Rural Development to spread awareness and educate the communities near the grazing area about the negative effects of free grazing as well as the benefits of land rehabilitation. Once a majority of farmers recognized the problem, they selected a committee of 10 members to oversee the development of the grazing land.
With financial assistance from FEED II, the community constructed a series of storage dams and started rehabilitating a major gully running through the pasture. They planted vegetative planting material and seedlings to stabilize water runoff and soil erosion. And then they sowed the forage in the rehabilitated gully and other severely degraded areas, while protecting the rest of the grazing land and allowing it to regenerate on its own.
Within one rainy season, grass cover returned, and green forage yields nearly doubled from 281.6 metric tons in 2016 to 467.6 metric tons in 2017.
Now, the community harvests forage each year and shares the cuttings and profits. In 2018, the community harvested 5,284 quintals of green forage biomass — a 13 percent increase from 2017 — and sold the cuttings for 1,056,800 birr (US$37,468).
Farmers’ incomes increased by 20 percent due to the additional feed source provided by the rehabilitated land.
Improved forage production has led to healthier livestock and higher incomes for farmers. Because the animals now have more body mass and longer lactation periods, they can be sold at higher prices and produce higher milk yields, resulting in farmers earning more.
The rehabilitated land has also brought the community together and ensured that the land is managed properly and protected in the future. At the beginning of the project, the community created bylaws, which the woreda and kebele administrations reinforce. After witnessing the success of the initiative, the woreda replicated the same activity at other sites. This growing increase in forage production in Tigray demonstrates not only how the land can bounce back, but also how resilient communities can be when they band together. | https://www.acdivoca.org/2019/06/rehabilitated-grazing-land-improves-livestock-health-farmer-incomes-in-ethiopia/ |
Results at a glance:
• Rural confidence levels decline for third consecutive quarter
• Sentiment now at ‘cautiously optimistic’ levels, with more than half the nation’s farmers expecting current positive conditions in the agricultural sector to continue, while the number expecting an improvement has fallen
• 50 per cent of farmers are forecasting a negative impact on their business from the Russia/Ukraine conflict
• Farmer income projections remain stable, but the number of producers planning to increase investment in their businesses has declined
The ‘rise and rise’ of input costs and fallout from the war in Ukraine are weighing on sentiment in Australia’s agricultural sector, with farmer confidence declining in the latest quarter.
Results of the quarter two Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released today, reveal optimism about high agricultural commodity prices and the prospect of a third consecutive bumper grains harvest has been reined in by the increasing cost of vital farm inputs such as fertiliser, fuel, freight and machinery and broader inflationary pressures in the Australian economy.
In addition, the latest survey reveals 50 per cent of Australian farmers believe the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have a negative impact on farm businesses, while 25 per cent expect the effect could be positive.
While farm income projections for the 12 months ahead remain stable, the number of farmers looking to increase investment has declined slightly this quarter.
The latest survey, completed last month, found 28 per cent of Australia’s farmers now expect business conditions to improve in the coming 12 months (down slightly from 31 per cent with that view in the previous quarter), while 16 per cent are anticipating a deterioration (from 14 per cent previously). More than half (53 per cent) expect business conditions to remain stable in the year ahead.
This marks three consecutive quarterly declines in net rural confidence and brings farmer sentiment back to levels last seen in June 2020, after the first pandemic lockdown.
Confidence is highest in the cotton and grain sectors, while also very strong among dairy producers, with high prices combined with excellent seasonal conditions providing the perfect setting for those three industries.
Livestock sector confidence has eased, but strong commodity prices are helping stabilise sentiment.
Rabobank Australia CEO Peter Knoblanche said farmers had been enjoying high agricultural commodity prices and generally-excellent seasonal conditions in many parts of the country for more than two years, but many in the sector were now facing considerable margin pressure with input costs rising on all fronts.
He said the healthy returns of the past two years had put farmers in a strong financial position and many have invested in new technology, machinery and equipment.
“The benefits of those investments are certainly helping farmers create some efficiencies, but the cost pressure is not easing and producers definitely need those higher commodity prices in order to meet rising input costs,” he said.
The latest survey found the expectation of rising commodity prices remains the main driver of optimism among farmers with a positive outlook, while 62 per cent of those expecting conditions to deteriorate cited rising input costs as a key cause for concern, ahead of falling commodity prices (27 per cent), overseas markets (15 per cent) and labour shortages (nine per cent).
Ukraine conflict impact
Mr Knoblanche said the Russia-Ukraine war was also hanging over the sector, with its impacts on key inputs of fuel and fertiliser sending prices for both skyrocketing, cutting farmer margins in a range of sectors.
“It is undoubtedly exacerbating many of the cost and supply issues which were already in play last year,” he said. “But for some sectors, especially grains, we are seeing the conflict impact global supply and push prices higher, and also deliver higher local prices with strong demand for Australian grain as the world turns to our producers to help meet critical food needs.
“But as the next round of EU sanctions come into force, there is a lot of caution among farmers about what this will mean for the longer term, which is flowing through to lower levels of optimism.”
This quarter, farmers were specifically asked their views about the impacts of the war in Ukraine on agribusiness. Of the 50 per cent believing it would have a negative or very negative effect on their farm business, the main concerns were in relation to higher fuel prices (cited by 49 per cent) and increased costs for inputs including fertiliser and freight (cited by 61 per cent).
The 25 per cent who believed it would have positive market impacts said this would be primarily in maintaining high commodity prices and affecting supply/demand. This view was strongest in the grain sector.
States
Sentiment levels have eased or remained relatively stable in all states, except Western Australia, where farmer confidence recorded a significant bounce back. Confidence levels edged up slightly in Victoria and South Australia.
Western Australian rural confidence is back in positive territory this quarter – with more of the state’s farmers optimistic than pessimistic about the 12 months ahead – as producers expect agribusiness conditions to improve due to rising commodity prices and international market opportunities.
A dry start to the year had little impact on South Australian farmer confidence in the second quarter, while recent step-ups in milk contracts and the ongoing strength in the beef cattle trade have helped soften the blow of rising input costs in Victoria’s farm sector.
Producers’ investment intentions remain at near-record levels in Queensland, despite overall confidence levels slipping. Beef producers continue to be the most optimistic sector in the state.
For New South Wales, while farmer confidence remains the highest in the nation, expectations of any further improvement in current conditions are waning. The state’s grain and cotton producers are the most optimistic sectors, although wet conditions have been challenging for farmers trying to harvest crops or needing to replant due to excessively wet weather.
Mr Knoblanche said producers in flood-affected regions of south-east Queensland and the NSW north coast and Northern Rivers were in a rebuilding phase replacing stock and infrastructure lost during the second major flooding event to hit the area in less than 12 months.
Close to two-thirds of Tasmanian farmers are forecasting a continuation of the high commodity prices and excellent seasonal conditions which have benefited the state’s agricultural sector for more than two years, although those expecting business conditions to further improve had declined.
Sectors
Confidence has rebounded in the grains sector this quarter, with more than 40 per cent of growers expecting business conditions to improve over the year ahead, which is driving up investment intentions.
Rabobank’s recently-released 2022/23 Winter Crop Outlook identifies the potential of a third consecutive bumper grains harvest this year, with the estimated area planted forecast to reach a record 23.83 million hectares – up nearly one per cent on last year’s record planting.
Half of all grain growers surveyed this quarter expect the Russia/Ukraine conflict will have some positive impact on their business, mainly due to upward pressure in commodity prices, while 40 per cent believe it will have a negative impact due to increased input, fuel and freight costs.
Cotton sector confidence was also shown to be very high in the survey.
Mr Knoblanche said cotton prices had been the “silver lining” during the cotton harvest, which had been challenged due to wet conditions. Excellent water availability was also helping underpin long-term optimism, he said.
Dairy sector confidence also stood out this survey, with more than three quarters of dairy farmers expecting current good conditions to continue or further improve.
The survey found gross farm income expectations among dairy producers are at their highest level in two years with 59 per cent expecting an increase in income in the coming year.
However, 67 per cent of Australian dairy farmers believe the war in Ukraine will impact their business negatively, because of input costs and dearer fuel.
Confidence among sheep producers dipped slightly from last quarter. Investment intentions and farm income projections have also dampened.
Beef producer confidence also declined, again due to concerns about rising input costs and falling commodity prices. The survey found 56 per cent of beef producers believe the conflict between Russia/Ukraine would impact their business negatively.
Sentiment was mixed in the sugar sector, with an almost equal proportion of growers thinking conditions will improve, stay the same or worsen. That said, 90 per cent of cane growers were found to be intending to maintain or increase investment in their farm businesses.
Farm business performance and investment
While fewer farmers this survey were looking forward to higher incomes in the year ahead, 43 per cent were forecasting their gross farm incomes would stay at current strong levels.
Farm investment will largely be maintained at current levels, according to the survey, with 61 per cent of Australian farmers saying their investment levels would stay the same, while 33 per cent intended to increase spending on their business over the year ahead.
On-farm infrastructure continues to be the main focus for those increasing investment in their business (nominated by 77 per cent), however 23 per cent of those lifting spending signalled their intention to purchase property to expand their enterprise.
Mr Knoblanche said Australian farm balance sheets were strong, enabling investment in long-term productivity and resilience measures.
“Despite some of the caution that is being felt in the sector right now, Australian farmers are in a good place,” he said. “Production levels are strong, prices are high and the seasonal turnaround has been incredible.
“Our farmers have not rested on their laurels. They understand market and climatic challenges are always just around the corner, and there has been a lot of work taking place modernising and equipping our farms in order to boost productivity and profitability and better deal with these pressures.”
A comprehensive monitor of outlook and sentiment in Australian rural industries, the Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey questions an average of 1000 primary producers across a wide range of commodities and geographical areas throughout Australia on a quarterly basis. The most robust study of its type in Australia, the survey has been conducted by an independent research organisation interviewing farmers throughout the country each quarter since 2000. The next results are scheduled for release in September 2022.
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 38 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 8.4 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 90 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Media contacts: | https://www.rabobank.com.au/media-releases/2022/220614-caution-creeps-into-australian-farm-sector/ |
An Introduction to Green Revolution
The Green Revolution was started in India by then Prime Minister Late Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, who gave the slogan of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, according to which, to make the country powerful from a security point of, view, is the responsibility of the soldiers while making it self sufficient in the field of food grains, is the responsibility of the farmers.
American agronomist, “Father of the Green Revolution” and Nobel laureate, Dr. Norman Borlaug (left) advising a farmer on wheat development programs during his visit to Bombay on March 14, 1971.
Shortcomings, Failure, and Criticism of Green Revolution In India
Some critics are of the view that the Green revolution has not been very successful in India. It has benefited only some limited farmers. Due to the preference is given to some areas, regional inequalities have arisen. The use of excessive fertilizers has made the land useless. Criticism of Green Revolution is as follows:
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Increase in Unemployment
In the rural areas due to extensive agricultural programs, mechanization has been rapid, which has increased unemployment. It is inappropriate for countries like India, where unemployment is already a problem. In this way, unemployment is increasing in rural areas.
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More Dependence on Fertilizers
In this agricultural policy, the use of fertilizers is given more importance than irrigation, which is not appropriate because in the absence of irrigation, fertilizers have no use. Due to this reason, the fertility of land has decreased in some areas.
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Economic Inequalities
The benefit of the Green revolution has been received mainly by the prosper farmers. The poor farmers have not benefited from this policy. It has enhanced the economic inequalities.
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Regional Inequalities
Under the Green Revolution movement, the implementation of agricultural resources was aimed only in naturally favorable areas, due to which some areas developed and some places were not given any attention. This increased regional difficulties. The prosper areas became more prosper and the backward became more backward.
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Benefited only a Few Crops
The green revolution has been successful only on a few crops, especially wheat, rice, maize, jwar, and baajra. No work has been done for other crops. Specially relating to crops like cotton or sugarcane etc..
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Difficulty in Storage
The progress of agriculture has given rise to an additional problem of storage. At present, the storage capacity of our country is 2.5 crore tons, which is not sufficient with regard to production.
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Lack of Experience
Due to the unavailability of scientifically developed seeds in India, farmers have been lacking experience with them. What effect these modem resources would have on Indian conditions, is not known certainly. Working without experience is like walking without knowing the path, where the possibility of going in the wrong direction is more.
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Difficulties in the Use of Modern Techniques
Most of the Indian farmers have small lands, hence they have problems in using the modern equipment designed for big lands. In this way, these farmers have remained acquitted from the benefits of the green revolution.
Suggestions for Improvement
- The small farmers should be provided credit facilities at lower interest rates than the big farmers.
- Modern techniques should be made profitable for small farmers.
- The land development programs should be made effective and activated on a large scale.
- The marketing system of agriculture should be improved.
- To solve the problem of unemployment due to the increased use of instruments and machines the small and cottage industries should be rapidly developed.
- The labor-intensive techniques should be given preference.
- An improved variety of seeds should be developed.
- Crop insurance should be started on a large scale for farmers.
- The education, research, and expansion services should be developed in villages
- Irrigation facilities should be expanded.
- Landless laborers and farmers should be united.
- Programs for plant protection should be expanded. | https://www.allexamnotes.com/2016/12/criticism-green-revolution/ |
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By Bishnu Saha and Michael Trant, Statistics Canada
Agriculture in 2007: Key events
High prices for grains and oilseeds, continued strength in the Canadian dollar, and further increases in crude oil prices and farm inputs were the key issues for Canadian agriculture in 2007 that had an impact on the Canadian agri-food industry from the farm gate to the consumers' plate. It was good news for grain and oilseed producers and exporters but not livestock producers, particularly cattle and hog farmers.
Grain and oilseed prices began to increase in 2007. It was a welcome change for crop producers but a major challenge to livestock farmers, particularly those in the beef cattle and hog sectors, who faced substantive increases in feed costs (Figure 1). Declining prices of hogs and beef cattle, especially during the second half of the year, added to their challenges.
The slow but persistent annual declines in world grain stocks coupled with increased commodity speculation in the financial markets began to push world grain and oilseed prices to new levels (Figure 2). Rising world food demand and the increased demand for corn and soybeans in the biofuel industry reduced global crop supplies leaving global inventories at levels not seen since 1980/81.
Weather also played a role in 2007, reducing crop production in the world's more important grain exporting countries. Hot and dry growing conditions reduced crop production in Canada while Australia 's grain growing regions experienced severe droughts for the second consecutive year. In addition, wheat yields in parts of the United States were hurt by frost, followed by excessive rainfall. However, low world wheat stocks and rising prices resulted in US farmers increasing winter wheat plantings by 13.2% (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)).
The Canadian dollar rose steadily throughout 2007 starting the year at almost 86 cents US reaching parity with the US dollar in late September, peaking at over US$ 1.10 in early November, then closing the year at close to par. The impact of the Canadian dollar's appreciation was mixed. It may have helped farmers who needed to buy imported goods and services, but it also reduced the incomes of Canadian farmers, particularly those producing products for international export priced in US dollars.
Crude oil prices increased almost steadily over the year and ended the year with a 12-month increase of about 60% (Figure 2). Fuel and fertilizers are essential inputs for farm production, and their prices increased with the rising prices of crude oil. This made it increasingly challenging for farmers to make production decisions and control crop production costs.
The higher international crude oil prices also improved the economics of producing alternative fuels from corn and soybeans. This further stimulated crop demand and increased crop prices. Higher crop prices may bring Canadian crop farmers benefits in the short-run but higher oil prices started to put upward pressure on fuel, fertilizer and chemical prices and thus affect farmers' input use and production decisions in the long-run.
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- Date modified: | https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/21-004-x/21-004-x2008002-eng.htm |
Tolon (N/R), Oct. 18, GNA - Land degradation has become a major threat to food production and economic livelihoods of farmers in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern Region.
About 99 per cent of farm households in the district have either experienced or been affected by the problem of soil infertility, soil compaction, deforestation, overgrazing and weed infestations, the University for Development Studies (UDS) research has indicated. The effects of land degradation had led to 17 per cent loss of productive lands, 19 per cent decreased in crop yields and raised production cost to 17 per cent, while vegetables and pastures had been reduced by 12 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
The research was necessitated by the result of farmers complains about poor crop yields even though they had always worked hard. They therefore came to realize that there was something wrong with their land.
This prompted the World Vision International (WVI) in collaboration with the UDS, the Cornnel University in USA and the Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Agriculture Partnership (NARMSAP) to undertake the research in the district, which was sponsored by the WVI.
The research examined the underlying causes and effects of land degradation as a result of natural and human activities, as the primary objective of the study.
It sought to emphasize on farm households understanding of the problem of land degradation and to suggest some possible prevention and control measures to be adopted Presenting the findings of the study at a farmers forum in Tolon on Monday, Mr Joseph Amikuzuno, a Lecturer at the Department of Agriculture, Economics and Extension said continuous cropping, indiscriminate bush burning, felling of trees for charcoal and fuel use and sand winding were some of the unsustainable farming practices identified among the people.
He said climatic variability and erratic rainfall were the natural factors, while poverty; high population pressures and insufficient knowledge of sustainable soil and water management techniques by majority of households compounded the problem.
The ultimate effect of this phenomenon was increased poverty, resulting from unstable and low crop yields, fallen per capita food production and income, reduced biomass of grazing and browsing plants, as well as diminished sources of domestic fuel.
The long-term socio-economic effects on land users in the district included food insecurity, high school dropout rates, and break down in family structure, rural-urban migration and soil vices.
Mr Amikuzuno called for mixed cropping, agro-forestry, crop rotation, non- bush burning, educational campaigns and the enactment of laws to control land degradation and others practices.
He said farming, as a source of household income and food security in the district was becoming less sustainable due to the degradation of land and soil in most farming communities.
The lack of money for farmers to enrich the soils with fertilizers or manures and reduce pest infestation with pesticides had also become a problem.
The research therefore, recommended that farmers in the district should cultivate more leguminous crops, embark on dynamic kraaling practices and anti-bush burning and deforestation by-laws be enforced. Mr Amikuzuno called for support for sustainable farming practices by international donors and development partners in the district to enhance food production.
The government should also use the HIPC fund and the Social Investment Fund (SIF) to promote off-farm income generation and poverty alleviation, as well as support the establishment of woodlots and agro-forestry schemes to address the insecurity food situation in the area. | https://www.modernghana.com/news/88292/land-degradation-affecting-food-production-in-tolonkumbungu.html |
The Secret Life of Bees: The multi-million-copy bestselling novel about a young girl’s journey towards healing and the transforming power of love, from the award-winning author of The Invention of Wings.
Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was four years old. Now, at fourteen, she yearns for forgiveness and a mother’s love. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh and unforgiving father, she has only one friend, Rosaleen, a black servant.
When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily chooses to flee with her. Fugitives from justice, the pair follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world as about the mystery surrounding her mother. | https://ravenousbutterflies.com/product/sue-monk-kidd-the-secret-life-of-bees/ |
Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.
Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.
Enchanted Ivy
by Sarah Beth Durst
Oct 2010
Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.
When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.
The Grimm Legacy
by Polly Shulman
July 2010
Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library— a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Collection. That’s where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales: seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White’s stepmother’s sinister mirror that talks in riddles. | http://www.teensreadandwrite.com/2010/06/waiting-on-wednesday-62310.html |
Lily Cowles is an actress known for her work in True Story in 2015, Germaine Healy on BrainDead in 2016 and Isobel Evans-Bracken on Roswell, New Mexico in 2019.
Her character, Isobel, in Roswell, New Mexico, is an alien who keeps her true identity as a secret by living as gracefully and enthusiastically as possible.
Working on challenging roles, Lily has taken her step to establish a name as an actress in her path of career. Through her many more contribution as an actress, Lily must have managed to accumulate a hefty amount of net worth that definitely counts to millions.
Lily Cowles Bio: Age & Parents
Born in the United States in 1987, Lily Cowles probably celebrates most of her birthday in a complete American style.
Talking about her family background, Lilly comes from a family of entertainers. Her parents are well-known names in the entertainment industry.
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Her mother is Christine Baranski, an actress known for her work in Chicago, Mamma Mia! and Into the Woods. Christine raised Lily and her sister, Isabel Cowles, without television as she didn’t approve of the sexual content and violence on the screen.
Lily Cowles with her mother Christine Baranski and older sister Isabel Cowles on 2 November 2015 (Photo: broadwayworld.com)
Isabel Cowles, her older sister, graduated as a Law student while Lily completed her education in Anthropology from Oxford University. The siblings must have enjoyed their childhood together, and the sisters probably share many secrets the world definitely wouldn’t mind to hear.
Lily's late father, Matthew Cowles, on the other hand, was also an actor known for his work in Shutter Island, All My Children and Slap Shot. He was married to Kathleen Dezina in 1980 before he married Christine.
On 22 May 2014, at 60 years of age, the actor died due to congestive heart failure in New York City, the United States.
Lily Cowles Married To Husband / Boyfriend?
The beautiful actress standing at the height of 5 feet 10 inch (1.55 meters) probably grabs the attention of many. But, there is no information about her being romantically involved with anyone.
She has never been caught in any dating rumors but doesn’t mean she never had a boyfriend before. The actress is probably just too good at keeping her love life a secret.
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However, the actress did spur some racket when she kissed her co-star, Jeanine Mason, on her Instagram post on 17 April 2019. Many who saw it might have been confused and misunderstood the situation.
Lily Cowles kisses her co-star, Jeanine Mason, on 17 April 2019 (Photo: Lily Cowles' Instagram)
But, their post was a sign of spoiler alert for the fans of Roswell, Mexico. She was making the fans aware of the new exciting episodes of the series. They were having fun with their mischievous moment together.
Lily keeps her love life to herself and hasn’t revealed anything about that part of her life. She possibly is not married, though she might have plans to take her wedding vows with her potential husband sometime in her future.
As of now, there is no definite evidence to conclude anything about her private life. | https://marrieddivorce.com/actress/lily-cowles-married-siblings-height.html |
Look Away is a 2018 Canadian psychological horror drama film directed by Assaf Bernstein.
Voltage Pictures on Thursday, April 04, 2019 released the trailer:
Look Away | Official Trailer HD | Voltage Pictures.
Maria Brennan (India Eisley) is a timid social outcast at her high school, where she is constantly bullied by her peers led by her schoolmate Mark (John C. MacDonald). Maria has only one friend, Lily (Penelope Mitchell) whom she envies, and for whose boyfriend, Sean (Harrison Gilbertson) she harbors a secret crush. At home, Maria frequently suppresses her emotions with her parents: her father Dan (Jason Isaacs), a philandering plastic surgeon and a perfectionist; and her mother Amy (Mira Sorvino), who suffers from depression and pretends to be oblivious to her husband's affairs. Maria accidentally discovers a sonogram of a pair of twins and starts hearing voices from her mirror reflection, Airam, who is more beautiful, charismatic and aggressive. Maria is initially frightened but eventually finds solace in Airam's empowering talks that make her confront her subconscious thoughts and inner feelings. After being deserted by Lily - who was aware of Maria's feelings for Sean - and humiliated by Mark at the prom, Maria agrees to swap places with Airam in exchange for Airam's help in solving her problems. Airam begins to seek revenge on people that have wronged Maria and take control of every aspect of her life that she was unhappy with. She lures Mark to the shower and breaks his knee, and arranges for Amy to run into her husband's mistress as a way of forcing her to acknowledge Dan's affairs and their superficial marriage. Airam also secretly practices figure skating and pursues a disconcerted Lily across the ice, resulting in Lily's death from crushing her skull on the pavement. Ignoring Maria's (who is now trapped as Airam's mirror image) protests and pleas, Airam proceeds to seduce Sean, who eventually gets suspicious and tries to leave, only to be bludgeoned to death by Airam.
The film Look Away was scheduled to be released on October 12, 2018 by Vertical Entertainment, GEM Entertainment, BF Distribution, Cinemundo, Joy n Cinema and Splendid Film.
The duration of the film is 103 minutes.
Look Away got low rating from critics. But the audience likes the film. | https://watchward.com/article/look-away-2018/4rnkjwrx |
EASTENDERS' Tilly Keeper has spoken out about the moment Louise Mitchell discovers Keanu and Sharon’s secret this festive season.
The new mum has no clue that her fiancee is the father of her stepmum Sharon’s baby but is set to have a light bulb moment in explosive Christmas episodes that will see more than one family ripped apart on the BBC One soap.
When does Louise discover Keanu and Sharon’s secret in EastEnders?
Louise will grow suspicious of Keanu in the lead-up to Christmas Day.
The devoted fiancee has no idea that her lover Keanu is a cheat but the pieces start to fall into place in upcoming episodes.
Louise’s suspicions ignite when Ben and Phil quiz her about what Sharon was up to while the mechanic was away on a business trip earlier in the year.
This sparks a voice in Louise’s head telling her that her stepmum and Keanu had something to hide.
Her dad Phil is set to discover the truth on Christmas Eve - in time to confront Sharon as she’s cooking up a festive dinner.
Louise will also discover the horrifying secret over Christmas, but fans will have to wait and see when exactly she has the truth confirmed.
How does Louise react in EastEnders?
The Christmas trailer teases Louise’s lightbulb moment as she’s seen staring at the dinner table in horror.
The trailer shows Phil hurling a chair in what is only the start of his bloody revenge.
The BBC One soap is yet to confirm any details of Louise’s reaction after she learns the truth about Keanu’s affair.
But EastEnders fans know that Louise’s exit will come as Keanu and Sharon’s secret comes exploding out.
More in EastEnders
What has actress Tilly Keeper said about Louise in EastEnders?
Speaking to Digital Spy, Tilly Keeper - who plays Louise - said “Obviously, last summer she was the secret blackmailer and she had her suspicions then.
"I think as we’ve seen throughout these many years of Louise being on screen, she’s quite the dumb blonde and quick to forget. But not at the end - she has her suspicions.
"I think - going back - Lisa is such an important part of Louise’s life, and has been such an important part of this storyline, especially when she found out. But Louise has doubted her mum massively up until this point.
“When Phil and Ben approach Louise, and eventually they ask her if she thinks that anything’s going on, and it just kind of triggers that memory.
“Unfortunately, she can’t deny it anymore - and it all starts to add up and you’ll see that throughout Christmas Eve. All the jigsaw puzzle starts to come together.”
Talking about Louise and Keanu’s future, Tilly added: “I think that’s a massive thing about being part of that Mitchell family. We keep saying ‘If you cross a Mitchell, there’ll be consequences’, and Louise is totally aware of that. | https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/10593681/eastenders-louise-keanu-sharon-affair/ |
Ryan's drinking at the school dance leads to a fatal car accident, leaving his family and friends to deal with the aftermath. His sister, Megan, is flooded with anger and grief, lashing out at everyone. She places blame for Ryan's death on herself and others. Ryan's girlfriend, Pam, suggests counseling, an idea Megan's mom supports as a final bid to keep the family together. The powerful dialogue of this play rings true and sends a message not only about the dangers of drinking and driving, but about dealing with grief. An excellent play for contest use.
Mandy James is harboring a dark secret that is affecting her relationships with her best friend, her boyfriend, and her soon-to-be-remarried mother. Her frustration and fear are pushing her close to a breakdown. Finally, a conflict between Mandy and her mother's fiance Richard causes Mandy to confess she was molested by a neighbor. Richard helps Mandy start the healing process, giving her hope and courage for the future. The play handles this sensitive issue well.
Frisbee Thorne, a young teenager, has a crush on his neighbor, Jill, and hates to see where party-girl Courtney is leading her. As Jill is drawn into Courtney's web of deceit, she starts lying to her parents and friends, turning into the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. Along the way she loses her best friend, hurts another and ends up being caught by her parents. She is grounded and faces the results of her parents' lost trust. In the end Frisbee has good advice for all. About an hour. | https://histage.com/plays-of-social-significance-2?pagenumber=4 |
Joe, Beth and Frannie move to the country and discover an Enchanted Wood with a tree that is visited by different worlds. Joined by new friends Moon Face and Silky they get into lots of different adventures in the magical lands at the top of the Faraway Tree.
We've read a few of the books in this Enid Blyton series now and Lily has enjoyed them all. However, this first one is my favourite as it introduces all the characters and concepts and doesn't feel as repetitive as some of the later stories. We started reading it when Lily was three and it was age appropriate. She was a bit bothered by the Snowman story but didn't have any nightmares or get upset.
Lily's Verdict:
I liked seeing the different worlds. And funny Moon Face.
C.S Lewis
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are evacuated to an old and mysterious country house during the war. They're safe there but it is dull - until Lucy decides to hide in an old wardrobe during a game of Hide and Seek! She stumbles into the magical world of Narnia, where she and her siblings are destined to destroy the White Witch and free Narnia from an endless winter.
I couldn't wait to read this to Lily! Some of the concepts and scarier 'witchy' parts were a bit beyond her comprehension but she really fell in love with the story and was fascinated by the idea of talking animals.
Lily's Verdict:
I love the children playing in the snow. The talking animals are my favourite characters.
Johanna Spyri
Lily's Verdict:
I love Heidi! And Clara and the mountains. I liked it when Heidi went back to the mountains. I liked reading Heidi the best. I want to read Heidi grows up.
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Sara Crewe starts school in London, far away from her beloved Papa and his riches in India. After tragedy strikes she is impoverished and treated like a servant by the Headmistress but stays a kind person - proving that all little girls can be Princesses in their own minds.
Reading A Little Princess was magical. I remember being given a copy when I was very young and reading it over and over.
Lily's Verdict:
My favourite bit is the magic and when she has a new family again. I liked Lottie and Becky, Ermengarde and Emily the doll.
Enid Blyton
Julian, Dick and Anne are off to Kirrin Bay to meet their cousin George and spend the summer with their Aunty Fanny and Uncle Quentin. After a storm washes up an old shipwreck to nearby Kirrin Island, the four children and Tim the dog get caught up in an adventure hunting down lost treasure.
This is our latest favourite. Lily was caught up in the story from the very beginning and it was the quickest read of all the chapter books we've read. The perils faced by the characters aren't explored in too much depth which was great for her age. We've already ordered book two!
Lily's Verdict:
The best bit was George getting to keep the dog and letting him sleep on her bed. And finding the gold! | https://www.ourcherrytreeblog.co.uk/2017/06/chapter-books-for-four-year-olds.html |
Welcome back for another Worldwide Wednesday, the series where every week I choose a book from a different country and talk about it!
In today’s Worldwide Wednesday we’re travelling to… South Carolina.
Ages ago I read the brilliant book ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ by Sue Monk Kidd, and this book is set in South Carolina. The story starts on a peach farm there, and the author also lives there- with the deep South and its attitudes a key feature of the entire novel.
‘The Secret Life of Bees’ follows the journey of a young girl, Lily, who runs away with her maid, Rosaleen, when her violent father’s behaviour gets too much- and also when Rosaleen gets in trouble with the police for standing up to a white man.
While running away, she stumbles upon a family of African American sisters who make and sell honey, and with whom she feels an unusual affinity. Lily soon creates friendships with the sisters, and she begins to understand the African American community, as well as grows close to those who are part of this community.
This book is set in the 1960s, and so the fact that this family are all black is a key point. The racism and segregation of the deep South in the 1960s play a key role in the problems that the family face, and the unusual aspect of Lily’s relationship with the women.
While reading the book, I often found it uncomfortable and difficult to read about the segregation and prejudice of the 1960s in South Carolina, and the issues of this period for African Americans.
One of the things I loved about this book was the friendship between the sisters and Lily, as well as the friendship and love between each of the sisters. Each of the sisters had a completely different personality, and I couldn’t help but love the crazy sister May, as well as the wise character of August… and of course, the sass of Alicia Keys as June in the film was brilliant!
The fact that these women protected Lily, despite the racism of her social group and her background was also lovely, and their bonding was just brilliant, and it made me so happy.
Overall, I loved this book, and I thought that the deep South, particularly South Carolina, was a key part of it, and the fact that Sue Monk Kidd lives in South Carolina came across by the research and detail regarding the position of African Americans, and the lack of options open to African Americans at this time.
I also love the film version of this book, you can find out more here.
What do you think of my fourth Worldwide Wednesday? Have you read any books set in South Carolina? Do you enjoy reading books from different places in the world? | https://notsomoderngirl.com/2017/08/02/worldwide-wednesday-4-south-carolina/ |
Black Swan ***
One Liner Review:
A strange psychological movie that is artistic and intense, but also at times quite disturbing.
Brief Review:
REVIEW:
Black Swan is a deliciously evil little thriller that torments its main character with hallucinations brought on by competition and a desire for success at any cost. We’ve seen movies that touch on this before, from All About Eve to Showgirls to Boogie Nights. The main character starts out innocent and wholesome and by the end, he or she has been corrupted by the system and chewed up and made into the most spoiled and arrogant of them all.
Black Swan goes a different way. It starts out with that same initial premise, but then turns into a movie about a girl who lets the competition get the best of her as she completely loses control of reality. That seems to be in large part because of the characters that surround her, each wanting a piece of her and to manipulate her in some sort of way.
Natalie Portman plays the protagonist, Nina, who is dealing with these problems. She’s fantastic, but so, also, is her supporting cast. Mila Kunis as the rival / friend, Lily, is haunting in a way where she seems to have a secret or to somehow be behind everything that’s happening. Lily takes Nina out for a wild night on the town where Nina basically loses herself to desire and reality gets completely altered and blurred.
Aside from Lily as the young behind the scenes newcomer, rising in the shadows, there’s her counterpart, played by Winona Ryder, as an aging and now retired star. Lily is the up and comer, the new kid in town. And Winona Ryder is the former champion now cast into the distance, condemned to a hospital room to be lost and forgotten.
The other two main characters are the adults. The French teacher, Thomas, played by Vincent Cassel, and Portman’s mom, played by Barbara Hershey in a role that is nearly as creepy as the mom in Carrie. One thing that really makes this movie work is the feeling that there’s a secret around every corner. You can’t really trust anything or anyone, because when you’re not suspecting anything at all is when a character just might pull out a knife and start stabbing herself in the face.
There’s a lot of duality and balance in this movie. Portman and Kunis are supposedly a balance of each other, with Portman representing the white swan and Kunis the black swan. In this possible scenario, Kunis is her doppleganger. Her id. And in that case, maybe Kunis doesn’t really exist at all.
The same could be said about the mom. She is never seen talking to any other character in the film besides Portman and is never seen outside of the house. When inside the house, the mom never acknowledges anyones presence or talks to anyone besides Portman.
This is a psychological thriller that wants to keep you on your toes. It has no shortage of self-mutilation, and a terrific climactic ending, but then there are the many theories that do not get their moment to come out. I have a few of my own. Is Kunis possibly the devil. Did the mom make a deal with her to grant Portman success. And did the mom offer her Portman’s soul in return? That one might be far fetched, but what about this…does the mom have a relationship with the teacher? Did she ever? The mom used to be a dancer and had to give it all up. Is the teacher possibly Portman’s father? I don’t actually believe any of these wild ideas to be true, but the fact that the movie provides enough supporting ground to even raise the questions makes it all the more interesting.
The one situation that does seem to be evident is that when Nina and Lily go out on the town, two night’s before the show, Nina changes. She embraces her darker side and from that point on becomes the black swan. This includes having all sorts of hallucinations, throwing her music box, and dropping a whole bunch of her stuffed animals down the garbage shoot, as well as beating her mom a couple of different times. And one has to wonder, has this all been caused by something Lily did to her. Maybe something she put into Nina’s drink? Lily does put something in the drinks and even admits to it later on.
It’s dark and scary and its just as good for the questions it does not answer than the ones that it does. Darren Aronofsky is a fantastic filmmaker who had strong breakouts with Pi and then Requiem for a Dream. In the last few years he has taken his talent for the dark and disturbed and found a way to make it appealing to the mainstream, first with the Wrestler and now with this. Both movies were surrounded by Oscar buzz. With Black Swan, he has finally figured out how to grip audiences and haunt them in such a way that they can’t stop talking about it and wondering. The music is absolutely scary and exciting at the same time and carries this movie along, especially towards the end. It’s a very smart and spooky movie. | http://newdaymoviereviews.com/black-swan/ |
Group's Ahmanson Theatre with an official opening February 26.
Tony winner Warren Carlyle (After Midnight), as previously reported, will direct and
choreograph the production with music direction by Rob Berman. Boggess will play the role of Lily, who is Mary's aunt and Archibald Craven's wife. Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.
Carlyle has been attached to the property for several years. In 2018 it was announced that he would helm a Broadway revival during the 2018-19 season that did not come to fruition. However, a 2018 workshop of the reimagined version, directed by Carlyle, streamed in April 2021 to benefit The Dramatists Guild Foundation and The Actors Fund. The stream was dedicated to the late Rebecca Luker, the musical's original Lily.
Boggess, who has played Lily in concerts of the Tony-nominated musical as well as in the aforementioned workshop, says, “I am so incredibly thrilled to play Lily once again in our production of The Secret Garden. Warren Carlyle has breathed such life into, I think, one of the most iconic stories of our time; love and loss, death and rebirth, innocence, and healing. What I love about Lily is that even from the grave she won’t give up until there is healing for those that can’t find their way. With one of the most beautiful scores ever written by our beloved Lucy Simon, I hope to honor her with every note and give the world this story that we are so in need of at this time.”
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett and featuring a book
and lyrics by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Norman and music by Grammy
winner and Tony nominee Simon, The Secret Garden was first
produced on Broadway in 1991. The musical received six Tony Award
nominations, including Best Musical, winning for Best Book of a Musical,
Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Daisy Eagan), and Best Scenic
Design of a Musical.
Single tickets will go on sale November 2. Visit CenterTheatreGroup.org. | https://playbill.com/article/sierra-boggess-will-star-in-a-new-version-of-the-secret-garden-at-the-ahmanson |
Story Contest 2017 #2 - Outstanding Stories (Sub-junior) » Lily’s Secret: Billy’s Secret Garden
“Lily’s Secret: Billy’s Secret Garden” is one of the outstanding stories of the second biannual International Short Story Contest 2017 written by Miracle Golda Koleangan, Indonesia.
Lily’s Secret: Billy’s Secret Garden
Lily: “Isn’t it nice? I love reading on a Saturday morning.”
Mom: “Lily clean your room, now!”
Lily: “Why should a Saturday morning be like this? I need a place where it’s nice to read. A secret place perhaps. Maybe I should take a walk.”
Billy: “Psstt, here!”
Lily: “Who is that?”
Billy: “Here, I’m behind the bushes!”
Lily: “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
Billy: “My name is Billy and I heard you want a peaceful place”
Lily: “Well, yes”
Billy: “Follow me!”
Lily: “Why?”
Billy: “You’ll know as soon as we get there.”
Lily: “Ok”
So Lily followed Billy to their destination. They went past lots of tunnels and turns. Soon as they reached there, Lily was so surprised. The destination was a secret garden! Lily was so glad; she really wanted something like this.
Billy: “Enjoy yourself here, you can come here whenever you want but first, I know you love to read, so I have a gift for you, it’s a book”
Lily: “Hurray, thanks Billy!”
Billy: “You are welcome and if you want more friends, I have a few friends who know this place. You can call them if you’re feeling lonely.”
Finally, Lily could read peacefully and there will be no more anger. She enjoyed the garden very well. Lily came every once in a week. Billy was also happy because he could meet his new friend.
One month past. Everything was going well until a terrible thing happened. One day when Lily went downstairs, her parents were watching TV. Then she heard the news reporter say, “There was a bus accident. Here are the names of the victims of this accident: Marry, Josh, Billy, James, and Sally. As soon as Lily heard Billy’s name, she ran upstairs to her room and cried out loud.
Lily: “Why does it have to my best friend?”
Lily ran to the secret garden and read the book that Billy gave her the first time they met. While Lily was reading the book, she remembered every fun time they had with each other.
At that time one of Billy’s friends walked in. Her name was Amy. She saw Lily crying in the garden. Then both of them talked each other.
Amy: “It’s all right, don’t cry Lily, all of us miss Billy”
Lily: “Ok, Thanks Amy”
One year past. The secret garden was still alive. Thanks to Lily and her friends. But the garden wouldn’t ever have been made without Billy. So every once in a month, Lily and her friends write a poem about Billy to remember him.
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Help us to serve you better. Donate Now! | https://www.kidsworldfun.com/story-contest/2017-2/lilys-secret-billys-secret-garden.php |
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function.
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Blanche Dubois, Hamlet, and May all suffer from bipolar disorder in his/her own way. Blanche Dubois is so happy at times and than she is dramatically upset all of a sudden because she does not want anyone to get mad at her and find out about her true self and background. For example, she is having a wonderful conversation with Mitch and when he starts to ask her questions about her age and why she only comes out after dark Blanche gets upset and goes on with a long, sad story. Another example is Blanche is fine but when Stanley finds out the truth about Blanche and confronts her about the situation she gets all defensive and upset. William Shakespeare's Hamlet suffers from bipolar disease also but in a different way than Blanche. Hamlet starts out fine in the beginning of the play but when the ghost of his father comes to visit him and tells him the truth about how he died Hamlet comes up with a plan in order to seek revenge on Claudius. Hamlet is bipolar because he acts fine around some people, like Horatio, but when he is talking to Claudius and his mother he acts like he is "mad" so they do not find out that Hamlet knows that people are spying on him and that he is coming up with a plan to kill Claudius. Hamlet's behavior is often explained using Freud's theory of sexual behavior; however the symptoms of bipolar disease explain Hamlet's behavior. Bipolar disease is defined as: This disease causes symptoms like mood swings with periods of both depression and mania. They have consequent changes in thinking and behavior. Bipolar means the sharing of two poles, or high and low, having to do with mood. This shows in Hamlet's attitude towards his mother. He is mad at her because she married his father's brother almost immediately after his father dies but he wants to get close to her to gain control. Another example of Hamlet having bipolar disorder is his feelings towards Ophellia because he claims that he does not love her but suddenly he does when he finds out that she is dead and jumps into her grave and declares his love for her. May's situation, from the Secret Life of Bees, situation is a bit different from Blanche and Hamlet. Ever since May's sister April died May thinks that all the problems in the world is her own and it is not. May is fine until a problem is occurring around her and then she gets very upset and starts humming "Oh Susanna" and goes out to her wailing wall and slips a piece of paper in the crevices and then she is her happy self again. For example, when Lily and Rosaleen first get to the Boatwright's she is fine until Lily asks August why the three of them have names from a calendar. August goes on and explains the reason for Lily and when August mentions that they had another sister, named April, who committed suicide May starts sobbing. August tells her to go out and visit her wall. Another example is the first real day that Rosaleen and Lily are there May gets some cotton balls to clean up Rosaleen's stitches. She is fine until she realizes that Rosaleen has been beaten and she starts humming that song of hers so May tells May to go to her wall. May does this and when she comes back into the house she is the same lovable, happy character that she is. The last example to prove that she is bipolar is, she is having a great time in the pink house with August, June, Lily, and Rosaleen when all of a sudden the phone rings. May answers the phone and it is Zach's mother and she says something about him being in jail and Lily gets upsets, starts singing "Oh Susanna", and goes out to the wailing wall. She did not come back in this time because trying to cope with everyone else's problems was too much for her. Blanche Dubois, Hamlet, and May all suffer from bipolar disorder, the brain disorder that changes a person's mood, in his/her own way.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a disease where the individual expresses either obsessions or compulsions. Blanche DuBois suffers from OCD because she tells lies throughout the entire play and she gets so obsessed with telling her lies that she starts to believe them to escape reality. She wants everyone to believe that she is a great and wonderful person and that she lives this lavish lifestyle and that is where her problems begin. When Blanche comes to visit her sister, Stella, she tells her that she did not get fired from her job and she lies about what happened to the estate. When Stella's husband, Stanley, finds out some details about his sister in law from a friend and confronts Blanche about it she just keeps on lying. Blanche tells everyone that this guy that she use to be best friends with rich and that he wants to take her on a cruise with him. When the phone rings she claims that she is talking to that guy and that he will be at Stella's house to pick her up any day now. Her lies catch up with her in the end because when someone knocks on the door she thinks that it is her previous boyfriend that is taking her on a cruise and she gets surprised when the door is opened and people from the "crazy house" comes through the door. They wrestle Blanche to the floor and take her away. Hamlet's case of obsessive compulsive disorder is a little different from Blanche. Hamlet becomes so obsessed with seeking revenge on Claudius that he uses the other characters to make his plan work. He lies to everyone to produce and carry out his plan that he does not care who he hurts. His obsession with revenge goes too far when he kills the wrong person. His obsession also goes too far when he gets too far caught up in revenge that he loses the great love for Ophellia because she ends up killing herself. Hamlet's obsession with seeking revenge is not an everyday real life problem so he is considered to have obsessive compulsive disorder. May is considered to have OCD because she is obsessed with the problems that are occurring around her that she does not have time to live her life. May is fine until something bad happens and then she gets really upset. The problem is that May does not know how to separate the problems that are actually hers and the problems that belong to other people. Having to cope with the "world's" problems is not an everyday problem. Things that happen may effect others and the way that they live but they do not cry and start humming a song when something bad happens. If May was not obsessed with other people's problems she would not have taken her life. Blanche, Hamlet, and May all suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder because all three of them are obsessed with things that are not real-life problems.
Authors always have symbolism, imagery, or another wow factor to make his/her story great and different from the others. Tennessee Williams, William Shakespeare, and Sue Monk Kidd all happen to give at least one character in his/her story two diseases: bipolar and obsessive compulsive disorder. Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is classified by the DSM-IV as an anxiety disorder. It involves thought, impulses, or images that are not simply worries about real-life problems. These three authors give his/her character these two diseases but in a different way from one another. Tennessee William's character Blanche DuBois suffers from bipolar disorder because she is fine and happy until she thinks that someone has found out the truth about her and then she gets hysterically upset. Blanche suffers from OCD because she gets so obsessed with the lies that she tells that she starts to believe them to try to escape reality. Hamlet, William Shakespeare's character, suffers from bipolar disease because he is fine around his friend Horatio but when he is around his mother and Claudius he acts crazy so they will not find out about his plan. Hamlet is OCD because he gets obsessed with seeking revenge on Claudius for his father. May suffers obsessive compulsive disorder because she is obsessed with other people's problems. No matter how the reader looks at it Blanche, Hamlet, and May all suffer from bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Works Cited
Psychology Today. "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." 10 October 2002. 24 May 2007.
Stoppler, Melissa Conrad, MD. "Bipolar Disorder." 29 September 2006. 24 May 2007. | http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=168968 |
Lily James is a famous and popular English actress. Lily James real name is Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson. Lily James rose to fame after her work in the television programmes like "Just William, War, and Peace, and Downton Abbey" and the feature movie named "Cinderella, Wrath of the Titans, Baby Driver, Fast Girls and Darkest Hour". She has also played Lady Rose MacClare in the popular ITV and PBS television series Downton Abbey and landed the lead role in the 2015 feature film Cinderella.
Lily James was born on 5 April 1989. Lily James was born in Esher, England. Lily James is recently at the age of 28 to date. Lily James is of white ethnicity and she holds the citizenship of England. Lily James height is 5 feet and 7 inches. Lily James weights 55 Kg approx. Lily James body measurement is 32-24-34. Lily James has the eye color of light brown and she has the hair color of dark brown.
Lily James started her career by playing a role of "Desdemona" in the movie named "Othello" and the role of "Nina" in the movie named "The Seagull", drawing the attention of also the famous the most discerning theatre-goers of the British capital. That time, she decided to try on TV and played a small role in the sitcom "The Secret Diary of a Call Girl".Her character first appeared in the third season and caught the fancy of the public at once: thoughtless tramp who's only interested in dancing, grooms, and dresses, could challenge society and its ossified traditions. The year 2012 was very fruitful to the aspiring actress: she starred in four pictures, "Chemia", "Broken", "Wrath of the Titans" and "Fast Girls". Lily has also been selected for the popular role of Cinderella in the movie adaptation of the Disney cartoon, beating the stars in the casting as Alicia Vikander, Saoirse Ronan, and even the incomparable Emma Watson in 2014. Her partner on the set became Kenneth Branagh. During pre-production, she had to learn horse riding (before that she didn't even know which side to approach horses) and ballroom dancing. The scenes with the father turned to be a very difficult challenge for the young actress as she was overwhelmed with the sad memories of her own so early deceased father. The movie was a huge success and glorified the British actress in the whole world.
Lily James was raised in a small and well-mannered family. Lily James used to live with her parents that include her father, her mother and her siblings. Lily was born in an intellectual, creative family from Surrey. Her mother named Ninette was also a famous and popular actress, and her father was James Thomson, a musician. Lily's grandmother named Helen Horton was also a famous and popular actress, she took part in scoring the film "Alien". It is not surprising that the girl, intending to continue the dynasty of actors, dreamed of the stage from an early age. Lily James is not married yet and has no husband.
Lily James is recently single and is not dating anyone. Lily James was dating a guy in the past. Lily James and her boyfriend broke up due to some personal issue. Lily James and her Ex-boyfriend both have not revealed the reason for their breakup on the internet or to the media yet. Lily James has no boyfriend and is not dating anyone currently.
As per Wiki sources, Lily James has the net worth of $3 Million till date. Lily James has worked very hard and struggled a lot in order to reach that amount of net worth. Lily James hasn't revealed about her salary on the internet or to the media till date.
Lily James has played in multiple of movies and television series in her career life. Lily James has also won and achieved some awards in her career life. She has won "Screen Actors Guild Awards" in 2014 as well as in 2015. Lily James has also won "Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards" in the year 2015. She has also been nominated in some categories like "Teen Choice Awards", "Kid's Choice Awards" and "Whatsonstage.com Awards" in her career life. | http://www.learnmorefacts.com/post/lily-james-biography-age-net-worth-boyfriend-husband-dating-wiki |
Quality Materials. Meticulous Craftsmanship.
At Westcott Homes, we’re committed to continuous improvement and our customers’ total satisfaction. Our focus on quality results in long-term relationships and enthusiastic recommendations.
Since the beginning, we’ve been developing systems and procedures that benefit our homebuyers, from purchase through construction, to closing and beyond. We’re here for whatever you need throughout the process, and we pledge that only the highest quality materials, skilled craftsmanship and thoughtful attention to detail will go into your new home. | https://www.westcotthomes.com/build/ |
Main Services: Interior Painting - Wallcoverings - Wood Finishings - Architectural Finishes
Description: Anchor Painting is a family owned company that has been providing quality painting for over 40 years. We pride ourselves on being Professional, Timely, and Clean. Fred is always visible on every project to guarantee the highest craftsmanship at all times. We have maintained a great reputation with our clientele by always doing anything and everything with dignity and integrity. We look forward to being your Go-To company for any and all of your painting and wall covering needs.
What sets us apart from other contractors: Fred is on time and pays attention to detail, does not detour to other projects until YOUR project is completed. | https://www.networx.com/c.anchor-painting-co |
Quality craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail and business integrity are what we bring to every project and what our clients have come to expect.
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Our reputation precedes us, as we strive to not only meet but exceed your expectations. Let our next collaboration be yours. | http://klockner.net/contact/ |
From a young age, I knew that building was in my heart; nothing could keep me away from construction sites. As a young boy, I remember knocking the mortar off bricks, and being paid by the day-laborers in cookies and soda. I told everyone who would listen that I was going to be a carpenter when I grew up. However, things changed as they always do, I attended college and earned a B.S. in Chemistry, but I kept feeling that tug – building and design. Within six months of graduation, I bought my first house, tore it apart and rebuilt it. I was in heaven – good bye chemistry.
I call building my art. Some people work with brushes and canvas or musical notes and instruments – I work with hammers and nails.
Michael Carlisle
Construction Team, Los Angeles
Roaming the inner city streets of New York as a child, I’ve always had a great appreciation for the magnificent buildings surrounding me. Inspired by that great architecture, I eventually attended college to study design. With an aptitude for math and physics, I soon discovered a fondness for the simplicity of symmetry and balance.
I developed a knack for what I call, “subtraction.” How do I achieve the same results with less lines, texture, and angles? Benefitting from the use of quality materials, subtraction results in a sense of calmness, peace and perfection. For me, when this ensues, the building or room speaks in unison and harmony with its materials and finishes; they truly become one, and a space like no other.
Over time, I came to enjoy field work over being in the office. For more than 20 years now, I’ve utilized my persistent attention to detail and design skills for countless outstanding residential properties. As a project manager, my relationships and skills are keys to my success.
Ryan Heiman
Construction Team, Los Angeles & Orange Counties
Before heading off to college, and working part-time during those same years, I was employed as a framing carpenter, constructing custom homes with intricate architectural significance and details. I watched and smiled as the homeowners’ excitement grew nearing completion. After graduation I put down my hammer and nail bags, and changed into a business suit and pursued ventures in real estate development. Yet a creativity gap began to form inside me.
At the intersection of art and function lies the media of home building. For years people have described beautiful homes as fine craftsmanship. A cut-above is fine art. Through quality craftsmanship and love for the artful craft of building, I believe in creating functional art in the homes that will be shared for generations. Sculpting environments from good to great is my mantra.
Design Team
What turns an ordinary house into a beautiful home? Why is it that some homes just "feel" right? Is it the integration of finish materials early during design phase that the beauty, comfort and style of a home reaches a certain level of perfection, and begins to sing?
Design is a part of our everyday life at October 5 - homes are our playgrounds. In addition to the architecture and spatial requirements of your home, the October 5 design team takes a keen interest in your materials choices, understanding their shape, function and durability. How will they relate to one another and to the subsequent construction? We believe it is the design. It is the attention to detail and meticulous consideration of material finishes early in the design process.
Space planning and function, symmetry and balance, lighting, cabinetry, furniture layout, color and finishes reach perfection when given considerable thought long before any work begins. Design Build– is there really any other choice for modern times? Ask our clients . . . | http://october5.com/team.html |
CPSRENOVATIONS LTD have extensive experience within the decorating industry. Our team of professionals specialise in all aspects of residential and commercial decorating including interior and exterior painting.
All large exterior decoration contracts are completed to the highest quality incorporating excellent craftsmanship, management and safety.
We produce all specialist paint and wallpaper finishes, woodwork, varnishing and staining. We work with the client, discussing in great detail their vision, inorder to produce a high-‐class finish to their specification. | http://www.cps-renovations.co.uk/decoration/ |
Unconscious bias – judgments and behaviors toward others that we’re not aware of – is everywhere in our lives. And while this type of bias may seem less dangerous in the workplace than it may be on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., or in a courtroom, it still leads to racial injustice.
In March 2013, a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report identified “unconscious bias and perceptions about African Americans” as one of seven “major obstacles hindering equal opportunities for African Americans in the federal work force.”
In fact, simply having a name that sounds black can reduce the chance of you getting an interview, according to a study conducted by researchers at MIT and the University of Chicago. The research showed that this is true even at companies that are actively looking for diversity in hiring. Similar trends have been identified in virtually every aspect of the talent management system. For example, another study from the University of Warsaw, found that women described with feminine job titles (e.g. “chairwoman”) are perceived (by men) to be as significantly less warm and marginally less competent than women with masculine job titles. And men reported that they were less likely to hire these women.
In my 30 years of consulting and research, I have seen this unconscious bias play out again and again. It not only results in lack of equity in organizations, but in poor talent management practices. How can we hire, retain, and develop the best people — regardless of race — if we are not even aware of the forces that dominate the choices we make?
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we can eliminate our biases. We are learning more and more that they are a natural part of human functioning. Psychologist Joseph LeDoux refers to bias as our human “danger detector,” as it provides a quick way to insure our safety. We make fast judgments about what is “normal” and what isn’t and often this works in our favor. For example, a good leader may sense that certain behaviors are consistently more dependable in meeting client needs and may develop a “bias” toward those approaches. Even if they are not correct 100% of the time, they may still make more sense as a rule than approaching each client situation as if it has never happened before. Of course, that doesn’t mean that one approach should be chiseled in stone.
The good news is that there are things that we can do to mitigate the negative impact of biases on our organizational decision-making.
First, by realizing and accepting that we all have bias, we can learn to watch for it in ourselves and help others who work with us to do the same. This process of building awareness is similar to what happens when we step on the clutch in a standard transmission automobile. The motor doesn’t stop running (bias doesn’t stop), but the car is no longer moving forward. When we are on the lookout for biases, they are less likely to blindly dictate our decisions.
Second, we have to develop tactics that help us make decisions more consciously. There are three types of approaches that can help: priming; reorganized structures and systems; and new forms of accountability.
Priming is a memory effect that gets created when one activity subtly, and often unconsciously, impacts subsequent behaviors. By consciously priming people to pay attention to potential areas of bias, extensive research as well as our experience with clients has shown that they can be encouraged to be more conscious of their decision-making processes. For example, before reviewing resumes, managers can be asked to respond to a series of questions like:
“Does this person’s resume remind you in any way about yourself?”
“Does it remind you of somebody you know? Is that positive or negative?”
“Are there things about the resume that particularly influence your impression? Are they really relevant to the job?”
“What assessments have you already made about the person? Are these grounded in solid information or are they simply your interpretations?”
Similar safeguards can be put in place around many aspects of talent management: recruiting, interviewing, hiring, promoting, and performance reviews. As Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman said: “The odds of limiting the constraints of biases in a group setting rise when discussion of them is widespread.”
Reorganizing structures and systems can also help reduce the impact of bias. Structure creates behavior in organizations and by creating consistency in how certain processes get carried out, you can encourage less biased behavior. For example, structured interviewing processes, in which the questions are consistent across candidates, have been found to reduce bias relative to unstructured or free-form interviews. In fact, as a rule, structured processes can reduce the patterns of unconscious bias that take over when people are just “trusting their gut” in informal structures like mentoring, managing, coaching, and reviewing performance.
Finally, you can put new forms of accountability in place so that it becomes clear when bias is occurring. For example, if a manager gives 10 performance reviews, five to men and five to women, and four out of the highest five are women, it should at the very least call for an inquiry into whether there might be a pro-female bias in the process. It might be total coincidence, but it is worth checking. You might get input from some colleagues who also work with the people being rated and see if they make the same evaluation.
Another place to encourage accountability is in diversity metrics. If you look at metrics individually you might argue that you’re reaching your company’s diversity goals of representation at each point in the process. But if you look at the batch of metrics together — for example, the percentage of people who apply for jobs, the percentage who are offered jobs, the percentage who accept those jobs, and the percentage who are successful in their jobs after six months — you are far more likely to be able to pinpoint the places in the system where breakdowns are occurring.
Bias may be as natural as breathing and it may very well be impossible to drive it out of human consciousness. But by shifting your mindset and inviting constant inquiry into how you make decisions, you can create businesses in which the diversity of your workforce is truly the strength that you hoped it would be. | https://hbr.org/2015/04/3-ways-to-make-less-biased-decisions |
The Sodar (sonic detection and ranging) system is used to remotely measure the vertical turbulence structure and the wind profile of the lower layer of the atmosphere.
The Sodar system operates by emitting an acoustic pulse and receiving back the signal. Both the intensity and the Doppler (frequency) shift of the return signal are analyzed in order to determine the wind speed, wind direction and turbulent character of the atmosphere. A profile of the atmosphere as a function of height can be obtained by analyzing the return signal at a series of times following the transmission of each pulse. The return signal recorded at any particular delay time provides atmospheric data for a height that can be calculated based on the speed of sound.
The Sodar system can perform measurements with a nominal maximum measuring height over 1000 m (not available in adverse weather conditions) with adjustable height resolution from 5 to 100m, the system frequency is 1500 and 2600 Hz, but optimum between 2000 and 2200 Hz. The horizontal wind components can be measured with resolution of ±50 m/s and vertical wind speed over ±10 m/s. The SODAR wind profiling can provide integration time of 600 to 1800 seconds typically and 7-12 ° beam width depending on frequency.
The output parameters are: wind profiles, time series, vector plot, contour plot (smooth or raw). | http://environment.inoe.ro/article/40/sodar |
All employers have a legal responsibility to ensure fire safety is maintained in the workplace or commercial premises, whether they take lead themselves or delegate to another appropriate member of staff such as a risk assessor. The appointed person has the responsibility of: regularly completing fire risk assessments, maintaining fire safety measures, planning for an emergency evacuation, and ensuring everyone within the workplace is aware of this information.
In a workplace setting there are a whole host of fixtures and fittings that can become dangerous and contribute to a fire such as electrical equipment, lighting, paper, furniture and much more. The responsible person should identify all items that could become dangerous so that they can put in place the appropriate measures to prevent fires from occurring, as well as to help minimise injury or loss of life in the unfortunate event of a fire. This information can then contribute towards completing a fire risk assessment which is explained in more detail below.
Fire risk assessments should be completed regularly and kept up to date to ensure all present risks are contained. The risk assessment can be done as part of your health and safety risk assessment or separately, however any premises that has 5 or more employees has to have written documentation of the assessment being carried out.
Formulating an emergency evacuation plan accompanied by regular fire drills to supply training for all employees.
If you're still unsure what is required to carry out a successful risk assessment, there are assessment guides on government websites to assist you. There is also the option of hiring a professional risk assessor if appropriate.
There are many points to consider when developing a fire evacuation plan and so they can vary depending on your type of premises and who occupies it. There should always be a clearly marked, well-lit escape route that is short and direct, for an efficient evacuation. You can purchase generic signs, usually on green backgrounds, that can be placed throughout the route with direct symbols to indicate where to go. It may also be useful to display a map of the premises to indicate the emergency escape routes, so anyone can familiarise themselves whilst at the workplace.
Depending on the scale of employees and visitors in the premises, there should be a satisfactory number of escape routes and exits so that everyone can leave the premises quickly and safely, without causing heavy congestion. Once people are outside following an evacuation, there should be a noticeable meeting place that is a safe distance away from the site, to conduct registers in case any person is left in the building. Special arrangements should be put in place for anyone with mobility needs, so for example, particular people can be allocated to assist those in wheelchairs etc.
Slip, trips and falls account for around 40% of accidents in the workplace and, due to panic, can be one of the highest potential risk factors in the event of a fire evacuation. Therefore, at all times, pathways and emergency exits should be free from obstructions that may cause further injury, or delay, during an evacuation.
Similarly, if someone were to slip on a surface that was not up to British slip testing standards during the evacuation process, it could lead to further injuries and a delay in others escaping the fire, which in the most concerning circumstances could result in death.
Having unsafe flooring materials that don’t carry the correct slip resistance can not only mean the potential for your staff members to become injured whilst attempting to leave the premises in the event of a fire, it can also leave your business liable in any legal battle from such injuries. Whilst carrying out the fire risk assessment it’s highly beneficial to conduct pendulum slip tests simultaneously to ensure all flooring meets HSE anti-slip regulations.
Although types can vary according to your workplace, you must have a fire warning and detection system to alert employees of a fire on the premises. Checks should be carried out on alarms to validate they are working correctly at least once a year. Similarly, you should ensure all emergency systems are in working order including lighting, fire doors and fire escapes. Any faults should be recorded for future reference. All employees, new or existing, need training so they are fully aware of any present fire risks. When completing alarm checks, fire drills should be carried out so employees can simulate what would happen in a real time fire emergency. This ensures staff are familiar with evacuation routes and in the event of a real fire, as an employer you can feel confident in a successful evacuation.
If you are in the process of risk assessing your premises for fire or health & safety purposes and need to find out whether your flooring is fit for purpose contact the team at National Testing today. We are the leading specialists throughout the UK in a variety of slip tests - catering for stairs, ramps and level flooring to ensure your emergency exits are up to the standards required by the HSE and to help prevent accidents or injury to your employees. | https://www.nationaltesting.co.uk/news/fire-evacuation-procedures |
As Originally published by M.A.S.E. LLC, January/February 2010.
By: John Ryan
Tel: (855) 627-6273
Email Mr. Ryan
A recent failure of a ski lift in Wisconsin has received much media attention. While accidents such as these are rare, they do occur. Much more frequent are accidents involving collisions with other people or objects. This issue of Forensic Clues will examine the types of accidents that occur on the mountains.
The main type of equipment failure that can lead to accidents is binding failure. Ski bindings are designed to release when a certain amount of force is placed on the binding. Binding tension is set to release based on the skier ability. Beginner skiers' bindings are set to release on minimal forces to minimize the possibility of injury to the beginner. Intermediate bindings release at a moderate amount of force, which allows the skier to make more aggressive moves.
Advanced skier bindings require even more force to release. When skiers are injured due to a failure of a binding to release, an investigation attempts to determine if the binding should have released in the given situation. Determining the nature of the fall helps accident investigators know if the binding should have released or if it was a situation that would not result in the binding releasing due to the nature and direction of the forces. Bindings are not designed to release under all circumstances. Other factors affecting the situation include whether the skier was skiing within their ability level, and if the bindings were set to the correct tension level.
About ten years ago, a Utah bill went to vote that would have prohibited nonreleasable snowboard bindings. Various lawsuits had occurred, beginning in 1996, that claimed that snowboard bindings should be releasable. It was claimed that the failure of the snowboard binding to release had resulted in fatalities when the victim asphyxiated in snow after falling face-first into deep snow. This bill didn't pass, and the push for releasable snowboard bindings has faded away. Releasable snowboard bindings have been patented by different inventors.
Ski lift malfunctions are rare, but have potential for devastating consequences. If a lift tower collapses, chairs or gondolas in the vicinity will collapse as the cable between the next towers cannot maintain the weight. The chairs are often at heights in excess of 50 feet. Falls from these heights can result in serious injury or death. Failure can occur due to inadequately designed towers, but can also occur due to ice buildup in the towers. A tower failure occurring at Whistler ski area in British Columbia was blamed on ice expanding in a joint which led to failure of the tower. This same phenomenon has occurred elsewhere as well. Drain holes to prevent water and ice buildup as well as inspections help minimize the risk of this type of accident.
The recent failure in Wisconsin was due to the failure of gears that power the lift. There was catastrophic failure of one of the gears. Backup systems to prevent the lift from traveling backwards failed to engage due to rust and corrosion, and the chair lift traveled backwards, resulting in 14 injured people. The failure of the primary and backup system led to this accident.
The resort has responded by planning on installing automatic anti-reversal mechanisms that would act as an additional safeguard. Lift failures can occur if the cable of the lift falls off of the tower. The cable normally passes over pulleys with grooves in them that help to retain the cable. High winds can cause the cable to be pulled from these pulleys, sending the cable and the attached chairs falling to the ground. This occurred in Switzerland in January 2008, resulting in the death of one person, several other injuries, and the evacuation of other skiers.
Chairs are kept attached to the cable by a clamping mechanism that partially releases at the load and unload positions allowing the chairs to slow down. If these clamping mechanisms fail, individual chairs can slide or fall to the ground. An accident at Whistler in 1995 occurred when a sudden emergency stop of the lift caused a wave action in the cable. One of the chair's clamping mechanisms partially released due to these forces, and slid down the cable, impacting another chair, and causing a chain reaction that resulted in chairs falling to the ground and multiple deaths and numerous injuries. People occasionally fall from lifts during travel. This can lead to serious injury or death. Most modern chair lifts have a combination bar/footrest that prevents the occupants from being able to fall out, although their use is voluntary. Accidents also occur when people are trying to get on and off of the lifts. The failure to maintain loading areas of ski lifts can increase the hazardousness of the lift.
Mountain sports are inherently dangerous, and people can still get injured even if nothing goes wrong, and the facility is properly maintained, hazards on the slopes are clearly marked, etc.
Lifts can also malfunction, leaving skiers and snowboarders trapped on the ski lift. This can result in exposure injuries or injuries occurring from people jumping from chair lifts.
ANSI B77 governs the design, installation, and operation of chair lifts in the United States. Other countries have their own standards.
Collisions occur frequently on the slopes, and at times can result in serious injury or death. Protective equipment offers some margin of safety. Ski resorts mark hazardous areas, such as exposed rock or trees to warn skiers. Where trails meet the chance of collisions increase greatly. Many resorts designate these areas as slow skiing only areas, and patrol regularly to ensure patrons are skiing at reasonable speeds, within their ability level
John L. Ryan, BSME, P.E. is a Mechanical Engineer who provides general Mechanical and Structural Engineering expertise. Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) provides full service analysis and accident reconstruction of products involved in accidents. Mr. Ryan's services have been requested for attorneys and insurance companies needing forensic engineering expert witness testimony to determine whether machinery and products involved in injury cases were adequately designed or whether they have a Design, Manufacturing, or Material Defect. All products are lab-tested on site to determine adherence to industry standards and engineering design protocol. Alternate preventative designs are developed when none exist commercially.
©Copyright - All Rights Reserved
DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION BY AUTHOR. | https://www.experts.com/articles/skiing-snowboarding-accidents-forensic-clues-by-john-ryan |
What To Consider When Choosing A Wheelchair For Your Child
As a parent, ensuring your child has access to all the medical equipment they need is imperative. This is especially true when it comes to purchasing their first wheelchair. You want to ensure the chair is able to meet their mobility needs efficiently while also ensuring comfort. If you're having difficulty choosing a chair for your child, here are some of the factors you should consider during your decision making process.
Chair Function
The primary manner in which the wheelchair will be used is an important factor to consider. For instance, is maneuverability or stability more important? In terms of maneuverability, children who will be active while in their chair, such as playing sports, would be better suited to have a chair designed for maneuverability. This style of chair is designed to make tight turns and accommodate shifts in weight and balance.
Chairs designed for stability are better suited for children who have decreased trunk control or strength and won't be active in the chair. These types of chairs typically have lower centers of gravity and a wider base to prevent the chair from tipping and make the child feel more secure.
Length of Use
Another factor to consider is how long you plan to use the chair for. Are you looking to find a chair to grow with your child or a more temporary solution? If you're looking for a chair to grow with your child, ensure it is equipped with a wheel-axle plate that is adjustable.
This type of feature allows you to adjust the height of the seat as your child grows. You should also look for a chair that has adjustable cross braces. Cross braces allow you to widen the base of the seat to also accommodate for growth. If you're looking for a temporary solution, none of these adjustable features are necessary.
Mobility
In terms of mobility, wheelchairs typically fall in one of two categories: pushed or self-propelled. A pushed wheelchair is a design that requires someone else to push the chair. In this case, the chair should have handles that you and the other caregivers can comfortably reach, which also means the chair sits high off the ground.
Self-propelled chairs are designed for children who have the mobility functions to propel themselves in the chair using the wheels. In this case, the chair needs to have a lower frame so that they child can easily reach the wheels without having to strain or become fatigued.
Make sure you are taking your time during the selection process to ensure you are choosing the chair that is right for every facet of your child's life and needs. For more information, contact a wheelchair dealer like Neergaard Pharmacies. | http://acnearticle.info/2015/08/31/what-to-consider-when-choosing-a-wheelchair-for-your-child/ |
For retailers, Black Friday is the most important (and anticipated) shopping day of the year. Many stores hire temporary workers to stock and prepare additional inventory. With a crush of anticipated shoppers and untrained employees, the risk of accidents only increases. Many people remember the deadly stampede that killed a Wal-Mart employee during a Black Friday rush in 2008.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers a number of tips so that store owners and other retailers may minimize the risk of workplace injuries.
Planning – With regarding to crowd management, employers should create detailed staffing plans to ensure the safety of the event. This may include having additional security to properly direct shoppers, practicing safety procedures, and providing legible and visible signs that describe entrance locations. Employers should ensure that the store meets all public safety requirements, and notify local police and fire departments of the sale.
Pre-Sale Setup – Retailers should also take appropriate steps to organize entry and exit from the store. This would include setting up rope lines or barricades well in advance to control customer entry. These access controls should be set up away from the store entrance so that crowds may be divided up into smaller groups. A controlled entry will reduce the likelihood that customers will push from behind and minimize the risk that others would be crushed or trampled as eager shoppers rush through the entrance.
Employee Safety – With regard to employees, employers should allow a reasonable amount of time for workers to stock additional merchandise in anticipation of the event. Managers and team leads should give detailed instructions on how to handle heavy or awkward merchandise in order to avoid injuries or accidents. Also, teams should be designated for merchandise stocking, store set-up, customer service and clean up. Lastly, all employees should be familiar with emergency procedures and be trained on how to notify store personnel should the need arise. | https://www.adlerfirm.com/blog/2011/november/safety-tips-for-holiday-workers/ |
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